Late that evening, an official notification broadcasted across the entirety of GGO.
"Whoa, it's finally here! The official announcement just dropped!"
"The Third Bullet of Bullets... man, they're setting it up way faster than I expected."
"Great, so that bastard XeXeeD gets to ride his high horse again..."
"Please, Shana is bound to enter this time. If he does, there's no way a fluke like the last tournament happens again."
Word had finally spread: the Third BoB was officially underway. The scheduling was remarkably aggressive, catching the general player base entirely off guard. In truth, the developers had been absolutely bombarded by an onslaught of heated emails from players who refused to accept the results of the previous tournament, practically demanding a swift rematch.
Naturally, the team at MMO Today was the quickest to react to the hype.
"We need a roundtable discussion featuring the top contenders for the Third BoB!"
Requests of this exact nature were flooding into the inbox of Thinker, the head of MMO Today. He and Yulier had been meticulously debating the perfect window to maximize viewership. Now that the official dates were set, the perfect opportunity had practically dropped into their laps.
"Hey, Yulier... do you really think Shana-san would agree to appear?"
"Honestly? I doubt it," Yulier sighed, shaking her head. "Shana-san doesn't seem to have a shred of interest in the spotlight or media coverage."
"Yeah, you're probably right... But if we have to rely on XeXeeD as our main headliner, the show is going to lack serious punch..."
"We should at least try to pull a few members from the Ten Wolves."
"Well, it looks like Shana-san isn't logged in right now, so let's try asking him the next time we cross paths."
"Good plan. Even if he passes, some of the others might be willing to show up."
The following evening, after seeing Miyu off at the airport, Shana finally logged into GGO. Having spent the entire afternoon running all over Tokyo at the whim of Karen and Miyu, he was feeling pretty exhausted. He was currently unwinding in the quiet serenity of Mount Kurama when Thinker happened to track him down.
"Shana-san, it's been a while!"
"Thinker-san! Hey, thank you again for everything during the squad war."
"Oh, please, don't mention it! We had a blast broadcasting the whole thing."
After trading a few pleasantries, Thinker wasted no time pivoting to his primary objective.
"A roundtable discussion with the top-tier players for the Third BoB?" Shana repeated.
"Exactly. The official tournament schedule was announced last night, so we figured right now is the absolute prime window to capture the community's attention."
"Oh, wow, it's finally official? I actually hadn't heard yet."
"Right. So, we were hoping that you, or perhaps some of the other members of the Ten Wolves who plan on registering, might be willing to join the panel."
"How many people are you looking to bring on?"
"We think a total of four players would be the sweet spot for a balanced dynamic."
"Four people, huh..."
Shana fell silent for a moment, visibly weighing the logistics before offering Thinker a somewhat strained, wry smile.
"Well, as far as our group goes, the ones likely entering are myself, Pitohui, Sinon, Musketeer X... and though I haven't confirmed it yet, Shizuka might throw her hat in the ring too. But let me tell you, if you invite Pitohui to a live roundtable, you're practically guaranteeing a catastrophic broadcasting accident..."
"Ah..." Thinker blinked, the reality of that statement hitting him. Yet, deep down, a small part of the producer in him thought that might actually draw insane ratings. "Well... I suppose if we give her a strict briefing beforehand to keep things relatively PG, we might be able to manage..."
"Who else do you have lined up?" Shana asked.
"We were thinking XeXeeD-san, Yamikaze-san, and perhaps Usoshiotara-ko-san would make a solid lineup."
"Oh, in that case, why don't you just invite the five players who survived until the very end of the last tournament?"
Shana's suggestion caused Thinker's expression to tighten with professional hesitation.
"We did consider that, but a panel without you present just feels... lacking. Besides, if we go down that route, the group dynamic becomes incredibly lopsided."
"True. It would end up being almost entirely populated by former Minamoto Army regulars. Though, I suppose that just proves how ridiculously dominant the Minamoto Army actually was."
"Exactly. For a proper roundtable, we really need a diverse spread of playstyles and perspectives... What if we narrow it down to XeXeeD, Yamikaze, and you? A three-man panel could work."
"May I ask what the specific vision is behind that trio?" Thinker asked, leaning in.
Shana nodded, laying out the tactical breakdown.
"It creates a perfectly balanced trifecta of combat styles. XeXeeD represents the heavy-armor, high-STR melee powerhouse; Yamikaze represents the high-speed, run-and-gun skirmisher; and I represent the long-range sniper archetype."
"Ah! Of course! That makes perfect sense!"
"Plus, if I act as the mediator between those two, we can lean into a rock-paper-scissors dynamic that keeps the conversation balanced."
"Excellent. Alright, I'll start coordinating around those three slots. Thank you."
"Though, if Sinon decides she wants to do it, feel free to swap me out for her," Shana added. "Having a female player on the panel brings a great energy to the broadcast, and she's more than capable of keeping the conversational balance in check."
Thinker nodded vigorously, though he couldn't help but smile. "To be perfectly honest, Yulier and I were convinced you'd turn us down immediately. You've never struck us as the type to care about public exposure."
"Well, you're not wrong there. If I had my way, I'd honestly prefer to pass entirely. If I accidentally let the wrong thing slip on camera, the rest of the Valhalla members back in the real world might connect the dots... Though, I guess that applies to Sinon too. Then again, anyone watching the actual tournament broadcast is going to figure it out anyway. For all I know, someone who watched the Second BoB might have already put two and two together..."
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