Chapter 79

A story from a certain world line: Viewer reactions to the final Arc’s OP and ED

(I was dangerously close to failing one of the exams, but I passed. Also, the comments here are full of slang. Forgive my inability to not show them properly)

In a digital space whose layout was modeled after an anonymous message board, a lone creature appeared.

From beneath its feet, particles of light gathered and gradually materialized into the figure of Virtual Dekiruo, a VTuber rendered in unnecessarily elaborate graphics.

Perhaps just checking if everything was as working as intended, he struck a Saturday Night Fever-like pose with a serious look and swiftly swayed his hips side to side, then moved to the edge of the screen, which was now his usual place, and bowed deeply.

"Who was everyone’s first love? Mine was the kid who sat next to me when I was in seventh grade. She was a very friendly kid, a popular girl everyone in class liked. With her friendly voice, she even innocently spoke to me, someone who studied way too hard and became isolated, heading down the road of becoming a gloomy person at full speed… It was the first time in my life I thought a classmate was cute. ...Well, I found out after falling in love that she was a boy, and that was the end of my first love. This is Virtual Dekiruo." (tl note: no pronoun was used here, but using “that kid” every time is weird)

【Kon Deki~】 【Kon Deki... wait, for real?】 【He’s a homo!!!】【What a terrible story to start with lol】 【What even is this, I’m flabbergasted】 【Hey, weren’t Dekki’s student days a bit too deep?】 【This kind of story’s a classic, but mine was my nursery school teacher】 【Mine was a senpai-onee-san whose name I didn’t even know】 【I’m 30 but my first love is Eight-chan】 【It’s probably the neighborhood onee-san, use your common sense】 【Kirito-san, I guess* lol】 【First time I’ve seen a girl use that phrase in this topic】 【I’m a guy, though】 【Eh】 【Eh?】 【If it’s Kirito, it can’t be helped…】 (chapter 50 tweet)

This is Virtual Dekiruo’s video streaming channel, Dekki Channel.

The channel, which had been streaming without fail every week, the day after the broadcast of the anime Fairy Savers ∞, had gained moderate popularity thanks to the streamer's light-hearted talks and comical avatar, and even several weeks after its establishment, the number of subscribers were decently increasing.

At this rate, it looked like the channel would soon hit the line for enabling tipping, but... Virtual Dekiruo, the owner, had openly declared that he wouldn’t monetize, that he simply wanted to have fun with his viewers as a hobby.

That day, too, he was streaming at his own space, just like his yuru-character-like* avatar. (tl note: mascot character for promotion purposes)

"I'm straight, but I know the feeling. When I’m reading about the protagonist of a harem light novel, I often think, ‘Wait... isn’t the this guy actually cuter than the heroines?’ So I propose the theory that if you genderbend a harem protagonist, he becomes the most perfect cheat heroine of all."

【True】 【He’s got a point】 【If a guy’s got the popularity to build a harem, of course he’d be popular with guys after being TS’d. Just basic logic】 【Sorry, I don’t get it】 【When you don’t get it, just reverse the characters’ genders, Potter】 【Sorry, I don’t get it】 【Anyway, no one objects that TS’d One Summer is the strongest heroine in the IS world】 【Sorry, TS is outside my jurisdiction】 (tl note: Ichika/一夏 from Infinite Stratos means one summer)

It was his style to warm up the stream with some very stupid chatter as a preamble before even doing his greeting at the beginning of the livestream, but he wasn’t particularly consciously trying to make the audience laugh. Of course, failing* right from the start wasn’t unusual for him. (tl note: tried many times to make others laugh but failed)

Still, his style of playing the role of “capable man (dekiruo)” at all times and politely dealing with every abnormal topic with a serious face cultivated a unique fanbase. Coupled with his unnecessarily good voice, he gave off a hard to express charm in the hearts of viewers, leaving them saying, “I’m kind of hooked.”

Today, too, he received the visit of the viewers with with open arms.

The number of spectators had already crossed into the triple digits.

"The goal of Dekki Channel is for you and me to share crap knowledge that benefits no one in society. ...Now then, speaking of first love──shall we talk about this week’s Fairy Savers ∞? Man, Keter’s first love was beautiful, wasn’t it?"

【Been waiting for this】

With a rather pushy close of the preamble, he promptly moved into the main topic.

