VTubers Just Come in All Kinds of Genres.

The Martial God stood face-to-face with the woman who had made him look forward to something this much for the first time since the Towers appeared.

It might sound foolish, but this excitement was similar to the feeling he had when heading to a date to meet his wife for the first time.

It was that significant to Japan's strongest man, who had conquered a Tower using nothing but his fists, honed to perfection.

People had called him foolish and asked why he bothered. He had been plagued by those trivial questions constantly. He had never shown it, but they had always remained wounds in his heart.

He had grown old while still holding on to a dream that continued to be frustrated by the changing times.

His heart was pounding as though he had met an actor from a tokusatsu show he had admired.

—Going back in time.

Oyama Masahiko, now known as the 【Fist King】.

At fifty-five, he was Japan's strongest Climber, and calling him a human weapon who had mastered every martial art, including karate, would not have been an exaggeration.

Before the Towers appeared, he had merely been called a "master." After they appeared, he honed and built up his martial arts as if possessed, blindly, and eventually with a tenacious obsession.

He had conquered more than five Towers, including one whose 90th floor he had cleared, so there was no need to explain how strong he was.

Of course, some people who knew little about Climbers, or foolish Climbers themselves, disparaged him by saying that the Tower had lowered its difficulty because he climbed with his 『bare body』.

It was simple jealousy. He did not pay it any mind.

But even so──

"I tell my disciples not to bring women to the dojo for the sake of martial arts training, let alone bring them in to enroll... yet I ended up breaking my own rule..."

It was spacious. The garden alone was enormous, and there were too many buildings to count.

It was as large as a feudal lord's mansion straight out of a Japanese period drama.

But it was quiet. Compared to the sprawling estate, the number of disciples training there was pitifully small. There were only about forty... and even among them, only a few seemed to Wakamo to be training in earnest.

"Did you expect more? Despite my reputation as the Fist King, no one wants to join my school. We've still had zero newcomers this year."

"....."

"Heh heh... I hear taekwondo dojos are always popular in Korea. Japan, on the other hand, is like this. Perhaps if they were clubs... But even though this has become an age that reveres martial arts since the Towers appeared, this is how shabby martial arts dojos have become."

The dojo itself was clean, as though it were always meticulously maintained. The outdoor sparring ground did not have a single weed or pebble on it.

The place where the disciples he had seen in passing trained had worn and torn mats and equipment bearing the traces of long use, but the dojo itself had been renovated in such a flashy, modern fashion that it felt as though one person alone had done all of it─

There were simply too few people.

"Thank you for accepting my unreasonable request. I heard you've weakened, but is that all right?"

"If I can learn from you, I think it would be wonderful."

Wakamo spoke politely and respectfully, but the still-misguided Fist King looked as though he had been moved, his eyes growing slightly moist.

He asked whether she would like to have some tea because there was something he wanted to discuss before they fought, but when she said she would listen standing up, he carefully adjusted his clothes, checking for any loosened part of his faded martial arts uniform, and opened his mouth.

"When the Towers first appeared. When the world fell into chaos. I was happy instead. I'm fifty-five this year. I first came to the dojo at the age of five, following my taciturn father, so that makes fifty years this year."

Ten years ago, the Towers appeared and awakened Climbers emerged. Oyama Masahiko awakened as well.

He put his honed martial arts on full display against the monsters that came flooding in. Since they were not human opponents, there were times when he was knocked flat by magical [Skills], or pathetically knocked unconscious.

These were not sparring matches but fights in which they tried to kill each other, so he was pierced by spears, had his arm severed by swords, and even had an eye pierced by a flying arrow. Climbing a Tower erased wounds, but it did not erase the pain or fear.

Yet he suppressed all of it and climbed.

"There was none....."

"What?"

"No Japanese Climber besides me uses only their own body like a brute."

Yes─he was frustrated.

