Also known as "The More Teammates, the More Impressive", "A Sports Series with the Aesthetic of a Girls' Band", "You Have a Long Way to Go Before You Can Beat a Stat Monster", and "Why Are There So Many Kageyama Tobios with Black Hair and M-Shaped Bangs?"
As a famous manga artist, Yuan Jiukong is constantly criticized for being bad at writing emotional scenes between the members of his protagonist group.
Determined to portray a bond that feels real, he decides to immerse himself in "Bond Simulator".
Who could have guessed that, on his first try at a full-dive game, Yuan Jiukong would end up trapped in his very own Sword Art Online?
To escape the game, he can either clear the main storyline or wait for customer service to pass his feedback up the chain, from his supervisor to the tech department, until they finally inspect the System...
To save himself, Yuan Jiukong resolutely chooses to clear the main storyline.
And the game has only one main quest:
[Find like-minded ■■ teammates and form a ■■ for life!]
After surveying the spawn point, Yuan Jiukong picks his target, dashes over, grabs his potential teammate's hand, and asks earnestly, "Would you be my teammate?"
"Issho ni!"
Customer service returns after fixing the bug: Hello there! The bug has been fixed... What did you do?!
The customer service rep screams in despair: This is a band-building game! Why are you playing ball?! Don't you know that sports series can only change so much? Our bond-building game deliberately has the guys form bands and the girls play sports!
Yuan Jiukong: Huh?
Yuan Jiukong looks at the five trophies in his hands, then at the N former teammates who have gathered around him at some point. Scratching his head, he asks sincerely, "Um..."
"This time I mean it. Will you form a band with me for life?"
His abandoned former teammates: "You're doing this again?!"
Back in the real world, Yuan Jiukong finally grasps the true meaning of bonds. His writing flows effortlessly, and the passionate relationships between his protagonists win widespread acclaim.
Sitting in a cafe, Yuan Jiukong waits for his new editor while planning the panel layout for his next chapter.
Then someone who looks a little familiar, and whose face also resembles an NPC model from the game, walks toward him.
: Excuse me.
: I'm your new editor, Akaashi Keiji.
: It's been a long time. I never thought we'd meet here.
: Jiukong.
Reader's guide:
1. This idea came to me out of nowhere. The protagonist is a self-sacrificing golden retriever who turns everyone into obsessive fans, then blows them all away! Once his stats are maxed out, he'll win every match.
2. The main story is mostly one-sided crushes. The extra chapters will get together with everyone, with separate endings for all. I'm not a sports professional, so most non-sports competition details come from web searches or looking through manga.
3. I've never written a long romance before. If anyone feels out of character, blame me. This is mainly a funny slice-of-life story, and I'm not very good at writing the matches, orz.
4. I'll post chapters when they're done, so there's no promise of daily updates. It all depends on my enthusiasm (emphasis). If I'm writing two stories at once, I'll guarantee a weekly update, with more focus on whichever one I started first.
Theme: Stay positive and face life with a smile.
