The Value of 250 Likes

While watching the broadcast on the large screen installed around the entrance area,

"Ah... Ah... A, A, Ah......"

All he could do was imitate Krillin, trembling in the face of overwhelming combat power.

The "YouTube" that the lady known as "Odoriko" mentioned was precisely on the mark.

"So where's Nya-kky?..."

Meiyu, tilting her head, seemed not to have properly watched the broadcast just now.

I looked at Tsuzuri and asked,

"Momoka-san... is she the one we're trying to meet right now? The one named Renkai Hibiki?"

The maid solemnly nodded.

What's going on with her, anyway?

What's going on...?

"Wh-what are you doing, huh?!"

Shouting toward the sky like that, the "dancer" looked puzzled and asked,

"Are you friends with Momo-chan?"

"Friends, well... yeah, that's right."

"If this is your first time here, you're not really a fan of Momo-chan, are you?"

"Huh?"

"Ah, I see."

She seemed genuinely intrigued.

"Then, if you ask nicely, you might even get a chance to collab."

"Wha—?"

"Newcomers are hard to find, you know. If we boost your visibility through a collaboration, it'll make things a lot easier, right?"

"Huh... huhh?"

I don't really get it, but...

Wait, is this person suddenly talking in a business-like tone?

"Danseuse" quickly taps her smartphone and sends us an email.

"This is the address for my channel," she says, quickly tapping her smartphone and sending us an email. "I upload 'Dance Try' videos. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten many viewers yet, but please check it out. And don't forget to hit 'Like'."

"Understood."

As I nod,

"Then, about life here—could you tell me more..."

At that moment,

"—That's quite alright. I'll be the one to show you around."

Suddenly appearing before us was Kumano Asuka.

It seems she’s been waiting around here all this time.

Meeting her again—was it the first time since I awoke to the “end”?

I remember lecturing a group of middle school-aged girls who had brought zombie heads (now that I think about it, they were friends of Miharu-chan).

That’s about all I remember of her, yet still, meeting her again felt like reuniting with a fellow townsman in a foreign land.

Naturally, I found myself joining hands with Asuka-san,

"Good job, Asuka-san."

"Yes, good job, senpai."

I know that smile isn't real.

Her eyes were slightly puffy—clear evidence she'd been crying just moments ago.

There was no need to speculate—she must have learned of Kōsuke-kun's death over the radio.

I quickly bowed to the "dancer" lady,

"Thank you for the explanation. Then, I'll be going."

"Um~♪ … Oh, make sure to enter your personal information on your phone as soon as possible. You can't earn money or get a place to sleep unless you register your national ID number."

"Thank you so much for everything."

"Alright~♪ Well, see you again if our paths cross! And if you can, please give me a 'like' next time~!"

Then, she skipped away with a light step. Bye-bye.

"……………………"

For some reason, Asuka's gaze toward the 'dancer' seemed cold.

In fact, after stepping a little way away from the scene,

People at the lower end of the social ladder, like Vivian here, tend to try to get a few favors in exchange for a quick "like," so if you start engaging with them, it never ends.

And he whispers in my ear.

Why don't you just give it a "like" or two?

"The number of 'likes' you can give per day is limited. It wasn't like that just a little while ago... "

"Did something go wrong?"

"Yes. When the 'Kingdom' first introduced this rule, there was an incident where a certain Vivian gave 'likes' to every single poster."

"Hmm."

"Then, people who received likes got happy and naturally wanted to return the favor by liking back, didn't they?"

"Probably."

"As a result, the favor of 'likes' would all concentrate on Vivian alone, the one who initially distributed them—regardless of the content of the videos she created. Naturally, her ranking would be far ahead of everyone else, with a massive influx of VPs pouring in. Then, she'd keep posting high-quality videos using those assets... and the gap would only continue to widen."

"Huh... wow..."

Right now, the word 'like' is echoing in my mind like a Gestalt.

"That's why right now, the number of 'likes' a user can post is limited... but in exchange, each vote carries much greater weight, leading more and more people to resort to unconventional tactics."

It feels just like the world of a money-driven manga.

People who know how to play the game wisely seem to exist everywhere.

As I listened to Asuka's explanations, I gradually noticed that girls were gathering around me from all sides.

"W-w-wait..."

Unaccustomed to being the center of attention, I immediately flustered.

"Hi, big sisters!"

"Is this your first time here? Let me show you around!"

"If you like this, could you please subscribe to my channel?"

"I'll treat you to dinner if you give it a like!"

"Shall I show you a secret playground?"

"Do you know the trick to boosting likes? There's a secret command."

A torrent of words poured over us.

Dodging their invitations with difficulty, the four of us moved forward as one, finally making it through the scene.

Only then did we finally realize something.

The entrance to Disney's is once adorned with the familiar Victorian-style architecture lining the streets of a classic American town—yet now, it has completely transformed into a space crowded with signage, evoking the atmosphere of a new student orientation at a school.

"Active at the center of dancing ○○○○"

"Anime production? ○○○○"

"Independent film production ○○○○"

[Pokémon battle videos – upload daily ○○○○]

[Board game live streams! Weekly Catan tournaments, Monopoly, Werewolf, and more ○○○○]

[Looking for band members – I'm the vocalist ○○○○]

[Comedy skits and rakugo – all welcome! Comedy research club ○○○○]

[Upload one manga per day! Seeking voice actors and artists! ○○○○]

In most cases, the part corresponding to this "○○○○" is a person's name, prominently displayed like a name on a campaign poster.

What's this? That's Shirouto's job, not mine. Bring out Nikkī already.

And Miharu-chan also gave a sleepy wave.

In this situation, far exceeding the amount of information an individual can process, I simply followed along as Asuka led the way.

By the way, where are you moving to right now?

"First, let's head to a place where no one is around... and then hold our strategy meeting."

Her voice was resolute, carrying an unyielding quality that left no room for argument.

There are quite a few things I need to talk to you about, you know~

I don't know what you mean by that.

To be honest, I'm already on the verge of a mental overload from all this information...