Chapter 84

Even So, I’m an Original Protagonist

(The above is my laptop after accidentally dropping it. There was an option to get it fixed, but the store told me it would be much better to get a new one. I wanted to at least get my files, but they told me it would be difficult because my pc was using HDD and that there were a lot of bad sectors or something. So for the past few days, I’ve been trying to recover my files because I’m an idiot who didn’t create any backup.)

…I get it. I see, so that’s how it is.

Basically, this is that kind of story. Having realized a grave truth, I imagined the behind-the-scenes situation of the anime Fairy Savers ∞ in the usual copypasta style.

Staff: “Alright, the anime is really coming together!”

Producer (Charon-sama): “Mghoh~ I just can’t get enough of this original protagonist~”

Producer (Charon-sama): “Just Eight-chan’s backstory alone is enough to get me off…”

Staff: (Uwah, here it comes…)

Producer (Charon-sama): “How’s the script coming along?” fap fap

Staff: “We’ve progressed through to the end of the PSYence arc. Next is the isekai arc, but…”

Producer (Charon-sama): “A story about a protagonist who’s a supernatural ability user traveling with a powerless heroine… Hm, hm…”

Producer (Charon-sama): “Who’s this heroine girl?”

Staff: “It’s Akari-san, same as the previous work.”

Producer (Charon-sama): “I see…”

Producer (Charon-sama): “There’s something off with this anime... Like it’s too faithful to the pre-reboot version… There’s no twist, you know?”

Staff: “Uwah…” (Is that so…)

Producer (Charon-sama): “I’ve got it! Let’s have this heroine leave halfway through, and have another true heroine make a super cool appearance!”

Producer (Charon-sama): “And of course, the true heroine is Eight-chan! This is gonna be interesting!”

…That’s probably the truth behind it.

Yes—frankly, “it’s favoritism.” By the show’s producer, in other words, Charon-sama.

Damn you… Damn you, Charon-sama P…!

Of all things, why did you have to favor me… It’s fine if you use your goddess-like authority, but don’t go forcing me into becoming official… Uugh.

Sure, I’m confident in my appeal as a cheat original protagonist, but original characters have their stages appropriate for them. It’s about the right person in the right place.

The “greatest, coolest character I came up with” is only tolerable because the stages they’re in exists in fanworks. Doing that officially is a no-go! (tl note: derivative work is now translated as fanwork)

What’s more, “favoritism” like that in Fairy Savers, a masterpiece that has been around for twenty years, brings nothing but a lot of harm.

Noo… Anime-me is definitely hated by the audience over there.

A new heroine who suddenly shows up and acts like the true heroine, pushing Akari-chan aside, it has to be hard for fans to accept that. Making a Mary Sue official isn’t a funny story.

In the first place, why am I in the heroine role…? That sounds wrong. What’s with this unfortunate-looking beautiful girl in the OP…? That’s like a misinterpretation of T.P. Eight Olishua. At the very least, I wish you treated me more like a hero!

Ahh… This is the first time I’ve ever felt anger toward Charon-sama…!

“No, that’s a false accusation. Charon-nee-san has absolutely nothing to do with the anime in this world, okay? What even is ‘producer’…?”

Eh, really?

…I see. I’m sorry, Charon-sama. It was a false charge.

Faced with a situation way beyond my expectations, I unintentionally got heated up. The one who’d lost it was me. My apologies.

“You calm down really suddenly, don’t you?”

Do I? I’ve been told before that I switch gears quickly.

…No, it’s tough, after all*. I’m usually fine even if someone sees my dark history notebooks or whatever, but when the scale gets this beg, I have to put up with it. (tl note: line spoken by Noctis in the ending of FF XV)

It’s like the feeling when a close friend with good intentions ends up sharing the web novel you wrote to everyone you know while going, “This guy is writing this kind of novel!” It’s nasty because there’s no ill will.

Haa… I wonder if everyone’s seeing me that way now too…

Being treated like a heroine in the show is such a misinterpretation, and I’m embarrassed about it, but more than that, I’m really anxious and scared of what the viewers over there think of me.

I’m sure longtime fans like My Friend are thinking, “This new character Eight or whatever is ruining the reboot!”… That’s just sad. (tl note: I didn’t realize this, but My Friend is actually the nickname of one person)

“You get nervous about the strangest things… That’s exactly what I mean*.” (tl note: the original is a phrase used to point out to someone that "it's because you behave like that that it's no good." It's used as an affectionate response to failure.)