While his streams sometimes included streamer staples like Let’s Plays, it was customary for him to always give his impressions on the anime, as well as his personal analysis, both seriously and for laughs, the day after Fairy Savers ∞ aired.

Him being a long-time Fairy Savers fan who has continued to follow the work for twenty years had much more passion for the anime than others, and his enthusiastic idle talks, both serious and joking, was extremely interesting for fellow fans.

The viewers, used to him switching topics like this, got excited in the comment section as if they had been waiting for it.

【TS En would make a great battle heroine】 【Nice preamble】【That was a natural introduction this time】 【Yesterday had great oneshota again】 【Speaking of the new OP, I'm glad that ∞ treated Keter well】 【KeteDaa’s so good…】 【The sorrow of the once shota who had grown up too much and the onee-san who hadn’t changed】 【Feels like the writer has a twisted love for Keter】 【It's a melancholic OP, which has never been the case, and it feels lonely that FS∞ is coming to an end…】 【The amount of content in the new OP is so much that I feel so anxious I can only sleep at night while thinking, “Will this really end in just one more cour?”】

"I understand. This work has a lot of episodes, so I thought the length of the endgame would be fine, but the author of the original work went and threw in even more new elements... Well, let’s see how this turns out."

The episode of Fairy Savers ∞ that aired yesterday marked the beginning of the final arc, and perhaps because there was a lot of new information revealed, the passion of viewers who wanted to discuss it was especially intense.

Among them, what caught the attention of Virtual Dekiruo, a self-proclaimed intellectual flat chest otaku, was the new opening that had also turned up in the comments section.

The anime Fairy Savers ∞, roughly switches to a new opening every cour, but in yesterday’s broadcast, the setting has genuinely entered into a final arc, and a new opening song and visuals had been released.

That visuals made a strong impression on viewers that the story had finally reached its climax.

For a theory-loving Virtual Dekiruo, this was especially interesting.

“Speaking of the new OP, it was full with eye-catching scenes. Despite how I look, I love imagining the development of the main story from thereon based on the new OP and ED. So today, I’d like to mainly chat about my analysis on that front.”

【I get you】 【I love when new OPs have unfamiliar characters or unknown forms show up early】 【There are spoilers but it’s still so exciting】 【The display of the True Fairy Burst form in the credits brought back my excitement from 20 years ago】 【Keter’s new form that’s on par with En’s True Fairy Burst, what was that…】 【Even if it has no name, he would have been stronger if he never became an evil god】 【Seeing that his wings turned black and increased to twelve, he might’ve absorbed Eight-chan…】 【Keter's new form is damn cool, but also damn unsettling】 【Still, if it’s Fairy Savers! If it’s Fairy Savers, they should give us a sticky depiction of Eight-chan’s absorption scene…!】 【No way the King would do that】 【Keter would regret it to the point of death after stickily absorbing her】

“Virtual Dekiruo thinks so too. I digress, but it seems quite a few kids had their fetishes wrecked by number 18-san’s* absorption scene. I honestly think some kind of fetish-shattering element might be necessary for making a popular anime.” (tl note: android 18 from dragon ball)

【Genre name: The nationwide popular manga that created the Spopovich concept is in a different league】 【To begin with, the first episode already had a JK (high school girl) wetting herself】 【That one’s special】 【I want to see Eight-chan get ryona’d and wet herself】 【Uhhh…】 【I’ll beat you to death】 (tl note: sexual fetish wherein a character is subjected to abuse)

“Hmmm… come to think of it, I feel like creators who skillfully expose their own fetishes are more successful. After all, directors of leading anime often have lolicon or kemoshota* tastes, or they’re people who critique female characters using words you can never say on TV, or they have a netorare-loving fetish… In the end, those who can strongly express what they want to convey, their fetishes, are strong.” (tl note: kemono shota, or furry boys)

【It’s the same as art】 【When you listen to the interviews, they’re always saying something crazy】 【Those leading figures are authors more memorable than the characters in their own stories】 【They’re people who can draw so many memorable characters, so maybe it’s only natural that they themselves are memorable】 【The more edgy their work is, the stronger the impression they leave】 【So there’s a chance an oneshota boom could happen in the future!】

“You’re right!”

Virtual Dekiruo doesn’t hide his kinks. He’s a capable man* who has the heart of both a pervert and a gentleman. (tl note: dekiru otoko)

Perhaps because of that style, the viewers who gather on his channel were also open about their own fetishes, which was a feature of the channel. It was a hell-like channel.

