Chapter 67

A story from a certain world line

The livestream of a man who obtained a popular figure

(I don't know why, but translating this chapter was really difficult)

“Schtupid noobs!”

Facing his PC, he spat out the words in a peculiar intonation.

If you translate his remark, would be “Hmph… stupid noobs.” It was a very simple provocation.

The target of his provocation was the smartphone screen he had just been looking at. He was operating both his PC and smartphone simultaneously.

Meanwhile, on his PC screen, text flowed in response to his every move.

[You’re so loud] [Are you happy with the views you get from other people’s responses?] [Was that Dekki’s voice just now?] [You’re unnecessarily good at imitating His Highness’s voice]

"My His Highness impersonation is my specialty."

Over a hundred viewers were leaving comments as they pleased.

It was a live stream hosted by a subculture-oriented video creator who had debuted as a fad "VTuber" on a video-sharing website just a few days prior.

However, what was displayed on the streaming screen was not his appearance.

It was the appearance of the 3D model he had prepared as his avatar, "Virtual Dekiruo."

His pure white, plump body, his manju-like head, and his face that looks like a yuru-chara that was drawn with just dots and lines was designed as a 3D rendering of a certain ASCII art from nearly every angle. (tl note: yuru-chara is a category of mascot characters usually created for promotion. They often incorporate motifs that represent local culture.)

Popular VTubers have avatars in the form of lovely beautiful girls, but he is one of the few exceptions, being a non-human creature. To put it mildly, he’s a variety show that no one watches for the purpose of being healed.

That said, the person behind "Virtual Dekiruo," a flat-chested otaku, isn’t concerned with being popular or monetization at all. If anything, he was internally shocked that over 100 viewers had come to watch his unannounced livestream. To hide his embarrassment, he muttered, "You guys must have a lot of free time…"

[Free time…?] [I came to waste my time] [It was a hot topic on a certain thread] [First time watching] [Same, first time watching] [Whoa, he really is Dekiruo] [So AA culture is still alive] [← It’s active without any issues] [I prefer Yaranaio] 

"Hmm, I see. Ah, for those watching for the first time, welcome to my Dekki Channel. I am Virtual Dekiruo, the transcendentally handsome gentleman who has created and used an ASCII art character as a virtual avatar, here to welcome you!"

[Babiniku...?] [Yaranaio is the real handsome one] [That’s just a white pig] [That pose lol] [Stop striking a JoJo pose while talking with a straight face] (tl note: Babiniku is the Japanese term for an online avatar depicting an anime-style female character used by content creators who are often (but not always) male.)

His streams basically consist of idle talks on otaku-related hobbies. What’s particularly hot right now are investigations about the currently airing Fairy Savers ∞ and toy reviews.

Having already produced several popular videos as a video content creator, he had a strong start as an independent rookie streamer despite having no corporate backing.

──This could largely be attributed to his avatar, Virtual Dekiruo, which was unnecessarily close to perfection that it moves very smoothly. While speaking in a dispassionate, polite manner of talking, even now, he was still striking a mysterious pose, with his left hand passing his back to press his right side, while his right hand holding the left side of his head, stepping in a cross-legged motion. It was an exquisite recreation of a certain ASCII art’s movement.

Perhaps it was this strange respect for the original ASCII art, the high degree of perfection of his modeling, which seemed unlikely for an individual to produce, that became popular in certain audiences. Encouraged by the response, he kept his excitement in check and continued streaming. He was so pleased that he continued streaming, suppressing his urge to be festive.

"Okay, in the introduction, I played a compilation of a certain bulletin board, but today's stream is about this! I’m going to be reviewing the fully operating figurine ‘T.P. Eight Olishua,’ which was recently a hot topic in the thread!"

[Tch] [Tch...] [Oh] [That's the one I couldn’t buy] [The one being resold for 70,000 yen] [Cute] [Kyaa, Eight-sama!] [How nice] [Why is my bride here..!?] [Beautiful... gasp!…!?] [25,000 yen for this is cheap] [What’s with that movement?] [Yaranaio is more lively] [General sales are just an urban legend] [Resale item, thank you]

The moment Virtual Dekiruo moved his fingers above his head and comically moved to the edge of the screen, a figurine placed on a real desk was projected onto the screen.

The viewers became excited at the appearance of the elaborate figurine that had been a hot topic on the bulletin board.

It was even trending on social media for a time, and was so talked about that it was out of stock shortly after its release.

"Man, I just managed to buy it recently! I fell head over heels for Eight-chan after pre-orders had already closed, so I was on a really late start, but on my way back from a business trip, I stopped by a model shop and found just one placed there! Ah, here’s the receipt as proof. It's not a resale item, okay?"

