Nirvana Top Laner, Reborn Tokyo Girl

Chapter 165, Section 162: Before the Start of the Second Stage
'This is the last CFO of 2025, and also the strongest CFO in history.'

'This might even be the strongest Taiwanese team in history since TPA.'

'And for this team, the upcoming season will be their swan song.'

With this in mind, the popularity of the entire CFO, especially Yuna Shimamura, skyrocketed in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

Although fans from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan don't really have much to support this team, there's not much else to support, since another Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan team, TLN, is currently in terrible form and can't even maintain its second-place position in the league.

But
That's what it says.

Actually, you don't have to be a fan of anyone.

It should be said that from the LMS to the current LCP, League of Legends esports has always been a niche and eccentric hobby in Taiwan.

Unlike the feeling of the game gradually declining on the mainland, in Taiwan, the game has been on the verge of dying out for many years. Those who are still playing and watching are mostly older players; young people don't play it much anymore.

It's somewhat similar to the status of Dota 2 in mainland China.

To say that nobody plays it or nobody knows about it would be a lie.

But to say that many people still play it now would be a lie.

It's a genuine, outdated game that was once very popular.

It's normal that most Taiwanese people don't pay attention to such a terrible game, such a terrible competition, and such a terrible team.

However, thanks to Yuna Shimamura, her position as CFO has seen a significant increase in popularity in Taiwan.

In fact, the popularity of League of Legends in Taiwan has seen a significant rebound.

On March 23, after saying goodbye to her sister, Shimamura Yuna took a plane from Japan back to Taiwan.

Having lived in Taiwan for several months, she thought she was quite familiar with the place.

Whether it's the pace of life or lifestyle habits.

Overall, it doesn't feel that it's that different from the mainland.

Aside from the fact that she was from the mainland in her previous life and didn't know much about the customs and habits of coastal areas like Taiwan, she wasn't having any other problems.

Oh, and one more thing.

Even though it's a place where everyone speaks Chinese, it's strange that you can't pay with a mobile phone QR code, which makes her feel a bit awkward.

Although cash is the most commonly used currency in Japan, but...
Sure enough, in places where Chinese is spoken, it feels strange not to use WeChat or Alipay to scan QR codes, right?

Aside from these, she felt that the lifestyles in Taiwan and the coastal areas of mainland China were not very different, and speaking Chinese felt quite familiar to her.

In some ways, after arriving in Taiwan, she felt more at home than in Osaka.

Although Osaka is considered a very socially-oriented place in Japan, it still cannot escape the overall oppressive social atmosphere of the country as a whole.

It's just that it's much better than the Tokyo metropolitan area.

Compared to Osaka, Taiwan is a place with more human touch and less alienation between people.

So, she quite liked it here.

When she returned to Taiwan this time, just as she was preparing to resume the familiar rhythm of life she had been living for the past few months...
To her utter surprise, before she even arrived at the base, and as soon as she sat down in the taxi, the driver in the front seat struck up a conversation with her.

"Hey, are you that one~~"

The driver was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his thirties. He had a very typical Taiwanese accent, the kind that's a bit affected and effeminate.

From the moment Shimamura Yuna got into the car, his attention was focused on her; he had clearly recognized her.

However, he didn't seem to be very familiar with League of Legends, so he couldn't recall Shimamura Yuna's name.

After trying for ages to find out who was the one, I still couldn't recall their name.

I could only awkwardly say, "You mean that Japanese girl who plays video games?"

Shimamura Yuna was somewhat surprised to hear the older man say that to her.

She wasn't unrecognized when she walked the streets of Taiwan before.

Even when she went to the 711-Eleven convenience store downstairs from the base to buy things, for a period of time, the clerks who worked there were her fans and even asked her for autographs.

It's normal for young people to like esports, so she wasn't surprised.

But
To be honest, the man in front of me was over 30 years old, and he looked travel-worn with a full beard.

It doesn't look like they're playing video games at all.

Thinking of this, she asked the man with some curiosity, "Um... do you know about that competition? Or rather, have you played that game?"

