NOVPUBThe stream began.
As the standby screen disappeared, the viewers were greeted by today’s host.
— ?
— ??
— Eh
— ???
— Huh?
— ??
— ?????
— What
— ?
— LOL
— ??
Standing on the beach, collecting countless hooks.
It was none other than Surfboard Magia.
“Hello, Parallel’s dear Wol-Dungis. This is Magia, your host for today’s Goodbye Summer Special with the first-gen members of Another.”
The sight of a surfboard bowing in half was nothing short of a cultural shock.
About half of the Slug Squad, who had been hoping for a cute swimsuit-clad Magia, were already screaming in despair.
— That’s not a swimsuitttttttttttttttttt
— How is that a swimsuit?!
— Get the CEO in here
— Lies
— This ain’t it
— A surfboard, seriously LOLLLLLL
— Aww come on LOL
— This is some bottom-tier trolling
— Please, wear a normal swimsuit
— At worst, I expected a rash guard or a diver’s suit, but this? LOL
— What the hell LOL
Of course, there were also those within the Slug Squad who were absolutely thrilled with the “surfboard swimsuit(?)”.
— 🗡movgun: Insane LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
— 🗡movgun: I did NOT see this coming LOLLL
Anyone who hadn’t even considered the idea of replacing a swimsuit with a surfboard had already burst out laughing in disbelief.
— boron: LOLOLOLOLOL
— I can’t even LOL
— lupko: You’re f***ing insane LOLLLLLLLLL
— But admit it, it’s funny, right?
— LOLOLOLOL
— OMG LOL
— This is bottom-of-the-barrel stuff LOL
— It’s hilarious though LOL
— LOLOLOLOL
People who came to see the first-gen swimsuits ended up dying of laughter, and for a while, the chat was just a flood of Ls.
Magia seemed to pick up on the chaotic mood and waited a moment for things to settle down.
Once the storm of chat began to calm, she spoke up.
“Yes, this is the ‘sea fairy’ look I teased on Z, remember?”
— ?
— ??
— ?
“Lifeguards who save lives at the beach often use surfboards. People even call them sea fairies sometimes. So technically, I wasn’t lying.”
— I have so much to say, but I’ll keep quiet
— Okaaaay
— Sure, let’s go with that...
— Right, let’s say that’s true
— LOL
:: An anonymous viewer donated 1,000 Clouds! ::
:: Look at everyone just going along with it now, so used to her trolling LOL ::
:: An anonymous viewer donated 1,000 Clouds! ::
:: Anyone who was arguing is dead now LOL ::
Did Magia think it was weird when she got this look from Kongblanc and Pino?
Of course not.
She was happy to let the spotlight shine on the first-gen idols—beautiful, glamorous, and dazzling.
Meanwhile, she could draw all the aggro for today’s event.
Plus, it was the perfect outfit for summer and the beach.
That was exactly what this surfboard was.
Especially since it had Pino’s approval—it was guaranteed to draw attention.
With new traffic came fandom growth, so Magia had no reason not to wear it.
And sure enough, the strategy worked perfectly.
Not a single person watching the stream wasn’t laughing.
More and more people were showing up, having heard the news.
Some were just curious—seeing a surfboard with a human face walking around on the thumbnail—and couldn’t resist clicking.
[(🔴Live) Goodbye Summer! with Parallel Another, featuring Magia] 👪56,192 viewers
— What is this LOL
— ??????????
— Just got here, what the hell is going on?!
— Came for first-gen swimsuits and saw THIS LOL
— It’s cute though, cheers to that LOL
But in the midst of all this chaos—
The real stars of today’s content appeared.
“Before we dive into the main event, let me introduce today’s special guests—our four first-gen members of Another, one by one!”
In stark contrast to Magia, who came to be funny on purpose, the beach models walked in.
Just their presence drew everyone’s eyes—an entrance as dazzling as only first-gen idols could pull off.
— Whoaaa
— Whoaaa
— Look at that
— Damn
As everyone’s attention naturally locked onto Dora and her overwhelming figure—
Maru, ever the watchdog, fired off a warning to the fandom.
“Donguris. I can see you staring at Dora’s chest. Keep it in check, alright? I’m writing everything down.”
“Oh~ So that’s how you all look at me? I’m disappointed~.”
“Swimming with those deadly missiles strapped to your chest? You’re a marine menace. The ocean creatures hate you. Compared to that, our Komari is an angel. A protector of the sea—ack.”
“Why am I getting dragged into this?! I wasn’t even saying anything!”
Another, as harmonious as ever.
