Take him! Don't you dare lose! Die!
Don't forget, you're carrying everyone's money out there!
Hey, when's Mom coming back?
Huh? Quit worrying.
She'll come back if she feels like it. Don't think about it.
For real?
And if she doesn't, then screw it, that's how it is.
Hey, Nechika, root for number five!
If it wins, we're having hamburger steaks!
...but not really making much forward progress.
Where's Mom?
- Don't get your hopes up. - Go! Go!
- Pass 'em! Come on! - It's okay. I'm here.
Pass 'em!
Hell yeah!
Gross.
...a remarkably lifeless finish.
- What are you doing here?! - What's going on?!
I love your face!
I'll support you forever!
Thanks. I just felt like coming out for a little night air.
You alone?
You're cute.
How about we grab some coffee?
I just want someone to talk to.
The city gets lonely at night.
What, nervous?
No, that's not it, is it?
Ah, you're one of those three idiots.
Oh, you know me?
I'm flattered.
NECHIKA-SAMA
You're the little Miss Angel, aren't you?
You can tell?
Of course I can. You've got the same bone structure.
Huh. So this is what you're like normally. Not bad at all.
Ame @raincandy_U Unknown location, unemployed
Sorry for bugging you.
My bad!
You were gonna take me somewhere, right?
To some trendy little café.
You've just heard the midsummer hit song, "Night and Dark: Rip Open the Night."
All right, coming up next, the buzzworthy band that blew up on social media, yeah!
I'm honored KAngel would take an interest in me.
Everyone has nights when they feel lonely.
Besides, you seem easier to talk to than that loud purple one
and the lolita girl who's totally shut herself up inside her own little world.
Keeping those two tucked safely away from reality is part of my job, too.
You're more...
MORE LIKE ME
No way! They're getting more into it than you are.
Anyway, I heard social media is what got your band started?
Yeah, pretty much.
Relatively speaking, at least in part.
We're both the kind of people who learned to survive by being sneaky.
...and next thing I knew, I was in a band.
"Next thing I knew, I was in a band."
You get that sense?
Of course.
Why?!
After all the booze I bought you?!
Host Addict Panyami @pnyapnya_ray Looking for someone to work with Must be married to manager I consolidated notes on how to get married to your manager!
Ikki Kuronuma @CLUB_BELAGE @ikki_ikki_4649_ikki Can't get drunk on booze? Then come drink with me! I'll get you drunk on my love in no time. Host addicts are...
You're just too damn clingy.
And pay off the rest of what you owe me.
I even went out to turn tricks so I could pay you back!
Yeah, you went out. And then you came right back.
Because I hated it! What was I supposed to do?!
Kouichi Aizawa / DX Advanced... @it_solution... An "interpreter" for on-site work and technology. We are a business that solves your issue using IT. From setting up to effective management! Please feel free to...
Seriously, why are girls in the nightlife district always such airheads?
Naoto Kurosaki / IT Solu... @it_solution_... Instead of "selling" we "get results." We will set-up an effective DX at your work, from business improvement to refining the rules. Feel free to...
Women have it easy. They can make money with their bodies,
and when they can't, they just smack some guy around,
make a scene, and get paid again.
That's what they call double-dipping, right?
Goushi Onizuka / Heavy Machinery... @heavy_mach_r... Backhoe excavator is my partner. My job is my battleground. Log-in right when I get home. New characters are the best! Family and friends come first.
God, shut the hell up!
Rina Onizuka / Protector of the House @rina_home_guard I'm a housewife, but my fighting spirit goes on! Former gyaru to current Mom-gyaru X1 Remarried club.
Hey! Cut it out, that's dangerous!
Geez, say something to them, will you?
End turn!
Sure, it's nice when adults can enjoy the story too,
Teroron / Anime... @tero_ani... I create and direct, and such. Focus on acting and layout. Currently not accepting new work.
Yamame (Yuu Nanase) / Ani... @yama... Key animation focus. Mostly work with digital. Currently putting a pause on accepting new work.
Ponnyo / Production @pnyo_genga_sub_3242 Freelance producer. Low-key kinda getting popular. Will not be accepting new work for a while.
but at the end of the day, toys are meant to be used.
End turn.
People keep forgetting this stuff is made to sell toys to kids! And attack!
Mm, yes, yes. One must also take the belt's durability into account.
Those two are dead serious about sharpening their souls and building solid selves.
They really think that's how they can change the world.
I'm barely managing my own life and the tiny bit around me I can actually reach.
As Miss Angel, you're tied up in a lot of shit, huh?
But Miss Angel is amazing, though. So amazing that...
...it's about time Karamazov put her out of her misery.
KAngel's going to lose?
The times are changing.
Now it's the turn of the generation raised on KAngel to rise up.
You people?
Yeah. Including our purple girl.
Hey, I'm talking to you!
I said enough already. We're done.
Like hell! We are not breaking up!
Hey! These brats are not listening to a word I say!
Say something to them!
Forget that, look at this! Holy shit! This thing is totally rigged!