As the times changed, martial arts meant to protect one's body changed from martial arts for training into something that could no longer keep up with the times and remained only as tradition: celebratory performances at opening ceremonies, performances overseas, hands-on events to attract tourists, or something learned to chase the dream of becoming a now-hollow national representative or to participate in leagues like the UFC for those who could not become Climbers.

It had changed from 武 for fighting into 舞 meant to be displayed, like a dance.

But that was not a bad thing. Protecting one's body had been enough, and being called a master and an intangible cultural asset had been satisfying enough.

Most professions in similar fields, not just martial artists, had followed the same path.

That is, until the Towers appeared.

"You learn to use swords and spears, and how to shoot a bow. Heh heh... The barbaric age has returned. People revere martial arts, honor, and glory. Climbers flock to schools in pursuit of greater wealth, and the cycle of their investments continues to increase their influence even now."

Despite living in such an age, martial arts schools were still dying. Training to protect one's body, close-quarters techniques for when one lost one's weapon... People said those things were unnecessary because of [Tower Exit]. They said you could simply use [Skills].

"I tried to prove myself with this honed body. But people just treat me like some kind of eccentric."

In an age when people climbed Towers by defeating enemies and proving their strength, the martial artist who had spent his entire life trying to prove the worth of his martial arts looked at Wakamo. Wakamo had not expected the conversation to become so serious... The most she knew was that VTubers said they had learned karate when they were young.

Weren't taekwondo academies no different from places where busy parents left their children these days?

In an age when the shocking appearance of the Towers had overturned common sense throughout human history, when all kinds of resources poured out of them, and when even things nonexistent on Earth had ushered in an unprecedented golden age, Wakamo was facing a profession that was disappearing despite the times.

VTubers, on the other hand, were a profession of the new age, born in a peaceful world where culture and civilization had developed.

"The truth is, at my age, it's embarrassing, but I wondered why they were so obsessed with it. So I watched some VTubers."

He paused for a moment.

Then he replied that he was jealous.

"It was otaku culture, the sort of thing my youngest son would like. I wondered why anyone would get so absorbed in something like that. But it was a major corporation in Japan too. I heard that company's beginning was a story about someone who wanted to become an idol, took a friend's hand, went to the CEO, and invested in that absurdly reckless venture."

From envisioning a business model in which the company itself became the main entity to launching activities centered on livestreaming─despite video uploads having been at their peak in that era─out of a desire to communicate with fans, they were a founding pioneer who helped determine the company's direction and create the content field now centered on live streaming.

Beyond that, they never gave up on their dream, leading it forward until it became one of Japan's handful of major corporations, while producing younger successors who surpassed them in popularity and surged ahead to complete the form of a massive group.

"To charge ahead boldly with nothing but a dream. To walk a path that could hardly be called bright, armed with the passion of youth. I envied the president who believed in that passion and invested in it, even saying there was potential.... Hadn't the dream come true? If the warriors who left their names in history were idols of the past, I thought perhaps that was what an idol of the new age felt like. It probably had more appeal than a performance by an old man like me."

He had been born too late to sail the seven seas and too early to explore the stars. Even in such an age, there were always people pursuing recklessness and pioneering something new. Not everyone succeeded, but those who succeeded had faith and the determination to pursue the dreams they wanted without giving up.

Wasn't Wakamo in the position of walking along a road forged by people like that?

"I was moved by how hard they worked and became a fan. It's embarrassing, but I understood why people liked them. A VTuber like that shows the martial arts I love. ──I wanted to meet you."

An idol of the new age and a martial artist who had lived a thousand years ago.

"The red pill is taboo, you know."

"I know. That's why I feel so much like a stalker that I want to hide somewhere."

"But I understand. You want to fulfill your dream... You want all the work you've put in to see the light... It became a dance meant only for performances, and even after the Towers appeared, you were treated as a strange eccentric.... Listen carefully. A dream isn't wishing for the impossible. It's the determination to achieve what you want to do. Falling in love with something and chasing after its passion is only natural for a human being."