With everyone trading barbs and banter, five to ten minutes passed in a flash.
Then, after greeting the viewers together—
The real content began.
Among the four beautifully dressed in swimsuits stood Magia, the not-quite-human sea fairy, who explained how today’s content would work.
“Today’s event will be a 1:1:1:1 competition. Each of you will be earning points individually, and whoever gets the most points will win the grand prize.”
“I have a question.”
“Go ahead.”
“What’s the prize? You still haven’t told us.”
As Magia clicked the presenter in her hand, a huge screen appeared in the background behind the four standing on the beach.
“We kept the prize secret until today to keep you motivated. Let’s check it out now.”
A moment later, the prize was revealed:
[Two R-seats for Asabara’s Korea concert + Two 5-star hotel vouchers (with breakfast)]
If you listened to J-pop, there was no way you didn’t know the Japanese singer-songwriter Asabara.
The prize included two R-seats and a hotel stay near the venue after the concert.
Dora raised her hand.
“I have a question~ Is there just one bed at the hotel?”
“Yes, it’s one king-size bed.”
“Oh my my my.”
— What
— What the hell
— LOLLL
— This is so on the nose LOL
— Maru, you better win
— Maru, this is your shot
— The perfect opportunity just dropped into Maru’s lap
It was such a targeted prize that the three other first-gen girls turned to stare at Maru all at once.
Feeling their burning stares, Maru yelled out—
“Why, why are you looking at me like that?! I didn’t say anything yet!”
But with that reaction, everyone knew for sure.
Ah.
If Maru wins, she’s 100% dragging Magia along.
And right on cue, Magia chimed in.
“You can use the prize yourself, but you’re also allowed to give it to someone else. It’s not a must-use-for-yourself kind of thing.”
And upon hearing that, Komari immediately said—
“Then I’ll give it to the boss.”
— What
— Gasp
She explained.
“She’s been crazy busy lately. I think it’d be nice if she could go to a concert and rest for a day. Better than someone using it for selfish reasons...”
— LOL
— Komari’s the queen of filial piety
— Komari’s the only one who truly cares about Momo
It sounded suspiciously like a jab at Maru.
And since the chat was already roasting Maru, she couldn’t just let it slide.
“Excuse me, Komari. I never said anything, okay? I didn’t say I’d use it with Gia!”
“So you won’t use it with her?”
“No! I’m going with my mom!”
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
Let’s be honest—everyone knew Maru had volunteered herself into Magia’s harem drama.
Everyone was watching eagerly, always waiting for a chance to stir things up.
And a prize like this? With someone who clearly wants it the most?
There was no way they’d stay quiet.
Rain, ever the agent of chaos, jumped in too.
“Then me win and give to cute kouhai.”
“What?”
“Hey, hey, hey. Maru. Calm down. Take easy. I said I’d give it to a kouhai. I didn’t say which one. Got it?”
“You try giving it to Ena and see what happens.”
“My god. Are you psychic?”
“Ugh. I knew it.”
— LOLOLOLOL
— This is a complete mess
— Now it’s a three-way war LOL
Maru looked at Dora.
Hoping at least she would be on her side.
Something like that.
After all, while the others had made it clear who they’d use the prize with,
Dora stood like a casting vote—sighing deeply as if thinking hard.
But who was Dora?
She was the one people joked about being a lolicon alongside Pino.
And she was Magia’s mama (illustrator).
She adored Magia.
Going to a concert together and sharing a hotel stay?
It was the perfect chance for fun stories.
“I dunno... I kinda want to spend some cozy time with Gia, just the two of us~.”
“Oh come on! Not you too, unnie?!”
— She's joined in!
— Even Dora??
— Four-way battle LOL
— Whoever wins, we win!!
Still, Dora seemed open to compromise.
She turned to the flustered Maru and said—
“Of course, if someone offers a good price, I might sell it. Hehe. Maybe if someone offers, say, a million won?”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I’ve been wanting to upgrade my tablet, but I’m a little short on personal funds~. I wonder if anyone would buy it for a million won~? Doesn’t have to be Maru~.”
“This is ridiculous!”
— Flipping it like a scalper!!
— To be fair, Asabara R-seats + 5-star hotel is worth about that LOL
— Dora’s brain is in top form today LOL
Maru turned to Magia, shouting.
“Hold on. Host, is this allowed? Can you resell it?”
“As long as it’s a member-to-member transaction, it’s fine.”
“What kind of rule is that?!”
