20 Chapter 20: Virtual Connections, Real Impacts

After waiting for 30 minutes with no visitors, someone finally entered her live stream!

'Flying Fish?' Reiji murmured to himself upon seeing the nickname.

...

In a room bathed in dim light, a young woman of notable beauty hid herself away. The glow from her computer screen reflected in her eyes, revealing a rich and complex inner world.

Previously, she had led an active social life, attending school and hanging out with friends—a typical routine for a girl her age. However, everything changed abruptly following a disturbing incident that made her withdraw from social contact.

Although the incident left no physical scars and the perpetrator was duly punished, the emotional scars prevented her from feeling comfortable reconnecting with the world around her.

Her family and closest friends, including a concerned older sister, were supportive, avoiding any pressure on her to resume her normal activities. Even her therapist agreed that it would be best to allow her a period of seclusion at home.

During this time, she sought comfort and entertainment online, dedicating herself to games, anime, and manga, paradoxically the very hobbies of the individual who had hurt her heart.

The idea of abandoning these interests repulsed her, Flying Fish—as she was known online—did not want to give up the things she loved because of someone else. To her, there was nothing wrong with being an otaku or having particular passions; the real problem lay with the person who had caused her pain.

This was Flying Fish's conviction, a creed she held with all her strength.

Effectively, fate seemed to settle scores with that person, who met his unexpected end while enjoying a simple instant noodle dish.

If she could have verbalized her feelings, she probably would have exclaimed: "That's what you deserve, jerk!!!"

However, her lack of joy at the news was not due to an overly compassionate nature, but because she simply did not harbor enough hatred for the individual to wish for his death, making her reaction to his demise less satisfying than she had imagined.

Distancing herself from these reflections, she dedicated the afternoon to surfing the internet.

Accessing her favorite streaming site, and noting the absence of her preferred streamers, she opted to explore the bottom of the list in search of new talents.

She had a penchant for discovering lesser-known streamers who possessed a distinctive personality and their own style, rather than just following the most popular ones.

Interestingly, streamers who initially met these peculiar criteria eventually became well-known to the general public.

Did she have a special gift for identifying future streaming stars?

Following this realization, her enthusiasm for discovering lesser-known streamers intensified even more.

She scrolled down to the last placed ones, those with just one or two viewers, true hidden gems.

Flying Fish selected those who caught her attention and, if one did not spark her interest, she simply moved on, persisting in her relentless search.

Until she stumbled upon a broadcast titled "I will Sing and Dance for You".

"Ah, finally someone showed up, hello~!" was the greeting she received as soon as she entered the broadcast, coming from a young man with a welcoming smile, dressed in a simple white t-shirt and dark blue pants.

"Flying Fish… Thank you so much for being here. If you could stay for a while, it would be a great help," he said, his voice carrying a peculiar magnetism, a rough yet extraordinarily captivating softness. His charm, easily noticeable, would be rated as 9.5 on a scale of 1 to 10.

Considering the high score, especially since 'Flying Fish' had already encountered numerous attractive people before, particularly at her prestigious school filled with beautiful youths...

"Hello, handsome~" she joked as she typed her response.

It was the first time she had encountered a streamer with such charisma. He seemed to be a novice, but he displayed a confidence that suggested otherwise, despite his obvious inexperience in front of the camera, which, in her eyes, also made him adorably clumsy.

And, although he dressed simply, his beauty did not go unnoticed. Few streamers had a level of attractiveness comparable to his, not to mention a robust and well-defined physique. His physical presence, undoubtedly, stood out among other male streamers she had seen.

Lost in her thoughts, she was brought back to reality when the young man on the screen announced with a charming smile: "I will start singing and then dance. I hope you stay until the end."

Then, the streamer from "MobyDick" began his performance of Ed Sheeran's "Perfect," one of her favorites.

Flying Fish watched, a smile forming on her face, as he began to sing.

Honestly, his vocal performance was mediocre. Far from disastrous or exceptional, it lacked the ability to convey deep emotions with his voice—it was like a high school student in a casual karaoke session.

The song, although lengthy, seemed to pass in an instant. At the end, the young man displayed a contagious joy.

Next, MobyDick thanked: "Thank you for listening to the end. Now, I will dance for you. I'm not an excellent dancer, but I hope my performance brings a smile, or even a laugh~"

"Haha!" Flying Fish laughed for the second time.

Impressed that he had elicited two laughs from her, she decided to ride the energy he transmitted. She contributed some "apples," the virtual currency of the site used to reward streamers.

"Thanks for the apples~" The young man smiled radiantly and continued: "But having you here watching is the best gift for me, you don't need to send more, just please stay until the end again~"

His smile was irresistible. Flying Fish couldn't help but think that he must be quite popular off the screen...

During the broadcast, the boy selected a song and stepped back from the camera to start his dance. What followed was a simplified choreography, reminiscent of anime themes.

Initially, his movements were somewhat stiff, but over time he loosened up, intentionally exaggerating his gestures.

By the end of his performance, Flying Fish was already trying to contain her laughter, completely entertained by the show.

The young man proved not only visually appealing but also extremely charismatic and charming!

"Why don't you sing again for me, handsome?" she found herself typing, unable to contain her curiosity.

"Ah, unfortunately, I have to go now, beautiful girl~" he replied.

Flying Fish was astonished. "How do you know I'm a girl, and even more, a pretty girl?"

The young man did not respond immediately, offering only a mysterious smile. After a pause, he whispered with a voice full of charm, "That's... a secret~"

Far from feeling frustrated, Flying Fish smiled, slightly defiant, and typed back: "You're amazing! I really am a pretty girl; the kind that could become an idol."

"Then, let's become idols together!" he proposed, pointing upwards and dancing with infectious energy.

She couldn't help but laugh again, for the third time.

"Thank you for staying till the end. Now I will disconnect."

"Are you leaving already? Don't you want to continue a bit longer? I can help increase your followers!" she expressed her desire to stay a bit longer.

"I'm grateful, but I need to leave now," he apologized with a kind smile.

That smile had something special, marking Flying Fish's heart with its genuine sympathy—it was simply irresistible.

'Ah, why can't he stay a little longer...?' she lamented internally.

"I hope to see you in my next broadcast. See you later." With those words, he said goodbye and the screen went dark.

'He really left just like that?' Flying Fish was perplexed, but the boy's distinctive personality had made a deep impression on her.

'Tomorrow… let's watch him again tomorrow...' Flying Fish harbored a small expectation in her heart.

///

"Wow! I finally managed to do it successfully." Reiji whispered to himself.

With the help of a generous viewer nicknamed "Flying Fish", he not only completed his tasks of [singing] and [dancing] but also earned 3 action points.

Even a single person watching online was enough to be considered an audience. His hypothesis seemed to have been validated.

However, the nature of live streaming was unpredictable—there was no guarantee of viewer presence the next day. That day, he had to wait 30 minutes until someone showed up.

What motivated him was seeing his follower count rise from 0 to 1.

He harbored hope: 'I would really like that girl to come back to watch me tomorrow.'

Certainly, he wouldn't oppose the idea of having more audience beyond the girl "Flying Fish". Perhaps this could result in even more points?

For now, he was restricted to earning points with just one singing and one dancing performance. Maybe, as he improved, he could accumulate more points by expanding his repertoire and the duration of his shows? The possibility was open.

In any case, he already felt gratified with the results achieved.