I May Be a Virtual Youtuber, but I Still Go to Work - Chapter 135

Typically, Majia approaches company-related tasks with utmost seriousness, viewing everything as an extension of work. However, there are rare occasions when she transforms into her mischievous self, acting on whims.

These moments usually strike when she can’t contain her inner trickster instincts. For instance, a classic example would be when someone makes themselves an easy target, practically shouting, “Please, go ahead and torment us!”

“Tomorrow, I’m thinking about a bet involving this part, but I want to surprise you, so I’m keeping the details under wraps for now.”

“Oh, I see. Are you planning to wager something like a horror game?”

……

There’s a reason Majia throws out this non-question right after hearing her members’ discussions. While she couldn’t care less about personal penalties, if a horror game punishment falls on the first generation, that’s something she can’t let slide.

After all, both Dora and Maru are guaranteed thrills in horror games. Even the most rational of them, Komari, has her adorable reactions; it’s funny how she seems fine one moment, then stumbles over her words the next.

And Rain? When scared, she hilariously switches to fluent Korean and lets out a stream of curses. Mostly profanities, but still guarantees at least one laugh.

With everyone being such a chicken, just showing that moment would be an instant hit. The members realized its rarity and treated it with utmost care.

Group horror games? Now that’s something rare indeed! If Majia were to win this bet, she could personally conjure that precious scene, so how could one not be excited?

Thus, even though she hadn’t officially declared the punishment would be horror games, it still sent Majia into a frenzy of excitement. Throughout rehearsal, while running the proceedings, she consistently soared on the wings of imagination.

What if she proposed a quiz to fit the theme of the content called “We Are Really Close”? Perhaps a more advanced version of the ‘Fragment Quiz’ where they show a segment of everyone’s broadcasts and guess which broadcast it was?

Originally, you’d get to hear the broadcast content for five seconds, but what if she only played one second and asked them to guess when and which broadcast it was?

However, after the rehearsal wrapped up nicely, Majia decided to rein in her imagination. For the sake of evolving the discussion, her raw reactions would need to shine.

Having seen so many broadcasts from the native VTubers, Majia had only imagined these scenarios but was just a moment away from reading the members’ thoughts.

So, in order not to feel deflated during the live show tomorrow, it was probably best to keep it at that level of excitement.

“I’m so curious about what we’ll bet on…”

Majia thought as she went to bed earlier than usual for the day’s content. Please let it be a horror game. Even if the bet is ridiculously difficult, it doesn’t matter. Just please!

* * *

As for the changes in the host, the notice was posted at noon on the day of the broadcast to prevent conspiracy theories from spreading before the airing.

————— Seen on Z —————

Parallel official KR☑ @Parallel_official_kr – 6 hours ago

Dear Moonies, we announce that the host for <💔 We Are Really Close - revive> scheduled for May 13 has been changed from the President to Majia due to scheduling conflicts.

The date and time of the broadcast remain unchanged. Thank you.

—————————————————

Even with just six hours until the broadcast began, the community was abuzz. Even though the official statement hadn’t issued any clarifications, the information void led everyone to entertain worst-case scenarios.

It was clearly stated that the change was due to sudden scheduling for the President, but the ravenous fans of Majia were half-convinced this was a pre-discussed change rather than a sudden decision.

In a typical scenario, a VTuber would jump onto the stream and laugh alongside the members to extinguish any rumors of discord.

But this is Majia we’re talking about. She’s only addressed her connection to controversies once—and that was on April Fool’s Day, to trick people, of all things!

Aside from that? She hasn’t mentioned anything herself, not even regarding her debut. If you straight-up asked her during a broadcast about it, she’d just reply, “Not happening,” while casually slamming down the ban hammer.

Suddenly collaborating with Bajubi? Then next week doing a collab with the first-gen? Content that’s perfect for flaunting their friendship?

The sudden notice only fueled fans’ wild speculations, and they were spiraling into conspiracy theories.

It’s only natural for fans to panic if they sense their oshi might graduate, but this time it felt a bit overboard.

… ─ — Parallel (VTuber) Gallery ─ ─ …

[Oh no]

I get it…

This is all about making as many memories as possible before graduation…

Why are you acting like this out of nowhere?

You weren’t the type to work this hard on streams!!!!

Enough already!!

I don’t want to suffer any more losses!!!!!

[Comments]

— Parallel015: Oh man, this suddenly makes me anxious, haha!

— Parallel802: So, did the ones clamoring for her debut finally realize what they did wrong? Too late now! Accept Majia’s graduation quietly!!

ㄴ Parallel564: But she hasn’t even debuted yet, lol!

ㄴ Parallel069: Nah, Majia’s already a debuting VTuber~

ㄴ Parallel811: Just a d*e-hard Majia fan, haha. When did she ever debut?

ㄴ Parallel707: If she debuted quietly, she’ll probably graduate quietly too, haha!

ㄴ Parallel992: Wow, this feels strangely true.

