Chapter 101: The Man, the Myth, the Legend
Chapter 101: The Man, the Myth, the Legend
A dramatic and uplifting musical theme. Synthetic strings strumming out chords, a synth with a syncopated rhythm in the back.
Various clips floated across the screen. An anime protagonist with spiky brown hair reaching out to a red-haired girl being drawn into a heart-shaped moon. Another anime protagonist with spiky black hair and blue eyes, holding up his hand with a glowing crimson mark, lighting up the sky as a shot pierced through a mechanical god. And then a pan out of Tokyo and a collage of anime, video game, and the occasional snippet of actual interviews taking place on the streets.
As the intro drew to an end, finishing with fading repeated synth notes, a sarcastic sounding female voice called out. “You’ve seen idols stream. You’ve seen UTubers play games. You’ve seen Anime girls on TV…”
The screen switched to a shot of Poppy Gloria sitting at a white table, holding a stack of paper. With a faint smile, she leaned forward and said, “But have you seen real life anime idols play games as UTubers?” She waved her hand, making a video transition to another clip.
Hana, dancing in a dimly lit warehouse as [Love Circulation] played. A cut to her playing Neighboring Malice and leading zombies around by the nose as she picked up a magnum gun.
Alfi, singing [Song for a Broken World] within the ruins of a city reclaimed by nature. And then a cut to her frantically running away from zombies with panic in her eyes.
The screen cut back to Poppy setting down her stack of paper on the table. She smiled and said, “I’m Poppy Gloria, and welcome back to What’s Poppin’… Sponsored by E-Fuel! Enter code ‘PoppyGloria’ for a 30% discount.”
A low chuckle echoed from off to the side. “Some things never change, huh?”
Poppy glanced to the side and said, “My, my. It seems our mystery guest today is amused at our sponsored message.”
“No, no. I just haven’t heard about G, I mean ‘E-Fuel’ in a while. That caught me off-guard.”
Poppy smiled and said, “I guess that’d be expected from someone as successful as you. Ah.” She turned back to the camera and said, “Now… Introducing today’s mystery guest!” She swept her hand to the side, causing the camera to pan out, revealing a handsome man in a suit seated across from Poppy. “John Smith, the CEO of Myth Incorporated and the genius behind Project MirAIs!”
John waved his hand, smiling. A strand of his golden hair fell over his bright blue eyes as he did, and then he said, “Good morning everyone. It’s a pleasure to be here.”
Poppy chuckled. “Probably not as much of a pleasure as it is for our female guests out there.” She turned to the camera and said, ” But sorry to disappoint, ladies. This hunk’s already hitched.” She leaned forward and whispered, “Believe me. That’s the first thing I asked.”
John let out a wry smile and adjusted his tie with his left hand, showing a golden ring, styled as a coiled dragon, adorned with a glittering white jade. “And I’ll politely remind you to not rile them up. I don’t want my wife getting any more misunderstandings when she finishes moving here.”
“True, true. It’d be a shame if a man like you were suddenly on the market again, wouldn’t it?”
A faint sheen of sweat started forming on John’s brow.
Poppy laughed and waved her hand. “Sorry, darling. Couldn’t resist.”
“No worries.” John nodded, though he still seemed a bit nervous.
Poppy leaned back and said, “Well. Now that we’ve broken both the ice and the hearts of about a couple thousand young ladies, why don’t we get the ball rolling?”
“Go for it.”
Poppy smiled and shuffled her paper. “Since it’s your first time on this show, I’ll explain the rules. First, we’ll let you give a run down on what you do, and I’ll pop in with questions every now and then. After that though, we’re opening the floodgates to the world to ask questions.” She glanced at John and said, “Unfiltered.”
John blinked. “That’s… Well, I suppose that’s fair…?”
“Great!” Poppy clapped her hands and said, “Now with that liability issue settled-“
“H-Hold on. Liability?!”
“The floor’s all yours, Mister Smith!” Poppy swept her hand out, causing the camera to pan directly onto John.
His blue eyes were wide in surprise, but he quickly recovered. Adjusting his tie, he cleared his throat and said, “Well… I suppose I should start with a proper introduction.” John focused his gaze on the camera and said, “Hello again, everyone. I’m John Smith, from Myth Incorporated.” He smiled and said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”
A black bar popped up at the bottom of the screen before [John Smith: Myth Inc. CEO, Project MirAIs Founder] was written out in dark blue letters with a gold outline.
“I suppose I should start off with what Project MirAIs is, considering that’s what this is all about. Hm…” He placed his hand on his chin to think and then nodded. Lowering it, he said, “You can think of it as an idol streamer group similar to AKB47.”
