Nirvana Top Laner, Reborn Tokyo Girl

Chapter 159, Question 156: What is a phenomenal figure?

Not just at the original school.

Similar incidents are unfolding in various parts of Japan.

One by one, everyone heard the name "Shimamura Yuna".

I heard about the fact that "Japan has a League of Legends champion" one after another.

The pride of Japan, the glory of Japan, a genius and beautiful girl from Japan.
This narrative allowed Yuna Shimamura to quickly become a sensation in Japan.

That's right, League of Legends itself is not popular in Japan.

But
Yuna Shimamura's popularity is not due to League of Legends.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that the Japanese League of Legends needs a representative figure like Yuna Shimamura to boost its popularity and buzz.

The day after Shimamura Yuna won the championship, the number of League of Legends downloads surged in Japan after the news spread.

Of course, a large portion of them are veteran players who had played the game before and are now choosing to come back and take a look.

After all, League of Legends is a very popular game, and quite a few people in Japan have tried it, but many find it too difficult to play.

At this moment, Shimamura Yuna's victory reignited the gaming enthusiasm of this group of people.

Videos and live streams related to League of Legends are experiencing a surge in popularity.

A bunch of Japanese translations of Chinese comments about Yuna Shimamura can get a lot of views online.

Everyone felt a sense of pride seeing how much Chinese people liked Yuna Shimamura.

[She's Japanese, but she's really popular in China right now.]

She's very popular in China; she's practically a national idol.

[It's so nice to see everyone like her so much. She's Chinese, but she understands this Japanese person better than we Japanese do.]

It's not just about games.

Even "Pure Fructose," endorsed by Yuna Shimamura and produced by a food company under the Kujo Group, sold out in Osaka.

Seeing such good sales, the Kujo Group immediately announced that it would soon launch a co-branded fructose product with Yuna Shimamura.

But how long is "sooner"?
That depends on how well Akari Kujo talks to Yuna Shimamura.

In conclusion, Yuna Shimamura's influence is now evident in all aspects of life, both online and offline, and she has undoubtedly become a phenomenal figure in Japan.

However, the person who feels most directly about "Shimamura Yuna becoming really famous" is probably her older sister, Shimamura Shiori.

Prior to this, people in the company had learned through word of mouth that her sister was a professional gamer from China, but that was about all they knew.

After all, most people don't really understand what League of Legends or LCP are.

Everyone has their own interests and hobbies, and everyone has their own life.

Therefore, apart from the fact that "Ms. Shimamura's sister is a very famous person," no one had the motivation to investigate further.

However, things changed drastically after Shimamura Yuna won the championship.

The night we won the championship wasn't a big deal.

But things changed the next day when Shimamura Yuna topped the Japanese Twitter trending list.

As soon as Shiori Shimamura arrived at the office, a female colleague next to her workstation eagerly approached her with her phone and asked, "Shimamura-san, Shimamura-san!!! Is this your sister??? I remember you mentioning her before?"

The photo on the phone shows Yuna Shimamura standing on stage, holding a trophy.

The news headline read: Japan's Pride! The Prodigy Girl Wins the World's Number One Esports Championship!

The other person's expression was so fervent that it was somewhat surprising.

After a brief silence, she replied, "I guess so?"

Then the colleague excitedly said, "Your sister is so cute!!! And so amazing! Do you know, there's news about your sister all over the internet right now, everyone's talking about her, you know that?"

Shiori Shimamura nodded: "Of course I know."

Then my colleague pressed further, "Don't you have any particular feelings? You mean, your sister is so capable, and now she's won a championship and made a lot of money, don't you... have anything to say?"

Do you feel it?
Shiori Shimamura really didn't know how to answer this question.

She could understand that her colleague was probably just curious whether she, as a direct relative of such a celebrity, would feel any pride, surprise, or desire to show off.

The answer is, of course, yes.

It started when my sister first stepped onto the professional stage and carried the team.

Up until now, when she won the championship and became one of the most famous professional players in the world.

She has always been watching her younger sister's growth and progress, and has witnessed her reach one milestone after another in her career.

Therefore, for her, more than a surprise, there was a sense of emotion and relief at watching her younger sister naturally become stronger.

She's past the stage where she wants to brag to those around her about how capable and strong her younger sister is.

She was used to her sister being like that.

Moreover, the more she flaunts her sister's success to others, the more frustrated and resentful she feels about her current situation.

After all, if you're successful too, there's no need to show off your sister to others every day, right?
After thinking for a while, she just smiled slightly and replied, "My sister is much better than me, unlike me, who lives such a miserable life every day."

The female colleague quickly shook her head: "What are you saying, senior! You're just as good as her. If it weren't for an outstanding woman like you, how could she exist?"

Shimamura Shiori didn't pay much attention to her colleagues' compliments and flattery; she simply nodded calmly and composed herself.

Then, I sat down at my workstation and began my day's work.

She wanted today to seem ordinary; she wanted today to seem like just one of countless ordinary days and nights.

However, reality did not go as she wished.

For the rest of the day, she was constantly bombarded with questions from colleagues.

"Is this your sister?" "Your sister is really famous now. What do you think of her winning the championship?" "Your sister must be making a lot of money, right? I heard she earned tens of millions of yen on the day she won the championship. If you live off her, you won't need to work at all, will you?"

To be honest, she was certainly proud of her sister's victory.

But listening to what the people around her were saying, she inexplicably felt increasingly uncomfortable.

It might be a mentality similar to "I'm afraid my sister will suffer, but I'm also afraid my sister will drive a Land Rover."

During the time when her parents died in a car accident, she was truly determined to "burn herself out" and chose not to pursue postgraduate studies, but instead to start working early to support her family.

