Shouting Gacha from the High Heavens (3)
As the brilliant performance faded, a deafening roar of ecstatic screams from the angels filled the colosseum.
— Kyaaaaaaaaah! —
Is this... the power of something called a "stage," and the nature of "fandom"?
Seeing the sheer joy on the faces of the female angels, I finally understood why male idol groups pour such passion into their performances.
It wasn't just professional duty... there was something more to it.
It wasn't about the money. It was because when they saw fans who didn't just watch and judge, but actually enjoyed even their mistakes, the idols themselves felt an endorphin rush that pushed them to work even harder.
Since I had successfully drawn out such high expectations from these angels, I wanted to reward them just like those male idol groups.
As I pondered how to repay them, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing from the angels' hands. I took a moment to observe them.
..
..
After scanning the crowd, I realized what was missing from the hands of the angels who were looking at us with such bubbling anticipation: the one item that is absolutely indispensable for any stage or concert—glow sticks.
Ah...
It would have been so much more fun if I’d handed out songs and glow sticks...
So this is why agencies make a killing off things like glow sticks, huh?
The profit margins must be insane...
With a crowd this size...
The revenue would be truly sweet.
And...
Who knows?
If my abilities grow further later on...
Maybe quests will start appearing for the faction I belong to, not just for my comrades...?
If that happens... I’ll have to tell Merlin to sell glow sticks with a 50/50 profit split.
Though I felt a pang of regret over the lack of glow sticks, I quickly pivoted to planning my future business empire, feeling quite proud of myself. For now, to keep the momentum going, I lowered the microphone slightly and called out to Cheonma.
"Cheonma!"
"...........Huh?"
"What are you doing! Get ready to pull the Gacha. You have to say a line before you pull, you know~?"
"...W, what!?"
To boost Cheonma's morale and draw out even more engagement from the angels, I raised the microphone again.
Since Cheonma surprisingly loved being praised and hyped up, I set my goal to have the angels chant her name repeatedly, and began to lead the crowd.
"LADIES!!!!! ANGELS!!!!! Please call out the name of our first contestant~~~~~~~! Cheon-ma! Cheon-ma! Cheon-ma!"
One second later...
..
- Cheon-ma! Cheon-ma! Cheon-ma! Cheon-ma! Cheon-ma! Cheon-ma! Cheon-ma! Cheon-ma! Cheon-ma! Cheon-ma! -
Swept up in the mob mentality, the angels—who were surprisingly good at responding—began chanting Cheonma's name in unison.
Watching the voices of the angels filling the colosseum, I walked a few steps closer to Cheonma, who was standing there in a daze, and stopped right in front of her.
The sudden silence from the angels suggested that the cube was focusing its camera on me.
....!?
Cheonma looked startled to see me suddenly in front of her.
Seeing her like that, I placed my free hand—the one not holding the mic—onto her neatly groomed black hair. I stroked it gently, and because of the height difference, I leaned down slightly, wearing a warm, affectionate smile as I spoke.
"It's okay even if the result isn't great. So... for now, don't think about anything... just enjoy it. Oppa... believes in you."
"...!"
"".......!""
- !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -
Behind Cheonma, who was covering her mouth with a look of pure emotion, the entire colosseum fell so quiet that even the soft whispers of the angels died down.
..
..
*Insert 10 coins and pull the lever once for 1 GACHA pull.
*Insert 100 coins and pull the lever once for 10 GACHA pulls.
*Insert 1 coin to reset the item list.
*Insert 1 coin to view the item list.
※ Pull the lever, spend your coins, and acquire items! ※
Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling-a-ling~♪
Only that oblivious Gacha machine was making any noise...
It’s too early to be that moved...
There’s still one final highlight left.
I acted as if I had said everything I needed to, slowly turning around and walking a few steps behind Cheonma, letting the angels watching us let their guard down.
Cheonma, looking disappointed, stared at the machine's lever with a cautious expression, seemingly wondering what she should shout.
The angels also seemed to have been expecting something more, and they looked slightly let down by my unexpected departure.
Just as Cheonma tensed her arm to pull the lever, I called out to her.
"Cheonma!"
"....?"
- ...? -
I looked up at the cube and saw the focus shift from Cheonma to me.
When I looked back down, Cheonma was staring at me with a question mark on her face.
..
Grin-
Wink!
Smiling at Cheonma, I winked with one eye, raised both hands above my head to form a heart shape, and shouted in the most affectionate voice I could muster.
"Fighting♥!"
"......Hup!"
""...............""
- ............ Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! -
The explosive, happy screams of the angels shook the entire colosseum.
I glanced sideways and saw Archangel Michael, who had helped set the stage for this, unable to maintain her forced composure any longer. She was extremely agitated, crossing her arms and gripping them tightly as if trying to hold herself back.
