Rekka Sanjaya, an ordinary otaku programmer who had just finished a project deadline, arrived at his apartment. The air, thick with the faint scent of instant noodles and stale energy drinks, greeted him. This young man, in his late 20s, let out a weary sigh. He lazily tossed his shirt and pants onto the bed, then went straight to his PC, the whir of the cooling fans a familiar welcome.
While he was waiting for his PC to boot, he saw his reflection through the black monitor: the face of an above-average man, appearing younger than his actual age. Overall, he was good-looking. The only downside was his noticeably heavy eye bags, dark shadows beneath eyes that perpetually strained from constant all-nighters.
He was, in fact, quite handsome for his late twenties. His neat black hair seemed to shine even in the dimly lit room. At 170cm, he was considered tall by his country's average. While not model-level attractive, he certainly possessed a notable charm. He had also graduated from an excellent school and had a stable, high-paying job.
It didn't mean that he had never dated a girl in his life. His exes were also high-quality girls; he had even dated a model before. But his relationships rarely lasted long, often with troublesome partners. That was why most of his acquaintances found his disastrous love life so perplexing.
Nowadays, he had become more careful with his romance—to the point of annoyance, according to his friends. Even if a girl he grew close to was interested, his hesitation would often make her feel neglected, causing her to move on to someone else. That was how the 28-year-old man still spent his single life when almost all his friends held their kids.
Unless he went out drinking with his buddies, he spent his free time on anime and games to heal his wounded and lonely simp-life. He liked all kinds of anime and games. He preferred watching seasonal anime over the big titles everyone talked about, but he still kept up with them for the sake of conversation with his otaku friends—a calculated move to maintain social relevance. He also liked simulation games more than other genres, thriving on the meticulous planning and strategic oversight they offered. It felt like he had absolute control over everything, unlike the real world where he often felt swayed by unpredictable fate.
His bachelor apartment was slightly larger than a typical studio. It boasted a powerful, though not top-tier, gaming setup with two monitors, humming with latent power. Beside the PC, a cabinet brimmed with anime and Vtuber figurines, each perfectly posed. There wasn't a single hugging pillow on his bed. He felt figurines were his limit; a hugging pillow, however, was a step too far. Maybe two years later, when he became a full-fledged 'wizard,' he might have considered owning one or two.
"Who should I watch first? Let me see the schedules," he mumbled, pulling up his meticulously curated list of Vtuber stream times on his second monitor. It listed Vtubers from both major companies and independent creators, a true master list of digital entertainment.
He contemplated who to watch, meticulously weighing his options as some Vtubers from different groups and generations had clashing stream schedules. Even though he watched almost all Vtubers, he still prioritized the sizeable groups/companies like Hololive and Nijisanji. Even then, the choice wasn't easy, as both companies boasted a multitude of Vtubers—each vying for his precious time.
"Oh, Calli's stream will start in minutes. Let's watch her stream. While I'm waiting, let's hear Twice's new song."
That was the daily life of Rekka. He worked during the day and simped at night. He didn't need to manage his finances so tightly as a single man, and he shrewdly allocated his earnings on merch and donating to Vtubers, often planning his 'whale' donations for maximum impact.
But today was different from his usual schedule. Rekka planned to binge-watch all streams he could watch and play as a whale simp with his bonuses. The reason was that he had just finished one extensive project that robbed his simp-life for months. So he took several days off just to binge-watch streams.
====== 3 HOURS LATER
Still buzzing with excitement and energy, he continued to browse the video platform for more Vtuber streams, his fingers flying across the keyboard.
"Wow, Calli's stream is dope, as usual. Dad cute today too, haha," he chuckled, closing Mori Calliope's stream, the Reaper Rapper from Hololive Myth.
"To the next stream, we go!"
====== 5 HOURS LATER
"Hahaha, Professor, you should just yield to your fate and accept your identity as a Lazulight member!" Rekka typed, attaching a Super Chat—YouTube's term for a donation—with a teasing message to Professor Oliver Evans of Eden Team, an unofficial member of Nijisanji's Lazulight. His mind already plotting which clip to immortalize from this stream.
