I May Be a Virtual Youtuber, but I Still Go to Work - Chapter 136
The difficulty level of the question you could guess from the provided hints was somewhat visible in the chat window.
[— Tsk…]
— What the hell, haha!
— Is this right?
— Oh, haha! When I’m bored, I just make these sounds, and giving this to me is so funny!
— Where the heck is “Ukk” coming from?
— I seriously don’t know, haha!
But for Majia, it wasn’t that difficult of a problem.
Maru has three types of screams, and their intensity varies based on how startled she is.
First, we have the basic version.
From here on, it gradually changes in stages.
The strongest version ends with an “Aak” and you just have to raise that ending to the max.
If I were to symbolize it with an arrow, it would look like this: ‘↗’?
The next intensity feels just like the hint we heard.
It’s not a full-on scream, but instead a startled reaction that struggles to articulate words.
“It sounds like a scream intending to say ‘Don’t make me laugh,’ but it started with an ‘Ukk…’. If I remember correctly, I’ve screamed like that in about five games.”
At that, Maru, surprised, replied.
“Uh… game? How are you sure it’s a game? It could be something else!”
“At least as far as I know, I’ve never screamed like this outside of a game.”
— ?
— Are you serious?
— How do you know? LOL
— A genuine demon, lol!
Digging through the database in her memory, Majia muttered.
“Given the volume, it must have been the day we adjusted the mic volume for a group stream… and we usually revert back to the original settings within two days. So, if I narrow it down to the day we did a group stream two days ago….”
“Wait, uh….”
— HAHAHAHAHAHA
— What the heck, I’m scared…
— I just figured it out; are you using your search chance right now?
“Search is going on in my head; don’t underestimate my brainpower.”
— You can figure all this out without searching??
— That’s insane.
— You’re not human!!
— The Majia AI theory is finally revealed!
Even as viewers protested that this didn’t make sense, Majia didn’t stop her deductions.
“I’m not completely sure, but if you listen closely to the background sound, it sounds like a zombie. A ‘ggrrr’ sound.”
Maru shut her mouth to keep Majia in check, whose pace was accelerating towards the answer, but that didn’t change the fact that she was getting closer.
“The answer is Pandemic Z, which we did last summer. It’s tough but guessable.”
Maru mumbled with a blank expression.
“Right…. I mean, it’s correct, but you guessed it, right? You just thought hard about it for a second, didn’t you? Huh?”
— Be honest!!!! You searched for it, didn’t you?!!!!
— Did Maru leak the answer? OMG
— Of course, leaks come from MatTube!
“The viewers say you leaked the answer, huh?”
“No! Just think logically, everyone! If I lose, I have to play a horror game; why would I leak the answers? And if Jia wanted to search, we would have stopped her—she’s literally right next to me….”
— Well, that is true…
— Haha, I’m sorry!
— This was definitely unsolicited!
— If you feel wronged, you should leak less, don’t you think?
“Ugh, I’m sorry for this. Yeah, I’m sorry for leaking often… just kidding, you all spread it like wildfire whenever there was a leak!”
— No? I don’t know!
— I don’t really know!
— Those are bad viewers; we’re good viewers so we wouldn’t know!
For a moment, there was a doubt about Majia’s innocence, but Maru swiftly brought it to an end.
In any case, now everyone’s heads were filled with such thoughts.
What’s going on?
The difficulty of the problem was supposed to be stupidly hard.
And yet, they get this right so easily?
They still had three questions left, but at this rate, wouldn’t Majia win?
…And if that happened, would they not do a relay group stream with the members?
The first-generation “Second Generation” horror game would be pretty fun.
With this in mind, even those who were conscious of Majia’s graduation began to rethink things.
Did we overthink it too much?
No matter how I look at it, there were signs of graduation; was it all an overreaction?
But for now, it’s still uncertain.
Major announcements like graduations are never discussed during broadcasts.
They had to keep their guard up until this show was over to keep Majia in check.
— By the way, all hail Majia!
— She’s really an inspiration for the “Fan_C” fans!
