Using an internet slang term from Takayuki's original world, Kazumi was the perfect example of a social butterfly.
No matter where she was, she always carried herself with an easygoing, carefree attitude—as if nothing in the world could trouble her.
"You idiot, tone it down a bit!"
Oto-chan lunged forward, trying to cover Kazumi's mouth.
But Kazumi quickly dodged and pointed toward one of the gaming zones. "Look over there! There's the Future Lab—they always showcase Gastar Entertainnt's latest ga technologies. Let's check it out!"
Oto-chan was visibly frustrated, while Aiko, standing nearby, didn't seem to care. She wasn't soone who worried about what outsiders thought. Her only concern was achieving success. The only person she ever considered when holding back was Takayuki.
"You all go explore freely. No need to hold back," Oto-chan said to the group of newly hired employees. "After all, you're gars too, right? Just enjoy yourselves here."
Then she quickly went after Kazumi.
In Oto-chan's view, if she didn't keep a close eye on Kazumi, the girl was bound to do sothing embarrassing sooner or later.
The new recruits let out cheers and scattered off to explore the carnival on their own.
By now, the Gastar Carnival truly lived up to its na, feeling more like a full-blown citywide festival than a re gaming event.
Back during the first event, Gastar had to rent out two small venues to host it.
But now, the Tokyo governnt practically begged Gastar to make it as big and flashy as possible.
Every ti the carnival was held, it significantly boosted Tokyo's tourism revenue in just a short span of ti.
Today, the Gastar Carnival had expanded far beyond just gaming demos and esports—it now spanned two full city blocks.
Many of Gastar's partner companies joined the event, using it to promote their latest products.
This had beco the most sacred gathering for ga developers around the world—a stage where every type of ga could find its spotlight.
The two blocks were divided into five main zones:
Zone 1: Gastar Entertainnt's official showcase zone. Here, a grand fireworks show would be held at night, and announcents would be made about the company's current and future ga plans.
Zone 2: Gastar's first-party ga demo area. Players could try out upcoming gas firsthand. Sotis, mysterious unreleased titles were teased here—like the half-completed GTA: San Andreas demo.
Zone 3: The esports arena—by far the largest zone. This hosted Gastar's annual esports tournant, featuring titles like CS:GO, Titanfall, Football League, Need for Speed, NBA, Street Fighter, and more.
Oh, and let's not forget the speedrun competitions, with the original Super Mario Bros. being the most iconic challenge. No one had beaten the world record in years.
Naturally, this zone drew the largest crowds.
Competitive gaming was exhilarating—and just like traditional sports like basketball and football, its appeal had stood the test of ti.
Gastar had helped esports grow in a uniquely imrsive direction.
At first, companies like Surii Electronics had tried lobbying to get esports into the Olympics or similar global sporting events. But just like in Takayuki's original world, traditional sports institutions were cold and hostile toward esports.
They saw gaming as a threat that siphoned off their audience and money—every cent esports made was seen as a loss for them.
Takayuki saw this clearly. He had no intention of seeking their approval.
He didn't need soone else's validation. He was the gold standard—and he had nothing to prove.
There were 80,000 people in Zone 3 at that mont, all watching their favorite esports titles live.
In StarCraft, Korean pro players continued to dominate the scene year after year. Korea had long pushed for the ga's developnt and visibility.
Takayuki had even delayed balancing patches just to maintain competitive stability—because stable balancing is key to a lasting esport.
From the start, StarCraft had been nearly perfect. And because the country itself supported the ga, it had beco a national symbol in South Korea.
Their booming esports industry benefited greatly from this.
But the biggest winner? Still Takayuki. A whole country promoting his ga was proof of Gastar's dominance in the video ga industry.
No other company could compare.
Zone 4: The partner showcase area, the sa size as Zone 1. Here, all of Gastar's collaborators set up booths to show off their latest titles. It was a great place for devs to network and share ideas.
Zone 5: A private business negotiation area, closed to the public. New titles were born here, and rising developers found their footing—becoming the next big nas in the industry.
Back in Zone 2's Future Lab, Kazumi was testing out the latest VR tech.
She was blown away—amazed by how real it felt, as if she were walking through a vast new world.
The only downside was the limited sensory experience—you had sight and sound, but no sll, taste, or touch.
"If those were included too," Kazumi thought, "this world would be so imrsive, you might never want to leave."
Just then, Oto-chan's voice pulled her back to reality.
"Kazumi! Ti's up—the fireworks show is about to start. You don't want to miss that, do you?"
"Huh? Already?" Kazumi pulled off the VR headset, shocked by how much ti had passed.
It had just been a simple demo where she wandered through a digital world, but she had completely lost track of ti.
"Let's go, let's go! We're gonna miss the fireworks!"
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