Do those girls even realize they only get to survive because of men?
Totally, no kidding.
Still, the very idea of the bishoujo character is getting stale.
We've already seen every ridiculous gimmick trait there is.
Right?
I thought you showed people dreams without ever believing in them yourself.
That's right. This isn't some fairy tale.
Looking at it objectively, Karamazov has a fighting chance to seize the era.
Purple Denpa Girl and the Lolita maiden are the genuine article.
And I'm the crafty little rat supporting them from behind.
The three of us could kill even a god.
You said you loved me!
I did love you back then.
But now I hate how fucking suffocating you've gotten. You get that?
Love addiction.
Yeah, looks like he's already milked that girl dry.
Still, he's an amateur.
That host...
Dumping her face-to-face just means he's weak.
If he'd just ignored her messages and ended it by blocking her,
he probably couldn't have lived with the guilt.
Isn't your fan service kind of like that, too?
It's still different from directly showering someone of the opposite sex with money.
With me, it stays within regular stan behavior.
Buying merch, sending supers, that kind of thing.
That's a far cry from fake romance.
I'm kind.
Addictive tendencies, drug abuse, self-harm.
In the end, they run off into delinquency because nothing fulfills them
more than that does, and they're scared and never get saved.
Restrictions are necessary, but that's not really the problem.
Someone has to shut up and listen to kids
who ended up with no choice but to live like that.
Is that why you're a streamer?
That's one of the official reasons, anyway.
Miss Angel used to stream while totally zooted in the early days too, remember?
That's when you really blew up.
You were cute like that.
It was ridiculous, wasn't it? Back then I was desperate.
I got tons of criticism, but I did tell people not to copy me.
It's not like I was encouraging it.
Though I do understand why people were influenced by it.
I was scared of all sorts of things, so I took pills and blurred it all out.
Then sometimes I'd end up streaming on impulse.
I was just trying to stay alive, that's all.
Even just living has a purpose.
What do you want so badly that you keep living?
I want that.
Well, yeah.
If a girl like that existed, everybody'd follow her.
She's beautiful. You're a good person, Miss Angel.
I'm high right now.
You've never cared about normal ideas of right and wrong, have you?
Because you know the ugliest thing there is
is getting so hung up on that stuff you lose sight of everything else.
The only one who can decide what counts as good or evil is the person themselves.
And the fact is, there are girls who started to shine because they looked up to KAngel.
I'm just fleecing morons who idolize me.
You're saying that assuming I'll deny it. You're leaning on me.
Cute.
If money were all you wanted, there are way more efficient ways to bleed people dry.
The masses don't follow someone who acts for a shallow reason like that.
There's real madness in KAngel's eyes.
I don't really want to see that much, and I don't want to be seen either.
So I usually keep half my face hidden.
I'm sneaky, so I end up seeing things from every angle.
I'm basically the one who handles the money, too.
Michica only sees herself, and Lollipop sees way too much of everyone else.
The three of us balance each other out perfectly.
What about me?
You took everything on alone, carried it all alone, and still look good.
You really did try, didn't you?
You just decide what other people are supposed to be and bulldoze ahead with it.
Oh, let me posture a little. Your cute kohai's earned that much.
Big Sis.
If you dump me, I'll kill myself!
Go on, then!
Pulling insane shit like this is why your life keeps going off the rails!
I'll do it, I swear!
The government needs to get serious about actual gender equality.
If we don't start taking money from the rich, we're gonna die.
Oh my God, fighting over toys? Are you kidding me?!
Why can't you just get along?!
Even the phrase "gritty" has started to get on my nerves.
Yeah, the whole idea of deliberately making it a ground war is just lazy.
And it's insulting when they think...
Saving people like that is part of KAngel's mission too, huh?
Right. The hard part about being an Internet Angel
is that you're supposed to love every nerd on the other side of the screen equally.
Anyone still glued to the internet at this point is trash.
They decide for themselves that you saved them, worship you,
then decide for themselves that you betrayed them and get pissed off.
Yeah.
God, I don't wanna work. I wish everyone would just fucking die.
A friend of mine got hooked on some streamer whore.
He sends her a shitload in supers. Almost his whole paycheck. Total idiot.
Must be nice for Her Majesty the Influencer,
stealing the money us losers earn busting our asses at work!
The only way out of an environment like that is through legitimate effort.
Brutal, isn't it?
That's exactly why they stay camped out in hell.
They don't even know what direction to put their effort in,
and there's an endless flood of sweet temptations telling them to take the easy way out.
There are always excuses, and eventually they stop being able to move forward.
Yeah, I can think of a few things myself.
That one stings.
But I still can't bring myself to hate them.
Those people.
All right, then. I'm never seeing you again.
Wait! Do you know how much money I dropped on you, asshole?!
Hey! Let go of me!
Please! I'll even buy you a tower!
Die! You ugly piece of trash!
Don't get so full of yourself! Tiny dick! Insole-wearing bastard!
Do you still have your chats and call history?
Save everything. Gather up anything that could count as evidence.
I'll introduce you to a good lawyer. It's not a scam.
