[Hey, kid.]
“Why, Demon God?”
After her earlier outburst, where she used unusually sophisticated words (by her standards) to insist she wasn’t unintelligent, the Demon God had finally calmed down.
[Why did you make her the host for the official broadcast?]
“Why did I?”
[You hardly even know her. If I hadn’t been around, you wouldn’t have known her identity.]
The Demon God genuinely seemed curious.
It was true. Without the Demon God’s intervention, I’d never have guessed that the Demon King was hiding her identity and indulging in cosplay, wearing an academy uniform at her age, and gleefully lurking in community forums to enjoy the reactions.
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“Well, for one, she’s a loyal customer.”
[A loyal customer?]
On Earth in my previous life, it was common to see people cosplay their favorite characters.
At subculture events, it wasn’t unusual to see someone in costume, admire their work, and even ask to take pictures together.
But on this continent, that wasn’t the case.
While some culture had developed here, it was mostly in the form of rudimentary, early-stage packaged games.
Cosplay culture was virtually nonexistent.
Back on Earth, subculture grew alongside cosplay, but here, fantasy culture was already a dominant force, leaving little room for such developments.
Not that it mattered much.
The point was that cosplay wasn’t an established concept here.
And yet, the Demon King had gone as far as tailoring an outfit to resemble a yet-to-be-released character, complete with styled hair.
She was undeniably a superfan of our game.
And that meant I could employ her without paying her, effectively using her passion as her payment.
[You’re stingy enough to skimp on costs like that? Aren’t you loaded?]
“Every penny I save goes to buying snacks for our Constellation.”
[You already have plenty of money for that!]
“And what if the game fails? What if there’s no money to buy snacks anymore? Our Constellation will starve, stop growing, and...”
Not that they’re growing much as it is!
[Do you really think gods grow taller from eating?]
The Demon God couldn’t understand. She had never known hunger.
Our Constellation, though... Before the game’s release, their life was so miserable.
Anyway, saving costs was optimal.
“And the second reason is... her figure.”
[Her figure?]
There’s something I learned from attending numerous subculture events in my past life:
A woman with a curvaceous figure has a level of appeal that’s practically devastating.
Even a highly intellectual and rational man, when faced with such... supple assets, will mutter nonsense like “chu-chu-chonk, th-thicc...” and lose his wits.
For our first official broadcast, having a beautiful woman with an alluring figure in cosplay?
It’s a guaranteed success.
[But you said you’d use the power of dreams to obscure her face, didn’t you? Doesn’t that make her face irrelevant?]
“Well, yes, but Demon King Lucia is also a fan of our game. She’ll be passionate about hosting the broadcast.”
She is the Demon King, after all.
With her age and experience, she’d be excellent at handling such events.
[Hmm... Something feels off. So, in the end, you’re just picking a curvy woman you can hire for free?]
“Well, if you put it that way... more or less.”
The Demon God shrugged.
[Fine, whatever. You know best, I suppose.]
[By the way, how’s Lina’s merchandise coming along?]
The official broadcast coincided with another major project: the release of [Akashic Archive] official merchandise.
For subculture games, merchandise is inseparable.
I’d first encountered [Akashic Archive] merchandise during my dealings with the Goddess of Wisdom.
I had assumed this world wouldn’t have such an active subculture, but I was wrong.
Without my knowledge, demand for fan-made content and merchandise had grown to the point where even R-18 doujinshi were being produced.
Come to think of it, even back in the early modern era of my previous life, religious goods like crucifixes and rosary beads had thriving markets.
Of course, there’d be demand for merchandise in this world too.
I hadn’t had the time to explore this market because of game development and various crises.
But that’s all money slipping through my fingers.
The loss caused by bootleg merchandise alone was enough to keep me up at night.
I couldn’t stand by and let others profit off the game I’d created.
So, I decided to officially enter the merchandise market.
The problem?
I lacked the ability, experience, and time to handle it myself.
While I was mulling over the issue, the Goddess of Wisdom made an offer.
[Why don’t I handle it for you?]
She claimed her Apostles each had unique talents and could mass-produce merchandise.
Frankly, I trusted the Goddess of Wisdom more than all of our current investors combined.
There was no reason to refuse.
With her Apostles’ unique abilities, the quality of our merchandise would be unparalleled.