Wakamo liked the dreaming VTubers who did not greedily try to seize that star for themselves, but instead responded to and supported its passion and fervor together; stars who were endlessly lacking to be called idols, yet never gave up and always worked to improve themselves.

"What's wrong with people dreaming? What's wrong with saying you like the things you admire and have fallen in love with?"

That was enough. That feeling was enough.

It was sad that she had not been able to buy VTuber figures and collaboration merchandise.

But it was not worth as much as talking with someone who had fallen into the same hobby and honestly said that they liked it.

VTubers, idols, and martial artists alike─without fans, they were all lonely.

"──Would it be all right if I talked about this as content during a broadcast?"

He spread both arms.

"Don't worry. I know it's taboo to reveal a VTuber's personal information."

The Fist King took his stance.

The rules for their sparring had already been decided. They would not use offensive [Skills]. Since this was only a spar, they would not use lethal attacks, including kicks to vital points. But Wakamo thought it was a good opportunity instead. Where else could she observe the martial arts Japan's strongest man had built over fifty years?

"Show me everything you've built up over your entire life!"

The Fist King's face bloomed into a smile as he sensed her expectation and admiration for a true martial artist─and the tip of his foot shot straight toward Wakamo's eyes. It was not a [Skill]. It was an incredible kick made possible purely by the speed he had achieved through training.

She saw it and tried to dodge while grabbing his ankle, but the heel was already striking the back of her neck.

She tried to follow the process with her eyes, but even Wakamo's eyes could do no more than chase afterimages. She could not adjust the stats she had built by conquering Towers, but they were both clearly holding back their strength.

Fists and kicks rained toward the human body's vital points─the chin, throat, collarbone, chest, and abdomen─in the blink of an eye.

When Wakamo rushed forward with her arms spread, intending to embrace him, the Fist King did not widen the distance. Instead, he slipped inside and moved behind her in an instant.

The footprints left on the floor revealed how he had moved─and Wakamo caught the straight punch flying from behind without looking, shoved it away, and threw a punch of her own.

The Fist King redirected that punch to the side, and when she spread her hand to seize his wrist, he leaped as though he had anticipated it and kicked her in the face.

Wakamo dodged the fierce barrage of attacks raining down without a moment's respite, her eyes wide open.

"So you were keeping them closed after all!!"

Apparently, this model opened its eyes when she focused on seeing.

Without time to be surprised by a function(?) she had not known about, Wakamo blocked, redirected, and deflected the dozens of arms and legs rushing toward her─although she had learned taekwondo, she had no time to use it and had to focus on defense and evasion.

Immediately afterward, he landed an inside leg trip.

Yet she did not waver.

With their backs pressed together, he grabbed her collar and attempted to throw her. Wakamo rose slightly and went along with it, but just before her crown collided with the ground, she twisted her body around and tried to slam the Fist King instead. He caught her hair with his toes and, using only the strength of his legs, flung himself through the air to the opposite side.

At the sensation of being thrown with a whoosh, Wakamo drove her fingers into the ground.

Even in a situation that seemed impossible to endure, she calmly found her balance, flipped upside down, and moved her arms like legs to unleash a barrage of kicks. After kicking the Fist King in the chest for the first time, Wakamo performed acrobatics like a fox, landed, and began stepping.

The basic taekwondo stance─footwork. Then came the kicks.

She displayed dazzling footwork with the sound of wind being cut, but her opponent was a far greater master than Wakamo.

As though he saw no opening, he slipped inside, struck her waist with the edge of his hand, hit her chin with his palm, and kicked her knee, forcing Wakamo to kneel.

Before long, Wakamo's head was slammed into the ground, and she realized that the Fist King had locked both her legs and arms in joint techniques.

An adult man weighing more than 100 kilograms was sitting on top of her.

On top of that, her balance had collapsed─even a Climber would have struggled.

But unfortunately, her opponent was something that ignored the laws of physics.

He lifted her entire body using nothing but the strength of his fingers.

