You're the Cutest in the World - 4
Seodaemun-gu’s Veryri Land was Veryri from the moment you stepped through the entrance. A huge pink illustration of Berry covered the front, and ABCD’s title song, Stage error (Berry cover), played overhead.
-GO! Open the door to tomorrow!
On the giant screen, a prerecorded video was running of Berry dancing the choreography all by herself. And in the waiting area, outsourced event staff handed out free pink drinks.
Very loudly, too.
-“Veryri Pink Berry Juice” is ready—!!
-You don’t actually need to say the menu name out loud....
-“Pink Lovely Veryri Coffee” for the person who ordered it—!!
-Ugh....
Pink.
Pink.
Pink.
Everything was pink.
This really is a bit much....
The people wearing yellow and vermilion shirts looked bewildered.
The Ace fandom, after receiving their drinks, hurried off to the corners like they were fleeing. Clara’s fans, the Carats, were gathered there too.
Thank God the Wi-Fi works. I’ll just play games until my turn comes up.
The wait was only a couple of hours.
So most people rested in the spacious waiting area. They sat with their backs turned to one another, quietly sipping their drinks.
“....”
“....”
“....”
Every so often, if shoulders bumped—
“Oh, excuse me.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Then....”
“Ah, yes.”
Bowing politely....
“....”
“....”
Being confident online didn’t mean you went around doing bizarre things in real life.
Aces and Carats thought that was common sense.
Even so, brave people always showed up. Those heroically ridiculous types came striding in from far away, wearing pink and blue T-shirts with complete confidence.
Oh... quite a bold presence. Are they confident in themselves?
Battle-hardened from countless otaku events, the outsourced staff beamed and unleashed the slaughter.
“Yes! What can I get for you? Please say the menu name very, very loudly!”
“Hmph.”
The fandom for Doda, the Dodari.
The ones in blue girl-idol T-shirts didn’t waver.
They shouted back in booming voices.
“One Berry Pink Love Caramel, please!”
“Understood! One Berry Pink Love Caramel! We’ll get that ready right away—! Next order, please! And please say your bonus options nice and loud!”
“I’d like a Berry Pink Love Caramel too! Please add plenty of ‘heart chocolates filled with Veryri’s love’—!”
“Excellent! That’s the spirit! You people in the blue and pink T-shirts are amazing. Would you mind shouting a catchphrase too? We’re handing out photocard sets for that.”
“Ah! Veryri! You’re the cutest in the world—!”
“Wow! Let’s all clap!”
The dozens of staff members applauded.
Clap, clap, clap—
The Dodari and Boomerangs roared.
-Kyaaaah~!
Those resting in the lounge quietly marveled.
Even the waiting time was chaos.
Still, the line moved steadily along.
“Group 521, please enter four at a time!”
“Yes, over here.”
“Confirmed. Please pick up your indoor slippers over there, and put the shoes you’re wearing into the shoe bag before going in. If you need help from staff, just press the red button at any time.”
“Okay.”
At last, the escape-room attraction began.
The first gate of the Veryri Land escape room was packed with fairy-tale pastel tones. It was a pink hallway lined with all kinds of soft mats and Berry illustrations.
That pink, pink corridor twisted around like a maze.
The Boomerangs stared with their mouths open.
“Wow, it really is Veryri. There’s nothing here but pink.”
“Veryri is cute.”
“Do you see Berry dancing alone on the screen?”
“Veryri is cute.”
“Uh, she’s getting closer on the screen.”
“Veryri is cute.”
Before they knew it, the fandom had been brainwashed.
From beyond the screen, Berry approached them.
Maybe it was a live feed.
The screen lagged a little.
Berry bounced in place and called out,
“Everyone~ Everybody~ Are you having fun at cute Veryri Land? Are you happy? It’s time for the broadcast, so can Berry do the commentary here?”
“No.”
“....”
Berry’s face crumpled. She lowered her head and walked sadly out of frame.
“...Okay. Have fun.”
“....”
Only the white studio remained on screen.
“....”
“....”
After a few seconds, pink hair cautiously peeked in from the corner of the frame.
“...Really?”
“....”
Silence again.
Berry, sounding on the verge of tears, asked once more.
“R-really...?”
“....”
In the end, Berry wordlessly walked out of frame again.
With each step, the frills of her dress swayed limply. She looked like a little kid left behind at a Christmas party.
Of course, they hadn’t really rejected her.
It was an unspoken rule among the Boomerangs.
[When you play with Veryri, you have to wrestle her for a round or two.]
“....”
But what if she really leaves?
She’s got a surprisingly weak mental game. She really does pout.
This is turning into a mixed-martial-arts match in no time.
Feels like we ought to wrap this up soon....
Just as all sorts of thoughts were flying around,
the Boomerangs finally declared defeat.
“...Please broadcast for us.”
“Ta-da~!”
Berry dashed back to the center of the screen. She had the momentum of a dog that hadn’t been outside for three days.
