Part 279: An Extremely Ordinary Day
The following few days passed by in a flurry.
For me, it was far better to have my memories left undisturbed—though that's probably not the right way to put it.
All that's expected of me right now is to cut down the rocket that's supposed to strike by the end of August.
To that end, I suppose I just need to make sure I never miss a day of training.
A missile drops straight down from above, so I’ll slice it in half with my Ultimate Sword X.
From what I’ve heard, this doesn’t seem too difficult.
It’s practically like finishing breakfast before lunch—something I could easily handle, compared to the training I did in my past life. Seriously.
So, for the past few days, I’ve been able to enjoy a rare, relaxed stretch of time.
Whenever I feel like it, I even help out with video production.
Since it's such a rare opportunity, let me jot down the schedule of my utterly ordinary day here.
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【AM 07:00 Wake Up】
After waking up, I go through my usual routine of swinging my sword until I feel fully awake.
I play Mizuki’s song, the “Songstress,” on the smartphone provided to me.
Looking up at the “Avienia Castle” in the early morning light, I find myself drifting into thoughts of how far I’ve come.
[AM 08:00 After shower, breakfast]
For breakfast, I always eat at the staff cafeteria.
Incidentally, the people working here are all temporary assignments from "Grande Linya."
For now, there's an ongoing opening at the Western Area's "Cowboy Kitchen," and it looks like you can meet the "Guardians" if you head over this way. I haven't shown my face there yet, though.
Breakfast is always crispy bacon, toasted bread, a large salad, and vegetable juice.
The bacon is incredibly crispy, crunching like a snack when you bite into it. Apparently, it was cooked by a chef who used to work at a luxury hotel charging around ten thousand yen per night. Delicious.
[AM 08:30 Strategy Meeting]
Once breakfast was finished, a meeting about "today's video" led by Asuka immediately began.
She reportedly stays up late every night, keeping track of current trends and fads.
According to Asuka, "The first week should be spent trying out various things," which seems to mean that Shintaro is being put through a different routine every single day.
Incidentally, the video that struck me as the most "uncopyable" was the one where someone was made to eat a boiled giant squid.
Later, when I asked for their opinion, they said, "The skin was soft like a shrimp's shell, and the flesh was fish-like."
[AM 10:00 Shopping Trip]
At this time of day, a flea market is always held in the underground warehouse on the "Grandelina" side.
At this time, even Vivian and others who live on the "Avienia" side are allowed to head toward "Grandelina," where they exchange various collected items from within the city—clothing, equipment, and consumables—with one another, as well as their own "Vivian Points (VP)," which function like scores based on video viewership.
In this ruined world, web money transactions probably only happen right here.
[PM 00:00 Lunch]
Depending on how hungry I am, I generally stick to just one cup of tea or vegetable juice for lunch.
I know it sounds like I'm some office worker on a diet, but I'm not really that hungry, so what can I do? As "players," we don't need to eat unless we're using skills or magic.
[PM 00:30 Video Shooting & Editing]
In the afternoon, I spend time shooting a video with Sozuri-san as the main focus.
Of course, how much time this takes depends entirely on whether we end up with something satisfactory—there's no limit to how long it can take.
My role isn't particularly defined; I just handle whatever's needed, whether it's buying supplies, operating the camera, or bringing snacks.
It might be the most relaxed and enjoyable position to be in.
[PM 06:00 Video Upload & Reflection Meeting]
If work ends early, by now we’ll have finished everything and will check the reactions to the uploaded video together.
The video-sharing system used in the "Unreal Kingdom" allows viewers to rate uploaded videos as either GOOD (Liked) or BAD (Trash).
The more GOOD ratings a video receives, the more VPs you earn, which enriches your life here...
[PM 07:00 Dinner]
Dinner is even more inconsistent than lunch—eaten sometimes, skipped other times.
Still, since it'd be sad if the average girl, Aizuki Miharu, gets hungry, we've decided that at least one person will always have lunch with her—no matter what, even if it means wasting magic.
But Miharu’s been acting distant lately...
Has she made a friend now?
That would be nice, if so.
By the way, dinner is being served at the 'Pirate Ship Dining' in the Adventure Area.
The meals are prepared daily by a famous chef from Gran Delinia, so every meal is something to look forward to.
[PM 10:00 - Video Check]
Ideally, I'd be fast asleep by now, but that's rarely how things work around here.
Before I know it, I end up watching videos that rose to the day's "daily ranking," and the date has changed without me noticing.
You might think that content created by teenage girls wouldn't amount to much—but surprisingly, the quality is often more impressive than it first appears.
No matter where you are, there are always people who struggle to express their own sense of humor.
[PM 11:00 Bedtime]
The dwelling, reminiscent of a manga café booth, was cramped and hardly comfortable to sleep in.
Yet these girls here—far more than I had imagined—were living lives rich in their own way.
Each day, every single day, as if the school festival were never ending.
This is life in their "unreal kingdom."
In its own way, it seems like not such a bad existence—though.
Regardless, all of this remains under the palm of Shizukawa Reika.
When I close my eyes, I sometimes see the faces of former classmates.
It's because Shizukawa Reika exclusively controls the Soul Replicator—her Soul Repair Machine...
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Ah, right.
During these past few days, I’ve seen Shizukawa Reika’s face—no, the face of Lyka Deadman—only once.
Lyka was a woman in her mid-twenties, wearing a dress reminiscent of the princess attire once worn by Disney cast members, her golden hair tied up atop her head.
She reportedly greets everyone once a week, on Sunday afternoon, using every monitor present within the "Unreal Kingdom"—including the smartphones each person holds.
The speech I heard from her went as follows:
Hello! Vivian! Buzzing? (This is her own term—it apparently means something like "creating a trend" or "generating popularity.")
This week, several letters have arrived.
So, why don't you hear my take on them?
— Why make the girls create videos?
— Why don’t you have the girls take care of livestock or the fields?
— Why do you make the girls do work that isn’t necessary for survival?
Why does the "Revenant" prioritize the girls?
This question comes up from time to time.
So I, too, sometimes repeat the same answer.
Now then, everyone in the "Imaginary Kingdom."
My beautiful and wise girls—the Vivian Girls—will one day become the light that illuminates the world.
Their very existence will guide us to the city of happiness.
Sounds a bit exaggerated, doesn't it?
But it's absolutely not a lie.
This world will eventually return to a peaceful era, just as it was before—no need to worry.
Isn't that right?
"Player" and "achievement reward items."
God has granted these to us because He is on our side.
That's why we need to think about life after we've regained peace.
Imagine it?
A world where everyone's safety is guaranteed, and bread is distributed afterward.
Surely many people will think the same thing.
Entertainment! Entertainment! Entertainment!
Vivian will finally shine like a shooting star once that era arrives.
The whole world will fall in love with all of you.
While the masses struggle just to survive, you will become the pinnacle of entertainment culture.
Just as Japanese manga, anime, and games were once praised and admired worldwide.
Our "Kingdom of the Unreal" will export the finest "entertainment" to the world and bloom a magnificent culture!
Isn't that a wonderful thing?』