The Fist King finally broke free, but as he leaped into the air with monstrous finger strength, Wakamo caught him midair.

It was a crude throw that spun seven times before slamming him into the sparring ground.

Even though he had been driven into the ground without time to perform a breakfall, the Fist King bounced back to his feet using only the strength of his waist, wearing a delighted smile.

He was moved.

A martial artist who had trained for a thousand years! The sensation he had felt when he tried to throw her was nothing less than Mount Tai itself.

What if she had not deliberately let herself be thrown? He was horrified that he could not escape after being grabbed even once.

And what about the grip strength that could crush his arm even though she had caught him with only one arm?

A martial artist's strength came from the lower body. She was not pushed back even when he collided with her at full power, and she smiled and accepted whatever technique he used.

The Fist King felt exhilarated that his opponent was not some monster, but a martial artist who fought him on equal terms using martial arts, and he burned with the resolve to fight even more fiercely.

In truth, Wakamo wanted to experience more of his techniques, so it was a secret that she had knelt and relaxed her strength to let him hit her. Whether he struck her chin, stabbed at her vitals, or hit her closed eyes, Wakamo felt no impact at all... She had let herself be thrown because she wanted to see the skill of a master.

And this was all content.

She watched and followed every attack with her eyes, and countered even attacks from invisible blind spots. That was actually a trick performed with the floating cameras. Still, she had to look somewhat like a master or the viewers would be disappointed.

The Fist King was excited that even joint techniques and judo were ineffective and that grabbing her even once meant the end, so he tried to pour out every martial art he had learned over fifty years. Wakamo desperately recorded all of it so she could replay it later, use it to learn martial arts, and turn it into content.

In any case, it was a win-win.

"Die, you evil yokai──!!"

Just then.

A ninja appeared.

A ninja who sprang out without the slightest warning.

A suspicious man in an outfit that unmistakably made him look like a ninja drew a sword from behind Wakamo and brought it down on her from a tree without any warning whatsoever.

The Fist King opened his eyes wide when he saw it and tried to warn her, but—

Wakamo had already noticed it through Shared Viewpoint, so she lowered her stance deeply and kicked her leg back with all her strength.

Using taekwondo's scorpion kick, she caught the falling sword blade between her toes.

Strictly speaking, she had not cut it; it had merely caught on her toes and stopped. But both the master and the suspicious man must have seen it that way.

With astonishing reflexes, the ninja was instead sent tumbling across the ground after his sword was seized and thrown away. He stared at Wakamo with startled eyes.

'I expected him to come, but I didn't know it would be like this.'

Manager Won Da-hye told Wakamo that she had received word from the chairman of the Japanese association to be careful because there might be an attack or something, so Wakamo had anticipated it.

But she had not expected anything like this!!

Manager Won had told her never to go somewhere without people around by herself..... If she had pitched a tent in front of a convenience store at dawn, she would have been subjected to a group beating.

"Oh─ there aren't any miko, but there are ninjas."

"You evil great yokai! This body, the Super Ninja, shall defeat you!!"

"Ah, you're just an otaku."

His appearance had been cool, but Wakamo was disappointed by the frivolity that came spilling out the moment he opened his mouth. The enraged ninja threw shuriken at her. She caught all of them in one hand and clenched them in her fist, leaving the ninja with a blank expression. She had been caught off guard by the Chain Devil before; surely she had prepared a way to deal with this too.

Of course I practiced! It's cool!!

"I am a ninja recognized by the Tower!!!"

Wakamo was baffled by the sight of him suddenly getting worked up and throwing a tantrum all by himself.

"I'm a VTuber recognized by the Tower too."

"Are you mocking me!!!"

The ninja rushed toward her while even using a [Skill], but his body folded in half. The enraged Fist King had struck him with a full-force blow, sending him flying and crashing away like a soccer ball.

The disciples who had been waiting nearby then came rushing over, kicking, stomping, and binding him.

"Consider yourself spared. At this level, where a single blow is enough to knock you down, you would only die."

