Chapter 102: Pilgrims...
"Man, this is insane..."
In response to the editor's suggestion, I rushed out of the office with a camera in hand and headed straight for the nearest Tokyo Tower. As I arrived, the word "insane" escaped my lips involuntarily.
We were already one step behind. Despite it being a calm weekday, Tokyo Tower was packed with people, reminiscent of a weekend crowd.
And they were all 'men'...
Everyone had the same excited look on their faces. These were the players who had experienced "The Empty Streets" in the game.
Watching them circle the real-life location from the game like pilgrims, I couldn't help but feel a sense of surrealism.
Moreover, at the very center of the point that had already appeared in the game, there were memorial camellias dedicated to these heroines.
"This is incredible... Truly amazing..."
The Tokyo Tower observation deck took on a solemn atmosphere, resembling a funeral.
One of the souvenir vendors, sensing the unusual atmosphere, approached me and asked, "Excuse me, what's happening today? For the past few days, visitors have been leaving camellias there..."
"Oh... Well..."
I knew the reason very well, but I was hesitant to admit that it was related to game characters. To those who didn't understand, it might seem like nonsense, but these people were deadly serious.
And shortly after, the people around started exclaiming in awe due to the actions of one user.
"Wow!"
"That's it! It feels like something was missing!"
"Miyuki-chan! Ooh..."
The user carefully held up a memorial illustration of Miyuki.
"To think it's come to memorial illustrations..."
Of course, it wasn't a photograph but an illustration, skillfully drawn to mimic the style of illustrator Morita, capturing Miyuki in her lively appearance just before her death.
"Ah, really, an illustration now..."
And then, as they continued to chase those places like pilgrims, I realized the benefits of following them. With their immense knowledge of the game, they were able to locate almost all the famous locations. After spending an entire day following them, I was able to obtain pictures of most of the famous places.
And a few days later, in the areas where the events took place, the memorial portraits of the three heroines were displayed side by side.
Users with their memorial portraits in hand, paying their respects...
This art style seems familiar, where have I seen it before?
It was definitely not the art style of Morita, who drew the original. So it must have been the man who brought Miyuki's memorial illustration to Tokyo Tower.
From the next day on, I started exploring places that hadn't been found by people yet.
I was waiting for a user with memorial portraits of the heroines...
By pure chance, on the evening of that day, near Shinjuku, a place where many people were taking pictures, I spotted that man. As I sat in a nearby café, I was stunned, and I watched him closely.
People cheered and clapped as he reappeared, and after a while, he solemnly placed the memorial portraits of the three in the spot dedicated to the camellias.
"Hey, hold on!"
I shouted towards the man who was about to leave after paying his respects.
"Yes?"
"I'm a journalist from Fami-Communication magazine. Could I have a brief interview?"
"Uh... I'm just..."
"Ichimura Hiroki, right?"
"Yes? How did you..."
"You submitted a reader contribution to our magazine, about establishing a shrine..."
"Oh... Yes."
"It will only take a moment. May I ask you a few questions?"
Uchimura Hiroki nodded slowly in response to my request.
After concluding the interview with Uchimura, I submitted all the materials to the editorial department. When I turned on the news, I saw that "The Empty Streets" was becoming a societal phenomenon, with reports about it.
"Recently, the game title 'The Empty Streets,' released as part of Mintendo's Super Family, has sparked great interest and given rise to an unusual social phenomenon. Our reporter, Katsuragi Misato, is on the scene."
"Well, well. So the news is covering this too?"
Shortly after, on the screen, a beautiful female reporter with a somewhat lively impression was shown at a location near Ueno Park.
Cameras focused on a place where numerous people had gathered by the lakeside, wearing thick jackets from early in the morning.
"Here is the location that served as the actual backdrop for the recently released Super Family game, 'The Empty Streets.' As you can see, many people have been offering camellias and paying their respects here since the morning. Let's speak with someone for a brief interview."
After a while, the reporter approached a user who had just paid their respects and attempted to conduct an interview, almost forcibly grabbing the user's arm.
The startled man tried to escape the sudden interview but found himself caught in the reporter's grip. She kept smiling as if she had caught a fish on a fishing line.
"Hello, this is Katsuragi Misato from Fuji TV. You just paid your respects here. Did you come here because of the game 'The Empty Streets'?"
"Uh? Oh... Well..."
With a very uncertain tone, the gamer lowered his head and was eager to leave. However, the reporter didn't let go, still gripping his jacket tightly.
In the end, after revealing the reason he started playing the game and his favorite character, and the purpose of coming here to pay respects, the gamer finally managed to break free, blushing, and disappeared.
"Tsk tsk... Better to speak openly. Be a man..."
But if I were there, would I be able to confidently say that I came here to pay respects to Setsuna? No, no, it doesn't make sense. Somehow, saying something like that would likely lead to a public execution...
However, after the release of Fami-Communication, these kinds of actions became even more frequent.
Thanks to my photographs and the guides I had created by comparing the real locations to the game, more and more people were out searching for the actual places mentioned in the articles.
Unbeknownst to them, we had referred to this phenomenon as "pilgrimages to the holy sites" and these people as "pilgrims."
It had started with memorial portraits and camellias, but various fan art and candles began to appear in famous areas. It had become a culture of its own.
In the spring of 1990, it was reported that an anime adaptation of "The Empty Streets" was in progress, marking the birth of the "otaku" culture.
And the commotion around the pilgrimages to the holy sites of "The Empty Streets" became the beginning of what would later be known as the "otaku" culture.
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