Vol. 2 Chapter 56 – Going Viral (1)

— Friday, two days after the summer festival.

I was facing my computer, relentlessly typing strings of text into a spreadsheet.

“Got to finish up to a good stopping point before Hikaru comes over tomorrow…” (Reiya)

The cheerful clicking of blue switches accompanied my input of the event text that Taiju had greenlit.

The game we’re making falls into the genre known as ‘roguelike’ or ‘roguelite’, where scenario usually isn’t that important.

However, this title incorporates elements from classic RPGs originating from TRPGs, featuring a system where event text significantly impacts the player experience.

Although numerous major changes have already been made from the original title, as the original planner, I was entrusted with tasks related to the scenario and world-building text.

‘Okay, which characters were involved in the cult-related events again…?’ (Reiya)

Consulting the setting notes I’d compiled for myself, I filled in the text for each pattern.

The amount of text for each instance isn’t large, but factoring in choices and variations based on party members’ traits, it adds up to a considerable volume.

Still, since I decided to do it myself, I can’t complain.

Since waking up, I’d dedicated all my time outside of meals to this work, even cutting back on my hobby, gaming.

“Phew… Made quite a bit of progress. Guess I’ll take a little break…” (Reiya)

Thanks to being able to concentrate, I’d reached about ninety percent of my goal by early afternoon.

Pushing myself too hard isn’t good either; time for a short break.

I checked my phone first, but unusually, there were no messages from Hikaru today.

Maybe she’s focused on practice, I thought, taking off my headset. Just as I was about to head off to prepare lunch—

— Ping.

The meeting app chimed, signaling someone had entered my virtual workroom.

“Yo.”

Simultaneously with a strange spherical character appearing on screen, a robotic-sounding female voice echoed inside my headphones.

“Sphere-san. Hey, hello.” (Reiya)

The person who entered was Akashi Sphere, the designer for Yggdrasil Games.

“Heya. Got somethin’ to discuss, you free now?” (Sphere)

“Yeah, I’m free.” (Reiya)

“That new character ya uploaded the other day, right? Before I start designing her, wanted to ask ya a few things first.” (Sphere)

“You mean the female paladin? Sure, go ahead.” (Reiya)

“Okay. So, first off, in classic RPG terms, paladins mean ‘oaths’, but—” (Sphere)

Referring to my setting notes, I answered Sphere’s questions one by one.

She’s a weird person, but her questions were sharp, and it was incredibly informative to see what points a designer considers when building a character’s image.

“I see, I see. Turning into a succubus if they break their oath, that’s interesting.” (Sphere)

“Yeah, well, that’s a setting detail I thought of and added later.” (Reiya)

“Hmm… And, one last thing.” (Sphere)

“What is it?” (Reiya)

“This character, she’s based on Hikaru-chan, right?” (Sphere)

The final question hit the nail right on the head, stopping the tongue that had been chattering away rapidly until now.

“…No way, I wouldn’t mix my personal and professional life like that.” (Reiya)

In reality, I had done exactly that, but I had no choice but to answer this way.

“It ain’t really mixin’ personal and professional life that much. Using things close to ya as motifs happens all the time.” (Sphere)

The sphere bounced up and down on the screen as she spoke.

“Sphere-san, is your avatar based on something too?” (Reiya)

“Don’t try to change the subject.” (Sphere)

Tch, she saw through me…

“Answer honestly. This is Hikaru-chan, isn’t it? I’ll keep quiet about it to Taiju.” (Sphere)

“…Well, she provided a great deal of inspiration.” (Reiya)

Since she basically knew already, I answered honestly.

“…So, this event where she gets her oath turned against her and is forced to wear a maid outfit, is that based on a real event too? Did you make Hikaru-chan cosplay as a maid!?” (Sphere)

“Do I really have to answer that…?” (Reiya)

“Of course ya do! Just like ya got inspiration from the real Hikaru-chan, I get inspiration from yer experiences to use in my creations!” (Sphere)

When she put it so forcefully, it started to sound somewhat reasonable.

“It wasn’t really cosplay, but she did wear it…” (Reiya)

“Tch… You really made her wear it? Photos?” (Sphere)

“I have them, but I obviously can’t show them without her permission.” (Reiya)

I firmly held the line that shouldn’t be crossed.

The hundreds of photos of Asahi Hikaru in a maid outfit sleeping on my phone.

Those are treasures not meant for public eyes.

“Ya gonna monopolize an asset to humanity?” (Sphere)

“Asset to humanity…? Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?” (Reiya)

“It ain’t an exaggeration! Asahi Hikaru is a treasure of humanity! An existence whose blessings should originally be shared little by little amongst everyone… but ya monopolized her!! Share some already~! Share, share, share~!!” (Sphere)

Sphere started whining like a child.

On screen, her avatar was thrashing around like a monster being flung in a certain mobile game.

“Alright! Alright! I get it! I’ll talk to her about it, and if I get permission, I’ll show you…” (Reiya)

“Good boy.” (Sphere)

Sniff… The avatar instantly calmed down.

I can respect her as a creator, but as a person, she’s pretty borderline…

“Well then, while we’re at it… does the succubus transformation also stem from her own traits?” (Sphere)

“…Huh?” (Reiya)

“Does that Hikaru-chan actually get super bold when she’s alone with ya…?” (Sphere)

“There’s no way I can answer that…” (Reiya)

“Digging deeper into a character who could become the face of the game is important for making the work better, right?” (Sphere)

“…I wouldn’t say bold, but she does get incredibly clingy when we’re alone.” (Reiya)

With the work held up as a shield, I had no choice but to answer.

