In a capitalist society, everything is give and take.
At least in a market where you can't just treat others however you please, if you want to gain something, you have to offer something of equal value in return.
I wanted something.
To keep Rasian in check, even just a little, I needed to crush Park Gi-nam.
Otherwise, I had a gut feeling that Park Gi-nam might literally be torn apart—physically killed by magic.
I couldn't bring myself to have a serious talk about it just yet, but it was easy to see that Rasian had no qualms about eliminating her enemies.
Moreover, she understood the modern world and could use her magic to get rid of Park Gi-nam in a way that would cause no trouble for her or for me.
"How did you do it? This suspension."
"If you want to know how I cut off a man's livelihood with a single phone call, I'd like you to be more specific as well, Miss Rasian."
"Specific?"
"If I hadn't stopped you, what were you planning to do?"
Just as Rasian was curious, so was I.
It was important to see her cards in advance, to prepare for similar situations in the future.
"I already told you how, Producer."
"Huh?"
"Through a dream."
"...That was real?"
"You didn't believe me?"
"It's not that I didn't believe you, but... could you really have done it without anyone finding out?"
"Of course."
Rasian extended one hand.
A white, mist-like substance rose above her palm, and in an instant, the mist began to take a distinct shape.
"I was going to release these."
"A cat?"
A cat that shimmered like mist.
As Rasian channeled magical energy from her arm, it instantly became a corporeal creature.
"Is it a real cat?"
"Touch it and you'll see."
"If I touch it... Ah."
Poof.
The moment I carefully grabbed the cat, it began to crumple.
In terms of texture, it was like a balloon that looked exactly like a real cat.
It was hard to describe it precisely, but I guessed it was something like a familiar created from magical energy.
"I've heard there are quite a lot of cats on the Korean peninsula. I would release these across the country to find Park Gi-nam, then plant another one imbued with a different spell in his room."
This time, Rasian pointed to the ceiling.
A white mist spread there as well, and soon, a bat-like creature hanging upside down from the ceiling unfolded its wings and grinned.
"This phantom beast would spread the nightmare-inducing magic I mentioned earlier. It makes a person as exhausted as if they'd only slept two hours every night."
"Hasn't that gotten even more cruel than before?"
"Or perhaps randomly, about five times a week...?"
"Okay. I get it. I know you're not joking about this stuff, so I'll tell you how I did it."
I decided to stop trying to interpret Rasian's magic and just accept it as it was.
"First, about using connections—I don't have a direct hotline to the platform channel. Maybe if it were in Japan, but I have no direct ties to the streaming platform Park Gi-nam uses."
"But you have indirect ties?"
"I've exchanged business cards for work, but not with anyone who has enough authority to get a specific person suspended like this."
Even if I did have some, they weren't on Park Gi-nam's platform.
"However, I did know someone at SNK, the company that made *King of Fighters 35*."
"You said the person you exchanged cards with was the chairman."
"That's right. I went straight to the chairman. Because I didn't go through any intermediaries, the pressure went from the main headquarters to the Korean branch, and then the Korean branch pressured the streaming platform."
"You mentioned a tournament. Is it related to that?"
"Yes."
The streaming platform had been preparing to host a major tournament using *King of Fighters 35*.
Naturally, SNK Korea was cooperating with them for the tournament.
This included permission to hold a gaming tournament with prize money.
If SNK Korea had said, 'Don't do it,' the entire tournament could have been canceled.
"Contracts vary from tournament to tournament, but ignoring the game developer's wishes and proceeding anyway is a huge risk."
"Usually, even if you can get away with it once, your relationship with them is completely severed from that point on."
"Exactly. Trouble that starts with *King of Fighters 35* could escalate into a conflict with SNK Korea, and by extension, the massive corporation behind them."
"But from the platform's perspective, don't they usually protect people like him?"
Rasian took out the dedicated smartphone I'd given her—which was basically hers now—and pulled up a website.
"I've seen streamers who cause all sorts of controversy and scandals continue to broadcast just fine without getting suspended."
"..."
"Are you saying Park Gi-nam wasn't important enough for the platform to protect?"
"...Platforms have different tendencies, but it's true they often find it difficult to cut ties with so-called 'big-name' streamers who cause trouble."
