Popularity is everything; I play a super genius.

Chapter 2 Genius Beyond Definition

Saki remained lying on her back, a thought forming in her mind—

The system interface, visible only to him, unfolded instantly in his field of vision.

There are two floating windows side by side in the bottom right corner:

One is his personal channel.

The other is the main camera, which is currently focused on the anime's protagonist, Hyuki.

Today is the first day of enrollment for new students at Echo College, and also the day when all new students undergo aptitude testing.

Saki taps the main camera and zooms in.

In the classroom, a red-haired boy nervously placed his hand on the testing device.

The instrument's light flickered. On the podium, the teacher, who was flipping through a romance novel, glanced at it and lazily began to speak:

"Echo potential assessment - F".

Huo Mu froze, then returned to his seat, looking utterly dejected.

Meanwhile, sparse comments floated across the main camera screen:

"Holy crap, this picture quality? Are you serious???"

"The budget is burning, the budget is burning like crazy..."

"Another weak start? But considering the production quality, I'll let it slide for now."

"Exactly! Can't we have something more exciting? I want to see everything crushed, I want to see rivers of blood!"

"The protagonist looks so weak... Guys, when will he turn the tables and kick me?"

Because it was a "pre-broadcast live stream" before the official premiere of the anime series, the number of viewers was not very large.

After all, most viewers prefer to watch carefully edited, condensed versions of the main feature.

However, there is also a group of core fans and avid viewers who enjoy watching live streams and experiencing the sense of participation of "witnessing history firsthand."

Qi Ji glanced at his personal channel, where the number of viewers was even more dismal, only a single digit.

There were only two comments:

"Hey anchor, isn't today the entrance exam? Why are you still sleeping in here?"

"Wow, this is the masked character that really appeals to me! I love it!"

Qi Ji casually browsed the popularity rankings of his personal channel.

Currently ranked first is undoubtedly the protagonist, Huomu, since the main camera is focused on him.

The second and third spots were occupied by the main female characters from the first season—

Bai Lili and Liuli.

Both benefited from the increased modeling and production costs, resulting in purely numerical anomalies.

Qi Ji clicked in and took a look, and sure enough, the live stream was full of shocking scenes and praise for the modeling.

"Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap! This picture quality! This immersive experience! I'm ready to take off right now!"

"Is this fair? Such an innocent face paired with such a wicked body, it's unfair!"

"Guys, I really love this!"

—This is the style of art on Bai Lili's side.

"Jade jade jade jade!"

"Is this a food tasting channel?"

"This isn't just 'this food is delicious,' it's like a Manchu Han Imperial Feast being served right to my mouth!"

—This is the case for Liuli.

Qi Ji mingled with the crowd and sent two comments before closing the window.

He glanced at it and saw his personal channel, which was currently in the lower middle of the rankings.

It's not that he can't use props like camera cards, spotlight cards, or lucky bag cards to attract attention, but at the current stage, he feels it's unnecessary.

Because he'll soon be able to get screen time from the "big streamer".

In Liuli's live stream, the girl was walking towards where Qiji was.

……

The rooftop door was gently pushed open.

Liuli leaned closer, her gaze sweeping around.

Soon I saw Saki Saku lying there, his head resting on his arm.

"Saki-kun, you really are here. You haven't tested your talent yet, have you? If you don't test it soon, it will be too late."

Saki didn't move, but simply replied in a matter-of-fact tone:

"Talent test? I don't need to do that."

"Huh?" Liuli was taken aback.

"Testing is definition, definition is limitation, and I am a genius who transcends definition."

"..."

As soon as she finished speaking, the chat in Liuli's live stream room started scrolling:

"Where did this masked man come from? He's so flashy!"

"Kid, you're pretty arrogant!"

"That was a perfect show of bravado, I give it full marks!"

"Playing this cool? That's totally me!"

"Well said! I'm not going to school for the final exams tomorrow either! Exams are definitions, and definitions are limitations. I'm a genius who transcends definitions!"

"That mask is kind of cool, anyone else have the same one?"

"Masked Guy said he doesn't like being defined by others."

Faced with Qi Ji's answer, Liu Li opened her mouth, her face showing an expression of "I knew it would happen".

Before enrolling in Echo Academy, she and Saki had attended the same preparatory school.

Although she wasn't exactly familiar with him, she had heard a bit about this genius's unconventional style.

"Saki-kun, this place is not like the preparatory school. Those who can advance to Echo Academy are the elite of the elite, the geniuses of geniuses, and there are even prodigies who were born with Echo, as well as scions from aristocratic families."

Everything here depends on your own efforts. If you miss the talent test, you'll be graded an F! Then, getting resources will be much harder than for other students.

Liuli tried to persuade Qiji a few more times, but seeing that he was unmoved, she could only sigh and leave with worry.

Watching Liuli's figure disappear on the rooftop, Qiji turned over and changed to a more comfortable sleeping position.

He wasn't deliberately showing off by avoiding the test; rather—

He can't go.

He is an outsider who does not belong to this world, and he does not have the talent of "echo" at all.

If you actually go for the test, you'll only get an "F" or even worse.

Isn't that just making a scene?

He can't let his carefully cultivated "super genius" persona be ruined here.

Therefore, avoiding the unknown and using boastful words to create a sense of mystery and arrogance is the best solution for him.

You should know that playing a genius in front of the camera is also a very tiring thing.

You can easily be exposed if you're not careful; you have to put in 100% effort when no one can see you.

With Ruri's departure, Qiji's personal channel lost some members, but some people remained because of his outrageous remarks.

"I came from Liuli's wife's side. I heard there's a really pretentious streamer here?"

"Hey streamer, could you please take off that smug mask on your face?"

"Take off your mask, and I'll send you a plane!"

As he watched the increasingly lively personal channel, a slight smile appeared on the corner of Qi Ji's mouth beneath his mask.

Sure enough, in the early stages of a broadcast, if you want to quickly boost your popularity, you still have to try to get on the camera of "big streamers" and collaborate with them.

So, the next one to piggyback on is, of course, the anime protagonist, Hyuki, who is about to get into trouble.

Saki was not in a hurry.

He lay there leisurely, continuing to watch the "main screen" through the system window.

……

……