Veteran Streamer in a Reversed World

It was early dawn, before daybreak had even arrived, but the light was brightly on in my room.
The disheveled bedding and blood stains splattered on the floor.
At the center of it all, I was kneeling towards Iris.
“I’m sorry… I didn’t know it was you…”
“Leader, don’t be like this! I’m really fine!”
Iris, flustered by my actions, was in a flurry.
Her face was still flushed red.
“Rather, it might have been a re-reward…”
Iris muttered quietly to herself as she forcibly helped me up.
For a moment, I doubted my ears and asked her again.
“What did you say?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. Anyway, I’m really fine.”
Iris laughed awkwardly as she tried to deny it.
Her still-red face keeps bothering me.
“…Are you really okay? Your face is still bright red…?”
“This is because I’m flustered! There’s absolutely no strange intention!”
“Whoa…!”
When I pointed out her face color, Iris suddenly shouted loudly and waved her hands.
Was her voice always this loud?
“Mmph…?!”
I reflexively reached out and covered Iris’s mouth.
She widened her eyes at my sudden action, but regained her composure at my following words.
“Don’t make such loud noises. It’s inconsiderate to the neighbors.”
“…”
As Iris slowly nodded her head to indicate she understood, I relaxed my hand and released her.
Somehow my palm felt damp, so I roughly wiped it on my pants and focused.
Having just moved in, I didn’t want to wake the landlord in the middle of the night and hear complaints.
“…”
Luckily, fortunately, I didn’t hear the sound of the landlord coming down to the semi-basement.
Only then could I relax the tension in my body and sprawl out on the floor.
“Damn… Thank goodness…”
“I’m sorry, Leader.”
“No, you don’t have to be sorry. I’m the fundamental cause after all.”
“…”
I waved my hand dismissively at Iris, who had somehow approached and squatted down beside me.
Iris just silently watched me like that, without showing any particular reaction.
When there was no response from the other person, I felt awkward for no reason.
I quickly racked my brain and threw a suggestion to Iris.
“Um… Shall we go back to sleep?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Then I’ll turn off the light and come back.”
As soon as I got Iris’s agreement, I jumped up and turned off the light switch.
Click-
Darkness returned to the room again.
Feeling embarrassed to keep looking at Iris’s face, I threw myself onto the bed, avoiding her who would be lying on the blanket spread on the floor.
Poof-
“Huh?”
A sensation too soft to be a bed mattress was felt on the back of my head.
I turned my head with an ominous feeling-
“What’s wrong?”
“…”
I saw Iris’s red eyes hugging me from behind.
To me, who was too flustered to speak, she smiled and said:
“Let’s call it even for you hitting me by sleeping together tonight.”
“…Right, right. I’m the criminal here.”
Damn it, I don’t know anymore either.
I gave up resisting and surrendered myself to the approaching drowsiness.
Hoping that I wouldn’t face an embarrassing situation when I opened my eyes.
.
.
.
.
.
Fortunately among misfortunes, when I opened my eyes, I couldn’t find any particular problems.
After all, in this gender-reversed world, sleeping with the opposite sex inevitably becomes cautious.
Even if that person is a comrade who has shared life and death with me, I can’t ignore the sticky gaze looking at me.
Well, it could just be my imagination.
Breakfast was, as expected, hastily taken care of with ramen.
Mild flavor, because eating too spicy in the morning would upset my stomach.
Iris insisted on spicy flavor till the end, saying mild flavor was an insult to ramen.
I still can’t believe she’s French.
Although she drank even the broth without leaving any, there was no change in her complexion.
Is she naturally good at eating spicy food?
Anyway, I quickly finished washing the dishes because I had something to do.
After washing up lightly, I sat in front of the computer and looked at the monitor.
Having asked Iris not to enter the room except when I allowed it, there was no worry about being interrupted in the middle.
Today is Sunday.
Since it’s the weekend, even if I turn on the broadcast early in the morning, wouldn’t people watch?
“Ah, I don’t know.”
Thinking deeply doesn’t suit my personality.
I clicked the broadcast start button without a moment’s hesitation.
.
.
.
.
.
-He’s baaaaaack
-The host has returned!
“Oh my.”
I was momentarily at a loss for words at the chat window that quickly became lively despite not much time passing since starting the broadcast.
I had only turned on the broadcast without much expectation, but I was surprised by the unexpectedly fast-growing number of viewers.
