I May Be a Virtual Youtuber, but I Still Go to Work - Chapter 145

Anyway, it was Saturday, June 9, just a week before the MCN battle, when the broadcast was set to kick off at peak viewing time.

[ Movgun ]

[ (🔴Live) Moving Talk Show #6 – Bachu Bachu 4th Generation Natsuki Luna, Parallel Operations Team Majia Representative ] 87,441

#BattleColiseum #BachuBachu #Luna #Parallel #Majia

Even before the main show started, the audience was already at 87,000 strong.

Out of them, about 30,000 came from Parallel, and if we estimate that around 10,000 were Movgun’s existing viewers, that means the remaining 50,000 must be from Bachu Bachu.

— Sorry in advance to the Parallel folks~

— 🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶

— Our kid can be a bit… you know, so we appreciate your understanding~

— Majia is no joke either

— 🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶

— There are only dogs here

— 🐶🐶luna

— 🐶🐶Fight!

— Dog Lu Na

— Aww, haha, don’t drag my nickname here, lol

— Dog Lu Na

— すげえ、めちゃ犬しかいないじゃんwwww

— 草

— Luna, please be a well-behaved puppy today

— 🐶🐶🐶

— Stop wagging your tail!

— 🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶

— Majia fighting!

— 🐶🐶🐶🐶

— dog

— dangedangna

— 🐶

With a war cry that we mustn’t lose in this numbers game, they all gathered, but it’s clear that we’re outnumbered.

The chat was overflowing with Natsuki Luna’s fan symbol, which is a dog. Our side’s chat is barely visible.

It seems that even though all the Parallel people have gathered, the Bachu Bachu fans likely just popped in to see how their precious “youngest” is doing while continuing to enjoy their own show.

If more viewers join in, there might be some movement, but most are clearly from Bachu Bachu.

If the estimates made by the president and planning team are right, we could hit a maximum of 80,000. That’s just insane in scale.

I wonder how many would have shown up if Taro had come. Wouldn’t we see 100,000 just from Bachu Bachu alone?

And to top it all off, the main character, Luna, is arriving the latest.

Compared to me and Movgun, who jumped into the voice chat room 30 minutes before the broadcast, Luna is expected to show up a bit, say, ten minutes before the show starts.

Movgun mumbled as he watched the chat explode.

[Wow, Bachu Bachu’s firepower is something else. If all these people actually watched my show, I’d have three times the view count right now.]

“Do you want to quit your cam show and become a VTuber now? Wait, maybe I should become a vermilion bear?”

[What a crazy idea!]

“Yeah, it’s a crazy idea. Do you know how loyal these fans are? You don’t just become a VTuber empire for no reason. It started in JP, then EN, and now KR and ID. Right now, 70% of the world’s VTuber audience belongs to Bachu Bachu.”

Movgun laughed.

[I’ve never heard Ji-a talk so seriously about our broadcast rivals before.]

“Since they’re a rival we need to beat someday, it’s not bad to know more about them.”

[You’ve got guts, but are you not nervous? There’s probably only 30,000 max from Parallel. Even some of those might be mixed with my viewers. But Bachu Bachu’s numbers will keep rising, won’t they? It could even hit 100,000.]

I replied, shrugging off the pressure, “What’s the big deal? When have we ever been at a disadvantage? Remember when people thought we were a joke during Movgun’s civil war?”

[Did they? If that’s the case, I apologize for my poor viewer management.]

But I’ll admit, saying I’m not at least a little nervous would be a lie. Usually, I don’t mind the chat, but today is basically Bachu Bachu’s home ground.

On the flip side, Luna, who joined the voice chat room about ten minutes before the main broadcast, was radiating confidence.

[Movgun! Majia! Hello! I’m so sorry for being the youngest and being the last to show up!!]

[Oh, it’s okay! Welcome!]

Being a newbie, I thought she might feel a bit small seeing close to 100,000 viewers, but clearly, she’s no ordinary debutante from Bachu Bachu.

