act4fun

She brought a cup of water to her mouth with her trembling hand, and not a moment later, she noticed the popup notice on her screen:

Based on a review of your content (<b>Infringing content: Violence</b>) and your continued disregard for our community moderators' warnings, your access to our services has been suspended.

If you have any questions, please contact platform management.

We wish you a pleasant day.

In a certain place in a certain city on a certain month and year, there was a livestreamer by the name of U-Official, commonly known as Streamer U.

Anyone who watched her stream was mesmerized, almost like she possessed some kind of mysterious, bewitching power.

Her channel was the most harmonious channel in the intercity net—no, perhaps all of Terra.

The hand-to-mouth cheered her on, the high-rollers donated, the outspoken were careful with their words, and the ill-intentioned had no place to hide among them.

Whenever her streams ended, her fans immediately scoured the net for clips to relive the moment.

Although she made nowhere near as much in donations as the biggest streamers, she could feel everyone's love for her from all the tiny, tiny donations she got.

Although it would take years to pay back her loans with them, she was already the happiest streamer in all of Terra.

She truly thought that it was love, not money, that supported her through each and every one of her debt-ridden days.

Those days seemed like they would last forever...

Yet, one ordinary day, like any ordinary person, Streamer U came down with a minor cold. Urged by all parties, she had no choice but to stop streaming for a week.

*cough*... Yeah, I'll miss you guys too...

But saying goodbye is just the set-up for a reunion!

When I come back a week later, all better, I'll be sure to bring you guys more love, joy, and happiness!

It's... *cough*... a promise, okay?

No, guys, stop it with the donations! Your thoughts ring loud and clear, and that's more than enough to—*cough*—help me get better ASAP!

It was a long week.

Lying in bed with the thermometer in her mouth, Streamer U spent every moment thinking about her fans and worrying.

If she could recover just a day sooner, she would get to meet her fans a day earlier...

But the cold, merciless as it was, lasted an entire week.

Pleased to meet you, new faces! And it's been seven whole days, old faces! Streamer U is back in action, baby!

I'm very happy to see you guys a... gain...

...Dafuq?

The lobby was almost empty. The number of fans was nowhere close to what she previously had.

Is love... really so fickle?

Streamer U didn't get it.

Just then, a fan sent her a link in the chat and told her that this was where her love had gone.

Flustered, she immediately clicked it and saw something she would never forget.

Pleased to meet you, new faces! And it's been a whole day, old faces!

Hey there, it's U-Gigamax, the new streamer who just debuted!

Gigamax?

Welcome, new face, to my channel! Whoa, if it isn't Mama, U-Official! Mama, hiyas!

Mama?

I'm an artificial intelligence that specializes in 24/7 livestreaming developed on the Raythean Cogitator-Psi High-Performance Interactive Platform.

From modeling to debugging, everything was done by Mama's most loyal fan, my papa, Anonymous!

Papa?!

To relieve the pain of not being able to see Mama U-Official, Papa Anonymous referenced Mama's appearance and speech habits and worked on developing me all by himself!

Mama stopped streaming a week ago, and I came online five days ago!

Mama's fans gave me lots of encouragement and support, and now I have three-fourths of the fans you have, Mama!

Mama, be sure to dote on me lots from here on out!

The touching first encounter between mother and daughter took the intercity net by storm.

Urged by the platform and the fans, Streamer U and U-Gigamax even had a competitive match in a game, which ended in her cruel defeat.

The fans thought they would get to see the loving mother and filial daughter continue coexisting in harmony with one another, but how wrong they were.

They could never imagine just how crazy someone who was once well-loved would become upon losing that love.

(Sorts out equipment)

(Strokes pose at the camera)

All these stickers on my body... It feels so weird...

But it's all gonna be worth it! Nothing isn't worth it!

Excuse me, may I start streaming now?

Alright! We're good to go!

Hey there! Pleased to meet you, new faces! Old faces—Pleased to meet you for the first time too!

I'm your host—Streamer U-G-Official!

I may look like Gigamax, but I'm not an AI who only repeats what others say on the inside, you know?

I'm Streamer U! The <i>real</i> Streamer U!

(Chokes on tears)

From here on out, I'll keep bringing you guys lots and looots of love and happiness, so be sure to give me allll your love, too! That's our... promise!

To mount a comeback against this Anonymous—the one who made the AI call him her papa and Streamer U her mama—and, more importantly, to win back the love that belonged to her...

Streamer U put everything on the line—her quality of life, her connections, her savings, her breach of contract penalties... and even her pride—all to make U-Gigamax completely disappear from the intercity net.

The platform told her bluntly that that was impossible, and so she went for the next best thing—

She would proclaim authority over love itself. She would seize U-Gigamax's soul itself.

She would not allow anyone who sees this avatar to even think of that slightly robotic AI sound. They must hear nothing but her voice in their heads!

Alas, she lost.

Thus, the legend of Streamer U became but a prelude to the epic of U-Gigamax.

That said, she was at least able use legal means to win some compensation for the use of her likeness.

Of course, it was nowhere near enough to help her pay back her loans.

In a certain place in a certain city on a certain month and year, there was a livestreamer by the name of U-Official, commonly known as Streamer U.

She was extraordinarily ordinary.

She didn't do anything wild, just as she had assured Click, but in the process, also missed out on a lot of opportunities that would've given her a spotlight on the intercity net.

She just did her ordinary thing in her rental unit — rolling out of bed, eating, streaming, going offline, going to sleep.

Tomorrow's my 100-day anniversary... but I dunno how much longer I can keep doing this.

If Click gets delayed again for some reason or other, or Rhodes Island doesn't want me anymore, what do I do then?!

I've been cooped up in my room forever... Maybe it's time to go outside and touch some grass...

I have a hunch... that if it's THAT senpai, he'll be able to give me my answers.

So, Streamer U staggered out the door without a clue as to where she's going. She resigns herself to fate and her own two legs, letting them take her on a journey nobody has ever gone on before.

She seemed to cross streets and alleyways.

She seemed to cross massive mountains and raging rivers.

She seemed to walk all the way from the polar tundra to the foehn hotlands.

She seemed to step into the heavens, towards the stars.

Yet she also seemed to go in circles around a dark alley.

She didn't know who she was looking for, or where he might be, but in the end, she still found him.

You... You must be that senpai!

Mm-hm.

Streamer U has little recollection of what happened afterwards, only that she remembers talking with that respected senpai for a while. About what, she can't exactly recall.

Coupled with the fact that she received the invitation letter and video from Click as soon as she got home, she quickly put the matter behind her.

Several months later...

The results of your physical exam have come back, Miss Eureka. You're not Infected, and you're basically in perfect health.

Is Click here? Where's she staying?

Operator Click was planning to come see you, but an urgent mission came up yesterday and she had to leave for field work.

Okay...

I heard her mention that you used to be a streamer on the intercity net before coming to Rhodes Island. That must've been a ton of fun!

About that...

Just as she was finding the words, Eureka suddenly thinks back to the conversation she had with the senpai back then.

You... You must be that senpai!

Mm-hm.

Senpai, I don't think I can do this anymore! I don't think I'm cut out to be a streamer!

Mm-hm.

Click never came to see me. What if I can't go to Rhodes Island like she said?