I May Be a Virtual Youtuber, but I Still Go to Work - Chapter 143

Kuroboshi Taro (黒星 タロット).

If you have even a smattering of Japanese or kanji knowledge, you might have noticed something interesting.

Her name derives from the president’s name, Shirahoshi Momo (白星 モモ).

It’s like a cosmic clash of the white star and black star family names, and if you smush them together, you get MomoTaro couple!

The name perfectly reflects that they’re buddies who throw punches at each other when boredom strikes.

This makes sense considering Taro could practically be called Momo’s first daughter before the Parallel and first-generation came into the picture.

So, Momo was the one who first debuted as a VTuber.

Momo proved her prowess as a producer and president by launching a VTuber.

…And this kind of chatter about her was quite common until the year before last.

But now, the tables have turned dramatically.

The president is stuck at nearly 2 million subscribers, while Taro has soared to a whopping 3.5 million.

Each is ranked 3rd and 1st in VTuber subscriber counts, but that gap is, wow, like a chasm!

So, the president barely mentions her anymore on streams.

She’s advised the fandom to refrain from discussing anything other than their “real-life friendship.”

Now, when she talks about being the first daughter, it just sounds like she’s trying to milk the past for all it’s worth to s*ck up to Bachu Bachu, right?

I completely agree with the president’s viewpoint here.

So, I’ve been deliberately avoiding Taro whenever the chance arises.

Like, at the end-of-the-year party, I knew her but didn’t even bother to show my face.

And during the competitive showdowns, I acknowledged her presence but didn’t try to act chummy at all.

So, when Movgun proposed a talk show, I hesitated for a second.

I mean, it’s awkward dealing with Taro, isn’t it?

But then I thought, even if there’s some ruckus, it’s better to show up than just ghosting it.

Plus, I’d already decided to stick my nose back into things regardless of the outcome.

So, there was no reason to avoid it.

First things first, I needed to plot how I’d engage with the Bachu Bachu leader.

The next day, right when I got to work, I sought out the president.

I guess Movgun was too busy gathering people that he didn’t get around to mentioning that the MC battle talk show is happening a week before the MCN showdown.

“Anyway, the opponent for the preliminary match is Taro. What are we gonna do?”

“…That sounds like a threat of backstabbing from behind.”

“Should we backstab? This isn’t a competitive match; it’s the Battle Coliseum! We can totally handle it!”

“No. It’s not meant to turn into a brawl.”

The president smiled, like she was going to let it slide.

“When we play as the same party, just do your thing. Besides, when we played games together before, you kept randomly teaming up with us and causing chaos.”

“That was then; now? I feel like the Bachu Bachu fandom wouldn’t just sit back and take it.”

“I’m sure you won’t cross any lines.”

I pouted a bit, and the president laid out some ground rules.

“You did snipe Movgun anonymously before.”

“Yep!”

“All you have to do this time is not steal the loot, like last time. Back then, it was all anonymous, but this time it’s under the company name.”

“Can I still attract attention?”

“Well, it’s fine, but maybe tone it down a bit?”

“The thing is, my main weapon is a shotgun, so even if I want to keep it low-key, I can’t help but bring the noise.”

While most users use silencers to muffle their shots, I’m the one blasting away like there’s no tomorrow.

So, whether I like it or not, I’m pretty loud.

The president chuckled and said that kind of noise is fine.

“I thought you were going to call all types of enemies in like you’re trying to get my attention.”

“Oh come on, I wouldn’t dream of doing something like that, even as a rookie streamer!”

“I’m glad to hear that. Majia department head?”

“Well, when it comes to games, that’s fine, but how do we handle conversations? Business as usual, right?”

The president pondered for a moment, muttering to herself.

She seemed more worried about the conversation than the game itself.

We know each other pretty well, but these days, it feels a bit… awkward.

“To be honest, I think it’d be best if we just show a bit of business-like familiarity.”

“So you’re saying to avoid any displays of friendship?”

“Exactly. You know, during collabs when it gets a little exaggerated, and those lines about ‘Oh, look at their **on-screen personas**!’ really pop up.”

“Ah.”

If you’ve watched VTuber streams long enough, you’ll pick up on those cues—like knowing when two collab partners are actually friends versus just business acquaintances.

Because I didn’t want to stoke any rumors of discord with the first gen, I intentionally chose to throw in some playful jabs.

All to avoid looking too “business-like,” you know?

“Not really my forte, but I think it’s doable.”

“Well, I’m just throwing ideas out there, but you think it can work? Even if you prioritize work, you usually come off as sweet in front of VTubers. And Taro’s definitely on that list.”

“Did I?”

“Think about when Bajubi came by. You were a total sweetheart that day—it was wild! I was pretty shocked. The one who usually pulls pranks on me was suddenly like a calm little lamb in front of Bajubi!”

“That’s just because you keep nudging me to behave—”

Just then, the president’s hand flew over to cover my mouth.

I flailed, but escaping was futile.

“Anyway, if possible, act accordingly. Now and then, I don’t want to hear that it sounds like we’re just begging for crumbs from Bachu Bachu.”

I subtly pulled her hand away and nodded.

After all, I’ve been treating Taro like a cute stone statue, just as she implied.

“But Taro’s really going to show up?”

“Still not confirmed, but the possibility seems high. Movgun sounded pretty confident.”

“…So shouldn’t you be the one getting invited instead of me? Movgun’s too worried about my feelings!”

“That’s true.”

