Became the Mother of Virtual YouTubers - Chapter 91
“Still… I think graduating wasn’t a bad decision in the end.”
As Jin Ha said, it turned out to be a positive thing for everyone.
The two members of Nova became a late-blooming rookie actor and a VTuber representing the nation, respectively.
CosmoLive grew into a recognized company in the industry.
It may seem that way when just looking at the results, but the process wasn’t that smooth.
“As Jin Ha said, I know how much effort the two who graduated put in to succeed again, and that’s why I feel even more sorry.”
I couldn’t fully support them while they were at CosmoLive.
Out of unnecessary greed, I tied down precious talent for over a year.
Daon let out a small sigh.
“So when Jin Ha said you were working with Rei… honestly, I was really happy.”
Because Jin Ha could help ease Rei’s emotional burden a bit.
“Right now, she’s showing a splendid and strong appearance by capturing the fairy RP…”
But in reality, she was a delicate person with many wounds.
“As much as she worked harder than anyone else, she must have suffered even greater wounds.”
Looking into Daon’s serious eyes, Jin Ha slowly nodded.
In fact, Jin Ha also knew her very well.
She was one of the first members of the Star Dust group.
Before watching Minari’s streams, she often watched the first-generation CosmoLive members’ broadcasts.
Vivid memories of supporting them alongside a handful of viewers rushed back to her mind.
Jin Ha was captivated by the two who continued their streams with bright voices despite the unfavorable environment.
Maybe that’s why.
While working on this project, she unconsciously put in extra effort.
“Jin Ha, I feel a bit bad for putting on things I should have handled myself, but… Rei, please take care of it.”
There was sincerity hidden in Daon’s playful voice as she asked to pay more attention to this work.
“Is there anything to worry about?”
Jin Ha couldn’t help but smile playfully at Daon’s demeanor as she raised her cup.
“Just do it like ‘usual.'”
“Ahaha- Well, if you just show your usual self, Rei or NiseLive will be completely overwhelmed~”
Only then did Daon seem to relax and burst into light laughter.
*
To check the modified stage direction, Jin Ha and Rei met again in a private room in VRChat.
The private room decorated with a celestial concept still radiated a grand yet mysterious light.
As soon as Rei, who stood in the middle of the map, saw Jin Ha’s avatar appear, she made a somewhat displeased expression.
“…Has the modification work already finished?”
There was a deep suspicion and spite mixed in Rei’s voice.
“I focused on the work, and it finished quickly.”
“Still, I can’t believe it won’t take even a week…”
Thinking that maybe it was done sloppily, Rei unconsciously frowned.
Normally, this level of modification would take at least a few weeks.
Jin Ha’s prompt response made her more uneasy.
Nevertheless, the reason she didn’t express her dissatisfaction openly was that Jin Ha was someone who had already proven herself once.
She was the one who had brought a near-complete draft of stage direction in less than a week.
Considering that, the results brought this time must be… extraordinary.
“Let’s take a look first. I’ll take feedback slowly.”
Though Rei shot Jin Ha a slightly sulky glance, she slowly moved toward the stage.
Upon standing in the center of the stage, Rei’s avatar floated up on its own.
Simultaneously, soft lights enveloped her body from all directions.
This time, Rei was welcomed by stage effects that had never been seen before.
A very slight crack appeared on the noble celestial background.
From that gap, light gently seeped out.
Rei gazed at the crack with wonder.
‘Just as I imagined… No, even beyond that…’
Expressing imperfection could potentially trigger the uncanny valley, a risky subject.
Nevertheless, Jin Ha subtly blended imperfection into celestial perfection.
Could she express her struggle between being a girl and a fairy any more perfectly than this?
For a brief moment, Rei’s eyes, watching the stage direction, wavered.
‘Why am I creating a power struggle against someone who created such a perfect stage…?’
As the climax of the song approached, the entire stage was suddenly engulfed in darkness.
“…!”
The instant everything was wrapped in darkness, Rei gasped and unconsciously held her breath.
But soon after.
Piercing through the darkness surrounding her, intense rays of light poured down like a waterfall.