The middle-aged man said, "Sigh, I played it a bit when I was young. It was really popular back then. Everyone was playing it. I even know a Taipei assassin who won the championship, right?"

Yuna Shimamura nodded: "Yes. So, do you still play now?"

The middle-aged man sighed, "I don't have time to play anymore. I didn't even know the game had changed so much. I feel like I haven't seen anything related to this game online for years."

really
Looking at the uncle's haggard and worn-out appearance, she didn't think he had the energy to pay attention to entertainment projects like sports.

And why is it that such a person can know himself?

This makes people quite curious.

Shimamura Yuna then asked, "Then how did you know me?"

The middle-aged man said, "Oh? Everyone knows that."

Do you all know that?
Just as Shimamura Yuna was wondering, the uncle pointed to the chicken cutlet shop on the side of the road.

"Hey, look, isn't your picture right there?"

At that moment, the car was parked at a traffic light intersection, so Shimamura Yuna happened to glance in the direction the uncle was pointing.

It turned out to be a roadside restaurant.

Yuna Shimamura knew that this restaurant seemed to be under the CFO's parent company.

And now, there's an advertisement posted at the entrance of this store.

[Celebrating CFO's victory in League of Legends FS! Win limited edition Shimamura Yuna merchandise with our chicken cutlet giveaway!]

The advertisement also featured a picture of Yuna Shimamura holding the trophy during the competition.

Seeing such advertisements in their physical stores, seeing themselves featured as the main character in promotional materials.

Shimamura Yuna was momentarily dazed.

That's just how I feel.
'Have I become such a big star?'

This was something we wouldn't have dared to even imagine before.

Now she could roughly understand why the older man felt that everyone knew her now.

In Taiwan, she has indeed reached a level where most people who pay even a little attention to the internet are aware of her.

Even if you know what it is but not why it is, at least you know yourself.

Thinking about this, Shimamura Yuna felt a slightly complicated feeling.

Afterwards, the man seemed very excited to meet a celebrity, and kept chatting with Shimamura Yuna and trying to get close to her.

We started by talking about games, specifically how League of Legends is doing now and whether it's popular in Japan.

Then I asked her if she was used to living in Taiwan as a Japanese person.

There are also some classic questions that are so predictable that there's hardly any suspense involved.

Questions like "What do Japanese people think of Taiwan?" or "How come your Chinese is so good?" are common.

It's true that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family.

On these issues, on their curiosity about foreigners, and on how others perceive them, they are indeed very concerned.

Shimamura Yuna was genuinely somewhat helpless about these issues.

She seemed reluctant to answer because she wasn't entirely Japanese, and being asked such a question made her feel a little awkward. But not answering would also be impolite.

So, I could only give a perfunctory answer.

"Yes, it's all good. Everything is fine. The food is delicious, everything is nice, and everyone is nice."

"I taught myself Chinese, yes, I learned it on my own before. At that time, I was interested in some Chinese TV dramas, so I learned it by myself."

"Yes, thank you for the compliment. I'm very happy with your praise."

I was tortured like this until I got off the bus.

When she finally arrived near the base, she discovered that even the main gate of the CFO's base was covered with posters about herself.

It's so densely packed that it makes me feel like some popular celebrity from CFO's agency.

Shortly after getting off the bus, some passersby noticed him and came up to ask for his autograph.

"Oh my god, it really is Shimamura-san! Shimamura-san, I'm a fan of yours, can I have your autograph?"

"Shimamura-san, you played so well in this match!"

Shimamura Yuna felt somewhat helpless about the long time that had passed since she returned to Taiwan, but she also felt that it was understandable.

I feel that if she were on stage, she would really enjoy the feeling of being the center of attention and being noticed.

However, even after leaving the stage, in her daily life, she still doesn't want to be seen like a giant panda wherever she goes.

It's not that I don't like it.

She actually really enjoys being the center of attention.

However, the premise is that it should not affect daily life.

Now it seems that it's starting to slightly affect her daily life, which makes her feel a little uncomfortable.

However, as the saying goes, pain and pleasure coexist.