That trend hadn't changed much from the past, even now in 2035.
"Several factors aligned, but the biggest reason is that we had the moral high ground. Park Gi-nam's usual behavior sealed his fate."
Forcibly shutting down his computer? He could just claim there was no proof.
Unsportsmanlike conduct? If everyone got suspended for that, half the players in online fighting games would be banned right from the start.
"What got Park Gi-nam suspended was our live verification. We proved it wasn't fake with our own gameplay and left the evidence on YouTube."
"Ah."
"And if there's a key to the connection between all of this..."
I pointed back and forth between myself, the phone, and Rasian.
"I gave the chairman a little hint."
"That I'm Rasian?"
"To be precise, that the person using the nickname 'Rasian' is a promising talent I'm producing."
This was the core of achieving justice through connections.
"The chairman decided to invest in us. Would he side with a rising star who hit rank one, someone being newly developed by a producer who once collaborated with his company and has now returned to Korea? Or would he side with a guy who not only makes false accusations and engages in unsportsmanlike conduct but also hurls insults at the company because they won't listen to him?"
"Common sense would suggest siding with the former..."
"The problem is, the former isn't a streamer, while the latter is a professional streamer with whom they've had a long-standing strategic partnership."
Park Gi-nam was a *King of Fighters 35* player whose name was known even at the SNK Korea branch.
"There's a reason companies don't crack down on streamers playing their games. It all serves as advertising and marketing. Whether the streamer is good or bad, they have a tacit, symbiotic relationship."
Just by him playing the game, they could sell one more copy of *King of Fighters 35*, one more character skin.
"To be honest, you could say SNK's sales went up thanks to Park Gi-nam. Even if it wasn't a dramatic increase..."
"Are you talking about viewers buying the game to hunt down Park Gi-nam?"
"Exactly. Even just people buying the game to snipe a streamer means a +1 to sales from someone who wouldn't have bought it otherwise."
Whatever nonsense Park Gi-nam pulled, from the company's perspective, he was a nuisance but also a reliable marketing tool that boosted sales.
And they didn't even have to pay for advertising.
"But then, a new marketer appeared from the company's point of view. A celebrity who appeared like a comet, shot to the top of the rankings, and even made former rankers who had quit *King of Fighters 35* turn on their streams one by one to wait for a chance to challenge her."
Faced with that situation, the company made its decision.
"The fact that not just the game company, but the streaming platform also issued a ban, is a kind of tacit investment."
"An investment..."
Rasian turned her eyes toward the monitor.
"They're hoping I'll stream *King of Fighters 35* on Park Gi-nam's platform."
"Exactly."
It all comes down to the logic of capitalism.
SNK cutting ties with Park Gi-nam was them siding with the new fighting game star, Rasian.
Park Gi-nam's platform—[Blue World]—preventing him from receiving any more donations was also an investment, leaving the door open to possibilities.
"'Someone with this level of skill is bound to start live streaming.' With that conviction, they eliminated the obstacle."
"I see. If I later chose not to stream on their site because of Park Gi-nam..."
"It would be a huge loss for them, wouldn't it?"
"So, are we going with them?"
"Hmm."
To get straight to the point.
"If you were going to use a facecam, yes. But you're a VTuber."
VTubers have an environment that suits them best.
"Of course, they have VTubers over there too, but considering your personality, Miss Rasian, we need to go to the right place."
"Do you have somewhere else in mind?"
"I do."
A place with a green theme.
"And I've also thought about the next game."
"The next game? Am I not playing KOF anymore?"
"Yeah. Well... it's a proposal that came directly from the chairman."
She hadn't even debuted yet, and a business proposal had already arrived.
"He said he'd like you to maintain your current skill level until you attend the global official tournament for an offline event."
In exchange for the chairman banning Park Gi-nam, we also had to help with their marketing.
"You okay with that?"
"Hmm..."
Rasian carefully licked her lips.
"Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?"
"I don't have to stream, but I can still play the game itself, right?"
"..."
"Producer?"
"I thought you might've lost interest because of the rage-quitter."
"As for that."
Rasian shrugged.
"One person is trash. The game itself isn't at fault, is it?"
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