— The “Fan_C” fans should learn from Majia!
Always saying they don’t broadcast, asking when they’ll debut, and ignoring us like crazy.
The chat’s mood became warm today, as the “Solid Majia” fans, who were just barely skirting by with their blocks and survival, shared nothing but kind words.
So much so that even other fans felt, “The chat is less spicy than usual today.”
Of course, it could just be because Maru’s quiz was easy.
Seeing the next level of difficulty in Komari’s quiz, they had to brace themselves again.
“Alright, let’s move on to the next question. Since I’m the one asking, listen closely, sister.”
“Show me.”
[—New—]
There’s almost no background sound worth using as a hint.
And it’s not a scream like Maru’s.
This short hint feels like it’s cut straight from mid-sentence.
— ?
— ??
— Haha!
— ?
— No, this isn’t a hint you give when you want someone to guess, haha!
— Do you really not realize how… easy this is?
— How could the hint be that harsh? HAHA!
— With this level of hint, you might as well just tell us to do a relay stream, haha!
No matter how sharply Majia had hit Maru’s question earlier, the general consensus now was that this was impossible.
The problem posed by Komari radiated confidence.
“Maru’s problem was a bit easy, right? I prepared something much harder than that.”
However, until now, Majia, who had stayed silent, created a huge ripple in the serene atmosphere with one line.
“That intonation is just like when you swear. It’s like ‘S*it’ with a ‘se’ sound.”
At that, Komari was immediately at a loss for words.
Maru didn’t keep quiet either.
“I told you! That’s way too easy!”
“Ah, no! It’s not easy! Even if you know it, right? I don’t just swear on any random day!”
“You’re boasting about that, aren’t you?”
“Seriously! Sis, shush. If you give a hint, we have to do a horror game, remember? Don’t forget!”
“…Ah, I’m sorry about that!”
— HAHA!
— Trying to k*ll yourself, huh? HAHA!
— If it’s Maru, she would leak hints too, right? HAHA!
But as Komari said, the reason this problem is tough is because her swearing occurs so frequently.
Last time, Maru’s ‘Ukk’ sound was condensed into several types.
When counting the days Komari swore “S*it,” it accounts for almost half of all broadcast days.
Of the 200 broadcast days, only one day doesn’t include it.
This is like trying to find a needle in a haystack without a magnet.
Compared to Maru, who left a little leeway, Komari’s question was truly a malicious one.
But not all “S*it” swears are the same.
“After hearing it a few times, the tone is pretty much at anger level five to some degree.”
“…What?”
— What?
— How did you figure that out? LOL
— HAHAHAHA!
— Are you crazy?
— You’re definitely an AI, right?
— A high-class swear analysis broadcast, HAHA!
“Don’t call me AI, everyone, just listen closely. Even when Maru swears from maximum anger to minimum anger, it’s a bit different, you know? For example, this hint’s tone is at “sonos” that has a specific pitch.”
— I don’t have a music major, so I don’t know!
— Majia, Majia, that’s amazing.
— Anyway, you’ve said there’s a definite pitch.
— How can you even know that…?
With the audience left in bafflement, Majia’s analysis continued.
“Komari, if you want to swear in a ‘sonos’ state, you need two conditions. First, during that day’s rank game, you have to get at least three wins in a row. Then, someone has to send some really nasty chats or donations…”
Since there are so many trolls in your room, the manager cuts off the streams really fast, so if the block is late enough for you to react… it’s probably early morning after five.
“…Ah. No.”
“If my memory serves well, there haven’t been many days when I swore past five in the morning in a ‘sonos’ state. The sound of a small smack that’s heard in the background seems essential. I don’t know the champion’s name, but I remember it wasn’t one you often use.”
So, everyone focused their attention on Majia.
If she got this correct, it would be a monumental record in the history of internet broadcasts.
That much, it was a truly insane question.
Even Komari, who posed it, couldn’t be sure of that outcome…
“This is a date I think I know. It’s the Hangul Day broadcast, right? The used champion was a Korean champion, that fox-like champion—what was its name?”