What do you mean?

“I mean you’re lovely and really adorable.”

Stop it. Don’t look at me like you’re looking at something heartwarming.

What’s with that look full of affection? Are you an angel or something…you are an angel. A genuine archangel. So I’m just gonna keep fawning on you like this a little longer, Grandma. Show me some mercy.

“There, there. Nothing to be afraid of.”

Ahhh, Daat’s lap is so comfortable.

Is this that babumi* thing I’ve heard about? Until my infantile-regressed brain returned to normal, I decided to give myself to her lap and drift off. Yeah, this is a perk of the job. Sorry if your legs fall asleep though. That really sucks… (tl note: Maternal love one feels from a young girl. Most common example is Momoka from Idolmaster)

“There’s a trick to doing a lap pillow. Once you get used to it, your legs don’t go numb like that.”

I see. As expected of Daat-obaa-chan, so reliable.

Phew… I feel a little better now. Thanks, Daat. My angel.

“No problem.”

She snaps off a refreshing wink, and I couldn't help but smile. It’s the contrast between the cute Daat and the cool Eight-chan. Very stylish.

Now that I’ve regained my usual composure, I sit up and slap my cheeks, finally resolved myself to face reality. It took me about thirty minutes to get to this point. Even with Daat therapy, it still took that long to recover. Without her, I probably would’ve shut myself in bed all day.

Yes… The emotional scars of Eight-chan run deep.

This truth was too cruel for me, and I was very unwilling to accept it. Honestly, I still felt like fawning on Daat a little longer, but sadly, the fact that this anime is airing isn’t going to change.

Besides—when I saw T.P. Eight Olishua on the screen, it’s also true that I felt emotions other than anxiety and shame.

That fact that I have those feeling is… embarassing.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of. Didn't Charon-nee-san say it too? That beyond the dimensions, there are infinite worlds that hold every possibility. The world where you used to be in—this is also just one of those possibilities."

That’s convenient. The world I was in just happens to be one where the events happening here has been made into an anime. Well, the interpretation of “that kind of world” is actually all-purpose and a handy term that can deal with all sorts of criticism in fanfiction settings. No matter how calmly someone points out, “That doesn’t make sense…,” they can't say anything back if it’s just “that kind of world.” It’s the perfect defense for a theoretical argument. (tl note: tsukkomi here is translated as criticism. The phrase is one of the standard phrases used in tsukkomi.)

“Also… you seem to be quite popular in the anime too. The merch and figures are selling like crazy.”

…For real?

“For real, for real. According to Charon-nee-san, you even pushed aside En and the others and took first place in the latest popularity poll.”

Uh, hold on… aren’t you exaggerating a bit?

Sure, I always paid attention to my behavior for the purpose of being a charming presence as a cheat original protagonist, but beating out even the main characters and taking first place doesn’t sound right to me.

It would’ve been better to land in like, fourth or fifth place, and leave a quiet comment like, “Thank God,” or something.

After all, the protagonist of Fairy Savers is Akatsuki En… In fanworks, I can be the most popular and that’d awesome, but if it becomes official, that’d be a misinterpretation.

“You say that, but you’re grinning.”

….…

…!?

I-I'm not grinning! You’re slandering me of pretending to be calm because I was stunned that I became official, drawn so beautifully, and unexpectedly received high praise from the Fairy Savers fanbase!

Hm-hmph. In the first place, these days where internet culture has developed, anime character popularity polls are a loose system where even joke characters can be pushed to number one if voters huddle together. So even if you achieve that kind of result, it’s nothing to be proud of and doesn’t deserve any proper recognition!

Fuhehe.

“You’re totally happy about it, aren’t you?”

…Yeah. Honestly, I’m so happy I wanna make a huge scene about it.

It’s embarrassing, but I’m happy. I’m happy, but it’s embarrassing. I see, those tsundere heroines who resort to violence to hide their embarrassment probably feel just like this. Having zero experience with romance, I could never empathized with them, but maybe humans are creatures who very much want to move when their body when their joy pierces the heavens.

“Well, I’m glad you don’t feel down about it than I thought. I totally thought you’d go, ‘If I’m official now, then I’m not an original protagonist anymore!’ and get all sad.”

Yeah.

