Rest is truly a precious thing.
A week’s grace period given until the finals of the tournament.
The first day was a day out with Ji-yeon.
The second day was a rest due to poor condition from the outing.
By the third day, I had rolled around in my blanket, and before I knew it, the day had passed.
And so, today has come.
The sweetness of laziness is truly sweet.
Ah, I want to be a wealthy NEET.
As I rolled around in my blanket, clutching my phone, messages began to fly in at the top of the screen.
They weren’t messages directed at me, but notifications from the team Discord.
During the process of team members practicing for the tournament and sharing information, if there was anything to discuss, notifications would come in incessantly.
In fact, I was in a situation where I didn’t really need practice.
After all, how long have I been playing this game for years?
Honestly, I could say that just running simulations in my brain would keep my skills from rusting.
A few days off wouldn’t ruin my skills.
I had no physical issues either, so I just needed to warm up my hands before the tournament, right?
So, with the remaining time, I forced my heavy body up and sat in front of the computer.
All my teammates were practicing, and here I was, feeling guilty for just resting.
After all, I’m the team leader; shouldn’t I set an example?
[Mollru: If you need any help, please let me know. I’ll be on standby.]
I left a message and turned on the broadcast.
It seemed that the gallery was flooded with requests to start the broadcast since I hadn’t been on for two days.
It’s not like I’m conducting some kind of Indian rain dance.
[What’s up]
[Finally turned it on, you 10-year-old]
[Thank you, Teacher, thank you, Teacher, thank you, Teacher, thank you, Teacher]
[Why are you back right after the tournament? I had a generous donation saved up for you]
[A streamer who surprisingly repels viewers like an ant]
“It’s just that I wasn’t feeling well that day. So I went back early.”
[I see]
[I sent the nicknames of your teammates to the private message; check it out, a locust swarm attacked]
[For real, those locusts had some serious firepower; it was a chaotic scene]
“Oh, that happened, huh. But what’s a locust?”
[A group that likes suspiciously large and skilled players with pretty hands]
[That’s your fan nickname]
[Mollru broadcast evil spirits, yeah]
“The fan nickname…”
I was seriously worried about how my broadcast would be perceived by others, but it seemed that the name had already taken root, so changing it felt pointless.
I just hoped it wouldn’t create a major controversy.
<Mamamollru donated 1000 won!>
-What are you doing today?
[Isn’t the team practicing?]
[This person seems like a lazy genius, so probably not]
[Other team members are all practicing]
[Could be streaming strategically while turning the broadcast off]
[The moderator seems surprisingly brainy]
[Ordering is sexy]
[Shall we analyze the semifinals?]
“Analyze? I think the commentators already covered everything. You’ve seen a lot on other team members’ broadcasts too.”
At this moment, why they made such plays, the direction the team moved in, and what emotions they felt at that time.
Hearing from the person involved would be a different kind of fun.
It was somewhat closer to grinding.
Not really an appealing choice.
And it felt weird to run Eo War again.
I wondered if I should drive at night like last time to make it more fun.
“Let’s find a new game.”
I immediately set out to discover a new game.
As someone aiming to be a comprehensive game broadcaster, I needed to try various games.
With countless new games being released in today’s world, there were truly a varied amount of games available.
There were many games that looked fun, but I decided to choose carefully.
As a streamer and YouTuber, it was better to find a game that could highlight fun points and produce YouTube-worthy content.
This is troubling.
The inability to select a game based on interest was tormenting me.
After all, it’s impossible to understand a game’s true value just by reading the description.
Just as if someone knew of my agony, a compromise was proposed.
[Let’s just try it; if it’s boring, we can switch to another game]
[Shall we try it?]
[It’s originally about uncovering while playing]
Yeah, who is perfect from the start?
Everyone grows through trial and error.
I scrolled back up to find the game that had seemed interesting earlier.
Shall we start with this?
I picked up a game where a cute girl character was holding a microphone, smiling brightly.
[Ah, Teacher, that’s a bit…]
[You were a nerd, weren’t you?]
[This is really something]
[I’m feeling a strange connection here haha]
[With Yuksu training and nerd coins… Teacher, how far will you go?]
“Why? What’s wrong with Rhythm Master Idol?”
Rhythm Master Idol.
It was a game where you help an aspiring idol without fame grow into a seasoned musician.
But if that was all, I wouldn’t have chosen this game.
This game, uniquely, was a rhythm game.
As the player performed at a rhythm game achieving satisfactory results, the story progresses like a stageclear type of game.
It scored high for targeting a specific audience while also allowing a warm-up.
Of course, I fell into that specific audience as well.
-Producer-san, hello!
As I started the game, a girl greeted me with a bright smile.
Such a polite child.
[Ugh… what]
[You guys see this? You guys see this? You guys see this? You guys see this?]