— That makes it 2 vs 2, right? LOL
— Even if Dora wins, Maru can just buy it for a mil LOL
— For real LOL
:: An anonymous viewer donated 1,000 Clouds! ::
:: So Maru is too stingy to spend a million won on Gia, confirmed ::
“Excuse me, everyone? I never said that, okay?”
:: An anonymous viewer donated 1,000 Clouds! ::
:: It’s fine to be stingy, just means you lose the Magia battle LOL ::
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t buy it, either!!”
Instead of supporting Maru-Gia, everyone was either teasing or sabotaging her.
And in the middle of it all, Maru suffered.
Since it was starting to feel like Maru was the only one getting pummeled—
Magia stepped in to restore some balance.
“Alright, alright, everyone, let’s not {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} go too hard on Maru for something that hasn’t even happened yet. Who knows? Maybe she’ll go beast mode today and win every game and take home the prize.”
— ?
— As if
— Maru? Beat someone with physical skill?
— LOL
— You mean the one who trips over her own feet just running around?
Everyone shared the same thought—
When it came to physical ability, Maru was absolutely the weakest.
And today was a 3D stream, meaning a physically active broadcast.
“So let’s hear from the viewers. I’ll open a quick poll—who do you think will win today?”
Naturally, most people expected the winner to be either Dora or Rain.
And Rain had a slight edge.
The members often joked that while Dora had decent physical skills, her chest made things uncomfortable during movement.
And so, the poll results were, unsurprisingly:
[Predicted Winner]
1. Rain – 41%
2. Dora – 35%
3.Komari – 21%
4.Maru – 3%
But Magia already knew from the start that today would be tough for Maru.
Even during the planning stages, this exact discussion had come up several times.
So of course, she had planned for it in advance.
After all, a harem storyline centered on Magia only works if the three competitors are at least evenly matched, right?
Same goes for a bet like this—it’s only fun when the odds are close.
“Based on your votes, we’ll assign point multipliers accordingly.”
[Scoring Multipliers]
1.Rain – 41% – 1x
2. Dora – 35% – 1.17x
3. Komari – 21% – 1.95x
4. Maru – 3% – 13.67x
— ?
— What
— LOL
— Wait a minute LOL
— Huh?
— Oh man, this means...
It was basically like betting odds in sports—
Calculated to give Maru a fighting chance despite her obvious disadvantage in physical games.
They couldn’t use this method in every stream—too many people would try to game the system—
But for today, it allowed for a genuinely competitive match among the four.
With that, even if Maru placed first in just one of the four games, she had a real shot at winning.
Now filled with confidence, Maru shouted:
“The days of my oppression end today. You’re all dead!!”
***
But even in this seemingly hopeful scenario—
Over the next three games, Maru didn’t score a single point.
[Current Scores]
1. Komari (x1.95) – 9.75 pts
2. Rain (x1) – 9 pts
3. Dora (x1.17) – 8.19 pts
4. Maru (x13.67) – 0 pts
Fourth place didn’t get any points.
And Maru placed fourth. Every. Single. Time.
Just when she looked like she might place better—
She tripped over her own feet.
Lost balance and fell.
Crash. Bang. Boom.
Thankfully, the flooring was soft and cushioned, so there was no danger of injury.
— Oof...
— Maru, no...
— She seriously couldn’t even manage third once?
Even the viewers who had been teasing her at first were now silently watching with pity.
Still, maybe because there was always a chance for a big comeback,
Maru never gave up.
Even after her third straight last-place interview,
Her determination had only grown—and was now at its peak.
“In the final game, I’m going to show everyone I can do this!!”
“So you mean physical strength doesn’t matter in this last one?”
“Nope. I trust my lung capacity.”
That’s because the final game was one Maru had real confidence in:
Zombie Tag.
The “zombie” has to wear a blindfold and grope around inside a designated area trying to catch the others.
The others run and dodge.
Sometimes the runners just move around freely,
But sometimes they’re required to wear something that makes noise every time they move.
That’s the usual method for larger groups.
Since the space can’t be too small, if the runners can move silently, the zombie ends up looking like a fool.
In Parallel’s version, the runners held whistles in their mouths.
Meaning it all came down to how well you could breathe evenly.
And when it came to breath control, Maru—who trained tirelessly as a singer—was top tier in Parallel.
Hence her confidence.
“It won’t be easy running away from the zombie, though.”
“As long as I don’t fall, I’ll be fine.”
— Didn’t she say the same thing earlier?
— LOL
— She’s repeating herself... that means she’s gonna be last again, right?
“Hey! Donguris, stop saying I’m gonna lose! You guys are jinxing me! That’s why I keep ending up in fourth place!”