Releasing it alongside the official broadcast would generate enormous profits.
This was the expansion of the game’s IP.
And with a clear standard for fan creations, I could curb the production of strange R-18 doujinshi and reduce the distortion of the game’s image.
...Wait a second.
When I first met the Goddess of Wisdom, didn’t she instruct one of her Apostles to collect those R-18 doujinshi?
What happened to that book, anyway?
***
Srrrk, Srrrk
“Miss, it’s time to go to sleep now.”
“Are you on your terminal again?”
“If you don’t sleep soon, the Director will...”
The Goddess of Wisdom, holding a small booklet in her hands, turned the pages as she read and smiled brightly.
What a beautiful story.
A tale of a devoted butler doing... that for his lady.
She gently ran her fingers over the part of the page depicting the Director’s face.
Then, she brought it closer to her lips.
Chu.
A soft kiss landed on the image.
“Ahhh...”
Her face flushed a deep shade of red.
She knew the Prince’s true form.
Someone not of this continent, making him even more extraordinary.
The figure of the black-haired Director was the very image of the prince who had saved her in the dream world.
“My prince, known only to me, unlike those other women.”
Because of this, the Director’s merchandise held a unique and profound meaning for her.
So much so that 80% of the merchandise her Apostles were tasked with producing revolved around the Director or Versia, the character inspired by herself.
The Goddess cast her gaze down to the mortal world, observing the production of the goods in the factory.
From plush dolls and hugging pillows to magical acrylic stands, badges, headbands, bookmarks, tapestries, and so many other items—all featuring the Director.
Given that the Director was the most popular character among female players, this production was necessary to meet demand.
Once these items began to sell, countless women would embrace the Director’s merchandise, whispering words of love.
Embracing the true form of her beloved prince.
“But it doesn’t matter.”
They’re fake.
The real one is by my side.
“While you fools enjoy the fakes, I will feel my prince’s warmth directly.”
Her face twisted into a dark, shadowy smile, the thrill of superiority and forbidden satisfaction curling her lips.
If she could just eliminate the two rivals she would meet tomorrow, she could monopolize the Prince entirely.
***
The Next Day
In the grand heavens, far from the realms of gods, a bustling celestial café.
“Ughhh.”
“...”
One goddess with a well-toned figure and another, small and round with the appearance of a young girl, sat at a table, waiting for someone.
In front of them were their respective drinks: a glass of divine liquor for one, and a child-sized cup of cocoa for the other.
Ding-a-ling!
The café door opened, and the bell attached to it rang.
“!”
“!!”
Both goddesses turned their heads sharply toward the door.
Entering the café was a goddess with a graceful and elegant appearance.
“Greetings, seniors.”
It was the Goddess of Wisdom, stepping out from her domain.
With poised steps, she made her way to the table and seated herself.
“This is our first time meeting in person. I am Versia, the Goddess of Wisdom.”
Versia—a name that had no further use now that she’d met her prince.
Although she had received a new name from him, there was no need to share that with rivals.
“I am Ren.”
“Oh, so you must be the renowned Sacrifice.”
Versia’s gaze swept over [The Sacrifice Who Overcame Indolence] from head to toe.
‘This one isn’t even a contender.’
While her appearance and figure were commendable, she was nothing more than a tomboyish goddess who had spent her life training and fighting, never once experiencing love.
Unlike Versia, she had no special story with the Prince.
She wasn’t worth guarding against.
The real issue lay elsewhere.
Versia’s eyes shifted to the young girl with a pouty face sitting next to the Sacrifice.
This was the Prince’s Constellation, a benefactor who had played a role in saving her through the power of dreams.
Moreover, she wasn’t a god of this continent, nor was she comprehensible even through the power of Wisdom.
If this child turned out to be a rival, things could get complicated.
But upon closer inspection...
Soft and entirely devoid of any curvature, she was the epitome of a child.
The Goddess of Wisdom relaxed, reassured.
There’s no way my Prince would be attracted to a childlike figure like that.
These two weren’t rivals.
My Prince is mine alone.
As the Goddess of Wisdom indulged in her foolish dreams...
[Look, Sama-sama, this is what a man’s body looks like.]
[Ohhh.]
She couldn’t even begin to imagine the mischief her closest friends were up to in secret.