“An idol streamer group?” Poppy’s voice chimed in. “Then does that mean that every person behind the group is a real idol?”
John nodded. “That’s right. Everyone that’s a part of Project MirAIs is an individual that would be capable of taking the world by storm as a proper idol. However, they’re also people that want to be able to live a normal life as well, so we provide them with the means to do so. The MirAIs idols… that is, the characters on screen, are people with tragic back stories. The talents in our agency bring those characters to life, and then the viewers support the characters as well as the talent behind them by watching and participating in the streams.”
“Speaking of the MirAIs idols,” Poppy said. “Just how did Myth Inc. pull off something like that? E-girls and even idols streaming have been around forever, but something like this, attaching a real person to bring an anime girl to life… Just where did you get the idea? Or rather… just how much of an otaku are you to bring the 2D world to life?”
John coughed. “I wouldn’t call myself an otaku… Just well informed. And as for the idea… Well, I originally did plan to open a proper idol agency at the start, and our first talent is someone that I scouted to join as the lead idol. But after I looked into it more and saw just how much trouble that could bring on such a sweet girl, I shifted gears.”
“To make her an anime girl?”
John chuckled. “I guess it ended up that way… but originally I was just brainstorming ways to protect her. The idol world is harsh and cruel. Not only that, but since the career of an idol takes place during the prime of a talent’s youth, they’re forced to forgo a lot of what life has to offer. And even then, afterwards that would be all they’re known for.”
“That’s true,” Poppy said. “Most idols do tend to fade into obscurity or meet trouble later on. But how does anime fit into all of this?”
“Well…” John rubbed the back of his neck. “When I was younger, I was a fan of the VocalDroids. I spent… more than I would like to admit listening to covers of anime songs and original songs created by composers on the early days of UTube. So when I was brainstorming, the thought hit me. Why not make a real anime idol? And the rest is… Well, I hope it’ll be, history.”
“I’d say that you don’t need to hope for much, John.” The sound of shuffling papers echoed and then Poppy said, “Realistic graphics, the perfect bridge of the 2D anime world into reality, cozy streams that invite people in… as well as impressively accurate live translations. That’s more than enough to make a mark, don’t you think?”
John started to sweat. “W-Well when you put it that way…” He glanced off to the side and muttered, “Maybe I shouldn’t have set up that auto-translator so soon…?”
“What was that?”
John coughed. “Nothing. Just some idle thoughts. Anyway… Back to Project MirAIs.”
“Sorry, darling. Please, go ahead.”
John nodded. “Right now we’re still in the foundational stage. Project MirAIs currently only has three talents. Two have already debuted, but the third will make her debut later this week-“
“A third already?”
“Well, the plan was originally to gather up talents and debut the first generation at once, but Karma’s a bi- big hassle.”
Poppy chuckled and said, “There is that old saying about that stuck-up woman.”
“Right.”
“So then in Project MirAIs, there’s Hana Homura, Alfi Titor… and one mystery idol making up the first generation?”
John nodded. “That’s right. Generation 0 – Prototype will conclude with the last member’s reveal on… We’ll tentatively say Sunday. The main site will give more information throughout the week as time passes.”
“But why the staggered debuts? Are there issues behind the scenes that you still need to sort through? I would have thought that, as an idol agency, you’d want to introduce everyone as soon as possible?”
“Ordinarily, yes.” John smiled. “But I’m not particularly bothered by the timing. More than anything, Project MirAIs was setup as a means for these talents to achieve their dreams. As long as that’s accomplished, I… along with Myth Incorporated, will be satisfied.”
“Well, I think that’s as good of a stopping point as any for this part!” The camera zoomed back out, revealing Poppy leaning back with a bright smile on her face. After brushing some of her sandy blonde hair out of her eyes, she said, “Mister Smith. Truly a noble person… but is he really?” She turned to the camera and said, “During his talk, you all were just bubbling with excitement! And I do have to say, I think that this is the largest that our chat’s been on ‘What’s Poppin’! Say hello to our hundred-thousand strong audience, John!”
“W-Wait. A hundred thousand? Really?” John adjusted his tie. “That’s… a lot more than I was expecting from something like this.”
Poppy chuckled. “You should have more confidence in yourself, darling! Besides, what did you expect from being the man behind the myth itself that brought us the sweetest little sister Hana and the devastatingly adorable Alfi?”