“Right? Right? You want to play with Veryri, don’t you? Right? Hey, listen!”
“W-well, of course—!”
“Then from now on, let’s have lots of fun together with Veryri! Let’s go—!”
*
Friday evening.
I was watching a broadcast with an absurd title. Even with a slight buzz in my head, I could feel my thoughts getting scrambled.
No,
it was more like I was calming down.
Like multiplying a negative by a negative.
“....”
It really had been the right call to drink with Dr. Jang at lunch.
With Aki-chan and the rest of the members gone because they’re busy preparing for their live broadcast, it feels like everyone’s gathered in Berry’s room. They’ll all freak out when they see this.
The atmosphere in Berry’s fandom was in complete frenzy.
After spending the entire day cursing the “Veryri fairy tale” they had read aloud during the previous announcement broadcast, they had finally become addicted to that rich, greasy otaku smell.
Those who stare into the abyss
eventually end up making eye contact with it.
The entire Boomerang faction had lost its mind in a single day.
They shouted the lines Berry had written.
-Veryri is cute!
-VRYR CUTE!!
-Veryri is the cutest thing in the world, damn it!!
-Our princess is so cute I’m going blind!
-I just put on sunglasses, whoa
-Veryri punch!
-Veryri is the cutest
-VRYR CUTE
-Mom, thanks for giving birth to me! Thanks to you, I got to see Princess Veryri!
-Isn’t Veryri way too cute?
-VRYR CUTE
-I have now lost consciousness. There was an angel in front of me
-Who’s going to run the broadcast now
-Oh my God!! That idol girl is what exactly!?!?
-VRYR CUTE
-Our princess! Do whatever you want!!
-I fell for Veryri today. Or maybe yesterday....
-Kyaaa!!! Princess Veryri’s beauty is worth 2.4 billion!!!
...
...
...
Just as expected.
The Boomerangs, having completely lost their minds, sent the other fandoms into a panic. They couldn’t keep up with this strange, self-contained atmosphere.
-Have they lost it?
-Seriously, they’re nuts lol
-There’s no sanity here
-Damn lol
-It smells kind of rotten, like feet, but I keep sniffing anyway
-Ugh, this is disgusting, I can’t watch....
-Countercharge!! Even the Dodari are at a disadvantage here!!
-I guess I’ll just go watch on the official channel
-But somehow it’s getting more familiar and more fun lol
In the end, the crowd split between those who rode the wave and those who just wanted to quietly savor the atmosphere on site. Unfortunately, that situation had arisen because the other members who were supposed to handle the broadcast were absent.
The live viewer count dropped fast.
Such a trivial thing.
It meant nothing to the rampaging Boomerangs.
-Veryriririri kyaaaah!
“....”
Amid all that chaos, I quietly donated.
But even in the middle of the rampage, the Boomerangs reacted sharply.
-It’s Bigman!! Bigman’s over there—!!
-Bigmen....
-Bigman? Bigman? Bigman? Fairy Bigman-sama?!
-BM
-BM
-Our Berry Princess, may you be blessed with magic and granted a luxurious castle, we are eternally grateful....
-As expected, Bigman-sama, you think Berry is the cutest too, right? Right? Why aren’t you answering??
...
...
...
“....”
In the end, I turned off the chat and kept watching.
On screen, the escape room challenge was being broadcast.
The men in pink T-shirts worked their way through the maze with cheerful energy. Following Berry’s hints, they overcame one obstacle after another.
They ran to claim the time-attack prize.
[Over here!]
[There are still twenty seconds left!]
[It’s the smartphone prize—!]
Where they arrived was....
[?]
A dead end.
There was a large monitor set into the wall.
From there, Veryri spoke shyly.
[A-actually, there’s no prize or anything. It’s just Veryri here.... Ah! I see...!]
She whispered,
[But seeing that you came all this way, it must mean you all really like Veryri! The prize is.... the memories you made with Veryri. Everyone, you’ll treasure them, right?]
[....]
[....]
[....]
“....”
My mind went a little distant.
It felt like the alcohol was draining out of me.
But thankfully, it had all been a joke.
[Just kidding~! As promised, I’ll hand out the prizes to everyone who made it this far! We made a promise, right? Thanks for staying with Veryri until the end!]
[?!]
Rattle—
One of the walls opened.
Out came a group of staff members wearing sly grins.
They handed the stunned visitors boxes containing the latest smartphone models. They looked as proud as if teasing customers was their sacred duty.
[Congratulations...!]
[....]
“....”
Even the ending of this attraction was Veryri-like.
I quietly looked up at the sky. Seoul’s night skyline was gently seeping through the dark evening.
Is it really okay to leave Berry alone like this....
The moment I thought that,
my phone rang as if answering me.
Ping!
“....”
Fortunately,
I’d just gotten a notification from the most reliable member.
At the same time, Aki-chan’s broadcast alert appeared.
I quietly switched over to that stream.
“....”
-Oh! You’re early today lol
-Bigmen....
-BM
“....”
I focused on the broadcast again.