“And shouldn’t the levels at least match? If not, the other side would gobble them up. I mean, right now, she’s got ten times the number of subscribers compared to you. That’s a huge difference!”

I tilted my head.

“I don’t have any subscribers, so wasn’t that the point of wanting me along? You can’t compare if there’re no numbers—it’s zero after all.”

“Why do you have zero subscribers?”

“Because I do!”

“The official channel’s subscribers just jumped to 350,000!”

“…What does that have to do with my subscribers?”

“Since you treat that channel like your private room, can we say those are technically yours?”

“Private room? I only use it for official broadcasts as the representative!”

Funny enough, as I blurted that out, it made me think.

Command Room Broadcasts.

The goal is to stream all the members while curating today’s content for viewers, but it also satisfies my personal cravings.

While doing the streams, I found a way to keep my hobby of watching VTuber broadcasts alive.

But if I start to scrutinize whether that’s something an official channel should air, it feels a bit iffy.

It’s not much different from a YouTuber streaming from their room while running their channel.

“Speaking of which, shouldn’t we separate the Command Room broadcasts into a different channel?”

“Eh? Suddenly? Don’t you also run the Fan_C channel? You want to juggle two channels on top of that? You barely have any time!”

“The CAT team is managing that for me, so I hardly touch it. It’s basically me showing up to record when I’m scheduled. They’ll only contact me when necessary.”

“…Okay, fair enough. But why should the Command Room be separated?”

“Because it feels a bit too rough and light for an official channel. It crossed my mind that someday, we’ll surpass Bachu Bachu. It’s time we start caring about our image, don’t you think?”

“Are you saying your broadcasts lack refinement by admitting that?”

“Isn’t it true? It’s a chaotic Command Room after all. Plus, as you said, if the viewers see it as me using it like my living room, it might affect the impact when we have important announcements.”

“Hmm… Can’t argue with that…”

“On any other normal day, we shouldn’t just scream ‘BIG EVENT!’ out of nowhere for the official channel’s announcement to have a bigger impact. These days, while I’m busy preparing for the second gen debut, that kind of effect happens naturally. But when we start the Command Room again in a few weeks… honestly, isn’t that a bit underwhelming?”

“Is that so?”

“We have a lot of major announcements ahead. Did you see the results for the new song? The future looks bright!”

The president pondered for a good long while.

She probably figured that giving me a separate channel could lead to misunderstandings.

“Well, since we didn’t officially list you on the website anyway, making a separate channel and streaming shouldn’t be weird, right? If we mention ‘splitting routes,’ I’m sure viewers will get it. If an actual announcement comes up for the official stream, I could just mention it while streaming.”

“It’s not that I’m worried about that, but if you create a channel with your name, you’d really turn into a full-blown VTuber. Like a VTuber who hasn’t even debuted yet.”

“Well, then just don’t put my name on it!”

“Still, ‘Parallel Behind’ or something like that, right?”

I was already thinking of names like Long Rail or Deep Rail, but still, the president indeed has that spark for naming stuff better than me.

“Yeah. Just like most streamers separate their official channels from their VODs, we should also distinguish our official announcements from smaller content. Monthly content like <Fantasia> would stay on the official channel, while non-regular Command Room stuff or videos from me participating in other content can all go under ‘behind the scenes.’”

The president nodded along for ages, and I kept on my train of thought.

“Either way, this’ll clearly show how different the subscriber numbers are between the official channel and mine. Mine will probably barely hit a thousand.”

“…….”

Noticing the president seemed unconvinced, I shrugged my shoulders and proposed a bet.

“Want to wager? If I lose, I’ll give you an hour-long massage. If I win, I get a PC bang date with you for an hour. Deal?”

Honestly, I figured she’d try to wriggle out of this since she’s so busy lately.

But, lo and behold!

She came back even more enthusiastic.

“This bet feels a bit too light. How about we ramp it up?”

“Ramp it up? Just how much more are you planning to raise it…?”

“10 thousand.”

For a second, I thought she’d misspoken.

“Your subscribers. Let’s bet on whether you’ll exceed 10 thousand before the tournament. If I win, instead of just an hour massage, I want you to buy a massage chair for the company lounge, paying out of your own pocket.”

“…If I win, it’ll come from company money?”

“Nope, my own money. So, how about it? Deal? Afraid?”

I couldn’t wrap my head around why she was betting on me when I’m not even that popular.

Like Team Leader Ra Seunghyeon acknowledged, sure, when I stream together with other members, there’s great synergy.

But my role is always as the supporting cast, that’s it.

There’s no way I could have 10 thousand people who like just me.

It seemed she was probably expecting my subscribers to swell after the talk show with Movgun and Taro.

But I’m just going to follow orders and do the business chats. How would that lead to more subscribers? That sounds ridiculous!

So, this was basically a bet I couldn’t possibly lose.

And even if I did, it wouldn’t bother me too much; I’ve been getting so many bonuses lately that spending money is a hassle!

It’s not like I haven’t funded the kids several times before, and my main account got flagged for funding bans.

I’ve been creating new accounts to evade detection; I’ve had to split my donations into small amounts under 50,000 just to keep them away from prying eyes.

So, if I can use this opportunity to unload some cash, wouldn’t that be pretty sweet?

“Alright. Let’s do it! But if I win, I want more than just the massage chair; it’s 12 hours at the PC bang for me and you.”

Whether she knew how I was thinking or not,

the president grinned with a wicked smile.

“Deal!”