“Hello, I’m Lee Yuri.”
A flicker of relief passed through Dayoung’s eyes as she met Yuri for the first time.
If anything, it felt like she was thinking, ‘Oh, she’s just ordinary, I guess.’
Dayoung must have worried quite a bit about what kind of person Yuri would be and whether her personality might be difficult.
From Dayoung’s perspective, Yuri probably seemed acceptable enough.
It might have been an overly protective and concerned reaction, but… I could understand her feelings.
‘If Yuri had been some obnoxious troublemaker, it would have been a headache for me too.’
‘If she had been someone so twisted and unmanageable that I couldn’t rehabilitate her, I wouldn’t have taken care of her like this in the first place.’
‘Of course, I would keep observing her going forward, but in the worst-case scenario…’
No, this wasn’t the time to entertain such thoughts, so I quickly brushed them aside.
Anyway, Dayoung, Ajin, and Yuri all seemed to get along well enough to accept one another.
Alright, this works. This is good enough for me.
“Nice to meet you, Yuri. I’m Pepe.”
Yuri silently nodded as she observed Pepe, who was making a show of circling around and flaunting his presence.
As expected of someone experienced in this world, she didn’t seem fazed even when a frog with angel wings spoke in a bizarre tone.
“Well, if you brought her here, she must have a story she can’t share, right?”
“Yeah. She’s fine now, but when she steps out of this house, her gender changes.”
“Wow, so Yuri has a real-time TS attribute? That’s rare.”
“It’s… it’s not rare at all!”
Yuri puffed her cheeks in a sulky manner, clearly flustered by the teasing, while Pepe, amused by her reaction, started doing the Zero Two dance.
Watching this, I wondered, ‘Am I hopeless for thinking this would make great streaming content, or am I just getting better at my job as a streamer?’
‘If Pepe were to make a live appearance on stream, it could honestly become hilarious content.’
‘A frog with wings? That alone would grab attention.’
‘And on top of that, his ridiculous way of speaking made him a walking bundle of content.’
‘If he ended up on a public broadcast instead of just a stream, how would that play out? My head started spinning just thinking about it.’
In short, imagine one of the world-saving heroes doing flips while yelling, “Yeah!”
What a headache.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Oh, yeah. Don’t worry.”
No matter what, I decided I absolutely couldn’t let Pepe appear on stream.
‘Even if he eventually came out as a hero…’
‘Someday, I’d have to give Dayoung a heads-up about this too. Because ultimately… yeah, this was about protecting a hero’s pride.
***
After a minor hiccup, things soon settled down, and the conversation naturally drifted into a more subdued tone.
Understandably, with a group of heroes gathered like this, the air was a bit awkward.
Well, it would get better with time.
No need to overthink it.
Now, then… I should probably bring this up with Dayoung.
“Yuri will be staying here for the next year. Ajin will be moving in soon, too.”
The sweet scent of juice being poured into a glass wafted through the air.
The real reason I created this gathering was to introduce Yuri to Dayoung.
But now, I realized there was another intention hidden within me that I hadn’t been aware of until now.
‘Could it be that I wanted Dayoung to move here too?’
However, Dayoung’s situation was different from Ajin’s and Yuri’s.
Unlike those still struggling with curses, Dayoung had already returned to normal.
‘Sure, this place was a great living environment, but did she really need to move here?’ It made me pause to think.
Well, agonizing over it wouldn’t solve anything.
So…
“Dayoung, why don’t you move in here as well?”
“…?!”
“Yeah, if Dayoung’s not coming, at least let me move in, b—OUCH!”
I smacked Pepe on the head, making a peace sign with his wings, and turned my gaze to Dayoung.
Her eyes reflected a mix of conflict, confusion, and warmth as they met mine, emotions shining in the light and imprinting on my memory.
“Well… I’d love to stay with you all, but I need to visit my mom in the hospital and take care of the house. I’ll need to talk it over with her after she’s discharged.”
I’d heard her mom was doing much better and would be discharged soon.
Dayoung planned to discuss it with her mom then.
Well, that was a relief.
For a hero who had returned to her original world, nothing shattered one’s mental state more than finding family troubles waiting for them.
“Like I told Ajin, you just have to bring yourself here. The place is spacious enough, so your mom could join us too. I hope you’ll think about it positively.”
“Okay.”
Nodding while sipping her juice, Dayoung suddenly perked up, as if she’d just remembered something.
