Fairy Tales: Hotboys and Magic has been trending in the fighting game fandom for a few days now.
The reason for its sudden popularity isn't its Otome elements but rather its fighting game mechanics, a genre thought to be on the brink of fading away.
Ask a few random people on the street, and they might think fighting games are just beat-'em-ups.
So, when a fighting game emerges with stunning graphics and perfectly balanced gameplay, it's practically unheard of in recent years.
The game started gaining attention on YouTube through a few videos and live streams, including one featuring a former champion of Toyken playing the game.
His chosen character was Éclair, fighting against a straw puppet opponent.
It seemed like he was practicing with this character.
"It's great that this game is getting more recognition!" he smiled, completely engrossed in the game's mechanics—so much so that he spent an unprecedented amount of time glued to his computer screen.
However, using certain characters was a daunting challenge, especially his main, Willhart.
Willhart's playstyle relies on relentless combos and constant aggression. Thankfully, his damage output is high enough to make up for being easily countered, which could otherwise be devastating.
The more he played, the more he realized Willhart could integrate with other mechanics, making combos even more extensive.
However, pulling off a perfect combo required memorizing all the buttons (which was overly complex) and developing insane keyboard speed.
The repeated button presses left his hands aching—almost as if that was the price of maining Willhart.
"All right, I need to try my Willhart against someone!"
He exited training mode and stumbled upon something unexpected—Ranked Mode!
"Awesome! Something those other games don't have!!"
Excitedly, he clicked on the Ranked Mode option without much thought.
***
My subordinates placed a cup of tea on the table, cleaned up everything around me, and tidied the room, making it elegant and refined.
Despite this, I still had a pile of paperwork to finish at my desk.
"Here! Coffee!" My secretary handed me a cup of coffee, smiling proudly.
"You made this?"
"Of course! I'm your secretary, after all!"
...
I stayed silent, took the cup, and took a sip.
Oh, the aroma of coffee... it felt as if Death itself was patting me on the back.
I set the cup down, collected myself, and resumed my work.
"So? How was it?"
"Not bad, except for the fact that it was made by you."
"A compliment and an insult in one breath?"
"Did I compliment you?"
My secretary, seemingly annoyed by my words, flopped onto the sofa and sulked.
Honestly, I don't know why I hired her as my secretary—she's the type who can't sit still for long.
Knock knock.
Oh, someone's at the door.
"Come i—"
"GUHAHAHAHA! IT'S BEEN TOO LONG, BOY!" The door flew off its hinges, crashing in two directions.
The booming voice belonged to a man in his 50s, a massive, muscular figure with a grand beard and slicked-back hair. He wore typical aristocratic attire.
"BOY! COME GIVE ME A HUG!"
"No."
"TOO LATE!" He rushed over and bear-hugged me tightly, his enormous muscles squeezing the air out of me.
"Let me go, old man—"
"OH! COFFEE!" He dropped me, grabbed the coffee, and took a sip.
My secretary, hopeful for praise, eagerly awaited his reaction.
"Well? How is it?"
"GUHAHAHA! IT'S TERRIBLE! REMINDS ME OF THAT FOOL VUTIC! GUHAHAHA!"
Though his laughter was loud, his words were harsh. My secretary slumped back onto the sofa, disheartened.
The two of us sat down, facing each other.
"So, old man, why are you back so suddenly?"
I skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point.
"Came to see you and bring you some good news."
"Old man, your 'good news' is usually bad news for me."
"Now, now, don't be like that. You're only 15; you don't need to shoulder such heavy responsibilities."
I frowned and turned to him.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, why not temporarily hand over your position as Mafia boss to me so you can attend Fairy Tales academy?"
...What?
"Y-You want to overthrow me?"
"Who said that?"
"Then why?"
He smiled like a father, though that smile made me want to punch him in the face.
"It's simple. I realized that you, too, received an invitation. Even though you've been running the largest mafia organization in the Lotus Kingdom and turned it into the boogeyman of every other crime syndicate, you're still a 15-year-old boy. A boy who's still growing up. I felt guilty, so I decided that I would—"
"You talking to much, old man."
"Ahem, fine, I'll keep it short. I want you to enjoy your youth to the fullest. Leave your work to me! That's why I've come back! (And, well, to hug you too)."
"Old man... you're currently a Count of this kingdom. How do you expect to run a mafia organization?" I held my head in disbelief.
"Don't worry! It seems like the way you've managed things has made people see our organization under the name Free Bird! A perfect cover, so I'm not concerned!"
"The reason I turned my organization into this kind of front wasn't so you could come along and use it as your disguise!" I slammed my hands on the table.