“True…”
“Now!” Poppy picked up a tablet handed to her from the side and said, “Onto our last part of the show, ‘Burst Your Bubble!’ Use the hashtag #PoppinBubbles on Tweeter to send in your questions to Mister Smith! No holds barred, anything goes! Well, as long as Tweeter allows it, of course. Don’t go too wild and get yourself banned, alright?”
John adjusted his collar. “That’s… Do you really do this with every guest, Poppy?”
Poppy glanced over and smiled. “Why, darling? You nervous?”
“Can’t say I’m not…”
“Well, a bit too late to back out now. Ooh, and it looks like we have our first contender!” Poppy glanced at the screen and said, “@melbisbelbis asks: Mr. John. Why are you an MC that has attractive problems? Why does this always happen to MCs?”
John blinked. “MC? Attractive problems?” He shook his head and said, “I think someone’s been reading too many isekai novels.”
“I think so too. But he does have a point.” She tilted her head and said, “You definitely seem like MC material, John. Care to tell us your secrets?”
John nodded. “I would. But then I’d have to kill you… and probably everyone watching too.”
Poppy laughed. “That’s a good one, John.”
He cracked a smile. “I know, right? I’ve always wanted to say that on air.”
Poppy scrolled her tablet and said, “Next we have @genericuser asking if it’s possible for Alfi to play the Aether Mod.” She paused and said, “Aether Mod?” She looked up at John and said, “Do you happen to know what that is?”
John’s smile faded and then he looked puzzled. “I do. But… it exists here? …Who did you say asked that question again, Poppy?”
She glanced at her screen and said, “It appears to be from @genericuser.”
“Well… I’ll say that the current version of Meincraft already includes something similar, so no worries. Alfi should reach that point eventually in Meincraft. Though, Aether Mod, huh…? Weird.”
Poppy nodded. “There you have it, @genericuser. As to the next… Pft.”
“Hm?”
Poppy shook her head and said, “@Xiaoshen asks: Does it hurt when people beat the crap out of you for being that beautiful, John? #cultivatorpeopleproblems.”
John’s eyes flickered green for just a split second before he chuckled. “It seems like we have a lot of fans of web novels in the chat today, Poppy.”
“Oh?” Poppy glanced over and said, “Do you know what Mister Xiaoshen is talking about, John?”
“I do.” He turned to the camera and said, “And I’ll just say that it stops being a problem when those guys start getting worried you’ll steal away their dao partners and actively try to avoid you instead.”
Poppy blinked and then said, “…Should we be concerned about the idols in your company, Mister Smith?”
John’s eyes widened and he quickly cleared his throat. “Don’t worry. I wouldn’t dare lay a hand on any of them. My wife is… Well, let’s just say that I’m lucky she even gave someone like me the time of day, let alone her heart.”
“It seems like you really love your wife, don’t you, John?”
John nodded. “I do. Though…” He grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck. “I really need to make it up to her about this business trip…”
Poppy leaned forward. “Ooh… There’s a story there. What exactly did Mister Smith do to make him want to make it up to his wife?”
John started to sweat. “A-Anyway, the next question?”
“Hm…” Poppy tapped her chin, clearly contemplating whether or not to press the issue.
John glanced to the side, adjusting his cufflinks.
Poppy leaned back and laughed. “Alright. I think I’ve made you sweat enough. As for the next question… @Stepp asks: Mr. John. Is your name your real name? If so, why is it so generic?” Poppy paused and then looked to John. “You know, that’s a good point. Is *John Smith* really your name?”
John shrugged. “I don’t know what else to tell you. John Smith really is my name. As for it being generic… Blame my parents?” He paused. “…And I need to make it up to them at some point too…”
Poppy blinked and said, “You’re really not making a good image for yourself here, John…”
He coughed and said, “Right. The problems that come with working too hard for success…” John turned to the camera and said, “Take care of yourself and your families! Money, fame, and riches isn’t worth it!”
“A valuable message indeed. Though… Speaking of family.” Poppy swiped her tablet screen and said, “Now I know you won’t confirm if Alfi is really your daughter, but a brave soul called @ArtimaelGreysoul asks: How does one qualify to be worthy of Alpha?” Poppy lowered her tablet and said, “I’m a bit curious as well, to be honest.”