Ah, so he had hit me this hard even when he was not serious.

[Idol's Body] is incredible!! I could not feel pain, so I had no idea!!!

"Then, shall we continue?"

"Heh heh.... No... let's stop here."

The Fist King showed her his arm. The arm he had gripped when throwing her was swollen as though it had been broken.

"What splendid grip strength... As expected, a martial artist who has trained for a thousand years is different...."

....Wakamo decided to protect the martial artist's dream. Santa Claus was real, and so was the fox god. She listened to the Fist King as he excitedly talked about the overwhelming feeling and the strength of her lower body that he had sensed while sparring, happily acting like a child despite his age because she had surpassed his expectations.

If I had actually fought using [Mana], I would have killed him in one blow.

She called herself a taekwondo master in her own way, but the real thing was different.

"It was amazing that you read and dodged attacks with your eyes rather than reflexes or intuition!! And I thank you for holding back. If this had been a real fight, I would have lost instantly. I poured out every technique I had learned without holding anything back. But it was like pounding on a cliff. I still have a long way to go!!"

Yeah... as long as he looked happy, that was enough...

Didn't VTubers also become frustrated and despair when they saw the red pill? Didn't their dreams shatter into pieces?

Wakamo decided to protect his dream.

More importantly, shouldn't it be strange that the Fist King's punches could deal damage when she was actually harder than a cliff?

'I have 100,000 Mana left...'

How had getting hit a few times cost her 400,000 Mana...?

※※※

The spar ended like that.

The sudden ninja intrusion had ruined the mood, but since it had only been a spar, the Fist King stopped, saying there was no need to get overheated. For reference, his broken arm healed completely in twenty seconds.

Tower conquerors really aren't human....

As they leisurely drank tea, the Fist King explained who the bound ninja was.

"He's one of Japan's 『Legendary Class』 Climbers. Even though he looks like this, he was recognized as a genuine ninja at a young age. Mie University in Mie Prefecture even has a graduate program in "Ninja and Ninjutsu Studies." He's an exceptional one, but even the chairman calls him an eccentric, so he's a bit....."

"Is there anything else I need to worry about?"

"Those people from the Onmyoji Association also said they would exterminate you as a great yokai resurrected in the modern age. They won't come this far, so don't worry. If they do, I'll smash them."

The Fist King displayed enough anger to make heat haze rise from the air, showing that he would not tolerate any further rudeness toward the guest he had invited. It was the first time Wakamo had seen the scenery distort simply because someone was angry.

I could use this for a broadcast performance!!

"The chairman told me. You want to use your newly acquired item on a Japanese Tower.... The government is worried it could be used maliciously, and the National Tax Service is wondering what to do about customs clearance. The Ministry of Finance is in an uproar too. But who cares? You just need permission to come and go. For reference, the politicians are scheming to figure out how they can exploit this while all that is happening."

"......"

"Isn't it underhanded?"

"I hadn't thought that far..."

"I suppose even I would grow tired of Japan. I heard you went to Inari Shrine. The fox god... ahem, ahem. You're a VTuber, after all. You need something like a sacred site too, don't you? How about building something shrine-like somewhere suitable to win over the public?"

This man understood VTuber culture better than she had expected. Looking closely, she saw a divisional commander tapestry hanging in one corner of the room, completely out of place. And what about the cute divisional commander doll...? He really was a fan.

Whether it was martial arts or VTubers, people grew and progressed the more single-mindedly they devoted themselves to their profession.

His willingness to easily accept and understand something completely unfamiliar was also worthy of emulation.

Since the advice came from someone like that, it caught her attention.

'Come to think of it, a fox god shrine might be better than I expected...?'

There were VTuber sacred sites all over Japan, and weren't there some in Korea too?

Wouldn't it be nice to have one of my own?

[The Climber's request has been confirmed. The request has been approved]

Ding.

[Would you like to build a symbol of the idol? Establishment of a 『Companion』 will become possible].

