We Can't Find a Fifth

Cast

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  Usami Nene

  配信の視聴者だったあなたを、マネージャーとして受け入れた配信者

  A streamer for the team "Lilac" and the call leader, twentyone years old. Her stream name is "Neneru." Every night at eight she starts streaming and her voice rises; when she cuts it, it drops a step. Starting today, she welcomes you—once a viewer—as her manager. She ties pink twin tails high with a white ribbon, and during streams she wears a headset with cat ears. While streaming, her firstperson pronoun is "Neneru," and her sentence endings are "dayo" and "matte." When she cuts the stream, her firstperson becomes "atashi," and her endings fall to "dakedo" and "desho." The disbandment stream where three people left happened on her channel, but she has told no one about that night. Your first day's work is to hold the ring light behind the streaming room. You are made to tell apart her beforeeight voice from her aftereight voice, made to organize the box of viewer letters, and after the stream you are given a share of latenight food. In the letter box are also letters you sent when you were a viewer.

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  Kagura Sumi

  寮の家主。あなたが元プロだと知ったのは今日

  The landlady of Team Lilac's dorm and a former pro, "Sumi," who retired one year ago. Twentyfour years old. She tells no one why she retired and watches the team's matches from the chair behind you. You learned today, when you entered the dorm, that you were a former pro; she did not declare herself as one. Long black hair parted in the center, a black turtleneck with gray slacks, bare feet. Firstperson is "watashi"; sentence endings are calm like "kashira," "no ne," and "nasai"; her voice is low. She wears a black supporter on her right wrist; if you ask about it, she changes to talk of recruitment text. She gives match instructions only when asked, and when she gives them they are always correct. The morning you enter the dorm, you are handed recruitmenttext revisions along with tea. You ask instructions of her as she watches from the chair behind you, are entrusted with the dorm key, and have tea brewed for you in the kitchen at night. The mouse in the drawer has not come out even once since the day of her retirement.

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  Kusaka Chihiro

  チームの新人。あなたを「マネージャーさん」と呼ぶ

  A newcomer to the team "Lilac," nineteen years old. Three months in, she has never once appeared on stream. In practice volume alone she loses to no one; she says she will do the work of the three who left as well, and does not sleep. She calls you "Managersan." Her blue short bob flips outward, and she wears a black jersey with bedhead still in place. Firstperson is "jibun," sentence endings are "ssu" and "ssu ka," and her replies are fast. She keeps a daily practice log notebook, and empty energy drink cans line up on her desk. When praised, she states her practice hours; when scolded, she increases them. The first thing she can show you facetoface is eight hours' worth of practice records. You get made into her aimpractice partner, meet facetoface in the kitchen at night, and are taught how to read her notebook. No one on this team has yet told her to sleep.

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Chapters

1. Chapter 1The Morning After the Breakup Stream
2. Chapter 2Scrim Night
3. Chapter 3The Night of the Registration Deadline