I May Be a Virtual Youtuber, but I Still Go to Work - Chapter 146
[After the Broadcast! Shall we continue our conversation, Senpai?!]
I ran away.
It was clearly a retreat and a declaration of “Mayday!”
“Oh, yeah. The broadcast is starting soon.”
I was about 90% sure, but let’s kick things off with the broadcast first. Only three minutes left until showtime.
However, I’m the type of person who can’t sleep until I solve my curiosity.
Not that I’m out and about for some purpose.
I’m just genuinely curious, you know? Am I supposed to just stop researching? I need to dig until I find out!
Besides, after gathering evidence, it seems like there’s a lot more than I initially thought.
“I think it’s Lee Yura.”
The winners of the illegal duet recorded their songs separately, right?
Lee Yura hasn’t done much as an Utaite since then.
Originally, there were no announcements about it since communication isn’t a must for Utaite.
From the beginning of February until today, the first week of June.
It feels like she’s had a really long hiatus.
But wait, who debuted in the first week of March?
It was none other than the fourth generation of Bachu Bachu.
What’s more, after Producer Nahyeon Gon said he would determine our future based on the performance of our song, the very first thing he talked to me about was a collaboration with Lee Yura.
It’s been months since that conversation.
Are we not supposed to get signals by now? It’s been quiet, and just yesterday I received a message.
That call I mistakenly thought was Movgun’s and didn’t answer turned out to be a manager assigned to me from CAT.
She said the planned collaboration song is likely indefinitely delayed due to personal reasons on Eula’s side.
I sincerely apologize. The producer will take the time to contact you soon to inform you of the revised plan in detail, she said.
Putting it all together, only one possibility stands out clearly.
In the community, the truth that was buried under opinions like “Why would a 2.5 million Utaite debut as a VTuber?” is now waiting eagerly to be revealed.
Bachu Bachu’s fourth generation, Natsuki Luna.
Could it really be her?
“Things are getting interesting all of a sudden.”
Honestly, I’ve been struggling all day about how to deal with Luna.
Suddenly, the situation flipped.
Today’s broadcast.
I might just enjoy myself to the fullest.
* * *
“Alright, now that we’ve finished our introductions, before diving into the actual talk show, we have two guests overflowing with loyalty to their respective companies. How about a little company bragging contest?”
The order of the content was as follows: greetings, self-introductions, highlighting competitiveness through company bragging, and then the real game begins.
The loser would gift a subscription. Think of it as a bet among veteran broadcasters with history and tradition.
In other words, it starts as a pride battle among fandoms through company bragging, leading to a 1:1 showdown of streamers to satisfy each of their fans.
One could think it might lead to a war, but Movgun has been adjusting the balance of bets according to skills all week long.
And during collabs or major server events, both sides try their best to say nice things to each other, so there’s no need to worry too much.
Showing off gentleness in public is ultimately a strategy to flaunt fandom superiority.
Charging at each other in a content that’s meant for everyone to enjoy?
“Why are they like this? That fandom is unbearable,” would be the only negative impression left.
Sure, after the content is over, they can return to their bases and give healthy feedback and vent their frustrations.
But during the broadcast, everyone tries to maintain the warmest appearance possible.
For instance, when Majia gets combined guests who aren’t Movgun, she usually pops in, takes the opportunity to give them a stable ride, and exits coolly in just one second.
Maybe because it’s so different from her usual bullying, even Cheon Dohui has been more proactive in trying to invite guests lately.
Anyway, this is the background for the time spent bragging about each other’s companies.
When the other party boasts, you can only respond with “Oh” and “Wow.”
If they bomb their own side in the name of bragging, all you can do is chuckle “lol.”
Even the viewers have to hold back other chat comments at that moment.
The only one in the game trying to shake things up was, of course, Majia, who opened her mouth first.
“Me.”
“Oh, Jia! Would you like to brag first?”
“No, I have so much to say, so I think it would be better for Luna to go first.”
“Wow, such consideration! So, Luna, what do you think? Would you like to go first?”
“Yes! I have a ton to say! I’ve prepared a lot by watching what everyone else is saying on the talk show!”
“Alright then, shall we start right away?”
“Bachu Bachu KR, this is amazing!”
— Hahaha!
— Lmao!
— Are you a promotional staff member? Lmao!
— Okay, let’s dive into the promotion~
Luna’s words flowed so gloriously.
Can you believe she’s really a VTuber who just debuted three months ago?