Knowing she has so much support on her side makes her completely unfazed.

Moreover, once she shifted from a text chat to a voice call, her friendliness shot up way past 200% compared to yesterday.

The exclamation points that filled yesterday’s chat transformed into booming soundwaves that directly hit our ears.

…Perhaps I should lower the volume a bit.

[Even when I was texting with my senpai yesterday, it didn’t feel real, but now we’re really doing a collaboration…! I’m so touched!]

“I feel the same. It’s an honor to be doing content with you, Luna.”

[No, the honor is mine! And I just remembered, I forgot to mention yesterday that broadcasting with a senpai like you is a rare achievement among VTubers!]

“Well, I guess it’s because I don’t stream regularly…”

[The fact that many people want to collaborate with someone who streams infrequently means you’re incredibly charming, right? You can’t deny that!]

“I hate to admit it, but if I were to assume you’re right… well, Taro probably wants to stream with me too, right?”

[Yeah! So when Movgun said he was going to ask you, I was all ready for it! Though… his schedule was too busy, so he had to give up.]

“Still, thanks to that, I got to have this chance to stream with you, Luna.”

[Ahh, I’m so happy to hear that!]

If I wasn’t someone who didn’t crave personal growth, I’d probably feel giddy enough to fly like a butterfly right now.

What VTuber wouldn’t want to collaborate with Taro? Unless you’re like Bajubi, avoiding the dinosaurs on purpose.

If Luna really decided to schedule things, even if it seemed far-fetched, Taro would show up.

Taro and Luna are already recognized as a mother-daughter duo within Bachu Bachu.

“This is the youngest from Bachu Bachu riding the Taro line.”

I had been keeping an eye on the show, but chatting with her only solidified my thoughts.

The path paved by the seniors is thrumming with excitement thanks to the mischievous youngsters, and among them, Luna is downright explosive.

Even if she has some quirks (like her endless positive energy), those rough edges somehow bring shine to her seniors and make the interplay even more entertaining.

If Parallel strives to find flawless children, Luna stands in stark contrast to that feeling. After all, they’re a massive corporation in the industry with the luxury to let it fly.

Minor controversies like “Not considering me enough, going too at her own pace”? Just a small snack to munch through with fan power.

And honestly, that kind of power is admirable.

We all wish we could grow fast enough that the 3rd gen and 4th gen can just run free on a smooth path.

Anyway, seemingly aware of this relative advantage, Luna launched her offensive without hesitation.

[By the way, senpai, since we’re on a call now, I have a question I’ve been dying to ask!]

“Sure, go ahead.”

[Umm, you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but I really wanted to ask when I got this opportunity! Taro-senpai said to have important discussions over calls instead of messages. I’ve been curious since yesterday, so I held back!]

Glancing at the clock, I saw we had about 7 minutes until the live broadcast.

Had she been a regular rookie, she might have been mumbling through her broadcast lines at this point, but she was so calm that I thought it would be fine for us to chat for a moment.

I could somewhat predict what her question would be, likely a rumor about my 2nd generation debut.

“Is this a story that could be wrapped up in 5 minutes?”

[Yes! It’s nothing special!]

“Movgun, I’ll be back in a minute.”

[Okay, take your time.]

I quickly hopped over to a voice chat.

With just the two of us left, Luna asked without any hesitation.

[Are you perhaps a Utaite on the side?]

“………”

I never expected that.

I had been trying to delay the reveal of Fan_C’s identity for as long as possible, so I was prepared for some answers.

But I was still a bit flustered.

I thought she might be asking about debut-related details.

“No, I don’t really enjoy singing.”

[Oh, really…?]

“Did you hear some rumor circulating in the community?”

[Nope! A sister of mine, who knows Ji-a, saw her visiting CAT regularly, so I was curious! I haven’t told anyone! Just super curious…]

So she drew on an industry connection instead of community gossip?