“C-Clingy… H-How so…?” (Sphere)

“How so…? Do you really need that level of detail?” (Reiya)

“It’s fine. Right now, I… I am in a mode where all negative emotions are converted into creative drive, so feel free to brag all ya want.” (Sphere)

“She gets… really close physically…” (Reiya)

“C-Close physically with Hikaru-chan…!? Meaning… you’re enjoying her scent and softness…!? W-What else…!?” (Sphere)

On screen, even the avatar’s breathing grew heavy, its cheeks flushing crimson.

Wow, it can even register things like that…

“She touches me while like that… or asks me to touch her back… Also, during meals, she often asks me to feed her…” (Reiya)

“F-Feed her… You mean, like, the ‘Ahhhn~’ thing?” (Sphere)

“Well, yeah, basically that. Sometimes she throws a tantrum, saying she won’t eat unless I feed her.” (Reiya)

“H-Heh… She’s surprisingly childish…” (Sphere)

“Exactly. Outwardly, she projects this image of being cheerful but reliable, but she actually has a very clingy, mischievous, and childish side.” (Reiya)

That’s what’s cute about her… I managed to swallow those words, but once I started talking about her charms, I couldn’t stop.

“S-So then… does that mean… she likes, uh… k-kissing and stuff…?” (Sphere)

“Yeah. She’s quite the kiss demon.” (Reiya)

“K-Kiss demon…!?” (Sphere)

“Once her switch flips, she’s not satisfied unless we kiss at least ten times.” (Reiya)

“A-At least ten times…!? So, the maximum is two hundred fifty-six times…!?” (Sphere)

The avatar’s eyes spun around, and it collapsed into a heap.

After that, I continued talking about Hikaru’s charms as requested—

“Th-Thanks… Th-That’s enough… I’m full…” (Sphere)

—until finally, Sphere declared surrender, ending in my victory.

I feel like I might have talked a bit too much… but oh well.

“By the way, now I have something I want to ask you.” (Reiya)

“Hm? What?” (Sphere)

“You and Taiju-san have known each other for a long time, right?” (Reiya)

“Long time’s a stretch, just middle school. My grades sucked, so we went to different high schools.” (Sphere)

The moment I mentioned his name, the avatar that had been down suddenly sat bolt upright.

“Huh… And yet you invited him to the studio years later. You must have really fallen for his artistic talent.” (Reiya)

“C-Cut it out… Flattery won’t get ya anything but talent…” (Sphere)

She squirmed, embarrassed.

Maybe she looks a little cute now.

“Anyway, my real question is different… Was Taiju-san popular back then?” (Reiya)

“What’s with that question…? Don’t tell me, Hikaru-chan isn’t enough, and now yer setting yer sights on Taiju too…!?” (Sphere)

“Of course not… It’s just, he doesn’t really talk about that stuff himself, so I was curious what it was really like.” (Reiya)

“I see… Hmm, well, I guess he was pretty popular. I don’t know the details, but with those looks, athletic ability, and brains…” (Sphere)

“Yeah, that makes sense.” (Reiya)

I was a little surprised that although she usually badmouths Taiju, she could praise him honestly where it was due.

“But, as ya know, he’s weird on the inside. Girls who were drawn in by his surface stats quickly backed off once they found that out. And he didn’t seem particularly interested in romance back then either, so I never heard about him dating anyone specific. So, his only real relationship experience is probably with LovePlus.” (Sphere)

“That’s pretty much what I expected too. Though I don’t think LovePlus counts as relationship experience.” (Reiya)

The answer was mostly what I’d anticipated, so I wasn’t particularly surprised.

If he had even a little dating experience, he probably wouldn’t panic like that in front of Ichiru-san.

However, my hope of finding some useful information for their upcoming date was dashed.

Looks like it’s all up to Hikaru’s production skills now, I thought—

— Ping.

The meeting app chimed again, and this time Yokoya-san entered.

“Were you perhaps just talking about Taiju-kun?” (Yokoya)

Maybe this person is the most dangerous one of all.

And so, the three of us chatted idly until the time approached 2 PM.

“Phew… Seriously hungry now…” (Reiya)

Ending the conference call, I finally took off my headphones and stood up from my chair.

It’s gotten late, so maybe I’ll just heat up some frozen food today, I thought, heading towards the fridge—

— Ping.

This time, my smartphone chimed with a notification.

What’s with this terrible timing, I grumbled internally, but picked up the phone just in case it was Hikaru.

“It’s from Hikaru’s mom…” (Reiya)

Checking the notification, it was a message from Hikaru’s mother.

What could she possibly want with me? I wondered, checking it with a slight sense of tension…

Turn on the TV, TVS, the show Good Afternoon.

That was it, just that business-like sentence displayed.

“TV…? Good Afternoon, that’s a daytime talk show, right…?” (Reiya)

Wondering what it was about, I grabbed the remote from my desk, turned on the TV, and switched to the indicated channel.

On the lit screen, the weekday afternoon talk show, unfamiliar to me, began to play.

Familiar celebrities and announcers lined up on screen, commenting this way and that on the day’s news.

Next up is today's Buzz Video Investigation Team!!

Within minutes, the news segment ended, and the next corner began.

Apparently, it was a segment that delved into videos trending on social media that day.

Today's buzz video is... <A Once-in-a-Millennium Beauty at Gachi Koi Distance!>

What on earth is this…? A few seconds after that thought, a shock unlike any I’d experienced in recent years hit me.

Smile? Is my smiling face the cutest?

Playing on the screen was a vertically oriented video shot with a smartphone camera.

And in the center, undeniably, was the once-in-a-millennium beauty… Asahi Hikaru, filmed at gachi koi distance.

Alright then, just for you, here's my best smile... Yay! Peace!

The video I shot was being broadcast on a national television program.