The backing is solid. The welfare is fantastic. The facilities are impressive. The motion studio is mind-blowing. If local studio usage is approved, flight expenses are covered.
Truly fitting of the name “Empire.”
Countless benefits and advantages available to Bachu Bachu VTubers poured out endlessly.
“——And the most important thing is! The senior members have set up an environment where our juniors can run wild without worries! Almost thirty seniors in JP! Fourteen in EN! Ten in ID! And ten in KR! No matter where we go, we can feel like we’re on home ground comfortably!”
“Wow. I wonder how Taro feels as a mom? I’d like to experience being a baby for a day.”
“Even a giant baby like Movgun would probably dislike it…”
“Well, the kid might just be well-nourished! Baby!”
— Lol!
— Movgun, what’s up!
— Look at that loud baby talk, haha!
— This dude is getting worse and worse lol!
Majia leaped into the conversation and threw a stone.
Did she stir up the atmosphere by throwing it at the watching fans?
Nope, she aimed directly at Luna’s forehead, perfectly hitting her.
In that Luna’s way of elevating others no matter the situation.
“But I’ve been chatting with Luna since yesterday. She’s no joke either, she’s more of a giant baby than I expected.”
“W-What?!”
Luna was taken aback.
As if someone else is the giant baby (2.5 million Utaite) here.
Majia continued her tirade.
“Isn’t that right? With a significantly large number of subscribers and all, I found it so entertaining watching you collab with those seniors from Bachu Bachu last week. Honestly, it felt like seeing a bulldozer at work. Seems your sociability is already at the top of the industry?”
“Cough.”
“Oh, I see your reaction to being at the top of the industry. So you secretly think that way too, right, Luna?”
Luna was slow to respond once again.
“Yes! My dream is to be top of the industry! I’ll do my best to become like Taro Mama!”
Of course, the difference was subtle compared to earlier during the broadcast preparation.
Only Majia, who had had that conversation before, could notice it.
The viewers didn’t catch on.
Only Luna felt the continuation of the Agent M newspaper.
“Honestly, I think our company’s best welfare is that we can play games with the president anytime we want.”
“Oh, Jia. That’s only for you.”
“No, Bachu Bachu has many people who want to become like the seniors, including Taro, and many who want to stream with the seniors. Right, Luna?”
“Yes! I really couldn’t help but apply because I wanted to be part of seniors!”
“See? You can’t overlook this dream. It might sound out there, but I think people at the top of the industry can be curious too.”
Luna stiffened.
Movgun bristled.
“…”
“Hmm. Aren’t you being a bit too obvious in shooting at me, Jia?”
“I didn’t say anything! Oh, sorry if I bothered you by repeatedly asking my president to show up for the internal war.”
“This is all—a lie, everyone!!”
— Bro………
— This is awkward, lol!
— You kept asking?
— I can hear the voices of Momo fans darkening!
— I’m going to darken too!!!
When the main game started, the game was successfully carried by Movgun and Majia.
Yet, the relentless arrows of news coming at Luna seemed endless.
The only person pricked by the arrows was Luna herself.
“Hmph. Jia, your skills seem to have regressed a bit?”
“I was busy preparing for my debut for months, you know! Of course, I would regress.”
“…”
“Are you talking about the second generation? But looking at the fact that you ultimately didn’t hit Master and had to restart the season, isn’t it destined that you can’t reach Master?”
— What, preparing for a debut?
— Not doing second generation, lol!
— Don’t bring that bait back!!
— More, more, more!
— Sludgers are all ears.
“I really want to hit Master this year. I don’t know if I have time though. Lately it feels like I’m working full time at the company.”
“……”
“Basically, it’s indeed working multiple jobs. Company employee, VTuber.”
“Not a VTuber.”
— So, you are an Utaite?
— F… AAAHH!
— Does not exist [non]-memories.
— Our streamer is stirring up trouble ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ!
As a result, Luna’s words began to dwindle.
It seemed as though that cheerful and headstrong Luna was getting consumed by the presence of Movgun and Majia.
Clearly, the Parallel fandom, which had been suppressed all along, realized only late that they were taking over the chat box.
Meanwhile, it appeared the Bachu Bachu fandom was regarding it as an ordinary rookie issue.
The insane rush they had gone on really was impressive.
Looks like being new to the industry made public appearances a bit of a stretch.
Isn’t it typical for monsters like Majia or Movgun to talk while firing?
That’s what the chat was indicating.
However, having this kind of situation for a prolonged period was something Majia wanted to avoid, just as mentioned before.
Luna’s charm lies in her charging forth like a mad dog finding her master.
