Call the Shots [Esports]

[Main plot with esports as a supporting element]

Here's a preview of my upcoming novel, The Mid Laner Is a Chuunibyou~

"I want to win more than anyone."

A wildly overconfident red-haired streamer with a reputation for cursing teams to lose x a prodigy esports player who rose to fame at a young age

After disappearing for half a season to take a break, a pro player suddenly appeared in a small livestream, calling the streamer "baby" over and over and leaving all the fans dumbfounded.

When a friend asked Lin Chuji how it felt to be called "baby" by Atlas, he replied, "It's all right. I sound better when I say it."

His friend was heartbroken and said he didn't want to hang out with him anymore.

-

By the end of the season's finals, the entire esports scene knew about Lin Chu, the little streamer whom Yu Tangchen called "baby" and who jinxed every team.

As a specially invited commentator for the finals, Lin Chuji could already picture himself being berated by all the teams in person.

"Atlas will be there as a guest, too."

"Huh? Fine, I'll go too. Just wait, I'll take Atlas down in person."

The moment he sent the email, Lin Chuji started to regret it. Had he been a little too cocky?

Fans: Just a little?

-

After the first match of the new season, Yu Tangchen was asked during his MVP interview, "Atlas, is your new player Lin Chu the same Lin Chu everyone thinks he is?"

Watching the livestream, fans saw Yu Tangchen's lips curl into a smile. He drawled out an answer like a bombshell:

"I don't know who everyone thinks he is, but this is my adorable little baby, Lin Chu."

Sitting in the lounge, Lin Chuji heard the answer and grabbed his head with both hands, wishing he could log in and change his ID right away.

-

On the day of the regular season finals, Yu Tangchen's alternate account was exposed, and the fans were furious and mortified.

The account with the ID [Lin Chu's Biggest Fan] had infiltrated Lin Chuji's fan community, asking them all sorts of questions about love and how to pursue someone. It turned out to be Yu Tangchen's secret Weibo account.

And they'd even helped him woo someone. Their own idol, no less?!

Fans: Is it too late to regret this?

[Reading Guide]

1. He starts out as a streamer, then turns pro. Atlas is Yu Tangchen's English game ID.

2. Lin Chuji's livestream account and Chinese game ID are both Lin Chu. It's not missing a character.

3. This game, Clash of Light and Shadow, is something I made up. Just follow along. I'll do my best to make the story understandable even if you haven't played the game. Don't ask why. I've played all sorts of games, but I'm no good at them, so I decided to make up the rules myself. I call the shots!

4. I like a slow-burn romance, so the plot develops gradually. If that's not your thing, please don't read.

Preview of The Mid Laner Is a Chuunibyou. If you like it, please add it to your library.

A chuunibyou who falls for his own schemes, as the pursuer x a gentle, flirtatious older man as the pursued

A certain team's social media account suddenly changed its style. Its elegant, handsome aesthetic, which had been ahead of the curve, abruptly turned into a ridiculous chuunibyou vibe.

Fans flooded the comments in tears, watching the players they followed one by one turn into absurd chuunibyou versions of themselves.

In response, the people in the videos said:

Ye Shiyu: This is what we really look like.

Sheng Nian: This is the glorious age I've always dreamed of!

Other teammates: I'll just laugh. You can draw your own conclusions.

In Sheng Nian's second year, from youth training to the professional scene, his reputation for having an enormous hero pool was almost as well known as Ye Shiyu's.

More importantly, Ye Shiyu, who was halfway retired, had guided him. It looked like the student was about to surpass the master.

On the day of the finals, the YC team's social media account once again showed a retro style, bringing back the chuunibyou antics.

Wearing a hoodie, Sheng Nian raised one hand high. In the empty frame, he suddenly cried, "Transform!"

A trophy appeared out of thin air, one that belonged to him.

-

During a break in training one day, Sheng Nian sneaked into Ye Shiyu's room and demanded, with no justification but plenty of confidence:

"Are you going on a blind date?"

"Are you leaving me?"

"Don't you like me anymore?"

Three questions came at Ye Shiyu in quick succession. He froze in the middle of taking off his clothes.

Ye Shiyu: "..."

His inner thoughts: Chuunibyou teenagers really are impossible to understand.

"I don't care. Even if you don't like me, keep it to yourself. It's enough that I like you."

The chuunibyou turned around and left, slamming the door behind him after dropping that completely out-of-the-blue line.

Theme: Persevere until victory