NOVEL NEXT Chapter 13
As August started, 10 days had passed.
In the meantime, I had been rolling around at home, happily enjoying my introverted life.
Outings?
Aside from going to Akihabara to buy Natsune goods, the only other trip was to the convenience store in front of my house to buy cola.
Thanks to that, the only people I’ve seen are my mom, Tateyama, and the convenience store clerk.
Truly, the world is too fragile to accept me…
But one thing has changed: thanks to broadcasting, I’ve been talking consistently!
Last year, during vacation, I would go over two weeks without speaking because there was nobody to talk to.
Mom was busy with a business trip, so we only kept in touch through texts.
When I finally spoke after the break, I thought, “Oh, my voice was like this.” I felt pathetic yet couldn’t help but laugh.
Well, the past is just the past.
What matters is the present, right?
In reality, I’m a total loner, but in the online world, I’m a popular VTuber?!
…Of course, I haven’t done a collab since Suzuha, but anyway, I’m now Kainoh Izumi, a VTuber together with many supportive players!
Now, the only thing I’m afraid of is a sudden collab offer or my manager bringing up a collab proposal.
Ding!
Just as I thought that, my phone notification rang out.
“…Huh?”
I felt an uneasy feeling.
My intuition can sometimes be terrifyingly accurate, making a bead of cold sweat trickle down my back.
The sender was my manager.
As soon as I confirmed the name, my heart started racing.
No way, that can’t be.
While I thought that, my mind was already imagining the worst-case scenario.
And then the message.
[Manager: Izumi, congratulations! Your channel has finally been monetized.]
“…Huh?”
Luckily, the message was about my channel getting monetized.
“Finally, it happened.”
My manager had said it would happen soon, but now that it actually did, it didn’t feel real.
…So, I guess I’ll have to adjust today’s streaming schedule a bit.
I originally planned to do a gacha stream for a mobile game today, but before that, I’ll do a short celebration stream for the monetization.
While I was adjusting my schedule in my mind, ding, my phone lit up again.
This time, once again, my manager was the sender.
[Manager: And tomorrow, we’ll hold a collab stream to celebrate the monetization of all the second-gen members!]
“…Was that a surprise attack?!”
★
[【Monetization Celebration】Quick Chat Stream #KainohIzumi#StarsFlow#MonetizationCelebration]
“Co, Konzu-mi~. From Stars Flow, I’m Kainoh Izumi, the mood maker dreaming of a world where everyone can smile….”
-Hi, Izumi!
-Hi, Izumi!
-That greeting sure drains your energy every time.
I lightly brushed off the now-familiar greeting and the viewers’ reactions before diving right into the main topic.
“Today is to celebrate… finally the last of the second-gen members has unlocked their monetization….”
=Water Avatar Mei JP¥ 50,000: Mei-chan, congrats on your monetization! Let’s keep streaming for a long time!
“Eh?”
Starting off with a 50,000 yen hyper chat?
My mind almost went blank for a moment.
“Th, th, thank you, W, Water Avatar Mei? I’ll, I’ll do my best?”
-Why’s that a question?
-Been a while since Mei-chan stuttered and spoke quietly.
-I kinda miss that time…
=「」 JP¥ 50,000:
Another 50,000 yen hyper chat flew in, painting the screen red.
And it had no message.
“W-what?! Is this a blank?! I don’t think this is a good way to waste money?!”
…Sometimes, when I see these hyper chats from the viewers, I think they’re creative with their spending, but being on the receiving end is terrifying.
Of course, it’s not that I don’t like money.
Like our black cat said, nobody hates money!
But getting nothing is a bit scary, so send me some insults or roast me instead!
I’m mentally strong enough to handle that!
=GakiGaki JP¥ 3,000: Good luck, Kainoh Izumi, the self-proclaimed mood maker!
“B-but I’m not self-proclaimed? It’s universally acknowledged?! I’m super popular?! Thanks, though!”
-Self-proclaimed (Hasn’t collabed since Suzu-chan).
-You talk to your classmates and say that.
-Super popular (Calls classmates by their last names).
“Shut up! If I say so, then that’s how it is!”
Why do they have to point out when I don’t follow the RP, but tear it down when I try my best to stick to it?
Do you really want to see me stutter like this?
It’s been over two weeks since I’ve been broadcasting properly, so can’t they cut me some slack?
=Starless JP¥ 5,000: So, Mei-chan, what’s life like as a recluse?
And with that hyper chat question flying in, I furrowed my brows and opened my mouth.
“…Right. There’s something you guys might be misunderstanding.”
I should clarify this misunderstanding.
“Being an introvert and being a recluse are completely different things!”
-??
The chat was flooded with question marks as if to say they didn’t understand.
But I couldn’t back down now.
I took pride in living my introverted life, after all?
“I-I just don’t have friends, and I have communication impairment! I’m not a complete recluse who’s holed up in my room!”
-The RP is destroyed again.
-Will the mental weakness ever improve…?
