I May Be a Virtual Youtuber, but I Still Go to Work - Chapter 111

— !! Victory !! —

Majia was passed out cold, so the viewers couldn’t see Momo’s screen.

You can imagine how shocked they were.

I mean, everyone thought Majia was going to lose, right? Who would’ve guessed Momo would leap in and turn the tables like that?

— No wayyyyy

— I’m gonna turn black, turn black, turn black, turn black, turn black, turn black, turn black, turn black, turn black, turn black, turn black, turn black, turn black

— This can’t be happening…

— Can’t you just sing along with Momo?

— Gwaaaah Gwaah Gwaah Gwaah Gwaah Gwaah Gwaah

— Emergency, Emergency

— When Majia joined Movgun’s civil war, I stayed silent. Because I wasn’t a fan of Majia. Then when Majia managed Movgun and the Demon King’s castle, I shut my mouth. Again, not a fan of Majia. When Majia decided to sing with Movgun, I was speechless.

— Why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why

— This is a dream, this is a dream, this is a dream, this is a dream, this is a dream, this is a dream, this is a dream, this is a dream, this is a dream, this is a dream, this is a dream, this is a dream

But unlike the wailing audience, Majia was feeling strangely upbeat.

After all, Cheon Dohui, who usually got nagged by Movgun, finally landed a solid hit, so there was no way she’d hate it. In fact, she was so happy that her lips curled up.

“Wow, that was an amazing shot just now.”

Dohui said with a beaming smile.

“Right? I did great! There’s a limit to ignoring me. Momit Muda! Ahaha!”

“Viewers are probably fuming, though.”

“Oh.”

— Gwaah

— I’ll curse you, Cheon Momo

— Gwaah!!

But by the time she decided to sing even after winning, Majia had already reached her goal.

The fact that she was doing it with Movgun seemed to send everyone into a frenzy…

But when did Majia ever say she’d duet with Movgun?

Of course, to keep up appearances, Majia casually threw out a line.

“For now, I’ll invite Movgun to discuss the punishment.”

Soon enough, Dohui invited Movgun into the voice chat room.

As soon as he entered, Movgun sighed.

It seemed like losing had really stung him.

[Seriously. I lost to this?]

“Never ignore Momo again, you piece of trash.”

[Yeah, I admit it. I definitely lost this time.]

“Ahahaha!”

[So, about the song… What, should we use the practice room or something?]

The practice room.

It’s usually a program used for online jam sessions, ensuring optimal sync regardless of different online environments.

Choirs do it online more often than not in this practice room, not just band or orchestra sounds.

Every VTuber and singer worth their salt knows about this program.

But like I said before, Majia had absolutely no intention of dueting with Movgun.

There’s wasting time, and then there’s this—no time for that nonsense.

“Nope. I’ll be doing a one-hour singing stream first, so please start your own stream for the punishment.”

[What? Is that right? You’re just leaving me to do it alone? I’ve never done a singing stream before!]

“I’ll send you some reference material, so please take care of it. I want to wrap up early today since we had that deal. Go, go!”

[Wait a second. Is this even right? Momo! Hey—.]

Majia kicked him out of the voice chat before he even finished.

That clean cut sent the chat room spiraling into silence.

— Instant cut

— Phew

— Trash cut LOL

— Momit Muda Muda, happy song~

— That’s the way!

— Majia

— Go on, LOL

— Da Majia

— I believed in you, Jim, LOL

— Momo Majia is the truth, and this is a fact written in the Guogoryeo watermelon records!

So it ended up being just Cheon Dohui and Majia left in the stream.

Watching Majia decisively push Movgun away, Dohui couldn’t help but say a word.

“Every time I see it, it feels like… you’re starting to dislike him more and more, huh?”

“I can’t stand that the president is trying to be chummy with him. Maybe if you break off ties with him, I’ll think about being friends.”

“Wow…”

— d*mn, again Da Majia, I can only worship Da Majia

— The turret queen Majia will never allow any male intruders

— I believe in you

— Momo Majia is safe, everyone!!

Anyway, it was time for Majia to perform her punishment as well.

She had promoted as much as she wanted.

She hit back at the stream snipers who were trying to pull her hair.

Losing in a one-on-one match was disappointing, but as always, Majia admitted Movgun’s talent.

Especially that psychological warfare of not moving on purpose for a fake-out was something she definitely wanted to use later.

But still, Movgun.

Majia silently acknowledged him in her heart but didn’t let a word slip.

That was quite a contrast to how she had quickly praised Dohui’s amazing shot to the point of almost running out of breath.