Depending on how you see it, the existence of this anime could be a reality that fundamentally shakes my identity as an original protagonist.

But it’s fine. I’ve got the perfect defense for a theoretical counterargument.

It's not about what you say, it's how you say it. No matter how official it may be, there’s something it just can’t beat in this case—

—and that’s the order it appeared.

In other words, all I have to do is claim my own origin!

I’m not a character from the anime Fairy Savers ∞. That anime reverse-imported me, an original protagonist from Fairy Savers!

In reality, T.P. Eight Olishua first appeared in this world. Since it came out here first, there's no difficulty if I insist that I'm a Fairy Savers original protagonist of. Sure, I might no longer be a Fairy Savers ∞ original protagonist, but if that's the case, then I'll just insist that this world is a Fairy Savers fanfiction that we all wrote together.

That’s why, even if the official show tries to trail in or shove in an unnecessary push, I’ll keep saying it over and over again.

I’m T.P. Eight Olishua—the perfect cheat original protagonist.

“Who exactly are you fighting against…?”

“Hmph… the laws and commandments of creative writing, maybe?”

“Sorry, I don’t get it.”

“I see…”

“Sorry…”

“It’s okay.”

“Thanks.”

I forgave Daat’s words with a generous heart as she gave an exasperated laugh.

Even I admit it’s a difficult claim, but to put it simply, what I’m saying is that the identity of T.P. Eight Olishua won’t be daunted by something like this at this stage.

Or maybe watching this anime just made me feel it again.

—That I want to be even more involved in this story of ours, this world.

Putting that aside, I can’t help but feel itchy when watching an anime where I appear. I wonder if this is how actors feel when they watch films they appeared in.

But let me say it once more. I am not a heroine. I’m not!! A heroine!!!

“T.P. Eight Olishua” in this anime has this weird seductiveness in every little movement, acting like she’s a popular heroine, and I do not like that with that.

Keter, too, cut it out. What’s with that nonsense where you’re staring at my sleeping face in bed and monologuing so attractively? You can’t be serious…

『...Daat... I’ll fight. Against everything in this world that tries to use you.』

Just look at that. He’s like a protagonist swearing a grim resolution in front of a sleeping heroine… Stop it.

The anime screening is still continuing.

Right after Keter muttered some meaningful line, a pleasant melody kicked in and a cool OP started playing, though I don’t know what episode it was from.

The frustrating part is that the anime is extremely well-made, so I can’t even complain.

The scenes I was in were also portrayed fully and thoroughly, and aside from a occasional risky angles up my skirt, it had a satisfying finish. Animation staff, do you love me too much or something? Every single one of you is doing way too good a job.

Damn it… if only this was boring, I could’ve confidently recognized it in my dark history as a shitty anime!

Before I knew it, I found completely absorbed in the story as a related party rather than as a viewer.

…But then, the story advanced, and dark clouds gathered.

The chronology in the story has caught up.

In order to stop Mea-chan’s rampage, T.P. Eight Olishua risked her life to save her and in doing so, lost consciousness and was taken away by Keter.

She was now laying down in a bed in a sacred, shrine-like facility somewhere within the World Tree Sefira.

Yes, the whole scene looked exactly like…

“You totally look you’ve become a captured heroine now.”

“Shut up.”

I’m not a heroine… I’m an original protagonist… I bit back to Daat’s teasing words, desperately preserving my self-esteem.

Stop it… Turn off the camera there.

Why are you showing my sleeping face, damn it. Don’t shoot it like that. Sure, my sleeping face is beautiful and video-worthy*, but still…

──And so, while feeling like that, Fairy Savers ∞’s Isekai Arc  inflicted heavy damage to my dignity, and I regretted watching this anime.

But even so, I gained a great deal of information thanks to this anime.

n particular, being able to grasp the state of things of this world from the so-called "god’s point of view" through this anime, which is exceedingly non-fiction for this world, was a huge deal.

The scheme of Charon-sama, who appeared like the true final boss, the events unfolding on Earth, where Akari is, and, more than anything… the circumstances regarding Keter were fully depicted, so I was able to clearly understand things that had been vague until now. I'm really glad.

When the anime’s part A ended uncut commercials flowed in—probably because Charon-sama slacked off on editing—I decided to take a breather and ask a question to the person concerned in front of me.

"Daat... were you going out with Keter?"

I went straight for the heart of the matter. The topic was the relationship between Primordial Archangel Daat and King of the Archangels Keter.