"Don't worry! I have chocolate for you!"
"Do you think I'm still a kid?"
"Then why you eat my chocolate?"
"That just appear in my hand."
"So you want to or not?" He looked at me with glistening eyes.
This old man... can you act a bit more like your age?
And weren't you the one who threw your position at me? Now you want it back?
"No means no."
"Come on, boy. I know this is shameless of me, but you can't just work all the time. You're still young!"
"Stop trying to convince me, old man. I've made up my mind to do this job... Besides, if I leave it to you, this organization would probably crumble into dust."
"Hey, don't doubt the effort I put into founding this organization!"
"Thanks to you, I had to clean up all the mess you left behind. Took me three years to fix it all!"
"Ugh... seems I'm not very impressive in your eyes, huh?"
"Actually, it's not just me."
He slumped into a chair, both legs up, his face darkened as if mourning the harsh truth.
Honestly, I don't hate him.
It's just that he uses brute force more than brains (or maybe he doesn't even have one), so his decisions often make no sense.
I'm genuinely surprised that so many people still follow him even after I took over this position. Maybe his straightforward, loud, brainless, and brawny personality leaves a strong impression.
I sighed and added a few more words.
"Old man, if you have nothing more to say, please leave. The sleeping quarters are nearby. My subordinates will show you the way."
"Willharttt..."
"Stop calling me by name."
"But that's the name I gave you!"
"Because I didn't have a name back then, old man."
"UGAHHHH, MY SON IS REBELLIOUS NOW!!! HE'S STARTING TO ARGUE WITH HIS DAD!!!" He flopped to the floor, rolling around like a child, causing some of my subordinates to widen their eyes in shock while my secretary tried to stifle her laughter.
I just wanted to crawl into a hole.
"Old man... stop doing that, it's embarrassing..."
"UGAHHHHHHHHH!!!"
I'm going to die of embarrassment!!!
"Fine! I'll reconsider what you said! Happy now?!"
"I'm so proud of you! Now, bye-bye! I'm going to check out my room!" He cheerfully walked off, crashing straight through a wall, leaving it in ruins.
"Boss... how old is he?" one of my subordinates asked.
"...57," I said, covering my face.
"I didn't expect the former Mafia boss to have... such a personality—"
"Alright, shut it and get back to work."
"Y-Yes, sir!"
Everyone began fixing the wall while I returned to my desk and took a sip of coffee.
It tasted bad, but it wasn't as bad as what the old man did today...
***
A day had passed, and I woke up with my hair in a tangled mess.
I went to the bathroom, grabbed my toothbrush, squeezed some toothpaste onto it, brushed my teeth quickly, and spat it out.
Heading back to my room, I carefully put on my outfit, added a chain to my pants, and looked in the mirror.
"Hmm, cool. I'll call this accessory the 'Chain of Death.' Sounds pretty badass."
"You still have that weird habit of naming everything, huh?"
I turned to see the old man still in his pajamas decorated with three little pigs and wearing an eye mask with a wolf design.
"Why are you here? This is my room."
"A father has the right to be in his son's room."
"Get out."
After kicking out the shameless old man, I adjusted my sleeves and stepped outside.
"Boss, would you like something to eat?" A subordinate appeared at the door, waiting for my orders.
"Hmm... I feel like eating out today. You don't need to serve me."
"My apologies for disturbing you, then." He disappeared immediately, and I headed to the elevator.
Ding dong!
The elevator doors opened, and the doorman greeted me respectfully. I stepped out, taking out a ring.
This ring was a Magic Gear that made the wearer harder to recognize—perfect for famous people who wanted to go out unnoticed.
I slipped it on, channeled mana into it, and walked toward the largest market in the city.
The further I went, the more people there were.
Soon, I arrived at the bustling market where all sorts of goods were sold—food, tools, and so on (nothing illegal, of course; this wasn't a black market).
I looked around for a place to have breakfast.
My eyes landed on a noodle stall, a specialty of this Lotus Kingdom.
The irresistible aroma drew me in immediately.
"Madam, one bowl, please."
"Oh! A regular! It's been a week since you last visited!"
"Sorry, been busy."
"No worries, no worries. As long as you come to eat, I'm happy. Take a seat! Still the beef noodle soup, right?"
"Yes."
The friendly owner was one reason I liked this stall.
I sat at an empty table, observing families and individuals enjoying their meals.
Some were chatting happily and even drinking beer despite the early hour.
After a few minutes, my bowl of beef noodle soup was served.
The fragrant, delicate aroma was intoxicating.