I hadn’t thought of that network at all.

It struck me just how small the entertainment industry is, even including livestreaming.

After all, I hadn’t expected that Ena’s father was producer Nahyeon Gon either.

Anyway, it seems someone spotted me hanging out in the recording studio and eventually passed that story on.

It could’ve been someone who helped with my recordings, but I couldn’t pinpoint anyone specifically.

Those recording studios are busy, after all.

Even in our studio, the All Might-exclusive recording space under CAT is constantly booked.

Considering how many people come through, it’s natural that someone might have recognized me.

That could be Luna’s acquaintance.

Still, I’d better spin a little lie to keep everything under wraps.

“Our members had some recording work, you see. I was just there to check in.”

For the first time, Luna’s jovial tone faltered slightly.

[…Hmm.]

She muttered something rather significant.

[What a pity! If you were the Utaite I know, I would have loved to collaborate on some song work…]

This wasn’t the typical broadcasting voice.

It was a lower-toned adult-sounding voice, unusual for a youngest.

“Even if I were that Utaite, Luna, you’re quite busy right now, right? From covers to original songs, and you have collaborations with seniors to handle. You’re in peak busy season.”

[That’s true! But it’s a personal preference! Besides, since we’re in different companies and Ji-a isn’t a VTuber, I don’t think I’d get another chance to meet and get to chat like this…]

At that moment, my suspicions started to grow.

The moment her true voice broke through sent a strange déjà vu coursing through me, along with the fact that she went out of her way to use “side job.”

It felt like she might not be just a pure VTuber after all.

Was she originally an Utaite who has become a VTuber?

“I get that you might be confused about how that could work.”

There definitely are people who manage to balance both in surprising ways.

Since Utaite can take their time between song submissions, it’s a lot easier to make it work with VTubing.

Bachu Bachu JP already has several cases of that, too.

Our president’s schedule might be an absolute train wreck, but he’s still a VTuber and CEO in tandem.

Even more, I have evidence backing it up.

Luna? She can sing like a dream.

Taro wouldn’t have taken a motherly stance just because of her charm; it’s also her singing skills that made him act that way.

In fact, among the 4th generation, Luna is top-class.

Maybe today, right here might be the first time I uncover something about Luna’s past that no one else has figured out yet.

But there aren’t enough clues.

I can’t certainly say who she is going by just her voice, even if she had changed her singing style since debuting as a VTuber.

For now, I’ll take a look at that sister she mentioned.

“By the way, does the sister who spotted me work for CAT?”

[Nope! She’s on the artist side! Utaite!]

Thanks to Luna’s candidness, I could narrow down my target quickly.

There were about ten Utaite affiliated with CAT, and the person who I saw nearly every time I visited for recordings was consistently the same.

The producer, Nahyeon Gon, had told me that if they started collaboration work, it would definitely be that person first, so I even got to know them.

This person participated in the illegal duet and won an award, so we had a significant amount of familiarity.

“Is that person perhaps Lee Yura? I remember she was always there before me to record during my visits.”

“…….”

For the first time in our conversation, it took over a second before Luna’s answer came back.

In that moment, a realization hit me hard.

‘Is she really an Utaite on the side?’

The reason she wasn’t nervous in front of all these viewers, why she was so forward, so unphased, was because she might not be a fresh debutant in Bachu Bachu at all?

If she had previously dealt with figures as prominent as the ones we see here, or had even moved through the stage already?

The very reason she insists on calling those beyond the Bachu Bachu as senpai isn’t simply about respect but perhaps a self-affirmation to prevent revealing her identity by mistake?

And maybe that’s why Taro is so protective of Luna—not just because of her singing, but because if she’s actually a recognized personality outside of VTubing?

“Could it be—”

Before I could finish, Luna hurriedly cut me off.

[Shall we save the rest of this discussion until after the broadcast, senpai?!!]