— The Donguris did nothing wrong
— Don’t take it out on us
— Boo~ Boo~
But just as Maru’s confidence was reaching its peak—
She was thrown into confusion.
Because Magia was suddenly announced as the zombie in the final round of Zombie Tag.
[Zombie (It): Magia – fixed role]
Maru stared at the screen, startled.
“Wait, so you’re the zombie the whole time?”
“Yep. In case someone refuses to accept the results, I’m stepping in to ensure fairness by exploiting a loophole in the rules.”
Dun-dun!
:: :: PIN0 has donated 100,000 Clouds! :: ::
:: :: Sorry but I want to join too :: ::
— Oh god, Pino
— Get out!
— I swear, he makes me want to curse
— Pfffff
The chat was having a field day.
Meanwhile, Maru’s brain was scrambling.
Because the goal in this game was to not get bitten by Magia.
But Maru, who’d already been falling behind in the Magia-centered competition,
Didn’t really mind the idea of getting “bitten.”
Being bitten? That doesn’t happen often.
And in the rivalry for Magia’s attention, it was a flex—
A power move: “I’ve already been bitten by Gia!”
So what, she was gonna give up the concert and hotel?
Maybe it’d be better to just hope Dora wins.
Then pay her the 1 million won and buy the prize.
Sure, people would call her a loser who had to pay—
But that’s still better than getting nothing and looking like an idiot.
As they say: “If you’re gonna be an idiot either way, be a winning idiot.”
Besides, the concert and hotel are mostly just fanfiction fuel anyway.
But getting bitten? That leaves an impression right now, on stream, in everyone’s minds.
I need to get bitten.
Maru made up her mind.
Yeah.
Let’s get bitten repeatedly by Gia.
And if Dora wins, I’ll buy the prize for 1 million won.
If Rain or Komari wins instead, I’ll offer even more money and make a big scene!
But—
Maru’s hopes were shattered by Magia’s next announcement.
“By the way, there’s a special rule for this game.”
“Special rule?”
“If you give up on winning and just charge at me to get bitten, that’s a problem.”
“Me? What did I do?!”
Caught red-handed, Maru jumped and tried to deny it, but it was pointless.
Everyone watching already saw her as the type who’d charge Magia at any moment.
She’d inserted herself into this drama willingly.
So Magia, with the unspoken agreement of the audience backing her, continued.
“If viewers report that someone got bitten on purpose, and it turns out to be true, they’ll be disqualified.”
“Ugh.”
“And disqualified players aren’t allowed to buy the prize from the winner either.”
It might’ve looked like Magia was just picking on Maru,
But she actually said it out of concern.
Even if the Magia-centered love drama was wildly popular—
Content still had to be real and fair.
Trying to sneak in some flirty chemistry with underhanded tricks just wouldn’t do.
Someone might call it out,
And that would only make things harder for Maru.
So now, Maru had to find a way to get bitten
And still be eligible to win the prize.
Luckily, she got an idea almost immediately.
She ran straight over to Dora and grabbed her arm.
“Dora unnie. Let’s team up.”
“Huh? Why?”
“I’ll protect you when it gets dangerous. In return, you have to sell me the prize if you win, okay?”
“Heh, so you’re saying you’ll definitely buy it? Deal!”
— A sudden alliance?!
— Gasp LOL
— Oh??
— Come to think of it, there’s no rule saying teams aren’t allowed LOL
Komari saw the chat and shouted.
“Wait, is that allowed? Forming teams like this?!”
Magia made it clear: anything that wasn’t explicitly against the rules—including teaming up—was fair game.
“Yep, it’s allowed. Not in the rules. Rain and Komari can form a team too and sabotage them if they want. It’s all up to you.”
All eyes turned to see what Rain and Komari would do.
And in a surprise twist, Rain shouted:
“Maru, cancel that contract. Me sell cheaper. 950,000!”
If two people teamed up in this game, it was a huge advantage.
Not just because they had someone shielding them—
But because they could completely neutralize a rival.
Rain had clearly realized this.
If she couldn’t beat them, she could break up their alliance and make some cash while doing it.
And of course, Komari and Dora weren’t just going to stand there and do nothing.
Chaos broke out.
“No! I’ll sell it. 900,000!”
“Eeeh, I said I’d sell it first! 850,000!”
“800!”
“750!”
“700!!”
— What the hell is happening LOL
— Why did this turn into an auction?!
— Maru is suddenly in massive demand LOL
— Now this is Another at its finest LOL
