CLAN - Episode 3
Rui: WHAAAAAT?!
Shizuru: What's wrong? Why are you suddenly shouting?
Q: I've never seen Rui raise his voice like this before.
…Also, look at this.
"Is the legend of the FPS world, Mission Stadium, finally ending service?"
Mission Stadium… that game really made its mark in the world of FPS over the years.
Shizuru: …What's that? The game's ending or something?
Q: Yeah, from what I read. I don't play FPS games that much, and I'm not really into older ones, so I don't know a lot about it.
But even someone like me knows this game. It’s pretty famous, you know?
Shizuru: FPS, huh... I've never actually played one. Wait, what does FPS even mean, anyway?
Q: Oh, you don't even know? Well, let me fill you in then.
…FPS stands for “Freaky Panini Showdown”.
Shizuru: Freaky Panini Showdown?!
Q: Yeah, it's your typical bread-eating contest, but what makes this interesting is how it's not as straightforward as you'd think it’d be.
Turning bread into “something that doesn't look like bread,” or sniping your opponent’s bread to sabotage them.
It's a survival-action bread-eating competition where you use your weapons and wits!
Shizuru: Hmmm. Seriously, how long are we going to keep this conversation going!
Q: …..
Shizuru: Wait, so it's seriously a bread-eating competition? You're kidding, right?
Rui: …….
Shizuru: …Hey, Rui, you’ve been in shock for a while now. Don't be so down just because you can't have a bread-eating competition.
Rui: …Nah, I'm not bummed out or anything. It's just an old game shutting down.
…..
……..
Maybe I’ll grab an energy drink.
Shizuru: Wait, Rui! That’s not an Energy Drink! That’s my pudding!
Rui: ?! …Ah, my bad.
Q: Oh, the can isn’t even opened yet?
Rui: …Must have been from playing games too much, my arms have probably worn–
Q: You seem really agitated.
Shizuru: Hey, Rui, there are plenty of other games out there besides Mission Whatever, you know?
Rui: 'Course I know that.
It doesn’t really bother me…
[PING] …Oh? What the heck.
Shizuru: What now? Let me see.
“Hey RUI, how've you been? It's me, Messiah. How about a match against me in Mission Stadium after so long?”
Who's that Messiah guy?
Rui: …I don’t know him.
Shizuru: So, it’s from a wrong email then?
Rui: …But, it bothers me that he used “RUI”, my username.
Shizuru: It does.
Q: Hey, take a look at this.
Shizuru: Hm?
Q: I’ve been searching some stuff about Mission Stadium’s end of service.
Shizuru: “The popular streamer Messiah is missing!?" ... What's up with that?
Are they talking about the guy who just emailed Rui?
Q: According to the article, Messiah was a famous streamer known for streaming Mission Stadium.
Lately, he has been offline for a while and his whereabouts are unknown.
Shizuru: Hearing about Mission Stadium’s end of service must have shocked him to the core, right?
Q: Maybe~
Shizuru: But, if he managed to email Rui, then that means that he must be alive, even though we don’t know where he is, right?
Why would he go through all that trouble just to message Rui?
Q: It's quite elaborate for a prank, right?
Rui: ……
Shizuru: What’s up, Leader? You stood up all of a sudden.
Rui: Let’s find who sent this email and track down Messiah.
Shizuru: Finding him… What’s your deal all of a sudden?
You usually can't be bothered and rarely even go outside. This isn't like you at all.
Rui: ...The first version of Mission Stadium launched more than a decade ago.
Q: That means Rui wasn't even a rider yet back then.
Rui: Yeah, so it’s most likely that this Messiah guy is someone I knew before my memories were altered by Chaosism....
So, if we track him down, I might be able to learn something related to my past.
Shizuru: I see. So that's why you started talking about finding him.
Rui: …Just to kill time, really. You guys don't need to come with me.
Shizuru: Don't dismiss us like that! Doesn't searching for someone who could shed light on our buddy’s past sound interesting to you?
Rui: …We're not exactly “friends" or anything like that, though?
Shizuru: Don't say that. Come on, Q, you’re interested too, right?
Q: A streamer who disappeared from the public eye sends a challenge to Rui...
This elaborate prank is getting exciting. Since we're already in it, let's play along and be his playmate. [1]
Shizuru: When faced with intriguing things, I always dive head first into it.
If I can enjoy it now, that's all that matters. I'm a hedonist who indulges in immediate pleasure.~♪ [2]
That’s what makes us Slam Days, right?
Rui: ....Suit yourself.
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Translation Note:
[1] someone was kind enough to point out that ゾクソクする (zokusoku suru) was a phrase often used by Philip from Kamen Rider W which is LOQ’s homage. Lance eventually says this in later episodes.
[2] A hedonist or 利那的な (rinateki na) is a person who thinks that pleasure is the most important thing in their life and follows this principle. It’s not only limited to pleasure but also happiness/self-gratification.