John paused. And then he chuckled. And then he let out a long and hearty laugh. “Worthy of Alpha… That’s a good one.” He shook his head and said, “Well… I guess there’s no stopping her from choosing someone if she really insisted. But I’m also afraid that you’ll have to deal with Beta, Mister Titor, her youngest sister, and about…” He paused to count. “…A couple hundred people that could change the face of the Earth as easily as blinking.” He nodded. “Right. A hundred of those guys that would pursue you to the ends of existence and back until either Alpha changes her mind or you give up. And since she wouldn’t change her mind if she chose you, it would turn on you being capable of standing on your own against those people. And if you aren’t… Well, Alpha would probably give up her life to protect you. And if that happens…” John’s eyes flashed green. “We’ll have a problem. And since I hate problems, I highly recommend against it.”
Poppy blinked. “That’s… quite a heated response.”
John smiled. “It was a loaded question. But in short… I suppose you’d be worthy if you could conquer an entire universe and withstand its heat death three times?”
“So… never, I take it?”
“Now I didn’t say that.” John leaned back and crossed his legs. “I’m saying there’s a chance.”
Poppy shook her head. “Let’s move along. Let’s see… Oh. @VeryBadBunny asks if the MirAI idols will collaborate with any existing idols in the future. And if so, how do you plan to do so?”
“Collaborations, huh?” John placed a hand on his chin to think. “That might be difficult. I’ll keep it in mind though. It’ll definitely be later on. Maybe a digital shared concert…?” He shook his head. “I’ll think about it. No promises though.”
“Ooh. That sounds exciting… Maybe we can see AKB47 in the 2D world as well?”
John laughed. “Maybe. The paperwork and negotiations are going to be a hassle though… But I’ll work on it. Again, no promises.”
“Next… Pft. Another fun question.” Poppy smiled and said, “@BenchHunter asks: How much wood could a wood chuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood.” She wiped her forehead. “Phew. What a mouthful.”
John froze and then shuddered. “Wood chucks… I don’t know who BenchHunter is, but I’d warn you to not take them lightly. A wood chuck that has chucked wood for its entire life is capable of transcending the mortal realm and chuck enough wood to threaten all of existence itself. Especially if it has grown by feeding upon the roots of an ancient world tree.”
“…Huh?”
John smiled. “Just playing up the question, Poppy.”
She laughed. “Well, you certainly seem to have a flair for the dramatic, John.”
“I try.”
“@TheHypocrite asks: How will you select the people that will be part of Project MirAIs in the future?” Poppy lowered her tablet and said, “I’m curious as well. The selection process behind the talents must be pretty strict, all things considered.”
“It definitely is… But I’m thinking about relaxing it a bit in the future. We’ll probably hold auditions near the end of the year or early December for the proper first generation after our current talents and their audiences have gotten to know each other better and the foundation is laid out.”
“Auditions?” Poppy’s eyes widened. “Any criteria? Could I audition if I wanted to?”
John paused. “There’s… nothing stopping you. But please don’t. I’m not sure I could handle a woman like you in my life.”
“Oh, darling. You flatter me.”
“Just saying things as they are… And seriously. Please don’t.”
“No worries, darling. I was just teasing. But did you hear that, everyone? Look forward to that audition announcement! If you get in, you might get a chance to work with Mister Smith here personally.”
John started to sweat. “Er…”
Poppy laughed. “Next up… Ah, this seems to be more towards Mister John Titor. @Innotui asks: Are you a time traveler, Mr. Titor?”
“Hm.” John frowned and said, “I can’t speak for Titor directly… but if he were to answer, he’d probably just say, ‘El. Psy. Kongroo.’ and something about Stein’s Gate not allowing divergence from the world line that would occur if he confirmed the answer. So… Maybe?”
“…Moving on.” Poppy cleared her throat and said, “@Wkppp asks… Pft.” She shook her head and said, “Mr. John. Where did your handsomeness come from? And can I punch you? Finally, did you prepare everything for your wife? If you don’t I might cause an accident!” She paused and then looked at John. “…Did you piss off your in-laws or something?”
John placed his right hand on his chin. “Wkppp…? Hm. The name seems familiar, but…” He shook his head. “To answer your questions: Hardwork, if you can cross worldlines, and yes.”
“Worldlines?” Poppy frowned. “…Are you sure you’re not an otaku?”
John coughed. “Again, anime enthusiast.”
“Next… @rmrf asks a few questions. First, since your tech department is clearly very advanced in the VR field, are you planning to expand Myth Inc. into other branches of the entertainment industry in the future or if it will just stick to its core as an idol agency? Next, why did you start an idol agency specifically? And last… Just where did you live overseas?”