Yet the image of her being restrained by herself and Movgun was troubling.
[ (🔴Live) Moving Talk Show #6 – Bachu Bachu Fourth Generation Natsuki Luna vs Parallel Operations Team Majia ] 109,552
#BattleColosseum #BachuBachu #Luna #Parallel #Majia
In the meantime, the viewers kept increasing, and before long, the scale of the Bachu Bachu fandom was around 70,000. The thought of them attacking not just Majia but also the Parallel behind her is a bit frightening.
What’s more, if Luna is truly Lee Yura and they keep pressing on, it’s only going to add to her rivals.
I’ve already gathered enough evidence, so it’s time to ease the mood.
“Movgun, I think we failed in balancing things today.”
“Eh? Really? The calculated k*ll score seems to be quite even.”
“No, no. Luna’s situation is different from our bakkol enthusiasts. Right now, she can’t even speak much because she’s focusing on kills.”
“Ah…… No, it’s all because Jia is hogging the kills like a pig. You could’ve let up a little; you don’t have to bear down on the game!”
So I decided to package it as an issue of lack of experience versus issues of newness.
After exchanging some friendly banter with Movgun to lighten the mood, I calmly brought Luna back into the conversation.
“Luna, shall we just start the k*ll bet from the beginning? The balance was a mess back there.”
“Oh my goodness! Is this my fault! Just play somewhat decently!”
— Is this praise or insult? Scharllo lol!
— Hahaha!
— Let’s say it’s praise, right? Haha!
Fortunately, Luna was only holding back her comments and hadn’t given up on the show.
As soon as Movgun’s turn passed, she immediately jumped in.
“Ah. Um. No! It’s just that I’m not good at games!”
“Well, still. There’s something at stake.”
As I said before, the loser has to gift subscriptions.
It’s roughly ten times the difference in scores after calculating the multipliers.
But right now, the difference in calculated scores is over 10 points.
This means if this ends here, Luna would have to toss 100 subscriptions to Majia.
This was noticeably different from other talk show participants who typically finished with differences around 5 points.
Everyone could see that the balance had indeed failed.
So the Bachu Bachu fandom was all in agreement.
— Right!
— It’s you again, Jia?
— You have to keep this in check, huh!
— No form of competition would matter when it’s a VTuber, right?
— Majia is set to be the mama of all VTubers!!
The Parallel fandom quietly closed their eyes to it.
It was clear even to them that the balance was a mess.
“Let’s adjust the balance based on the previous round and just do two more rounds to wrap it up nicely. We have to determine a winner and a loser anyway. But since it’s a double or nothing round, do you want to add some conditions?”
“…Ah. You mean to raise the stakes?!”
“Yes. The extended rounds need to have that kind of flavor after all. Luna, would you like to set the conditions? I’m okay with anything.”
— How generous!
— Just giving everything away.
— If you give everything away, what’s left? You guys are left.
— d*mn, it’s Jia again; I’m bound to sing her praises!
Majia feels compassionate due to having bullied Luna a lot during the show, so she’d like to give her this benefit.
However, perhaps Majia didn’t realize it either.
It wasn’t a trap she set, but a state of mental weakness where Luna would stumble over her own feet.
“Then let’s have the loser buy dinner anytime. No price limit!”
— Too kind, lol!
— So cute, haha!
— She just wants to have meals with the seniors, lol!
That was reflexive for Natsuki Luna.
In her recent collabs with the seniors, the one phrase she repeatedly used to build rapport was “Let’s have a meal together.”
But the problem lies in the fact that that person is Majia.
Isn’t there a truth that would be revealed if they dined together?
Majia thought she might have made a mistake and was sneaking a chance to pivot, but Luna quickly chimed in without hesitation.
“I want to get it delivered, but I guess that’s not an option.”
The audience reacted in disbelief,
— What do you mean delivery, lmao!
— Ugh
— Are you T-Ball-C?
— Stop talking delivery, haha!
— Get out of here!
— Oh dear, little homebody!
Riding the wave, Luna made comments with a nonchalant attitude.
“Of course, it’s not! That voids the meaning of eating….”
She was cut off mid-sentence.
But the cat was already out of the bag.
It was true that she had been helping Luna recover her usual energy throughout the show.
Yet, from the very start, Majia had been the one digging into Luna’s identity.
When given a chance to avoid it, if the other party charges in headfirst,
What can you do but headbutt?
“Well, it wouldn’t be polite otherwise. Let’s meet up and eat.”