'The addictive stuff bandits use is nothing compared to this,' I thought, smiling as I picked up my chopsticks.
Oh, wait—lime and herbs. It'd be a mistake not to add those.
Once everything was in, I began eating happily.
Passersby watched me eat, some swallowing hard and tempted to try it themselves.
Even a few girls blushed, staring at me. Was something on my face? (His face is kinda cute when he eating)
The stall owner smiled warmly, working with twice her usual energy.
After finishing the broth and placing the bowl on the table, I wiped my mouth with a napkin and walked over to pay.
"You're like a lucky charm, kid. Every time you eat here, more customers show up," she said cheerfully as she took my payment.
"I'm not that special... Thanks for the meal."
"No need to thank me! I'm just happy you come to eat!"
She waved goodbye as I left, feeling full.
'...I feel like eating something sweet, like chocolate cake,' I thought, planning to head back to headquarters.
On the way, I noticed children being walked to school by their parents.
"..."
I watched their smiles and their little black school bags.
"Brats, tomorrow I'll bring you a book!"
I remembered those crude, foul-mouthed words...
"Now that I think about it... didn't I once say I wanted to go to school?"
I fell silent for a moment before continuing on my way.
Maybe... I should let myself enjoy life a little.
***
"HOW WILL YOU GO TO ACADEMY?!"
"Yes."
"GUHAHAHAHA!! NOW THAT'S MY BOY! COME HERE AND GIVE ME A HUG!!"
"No."
Despite saying that, the old man tried to hug me, but I dodged just in time.
"Alright, call everyone to the meeting room. I'll inform them right away," I said to my subordinate, and he called the high-ranking members of this Mafia organization.
Within a few minutes, several people arrived, looking like they had put aside their work to come here.
Among them were five individuals who stood out, especially compared to those over 30 years old.
The man wearing glasses, dressed neatly with sleek black hair, was Leo.
A girl with red ponytail hair and golden eyes, wearing a suit with a serious expression, was Irina.
A young man with short purple hair and a scar by one eye, Éclair.
One person was yawning with messy pink hair and an eye patch, dressed without any sense of formality, Sternruh.
And lastly, a girl wearing headphones, dancing to the beat, with short dark purple hair and dressed like today's youth, was Ga-Yul.
They all sat down quietly and waited for me to speak.
Of course, they also noticed the old man since he was a former Mafia Boss.
"Everyone, I have an extremely important announcement, and I want everyone to hear it."
"..." Looking at everyone, I broke out in a sweat and decided to speak.
"That is... I will temporarily step down as Boss to go study at the Fairy Tales Academy. Does anyone have any objections or comments?"
Honestly, I was ready for someone to object.
...But no one raised their hand.
"No one raising their hand?" I was a bit surprised as I looked at them.
Suddenly, an older man raised his hand, which made me realize there was still someone who objected, they just needed some time to think.
I let him to speak, and he stood up, looking at me.
"Boss, you can go study, no one will stop you."
?!
"You're only 15 years old, the youngest in this organization, you can mature mentally, but we would regret not letting you act your age."
Suddenly, another person stood up and said, "Honestly, we've always been worried letting you work like this! So when you said you were going to study, I thought an angel had descended today!"
"Exactly! You should enjoy your youth more!" "I fully support your decision!"
"No objections."
"Just be honest, no one will blame you."
One by one, they expressed their thoughts, which left me a bit overwhelmed.
"See? I told you to enjoy your youth," Batya Milov smiled and said.
I stood there speechless and said nothing. Could it be that the worried expressions I've seen these past few days were... because of me?!
Damn, now I feel embarrassed!!
Éclair, who is usually indifferent, even smirked at me, as if he also wanted me to do this.
I blushed a little, then coughed lightly to ask them to be quiet.
"Alright... thank you, everyone, for supporting me... So from now on, I will temporarily transfer the Boss position to Batya Milov and go study. Does anyone object?" This time, everyone raised their hands enthusiastically, even Sternruh, who was half asleep, had to open his eyes wide to raise his hand.
"...Um, Irina, I want to know why you object."
Irina stood up, looking at me with a calm expression.
"Because it's Milov."
...
"Ga-Yul?"
"Anyone is fine, as long as it's not Milov, hehe~"
...
"...Éclair?"
"Do you really need me to say something?"
"...Just say it."
"Sigh... It's simple, do you remember before you inherited the position, Boss?" He looked at me.
"I remember."
"Well, what was it like back then?"
"..."
It was a total mess, a literal trash heap, definitely the kind of organization players would see as the villain faction at the start of the game.
I looked over at the old man, only to see him frozen, almost on the verge of tears.
Poor him...