“Well… Hm.” John frowned. “No plans at the moment for the first question… Though Titor seems to be working on something regarding that. As for an idol agency…” He coughed. “It’s probably best to be honest, so I’ll just say that I had money, I was bored, and a good friend of mine wanted me to help him out of a tough situation. As to the last question… A lot of places, but China and the U.S. mostly.” He paused and said, “Might be hard finding records of me though considering how generic my name is…”
Poppy swiped her tablet again and then frowned. “It seems like we really do have a lot of web novel readers in the audience. @ThatLurkerInTheCorner asks three questions. First, what will it take before you actually take things seriously and not conveniently forget some big plot hook that causes huge headaches for you in the future? Second, any plans for nabbing foreign assets for MirAI? Not the idols, but actual human assets to run the company day-to-day. And third… any inkling on how/why the world will try to screw with you next time?”
John froze, and then he looked up at the ceiling, his eyes narrowed.
“John?”
He laughed and shook his head. “Sorry, Poppy. I just had a sudden realization.” He glanced at the screen and said, “It appears that a… Well, I can’t call him a ‘friend’, but rather an ‘acquaintance’ is determined to mess with me now that he has the opportunity. Him as well as some of his fellow followers, it appears. But as to the questions… I have no intentions of taking things lightly from this point onwards. Foreign assets… actually are a good idea, so I’ll steal that. And you can ask our mutual friend for the last question.”
“…I’m beginning to feel like I’m missing out on a lot of essential context here, John.”
John swept out his hands and said, “Welcome to my life.”
Poppy shook her head. “I’ll just keep reading these questions then. Rapid-fire time! @PurpleGrimm asks: Mr. John. Is Alfi single? Asking for a friend.”
John paused. “Yes. But like I said earlier, prepare to fight against the universe itself if you’re interested and withstand three Heat Deaths first.”
“@Horizon_Stepping_MoonFox asks: What is the requirement to be hired as staff/support personnel in Myth Inc.? When will the next idol come out, and will they be as cute as Alfi? Finally, can we ask for compensation for brain damage from Titor’s streams?”
“In order: We’ll list those after we restructure to prepare for the next generation, probably this Sunday and she’s more ‘cool’ rather than cute, and you should have read the liability form in the video description when you watched it.”
“@EarlAdrastos asks: Will you make games?”
“I’ll think about it.”
“@MoeLester asks: Are John Smith and John Titor the same person?”
“We’re similar, but different people. I’ll host a stream with him some time to introduce him to everyone properly.”
“@theghoul05ita asks: How many idols will there be in the group when you finish recruiting?”
“Trade secret.”
“@Alvonvo2121 asks: Why are you so handsome?”
“Proper nutrition and workouts.”
“@Quasetor asks: Where were you born?”
“The U.S.”
“@Winder asks: Mr. John. Do you have any available employment slots in your company?”
“Not at the moment. We may be looking for social media promoters in the future or clippers in the future though, so keep an eye out.”
“@Anumi asks: The reactions that the girls have seem a bit realistic for acting. Especially Alfi, talking about the fighting and stealing and all that. So, just how much of MirAI’s setting is true?”
“…That’s for the girls to tell and not my place to say. If you’re curious, ask them directly.”
“@kaigoakuma asks… well, we already answered the first one, but they ask what your wife works as.”
“A manager of a multi-regional corporate entity, my personal finance manager, as well as a free-lance novelist in her spare time.”
“@lemnyx asks: Will you make a dating sim?”
“If there’s enough interest and the girls agree to it.”
“@Asheigha asks: Hey, when will you start paying your idols better? And, I quote, ‘You absolute scum, trash of a man, literal walking garbage disposal…'”
“When we get the tax situation sorted out so that they aren’t gouged 75% of their earning from the government, Googol, and then the transaction fees from the bank. But if you feel that strongly, take out a loan and start superchatting.”
“@VeryBadBunny with another question: Mr. John, when will we be able to buy Alfi and Hana merch? I need a little Alfi for my shrine to our cute goddess.”
“After the last member of Generation Zero, Prototypes debuts.”
“Now, for the last question… @JiaDL asks: Will there be male idols in Project MirAIs in the future?”
“Not in Project MirAIs, but Titor mentioned potentially seeking more MirAIs Operators in the future, so again, keep an eye out.”
Poppy set down her tablet and said, “That’s all we have time for! Sorry to burst *your* bubble, chat, but we’re all out of time.” She turned to John and nodded her head. “Thanks for your time, John!”
John bowed his head. “Thanks again for having me, Poppy. And Gotaku as well. It was an… interesting experience.”
Poppy laughed. The camera panned back to her and she waved. “This has been Poppy Gloria and ‘What’s Poppin’. Catch you on the flipside!”
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