-But seeing you keep streaming despite hearing that kind of stuff shows you have a strong mentality.
-But most people see introverts and recluses as the same thing ㅋㅋ.
-Mei-chan, being an otaku and an introvert is basically a recipe for being a recluse…
“Shut up! While watching my stream, you should empathize with me! You and I are both introverts and otaku without friends!
-Ah ㅋㅋ.
-Ah, YABE ㅋㅋ.
-Another one of my chaotic moments…
-It’s burning, burning!
-Are you all way too natural about this? ㅋㅋ.
-This is already ‘everyday life’…
“Ugh….”
Clearly, when I see my peers, seniors, or Natsune’s viewers, they all treat me kindly, yet I’m always in this atmosphere.
The first button is indeed important, isn’t it?
I started as a VTuber expecting the cute moments from the web novels featuring TS internet streams, and that dream seems to have slipped away from me now.
Goodbye, Ray Penver….
★
Before I knew it, 30 minutes had passed.
I couldn’t even count how much hyper chat had come in—it was too frightening.
I guess it’s time to start wrapping up the stream.
“I-I’ll turn the stream back on when I do the fateful gacha draw later, so see you then…”
=Yesterday JP¥ 10,000: By the way, Mei-chan, is the second-gen group collab tomorrow okay?
“Thank you for the red hyper chat, Yesterday. …Huh?”
-Right. I saw the news on the Stars Flow official Twitter.
-Finally, Mei-chan’s second collab!
-Can our Mei-chan properly communicate there?
-I see a future of endless chaos for Mei-chan…
Wait a second. Did it already get posted on the official Twitter?
In disbelief, I immediately turned on my phone and accessed Twitter, and sure enough, there was a post on Stars Flow’s official account just as everyone said.
─────────────────
[Stars Flow (Official)
@StarsFlow · 33 minutes ago]
Breaking News! On August 19th at 5 PM, a collaboration to celebrate the monetization of all second gen members!
Guest: All second-gen members!
Content to be revealed tomorrow! Stay tuned!
https://ontu.be/XXXXXXX
─────────────────
“…Is this real?”
I wish someone would tell me it’s a prank, a lie.
After all, they want me to stream with four people I’ve never properly talked to before.
Isn’t that like telling me to go die?
Sure, I became friends with Suzuha, but since then, we haven’t really talked much.
I’m just on the receiving end of her talking.
Isn’t that not friendship?
What do you know?
To me, Koga-chan is a precious friend.
-ㅋㅋ Tomorrow is the day the VTuber community crumbles.
-I’m looking forward to it, Mei-chan!
“This… I can’t back out, can I?”
-When have you ever said that?
-Don’t run away; face it head-on!
-Whether you escape or participate in the collab, it’s chaos either way.
-Feels like hell no matter where I turn.
-I guess that’s what makes Mei-chan charming, huh…
I know.
I am a VTuber belonging to Stars Flow.
In a position where I have to follow orders from above.
But just imagining doing a group collab tomorrow makes me nauseous.
“W-wouldn’t it be nice if someone taught me how to escape?!”
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Tomorrow’s other second-gen members are so doomed…
-I believe Suzuha-chan will take good care of you.
-I guess our only hope is the angel!
=Anima JP¥ 5,000: It’s really too difficult for a “self-proclaimed” mood-maker to have a group collab…
“Ah, can’t you just help me out a little?!”
-How are we supposed to help you? ㅋㅋ.
-Good luck, Mei-chan! ٩(^ᴗ^)۶.
-We’re just regular viewers…
-Overcoming this trial is something you have to do, Mei-chan…
Of course, that’s true!
But right now, I don’t want to hear that; I want comfort!
The world is too cruel to me…
“Should I, should I ask if I can back out first?”
-M-chan, we can hear you choking on your neck from here, ㅋㅋ.
-What did M-chan do in their past life to be stuck with Mei-chan as a VTuber…
-M-chan is so pitiful.
“You, you guys! If you’re Iztomo, you should take my side!”
Why is it that even though it’s my stream, nobody takes my side?
Isn’t it normal to feel protective while watching a beautiful girl’s stream?
Sure, you can’t see my face because I’m using an avatar!
-But Iztomo is just here to bully Mei-chan ψ(｀∇´)ψ.
-Suzuha-chan recognized Mei-chan’s charm…
“It’s too much!”
=Love&Roll JP¥ 3,000: Just accept your fate!
“Y-you think I could accept knowing I’m dying tomorrow…?”
-ㅋㅋ Is that how low a collab is?
-What does this kid think people are?
“Y’know, there’s a thing; bad accidents on Earth mostly go away if there are no people around to witness them…”
-What a negative statement.
-I see a new darkness within Mei-chan (｡•́︿•̀｡).
-It’s true, though…
“…I-I don’t know! I’m ending today’s stream here! See you again next time!”
-?
-What about the gacha stream?
I’m not doing it!
You all made me this way, so I’m not guilty.
-Perhaps Mei-chan was destined to be a chaos artisan?
Shut up!