[So it was you from that reply] [Cute] [For real] [Someone must have returned it] [I can't get enough of that provocative expression] [Nice thighs] [Again, why is Woody next to her?] [Cute and cool] [So you can even adjust the skirt’s position] (tl note: woody)

"This is Wooty! He’s for scale comparison. In Gunpla terms, he’s somewhere between a 1/100 and a 1/144 size. As you see, Kabbalah-chan can even ride on him!"

[Don’t put her there] [I want Wooty] [That face is still as interesting as ever] [Recent operational figurines don’t have joint grooves anymore] [Cute] [Just compare it with Gunpla properly, this is confusing] [Show it from below ♡]

"I won’t! This is a wholesome channel. Instead, here’s a low-angle shot of Wooty for you. Also, someone in chat is only saying ‘cute’ over and over... I agree."

[Don’t show that] [And it’s that expression] [Woody’s face is is so scary lol] [←People often get it wrong, but it’s Wooty] [Eight-chan is adorable. Obviously.]

As time passed since the start of the stream, the number of viewers continued to grow.

However, for him, the main purpose of the stream was simply to show off a rare item he had happened to purchase by chance the other day. He wasn't particularly interested in the number of viewers and hadn't been paying attention to fluctuations in the count.

Seeing that so many people gave him the reaction he was expecting, Virtual Dekiruo chuckled to himself, as if tilting a glass of wine.

At the same time, the person behind the avatar gazed at the figurine, reminiscing about the day he had purchased it, immersed in strong emotions.

"Very sorry, I apologize for being incredibly lucky. I mean, it really does feel like fate! To come across this right after a business trip, on my way back from visiting a friend's grave... I can't help but feel that is a gift from my friend in heaven."

[Uh... okay...] [Don't get too heavy all of a sudden] [Stop it]

“Ah, the air seems a little delicate now… sorry.”

A statement that, depending on how it was heard, could be taken as inappropriate slipped out, causing the comment section to slow down.

It was a blunder that came because the streamer’s voice was being shared in real-time.

Breaking into a cold sweat at the blatant change in the air, he responded to the first comment that stepped in.

[That friend, was he an FS fan too?]

"Ahh, yeah. Actually, be came close with that friend through discussions about the old series, Fairy Savers... Must have been about 15 years ago. At that time, we used to passionately debate about Malkuth-sama’s absolute territory."

[Malkuth-sama's absolute territory is just too erotic...] [What topic is making everyone excited] [Is Dekki’s oshi Malkuth?] [lol] [It's Malkuth-sama-chan, so I can't blame you] [It’s a custom for Dekki's videos to always end with a lewd illustration of Malkuth-sama] [Are those all hand-drawn?]

"Of course, I drew them by hand! I'm talented after all!"

[That smug face is annoying] [That’s Doyagao*] [Even Yaranaio isn't this smug] [← You're Yaranaio, so use your common sense] [I always think you should use those for thumbnails] [You’re actually so versatile, I’m jealous] [This guy can make thumbnails and draw doujins] [Even this model is made by himself] [Dekki is amazing!] (tl note: another one of the yaruo series, means smug husband)

"It's nothing, really. I'm a capable man after all. Yes, yes, I've been a fan of Malkuth-sama since I read the manga. But, instead of baiting people with a lewd thumbnail, I want to win using content!"

[Admirable (erai)] [Erotic (eroi)] [Honestly, I like that oddly self-disciplined part of you]

"Thank you."

Relieved that he had managed to fix the delicate atmosphere, Virtual Dekiruo returned to reviewing the figurine.

Since he wasn’t sponsored by any particular company, but rather just streaming as a fan, he didn't give in to any consideration to the production team and frankly gave his critique, mercilessly showcasing all of the strong points and weak points of the Eight-chan figurine.

Perhaps because he himself was a creative otaku and had tendency to become totally absorbed in something, his critiques were generally precise and substantial.

In particular, as a Fairy Savers fan for 20 years, his miscellaneous knowledge was fresh for new fans who had started with ∞. When discussing comparisons between old merchandise sold during the broadcast of the old work and the evolution of figurines, the conversation became particularly passionate. Moreover, he studied the character taking into account the newly discovered information about "T.P. Eight Olishua" that was revealed for the first time through the elaborate 3D modelling. During his critique the comments section seemed to experience a sudden surge in IQ.

“In other words, the fact that Eight-chan's panties, as revealed by this figure, are light blue means that she is the Mother Sea in Fairy World!”

[W-what did you say!?] [So Eight really was a mom all along…?] [I’m convinced.]

...Or so it seemed, but it was just the imagination.

His special talk style involved drawing shitty conclusions from unnecessarily highly educated studies.

That being said, the content is unexpectedly worth giving some thoughts, so he has a deep-rooted popularity among video watchers, with the viewers enjoying his content with a mix of half-serious and half-joking considerations.