Komari let out a hollow laugh as she responded.
“Baekseo… It’s correct.”
— What the heck, HAHAHA!
— No way, HAHA!
— HAHAHAHAHA!
— Are you serious? LOL!
— Wow, this has to be scripted, HAHA!
— Honestly, you already knew the answer, didn’t you?
— Does this even make sense???
Before the viewers rushed to find the answer, Komari showed the answer video first.
In the video, they controlled a character with a fox tail as Komari said, “Keep making excuses, you bullies. I’ll win this match and get a five-win streak, and then I’ll sleep like a baby. s*ck it.”
It was exactly as Majia had said.
“Seriously… are you insane? How did you guess that?”
“Don’t forget that I’ve been watching your broadcasts all 365 days. Well, I haven’t managed to catch everything recently since I’ve been busy, but I was able to get this because I was watching your streams back then.”
Anyway, with this, Majia had gotten two questions right and was one step closer to victory.
She even dared to provoke.
“Though the questions are tough, there’s no way you wouldn’t get them right? Are Dora and Rain’s levels the same?”
“They’re harder.”
“You just activated my trap card.”
“That means they’re harder, right? That would be exciting. If they were of similar levels, I would have probably been disappointed.”
“‘…’”
— I’m scared…
— When it comes to the first generation, I know everything. LOL
— This is just madness, OMG!
Maru and Komari wanted to ask what was so easy about these problems, but after Majia had already guessed twice, that challenge was impossible.
They did get their assumptions proven wrong, but they couldn’t deny that they underestimated Majia.
“Yeah, I overthought it. I admit that. But even if you say so, knowing them with such precision gives me chills!”
“Right… I’m actually a bit scared too, sis…”
Naturally, the members divided into two sides and began to bicker.
“Don’t worry. We’ll help. My grand and magnificent problem. I’m sure Jia will definitely swear. Just you two sit tight.”
“Yeah, let’s talk more after we see the question, okay? It better be only easier than ours. If not, then I’m out!”
“Don’t worry. I made sure this was really tough~.”
“Even then, I think it’ll be easier than Komari’s, though…”
— Wow, those guys squabble over this too? HAHA!
— They’re cute, let’s drink!
— This is how it should be, HAHA!
— Infighting is the best! HAHA!
You might wonder why there aren’t any viewers hoping for the members to win.
This also serves as evidence that there are more people wishing for Majia, who’s in a relatively disadvantaged position, to win.
And if Majia wins, the group horror game with the members won’t happen.
With Majia this excited, the fans couldn’t miss out on this.
Even the “Solid Majia” fans, hoping for Majia not to have a relay stream, were flooding the chat wishing for Majia’s victory like mad.
It’s practically most of the audience supporting Majia…
A few minutes later, Majia went on to correctly answer the last two questions consecutively, and the chat erupted into a festive atmosphere.
“Correct… You f—.”
“Rain, F-word is prohibited.”
“You s*** crazy….”
“That wasn’t an invitation to swear.”
— Please sign!
— Uh… me… more… will… play… horror… games…
— Don’t do that, HAHA!
— But seriously, you’re insane…
— How did you do this, really?
— I’ll just believe it’s all scripted… this doesn’t make sense HAHA…
— Four-person horror game, I can’t resist, HAHA!
— It’s going down~~~
— Ugh, it’s Majia again; I must worship her!
At this point, even the “Solid Majia” fans, who were worried about her graduation and rebirth, felt relieved and acknowledged internally that they had made too much fuss.
Yeah. Majia couldn’t possibly get these quiz answers wrong.
What’s that saying about losing on purpose to prepare for the relay stream?
There’s never been such an overreaction, either. It seemed no one could have been less confident in Majia, leading to a feeling of regret about their lack of trust in her.
Of course, Majia was unaware of the fan’s emotional changes swirling beneath the surface.
She started to doubt whether she had shown that she and the members were in harmony.