And so, while was amusing when he would often go off the rails during idle talks, this time, Virtual Dekiruo moved the discussion forward, keeping the fetish-wrecked anime boasting in moderation.

This time’s topic was the new OP of the anime Fairy Savers ∞.

Up to now, most of the songs used in the show had exciting tunes typical of anime songs, but the final opening song was a solemn ballad, perhaps because the story had entered its final arc.

In addition to the song, the opening visuals incessantly had cuts that induced deep emotions to the viewers.

Regarding that, Virtual Dekiruo launched into an impassioned speech.

──First, the intro.

The opening begins with T.P. Eight Olishua standing alone on coarse land, facing downward.

The video then shifts from her back to a sky dyed with an ominous red, and in there, we see Akatsuki En gently soaring up with eyes closed.

En, who had already activated Fairy Burst, opens his eyes wide, and at the same time, wings of blue flame spread across the red sky, drawing the symbol “∞,” and from that symbol, the title Fairy Savers ∞ is shown on the screen.

In verse A, as if the producer’s intention was to say "Everyone knows them already, right?" the introduction visuals of the main characters also moderately transition one by one in time with the tempo. However, T.P. Eight Olishua is not in any of the cuts, which is unsettling.

In verse B, all of the Ten Archangels of Sefirot appear. At the end, the figure of Keter soaring from a large withered tree is shown, transformed into a jet black-clad figure with twelve wings.

──In that moment, a cut of Mitsui Akari clasping her hands in prayer is inserted, and the song enters the chorus.

During the chorus, a transcendentally intense battle scene unfolds.

A violent offense and defense between Akatsuki En, wielding a sword of flames in his True Fairy Burst form as shown in the intro, and Keter in his new form, his twelve jet black wings spread out.

In between are beautiful illustrations of mysterious and strange-looking creatures, which seems to be the Qlippoth of the abyss, standing with a big withered tree in the background, as well as the figures of Chouta, Tsubasa, Mea, Binah, Malkuth, and Chesed battling against them.

──And as the chorus ends and the song approaches its ending, the crimson-stained sky shifts into a clear "blue."

In the middle of a field of white and black flowers, Eight, standing motionlessly, lifts her head and reaches her hand out toward somewhere.

And the moment someone took that hand──her figure vanishes, leaving behind a single feather.

──This was the content of the new "Fairy Savers ∞" OP, packed into a minute and thirty second opening song.

"Well then… The OP this time was full of cuts that I really enjoyed, and it made me really happy. There’s no need for me to say anything about the excellence of the song, but as for the visuals, Keter’s new form, the True Fairy Burst, Mea-chan’s new form, the withered World Tree… It seems the final arc is overflowing with new elements that’ll leave even fans of the old work flabbergasted."

【Y-yeah】 【…Is there really enough runtime for all of this?】 【The protagonist’s true strongest form is so cool! The final boss’s new form is so cool! Heroine is too beautiful! Who are those new Qlippoth!? That’s so fitting for the final arc’s OP】 【Akari-chan didn’t appear much…】 【That’s because Eight is the heroine of the Fairy World arc, so it can't be helped】 【Already watched it more times than I’ve seen my parents’ faces】 【It’s scary how could never see Eight-chan’s face throughout the OP】 【Still, that blue sky and field of flowers at the end convinced me it’s going to be a happy ending】 【The lyrics fit so well, and it’s amazing, but the original song’s from twenty years ago, right?】 【←Is this for real?】 【←Apparently it was released when the FS anime started airing twenty years ago】 【Eight-chan’s voice actress covered that and sang it for the current one’s OP】 【She sang it a few times in the story too, but she’s seriously just so good. Is this really her debut work...?】 【Even with a glimpse, Mea-chan’s new form got overshadowed by the amount of information】 【Her hair turned orange, so maybe she formed a contract with Hod?】 【Don’t go, Eight-onee-chan……(;｡;)】

Towards the large number of disquieting visuals along with the clear melody, the viewers’ reactions seemed to mix a variety of intense emotions.

It truly was an OP worthy of marking the final arc, but even the analysis-loving Virtual Dekiruo felt uneasy about what lied ahead.

"Yes, the OP was shocking too, but what made me uneasy the most… or rather, what touched my heart was actually the ED. I’m already worried about my tear ducts for what's going to happen next."