With my current popularity, it's only natural that so many fans would come to me for autographs. They don't mean me any harm, so I can't blame them.

can only say.

This is what they mean by "If you want to wear the crown, you must bear its weight."

And so, feeling the atmosphere so different from when she left Taiwan to compete recently, Shimamura Yuna walked back to the training room at the base.

When Shimamura Yuna returned to the base, it wasn't as lively and bustling as she remembered.

The LCP league starts slightly later than the LPL and LCK, and its schedule is not as tight as those two regions.

So, taking a break from her busy schedule, the CFO still gave the team members a day off.

Currently, some players have voluntarily returned to the club to rest after their leave.

Some team members are still on vacation.

Tomorrow is the final deadline for my vacation.

The atmosphere of the boys' dormitory has changed significantly due to the decrease in the number of students.

The entire base seemed deserted.

At this moment, when Shimamura Yuna returned to the base, only Junjia and HongQ were there.

Their reactions upon seeing Shimamura were somewhat subtle.

It seems they knew this was Shimamura's last season with them.

It seems that they realized their time together wouldn't be long.

A subtle atmosphere, slightly melancholic but not to the point of tears, just a little sadness, permeated the three of them.

"haven't seen you for a long time."

"Yeah, I haven't seen it for a few days."

"Hello, Shimamura-san."

Their interactions were bland and uneventful.

Everyone seemed to want to say something, but in the end, they couldn't say anything at all.

It feels strange to say anything sentimental; it doesn't feel like it's that serious.

However, knowing that Shimamura Yuna would be leaving after this season, they couldn't maintain their usual cheerful conversation.

So they simply stopped talking to each other.

Shimamura returned to his seat as usual, turned on his computer, and started playing ranked matches.

Liang and Wai were playing their games by themselves. After the initial greetings, everyone seemed to deliberately avoid interacting with each other, maintaining a deliberate, restrained atmosphere of not communicating with one another.

It wasn't until the training session ended in the evening, and everyone was about to go home to rest, that the training session continued.

Junjia finally took the initiative to call out to Shimamura.

"Um, Shimamura-san."

"Ok?"

Shimamura Yuna, who was about to leave the training room, turned around and looked at Junjia.

After hesitating for a moment, Junjia sighed and said, "Let's all do our best next season, okay?"

Shimamura Yuna paused for a moment, then smiled and nodded: "Yes, I will."

"I will do everything in my power."

There were no sentimental words.

There wasn't much of an atmosphere that would move someone to tears.

It was just a simple, unassuming conversation, but it contained Shimamura Yuna's genuine feelings for her teammates and a determination that didn't need to be expressed in words.

She is ready to give it her all in this final season as CFO.

The outcome may not be as good as expected.

But at least, you'll only know if you try.
-
After that, the entire CFO team officially entered a training phase.

The daily training time and schedule have returned to the same level as before the Pioneer Tournament.

However, Shimamura Yuna's schedule has changed slightly.

Her physical fitness issues were exposed very seriously during the previous Vanguard match.

It's almost impossible to complete a full best-of-five series.

Previously, the CFO didn't think he could win a BO5 or anything, so he wasn't too concerned about this issue. He thought that at worst, he could just let REST or Driver take over.

But now that they've actually won the championship, everyone remembers the time Rest got completely crushed and feels a sense of foreboding.

If Shimamura Yuna hadn't suddenly become incredibly powerful later on, this point might have really been foreshadowing something.

Therefore, in order to ensure that Shimamura Yuna could complete the subsequent BO5 matches, the coach asked her to increase the proportion of physical training on top of her existing physical training.

The requirement for Rank has actually decreased.

Now, Yuna Shimamura spends almost as much time at the gym as she does in the training room every day.

In addition, after winning the Pioneer Tournament, they have a better chance of getting matches against strong teams from the LPL and LCK.

Generally speaking, apart from a few adjustments, their schedule is no different from before the Vanguard Tournament.

but.
The current CFO has significantly improved his win rate in training matches compared to before he went to the Pioneer Tournament.

(End of this chapter)