Chapter 14: The Broadcast Begins

Chapter 14: The Broadcast Begins

Reality, 8:00 p.m. — the “New Season Recommendations” page on Crustyroll.

As the largest anime site in the real world, Crustyroll released a number of fresh titles every season.

Though the classics of Tendou’s past life—Naruto, One Piece, Bleach—never existed here, this world had produced its own masterpieces. And in doing so, it had gathered a massive community of anime fans.

Tonight was new-season night. As usual, the fans flocked to the homepage to see what new imports Crustyroll had prepared for them this quarter.

And front and center, dominating the page’s banner space, was a title no one had ever heard before: “Stellaris: Embers.”

Its prominence alone drew attention. Curiosity led them to click.

The episode opened—not with epic battles or grand speeches, but with the lonely figure of Chen Kong.

Huddled in a cramped dorm room, silently counting the last of his star coins.

Later, in the cafeteria, after waiting in line just to buy the cheapest nutritional meal… a blond-haired student snatched it right out of his hands.

And Chen Kong, instead of resisting, bowed his head and apologized.

“S-sorry…”

The comment feed exploded instantly.

“Huh? What kind of protagonist is this supposed to be?!”

“Seriously? We’re still doing this loser-protagonist cliché? Certified trash anime. Dropping.”

“I thought this was supposed to be a hot-blooded shōnen. Why start with something so pathetic? I can’t relate to a MC like this at all.”

“Boring. I’m out.”

“Wasted such gorgeous animation only to give us this pile of garbage. It’s 2025, who watches weakling MCs anymore?”

“The production values are great, but the story and characters? Awful. Who would keep watching this guy?”

“Does the studio not understand what a ‘growth-type protagonist’ is supposed to be?”

Line after line of complaints scrolled across the screen, most mocking Chen Kong’s weakness and cowardice.

A protagonist getting bullied in episode one wasn’t uncommon in this world’s anime.

The problem was Chen Kong’s inner monologues—calmly accepting the scorn and humiliation.

That, more than anything, infuriated the viewers.

After all, most anime fans were young. And the young were proud, hot-tempered.

A weak protagonist they could accept.

But a protagonist who admitted to being weak? Unforgivable.

Of course, not everyone agreed.

“If you don’t like it, just close it. Stop ruining it for everyone else.”

“Yeah, it’s only the first episode. Who knows? Maybe he’ll get stronger later and go full power fantasy.”

“If you want to watch an anime where the protagonist is strong from the get go, just go watch One Strike Man!”

As Stellaris: Embers reached its halfway mark, the world-building began to show itself.

And slowly, the mood of the comment feed shifted.

“Hmm, interesting… So it’s a superpower worldbuilding?”

“The MC hasn’t awakened his star core yet, huh… but there’s no way his core is ordinary. I smell a conspiracy coming.”

“The worldbuilding’s solid, production values are high… but what the hell are they doing with this protagonist’s personality? This is the first time I’ve seen an MC get his breakfast stolen without even spitting out a single harsh word. He’s pathetic, honestly unbearable.”

“Pathetic my ass. The other guy’s a superpowered student—if you’re just an ordinary weakling, and you talk back, you’ll just die faster. I think his reaction was perfectly reasonable.”

“Reasonable?! I’m not watching anime for realism, I’m here for catharsis! I don’t want reasonable—I want badass!”

“Plain face, cowardly personality… What’s the point of a protagonist like this?”

The heated debate raged on across the comment feed, even as Chen Kong left the cafeteria and the scene shifted to the training ground for the final trial.

True to his role as the weakest, Chen Kong immediately chose a quiet corner far from everyone else.

His presence caused no reaction among the Children of the Stars gathered there.

To them, he was nothing but a background character. Someone not worth noticing.

Chen Kong, of course, was used to it.

Being ignored was better than being bullied, wasn’t it?

But after sitting in silence for a while, he suddenly lifted his head—eyes turning toward the training ground entrance.

And then, almost timidly, he stood up and walked over.

“Bro-Brother Tendou, Sister Caroline…”

“Yo, Kong-kun~”

A silver-haired boy stepped in, sunglasses gleaming as they reflected the light. Behind the lenses, faint traces of those piercing ice-blue eyes flashed through.

Trailing him was a cat-eared girl, emerald eyes flickering with streams of data.

The moment Tendou and Caroline appeared on screen for the first time, the live-comment feed exploded.

“Holy crap, that face… that’s really allowed?!”

“White hair + shades + blue eyes = my new husband.”

“That catgirl! I’m sold already!”

“Wow, this Tendou guy is ridiculously good-looking… almost as good as me.”

“Something feels off. Way off. Why does it feel like this guy’s visual design outclasses the actual protagonist?”

“Cold green-haired catgirl, cocky white-haired shades guy… Honestly, if they cut the MC out, this anime might actually be good.”

In stark contrast to Chen Kong’s plain looks and timid demeanor, Tendou’s entrance was nothing short of a full-blown spectacle.

Unique style, confident posture, striking features—an aura that practically spilled out of the screen.

Instantly, he captured all eyes.

And in the world of the Stars, those reactions were quantified.

[Popularity Point +1]

[Popularity Point +1]

[Popularity Point +1]

Notifications flooded Tendou’s vision, scrolling faster and faster.

The corners of his mouth lifted, smug and unstoppable.

‘As expected. No matter the world—looks are everything.’

This single entrance had already earned him enough “face fans” to cover part of the popularity debt he’d once gone into for cosmetic upgrades.

But Tendou’s preparations weren’t only about harvesting face fans.

Every word, every gesture, every subtle expression had been painstakingly designed.

He had timed his entrance down to the second, calculated to maximize impact.

And just as he was savoring the success of his plan, a comment drifted by—

“Lord Tendou, I’ll be your dog!!!”

“Pfft!”

Tendou, mid-sip of water, nearly choked.

A moment later, Tendou wiped the water stains from the corner of his mouth and muttered awkwardly,

“…Yeah, I don’t really need fans like that.”

But as the episode progressed, the focus shifted to him showing care and concern for Chen Kong.

And just like that, a portion of the audience was utterly captivated by Tendou’s so-called “light of humanity.”

Because compared to the Children of the Stars who had bullied Chen Kong earlier, Tendou’s very first words were to ask if Chen Kong had eaten breakfast.

In stark contrast, that single gesture made him shine like a saint.

A dazzlingly handsome face, striking charisma, and now—kindness?

It was as if he had been crafted to embody every trait fans dreamed of in a breakout character.

“What kind of angelic behavior is this?!”

“Compared to those bullies, Tendou is literally light incarnate!”

“Director, I’m begging you—switch the protagonist to Tendou right now!”

Watching the flood of praise in the comments, Tendou knew that without a doubt—

His debut was a complete success.

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