When her younger sister was causing trouble at home every day due to depression, she was genuinely worried about her and hoped that her sister would get better and better.

Now, my sister has really changed for the better.

But her feelings were somewhat complicated.

My younger sister shines so brightly on stage, realizing her life's value and becoming a well-known professional player in Japan and even the world.

Looking at myself, I'm still stuck doing repetitive, uninspiring work at the company day after day.

Earning a meager salary every day, living a monotonous, predictable life as a corporate slave. No future in sight, no present, even the once-hopeful future has become blurry and indistinct.

Her greatest strength as a person lies in the fact that she is 'the older sister of Shimamura Yuna'.

She entered society early with this very understanding in mind, hoping that her younger sister wouldn't follow the same path as her.

She clearly chose to sacrifice herself because she wanted her younger sister to be better than her.

But when all of this became a reality, she still couldn't help feeling somewhat unbalanced.

The more her colleagues emphasized this point, the stronger and more complex Shiori Shimamura's feelings about it became.

Gradually, her mood became increasingly depressed, and her work performance visibly deteriorated.

Just then, her boss, Sato, noticed her condition.

This middle-aged or elderly person, who is over 50, always possesses a kind of approachable charm that is unique to the elderly, like that of a father or grandfather.

He is very gentle and understanding. As a superior, he is very approachable and takes good care of the young people in the office.

Such a model boss naturally receives goodwill and kindness in return.

At this moment, the gentle and popular elder also keenly noticed that Shimamura Shiori seemed to be in a low mood.

He could roughly guess why Shimamura Shiori was in a bad mood.

Realizing that things couldn't continue like this, he took the initiative to walk up to Shiori Shimamura and pat her on the shoulder.

Sato asked, "Will your sister go back to Japan after this competition?"

"Ah, Minister Sato!" Shiori Shimamura was startled when she was suddenly patted on the shoulder while she was focused on her work.

Then, after realizing what was happening, she nodded somewhat dejectedly: "Yeah, I think I'll be back soon today."

Sato smiled gently: "Well then, how about this? It wouldn't be good to leave such a Japanese e-sports hero all alone after returning home."

“These jobs in the company are not necessarily your responsibility, but as your sister’s only relative, you are the only one who can provide her with the emotional support she needs.”

"So, I'm going to arrange a new job for you. You don't need to stay at the company anymore. What you need to do is go home, take good care of your sister, and spend quality time with her and have a good talk. Is that okay?"

"Don't come to work for the next week. Go home and get some rest."

Upon hearing this, Shiori Shimamura was somewhat incredulous.

"Um...is that okay?"

Department Head Sato smiled kindly and nodded: "Of course, it's my decision, isn't it?"

Shiori Shimamura was somewhat surprised by Minister Sato's sudden act of kindness.

But after thinking about it for a moment, she nodded and accepted the other party's arrangement.

"Thank you very much."

After that, she didn't say anything more.

Instead, he quietly packed his things and left the company.

Minister Sato watched Shiori Shimamura's departing figure and sighed with emotion.

"Young people, you really do find happiness in doing what you love."
-
Afterwards, Shiori Shimamura, who was on vacation, personally drove to the airport to pick up her younger sister.

This is the first time Shimamura Yuna has returned to Japan since she left.

To give the two sisters some alone time, Akari Kujo, who was on the same flight back to Japan, did not stick together with Yuna Shimamura.

Although she was reluctant to leave, she still chose to take the bus home alone and said goodbye to the two sisters.

"Well then, see you next time, Mingli."

"Okay, see you next time, Yuna. I'll come see you again when I have time."

Shiori Shimamura was initially looking forward to it, hoping for an atmosphere similar to the reunion of family members in movies and TV dramas.

However, after actually picking her sister up in the car, she felt a little unsure of what to talk about.

How is it to live in Taiwan?

"It's alright. I'm quite used to it."

"Really? Well, you seem to really like Chinese food, so of course you wouldn't have any problem eating it in Taiwan. I remember you suddenly made me a whole table of very lavish Chinese food before, which startled me."

"Yes, it was for you, sister."

How long do you plan to stay in Japan this time?

"I won't be staying long, maybe a day or two. I'll be going back soon, the competition is about to start. Also, I need to take care of some things while I'm in Japan these next couple of days."

"Handling something? Is it about renewing the contract?"

"Yes. My contract with the CFO actually has a few months left, it won't end until the end of MSI. Now I'm considering whether to transfer now."

"So how are you guys talking now?"

"It seems the CFO has given up on selling me; they seem to just want to play me until my contract expires. But they also said they would respect my opinion and would cooperate if I wanted to transfer."

"Your thoughts?"

"I haven't made up my mind yet. Several LPL teams have already contacted me. I need to think about it for another day or two. I should make a decision before I leave Japan."

The two sisters chatted intermittently in the car.

But the atmosphere was a bit awkward.

Both of them felt like they were making conversation for the sake of it.

Although it was a long-awaited reunion, there was no sense of emotion or warmth that should accompany such a meeting.

There was an inexplicable sense of distance between them.

Shortly after, the car arrived at its destination.

Shimamura Yuna returned to the front of this somewhat dilapidated detached house after a long absence. Looking at the "Shimamura" sign on the door, she felt a mix of emotions.

And there was nothing special about my schedule after I got home.

The two sisters went out for a barbecue together as a celebration.

Then I went home to rest and spent a rare "slow life" night since I started my professional career.

There was no training, no games, and no competitions.

Yes, but it's just a return to tranquility.

The two sisters maintained this slightly awkward yet harmonious atmosphere until the following evening.

Finally, Shimamura Yuna couldn't help but speak up: "Sister, I have something I want to tell you."

(End of this chapter)