[??]
[Is this for real?]
[+HurryAndLeave: When did you grow so much…?]
[What even is Heart Memorial, you weeb?]
[I’m serious, I’ve never heard of it. What kind of game is it?]
[Pepe: Oh, it’s fun. Haha, I’m playing it right now.]
When I checked the chat, a lot of people didn’t seem to know anything about the game.
That made sense.
Even I didn’t know Heart Memorial existed until I got this commission.
“I don’t usually take on these kinds of commissions, but the person in charge was really kind. They even used formal language with me every time.”
Sometimes, when you take commissions, you run into weird people.
Just because they’re paying doesn’t mean they can boss you around, but some people act as if they can.
[+HurryAndLeave: Hmm…]
[Fine, I’ll try it just once.]
[I’ll listen to you and give it a shot.]
[Pepe: Yeah, it’s worth trying once. It’s fun.]
[So, when does this character come out?]
I double-checked the file I received earlier. The release date for the character was written there.
“It says the character will be released in about two weeks. If any of you are interested, give it a try.”
To be honest, it didn’t matter much to me whether the viewers actually played Heart Memorial.
I’d already been paid, and I wasn’t going to earn anything extra based on the game’s success.
But.
‘Still, I should promote it.’
I couldn’t just draw the picture and call it a day.
[Okay, okay.]
[Alright, I’ll give it a try.]
[+HurryAndLeave: The art passes, but the game itself needs to be fun.]
[Really, If the game isn’t fun, no matter how good the art is, it’s just decoration for your misery.]
[Are you seriously doing that kind of thing over game illustrations…?]
[Pepe: Absolute degenerate. LOL.]
After wrapping up the promotion, I sent the completed illustration via email.
I could have sent it through a direct message, but high-resolution images couldn’t be transferred that way, so I preferred using email whenever possible.
“Alright, I’m going to end the stream now. I’ve finished the illustration, and it’s already been a long session.”
[+HurryAndLeave: Aww, that’s too bad.]
[Well, you streamed for a while today, so it’s fine.]
[Make sure to come earlier tomorrow, okay?]
[Pepe: What’s tomorrow’s stream about? It’d be nice if you could tell us in advance.]
Tomorrow’s stream, huh?
What should I stream tomorrow?
“Hmm, I guess I’ll do something fun tomorrow. I haven’t decided yet, though.”
Honestly, nothing had been set in stone.
While I tried to plan my streams, there were times when I ended up deciding things on a whim.
[+HurryAndLeave: Doing another art stream tomorrow wouldn’t be bad, hehe.]
[You really love these art streams, lololol.]
[Please, just play some games already.]
[Reore! Reore! Reore! Reore! Reore! Reore! Reore! Reore! Reore! Reore! Reore!]
[What even is Reore?]
[Pepe: As long as Yotte (LikeYogurt) does something fun, we’ll enjoy it too.]
“Well then, I’m ending the stream now.”
With that, I neatly ended the broadcast.
[The broadcast has ended!]
After the stream-ending message popped up, just a moment later—
Ding!
A notification from the Heart Memorial representative arrived.
[Heart X Memorial: We’ve received the illustration you sent us.]
[Heart X Memorial: You did an amazing job. Thank you so much :D]
[Heart X Memorial: If we ever need more illustrations, we’ll be sure to contact you again!!!]
The message from the Heart Memorial representative sounded absolutely thrilled.
It was clear they were very satisfied with the illustration I’d drawn for them.
‘Well, it did turn out great.’
I wasn’t usually the type to feel satisfied with my own work, but this time, even while I was drawing, I’d felt a sense of pride.
Their reaction was understandable.
[Me: Got it.]
[Me: Please make good use of the illustration 🙂 ]
[Heart X Memorial: Absolutely!!!]
After wrapping up the conversation, I immediately collapsed onto my bed to rest. My wrist was really aching.
[Poster: HurryAndLeave]
[Title: So, is that game fun or what???]
[Content: I’ve literally never played a mobile game in my life, but this one looks interesting. The illustration makes me want to try it out, lol.]
L: It’s one of those games that’s only known by people in the loop, lol.
ᄂ HurryAndLeave: What kind of game is it, though?
ᄂ: It’s just packed with stuff that weebs love. That’s the best way to describe it.
ᄂ: Compared to other weeb games, it’s actually pretty fun.
L: I’ve been playing Heart Memorial, and yeah, it’s fun. It’s just not super popular because they don’t run a lot of ads.
ᄂ: I’d rather play games from big sis Taga than waste my time on some local game, lol.
