Episode 44: Back from Vacation
Hayato went to work for the first time in a while. On a morning a few days after returning from his cruise, he headed to the familiar office of the security company. The air of the clean yet simple office, a world apart from the luxury cruise ship he’d been on until yesterday, felt familiar against his skin.
“Good morning.”
As he greeted cheerfully at the entrance, there was an immediate response.
“Oh, Sato-kun! It’s been a while. How was your vacation?”
President Yasumoto looked up from his desk and replied with a smile.
“Yes, I enjoyed it thoroughly. I traveled with a friend around various Asian countries, and it was a great change of pace. This is a souvenir from the trip. Please, if you’d like.”
Hayato took a small package out of his bag. It was a set of high-quality tea leaves he’d bought in Singapore, chosen with Josuke’s advice.
“Oh, I’ll gladly accept. Sorry to make you go to the trouble.”
President Yasumoto carefully accepted the package and happily checked its contents.
“Mm. It smells wonderful, thank you. Well then, starting today, I’ll be counting on you for practical training again. Thanks to your instruction, the employees’ skills have been improving. We’re relying on you.”
Hayato nodded and headed to the changing room. After greeting his colleagues, handing out souvenirs, and changing into his training attire, he went to the training room. The feel of the practice mats he hadn’t touched in a while, the protective gear lined up on the walls, and the training ground visible from the window.
“Good work, Sato-san.”
A few young security guards called out to him. They seemed to have been eagerly awaiting Hayato’s instruction.
“Sato-san, I tried practicing the move you taught us the other day, but I couldn’t quite get it right…”
“I see. Well then, I’ll teach you again today. We’ll start with the basic form.”
And so, the morning was mainly spent giving basic instruction to the younger staff. Hayato couldn’t directly convey his battle experiences from the other world, but he could impart the essence of the techniques he’d cultivated there as modern security skills. Reading an opponent’s movements, finding openings, and subduing them with minimal force—he carefully taught such techniques in a practical format.
In the afternoon, he continued to conduct practical self-defense training for the security guards. It was his first workout in a while, but his body hadn’t weakened at all. If anything, refreshed from the trip, his movements were even lighter.
“Hah, hah. Sato-san, did you train a lot during your vacation too?”
The person he’d been instructing since the afternoon asked, panting. While everyone who had been training with Hayato for about thirty minutes was drenched in sweat, Hayato still looked composed.
“No, I didn’t do anything special. Though I did some light exercise.”
Even on the cruise ship, he hadn’t missed his morning stretches and simple form practice. If he had time, he also worked out in the training room. But to him, that was equivalent to “not doing anything special.”
“Hah, hah. You can’t be serious… And yet, you have such incredible stamina…”
“Hah… phew. It’s all I can do to keep up.”
“Ugh. Sato-san, you really are in a league of your own.”
Hayato gave a wry smile at the slightly intimidated employees. His body, forged in another world, wouldn’t weaken from a mere vacation.
After finishing work and leaving the company, Hayato had a light dinner and then headed to the IVE studio in the evening. That day, Josuke and Riri had arrived before him. Riri was checking the streaming equipment, and Josuke was looking over some documents on a tablet.
“Hey, Hayato. How was work?” Josuke asked, looking up from his tablet.
“It went well. Everyone was doing fine. They liked the souvenir you recommended, too.”
“I see, that’s good.”
As Hayato was talking with Josuke, Riri turned around and joined their conversation about the upcoming stream.
“Since it’s our first stream in a while, let’s report on our return from the trip.”
“Sounds good. But we need to be careful not to reveal our identities,” Josuke calmly advised on Riri’s suggestion.
“It’s probably better not to mention specific places or names too much, huh?” Hayato agreed and thought about how to phrase it. It was fine to mention they’d traveled abroad, but they should probably avoid information that could lead to specifics, like the cruise ship. In the end, they decided to stick to a vague expression like, “We went on a trip overseas with our companions.”
When they started the stream, a large audience gathered as usual. It seemed like the number of viewers had increased even more compared to before their break.
“Good evening, everyone! It’s Hayato. It’s been a while since our last stream.” Hayato’s Avatar waved cheerfully on screen.
“It’s Lilia! Long time no see, everyone. Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“John here. How’s everyone been?”
Following him, Riri’s and Josuke’s Avatars also exchanged greetings on screen.
－ Welcome back!
－ We’ve been waiting!
－ You’re finally here!
The comment section was flooded with messages. It was clear that many fans had been eagerly awaiting their stream.
“We took a short break from streaming, but actually, we all went on a trip together with our companions,” Hayato began, and the viewers’ reactions surged.
－ Where did you go?
－ A trip with everyone sounds nice!
－ Show us pictures!
Curiosity-filled comments scrolled by.
“The sea was very beautiful, and we ate lots of delicious food. Experiencing a foreign culture was truly stimulating,” Riri continued. While avoiding specific locations, she talked about their time on the ship and her impressions of the scenery. Her words conveyed a pure surprise and joy at experiencing cultures and landscapes different from those of the other world.
“We really enjoyed it. It’s a place I’d like to visit again,” Josuke said joyfully, and viewers reacted one after another.
－ You guys are really close, huh?
－ Did you go overseas?
－ I’m so jealous!
－ Are Hayato and the others friends in real life too?
“That’s right, we’ve known each other for a long time. We’ve overcome many hardships together,” Hayato casually replied to the comments, implying they were companions bound by strong ties.
After chatting for a while, they finally got to the main topic.
“Well then, it’s about time.”
Once again, Lilia’s Avatar stepped forward, drawing attention. A proud smile graced her expression.
“We have an important announcement. Everyone, thank you for waiting!”
The screen momentarily went dark, and then what appeared was the title screen of the game they had been developing. Beneath the game title, Hayato’s and the others’ characters stood together.
“Regarding the game we’ve been developing, we will officially release it next week!”
The comment section exploded with excitement.
－ We’ve been waiting!
－ Yes!
－ It’s finally here!
－ I’ll definitely play it!
Enthusiastic reactions flooded the screen.
“We’ve been making final adjustments based on the feedback we received from all the beta testers,” Riri explained about the game scheduled for release. “We’ve brushed up the graphics, improved the UI, and even added a few hidden elements. It should make our adventures feel even more vivid for everyone.”
Hayato looked at her profile and smiled. Her happy profile, overflowing with the joy of finally completing it.
“Now then, please watch the game’s trailer.”
What began to play on screen was game footage recreating their adventures in the other world, edited by Josuke. Scenes of Hayato fighting monsters, Lilia casting magic, John analyzing enemy movements, Celestia’s healing magic, Garret’s smithing skills—all were rendered in beautiful graphics.
When the captivating trailer, which made one want to play the game, ended, the viewers’ reactions were beyond imagination.
－ Amazing! As expected, the quality is too high!
－ Is it free? Unbelievable!
－ I can’t wait a week!
Comments scrolled by one after another. Hayato and the others watched the viewers’ reactions through the screen, exchanging satisfied glances.
“We’re happy with everyone’s reactions. Well then, please look forward to next week’s release!”
The three of them gave their final greetings and ended the stream. After the stream ended, sighs of relief filled the studio.
“That went well,” Hayato said.
“Yes, the reactions were excellent,” Riri nodded, satisfied.
“The final checks are complete, so all that’s left is to wait for the release.”
The three of them continued to talk in a relaxed atmosphere for a while. They also reported the results to Tsuyoshi and Seika, who couldn’t participate today.
This day’s stream was a major milestone in their VTuber activities. And next week’s game release would be an even bigger step forward.