Several days later.
Aoyama watched with a trace of helplessness as Akane sat beside him, unable to suppress a sudden giggle.
"Akane, did I do something wrong?"
He spoke with a look of grievance on his face.
"That guy claimed he was going to occupy ten seats. That's explicitly his fault, especially when other people inside the carriage were standing without seats."
Following the moment where Aoyama slapped the blue-jacket man that night, police were called onto the scene to handle the aftermath.
However, upon checking Aoyama's medical record for previous psychiatric assessments, the officers patiently mediated the dispute.
Once the blue-jacket man and the purple-dressed woman realized Aoyama suffered from a mental deficiency, they had zero options left.
After all, chasing legal action against a documented mental patient holds zero weight.
Thus, the incident ended without further issue.
But...
Someone inside the carriage had recorded the incident with a smartphone and uploaded it directly into the network stream.
That detail changed everything.
Initially, everyone just clapped for Aoyama's swift judgment, giving him the title "The Subway Judge."
But later, some Edgerunners fans who had met Aoyama offline noticed something.
The "Subway Judge" inside the streaming clips looked slightly like the Aoyama who appeared at the signing session earlier that day.
Once the video began to ferment across online platforms, several fans who sat inside that carriage stepped forward with statements confirming it was indeed Aoyama.
Suddenly, a wave of hype flooded the network boards:
{ "All I hear is gears clicking inside my head. Everyone said Aoyama came from a mental ward, and I thought it was just online banter. I didn't think it was reality!" }
{ "I believe it now. Old fox Aoyama definitely escaped from a ward recently!" }
{ "Unknown scenario, zero comment; known scenario, execute immediate justice!" }
{ "Listen closely, analyze calmly, and deliver judgment!" }
{ "The Subway Judge! Whenever, wherever! Delivering justice live down the track!" }
{ "You hit it perfect, brother! That slap sat beautifully!" }
{ "I didn't think it was funny initially, but watching Aoyama's forward-stance execute that slap sent me into hysterics." }
{ "What do you understand? That is called executing a forward-offensive while framing a guard stance. Sensei was preparing to block a counter!" }
{ "Sensei did exactly the right thing. Occupying two seats and claiming innocence, would it kill you to move over?" }
{ "Equipped with Cyberpsychosis, executing grids that make my vision go dark." }
{ "That old guy was actually the woman's husband. Claiming he just couldn't stand seeing the layout, hmph!" }
{ "I heard they only mediated because Aoyama produced a certificate for mental instability. He really is a patient." }
{ "To tell the truth, that isn't something a normal human would execute..." }
---
This small incident firmly secured Aoyama's reputation as a certified mental patient in the minds of his fans.
Now everyone was certain there was a glitch locking his circuits.
Only Aoyama continued to insist that he was perfectly fine.
"See, Akane? Everyone says I did the right thing," Aoyama stated immediately.
"No one is saying you were wrong," Akane nodded with a smile.
"You actually did the right thing, and everyone supports your actions."
"Just don't be that impulsive next time. Standing up for justice is a good thing, but you need to factor in your own position afterward."
Aoyama broke into a grin. "I'm genuinely fine. When I delivered that slap, I already factored in spending a bit of cash to settle it."
With his current healthy balance sheet, paying out several thousand credits for damages wouldn't trigger any pain metric.
More importantly, that slap sat insanely satisfying to execute.
Akane paused for a microsecond before breaking into a smooth, elegant smile.
"By the way, Akane... have you been busy lately?" Aoyama asked suddenly.
Akane looked startled for a split second, before quickly replying, "No, I'm not."
But listening to her voice and watching her eyes shift slightly, it was clearly a cover.
In reality, she was drowning in workload.
She was currently preparing to design a startup website framework, complete with schedule planning.
She had recruited several seniors from her department containing specialized technical layouts, persuading them to load into her startup blueprint.
Aside from those seniors, she had also invited two roommates, Hana and Aki.
As for... Emi, she had hesitated for a long interval.
She knew Emi's grades and coding metrics weren't optimal; homework assignments were completed only with the support of the other three roommates.
Thus, inviting Emi into the team was fully locked inside a heavy debate for a long timeframe.
But factoring in their sisterly bond, and that leaving one girl alone while the other three launched a business felt bordering on isolation, she relented.
And Emi pleaded to join. So eventually, she locked Emi into the team sheet.
The schedule right now called for the team to code a baseline website first, with Akane securing an investment from Centree,her father's search giant,to purchase server racks and test operations.
But currently, the exact core material of the website triggered division inside the team.
Some suggested echoing the layout of Youdou, the current leading video-hosting platform, and just converting some partitions into anime and 2D-culture grids.
Others argued that simply duplicating wasn't enough. An anime-centric website stood distinct from traditional platforms; it demanded innovation.
But regarding what kind of innovation, they could only suggest "anime grids."
Consequently, Akane spent a lot of time mapping ideas lately.
"Are you planning to construct an ACG-culture video platform?" Aoyama smiled, speaking directly into the topic.
"Aoyama... you caught onto it." Akane nodded helplessly, admitting the truth.
"Lately you carry the look of someone running calculations in the background. It's hard to ignore," Aoyama chuckled. "Plus, during previous dinners together, I overheard you guys discussing it."
"I see."
Akane understood immediately. On weekends, their dorm crew usually invited other guests to hang out.
For instance, Aki would bring along her interest, Seino Gakuto, Akane would bring Aoyama, and Aoyama would tag along his cousin, Yusuke.
During those dinners, the girls inevitably drifted into discussing their project, which was how Aoyama had intercepted the information.
Aoyama smiled. "Actually, I have some ideas. Aside from partitions for anime, stream shows, and manga grids, you can integrate other categories into the layout."
"For instance, Akane, have you considered Odottemita, gaming modules, lifestyle clips, or even general discussions grid spaces?"
"Odottemita, gaming, lifestyle, and discussions?" Akane asked with curiosity.
Following that question, Aoyama slowly downloaded concepts from his previous life,ranging from standalone bullet-chat layouts and short video platforms to pure livestream formats,laying out the blueprints item by item.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]