After wrapping up with a bathroom break and the draw for the new outfit merch she had promised for the victory…

About 30 minutes later, after setting up her echo, Majia announced.

“Ah, can you hear me?”

— (Lightstick Con)

— (Shake Con)

— Finally, this moment has come

— Hehe, come here!

— You can’t run away today for real

— Majia is F! Majia is F! Majia is F! Majia is F! Majia is F! Majia is F! Majia is F!

The viewers, who had just been dying not long ago, had turned into a festive crowd.

They firmly believed they could take the ‘F participant = Majia’ formula home if they just heard this song.

In the meantime, Majia exchanged glances with Dohui and nodded once.

As they had previously agreed, Majia went on to announce some notes about what to watch out for in future streams.

“First of all, we’ve had a lot of new viewers recently, so I’ve been fairly lenient. But starting today, if you repeatedly spam chat asking me to sing, you might get banned.”

— What

— Why?

“It seems you keep forgetting, but excessive spamming, including in the official channel and our members’ channels, is not allowed. Especially for singing, cute acts, and such. It disrupts the flow of the stream. Those who’ve been banned know what I’m talking about.”

:: Anonymous Sponsor has donated 1,000 Clouds! ::

:: So you’re constantly forcing the president for cute acts, huh? ::

“If you feel wronged, you can apply to get a job at Parallel.”

— They hardly even post job ads, how can I get a job? haha

— So unfair

— They have nanometer holes instead of just regular holes…

— Seriously, there’s never been a VTuber quite like this

“Anyway, let’s start the karaoke punishment. I’ll freestyle the selection, but if you have any requests, send them through chat or donations. If I find them okay, I’ll sing them.”

— Kyahhhhh

— Da Majia

— Majia, Majia, Tenshi!!

“Let’s kick things off with our first song.”

The song she started for a punishment was from the first generation’s anniversary song that Majia sang anonymously during the illegal duet as ‘F participant.’

<One Others>.

The somewhat aggressive song choice left all the viewers confused.

— What?

— This is what you picked right away?

— A frontal assault choice, whoa

— Guess you’re just showing it before you get caught anyway haha

But how Majia sang was nothing like before.

“I’m addicted to this attraction, sinking deep—.”

Majia seamlessly blended into the members’ harmony, unlike before when they had meticulously tuned frequencies and tones to avoid blocking each other’s path.

Now, she let go of the pressure to sing well and instead used her naturally childlike and weak voice.

“Your world and mine, endlessly connected—.”

Even the high notes weren’t finished crisply to tighten the heart; instead, she just shouted them out with her throat.

Naturally, the audience was lost in confusion.

They expected the clear and smooth singing from the F participant, but now it sounded like an elementary school kid who just ran in from a recital.

— ?

— What’s this?

— So cute LOL

— Is this really F?

— Reminds me of when I sang on that local train LOL

But even amid the confusion, the number of viewers waving light sticks gradually increased.

The crowd was just grateful that Majia was singing for them.

Even those who raised their voices saying this wasn’t what they wanted soon got swept up in the flurry of light sticks.

— (Lightstick Con)

— Hmph

— (Lightstick Con)

— So cute

— (Lightstick Con)

— Ah, this isn’t it

— (Lightstick Con)

— (Shake Con)

— (Lightstick Con)

* * *

… ─ — Parallel (VTuber) Gallery ─ ─ …

[F is it really Majia?]

https://www.acacia.com/mgallery/parallel [Today’s Majia Song List (with video)]

I went back to rewatch after the stream, and the more I listened, the more confused I got.

It’s not like Majia couldn’t sing at all today, right?

It wasn’t on purpose that she was pretending she couldn’t sing either.

But the tone was completely different from back then in F, wasn’t it?

She might be good at voice impressions, but that doesn’t necessarily mean she’s great at copying others.

If she rapped along with Rain, it could be explained by the rap being what it is…

But ultimately, wasn’t it Momo who was the one singing as F?

I keep having these thoughts…

Am I the only one?

[Comments]

— Parallel891: Jia, you’re doing great

— Parallel152 (the writer): I’m not Majia, I could be someone’s mom

— Parallel356: To be honest, I’m getting a bit confused at this point too

— Parallel891: Jia, you’re doing great

— Parallel356: ? What’s this nonsense?

— Parallel095: Always suspect

— Parallel095: Doubt everything

… ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ …

Dohui’s strategy of not avoiding singing hit the nail on the head.

As her hour-long singing stream wrapped up, people’s confidence naturally started to waver, and the number of those who simply liked Majia’s singing began to rise.