【I get you】 【Should I talk about how I’ve already cried?】 【I love how the ED’s direction connects to the OP!】 【Eight-chan is definitely gonna d○… is what I felt】 【Having her open her notebook and reminisce on memories of the old and current work is unfair】 【Not yet… I still believe in Eight-onee-chan’s survival!】 【The new outfit was cute too. When’s she gonna wear it?】 【That happy smile we’ve never even seen in the main story, then fading into the light, Eight-chan’s too beautiful】 【Eight-onee-chan’s good at drawing too, I love her】 【So her notebook was actually a picture diary, huh…】 【No, the notebook she opened in the ED was a different one. The cover was different】 【Oh】

In contrast with the OP that challenged the viewers' information processing skills with all sorts of new elements, the new ending took an earnest arrangement, as if summing up the entire Fairy Savers series.

It, too, was a heartfelt ballad worthy of gracing the ending theme, and the singer was the same vocalist who sung the old Fairy Savers OP.

After 20 years of growth, having now grown into a big name singer who is a regular on Kouhaku*, her being in charge of the new theme song was already a hot topic among fans even before its release, but not just the song, the visuals also shook the hearts of those who have been fans for twenty years. (tl note: annual contest between male and female popular singers on New Year's Eve)

──The reason being that in the ending visuals, Eight, standing in a flower field, opens a notebook and reminisces on famous scenes from Fairy Savers, including those from the older work twenty years ago, from the picture diary drawn in it.

"Bringing in elements from the previous work to the front at this point might be a fanservice aimed at our generation, but the fact that it’s Eight-chan who’s reading it is also a major point for analysis, isn’t it? It was also brought up in someone else’s analysis video, but maybe Eight-chan came from the old Fairy Savers world line, or perhaps she’s a higher being that has observed numerous parallel worlds."

【That video was interesting】 【It was more interesting than Dekki’s video, obviously】 【That changes the meaning of “I have arrived from beyond the dimensional wall”】 【She’s a girl who made even the OP and ED grounds for analysis】 【Ah, it’s ending… I feel so lonely that this anime’s ending…】 【More importantly, Eight-chan’s new outfit was so good】 【I also thought Eight-chan in white looked great】 【Sexy, right…?】 【Yeah, I prefer long skirts】 【I’m on team miniskirt】

"Fufu, you guys never change."

【Obviously!】 【Say it more like Eight-chan would】

"Fufu… You really don’t change, huh."

【Not even close】 【The skill makes me don’t know how to react】【Unnecessarily nice voice】 【Subtly good lol】 【I think it was close】

"I mean, voice impressions of girls are obviously impossible."

【True】 【Don’t avoid it】 【So don’t imitate Yaranaio either】 【This isn’t important, but Yaranaio’s voice makes me hear Piccolo-san’s*】 【It seriously isn’t important】 【That’s something people overlook】 【You kinda get it, right?】 【I get it】 (tl note: dragon ball)

"I also hear that voice in my head. If I have to say, I fantasize a somewhat high voice for Yaruo."

【Being able to choose your own mental voice actors as you please is the strength of reading creative works】 【I wrote a novel! Before the first chapter, I'll introduce the characters!! The protagonist’s cv is ○○!】 【←Stop, my old wounds are hurting】 【Don’t be embarrassed, everyone’s gone through that】 【How cool】

Virtual Dekiruo, who planning talk about new analysis based on information obtained from outside the main story, found that many of his channel’s viewers were more drawn to the visually destructive new element of “Eight-chan’s new outfit,” and the conversation kept deviating.

Seeing the comments from those guys made sigh in exasperation, but since he himself had the same opinion, he let it slide.

In fact, as if waiting for the topic to head toward that direction, he put up an illustration on the stream screen.

"Okay, so now, this is a drawing I did of Eight-chan in her hot new outfit. I finished it overnight after the broadcast."

