Reinhard nodded toward Julius upon hearing the request.
They weren't criminals; in fact, they weren't even suspects. If anything, they were brave citizens who had stepped up to help capture a wanted fugitive. Naturally, they wouldn't be treated harshly.
Before long, Julius returned with both men, carrying a generous spread of food. Gojo Satoru gave them a thumbs-up and immediately began to indulge.
Sweets and hot tea—a perfect pairing that one could never tire of, no matter how many times they had it.
As the group filled their stomachs, a blue phantom interface, visible only to Gojo, flickered into his field of vision.
[Anime "Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World" is about to begin broadcasting.]
[Extra-Dimensional Playback feature enabled: You may view real-time bullet comments and popularity rankings during the broadcast.]
[Popularity Point Shop opened.]
[Popularity Points can be exchanged here.]
Gojo Satoru watched the rows of pale blue text, his eyebrows twitching slightly.
'An anime broadcast...?'
Gojo chewed on a biscuit, lost in thought.
It made sense now. Previously, he had been wondering about one thing: where exactly did the points for this so-called "Supporting Character System" come from? Since arriving in this world, he had already done quite a bit—saving a child in danger, teaching thugs a lesson, and dealing with an assassin from a specialized organization.
If Popularity Points were real, there should have been some reaction after those events. Yet, until these prompts appeared, he had been completely in the dark.
Now, he understood.
'Selecting actors from myriad worlds and tossing them into other worlds to use as a stage...'
'Tsk, tsk. Quite the grand production.'
'Who exactly are the "audience" watching this anime I'm starring in?'
Gojo pondered silently.
'Is this a performance for some nebulous, ethereal gods?'
Swallowing the biscuit, he took a small sip of the fragrant black tea. If that was the case, it was time to inspect the "success" of his last two days. He wondered if these so-called viewers were satisfied with his performance.
'Enable Extra-Dimensional Playback.'
As he uttered the thought, the blue text vanished, replaced by a small window framed with golden filigree. The window was highly intuitive; he could scale its size or adjust its transparency with a mere thought.
At the moment, the window was black. It hadn't started yet.
Gojo waited briefly, and soon, the small window flickered to life.
Cilicili.
As the premier anime streaming site, every new season brought a fresh wave of series. Fans tired of old shows or those waiting for long-running series to conclude would browse the new listings to find something of interest.
Among the many new titles, Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World sat prominently.
[Anime: Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World]
[Heat: 0]
[Rating: 0]
[Tags: Alternate World / Isekai / Fantasy]
As a brand-new show, it was "penniless"—it had no data to speak of. But that didn't stop anime enthusiasts from exploring, especially those interested in the Isekai genre.
[FIRST!][Happy premiere!][Anyone here?][I'm in!][Depositing my brain here.]
A few bullet comments flashed across the screen.
The anime began with Subaru Natsuki stepping out of a convenience store, plastic bag in hand. He stood by the roadside, rubbing his tired eyes. Then, in the blink of an eye, the world around him completely changed.
Subaru stood shell-shocked in a crowded plaza, his dazed expression making him look a bit slow on the uptake.
[What a casual way to get isekai'd.][Look at those bewildered eyes.][Surprise! Are you entertained?!]
Gojo Satoru watched these comments flash before him, his gaze calm.
'Judging by these comments, the world they come from doesn't seem much different from my original world.'
The way they spoke—let alone being from a different world—wasn't even that different from various regions or countries back home. Gojo had wondered if the entity behind this was a god-like being, but judging by the comments, even if they were gods, they were beings not much different from ordinary humans. At least, their way of thinking was similar.
"Hey, newbie. What are you standing there for? Scared speechless by this place?"
Subaru's confusion didn't last long before it was interrupted by a voice from beside him.
Gojo felt a strange sensation seeing his own figure appear on the screen. It really felt like he was starring in a movie, except he was just playing himself.
Furthermore, Gojo noticed a popularity leaderboard in the top-right corner. Originally, only Subaru Natsuki's name was there, followed by a big '0'. Given this bewildered opening, Subaru hadn't earned much favor from the audience yet.
However, the moment Gojo's figure appeared next to Subaru and initiated the conversation, his name appeared on the list as well. Compared to Subaru's zero, things were noticeably different.
In just that short span of time, the number next to his name changed to 3.
[Popularity Points +1]
[Popularity Points +1]
[Popularity Points +1]
Three prompts floated by softly.
[Another transmigrator?][This bewildered bro has finally snapped out of it.][They look about the same age, why is the art style so different?][Gotta admit, white-haired guys are just hot!]
Gojo set down his teacup and brushed a strand of hair back, a slight, involuntary smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. While he wasn't someone who spent all day intoxicated by his own good looks, it didn't change the fact that reading comments praising his handsomeness was quite pleasant.
On the screen, the two newly-met youths bonded quickly over their shared status as transmigrators. Especially after Gojo started "brainwashing" Subaru with his theories on supporting characters, even the audience seemed to be getting led astray.
[So he's the protagonist? No wonder he's so cool.][Wait, does a protagonist really call themselves a protagonist?]