Symbolizing a being that had ‘reborn’ after overcoming the darkness.
Rei’s avatar radiated brilliant light in that dazzling glare.
Just before an exclamation slipped out between her lips.
“…What is this?”
Rei stiffened her expression as she discovered the small details hidden throughout the stage.
Faintly scattered star-pattern holograms on the stage floor.
A small star-shaped illustration that appeared in the corner of the audience hologram screen.
Even the fan light color symbolizing Rei’s ‘past’ was softly laid out as the stage background.
At first, Rei thought these were mere coincidences.
But as they gathered and piled up one by one, a corner of her heart began to waver slightly.
Everything felt somehow familiar.
No, it felt familiar to the point of…
A memory she wanted to erase.
For just a fleeting moment.
While most of the audience probably wouldn’t notice, it was vividly clear in Rei’s eyes.
A shock that felt like her heart had stopped dug deep within her.
Memories of the past she had tried to forget surged like a flood.
Rei covered her mouth with trembling hands.
“…Did you intentionally add this?”
Rei asked in a faint, trembling voice.
“You couldn’t possibly not know? Referring to past lives… is a taboo.”
In the VTuber industry, any hint at past lives was almost forbidden.
Jin Ha, who mainly worked with VTubers, couldn’t possibly be unaware of that.
The fact that she left such a noticeable trace made Rei’s lips tremble.
“Oh, you recognized it right away. Others just thought it was an arrangement of stars in the night sky.”
But Jin Ha was not flustered at all.
She merely responded in a calm and gentle voice.
“Of course, I know it’s a taboo. But I still wanted to include this Easter egg.”
“…What?”
“Actually, I’ve been a fan for three years before becoming a third-week lumberjack.”
She said she had been a fan long before she became ‘Kamishiro Rei.’
Jin Ha said in an awkward tone.
“When you mentioned wanting to add a story of Rei struggling between humanity and divinity, this was the first thing that came to mind.”
The narrative of her as Kamishiro Rei and her as a member of the first generation of CosmoLive, now forgotten even in name, overlapping in the depth of Jin Ha’s words made her past wounds, which she thought were perfectly buried, slowly rise to the surface.
No one had seen.
No one had liked.
The person who remembered that time, which was close to being nameless, was right in front of her.
“I’ve tried to blend not only your story into this stage but also a bit of mine.”
She spoke shyly, wanting to convey her personal fan feelings for the faint yet shining stars that could no longer be seen.
“If you’re uncomfortable, I can remove all the secretly placed Easter eggs.”
Rei couldn’t find the words.
She merely gazed at her avatar floating gracefully among the radiant light.
Rei’s gaze slowly drifted down.
The Easter eggs prepared by Jin Ha came into view again.
Details that could only be known by d*e-hard fans of the Star Dust group.
The assurance that someone, who loved and cherished her past, existed, even if it was just one.
“Why…”
Rei’s voice cracked.
Holding back her trembling lips, she finally managed to speak.
“Why are you only showing up now…? Huh?”
Rei’s voice carried sadness, intertwined with an undeniable affection.
“If only you had been here… I wouldn’t have had to come out like that at CosmoLive…”
Eventually, Rei burst into tears she had desperately tried to hold back.
At first, it was just a slight shaking of her shoulders.
“…Hic!”
Soon, a sob slipped out from between her lips.
“I’m sorry for being late. But I believe you’ve always shined, both then and now.”
Jin Ha’s soft voice seeped into Rei’s ears.
“I wanted to infuse that feeling of being a fan of yours into this stage.”
That languid remark melted the burden that had been sitting deep in Rei’s heart.
“I… I’m the one who is more sorry… I’m jealous of the members of CosmoLive… I unnecessarily… Hic!”
Rei looked down, trembling as she spoke.
As she was, Jin Ha quietly watched her from beneath the stage with a blank stare.
She didn’t need more comfort than this.
The girl wrestling between the past and present would ultimately become the fairy beautifully adorning the celestial stage, shining more brilliantly than anyone else.
It felt like Jin Ha had sufficiently honored Daon’s request to take good care of Rei.
She let out a pleasant sigh.