Chapter 73: Chapter 72

Top 20 lines you've always wanted to say.

“Please speak through my manager.”

“It seems like Chel was really moved by Bluereco.”

The performance of my "translator" (also serving as my manager) was excellent.

With Rion around, I might not even need a smartphone.

“So, it seems Chel wants to share the emotional impact of Bluereco with everyone.”

“It sounds like some kind of religious mission.”@@novelbin@@

“I won’t deny that.”

Chel replied. I kind of wished she would deny it.

“It's a 'god-tier' game, after all. So, in a way, it’s like a religion.”

Her logic was so far-fetched, I felt like it might just fly away.

“So, you want to share the fun of Bluereco with me too?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“You do realize there are a lot of people in this world besides me, don’t you?”

“I don’t know where they live.”

Apparently, the concept of "online" didn’t exist in Chel’s vocabulary.

If she was so eager to promote Bluereco, she could have just posted something in the EYEAI server. But instead, she was personally running around to share the word. It made me wonder if Chel had been possessed by a medieval merchant, just like how I had been possessed by a noblewoman.

“It’s fun. You should try it.”

Chel insisted again.

A mobile gacha game, huh?

‘It’s not the most satisfying gameplay experience.’

Every game has its own unique appeal.

FPS games offer the thrill of shooting down enemies, MOBA games are fun because of the satisfaction of winning lane battles and team fights, and sandbox games are enjoyable for building automated factories, step by step. Each game provides its own form of entertainment.

As for mobile games, the fun generally comes from ‘the satisfaction of turning the impossible into the possible.’

For example, finally clearing a tough stage by changing up your team composition. Or defeating a boss you couldn’t before. Or drastically reducing the time it takes to complete a previously unbeatable stage. Or narrowly surviving a tricky gimmick by sheer effort.

That’s the kind of satisfaction mobile games offer.

‘And the way to overcome those "impossible" obstacles usually involves spending money.’

Some mobile games can be cleared through skill or character progression, but usually, spending money is the main path to victory. After all, mobile game companies release these games to make money.

Because of this, mobile games tend to have less emphasis on skill, which makes their appeal different from the games I usually enjoy.

“How about giving it a try, sis?”

Rion, who had been listening quietly, suddenly spoke up.

“If Chel went out of her way to come here, it must be really fun. Honestly, I’m a bit curious about the story too.”

“You’re curious?”

“Yeah. Bluereco is pretty famous, but I don’t know much about it.”

Rion shrugged her shoulders.

“Also, from what I’ve heard, Bluereco streams tend to get a lot of viewers. There are people who specifically look for streams about the Bluereco story.”

For example, some people search for even the smallest VTuber streams when it comes to horror games. That’s why horror games are considered a good source of views.

When people enjoy a movie or a drama, they often want to share their thoughts or see how others reacted. If another person’s reaction matches their own expectations, they get a certain thrill from it.

That’s why people browse community forums. And for some, even that isn’t enough, so they turn to streamers. Streamers provide real-time reactions, giving their viewers the rawest experience possible.

This kind of content is especially ideal for horror or story-driven games.

“I’m not a big fan of gacha games, though.”

“Really? Sis, you love spending money.”

“Maintaining dignity as a noblewoman requires that, don’t you think? I just don’t enjoy testing my luck, that’s all.”

“…? Are you unlucky or something?”

Rion tilted her head.

“Overall, I suppose I have slightly good luck.”

When I’m unlucky, I’m really unlucky. When I’m lucky, I’m really lucky. And when I’m average, I’m just average.

This probably sounds like the same thing everyone experiences, but it feels a bit different to me.

“If you want to play, go ahead. But you’ll have to take the lead.”

I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms.

Rion looked puzzled but eventually began setting things up with Chel.

They mounted three phones for tracking—mine, Chel’s, and Rion’s.

I didn’t plan on doing much for this Bluereco stream. I’d just sit back and watch the story unfold.

“Sis, everything’s ready.”

“Then go ahead and start.”

“Wait… It’s your channel, sis.”

“Why don’t you do the introduction and run the stream too?”

“You’re the channel owner, though?”

Rion was grumbling, but I didn’t respond. Gacha games just didn’t inspire me much.

Seeing that I had no intention of moving, Rion reluctantly put on a headset and forced a smile.

“Meow… Meow meow meow! This is Nekozuka Rion, princess of the cat planet, here to bring you cuteness!”

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-? -What’s up? -Peace, everyone! -Where’s our lady? Why’s there a random cat girl…? -Did she bail on us again…? -Another no-show stream, huh?

“Laura, say something.”

“The tea is delicious. Could you make me another cup?”

“You really don’t care about hosting, do you…?”

Rion grumbled as she went to make another pot of tea, and the stream began.

Chel gave a brief introduction about how she ended up on my channel to play Bluereco. I wasn’t sure if it was really necessary to introduce her, but it’s standard VTuber etiquette to introduce yourself, no matter whose channel you’re on.