ㄴ Parallel992: There’s actually no obligation to announce when an employee leaves, whoa.

… ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ …

… ─ — Parallel (VTuber) Gallery ─ ─ …

[So about those featured lyrics]

“Facing the next destination, ready to start again”

“Saying goodbye to yesterday, restarting with today’s me”

Was someone really that brilliant to find this?

It’s genuinely chilling.

[Comments]

— Parallel015: She really laid that hint out bare, haha!

— Parallel442: Oh Majia, you sly one, wow.

— Parallel562: Nope, that’s just plain ridiculous, nah.

ㄴ Parallel812: Oh come on…

ㄴ Parallel241: Hang in there!

ㄴ Parallel095: If someone who hasn’t debuted gets hyped up like this, it usually goes South. Find a new person soon!

ㄴ Parallel562: NOOO!

… ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ …

The meaning behind the lyrics that people are trying to misinterpret in connection to the reincarnation of my Utaite is completely different from the actual meaning.

“It’s about breaking free from a small pool and playing grandly with a partner called CAT,” is actually a celebration of the first generation’s new beginning.

This is clearly stated in the song’s production intent in the video description.

Nevertheless, thanks to all those misunderstandings, the hype was undeniably brewing.

Whenever news of a VTuber graduating spreads within the trending VTuber fandom, even smaller VTubers get a peek of interest.

What? Who’s graduating?

But it’s someone who hasn’t debuted?

… Majia?!

With rumors bloating like crazy, even those who were skeptical found themselves showing up, just in case.

Today was a Sunday evening as well.

As people were on the edge of sleep, reluctant to doze off before the work week, they sought as much dopamine as possible, drawing in even more viewers.

[ (🔴Live) We Are Really Close – revive ] 👪47,333

#Parallel #Another #Majia

This number is significant.

Last week, the peak viewership during the new song release was 90,000, and 60,000 when the broadcast began.

But today, even without the CAT label, it started off with 47,000 viewers.

Some were likely drawn in by the newfound quality of the song, but a considerable number must have flocked here after hearing about Majia’s graduation rumors.

However, even though she never explicitly mentions it herself, mentioning ‘graduation’ during the broadcast is something the fandom typically avoids.

While it disrupts the broadcast atmosphere, it also poses the risk of triggering those who might be contemplating their graduation.

Therefore, the chat today felt unusually subdued.

Viewers appeared eager,

— “I can’t wait for today’s broadcast!”

— “When’s it starting???”

— “So excited to see Jia host!”

— “What can Majia possibly be unable to do at this point????”

More or less everyone seemed to have their stakes lowered significantly.

All eyes were on the talking points surrounding what Majia had to say.

But the reason Majia decided to step up was simple.

She wanted to preempt any potential rifts between her and the first generation before they turned into rumors about rifts between the company and the first generation.

So while she was bemused by people already fretting over graduation despite her never having debuted, she didn’t dwell on it much.

She was only really curious about what kind of penalties they might have prepared if she lost the bet, and the tough wagers they’d throw her way.

All she wanted was to kick off the content quickly.

Yet, in her mind, she’d be the calm and collected host today, recalling how the President had done it.

Quickly, quicker, somehow faster, to the bet now.

Her anticipation bubbled beneath the surface she struggled to keep buried.

Though she tried to maintain control, it was hard, especially since Majia wasn’t quite as seasoned in broadcasting as Cheon Dohui, tending to be ruled by her instincts.

Now, from the very first statement, her excitement was practically spilling out.

“Hello to all the Parallel Moonies, and hello to our newly joined hopeful Moonies. I’m Majia, stepping in for the host today at Parallel! Let’s give a big round of applause for our first generation joining us today… Wow…!”

“Hello!”

“Hi hi! Aloha!”

“Wow~!”

“Hello!”

If someone didn’t notice the oddities in that opening statement, that person was either a typical first-gen fan or a newcomer.

But if they did pick up on the oddities, it meant they were part of Majia’s nameless fandom.

So what was odd? The cheer she added was bizarre even for Majia’s standards.

The cheerful tone might as well have been someone liberated from a heavy burden, causing an uproar over in the gallery.

While the Parallel Gallery isn’t focused solely on her, the conversation in Majia’s mini-gallery transformed into a battlefield.

“Hey, I think she might actually graduate,” they would mutter.

That vibe didn’t quite leak into the broadcast, yet it could be inferred from the comments of some anxious viewers.

— “Majia seems extra peppy today, haha!”

— “What’s with her being so cute today, LOL!”

Where does she even seem nervous though?

But add on the comments about her ‘Are you that happy about graduating?’ or ‘It feels like you won’t be around after this,’ and it starts to make sense.

Moreover, Majia didn’t show that brightness just once; she continued to display her cheerful side, further unsettling her nameless fandom.

“So before we begin today’s content, let’s take a brief look back at <We Are Really Close>. Is everyone ready?”

