Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: 9. Mecha God Chronicle - Festival (1)
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People in the world often tend to look down on otakus who enjoy anime or games.
You didn't have to look far to see it—just check how society treated otakus on a daily basis, and it was all too clear.
For example, take a fast-food joint or coffee shop running an otaku collab event.
"Um, uh, excuse me..."
"Huh? What is it?"
"N-no, not that... I mean..."
"Quit mumbling, kid! I can't hear a damn word you're saying! What the hell do you even want?"
"Manager, isn't this guy here for that?"
"That? Oh, you mean that?"
"Ah, right, I forgot about it. No wonder so many weirdos who can't even order straight have been showing up today!"
"Hey, give that otaku one of those!"
"One otaku special, order up!"
Just from conversations like that flying around without a second thought, you could tell exactly how society viewed otakus.
But does that mean it's okay to just keep dismissing them? Absolutely not.
Because when it came to one thing—"buying power"—otakus were unmatched.
Snapping up dozens of idol albums just for a shot at lottery tickets to a fan signing? No big deal. Premium plastic models priced in the hundreds of gold coins selling out on launch day? Routine. And why do you think stores see sales skyrocket whenever they run otaku collabs, no matter how you slice it?
In short, one phrase summed it all up.
"Otakus equal cash!"
Hit their tastes just right and meet their demands by any means necessary, and squeezing money out of them was a breeze.
So, I'd prepared for it.
Not to squeeze every last coin from Mecha God Chronicle fans' noses... but to give a humble thank-you to everyone who'd loved the show so far: a festival.
I'd agonized over the acronym, then just gone with the straightforward "G-Star."
Hey, better than calling it Comiket, right?
As I prepared to host G-Star in the plaza fronting the imperial palace, Serika and Kaya watched me with looks of admiration.
"Raguna... You must've been swamped producing Mecha God Chronicle. When did you even have time to set up an event like this? The scale and lineup scream way more than a day or two of prep."
"Obviously, from the start."
Because I'd known from day one that a plain TVA anime alone wouldn't rake in the dough.
So I'd planned ahead, setting up events to collect from viewers right alongside the show.
...Though I'd never imagined it'd end up as a festival to clean up the emperor's mess.
"If you need any help, just say the word. The imperial family will assist you anytime, Director."
I slowly shook my head at Kaya's words.
"No, thank you. I'm afraid I don't want any imperial help with this event."
"Pardon? Why not?"
'Because if the imperials get involved, I'd have to split the profits. I want to hog every coin like a pig.'
But instead of that, my tongue dutifully spat out something else.
"This event is for the viewers who cherish and love Mecha God Chronicle every day. With that spirit in mind, I'd prefer to avoid outside help as much as possible."
"Ah, so that's the deep meaning behind it!"
Kaya's eyes sparkled as she gazed at me.
And I, meeting that gaze, couldn't help but look up at the sky with a twinge of inexplicable guilt.
Yeah, so this was how everyone grew up into adults, huh—
Anyway, to mop up the emperor's crap and secure my cushy retirement fund.
The Mecha God Chronicle festival, G-Star, was finally underway.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The day of the festival was exactly one day before Mecha God Chronicle episode 26 aired.
And, predictably, word of a Mecha God Chronicle-themed G-Star spread like wildfire, drawing crowds from all over.
The plaza before the palace could easily hold tens of thousands, a massive space.
Yet it was packed to the brim in no time flat.
"They say you can experience all kinds of Mecha God Chronicle events here."
"I'm more curious about what the voice actors look like. Rumor has it the one playing Saya is drop-dead gorgeous..."
"Forget that—I want the exclusive merch you can only get via lottery. Money's no object; I need that Unit Zero plamo!"
Visitors streamed into the plaza, buzzing with anticipation.
"Whoa, what the hell is this?"
"Holy crap, it's insane."
The moment they stepped inside, they couldn't believe their eyes.
