Chapter 70

"What else do they need to do to be able to join us?" Edward asked, understanding that while location is crucial for their recruitment, other requirements are also significant.

"Well, we have checked their schedule and so far their age was almost the same as us, of which the youngest is 16 and the oldest is 18..."

"Their schedule also alligned with us and are free to do things every saturday and sunday..."

"As for the behavioural and psychological tests, we can only knew it through interviews..."

Edward nodded his head and felt reasonable about the explanation.

...

The next morning.

The group gathered again at the same Internet cafe and began editing the skits they had recorded the day before.

Amidst the gentle hum of computers and the comforting aroma of coffee, every member dedicated themselves to carefully connecting the scenes, aiming for a seamless and engaging flow.

After a few hours of arranging scenes and adjusting transitions, the group completed the editing. Following that, they began reviewing it, making necessary edits, and finally uploaded it to their channel.

After the upload was complete, the group sighed in relief and turned to the account's statistics.

Unlike Edward's personal account, "Edward M," where the views had stabilized at around 90,000 to 130,000 per video, NG's account, "Nouveau Studio," had even higher view counts per video, reaching an almost exaggerated level.

The average views were around 200,000, with the lowest view count for the first episode at approximately 180,000 views, and the highest for the fourth episode, totaling an impressive 410,000 views.

That is to say, the five episodes from the previous month as well as the early days of this month received a total of 1.3 million views. This figure is roughly comparable to the views on his personal account, which accumulated over two months.

Such view count... even though many of them came from re-views, still left him feeling astounded.

As for the subscriber count... it wasn't as exaggerated as the views, but the increase was notably faster compared to his personal account.

As of now, his personal account only has around 33,000 subscribers, increasing at an average pace of around 2,000 to 3,000 views weekly... a lot fewer compared to the previous months.

However, the fact that he could still gain a stable number of subscribers despite uploading the same type of content each time meant that he had stabilized himself in the online video market.

As long as the number of his subscribers keeps increasing at the same pace, in a few years or so, he'll also have millions of subscribers.

As for the NG's account, "Nouveau Studio," the current subscribers were already at 23,000, which was not as exaggerated as the views. However, given that the account had only been releasing videos for a month, the increase in subscribers was still far faster than his personal account.

Shaking his head, Edward went to look at the comments on the previous videos and read them for a while, then logging off.

Afterwards, the group began packing, settled their bills, and started preparing for the upcoming eat all you can boodle fight feast later in the day.

A week ago, the group gathered to plan a regular event for their enjoyment. Edward initially proposed engaging in outdoor activities such as hiking or swimming.

However, after considering the potential logistical complications of preparation, location, and other aspects, the group unanimously rejected the idea.

Instead, they decided to host a boodle fight event, which was a more viable and entertaining alternative for everyone.

This time, the neighborhood they chose to host first was Alfred's because nearly everyone on their streets were his relatives and they were easy to talked with.

Together with the help of Alfred's relatives, the group secured table and chair rentals, effortlessly transforming the venue into a comfortable and pleasant space.

They made their way to nearby local restaurants, taking the time to carefully select a delightful variety of dishes to cater to different tastes and preferences.

The group's enthusiasm and teamwork made everything run smoothly and efficiently. As three in the afternoon approached, the air buzzed with excitement and anticipation.

Tables and chairs were arranged along the street, and an array of dishes was placed upon them.

Seeing an abundance of dishes, the group experienced a mix of pride for their efforts and concern that some might go to waste.

However, as they thought about this, they were astounded by how quickly the once bountiful dishes on the tables were almost depleted within just half an hour.

"What happened?" Edward wondered, his face a mixture of amazement and bewilderment.

He simply went into Alfred's residence to join the others in a few rounds of videoke songs. However, only a short while later, he found the dishes nearly empty, which surprised him.

"Uh, hehe, that... well," Alfred chuckled awkwardly, a hint of embarrassment coloring his expression as he scratched the back of his neck.

"What?"

"... this.. People from other streets heard about our feast and joined in on the fun." He explained, slightly sheepish at how quickly the news of their gathering had spread, leading to the surprising turnout.

"But... the dishes are almost emptied," Edward remarked, a perplexed furrow in his brow.

"Well, yeah..."

"I mean, even with hundreds of them, they can't just eat everything so fast, right?" He was genuinely puzzled by the speed at which the food had disappeared, considering the sheer quantity they had prepared for the gathering.

"... well, some people wrapped up food and took it back to their own homes," Alfred chuckled wryly, shaking his head at the unforeseen turn of events.

"T-that... didn't we specifically mention that the food was for immediate enjoyment here and not for takeaway?" Edward furrowed his brows, trying to recall the initial agreements made.

"No... we don't set such a rule,"

"... Is that so..." Edward nodded, a mixture of disbelief and realization hitting him.

The unexpected trouble had been caused by a simple misunderstanding, leaving him at a loss for words on how to handle the situation.

No wonder, traditional boodle fights usually do not use utensils, it turns out so that no one can pack up.

Time passed.

At around 5 o'clock, the remaining dishes were nearly emptied, and a few people had also taken the initiative to start clearing the tables and chairs.

Edward and his group, on the other hand, chose a round table to settle in comfortably and began to drink beers in turns.

As they continued to enjoy their drinks, the group delved into a conversation about the day's events, thinking of ways to prevent similar issues in the future, when suddenly Alfred spoke up his thoughts: "You know what? I suddenly remembered a restaurant nearby, and they also provide catering service..."

"You know?" Edward was perplexed, contemplating the hours everyone had spent preparing for today's feast.. he was at lost for words.

"Damn, why haven't I thought about it before?" Edward sighed, a sense of helplessness washing over him as he contemplated the oversight.

"What's catering service?" At this point, one of the group members asked aloud, pulling Edward from his thoughts.

Turning to the speaker and noticing others nodding in confusion, Edward shrugged and gave them a simple explanation. "It's a kind of service offered by businesses like restaurants, hotels, food trucks, etc.. basically, they handle everything, from providing food and beverages to arranging equipment rentals and decorations."

"Oh," everyone nodded in realization, finally understanding.

"By the way, where's the restaurant you're talking about?" Edward looked at Alfred and inquired.

"Do you remember the small BBQ restaurant in the park near our high school? They've started offering catering services recently."

"The BBQ restaurant? Weren't they a roasted chicken (lechon manok) place?"

"The previous owner of the place ran a roasted chicken business, but the current owner focuses on BBQ."

"I see.. then how much do you think it is?"

"I'm not sure, but if I remember correctly, one of my cousin's friends hired them, and it's very cheap since they're just a small restaurant... I think they only paid somewhere around 3,500."

"So cheap? It's not complete service isn't it?"

"Nah, they only provide cooking and serving services... The ingredients and equipment rentals are covered by my cousin's friend."

"No wonder it's cheap... however, 3,500 is still cheap."

"Yeah, kinda?" Alfred and the others exchanged skeptical expressions; it was the first time they had heard someone describe 3,500 as cheap.

"What do you think about hiring them next time instead of doing all the work ourselves?" Edward asked, oblivious to their thoughts. He leaned forward after some mental calculation.

"This... the service that my cousin's friend paid for was just for a birthday party... If we're going to do a large scale boodle fight, I'm afraid we'll end up spending much more... i think it should be around 5,000 service fee plus various expenses for ingredients, equipment rentals, etc... In total, we'd have to spent around 7,000 to 10,000... I don't think it's worth it,"