I used them myself for online trouble before. They're the real deal.
And if you think it's shady, you can blast me online.
No, seriously, who are you?! You're scaring me!
DON'T GET SCAMMED BY A SCUMBAG HOST!!
Don't let some scumbag host win!
Get back the money he ripped off from you and make him regret it.
Why?
This punk girl might not exactly inspire confidence,
but if Nechika-sama's here, can you trust us?
Live strong.
This world really is cruel.
HEARTFELT VIDEO CLIP
Welp, got all that bitching out of my system. Guess it's back to work tomorrow.
Yep. You need a day like this once in a while.
Daddy, carry me!
Me, too! Pick me up!
Oh yeah? You boys love your daddy that much, huh?
You're all adorable little brats.
Honestly, the whole lot of you are shameless.
Now then, let us summarize today's proceedings.
Creating doujinshi is our sacred duty!
We must deliver all criticism and praise alike,
to the otaku of future generations.
I should get going. It's almost time to watch my anime.
I feel bad for P, too.
Guess you've got some redeeming qualities after all. If it were me—
But you still believe in people.
You believe the people you put your faith in will rise to the top.
Thanks for the drink.
Damn, now beating her's gonna feel rough.
Come on, just give up already.
Brain-dead bimbo.
What a fool.
Hey, wait! My ring!
Who's this? A classmate?
As if!
The hell?! Don't run off with that!
There's always someone dumber.
Need a hand?
Does it look like I've got this handled?!
Okay!
Tough luck.
Geez, you didn't have to run.
Good grief.
I'm sorry. I got scared.
I wasn't trying to steal it.
So you say.
You can have the ring.
I can tell by looking at your face.
You just took off without thinking, right?
It slipped off my finger, so that means its job there was done.
Now you take good care of it.
Yeah. Accessories should end up wherever they'll shine the brightest.
Thank you, Purple Auntie!
Auntie?!
- You little brat! - Old Purple Auntie!
Come and get me!
- Bring it on, Purple Auntie! - Little brat!
Scary!
LIVE
Sorry, but damn. This makes me feel alive. Makes me feel happy.
Still in front is number seven, DIO Cider, but those legs are starting to look heavy.
Here. Money I earned from streaming.
But charging from the outside,
It's not from anything shady.
number nine, Syrace Wood, has awakened something dormant!
Those are some powerful legs!
What chaos! It's anyone's game at this point!
We're only gonna get bigger from here.
Into the final stretch now, climbing the hill.
Maybe one day we'll become the era itself.
Still in front, hanging on somehow, is number seven, DIO Cider.
Call it a parting payment before things get messy.
But coming up from the outside is number eleven, Bubble Lunaron.
And splitting the gap between them, has it finally decided to get serious?
Here comes number six, Mental Break.
Is Mental Break, taking the lead?
Can Mental Break break through it all and take the lead?
W-Well, this should at least cover your living expenses for a while, right?
Chasing after it is number eight, Nyarura Thunder.
Use it however you like!
A desperate, stubborn rally!
Will it be number six, Mental Break? Or number eight, Nyarura Thunder?
A clash of sheer will against sheer will!
Which one will finally shatter the curse of being winless?!
The two are side by side and now they hit the wire in a furious photo finish!
The winner appears to be, just barely, number eight, Nyarura Thunder.
I lost.
Are you sure I can do what I want with it?
Go ahead.
Then I'm giving all of it to you.
For all the trouble I've put you through till now,
use it to buy yourself whatever you want.
What the hell are you thinking—
I may be a lowlife,
but I haven't sunk so low I can't celebrate my daughter starting her new life.
Here, take it.
But what about the boys?!
How long are you gonna keep treating us like kids?
Don't say sad crap like that. Come back and visit once in a while.
My girlfriend's a fan of yours, Sis.
Leave me an autograph before you go. I'm gonna resell it!
How about we take a little walk?
You resent me, don't you? I never did know how to spoil you.
It's not like I ever wanted to be babied.
Yeah. That's how a hero gets born out of a dump like this.
Not some blue-blooded prince by birth.
A proud and kind prince listens when the people speak,
and reaches out to them when needed.
And while guiding all those selfish little princesses, he stays on the right path.
Relying on others comes later.
A prince carries a hell of a lot on his shoulders.
More than ordinary folks like us could ever imagine.
Dad.
So you do get it.
Here, lemme have that.
O-Oh.
All right, I'm off.
Hey, not bad.
I think it'll look good on you.
Don't tell your little brothers.
I'm back.
Welcome back! Where'd you go?
Hm? Just out for a bit.
What's that supposed to mean? What's up? Something happen?
No, why?
I dunno, you just seem kinda refreshed or something.
You think? Wonder why.
Anyway, I've got a present for you.
Accessories belong where they'll shine the brightest.
We're gonna win.
I don't believe in dreams.
NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW
There once was a timid boy named Giovanni.
More than anything, he loved talking about
the night sky with his best friend, Campanella.
Next time, "Absolute Ego Dance."
EPISODE 8