【Been waiting】 【You drew it!?】 【You’re late!】【We’ve obviously been waiting】 【Fast work!】 【It’s not ‘hot,’ it’s ‘sexy’】 【No, seriously, this white manju’s drawing is amazing】 【A man who misapplied his talents】 【Cute】 【My cold healed thanks to miniskirt Eight-chan】 【Looking at her like this, she really gives off female sage vibes】 【The golden ratio of boots and mini-skirt, gloves and sleeveless top is unbearable】 【I thought it was a goddess on screen, but it was Eight-onee-chan】 【Looking at her like this, she looks like Malkuth-sama-chan】 【I can’t help but notice Dekki’s signature nonchalant written in】

"The signature is because I wanted to prove I drew it… I practiced to make it look professional-like. It’s a work I put all my effort into. The best that I could." (tl note: there are 2 puns here. 1: Work here is read as “deki.” 2: The japanese raw is デキルオだけに/Dekiruo dake; Dekiru dake means “to do the best or the most that is possible within one's power")

【Ha?】 【Hah?】 【Lame】 【Should we just cancel this channel?】

"That’s so mean. Well, more importantly, please ogle… no, I mean, take a good look at this illustration."

The beautifully drawn pretty girl illustration, whose workmanship could be mistaken for an official one, was the figure of T.P. Eight Olishua.

Her personal color, as someone who controls darkness at will, was “black,” and in the Fairy Savers ∞ story so far, she had been wearing a phantom thief outfit with little skin exposure with black as the theme.

──However, in the new OP and ED that was released, she was wearing an outfit different from the one she had been wearing so far.

“First of all, it's white!”

【Umu】

The outfit, with a sky-like blue color, was colored with white as its base, and in contrast to the phantom thief outfit that had given a generally dark impression, this bright color scheme seemed almost as if it were emphasizing her mystique.

It was likely meant to highlight her “angelic impression” more than ever since her true identity had been established in the story as the primordial archangel “Daat.” Or perhaps this outfit itself might be the formal attire of the angel Daat.

“And it’s super revealing!”

【Umu!】

In her phantom thief outfit, she wore a long skirt and cape, which kept exposure to a minimum, but it was completely different in the new OP and ED.

The skirt covering her lower half had been shortened to the point that a glimpse of her thighs was visible even when just standing still, and her upper half was similarly more exposed. The cape was gone, replaced by a bold, sleeveless outfit that showed off her chest and shoulders.

She wore fairly long gloves that covered up to her elbows, and boots that covered up to her calves. So looking at it as a whole, it wasn’t excessively revealing, but her new outfit, which made her feel more “feminine” than ever before, left a powerful impression on viewers in various meaning. Mainly in a sexual sense.

A white rose corsage was also attached to her head, and completely different from the mysterious, androgynous impression given by her phantom thief outfit, she now appeared as a gorgeous woman.

After thoroughly showing off the new illustration of T.P. Eight Olishua in such an outfit, Virtual Dekiruo expressed one opinion regarding it.

“I think maybe Keter or Malkuth-sama-chan will dress her in this outfit. Now that she has Binah-sama’s cooperation, Eight-chan’s abilities already feel overpowered, so I feel like in the final arc a captive heroine event where she’s kidnapped by Keter or someone is going to occur. It’s so good when the heroine who fell into the enemy’s hands is made to wear a new outfit… it’s a wonderful feeling of guilty pleasure.”

【Stop】 【I get you】 【Keter’s seriously the worst】 【That event broke my fetishes】 【That thing makes feelings close to NTR arise】 【In Eight-chan’s case, it’s fine since the outfit suits her, but if it didn’t suit her I’d be suspicious of the villain’s taste】 【If Eight-chan disappears I’ll stop watching for six days】 【←You’ll be in time for next week】

Half of it was a joke, and half of it was a serious prediction of the story’s development.

Virtual Dekiruo’s analysis, acting like an expert, hit the mark splendidly──in the very next episode.

Yes… T.P. Eight Olishua was kidnapped.

Having exhausted herself to stop Mea’s rampage, the Savers’ resistance were in vain as she was carried off by Keter to the World Tree Sefira.

After witnessing that, after the end of broadcast, the flat chest otaku was flustered, muttering, “This is the main heroine separation event…”

And so, the development of “Fairy Savers ∞” had far too much to talk about in the next stream.

──And for a while, the story would continue without Eight among the Savers.

Even though she had only appeared on screen since the isekai arc, the flat chest otaku let out a small wry smile as he realized he had taken it for granted that she would be there among the Savers.

The feeling when someone you had taken for granted disappeared──perhaps on that point, he had managed to empathize with the characters in the story to a sorrowful degree.

(author: An anime where the OP and ED spoil the main story is a masterpiece.

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