Starting around the final arc, it had portrayed in the anime like the avant* and part C—that the two of them had gotten along in the past. That caught my interest, so I decided to ask the person in question for an explanation. (tl note: material before the opening credits)

…It’s not payback for teasing me about being treated like a heroine, okay?

"That’s… Do you mean if that child and I were a lovers?"

"Yeah."

I may be a cheat original protagonist, but I’m not the dense type, so I felt a lot of things from watching those two in the anime.

In the recollections, Keter and Daat looked like they were "in that kind of relationship."

To my question, Daat gave a wry smile and shook her head.

"That’s a misunderstanding. Keter back then was still young, around ten years old in human terms. When I said I loved him, I didn’t mean it in a romantic sense, and I never saw him that way. It’d be kind of dangerous if I had, right?"

"That’s be a case in court."

"…You knew that when you asked, didn’t you?"

"Yup."

Man… If they had been real lovers, I wouldn’t have known how to react.

I asked that question assuming the answer would be no.

Yeah, that’s a relief. So there wasn’t any older sister in a miniskirt dress harboring forbidden feelings for an innocent boy.

"…Is this outfit really that lewd? It was common attire in my era, and I am properly wearing something underneath, you know?"

"D-don’t go out of your way to lift it and show me. How immodest."

"Okay~"

Ahh, so underneath it’s like a leotard. Then it’s fine… no, I think that a miniskirt outfit with such a high degree of exposure that shows off the thighs is lewd, to say the least.

Supposing that a beautiful older sister dressed like that had been around in my neighborhood when I was a kid, I absolutely would’ve been influenced in some strange way. Daat is rather obliging and very caring, so she’d have been a terrible shota killer in the human world.

"Eh…"

…What? What’s with that look, like you just saw something unbelievable?

Eh, did I say something weird? Ah, this line is a bit original protagonist-like. No, seriously, I don’t get what that look means.

Well, looking at the depictions in the anime, it’s hard to imagine Keter ever looked at her that way.

It seemed like he really adored Daat, though… When Keter was young, his attitude toward her was clearly different.

Even when he was a child, Keter was a jaded* angel child who showed coldheartedness inappropriate for his age to the extent that glimpses of who he is today could be felt, but he was adorable and honest only with Daat. (tl note: original means “lost his innocence")

I bet he’d be popular with the older sisters in that other world.

"I think Keter was in love with you, though."

"No way. By the time that child was born, in human terms, I would’ve been around the age of a senior high school student. There’s just no way."

"Yeah… I can see that."

About a sixteen-year age difference in human terms, huh… So rather than amorous feelings, it’s probably more like you’re an older sister he adores. Or maybe a stand-in for a mother.

…Actually, I’ve been wondering whether archangels even fall in love.

"I don't know about now, but we didn’t in my time. We angels are beings who prioritize our missions above all else, so we didn't have the luxury to nurture love with someone special nor the time for talking together. Even so, Nee-san was super popular with lots of fairies!"

SasuCharo! (tl note: shortcut of “as expected of Charon”)

"SasuCharo!"

Yes, as expected of Charon-sama.

Of course Charon-sama would be popular! I can picture the holy beasts around her setting their eyes on her because she’s the kind of presence you just can’t leave alone. That’s the sort of charisma… not charichuma*, okay? that the goddess-like person named Charon-sama has. (tl note: a state in which a person who is originally charismatic becomes mentally immature for some reason)

In the anime, she made her debut with this unsettling vibe, like a final boss or something... but it's fine. No problem.

《It lights up! It makes sounds! DX Phantom Thief Notebook on sale now!!》

"Ahaha, this toy looks fun. I kinda want it."

Daat, the Archangel of Knowledge, murmured with great interest as she watched "Fairy Savers ∞"-related toys being showcased in the unusual commercial.

Ooh, so there’s goods like this too... yeah. If we’re popular in this way, that actually makes me happy. It feels good, like being a tokusatsu superhero.

Just imagining little kids in the park playing with this toy, imitating me, made me feel peaceful inside.

"You’re really... never mind."

…What do you mean?

Ah, the commercial’s over.

Do your best, everyone! I had to withdraw, but don’t lose! Go beat that Sheriruth!

On the outside, Eight-chan appeared relaxed, but on the inside, she was nervously watching the battle of the “Savers.”

Next