This feeling only grew stronger, as something bubbled to the surface—a thought that perhaps she needed to do even more.
Since mentioning anything related to this in the chat would obviously get her banned, the audience also read the mood. Now, more than ever, it would be good to show something solid.
“If I’m going to do this….”
When you’re extinguishing a fire, you should do it decisively.
If you leave any embers, they might flare back up at random times.
So for the first time, Majia spoke up with something like this.
“Would it be okay for me to join the horror game stream too?”
— ?
— Huh?
— What?
The members had no reason to refuse.
This content itself was a suggestion to resolve the discord among them.
However, the relay stream they had bet on as a penalty was something they genuinely wanted to do.
Naturally, despite expecting to win when they started betting, they felt a bit guilty about making the busy Majia squeeze in time for this.
Everyone was hesitating.
In that situation, Majia had no choice but to speak up again.
“If not now, who knows when we’ll get to play together like this again?”
Though she could take charge of the content like today, being the five together for a game wouldn’t easily come around again.
That’s because Majia isn’t really a fan of joining the members unless there’s a solid reason behind it.
But that intent was misinterpreted, and it rushed in on the “Solid Majia” fans, who had finally felt relieved after a day of anxiety.
“Who knows when she might leave?” interpreted through the lens of “when will we play again?” sentiment.
— Come on, there will be other chances, right? LOL
— You’re not just going to say this and vanish, are you? HAHA!
— Don’t act like a person who will never come back again! HAHA!
Had the unofficial graduation topic not been a ban-worthy issue, Majia’s fans wouldn’t have been so wishy-washy either.
Even without it being, they would have probably had no choice but to quietly swallow their gloom.
Given that she had a role in numerous members’ broadcasts, she was, after all, still an ordinary person yet to debut.
*
Of course, the wave of Majia’s graduation rumor didn’t just affect her fans.
Even people who didn’t know much about the VTuber side were aware of Majia.
Among those, there was one person.
As soon as Majia’s graduation rumor surfaced, they immediately contacted an acquaintance to solve their curiosity.
And so, while monitoring a streaming session, Dohui received a phone call.
[Don’t let Majia go. If you’re a black company president, then act like one and grab her firmly. Why can’t you do that? You’re not even fit to be a president.]
The voice was distorted, giving off an odd vibe, but the caller didn’t even try to hide their phone number.
Dohui barely held back her laugh and said, “Lee Dong-keun. Turn off the voice modulation and call again.”
[…I’m not Dong-keun.]
“Hide your phone number if you’re going to be this weird.”
Sure enough, the familiar voice of Movgun returned, clicking his tongue.
[I almost forgot to enable caller ID.]
“This isn’t even funny…”
Dohui muttered as she couldn’t hold back a laugh.
“So, you chose to make Majia a target instead of a first-generation member?”
[No, it’s not like that.]
“Sure it isn’t. That reaction right there could only come from an avid Jia fan. Do you frequent Majia’s mini gallery too?”
[I don’t. Not that.]
“Got your self-introduction down. So why? Do you want to know the truth?”
[Of course. Is Majia quitting? Graduating? What’s going on?]
To be fair, unless they asked if he was a member of the “Fan_C,” it shouldn’t matter how bluntly the question was answered.
However, Dohui wore a sly smile.
This was a golden opportunity gifted to her by Majia.
Although Movgun had become a VTuber himself, he was still a part of a general group with a somewhat distant relationship with subcultures.
His fan base wouldn’t necessarily tune in to the “Parallel” broadcasts just because he was frequently tied to VR.
But they could still become potential supporters of the “Parallel” music if they decided to listen.
Particularly the YouTube side, not the live broadcast.
“You make those clutch plays and clips into shorts often, right? Add our new song into those.”
[Wow… that’s pretty vicious. Those cost a lot of money.]
“So? You don’t want to hear the truth? If you don’t want to, then don’t.”
Movgun grumbled.
[When did I say I won’t do it? I just said it’s expensive. Just wait a week. I’ll give you something ridiculously cool that’ll make people’s eyes pop.]