“What’s this, why are there so many people?”
As I was bewildered by the number of viewers that had doubled from yesterday, a familiar notification sound came from the speakers.
[PassingByMilitary Enthusiast – Thank you for the 1,000 won donation]
-There’s been quite an influx from the military enthusiast community
“Community?”
Well, did some post about my broadcast get uploaded?
Even so, this is too much attention for a newbie who just started broadcasting yesterday.
-Lol how can you resist when a war veteran is broadcasting
-For real lol
-Look at those military enthusiasts going crazy;;
-A Middle East War veteran who’s a white-haired pretty boy? I can’t resist this
-I agree with that
While observing the chats of viewers who started exchanging banter among themselves, I began to grasp the situation.
Summarizing the contents of the chat window, right after yesterday’s broadcast ended, a post was uploaded to a community heavily populated by military enthusiasts.
It explained the brief profile and stories I had introduced on the broadcast, they said.
A war veteran sharing stories experienced in actual combat.
Moreover, a man with a unique appearance of white hair and red eyes.
Interest quickly increased within the community, and as a result of curious people and those suspecting it might be a concept flocking in.
The chat window was rising incomparably faster than yesterday.
“Ugh…”
I can read it if I concentrate, but there’s no helping the eye strain.
I think there was a function to adjust the speed of incoming chats, but I couldn’t do anything because I didn’t know how to use it.
As I was killing time by massaging my eyes for a moment, a donation notification rang out.
[Hiki – Thank you for the 1,000 won donation]
-What are you planning to do today, host?
“Well… Wouldn’t I share stories like yesterday?”
At my statement that I would share stories, the chat window quickly blazed up.
After quietly observing the contents, I realized that viewers’ reactions were divided.
There were people who were simply positive, saying it was good, but there were also quite a few reactions suspecting that I might be lying.
Well, it was a natural reaction.
A man who looks like he’s never held a gun claims to be a war veteran.
Being doubted was natural.
The chat window, which was noisy for a while, quieted down not long after.
It seemed that those who doubted me decided to listen to my stories.
I could feel their will to examine whether there were errors in the content after listening.
I decided to respond head-on to that demand and opened my mouth.
“Well then, what kind of story should I share? Or simple questions are fine too. Ask through donations.”
-This streamer’s money-collecting skills are not ordinary…
-Wow
I need to make money too.
As I shamelessly requested donations, even the viewers who were grumbling started sending donations one by one.
[Hyojini – Thank you for the 1,000 won donation]
-What gun did you use during operations?
I searched my memories to recall an answer to the first question asking about my armament.
“If you’re asking about the gun I used most… It’s the Mk. 18. Strictly speaking, it’s a modified version.”
-Isn’t that a gun the U.S. military used?
“Yes, it’s an American-made firearm.”
In the early stages of the war, I used the AK variant used by Solomon’s regular army, but later, thanks to the U.S. stepping in with military supplies support, I was able to receive a modified Mk. 18.
Of course, this was only possible after being incorporated into the Cerberus platoon.
Most regular infantry who weren’t deployed for special operations carried AKs.
There were ammunition compatibility issues, and the quantity of supplied Mk. 18s wasn’t that large either.
However, people who don’t know these circumstances at the time can’t help but express doubt.
-Why would they give Mk. 18s to international volunteers?
-Isn’t he just spewing gun names he’s heard somewhere?
As expected, chats doubting me started flooding in indiscriminately.
I answered calmly without being flustered.
“I also received and used an AK variant at first, but later, when I was incorporated into a special forces unit, I was issued an Mk. 18.”
-Suddenly special forces?
-I wonder if he even knows how to shoot a gun lol
-For real lol
Once doubt starts, it begins to snowball.
Well, there was no particular impact.
Because it was an expected reaction.
“Then surely you don’t think I don’t know how to shoot a gun?”
As I countered, someone threw a question.
-What ammunition does the Mk. 18 use?
“It uses 5.56x45mm NATO rounds.”
An answer without a moment’s hesitation.
-What attachments did you use?
“AN/PEQ-15 target designator, tactical light, canted sight, dot sight, suppressor, that’s about it.”
After holding a hearing with viewers like that for about 30 minutes, and showing my medals, photos, and military service certificate again from my room, the controversy finally subsided.
I should have shown the evidence earlier.
Damn it.