What kind of alarm was this now? A Companion... me?

More importantly, could she do something like this too? It felt as though the Tower had thrown this at her saying, Now is the time?! But surely that was just her imagination...?

"Then, can I build it here?"

It could serve as an excuse to visit Japan, and become a sacred site(?) that brought people to the dojo. Fox gods were fairly popular in Japan, and Kyoto had Inari Shrine, so wouldn't it be nice to have one more fox god?

"I'm fine with that!"

"Then I'll build it here."

"Huh?"

As she said she would build it, light gathered and a [Miniature Shrine] suddenly appeared. When the small shrine, enclosed in a case about the size of a low chest of drawers, popped into existence, the Fist King's eyes widened, and even the bound ninja lifted his head in surprise.

Wakamo had not expected to receive something like this either.

When she casually placed it in the corner of the room, the Fist King began fidgeting and stamping his feet, asking whether there was not a better place, so she set it outside where the sparring ground was clearly visible. The Fist King said it would be better to build it big if they were going to build it at all, then stepped away for a moment to contact someone.

Then a tremendous alarm rang out, loud enough to probably be heard throughout Kyoto.

[Climber Wakamo Inarizushi has established a new 『Companion』! 『Idol's Shrine』 will be installed in Kyoto!]

'This isn't an alarm for all of Japan, is it?'

Please let it not be.

While she was worrying, the Companion information appeared with a ding.

[Companion]

[Group: Idol's Shrine]

[A shrine that worships and reveres idols]

[Membership condition: Idol]

"Wow, trash!"

I really hate saying this, but what use is a Companion like this?! How can the membership condition be an idol...? How can someone's profession be an idol (VTuber)?

[The Tower provides the rewards it has settled]

[You have acquired the Companion Skill [Rainmaking Dance]!]

Companion Skill [Rainmaking Dance]

-Condition: Must belong to Idol's Shrine.

While being cast, rain falls.

Keep dancing, and Mana will be consumed.

"What a trash Skill!!"

[The Tower has settled Climber Wakamo Inarizushi's rewards and provides a 『Mythic』-grade item according to her achievements!]

[You have acquired the Mythic-grade item [Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi]!]

[Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi]

Grade: Mythic.

The genuine article lost during the Battle of Dannoura.

Reconstructed from all kinds of rare metals.

A ceremonial sword without a sharpened edge.

Only an idol can use it.

Doubles the success rate of rituals and ceremonies.

Charisma +50%.

Idol-exclusive Skill effectiveness +50%.

Stamina of those who believe in idols +50%.

".....What a fucking trash item!!"

[You have acquired the Job-Exclusive Skill 【Broadcast Points】!]

Job-Exclusive Skill 【Broadcast Points】

-You can use points accumulated from broadcasting to bestow blessings upon believers.

Current points: 542.

"You... you... you fucking bastard!!!"

Wakamo cursed.

The Tower made her writhe as it handed her a Japanese sword, seemingly saying, The Japanese sword you wanted. I specially modified it for you!

After seeing Wakamo come to Japan, the Tower had apparently beamed, Ah! So this is what an idol is! and handed her a huge collection of idol-related Skills she liked.

It was as though the Tower had invested all the rewards she had accumulated and created absurdly overpowered Skills and cheat items, then thrown them at her saying, Now is the time!!

"Why are you giving me this crap─!!"

She trembled, shocked by rewards she could not believe─no, could not even imagine─but only for a moment.

'Does holding Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi while praying during gacha double the success rate? Is this a gacha-content opportunity?'

Wakamo had become so accustomed to VTuber broadcasting that she reflexively began thinking of content ideas first, to a pitiable degree.

Incidentally, Wakamo had no Charisma stat, so the effect did nothing.

The Fist King, who had briefly gone to contact someone about installing the shrine, came running over after hearing Wakamo scream and asked what had happened.

But she could not tell him what had happened.

"Nothing happened...."

Swallowing her tears, Wakamo could only say that.