[I want to tell Eight-chan about this theory (evil face)] [Again, show the panties] [Give it up, this is a wholesome channel] [Now matter how you look at it, it’s unwholesome] [Don’t look at Eight-onee-chan that way] [She’d probably just gently deny it after a wry smile] [No, I think she’d unexpectedly blush and run away!] [What the heck, I want to see that] [This theory really proves that the men of Fairy Savers are gentlemen] [There was a guy who said something borderline harassment, like the glasses dude who got his Search stolen and beaten up] [Come to think of it, that was one of the precious scenes when Eight-chan got mad normally] [← If someone kidnaps a young boy, of course she’d snap]

Since this stream was titled "Virtual Dekiruo Reviews T.P. Eight Olishua Figurine," all the viewers had already watched the anime Fairy Savers ∞.

There were a few gentlemen excessively shouting to see the Eight-chan figurine from below, but the fact that whenever the topic is the character, the comments would expand at an accelerating rate, is a testament to the extent of Eight’s popularity.

They can roughly be segregated. Most commenters were likely adults over the age of twenty, all elite viewers who could effortlessly keep up with Virtual Dekiruo’s core otaku knowledge being talked about.

This was proof that the content of Fairy Savers itself was very familiar to their generation.

…If he were still alive, I wonder if he would have empathized with my words.

It’s a little unrefined, but looking at the harmonious comments section, he became immersed in sentimentaly.

Then, looking at the face of the figurine before him, he couldn't help but let out a bitter smile.

Always full of confidence, easygoing, seemingly fleeting but actually strong, and unexpectedly childish. The provocative smile of T.P. Eight Olishua reminded him of an old friend.

Of course, he was a man and didn’t resemble her, but there was something in their demeanor and presence that were similar──that’s what he thought. He only realized it when he noticed that the day he bought the figurine happened to be the same day he was returning from visiting his grave, which was an indescribable discovery.

“Blue, huh…”

He muttered softly.

Speaking of which, that guy also liked the color blue.

During lunch breaks, he'd lie down on a bench outside and look up at the sky. And despite his frail body, he would repeatedly try to climb tall trees, only for his older sister to get mad at him.

Now that he thought about it, T.P. Eight Olishua had once told a birdman boy about having a similar past.

"Eight  I  similar" …He could imagine him searching for something like that in heaven and laughed.

The dainty yet strong, noble, and beautiful T.P. Eight Olishua was a girl, but she was absolutely the kind of character he would have admired.

...No, if he actually said that, that guy would probably get mad  and tell him, "Don't look at a beautiful girl figurine’s underwear and think of me!" but putting that aside, it’s true that he found their common features.

If that is the case, as an internet troll that does his investigations, it couldn’t be helped that the thought came to his mind.

──T.P. Eight Olishua was my friend's reincarnation…!? The "Eight Template Original Protagonist A Theory" conludes here──!

...No, he can’t do that, use your common sense. There’s no way such an inconsiderate video wouldn’t go up in flames*. (tl note: also means “stirring up a storm of criticism online”)

He may be bursting with joy in his videos, but he possesses common sense as a working adult, so that topic never even came up in the plan and was dismissed in his mind.

However, the thought that those who have died might someday, somewhere, be reborn in happiness in some form──that idea gave just a little bit of relief to his heart, that’s the truth.

Perhaps the reason reincarnation light novels have become such a trend is tied to people’s wishes for the afterlife. …Or maybe that’s being overly sentimental.

He wasn’t crazy about religion. However, Virtual Dekiruo—remembering his late friend, who had once given him the nickname "DEKIRUO" and warmly encouraged him when he was feeling down after failing his exams—offered a silent prayer.

At that moment, he──while making the world-famous cowboy figurine Wooty Brite pull a lascivious expression and lie under the skirt of the Eight-chan figurine—let out a fleeting, heart-breaking smile.

[Don’t make it peek, don’t make it peek] [Stop making Wutty do weird things without saying anyting] [I definetly knew you’d do it] [Honestly, I was anticipating this] [Wooty ＆ beautiful girl figurine is a certain winner] [A man who picks a fight with D○sney and P○xar on a livestream] [This is terrible] [Wooty, get out of there]

"Actually, I’m not a fan of sexual harassment scenes in general anime. But that aside, I really want to see Eight-chan in a heropin (heroine in a pinch) situation soon. This was Dekki Channel!"

Laughing loudly and vulgarly, Virtual Dekiruo slapped the Objet d'art on the desk, providing the punchline to the video.

(author: Wooty Brite

A mythical figurine that has distinctive facial expressions and freely movable actions. Because it’s easy to pronounce, it is often mistaken for Woody, but it has absolutely no connection to the world famous and popular character, Woody Pride. So don’t get it wrong.)

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