From VTuber♂ to VTuber♀ - Chapter 203

Return to Square One (2)

“Sss… huu…”

—Nat‑chan, you okay?
—If it’s tough, don’t push yourself.
—Kinda crazy to do this right after you got back…
—Sing a different song if you want, okay?
—Even just two takes looks brutal ww

It didn’t look brutal—it was brutal.
My throat felt like it was burning up.
I lifted the cup of water Toya had quietly set beside me and drank, one slow gulp after another.

—Sudden water‑drinking ASMR ww
—Even Nat‑chan’s drinking sounds are cute www
—The way she sips so slowly is adorable 草
—Yeah, drink and rest up.
—Don’t overdo it—take it easy!

“Fuu…”
I kept the pace slow—hiccups would just make things worse.
Mm, that’s better.
The fire in my throat subsided almost at once. Not damage—just muscles that hadn’t been used in ages suddenly waking up.

…Can I pull this off?
It’s the question I always ask: Can I?
An inner voice always answers: Of course not.
And yet I keep trying—why?
Before the doubt could flood in, the karaoke backing track filled my head.

“♪ When I open my eyes in the morning—”

Don’t think. Han Yeoreum was always better acting first and thinking later.
Believe it’s impossible—and try anyway.
Because making the impossible happen feels so good.

“—or so it goes~ ♪ Huff—s‑so? How was that?”

—Waaaa~
—Pachi‑pachi‑pachi‑pachi!
—Feels almost the same but definitely cleaner this time ww
—I think it’s actually improving…
—Keep going and you might reach Toya level?
—Toya level, she says wwww

The praise was nice, but improvement has limits.
I sighed, took another drink, and steadied my breath.
Still, at least it was getting better—that meant I hadn’t hit the ceiling yet. I wanted to reach a point I could accept.

“I’ll sing it again.”

—Take it slow, Nat‑chan.
—None of us are running away ww
—We could listen all day 草
—Are we really sticking to one song?
—The issue isn’t which song but how long she keeps at it.
—Nat‑chan once sang a single track eight hours straight.
—She did?
—Technically “Not‑chan who wasn’t Nat‑chan” did 草

…Still awkward, those previous‑life references—but they weren’t naming Han Yeoreum, so it was fine. And honestly, this was the same content as back then: one song on repeat until I’m satisfied.

“Feels like it’s getting a little better, right?”

—Definitely better ww
—Not just your imagination?
—High notes are cleaner 草
—Let’s go again, Nat‑chan!
—We can listen all day~

Buoyed by the cheers, I launched into round after round—
one song, two songs, three.
Each take meant more water, and the more I drank the faster the burn eased—or maybe my throat was simply adapting.

“Mmh…”
After about an hour a new sensation crept up—fluids pooling south. I squeezed my legs together.
Never used to be a problem; I’d always handled that before streams, but chugging water live was different.

—Nat‑chan, you okay? If your throat hurts stop.
—No need to force it; not like today’s the only chance ww
—Maybe wrap here?
—We might’ve pushed too hard…

“No, it’s not that. It’s, um…”
I tilted my gaze away, mortified.
I never thought I’d say this on stream.
The longer I hesitated, the more chat exploded—Is she sick? Did we push her? Bad idea to stream right after traveling!
Before the misunderstandings piled too high, I muttered in the tiniest voice:

“…Bathroom. Just for a bit.”

—?
—Ah.
—Sorry, Nat‑chan.
—Come to think of it, she did chug water after every take wwww
—For Nat‑chan she actually held out pretty long 草
—Go, go—we’ll wait.

“B‑back soon!”
Face burning, I dashed off.
So embarrassing I could die.
On the bright side, at least my body was fully reset; with every distraction gone, maybe the next take would finally feel right.

“Ah‑ah, ahem…”

—What, jumping right back in?
—Starts the backing track the moment she sits ww
—We know you’re embarrassed, but say something first 草
—That was like a four‑minute round trip.
—Stop timing that…
—wwww草

Weird comments or not, I ignored them; if I relax my focus on Japanese for a moment, half of it flies over my head anyway—and right now I wanted all concentration on the song.

…Now—I can do it.
Chasing what once seemed impossible—this moment, I cared only about singing.

Forum chatter

[Why’s Gal‑master still singing the same song?]
Clip: Natsu looping “Enough to Melt”
“Thought YouTube bugged and was looping the same section ㅋㅋ”

ㄴDeaf? She’s clearly better each time!
ㄴHow can you tell lol? Sounds the same.
ㄴWatch the stream before yapping ㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴRoom‑lurker spotted ㅋㅋ
ㄴI also thought it was looping, but her tone keeps getting cleaner.
ㄴCleaner my foot ㅋㅋ
ㄴ*(Fact) Han Yeoreum did this a lot…*
ㄴWonder when she’ll hit “1080p quality” today.
ㄴ4K possible?
ㄴ4K’s pro tier—no way.

[Is it safe for her to sing this long?]
Clip: Natsu singing for 30 minutes straight
“If she calls in sick tomorrow I’m raiding V‑Spe HQ.”

ㄴㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴCould actually happen…
ㄴShe drinks a ton every take ㅋㅋ
ㄴFor her to sing 30 min straight, her health’s improved.
ㄴAnd she started this right after a flight, dude.
ㄴShe’s come a long way… or regaining old form.
ㄴShe used to do eight‑hour marathons.
ㄴHer vocal cords aren’t steel, y’know ㅋㅋ
ㄴHoarse Nat‑chan would still be cute.
ㄴYou’re sick, out.
ㄴScreenshot saved.
ㄴ(See you in court emote)

[Han Yeoreum’s insane]
Clip: Latest rendition sounding notably cleaner
“Leveled up this much in a single day? She’s like that vocal‑cord‑shaving old man ㅋㅋ
Honestly her voice is way better than before—high notes too.”

ㄴI got chills, legit.
ㄴThat good?
ㄴYeah, that good.
ㄴGo listen to her croaking “Donguri Korokoro” from back then—now compare.
ㄴThinking about it that way… impressive.
ㄴDid you just call Gal‑master a kid? She your daughter?
ㄴGoal: have a daughter like Nat‑chan, ㅇㅇ
ㄴ“Vocal‑cord‑shaving old man” LOL
ㄴHer hair’s white—so old lady, right?
ㄴGranny Natsu…
ㄴ“Can’t hit that note no more, young’un!”
ㄴDude, stop 💀
ㄴSomeone ban this clown.
ㄴ(Natsu singing emote)
ㄴ(Natsu proud emote)
ㄴ(Natsu thumbs‑up emote)
ㄴ(Toya pat‑pat emote)