Chapter 308: Taken.
Hugo stood in the middle of Sanchez's grand living room, surrounded by camera equipment, influencers laughing way too loudly, and people running around like they were preparing for the Super Bowl.
But for the first time in a while, he wasn't just observing—he was actually in it. And that realization hit him like a truck.
He was about to be in a YouTube video. Not just any video—a big one. A viral one. The kind that could rack up millions of views and turn random people into celebrities overnight.
His mind immediately started spinning out of control, jumping ten steps ahead like a movie montage where he went from a nobody to an online superstar in record time.
He could already see it. First, this one video would go viral. Then, people would start recognizing him.
"Hey, aren't you that cool dude from Sanchez's video?" they'd say.
Boom!
Then, within a week, he'd have millions of followers, sponsorship deals, and people begging to collaborate with him.
Maybe a few months down the line, he'd be invited to exclusive celebrity parties, shaking hands with billionaires, taking yacht pictures, and flexing on everyone who ever doubted him.
His Wikipedia page would say Hugo—Internet Icon, Business Mogul, and International Superstar.
His future was glorious!
He could practically hear the dramatic music swelling in the background as he smiled like an absolute fool, his brain completely detaching from reality.
Then, like a slap to the face, reality did hit him.
Wait.
Hold up.
What was his social media name?
He hadn't thought about this at all. He had made his account years ago just to lurk and laugh at memes, not to actually be famous.
And now that he thought about it… oh no. His username was still @BigJuicyDaddy69!
Panic set in immediately. If people searched for him after the video and that was what popped up?
He was finished. His career would be dead before it even started. Nobody was going to take an influencer named BigJuicyDaddy69 seriously!
He whipped out his phone so fast he almost dropped it, fingers flying as he went straight to the settings to change his username.
Alright, cool. Simple. He just needed something iconic. Something clean, something memorable. HugoOfficial. Yes. That sounded professional. He typed it in.
Username is taken.
Okay. No big deal. He could add something to it. Maybe Hugo_TheLegend. That sounded cool, right? He typed it in.
Username is taken.
Hugo frowned. Fine. How about HugoTheGreat?
Username is taken.
What? Since when were there so many Hugos trying to be great? Whatever. He tried Hugo_Elite.
Username is taken.
Okay, thus was beginning to feel scary! Was there some kind of secret society of elite Hugos out there, hoarding all the premium usernames just to mess with him?
His fingers were moving faster than his brain now, trying literally anything that sounded even remotely cool.
Hugo_Winner? Taken.
HugoOnTop? Taken.
HugoFromTheFuture? Taken.
HugoTheChosenOne? Taken as well!
He let out an exaggerated groan. Was he really going to be forced into some cringe name like Hugo_xx_Real_Official_V2? He refused. He had standards.
Then, in his frustration, he typed something completely random just to see if it would work.
HugoBigBrainMaster3000.
Username is available.
Hugo stared at his screen. He had spent the last five minutes struggling, and this was the name that worked?
It sounded like something a 10-year-old would come up with after watching too much anime. But at this point, he had no choice. It was either this or go back to being BigJuicyDaddy69, and there was no way he was letting that happen.
He sighed in defeat and hit confirm.
As soon as the name change was successful, he slumped back against the nearest wall and exhaled like he had just run a marathon.
His influencer career was officially secured. Now, it was time to focus on the real mission which was getting in front of that camera and making an impression.
Hugo pushed himself off the wall and walked toward the nearest mirror. He was relieved to see that he was no longer drenched in sweat from running to Sanchez's mansion earlier.
His hair? Perfectly fine. His outfit? Not too bad. Confidence? Building. He smirked at himself, adjusting his collar like he was about to step onto the red carpet.
"Alright," he muttered under his breath, hyping himself up. "It's game time."
With renewed confidence, he stepped away from the mirror and into the buzzing crowd of influencers, determined to make a name for himself.
His eyes scanned the room, searching for someone to start a conversation with. And that's when he saw her.
A girl with a pair of bunny ears on her head.
Not just any bunny ears—fluffy, oversized, absolute attention-grabbing bunny ears.
She looked like she had just stepped out of an anime convention, wearing a pastel outfit that made her look like some kind of real-life cartoon character.
Her pink hair had a slight bounce to it, and she was chatting with a group of people, laughing like she didn't have a single worry in the world.
Hugo's brain immediately went into overdrive. 'Why do I feel like she's some kind of rare Pokémon?' he thought.
'Like, if I don't talk to her now, she's gonna disappear into the wild and never spawn again.?
He straightened his posture and took a deep breath. This was his moment.
He needed a good opener. It had to be something smooth, something charming, something that would make her remember him.
He walked up to her with the confidence of a man who had absolutely no backup plan if this failed.
"Hey," he said smoothly, flashing a grin. "Did you hop over here, or do all bunnies just naturally end up in the best places?"
For a second, she blinked at him. Then, to his relief, she burst out laughing. "That was so bad," she giggled, shaking her head. "But I respect the effort."
Hugo exhaled, grinning. "Hey, if it got a laugh, then it worked."
She nodded, still smiling. "Alright, fair enough."
And just like that, they started talking.
Forty minutes later, Hugo had officially mingled his way through the crowd.
He had met YouTubers with millions of followers, TikTokers who somehow made entire careers out of dancing, and even one guy who claimed to be a "crypto expert" but couldn't explain how Bitcoin worked.
He had cracked jokes, exchanged social media handles, and—much to his surprise—found himself actually enjoying it.
'Man,' he thought to himself, sipping on a soda he had somehow acquired along the way. 'I am really a social butterfly. Who knew?'
Just as he was mentally congratulating himself on his newfound networking skills, he noticed Sanchez waving at him from across the room.
And instantly, his stomach dropped.
Oh no.
That could only mean one thing.
The girls he was supposed to meet—the real reason he came here—were here!
His brain went into overdrive. 'This is it. This is the moment. The monthly mission. The deadline. One week left. If I fail this, I am going to be kicking myself for the rest of my life.'
He quickly took a deep breath, shaking off the nerves. 'No,' he told himself.
'You got this. You've been killing it all night. You've been charming, funny, social. You are at peak performance. Just go in there, be cool, and handle business.'
With one last confidence boost, he started making his way toward Sanchez, ready to face whatever was coming next.
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