Episode 47: Hayato’s Streaming Activities
Snow danced outside the window. Hayato was at his apartment, preparing for his stream, feeling the changing of the seasons.
Several months had passed since Riri had released the game she developed. In that time, their streaming activities had entered a new stage. Their viewership had doubled, media attention had increased, and they were beginning to have an influence that could no longer be called a mere hobby.
“Alright, the equipment check is good.”
Hayato did a final check of the microphone and camera settings and confirmed the motion capture system was working. He had now learned to handle the technical aspects that Riri used to manage, and could set things up himself.
Once all the stream preparations were complete, he checked his Avatar’s movements in test mode. The Hero’s figure on the screen reacted naturally to Hayato’s movements.
His smartphone rang; a message had arrived from Josuke.
“‘Looks like I’ll be a bit late for today’s stream. The meeting’s running long. Could you start without me?'”
Hayato smiled and replied.
“‘Roger that. I’m good to go anytime.'”
After replying, he sat down in front of his computer. Today, he would start the stream alone. He finished his final checks of the camera, microphone, and motion capture system. When it was time according to the schedule, Hayato pressed the stream button.
Hayato’s Avatar appeared on screen, greeting everyone with an energetic voice.
“‘Good evening, everyone! It’s Hayato. Thanks for joining me today!'”
Messages immediately began to flood the comment section.
- Hayato-san, good evening!
- Hero!
- We’ve been waiting!
- Do your best today too!
- Looking forward to the stream!
Hayato was still amazed by the recent increase in viewers. Before the game’s release, his concurrent viewership averaged around 10,000, but now it wasn’t uncommon for it to exceed 30,000. The speed at which comments flowed had also increased dramatically, making it difficult to read them all, but he made an effort to look through as many as possible.
“‘Today, I’ll be starting off alone. John will be a little late, it seems, but he should be joining us soon. Please look forward to his arrival.'”
While chatting with the viewers, Hayato glanced at the subscriber counter displayed in the corner of the screen. It showed a number exceeding one million. An incredible figure. When he first started streaming, he never imagined so many people would watch him.
“‘To everyone who always supports me, thank you so much. But still, I can’t quite believe we’ve surpassed one million subscribers.'”
The comment section overflowed with congratulatory messages. Among them were warm messages from viewers who had been watching since the beginning.
“‘Ever since Lilia’s game was released, so many more people have gotten to know us. I’m truly grateful for her talent.'”
As Hayato expressed his gratitude, he thought of Riri. She was currently focused on studying for her entrance exams. She sometimes joined for short streams, but not as frequently as before. For Riri, it was an important time to think about her future as a real-world high school student.
“‘I see a lot of you are worried about Lilia. As I’ve explained before, she’s going through a very important period right now. So, she’s prioritizing that.'”
Hayato touched lightly on Riri’s situation while keeping the details vague. He had formally announced in a previous stream that she would be reducing her activity for a while.
Many fans were disappointed, but at the same time, they supported her and sent her off with encouragement. And they eagerly awaited the day she would return.
Messages of support for Lilia continued to flow in the comments.
- Given the time of year, good luck with your studies!
- Looking forward to the day Lilia returns.
- It’s a really important time in her life, so prioritize that!
- We viewers want to see her active, but the most important thing is for Lilia to be happy!
“‘Thank you all so much for your support. I’m sure Lilia is happy too. The day will come when she can express her gratitude to you all herself.'”
Partway through the stream, Josuke joined, and the two of them tackled a multiplayer session of the latest action game. The reflexes and intuition Hayato had honed in the other world were fully demonstrated in his gameplay. He mastered complex controls after seeing them just once and cleared difficult stages smoothly.
“‘As expected of Hayato, you learn fast.'”
Josuke, streaming with John’s Avatar, said in an impressed voice, and a series of surprised comments followed from the viewers.
- Like a pro gamer.
- You’re good at this game too?
- It just came out, but look at those moves.
- This is helpful to watch.
- His learning speed is insane, as expected.
- Where did you hone such gaming skills!?
- Hayato-san’s movements are so smooth!
- His reflexes are out of this world.
Hayato replied with a wry smile.
“‘I wasn’t always this good at games, you know. A lot happened. You could say I spent a long time training my reflexes just to survive.'”
- I see, ’cause you’re a Hero.
- As expected of the Hero.
- This is the Hero’s power.
- Using the Hero’s power for games (lol).
Josuke, understanding the true meaning behind those words, laughed. His experiences in the other world were truly proving useful.
After the stream ended, Hayato sent a short message to Riri. She probably hadn’t watched the stream, but he wanted to report to her.
“‘Today’s stream was a blast. We surpassed 1.3 million subscribers. Everyone’s cheering for you.'”