Rion also explained that she was working from home today and that’s why she was part of the stream. Soon, Bluereco started, and I just sat there, watching.

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-Wait, is this Rion’s channel? -Why’s she so quiet today? Normally she talks a lot. -A VTuber with dead air? C’mon! -I can’t hear Laura’s voice! Shouldn’t you turn up her volume? -I love it when she does nothing at all! Gimme more of that dead air!

Some people in the chat were looking for me, but it wasn’t unusual, so I just ignored it.

After a while, the Bluereco story began.

The prologue wasn’t bad.

“The story seems pretty average, but the world-building is unique.”

“Prologue stories are usually pretty simple.”

Chel chimed in suddenly.

“Gacha games often have complex worlds. The main character has to recruit a team of gacha characters, right? So the protagonist’s role is usually something grand, like a tactical commander or the savior of humanity.”

“That’s true, but why bring it up now?”

“And since the protagonist leads a massive organization, their enemies also have to be big to balance it out, which makes the world-building naturally complex. Explaining all that in the prologue would take forever. So, the prologue usually keeps the story simple while emphasizing the game’s vibe and mechanics.”

-Is she rapping? LOL -She’s talking so fast, it’s like a machine gun. -She’s normally quiet… Why is she talking so much all of a sudden? -She’s kinda scary when she talks like this…

It seemed my comment about the story being average had struck a nerve with Chel.

She started talking so fast that even the chat was shocked.

“Bluereco also has a complex world like other gacha games, but what sets it apart is its familiarity. The setting is close to our modern world but with a hint of fantasy, making it relatable yet slightly mysterious, which draws people in. That’s why the prologue focuses more on the world than the story.”

“Alright, alright, I get it. You can stop now. My ears are hurting.”

“Did you really understand?”

Man, this girl was persistent. Was this secretly a horror game?

Still, I did understand what Chel was getting at.

As she explained, most gacha games (except for idol-raising simulators) tend to have large-scale worlds with complex settings. Some are pretty heavy, but Bluereco definitely had good accessibility.

‘A world where phones and guns are everyday items.’

In this game, high school girls casually carried shotguns. But it wasn’t grimdark or dystopian. It had more of a lighthearted harem feel.

The prologue wasn’t particularly amazing, but it had a good vibe, which was already a partial success.

If this were a web novel, readers would drop it if the beginning wasn’t interesting enough, but that wasn’t the case with mobile games. Since people spend time downloading the game, they usually give it at least until the first gacha roll before deciding to quit.

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□□□□□ □□□□■ 【Remaining reloads: 10/10】

“Bluereco lets you reroll your pulls up to 10 times.”

With the prologue over, it was time for the gacha part.

Chel, the gacha demon, began explaining the process.

“You can reroll the results up to 10 times to get the best outcome. You’re guaranteed at least one 5-star character.”

“Are there any must-have 5-star characters?”

“There are good characters, but none you absolutely need from rerolling. Limited characters are more important later.”

“So, it’s just nice if you get several 5-star characters. Rion, you handle the gacha.”

“But it’s your account… Shouldn’t you be the one pulling?”

Rion, who had been managing the stream so far, gave me a puzzled look.

“I don’t find it very fun when I pull the gacha.”

“…? What does that even mean?”

“Watch.”

I pressed the gacha button.

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□□□□□ □□□□■ 【Remaining reloads: 9/10】

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□□□□□ □□□□■ 【Remaining reloads: 8/10】

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□□□□□ □□□□■ 【Remaining reloads: 7/10】

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□□□□□ □□□□■ 【Remaining reloads: 6/10】 -No 4-star characters yet, lol. -I swear I just saw this screen a minute ago. -Her luck sucks, haha!

“Didn’t you say you had good luck earlier, sis?”

“I never said that.”

I remained indifferent.

After all, I’m a villainess.

If you asked most people, “Do you think villainesses are lucky characters?” they’d probably tilt their heads in confusion. Some might even say villainesses are unlucky.

Personally, I’d say I have average luck, maybe slightly on the unlucky side.

But as a villainess, I’m supposed to tenaciously torment the protagonist. That means even when I hit rock bottom, I often make a comeback.

So, I’ve always had a knack for bad luck followed by miraculous rebounds.

“Wait, what?!”

Rion gasped in shock

□■■□□ □□■□■ 【Remaining reloads: 0/10】 -? -????? -Is this gacha rigged or something? -What the heck?

Four 5-star characters from a single 10-pull.

Seeing the predicted result, I wasn’t particularly excited.

I sighed slightly and reached for my phone to call Inagika.

[H-Hello? L-Laura…? What’s up…?]

Had she been sleeping all this time? Inagika’s voice was drowsy, and it was already 3 p.m.

I switched my phone to speaker mode so the viewers could hear her as well.

“Inagika, repeat after me.”

[Huh? Wh-what?]

“Say, ‘That’s some insane luck!’”

[Uh… That’s some insane luck…?]

“Thank you.”

diff

-Click.

I hung up.

“Rion, take over the rest of the stream.”