It wasn’t a song that left a strong impression like that of a debut singer or a famous Utaite, but how many people in the world can casually pull off a child performing in front of adults?

Since Majia was usually quite prickly, businesslike, and cynical, some viewers were beginning to appreciate her charming reversal in the song and entered a state of denial about falling for her.

Following the seasoned veterans who had already adjusted to Majia’s style, their heads were gradually becoming more open.

As a result, rather than pressuring Majia to debut, more viewers started to feel relieved that she was continuing her streams.

After all, Majia was extending her streaming time, and during that process, she also began to do things she hadn’t done before, like singing. With a little more praise, could we catch a glimpse of a future where she makes streaming her main gig?

Moreover, Majia was a notorious trickster, but she also played quite well with viewers.

In a sense, the official narrative was that viewers were beating the streamers, but in reality, it was Majia who was playfully beating the viewers, and that was oddly enjoyable.

From late February onward.

When Majia announced there would be fewer broadcasts in the future, the entire Parallel-related community fell into despair.

… ─ — Parallel (VTuber) Gallery ─ ─ …

[Momo, Majia will be taking a break from streaming]

She mentioned she’ll be busy preparing for the selection of the second generation, as the interviews end this week and they need to select the successful candidates.

Fantasia is still running on schedule each month, but the Command Room isn’t operational.

She’ll announce when she’s free.

Things suddenly feel damp…

[Comments]

— Parallel103: The VTuber life is over

— Parallel851: The VTuber life is over

— Parallel734: The VTuber life is over

— Parallel356: What’s with those claiming the life is over when we can watch first-generation participants?

— Parallel900: The influx from Wicker Town and competitions

— Parallel900: Based on the response

— Parallel299: Did Majia’s fandom grow that much?

— Parallel900: These days, the viewership for Command Room streams has always been just half of the first generation LOL, it’s really growing

… ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ …

Even in the Bazijik Gallery, where simple Parallel fans gather, the situation wasn’t all that different.

Just browsing the high-rated concept posts shows that discussions about Majia held a significant weight among them.

… ─ — Bazijik Gallery [Concept Posts] ─ ─ …

[The Command Room… is it gone now?]

[Stop asking Movgun to sing, dammit]

[Graduation and all that before a debut is a bit much]

[Rapitsu: No plans for recruitment of 3rd generation, focus on internal stabilization]

[Ugh, graduation cannot happen]

[Bachoo KR: 4th generation debut at the end of February]

[I never thought I’d see Movgun singing like this LOL]

[Cosplay #9 Majia’s stand-in]

[So who exactly was F?]

[If you’re a college student slowly gearing up, give it a thumbs up]

[Serena graduation D-1]

… ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ …

However, unlike usual, Majia also decided to pass most of her work onto Gong Seungyeon and focus on the second generation selection process.

Regardless of the viewers crying out in desperation,

after all, Majia wasn’t a VTuber; she was a working adult.

Until the second generation debut, Majia would also be facing a forced drought because of the lack of time. If Gong Seungyeon hadn’t said, “I’ll clip the funny moments daily and send them to you at the end of the day!” she might have ended up writing the interview documents with the stream playing in the background.

In any case, the second generation was that important.

With the first generation laying down a solid foundation, it was necessary for the second generation to debut perfectly and splendidly to ensure Parallel could march toward a bright future.

So it was that the already stringent acceptance criteria of Parallel became even more rigorous with the transition to the second generation.

BachuBachu had experienced a few instances where one person’s mistake led the whole group to suffer,

but since they were a well-structured large corporation, they managed to get through. For a small company like Parallel, a single incident could spell disaster.

When the HR manager suggested Majia lead the interviews and participate in evaluations, it made sense.

When Majia chimed in, most applicants were usually exceptionally talented but came with significant issues. (Boyfriend problems, past broadcast controversies, etc.)

Filtering through such applicants made it much easier to narrow down decisions in the final stages.

But just like filtering water multiple times, in the end, only a tiny droplet remains.

And applicants were no different.

With the second generation applicants’ competition rate being double that of the first, at 400:1,

more applicants didn’t mean more successful candidates.

“… So it ends up with just two people, huh?”

Dohui’s sigh after wrestling with decisions for four days from Friday to Monday made sense.

The shock of having only half that number made Majia fumble with the acceptance documents as she asked.

“Will the remaining two be picked again from the hold list?”

Dohui let out a sigh and muttered.

“I wish I could do that, but this time it might not be so easy…”