Of course, a reply didn’t come immediately. She was probably hard at work studying. In that case, no reply might actually be better. Hayato cleaned up after the stream.
And so, more time passed. His streaming activities continued smoothly, and his fanbase steadily grew. Juggling his work at the security company and his streaming activities was sometimes tough, but Hayato was living fulfilling days.
“‘We’ve secured a spot in the VTuber game tournament!'”
One day in March, when the warmth of spring could be felt, Hayato was surprised by a call from Josuke.
“‘Huh? Is it one we can actually participate in?'”
“‘Yeah. We got a direct offer from the organizers. They want us to participate.'”
It seemed to be an FPS game tournament they were invited to. Hayato thought for a moment.
“‘Should we really be in it?'”
“‘We absolutely should. Even with little time to practice, with your game sense, you’ll be fine.'”
Josuke’s words solidified Hayato’s resolve.
“‘Alright. Then, let’s do it.'”
For the next two weeks, Hayato dedicated himself to practicing the game that would be used in the tournament. He practiced in the spare moments between his work at the security company and his streaming, but his abnormal learning speed was still very much active. Josuke made time amidst his business dealings, and they worked on their team coordination online.
On the day of the tournament, the venue was an event hall much larger than Hayato had imagined, overflowing with VTuber fans. A large screen was set up on stage, and the participating Avatars were introduced one after another. When Hayato’s Avatar was displayed on the large screen, a huge cheer went up.
It was a moment where he could truly feel that their popularity had grown more than he’d expected.
“‘I didn’t realize we were getting this much attention.'”
Josuke said calmly to Hayato, who was preparing backstage.
“‘Participating in a game tournament like this is a big success. It’s probably thanks to all your accumulated streaming efforts. Riri will be happy too.'”
Hayato nodded.
“‘Today, I want to get a good result for the fans who are cheering us on.'”
The tournament ran from the preliminaries to the finals, taking up the entire day. Hayato smoothly advanced through the preliminaries, and in the semi-finals, he brilliantly defeated a formidable VTuber party they encountered. His movements were efficient, quickly discerning the opponent’s attack patterns and launching precise counters. Josuke also contributed to the team’s victories with his calm judgment and strategic plays.
The matches were displayed on the large screen in the venue, and cheers and applause from the audience were unceasing.
- Huh, don’t they have pro-level skills?
- Hayato-san, you’re too strong!
- Truly a Hero.
- John’s calm judgment is amazing too!
- The Otherworld Party is strong, as expected!
The excited voices of the audience echoed through the venue. As if converting that support into strength, Hayato and his team advanced one victory after another.
The final match was against Kaito, the ace of the most popular VTuber group at the time. He was an accomplished player with a track record of winning numerous tournaments. The audience seats were filled with fans of both sides, and the air was thick with a mixture of tension and excitement.
“‘It’s finally a direct confrontation! Hayato’s team versus Kaito’s team, a head-on clash! They’re exchanging fire!'”
Once the match began, a close battle ensued where neither side yielded an inch. Against Kaito’s skillful techniques, Hayato countered with his intuitive judgment and reflexes. Josuke moved into a backup role, analyzing the opponent’s movements and sending tactical advice to Hayato.
In the final round, with only a sliver of health remaining, Hayato saw through his opponent’s attack and landed a charge with perfect timing. The venue erupted in cheers so loud it felt like it might shatter.
“Winner! Team Hayato!”
The player characters of Hayato and his team, holding the trophy, were displayed on the large screen. The entire venue was filled with applause and cheers.
“We did it, Hayato,” Josuke said proudly. His voice was filled with genuine joy for their victory as a team.
“Yeah, it’s all thanks to your support. I couldn’t have done it alone,” Hayato replied, conveying his heartfelt gratitude. Whether in the other world or the modern one, the strength of his companions was an irreplaceable support.
That night, the tournament became a hot topic online, and clips of the winning moment circulated widely. The number of subscribers to Hayato’s team’s streaming channel surged past 1.5 million, and on social media, the hashtag “#OtherworldPartyChampions” was trending.
When Hayato returned to his apartment, he received a call from Riri for the first time in a while.
“Hayato, congratulations! I was watching the tournament live! It was so exciting!”
Her voice sounded happy. It seemed she had watched the tournament in between studying for her entrance exams. I wondered if her studies were okay. Though, knowing Riri, she’s probably fine.
“Riri, thank you. How are your studies going?”
“They’re going well. I have a mock exam next week, so I’m studying for that now. But your tournament, Hayato, was special, so I made time to watch it. That final move was truly amazing!”
Riri’s voice was overflowing with pure joy and pride.
“A mock exam, huh? Good luck. I’m praying you get good results.”
“Yes! I’ll do my best.”