“Oh, right! Aren’t you starting the event soon? Have you found your team yet?”
“Not yet.”
“Looking at the schedule, isn’t it about time we announce it? We haven’t made any public statements yet. Is this really okay?”
At that moment, Yuri, who had been silently listening, raised her hand cautiously and spoke.
“Um, Sehee.”
“Yeah, what is it?”
“Can I… maybe help with the broadcast too?”
“Huh?”
“Excuse me? Come again?”
“Uh, well… since I’m going to be here for a year anyway, I feel like I’d just be freeloading if I didn’t do anything.”
Yuri blushed as she spoke, her face turning red in embarrassment.
Seeing this, Pepe clicked his tongue and interjected.
“Yuri, can you even edit videos like Ajin does?”
“Not really… I don’t know much about broadcasting, but I just want to help somehow.”
“Tch! If you really want to help, just do a 100-serving mukbang. How can anyone resist a high school girl’s 100-serving mukbang?”
“Why are you dragging her into a 100-serving mukbang, of all things?”
“Even though it’s not likely to happen, if we did such a broadcast, wouldn’t we stop being treated like humans?”
“More importantly, Yuri is a minor. Is it even okay for her to get involved in this kind of work?”
I couldn’t help but wonder if her family might say something about this later.
Well, it’s not like we’re doing anything immediately, so I’ll have to think it over carefully.
Just then…
-Bzzz!
My phone buzzed with a notification, and I checked the email that appeared on the screen.
Inside was…
“It’s here.”
The official event announcement had arrived.
It was time to start.
***
The STK team’s marketing division was in chaos, busy planning the new event match.
The last brawl tournament had been a massive success, so fans were expecting even more from this event.
“Good thing we got Fried to participate this time.”
“Absolutely. This time, it’s not just Lotus, but the whole STK team involved.”
“Exactly. Friede even mentioned on stream that she’s aiming for Challenger rank 1, so it’ll make for a great rivalry with Warden. Let’s make that a highlight in our promotions.”
Friede and Lotus.
With their storyline, skills, and their exceptional appearances, the narrative practically wrote itself…
That’s why we decided to organize another event match.
In a way, it was like an expansion pack for the brawl tournament.
Looking at the lineup of participants, there was no doubt it would draw everyone’s attention.
Warden and Friede were finally going head-to-head.
Not in a simple ranked game, but in a match broadcasted for all to see.
If Lotus was the strongest among female players, this would be Warden’s stage to prove who the ultimate champion was.
Even though it was a team match, the format added another layer of excitement.
“How are the players? No issues with their condition?”
“Since there’s a break until the next league after this event, and it’s just a one-day schedule, there shouldn’t be any major problems.”
“Good.”
When the meeting ended, most people started leaving, but seven individuals remained seated.
The team leader mentioned having something to think about, and a few team members stayed back, pretending to tidy up the room.
Once everyone else had left, the tension eased slightly, and the team leader smiled warmly.
“This event’s concept was really well done. Thanks to this, Friede will have even more opportunities to shine. Good work.”
The team leader felt reassured as he looked at his team, particularly at the member who had transformed into Friede’s strongest supporter.
“Not at all. Friede is like our goddess, after all.”
“A goddess… Yes, she’s not just an angel; she truly deserves to be called a goddess.”
With such noble beauty and grace, it was impossible to describe her any other way.
They couldn’t forget.
It was etched into their minds.
Friede’s face, revealed after she took off her helmet during a live stream…
Like a butterfly breaking free from its chrysalis, her golden beauty spread its wings.
Her pure and breathtaking appearance didn’t seem human. It was otherworldly.
“Yes, this is no ordinary person. She’s truly a goddess.”
“Our goal is simple: to bring Friede onboard as a franchise streamer for STK. Even if it means giving up everything STK has to offer.”
“Uh, team leader, while we all want that too… isn’t it a bit much to say we’d give up the entire STK team for her?”
Frustratingly, their capabilities were limited.
The man leading them was just a department head, and they were merely his subordinates—individuals easily swept away by a single gust of wind within the organization.
Hearing his team member’s self-deprecating remark, the team leader’s eyes gleamed with a confident light.
“Let me make this clear.”
With a triumphant smile, the team leader declared:
“In the Friede Fan Club, I’m merely the weakest of the Four Heavenly Kings.”
This statement made it clear that there were higher powers within the organization who shared his passion.
Everyone’s eyes widened in astonishment.