[White hair + sunglasses + blue eyes + handsome face. This is the protagonist of my heart!][In just a few moments...]
The attention of the entire audience had already coalesced entirely onto Gojo Satoru. After all, compared to Subaru Natsuki—who looked perpetually bewildered, lacked conventional handsomeness, and dressed in extremely plain clothing—Gojo's debut was simply in a different league.
His unique outfit, striking looks, and entertaining personality were far more eye-catching.
[Popularity Points +1]
[Popularity Points +1]
[Popularity Points +1]
...
The scenes continued to shift. Gojo remembered the ensuing events perfectly. After a brief chat with Subaru in the cake shop, the "magic activation incident," as Subaru called it, occurred immediately. It was also the first time he had demonstrated his abilities in this series.
On screen, the two were walking down the street. Not far away, a child tripped in the middle of a busy road as a dragon carriage approached at high speed.
"Oshi!"
"Leave it to me! Allow me to be the savior!"
It hadn't felt like much at the time, but watching this scene now from a bystander's perspective—seeing Subaru drop to one knee and shout while reaching out toward the child—Gojo's lip twitched slightly.
Why does he look even stupider on camera?
[Too chuunibyou. This is pure cringe.][Doing something this embarrassing on the street... my toes are curling.]
Two judgmental comments flashed by. Then the camera panned, and Gojo's own figure appeared.
[The white-haired hottie got dragged into it too.][He looks like he's actually enjoying himself, though.][These two really are teammates; they're surprisingly similar in this regard. Not awkward at all.]
As the comments scrolled past, Gojo watched with genuine interest. As for the "awkwardness" the viewers mentioned—he had never possessed such self-consciousness. If you want to do something, you do it. There was no need to care about others' opinions, nor any need to let outside factors shake your resolve.
Just as the audience was starting to think their "chuuni" behavior was a bit much, the fallen child took flight, floating toward the duo.
Gojo watched the close-up of Subaru's nostrils flaring with excitement on screen and couldn't help but feel suspicious.
'Is this show actually trying to de-beautify the protagonist?'
Based on the playback so far, if he put himself in the audience's shoes, Gojo believed Subaru's performance was quite poor. This was reflected directly in the Popularity Points. In this short time, his own points had surged into the dozens and were about to break into triple digits. Subaru's points, meanwhile, were stuck in the teens.
The contrast was clear.
Subaru on screen was currently portraying the definition of "the highs and lows of life." One second, he thought he'd awakened magic and was ecstatic; the next, he realized it wasn't the case at all. The savior wasn't him—it was Gojo Satoru standing beside him. The massive gap caused Subaru's facial expressions to be exceptionally vivid.
This contrast prompted a flood of [hhhhh] in the comments.
[He's got some comedy bones in him.][The specs for a protagonist and a supporting character really are different.][Same chuuni pose, but one is faking and the other is the real deal.][How does he manage to be both a dork and cool at the same time?]
Gojo grabbed another biscuit and stuffed it into his mouth. He spared a glance at Reinhard and the others, who were still asking questions about the night's events. Watching the comments was far more interesting than an interrogation.
After the child-rescue event and a brief summary of his abilities to Subaru, they headed into the alleyway for a demonstration. Then, the trio of thugs made their entrance.
Next came Gojo Satoru's time to shine.
If the rescue earlier was just a flash in the pan, the moment where the thugs' daggers couldn't even touch him made the audience grow increasingly fascinated.
[So much swagger! So cool!][These guys are all dumbfounded.][Too handsome!][They can't even hit him while he's standing still.]
Gojo didn't look at the leaderboard, but he could tell from the comments alone that his points were skyrocketing. In the alleyway, besides the three thugs, Felt and the half-elf girl made their appearances. The moment they showed up, the volume of comments increased significantly.
[What a cute little loli.][Chuu~ What a beautiful white-haired big sister.][Dumb question: they both have white hair, is this an official ship?][They look great together. Both visuals and strength are a match.][Upstairs, calm down. You think this is a dating show?][Am I the only one who thinks that cat called Puck is adorable?][Why does it feel like Gojo is so familiar with Felt? Wasn't he a transmigrator?][Don't bully the loli! Apologize!]
Gojo looked at the comments and then dialed up the transparency. Strange comments existed everywhere; it was best to ignore them. However, as an observer, the vibe from the start of the broadcast until now was quite good. Whether it was the bickering with Subaru or the interaction with Felt, it maintained a lighthearted, humorous atmosphere.
And yet, with a few moves, his "cool factor" had been firmly established. Though he hadn't done it intentionally, Gojo was satisfied with the result so far.
After the scene where he promised Felt the twenty Holy Gold coins, Episode 1 ended.
Based on his observations of this episode, ensuring the growth of Popularity Points boiled down to two key factors: entertainment value and strength.
Was there anything special he needed to do to maintain those? Not at all. He just needed to be himself. That was more than enough.
As Episode 1 ended, Gojo checked the leaderboard. His name sat high at the top.
811 Popularity Points.
Second was Felt, and third was the spirit-user girl. As for Subaru Natsuki... he was practically "missing in action" on the leaderboard, trailing far behind, barely higher than the three thugs.
Gojo was about to see what he could exchange his points for when he saw Episode 2 begin immediately after the first. It seemed it was a double-episode premiere.
The thought made him perk up. If Episode 2 followed suit, it would likely feature the battle against Elsa the Bowel Hunter. Compared to the previous antics, this would be a battle in the truest sense.