Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Why is the Academy Involved There?
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Hum...
Hmm...
Just what kind of potato chips should I buy to make people say I made a great choice?
The regular ones I usually eat were starting to get old again.
I've gone through over 30 bags in the past week alone.
But on the other hand, wedge chips felt like they were missing something in flavor.
They had that unique crisp exterior and moist interior, so you could say they had their own character.
Still, wedge chips definitely benefited from sauce buffs.
Without sauce, they were tough and bland.
In contrast, potato chips were delicious just by themselves.
When it comes to taste, potato chips are top-tier.
-Potato chips that good?
-Try eating just plain tough potatoes sometime. These are a whole new world!
-Nah, I'm good. I don't like salty stuff.
The guy who only chased sweets couldn't understand, but this salty-umami flavor had an addictive charm you couldn't easily escape.
The problem was it was so stimulating that you needed breaks sometimes.
That way, you could enjoy potato chips even more.
'Alright. I've decided.'
Today, no wedge chips or potato chips.
Let's try something completely different.
A fresh challenge now and then is good.
"Mint chocolate cherry cheese banana chips? Wonder if these'll be okay."
After careful deliberation, I ended up with a green-packaged snack in hand.
Mint chocolate mixed with cherry and cheese flavors on banana chips.
What would it taste like?
Mixing five flavors somehow made it sound tasty.
They say variety is the spice of life, right?
"Okay, that's paid for."
Not wanting to stop by the mart again later, I bought two bags.
One to eat on the way.
One to take to the Academy.
Crumple.
The aroma wafting out as soon as I opened it wasn't bad.
All those mixed flavors created something that tickled the nose.
Smell passes.
Now for the taste...
Crunch.
Ptoo!
"......"
...That day, I learned you could literally buy trash with money.
Should've just stuck to potato chips.
Lucky I only got two bags.
I really mean that.
No, I should've gotten just one.
Why'd I bother thinking it was too much trouble...
On the way back from the mart.
I carefully repackaged the remaining mint chocolate cherry cheese banana chips and put them back in my bag.
Can't litter on the street, so I had to carry it.
15 minutes from the mart to home.
Plenty of time before Yura's stream, so maybe take a leisurely stroll.
I gazed up at the sky, just starting to darken with the sunset, as I walked along the street. My small frame didn't pick up speed no matter how fast I tried to go.
If I used mana for Body Enhancement, I could outrun an adult, but since it was a walk, no need.
The straight-stretching street. Merchants with signs out doing business. Kids holding their parents' hands.
"Huh...? Transfer student?"
And among the kids were some Academy classmates.
Seo-ah, right?
Running into her here.
Thinking back to meeting her at the mart last time, her house must be nearby.
Behind her were other kids from class.
"Seo-ah! Wait up and walk together!"
Sung-chan and... what was that other kid's name?
Anyway, perfect timing.
"Transfe—"
I cut Seo-ah off before she could start.
I'd learned that morning that a barrage of questions from kids never ends.
"You guys eat this?"
"Banana chips? Sure."
"Here, eat it."
"Huh? Oh? Okay?"
I gave them the new bag, not the one I'd been eating.
No use to me, so might as well give it away.
Better they eat it than throw it out.
"See you at the Academy tomorrow."
Hand out snacks, build some goodwill. How great is that?
Still, weird that they'd eat that.
Kids these days like that stuff?
"Huh? Seo-ah, isn't that the transfer student?"
Our paths diverged, so we just passed by.
I thought about waving hello.
"What's this?"
"The transfer student gave it to me."
"Eww, this stuff tastes awful. People actually buy this?"
I see.
You guys hate it too.
Then why'd she take it? Should I go back and take it now?
"Huh? This tastes good though?"
Seo-ah tore open the bag and crunched one down.
Hmm...
If she likes it, whatever.
Like with popcorn.
Can't figure out kids' tastes these days.
⁝
Cyber lecka channels exploded in an instant.
The community's unity was at an all-time high.
Normally, this kind of thing would be nearly impossible.
If cyber leckas could've been taken down this easily, they'd have been gone long ago.
But the reason it worked this time?
The community was full of people truly passionate about 'streams and games' only.
They didn't care much about hate or politics.
So, without much disagreement, they nuked every visible malicious cyber lecka on sight.
Each takedown gave a dopamine hit like winning a Ranking Match.
No reason not to.
Stay still, and they'd all get hit.
Sensing the ominous mood, the cyber leckas banded together.
MiscIssues typed away but had other thoughts.
'Comment manipulation my ass. It only works if it works.'
The mood right now meant no surviving on a couple bots.
"Not enough."
Gnawing his lower lip, he pulled out his last resort.
[NewMag was actually OO?]
[MiscIssues Channel]
Internal whistleblowing.
Cyber leckas had no loyalty.
MiscIssues exposed every cyber lecka he knew.
Grab someone else, not me!
The other leckas reacted.
[Exposing Famous Mituber GrabOO]
[NewMag Channel]
They waged expose wars, thinking anyone but themselves was fine.
Sacrificing others to end the issue.
'This guy's the worst! Burn him!'
'Yeah? Still not enough?'
'Then take this one too! His crimes range from spreading fake news to creating sham media—super diverse!'
'Oh, that's decent.'
Leckas not in the expose fray sniped the original culprit instead.
'Hey hey, forget our mags, think about it. What connection does that streamer have to us? And the one you're protecting so hard—doesn't she have dirt too? Huh? Isn't that right?!'
That marked the beginning of the cyber leckas' downfall.
"Hey, hey. What's this? What's going on?"
"W-We don't know either."
Coincidentally, the Academy was real-time monitoring all opinion on Yura.
"Why's Mitube going nuts? Anyone know?"
The Academy PR head flashed back with PTSD.
"This some kinda setup?"
A group acting like individuals.
Any forces trying to bury the Academy?
Dozens of groups flashed through his mind and vanished. The PR head ordered.
"Handle it all first."
The opinion-sensitive Academy freaked out.
'Hey leckas. You crossed the line first?'
'Huh...? Wait, why's the Academy getting involved...?'
End of story.
Leckas couldn't beat the Academy even in death.
The Academy reacted faster than light to such controversies.
Dozens of lecka channels met explosive ends.
Leckas VS Community.
Ended in total community victory thanks to Academy intervention.
Before Yura even started streaming.
Mitube stayed purified for a while after.
The Academy tolerated not even a whiff of scandal.
The moment I got home, I naturally hopped online.
Checked the chaotic community and anti-Yura channels.
"What? They're all gone?"
Refreshed, and the lecka channels sniping Yura had vanished.
They were infighting and splashing on Yura, so I thought about turning the stream back on, but poof.
What happened?
A few guesses.
Academy intervention?
Clean work.
But was it okay for an organization to control media like this?
Hum...
Whatever, good is good.
Time to watch the stream.
[Yuha!]