ᄂ: Seriously, I hope you enjoy handing over your data to the communists.
[Title: <<< Starting to get creepy… Upvote if scared >>>]
[Content: (Photo of yogurt)] How does it make any sense for a streamer who just started to hit 500 viewers already…? And on top of that, they’re insanely good at drawing…]
L: They’d be perfect as a VTuber.
ᄂ: Can you not? Enough with the VTuber comments.
ᄂ: Ugh, why is everyone obsessed with VTubers these days?
L: For real though, even small-time VTubers do stuff like this all the time, lol.
ᄂ: You should just go watch VTubers, seriously.
ᄂ: VTubers or Dullahan, doesn’t matter—they’re both trash-tier content anyway, lol.
[Title: Yotte is amazing—how is their art stream never boring?]
[Content: They don’t even play background music, and it’s just them talking, but somehow it’s never dull…]
L Pepe: Lol, same. I join Yotte’s stream for the chill, low-key chatting vibe.
ᄂ: I still don’t get people who like gaming streams.
ᄂ: But game streams do have their own unique appeal.
L: Sure, but the Cup streams are the most fun, lol.
ᄂ: That’s facts, honestly.
ᄂ: Lololol.
ᄂ: Didn’t they say they weren’t doing the Cup streams for a while, though?
[Title: How much money does Yotte’s company have to spend on viral marketing?]
[Content: Seriously, every time I come to this forum, it’s nothing but talk about this Yotte guy. Makes me wanna hate them, lol.]
L: That last sentence is always the most honest part, lol.
ᄂ: Makes me wanna hate them <<< You’re already doing it, lolol.
ᄂ: How do you hate someone and keep talking about them at the same time? Lmao.
L: Yeah, no matter how much you nitpick, Yotte’s just gonna keep growing gracefully.
L HurryAndLeave: Looks like a bunch of bitter folks are losing their minds over this, lol.
ᄂ: Hey, hey, hey.
ᄂ: Be careful what you say with your main account, or you’ll attract some creepy stalkers.
ᄂ HurryAndLeave: Block. Click.
Two days passed just like that.
I hadn’t streamed during that time. It was an intentional decision.
‘Last time, I streamed for too long.’
I always stuck to the three-hour-per-day rule.
If I didn’t, I risked burning out in the future. That’s why I had to be cautious at all times.
Thinking about that, I lay on my bed, scrolling through Shorts.
It was the perfect way to kill time.
‘Anything good to watch…?’
I used to watch a lot of long-form content, but with Shorts becoming more popular, it felt like my ability to focus had started to slip.
If I weren’t drawing, would I even be able to focus on anything at all?
That random thought crossed my mind as I kept scrolling through Shorts.
“Hm?”
A familiar song started playing.
I usually listen to a lot of music, so most songs on Shorts were ones I recognized, but this one was particularly familiar.
It was the track I’d worked on not long ago.
I was stunned.
Hearing that song pop up on Shorts felt surreal.
Curious, I watched the video.
-maybe~~
The video featured someone dancing to the chorus.
It seemed like part of one of those trendy challenges going around lately.
Still, it was amazing.
The fact that the song I worked on was being used like this.
Click.
I copied the link to the video I’d just watched and sent it directly to Rage.
[Me: (link)]
[Me: What is this??]
A reply came not long after.
[Rage: Ah.]
[Rage: A dance team I know said they wanted to do a challenge with the song.]
[Rage: So I let them.]
The response was unexpected.
To me, Rage always came across as someone who didn’t compromise when it came to their music.
They were generally cheerful and easygoing, but when it came to their work, they were incredibly strict.
[Me: Oh…]
[Me: Got it.]
[Me: I was just curious, so I asked.]
One mystery was solved.
I closed the DM and was about to resume watching Shorts when another message came through.
[Rage: By the way.]
[Rage: If you’re free sometime, would it be alright to meet again?]
[Rage: I really loved the work you did this time, personally.]
Rage sent another love call my way.
I responded immediately.
[Me: I think that’d be fine.]
[Me: Let me know when, and I’ll adjust my schedule.]
[Rage: Got it, hehe.]
[Rage: Take care!]
[Me: Sure.]
Normally, I might’ve hesitated, but after working in Rage’s studio the last time, I realized there was no need to overthink it.
It had been a genuinely fun project.
Still, I was curious about how the song was performing now.
I’d already checked before and confirmed it hadn’t ranked, but today might be different.
With that thought in mind, I checked the real-time charts.
“Oh.”
The song Rage and I worked on was sitting near the edge of the Top 100.