[Mom thinks our son is the best…]
[This art style seems like it would appeal to those with turtle breasts]
[Hang in there! It’s a scheme from the moderator!]
[If you can’t handle this, you’re not a locust, lol; I’ll take a nap]
“Hey, guys, just give it a look and judge for yourselves. Don’t you want to see Kazuhas becoming an idol?”
[Yes]
[Kazuha, I agree]
[What does it matter if this is the first time meeting someone?]
[She’s cute though;]
Calming the viewers, I began the game.
Kazuha, who had sustained a life as an unknown idol for several years.
The people who had helped her, including her manager, had already left; only I, the new person in charge, could help her become a professional idol.
“Shall we go for a round?”
The plot began to unfold.
Kazuha starts busking on the street to gather recognition.
With shabby sound equipment, the busking begins.
As she begins to sing, notes scatter across the screen.
I just need to press them in rhythm.
It’s probably easy since it’s a tutorial.
<Myeong-dong Police Station donated 1000 won!>
-There’s a difficulty setting in the options, let’s increase it; this looks too easy.
“Oh, really?”
I pressed the options window as the viewer suggested to adjust the difficulty.
Easy, Normal, Hard, and Hell.
They even prepared Hell difficulty.
This doesn’t seem like a hastily made game.
[Can’t resist Hell mode lol]
“I can’t resist.”
I immediately selected Hell mode.
Typical of a true woman: no hesitation.
I moved on to the next stage.
Successfully finishing the busking, Kazuha decides to participate in an idol survival program.
The auditions begin there.
The first stage opens.
“Wow, this is no joke!”
[Legend;]
[It was a great game]
[Can I hit this? Just looking at it makes me dizzy]
A shower of notes.
Clearly, the song Kazuha is singing is a ballad, yet the sweeping notes evoke thoughts of funky hard rock.
I flexed my fingers, ready to face the incoming notes.
Clearing the stage with absolutely no errors along with the clicking sounds of the keyboard.
[What’s that? lol]
[The physicality is enjoyable to watch]
[Is this… the true taste of rhythm games?]
The reactions were not bad.
Riding the momentum, I moved on to the next stage.
Having received positive evaluations and surviving, Kazuha’s next stage would be the stage deciding her final debut.
To secure a successful debut, she attempts an image transformation.
She decides to take on hip-hop music with a girl crush vibe.
Kazuha leads the stage alongside the erratic, unpredictable rhythm music.
“You cut your hair; I don’t like short hair.”
[For real lol why the short cut?]
[It’s because it grows back quickly, right?]
[The singing is good though;]
After clearing about five more stages, the story reached its end.
Now everyone could recognize Kazuha as an artist, and she had become accustomed to the stage.
She sang for the fans filling the audience and shed some tears.
After stepping down from the stage, she also teared up and showed her gratitude to me.
-Producer-san, thank you…!
Kazuha’s face, beaming with a bright smile, snapped a picture, capturing a moment.
That photo marked the conclusion, entering the album.
“That ended faster than I thought; it took just a little over an hour. I heard from reviews that each character episode takes about two hours.”
[You did too well lol]
[I’m going to miss Kazuha…]
[The best idol of this era, Ka. Zu. Ha]
[Honestly, I underestimated it, but the singing is good]
[Just give it a listen lol]
[This makes you feel strange]
[Is this what a parent feels…? Mom…]
[Parents who failed in raising children probably wouldn’t feel this way]
Looking at the viewers’ reactions, it seemed like I could play a bit more.
I considered the cleared Kazuha and the newly unlocked characters.
“Three new characters have been unlocked, blonde, silver-haired, and red-haired. The hair colors are diverse. I like the red-haired girl.”
A girl with a slightly prickly demeanor.
She looks like she could say, “Huh? I don’t need your help,” any moment now.
Her name is… it’s Karen.
After designating Karen as the next idol to nurture, I began reading her background description when a voice reached my ears.
<Kazuhamottloss donated 10,000 won!>
-Moderator, are you going to abandon Kazuha? You said we’d stick together forever.
“What? Kazuha’s nurturing has finished. I need to raise another friend now.”
[Look at how heartless]
[Kazuha is probably still waiting for new songs to be produced…]
[Is the moderator a savage? You’re switching immediately to another girl?]
[Look at these guys getting overly immersed lol]
Suddenly, a wave of criticism formed from the donations.
There has never been such a ridiculous backlash.
“No, if you think about it, Kazuha abandoned me, right? She’s successful now.”
[Go, go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]
[Hey, don’t slander our Kazuha]
[Kazuha’s a tiny princess; we must protect her]
[How can you say that about your idol?]
“Before starting the game, the ones causing a ruckus were you guys…”
Seeing how much they were genuinely enjoying the game made me chuckle in disbelief.
