Chapter 30 – Pixel Prophecy
[System Notification – 3:33 AM JST]
[Your channel has been added to:
"Top 10 Most Mysterious Streamers" (GlobalTrendz Blog)
"Digital Urban Legends: 2010's New Myth" (Korea NetCulture Magazine)
"Future-Proof Gamer" (IGN Japan Fan Forum)]
[You are now being actively tracked by 27 marketing research groups and 3 intelligence services.]
[Warning: Information exposure threshold at 6%. Remaining Anonymous is recommended.]
Cal sat silently, the early morning chill creeping into his bones despite the layers he wore. His window remained half-open, letting in the fading hush of Tokyo's night, while the system window hovered before his eyes, stark and futuristic.
He blinked once.
"Intelligence services...?"
For a fleeting moment, his heart skipped.
Was he pushing too far, too fast?
He had started this alone—an aimless otaku drifting in life. No family. No friends. Streaming had been a hobby, once. A forgotten dream. Then the system came.
And now he was on watchlists.
Cal stood and walked to the sink. He splashed cold water on his face and stared at his reflection in the mirror. Tired eyes. A hoodie covering messy hair. The last time he saw this face with real joy had been years ago.
But now?
Now the fire was lit again.
Later that Morning – 11:00 AM JST
He returned to his desk, having made the decision.
Slow down? No.
Not now.
The system had granted him this power. And the past? It was ready.
He selected the new unlock: [Retro Battle Royale Playlist].
The description:
[An interactive stream format where viewers vote on which game appears next. Each title is from a different point in the future. Requires: 100,000+ subscribers, global traction, and streaming stability.]
He toggled the switch. A new interface appeared.
Viewers could now "queue" votes using point donations. The system would randomize between popular battle royale games: Fortnite, PUBG, Apex Legends, and Fall Guys.
"Let's see how far we can bend the timeline."
March 9, 2010 – 8:00 PM JST – Stream Title: "The Battle Royale We Deserve"
The stream began with eerie silence and a flickering countdown.
A metallic voice from the system echoed into the stream's intro:
[Vote now – Next Game in Queue. 2 minutes remaining.]
Chat burst into chaos.
[ZeroWinged]: "WTH is going on?? A poll?"
[AmiUSA]: "He's letting us pick the game?!"
[K1ng_Pixel]: "I want that cartoon game from last week!!"
The options rotated on screen:
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (2017)
Fortnite (2018 Chapter 1)
Fall Guys (2020 Beta)
Apex Legends (2021 Update)
Nearly 198,000 were watching.
PUBG won.
The stream dissolved into the cargo plane opening cinematic of Erangel. It was clean. Sharp. The realism and tension were palpable. In 2010, games like this didn't exist—especially not with this degree of fidelity.
People were blown away.
"WHERE IS THIS GAME COMING FROM?!" read one Super Chat in English.
Cal dropped into Pochinki, armed himself, and moved through the streets with pro-level reflexes. He wasn't flashy—but efficient. Calculated. Cold.
He took out six players before encountering a duo near a red house. Smoke grenades. AKM sprays. Tactical repositioning.
The crowd went wild.
[Donation – "DuckHuntVeteran"]: "This makes Halo look like an arcade game."
[Donation – "KoreanGamerGirl"]: "This is better than Starcraft. And that's saying something."
By the end of the match, he finished Top 5.
Before the next poll started, a system intermission triggered.
[System Cut-In – Highlight Segment Unlocked]
[You have hit viral threshold in 3 new regions: Germany, Indonesia, and Brazil.]
[+4800 points earned | Skill Store Updated]
Elsewhere – São Paulo, Brazil – 9:21 AM BRT
On a cracked laptop at the back of a game cafe, thirteen-year-old Luiz stared at the stream in awe. His older brother, Marcus, leaned over.
"Where did you find this?"
Luiz shrugged. "Reddit link. Said he's streaming games from the future."
They watched as Fall Guys launched next. The absurd jellybean characters, the slapstick physics—it was so different, so colorful, yet still looked like the most fun they'd ever seen.
By the third game in rotation, Apex Legends, dozens in the cafe were watching.
Someone muttered, "I don't care where this guy's from. I'm watching him forever."
March 9, 2010 – 10:47 PM JST – Tokyo
Cal ended the stream with a soft-spoken whisper:
"Thanks for voting. I'll be back soon."
He stared at the system report afterward.
[Stream Report – "Battle Royale Showcase"]
Peak Viewers: 212,204
Global Donation Ranking: #3
Subscriber Count: 513,492
Stream Uptime: 2 hours 44 minutes
Viral Replay Videos Created: 13,034
Most Viewed Region: South Korea
Most Donated Region: United States
[System Reward:
New Game Unlock – "VALORANT Alpha Client (2020)"
Bonus Gacha – "Rare Stream Enhancer: Background Voice Filter"]
But the next message stunned him.
[Warning: One Major Japanese Studio is Investigating Your Source Footage.]
He paused.
"Investigating?"
Was it anime? Music? Gaming?
The system didn't say.
"Careful... not everyone will see this as a blessing."
He knew it was coming.
Eyes. Attention. Scrutiny.
But he didn't stop.
March 10, 2010 – 1:14 PM JST – Inside a Quiet Animation Studio, Tokyo
Kenji Oura adjusted his glasses, looking over a stack of printed screenshots. Someone had emailed him anonymously—footage of a livestream showcasing Your Name in 4K clarity.
But that film wasn't set to even enter pre-production until 2014.
Kenji had been working on early draft environments for CoMix Wave Films. This... this was impossible.
The background shots were exact.
Linework matched. The color palette. Even the unfinalized Tokyo skyline he had designed in a personal concept sketch.
It matched—perfectly.
He leaned back, whispering to no one, "Who are you...?"
He stared at the last image—Cal's stream, with no face, no voice. Just the message:
"I'll show you more soon."
Kenji stood up, heart pounding.
"Makoto needs to see this."
To be continued in Chapter 31…