"While I'm waiting for the next stream, let's just clip and edit some stream."
Simp-life wasn't an easy one. Besides his daily work as a programmer, Rekka also made money by uploading clips to YouTube. He was a well-respected clipper from the Vtuber community, known for his keen eye in spotting viral moments. Even some Vtubers were aware of him and often mentioned him as a legendary clipper.
===== 7 HOURS LATER
Tiredness now etched itself onto his face after hours of back-to-back streams. Sleepiness began to encroach, testing his steel will to continue his binge-watching. His eyes burned, but he blinked away the fatigue.
"Hmmm, there is no interesting stream now. The next stream I want to catch is several hours away. Maybe I should rest for now and wake up later? No! Rekka, no! That's a trap! What if I wake up late and miss it? I can just watch the missed streams while I wait. Yes! Let's go!" he internally argued, already strategizing his next move.
====== 9 HOURS LATER
"yawn I'm so tired.... BUT! I'll go to sleep after another stream."
====== SEVERAL HOURS LATER
Now awake for over 24 hours straight, his body felt like it was falling apart, and a splitting headache assailed him. Every blink felt like sandpaper.
"Hmmm... I got a headache now. I've watched so many streams I feel sick. Maybe order some food and take medicine. While I'm waiting for the food, let's watch another stream," he muttered, already opening a new tab.
====== ONE DAY LATER
"Just... on... e... moo... reee... stre-"
And that is how Rekka Sanjaya, 28-year-old otaku, succumbed to Vtuber overdose.
====== In a realm unknown to any mortal, a being of perfect, androgynous beauty sat enthroned. They radiated such holy presence that any mortal would instantly perceive them as 'The God.' In truth, they were a god, specifically the God of Reincarnation, unmentioned in any known earthly religion.
"[Rejoice, mortal!]" the god declared as a spark of light shimmered before them. Their voice, a chorus of many genders and ages, then continued, "[For I, The God of Reincarna— ...are you asleep?]"
"...Is he seriously asleep even after death?!" The god was utterly shocked, witnessing something abnormal from the spark of life. In their astonishment, their voice abruptly shifted to a normal young male tone, the grand pronouncements giving way to genuine disbelief.
They—or rather, he, now, in his surprise—had never witnessed such an occurrence in his thousand-year reign as the God of Reincarnation. He almost consulted the reincarnation manual regarding this unexpected event, but then dismissed the thought, a flicker of mischievousness crossing his perfect features.
"Well, whatever... he has good karma and endured so much bad luck in his life. The god realm already reincarnated him in the world of his choice. Since he loved idols so much, I shall reincarnate you into a universe brimming with them."
The god then pushed his hand out and used his authority to reincarnate Rekka Sanjaya's soul into the new world, a faint gleam in his eye.
"Such a troublesome soul to deal with today," the god sighed, rubbing his temples after reincarnating Rekka's soul. He decided to get some rest, retreating to his godly realm—or, as he called it, home. The god got up from his throne and found a tiny crystal where the soul was standing.
"Ah... sh*t! I missed some of his memories. Let me send it over... or not. If the guys upstairs know I made a stupid mistake, my life is over. This memory fragment, let me toss it somewhere else." His eyes darted around, a hint of panic mixing with his divine composure.
He then summoned a holographic panel and fiddled with it for several minutes, his brow furrowed in thought as he plotted his next move to cover his tracks.
"I apologize that some of your memories will be missing. But I've already arranged for that guy to gift you something as compensation."
"teehee, pero :P."
======
Rekka drifted in a deep, dreamless sleep. A vague annoyance pricked at him, stirring a sleepy anger, but he brushed it away, sinking back into profound comfort. It felt like he hadn't slept in days, now finally finding his well-deserved rest. Yet, something was wrong. He couldn't quite recall why he hadn't slept in days.
".... ka," "Rek... up,"
"Nat... ka... wak... p,"
"Natsuiro Rekka, wake up!"