Chapter 314: Everyone’s Debut
“I heard you wanted to talk about Phonia.”
“Oh, that’s right.”
As I took my seat, Mr. Jinpei began to explain the situation. It seemed that a video featuring someone speaking an unfamiliar language had sparked interest in certain circles, claiming that Phonia had come from beyond the Dungeon of this world. Although only a handful of people were aware of it for now, such stories spread quickly. Mr. Jinpei felt it was best to take action before it escalated.
“What are we going to do?”
If it were just a story from the Otherworld, it wouldn’t be a cause for concern. The lack of advanced communication methods would prevent it from spreading. But in this modern age, I had no idea how to handle it.
“Well, it’s not that complicated.”
It seemed Mr. Jinpei had a plan.
“We just need to let those who don’t know Phonia yet see how adorable she is.”
“Huh?”
Phonia tilted her head in confusion, and honestly, I was just as lost about what Mr. Jinpei was proposing.
“We should flood the world with information about Phonia speaking in a language they can understand.”
“I see.”
“Indeed. If we use videos, adding subtitles would be a good idea.”
“That makes sense.”
I had never considered that, but it could work. Subtitles could be added to videos that were already uploaded.
“Now, I want to take it a step further…”
Mr. Jinpei paused and turned to Phonia.
“How about appearing in a commercial for our Dragon Corporation?”
“…C-C-M?”
“Huh?”
Rio’s eyes widened in surprise. I never imagined a commercial appearance would even be on the table—
“Are you serious?”
After all, Phonia was just an amateur, a child who didn’t know the common sense of this world. Plus, Dragon Corporation had a reputation from past commercials. Would it really be okay to suddenly change direction like this?
“Of course, I’m serious. If we feature Phonia, who is currently trending, it will definitely attract attention. Besides, if people know my company has ties to a globally recognized corporation, they won’t speak ill of us.”
“…But wouldn’t that also risk lowering Dragon Corporation’s reputation?”
Rio pondered, resting her chin on her hand. That was a valid concern. While most comments on the videos were positive, there were certainly negative opinions as well. There was always a chance that something could go viral for the wrong reasons.
“Haha, you don’t need to worry about that. This isn’t just my decision; it’s been established as company policy.”
“Sis, what’s a C-C-M?”
Phonia tugged at Rio’s sleeve, her head tilted in curiosity.
“Oh? A C-C-M is a commercial, which is a way to advertise products or companies on television. If cute Phonia uses it, everyone will want to use it too!”
“Television!?”
Phonia’s ears perked up in surprise at the explanation. While we didn’t have a television in the Camping House, the apartment building in our Japan Base did. I fondly remembered the first time we showed it to her, and how she curiously peeked behind the screen. For us, seeing familiar faces on television had left us feeling a bit lost.
“Yes, almost every household has a television. Many people will see it.”
“Hehehe, it’s not just Japan! We’re planning to broadcast this commercial worldwide!”
“Worldwide!?”
Ivan’s voice rang out this time. El had also started to understand a bit of Japanese, and while she didn’t catch everything, her eyes widened at the mention of the world. I had thought we were just dealing with a few bad rumors, but this was turning into something much bigger. Could it be that our little Phonia would make her commercial debut…?
“If everyone can see it, then I’ll do my best!”
She bounced with excitement.
“Ah, I was thinking it would be great if everyone, including Nil, could join us for the shoot. Would that be alright?”
““Eh!?””
Mr. Jinpei’s words caught both Rio and me off guard. We exchanged glances, and Rio wore a similar expression. While we had appeared briefly in the videos featuring Phonia, we never expected to be part of a commercial.
“Though you won’t be seen speaking, Shuu and Rio will be talking to Phonia in the Otherworld’s language off-screen, right?”
Mr. Jinpei was right. While only Phonia spoke in the Otherworld’s language in the footage, it was us who were talking to her off-screen. It might not be a bad idea to collectively dispel any negative impressions.
“That makes sense… In that case, should we include Ivan and El as well?”
“Eh!?”
We hadn’t brought Nil along since he wasn’t fond of trains, but that could be managed. We could call him after we arrived.
“Hohoho! If it’s just you all, the general public won’t recognize you, so let’s prepare a few well-known talents.”
“Ah, yes.”
While they might not know any famous faces, having some recognizable figures for the commercial would likely be beneficial.