“Eek… I’m already worried.”

“Since it’s the early days of our debut, I’m terrified of how dreadful the broadcasts were…”

“Oh my, everyone feels similarly! I’m quite embarrassed~.”

“Dora, you’ve never sounded shy at all…”

“Dora was actually quite composed and did well back then, right?! Even now, she’d still sound great compared to us!”

“Unfair~. I’m still doing okay, thank you~.”

“It’s normal to be a little awkward in the early days of broadcasting. Still, I can’t help but feel a bit sad about missing those precious moments, that pure innocence we won’t see again.

For fans who missed seeing that, if you head to our Parallel official channel, you can now watch edited videos of our first generation’s embarrassing early broadcasts when they’ve now grown into fine talents—so make sure to subscribe and turn on notifications right away!”

“Hey! Why share that?!”

“Really? I didn’t know. I’m diving straight into Maru’s cringe moments as soon as we finish this stream.”

“Oh man. Should I tune in to watch Rain’s debut stream again?”

“OK lets do this! Let’s see who wins!”

“Things are getting out of hand already…”

“Okay, everyone. The fight can continue as we progress through the content. This round here is just a warm-up.”

“We didn’t even fight?!”

“Isn’t this a fight already~?”

“True, it’s getting super noisy.”

“Let’s take it outside later…”

“So let’s officially progress into <We Are Really Close - revive>, and as mentioned, we’ll begin by reviewing last year’s <We Are Really Close> highlights. Video, play!”

Did she perhaps misunderstand things?

Could it be that even Majia has her moments of excitement?

No matter how she tried to push those anxious thoughts away, the phrase ‘This isn’t the usual Majia’ kept grabbing her fans’ attention.

* * *

Fortunately, until the second corner of <We Are Really Close> wrapped up, there were no further signs of distress, allowing everyone to breathe a sigh of relief.

But her concrete had only been masking the hints of graduation as the second wave was waiting in the wings: a bet the members prepared to flaunt their closeness with Jia.

<We really know each other>.

Their task involved predicting the title of broadcasts from mere 3-second audio snippets, so even though they’ve spent nearly two years together, posing this challenge was no small feat.

Even with the simplest quiz prepared, the accuracy was unfortunately low, resulting in them getting scolded by Majia constantly.

“Oh, that question was supposed to be easy.”

“Even if it looks like that, trust me, you guys are close, no questions asked.”

“Hmm. Getting this wrong is crossing a line, though?”

During rehearsal, the plan was to show what they had prepped right after this.

That secret corner kept away from Jia.

After quite the constant ribbing and acting indignant, Maru raised her hand and voiced her concern.

“Hold up a second. I’ve got a question.”

“Go ahead, Maru.”

“You’ve been teasing us for not getting the answers right…but what do you think you can get them right?”

“At least better than you all?”

“Really? You’d be okay with any samples being super short, huh?”

“Yes, even if it’s just a second long.”

With Rain stirring the pot between Maru and Majia,

“Holy moly, your confidence is off the charts! Wanna bet?”

“Bet? Sure! Lay it on us.”

The one most failing to deal with horror games, Dora, threw in the idea for a bet.

“How about if you get a certain number right, we do a group horror game or something?”

— What?

— Did Dora just bring up a horror game first?

— Oh snap, haha!

— Accept! Please do accept!

— Jia, please take the bet and win!!!

Following this, Komari stepped in to outline the conditions if Majia lost, smoothly sliding her into the quiz under the pretext they had prepared in advance.

“We’ve set a horror game challenge, but what will you bet, Jia?”

As promised, Majia laid out her condition.

“Guessing a few right would be too easy. Let’s just see if I get them all right or not. If I get one wrong, I’ll do a relay stream with you guys next week, with you picking the content, whatever you want!”

“You won’t be running away from this, huh?”

“Hehe, I’ll just throw you into horror games~.”

“24-hour training camp/live stream. You’re toast!”

“Wait, Rain, you’re reading my mind. I was going to force-feed you a 24-hour training regime too.”

— Oh!

— Majia returns, wow.

— Finally coming back to streams!!!

— Wow, it seems like the preparations for the second-gen debut are nearly complete!

— Good stuff!

For those who didn’t know Majia well, it was with excitement that she anticipated what she, the infamous co-op cheat key, would showcase alongside the first generation.

But for those who were familiar with her, anxiety gripped them at that moment.

After all, having a corporate VTuber wrangling other VTubers within the same company while putting in extra effort before graduation?

This was a sure-fire pre-graduation track record.

It turned out to be more alarming than any previous hints.

You might think, “Oh, it won’t happen if Majia wins the bet.”

But immediately after, as Maru presented the first question, Majia’s fandom was left dumbfounded.

[— Gulp…]

Just a one-second sample—a random scream or something completely indistinct.

“So, take a guess!”

Who in their right mind would take a guess at this?

It was blatantly steering toward Majia’s tears and a crying overlap stream route.