Sure, it was a huge venue that could fit tens of thousands, but aside from a few benches, it had been a barren plaza.
Now? It looked like you'd time-traveled to the future via some sci-fi base straight out of a dream.
Yep.
Raguna had remodeled the entire plaza into the Illuminati base from Mecha God Chronicle!
'Well, mostly illusions via glamour magic, with just a few real props.'
Impossible on 21st-century Earth, but a cheat enabled by this magic-filled fantasy world.
Raguna had wanted to make it real, not illusory, but time hadn't allowed it.
He could only smack his lips in quiet regret.
But visitors thought differently.
"Look at that! It's the table where Rinoa and Rachel used to sip coffee on breaks!"
"This must be the relay room where the operators sat and reported on the Mecha Gods."
"They say the warehouse storing the Mecha Gods is over there—let's check it out!"
For them, stepping into the Mecha God Chronicle world they'd only seen on TV screens was thrill enough.
A fan's paradise overflowing with sights everywhere.
Yet one spot drew all eyes right now.
That spot being...
"O-ohhh...!"
"Is that the life-sized Unit Zero replica...?!"
Yes.
At the festival's heart stood the Unit Zero model Raguna had poured special effort into.
A towering 40 meters tall, its overwhelming presence seemed untouchable by mere humans.
Enough to move any Mecha God Chronicle fan to tears on its own.
But Raguna had more in store.
[Groooar-!]
"G-gasp! It's moving!"
"What?! It's not just a model?"
"No way... Did the director actually build a real Mecha God...?"
The Unit Zero, which had stood motionless at the center, suddenly roared and swung its massive arm.
Anyone with eyes couldn't miss a 40-meter giant in motion.
The instant every gaze locked onto it...
Whirrr-!
The core at Unit Zero's chest opened, and out stepped a figure in a pilot suit.
That person was none other than...
"I-Imperial Princess?"
"What? The one in the pilot suit is the Imperial Princess?"
"So she piloted and moved Unit Zero just now?"
"My god. Was Her Highness actually a Mecha God compatible all along?"
The crowd gawked as Kaya descended from Unit Zero.
Of course, it was a show scripted by Raguna from start to finish.
'With the emperor crapping the bed like that, even I had to step in and fix it.'
A gesture to shore up the imperial prestige dented by the emperor's blunder.
Not out of overflowing loyalty, mind you—just concern for his patron's well-being.
With eyes now glued to the Unit Zero model, Raguna addressed the crowd calmly.
"Ladies and gentlemen, did you see it? This is the secret war machine, Unit Zero—the Mecha God built to crush every foe threatening the empire."
He spoke with utter seriousness, face unchanging.
They said at Disney parks in America, cast members stuck rigidly to character concepts to immerse visitors in a "dream world."
So Raguna planned to do the same, pulling everyone into the Mecha God Chronicle worldview.
"Normally, Mecha Gods—especially Unit Zero—can only be activated by a compatible pilot. But with the empire's sole compatible, Her Highness the Imperial Princess, activating it beforehand, everyone here can board safely."
"O-ohhh!"
"It's just like the lore in Mecha God Chronicle!"
Raguna smiled at their pure reactions.
"Now, let's have some lucky winners board the Mecha God themselves. Become pilots defending the empire..."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Around the time that event unfolded in the palace plaza...
A diplomat from Richard Kingdom, visiting the empire for the first time in years over some diplomatic issue, tilted his head in confusion.
A steel giant, towering dozens of meters high, loomed right in the plaza before the palace.
"What... is that thing...?"
Even a battle-hardened diplomat like him had never seen anything like it.
As an inexplicable pressure from the giant stirred unease in him...
- Ladies and gentlemen, did you see it? This is the secret war machine, Unit Zero—the Mecha God built to crush every foe threatening the empire.
The voice explaining the giant's purpose turned the diplomat's face ashen.
"What...? A war machine...?"
So that dozens-of-meters-tall colossus was a secret weapon the empire had built to invade other nations...?