She probably wanted to join in like the other angels, but her dignity as an Archangel seemed to be holding her reason back by the ankles.
..............
I vowed to shatter that aloof demeanor later, and looked at Cheonma, nodding slowly to let her know it was her turn now.
Cheonma, who had been making eye contact with me, nodded as if she understood. But she couldn't hide her extreme happiness; with a smile on her face rather than a serious expression, she didn't hesitate to insert all 500 of her coins into the machine's slot, pulled the lever with all her might, and shouted.
Clunk-
"If it's not Gacha, then I'll diiiiiiiiiiiiiie!"
The cube, sensing Cheonma's overflowing charisma, switched the focus back to her.
Doing great!
As expected of our Cheonma, she knows that if you give her an inch, she takes a mile!
She’s soaking up the spotlight perfectly!
Now... then, Cheonma?
I’ve set the stage for you this big... so make sure you pull something good. You hear me?
Why? Because if you get nothing here... it won't stand up.
My reputation...
Your performance is what determines my reputation!
Watching Cheonma anxiously wait for the Gacha results, my brain raced.
I immediately thought of how to package this, grabbed the mic, and shouted so the angels could easily understand.
"Ah...! Contestant Number 1, Cheonma! Is she choosing an extreme tactic, going ALL-IN with everything she has?! What will the result be!"
-.........-
Everything...? That's too dangerous..
Wow! She's betting it all on one shot? She's quite a bold human, more than she looks! Not bad. That's how a woman should be! Indeed. I like Number 1!
Me too, Number 1!
Positive voices from angels who seemed to have taken a liking to Cheonma flowed from the cube.
Great!
Judging by the reaction to her debut, it’s a success!
Now... if only the result is good...
Honestly, since Cheonma wasn't exactly known for having "lucky hands" when it came to Gacha, I was quite worried inside.
And...
Fortunately, my worries ended as just worries.
Why? Because although the girl who looked like she’d be good at being a mesugaki—the one I saw when I pulled a GOD-tier item—didn't appear on the machine's screen, a pure white, muscular horse—no, a unicorn with beautiful wings on its flanks and a long horn protruding from its forehead—rose from the bottom of the screen. It broke through the top of the machine, and with a pillar of white light, it kicked off the sky and soared upward.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Neighhhhhhhhh-----------!
The unicorn, having kicked off the sky, let out a cry and began to circle the giant cube, flapping its wings slowly.
After circling the cube once, the unicorn transformed into a spear—delicate yet sturdy, about 3 meters long, and exquisitely beautiful. It was then enveloped in a pure white veil, compressed into a capsule shape small enough to fit in two hands, and began to slowly spin as it descended from the sky, as if defying gravity.
Looking around, the angels had their eyes wide open, watching the descending capsule through the cube, witnessing a sight they had never seen before.
I quickly began to broadcast the situation to the angels.
"Ah-! Contestant Cheonma! It’s out! It’s out!!!!!!!!! The ALL-IN strategy of betting everything on one shot has worked! I didn't expect it to hit like this! Truly amazing! Contestant Cheonma!"
Cheonma's Gacha success was the moment that revealed my Gacha ability to the high heavens for the first time, a moment of emotion that allowed me to gain the angels' recognition and start off on the right foot.
Also, if it hadn't appeared, I—no, all of us humans and Remiel, who trusted and supported us—would have been in deep trouble. I was so relieved that Cheonma had pulled off such a precious opportunity in one go that I was overcome with excitement and started shouting at the top of my lungs.
"This contestant isn't usually known for having good luck!!!!!!!!!! But she’s done something from the very start that would make other contestants lose their nerve!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't evaluate whether it's good or bad yet! But the fact that it shows an effect like this is a sign that it's an item with quite high-tier, decent performance!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Contestant Cheonma! Lift your head! You! You did it! You can wave your hands and enjoy the moment now!"
Cheonma, moved by my words, seemed overwhelmed with emotion; she bowed her head slightly and covered her face with both hands.
"Contestant Cheonma.... she must have been through a lot of heartaches...."
Just as I was about to say a line to comfort Cheonma, who must have been feeling overwhelmed...
"I told you it would hit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You bitches!!!!!! I can !!!!!!!!! pull it off alone too, you guys!!!!! I'm Cheon-ma!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"...."
"".....""
- .... -
Cheonma, who had been covering her face with her hands, let go, stretched both arms toward the sky, and jumped up and down on top of the machine, roaring with joy and pouring her inner energy into her voice.
Hearing that roar, the angels shouted along with her.
- Woooowaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!! -
.......
Just how much resentment was bottled up in there....
Did you want to pull it with your own hands that badly, Cheonma?
But what do I do...
That weapon... it doesn't look like it's yours...
Anyway...
I'm relieved....
Seeing you so happy...
It makes all my hard work comforting you worth it!