The Dislike Button

It had been a long time since I'd had a day off.

But with the crew only just formed, I couldn't exactly kick back and relax. On top of that, Blueby's debut stream was next week. Just thinking about it still made the back of my neck tighten.

Ha! Who would have thought I'd get stabbed in the back like this.

Still, I was grateful it had stopped at this level. Maybe that cunning Blueby had calculated her own "line" — meaning she'd judged this much would be within what I'd tolerate. I hadn't really taken any damage, but the fact that things had gone exactly according to Blueby's intentions left a bad taste in my mouth.

I'll let it slide this once since Rena World is the priority… but…

There were far too many things that needed doing to waste energy on revenge over something this petty. Plus, considering my relationship with Lucy, I didn't have a clean way to hit back right away. So for now, I settled for keeping a watchful eye on her. She was still just a small fry who hadn't even debuted, so there was nothing to pick at yet — but once she started streaming for real, her weaknesses would surface. I'd endure until then.

"Nice. Perfect. This is it."

What soothed the foul mood that had been simmering since morning over Blueby was the stock market. Pangea TV's share price, which had already soared nearly 18% on Thursday, was up another 5% from the opening bell today. I finally understood what people meant when they said they felt full without eating. Having bought in last Friday, I'd racked up over 30% profit in a single week. Naturally, the whole thing exploded across the community.

Hitting it big not once but twice with my stock story had turned into a massive issue not just on the Pangea TV board but everywhere else too. One topic kept breeding another, and users from other boards kept invading, which only made the Pangea TV board hotter by the hour. As a completely unexpected side effect, my day off lined up perfectly so the crew members were reaping the spillover benefits.

Lucy's very first news stream was already hitting 1,200 concurrent viewers. That was a result that completely outstripped any simple trickle-down effect from the crew. In the end, because I was such a hot topic in the community, the aggro had simply spilled over onto the same crew. One look at the chat made the evidence crystal clear.

Look at that chat — more than half of it was stock-related. It was dizzying. But those guys had picked the wrong opponent.

"I'm sorry, but we're in the middle of content right now, so please understand that unrelated comments may result in a ban."

The stock-aggro crowd got swept out in a clean wave. Lucy's zero-tolerance, ten-out-of-ten scholar temperament had fully activated. After that first large-scale purge, even the randoms took the hint, toned down their chatting, and just held their seats.

Lucy really does have steel in her spine for this kind of thing.

I was watching the whole thing from a secondary account. That had been the plan for the entire day, after all. With the sudden changes to broadcast times and content, the crew members might still be adjusting.

I really wish they'd realize there's no cooler leader than me.

Once the crew was doing a bit better, spinning today's events into a story would be fun.

"There was a bit of a disturbance. Let's continue. First up, today's weather. Fine dust levels in the central region are bad, so please be careful when you go out. Daytime highs will be 18 to 22 degrees! And rain is expected nationwide over the weekend."

It was her first time, so a hint of nerves still showed. But it wasn't bad. Clear, precise enunciation that drilled straight into the ear like a real announcer. That soft voice, gently coaxing busy office workers on their morning commute, made you want to leave the stream on and just zone out listening. The fact that Lucy was a "no-fun type" wasn't even a problem for a news broadcast. Accurate information delivery and a pleasant voice were the core of the content anyway.

Good. She's doing well.

Still, there was plenty that needed improvement. Content progression was important, but what a streamer had to prioritize above all else was communication with the viewers. You could never make them feel left out.

Note that in the memo. Next…

I set about hunting for feedback points with serious focus. Before I knew it, lunchtime had arrived.

Mayo's stream went live. Lucy was starting to wind down, so I switched over early.

Mayo's stream had a distinctly unpolished atmosphere. She'd only transferred two weeks ago, so random viewers still outnumbered regulars — that was the main cause. In cases like this, the streamer needed to firmly take the center and set the tone of the broadcast. I watched Mayo's every move carefully.

"Ah… I wanna play LoL."

"Ah, sorry. I've got ADHD so cut me some slack. Okay, quick fan cafe tour first. But what should I eat for lunch? Recommend me a lunch menu!"

Utterly unhinged tension and broadcast flow that defied all prediction. If you just sat there watching, she wasn't particularly good at communicating with viewers and the stream progression was a mess — yet somehow there was a magnetic charm that kept you glued. What was the reason?

In the end, it's just fun. Pure fun.

Watching Mayo's four-dimensional thought process, speech, and behavior simply made you snort with laughter. Viewers who had started out completely scattered gradually felt that charm and started focusing on the chat.

Communication is definitely lacking. And there's zero planning. She's just streaming on pure whim.

Great physical talent, but no brain talent — that was the vibe.

After finishing my notes on Mayo, I spent the time until Miho's stream editing bang-sel content and writing handwritten letters. Trying to write eleven different letters with completely unique contents wasn't easy either. But these were precious viewers who had donated no small amount to me. Before the regression I'd been in their exact position, so I never took it lightly. Instead I poured everything into writing those letters so I could convey genuine gratitude and the desire to repay them.

I ate dinner on schedule and kept working on bang-sel tasks. Before I knew it, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠9 p.m. rolled around and Miho's stream went live.

"Maroon felt it too, huh. I almost turned on the AC because it was hotter than I expected, but I held back."

Miho was a completely different pattern from the previous two. Communication was the absolute core of her stream, and she was making excellent use of the crew fan cafe as well.

Seasoned. And stable. Communication feels solid too. Is this the power of experience?

At this rate, she was projected to grow the fastest among the crew members in the early phase. But there were still points that needed pointing out.

Communication is important, sure, but to take the next step she needs a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠weapon of her own.

Lucy had singing. Mayo had her young age, games, and bizarre food. In that same sense, Miho needed a weapon that would unlock her potential.

Maybe I should slowly think this through with her.

If I combed through my pre-regression memories, there would be things I could advise her on.

"Hwaaah! I'm dying."

I kept watching Miho's stream diligently until around midnight, then finally pulled out. Exhausted and sleepy. It was a day off, yet somehow I felt like I'd rested even less than usual.

Hah. Was this the weight of being a leader?

I wondered if my fans even knew how hard I was working. Just in case, I picked up my phone while lying in bed. I'd been streaming so hard lately — maybe someone had left a supportive comment telling me ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to rest well today?

"……."

Support, my ass.

I closed out my exhausting day accompanied by the dislike button.