By the time evening arrived, the first week of filming "Real Love" finally came to an end.
But even though it was just a single day of shooting, Seiya felt both mentally and physically drained.
A reality show had no script, no action scenes, and required no fighting choreography—yet after a full day, Seiya felt an inexplicable exhaustion deep in his soul.
Originally, his plan had been simple: as childhood friends, he wanted to help Kana Arima generate buzz, slowly restore her public image, and show the entertainment industry how hard she'd been working all these years.
But things didn't go as smoothly as he'd hoped—because Kana wasn't cooperating at all.
It was honestly giving him a headache.
Still, director Teki Maki couldn't be happier with the results. Even before airing, he already had a strong hunch that this episode of "Real Love" would explode in popularity.
A clumsy superstar actor paired with a proud, tsundere former child star—and the two just happened to be childhood friends?
Even the staff watching from behind the cameras couldn't help but envy that kind of sweet, awkward chemistry.
Young viewers were definitely going to eat this couple up.
Teki Maki even thought that if Seiya and Kana actually ended up together for real, they'd easily become the most popular pair in the history of the show.
That night, after wrapping up filming, the "Real Love" production team and Teki Maki immediately returned to the office and worked overtime to create the teaser trailer.
They could already tell this episode would be a bombshell.
And the higher the show's ratings went, the bigger their paychecks and bonuses would be—so of course, everyone worked like their lives depended on it.
Meanwhile, back home, Kana Arima couldn't stop smiling to herself as she lay on her bed.
Every time she replayed today's events in her head, the corners of her mouth would unconsciously curl upward—then she'd hug her plush toy tight, her face red from embarrassment.
As for Seiya, he was completely spent. The moment he hit the bed, he fell asleep instantly—
and once again entered the "Dream Nexus," to see if there were any new powerful allies to befriend.
No matter how many times he came here, the vast white space of the Dream Nexus always fascinated him.
After walking down a long corridor and stepping out of his room, his body suddenly emitted a burst of dazzling white light.
In that light, Seiya's figure transformed—into his five-year-old self.
Over time, the various versions of Seiya who visited the Dream Nexus had come to understand some of its properties.
First of all, whenever one entered this place, they would always revert to the form they had during their very first visit.
For My Idol Seiya, the first time he came here, he was five years old—so every time he appeared here, he looked like a little boy.
Secondly, while each door in this endless white corridor represented a different world, the flow of time inside each world was completely independent.
The only shared timeline among all Seiyas was within this pure white realm itself.
As for how time here compared to the time flow of their respective worlds, none of them knew.
Some even suspected that when they entered the Nexus, time in their original world completely froze.
"Hey, our big celebrity showed up! Come over here and share your experience—I wanna see how a superstar lives."
As soon as My Idol Seiya entered the Nexus, Digimon Seiya, who had been chatting with two others nearby, bounded over with a few energetic hops.
By now, quite a few Seiyas had gathered in the Dream Nexus.
Most looked like middle- or high-school students, so My Idol Seiya's childlike appearance stood out quite a bit.
"He's a Seiya too? Why's there a little kid version? Which world is that from?"
"Well, we already have a Digimon version, so having a kid version isn't that weird.
But usually, in anime where the protagonist's a kid, the power scale's crazy high…
Could he be some kind of hidden powerhouse?"
Seeing Digimon Seiya rush over to greet the little Seiya, the two Seiyas in school uniforms quickly followed after him, curiosity written all over their faces.
Before My Idol Seiya could answer, Sword Art Seiya—who had also just arrived—cut in with a smirk.
"He's not the kind of powerhouse you're thinking of.
His world just happens to have better perks, so he's got more… 'resources' at his disposal."
Hearing that, the two uniformed Seiyas' eyes instantly lit up.
And because all Seiyas seemed to share the same brain circuit, they both exclaimed in unison, "Wait—he's from an H-world, isn't he?!"
"Explaining's a pain. Anyway, we've got two newbies this time—let's just share everything directly."
Digimon Seiya said, grabbing both newcomers by the arms with his floppy ears, then looked at My Idol Seiya and Sword Art Seiya, signaling them to make contact.
A few minutes later, after the ability and memory sharing completed, everyone now knew each other's origins.
The Seiya in a white shirt came from the Tokyo Ravens world—
a branch member of the Tsuchimikado family of Onmyoji, skilled in summoning shikigami to fight.
The Seiya in a black school uniform came from Jujutsu Kaisen.
He'd grown up brawling alongside Yuji Itadori, and as a result, had awakened cursed energy on his own.
Physically gifted and a master of martial arts, he was practically a walking weapon.
After the sharing session, the rest of the Seiyas were ecstatic.
Finally! After all this time, they finally had brothers with actual supernatural powers!
Sure, Digimon Seiya and Minecraft Seiya technically counted as "supernatural beings"…
But let's be honest—their power levels were way too pathetic.
So weak, in fact, that everyone had long stopped acknowledging them.
Meanwhile, Tokyo Ravens Seiya and Jujutsu Seiya, after learning about My Idol Seiya's life, looked at him with expressions of mixed envy and disdain.
"Bro, you're a famous actor surrounded by gorgeous co-stars, and you never once made a move?!"
"With all that fame and access, you didn't even try to take advantage of the 'casting couch' thing? That's just a waste, man!"
"And all those beautiful adoptive sisters from your childhood—
you never once crossed the line? You had so much potential, and you just… didn't use it?"
"What a disappointment! We thought you'd at least bring us some juicy real-life action,
but your memories are just full of magazines and videos! Not even one actual experience!"
Even Digimon Seiya looked crushed.
Poor guy—he could only evolve up to an Agumon, and all the cute female Digimon were Ultimate-level.
He didn't stand a chance.
(End of Chapter)