I May Be a Virtual Youtuber, but I Still Go to Work-Chapter 146

The illegal duet winners had recorded the tracks separately, right?

Iyura hadn’t been active in utaite work since then.

Utaite usually don’t need regular communication, so there were no announcements about it.

From the beginning of February to the first week of June, it felt like a really long break.

But wait, someone debuted in the first week of March.

That’s right, Bachubachu’s 4th generation debuted.

In fact, the first thing Producer Na Hyun-gon told me after reviewing our song performance was about a collaboration track with Iyura.

That conversation was already a few months ago.

I had been expecting some kind of signal, but everything had been quiet until yesterday, when I received a call.

It turns out that the phone call I didn’t answer because I mistook it for Mugeon’s number was actually from a manager assigned to me by CAT.

She said that the planned collaboration track would be indefinitely postponed due to personal circumstances on Iyura’s side.

She apologized and said Producer Na would contact me soon to explain the updated plan in detail.

When I put everything together, only one possibility stood out clearly.

In the community, the truth that was buried under the question, “Why would a 2.5 million utaite debut as a VTuber?” was waiting to be uncovered, just waiting to be opened.

Bachubachu’s 4th generation, Natsuki Luna.

Could she really be Iyura?

‘This is getting interesting.’

In fact, I had been struggling all day with how to approach Luna.

But suddenly, everything had reversed.

Today’s broadcast.

Maybe I could really enjoy it after all.

***

“So, now that we’ve finished our introductions, before we start the main talk show, I’m sure you two have plenty of company pride to share. Let’s hear a little about your companies?”

The content sequence was as follows.

Greetings, self-introduction, highlighting the competitive spirit through company pride, and then the main game of betting on who will get the kill.

The losing side would gift a subscription. A bet between broadcasters with history and tradition.

In other words, it started with a battle of fandom pride through company boasting, and in the end, each streamer had to satisfy their fans in a 1:1 competition.

You might think it would lead to a war, but...

First of all, Mugeon had been adjusting the balance of the bet this week, switching up the multiplier according to skill level.

And when it came to big collaborations or massive servers for fandom integration, even if things got tense, both sides tried to keep things positive, so there wasn’t much to worry about.

The public display of gentleness was ultimately a strategy to show off the superiority of the fandom.

Wouldn’t it be strange to go all out in a content that was meant to be fun for everyone?

If they acted like that, the only impression left would be, “Why are they like this? Their fandom is impossible to deal with.”

Of course, after the broadcast, we’d all go back to our main groups, and healthy feedback could be given, and frustrations aired, but during the broadcast, we did our best to present a warm image.

Even Magia, when guests from outside of Mugeon’s team came, would usually show up, give them a comfortable ride, and then coolly leave right away.

Maybe it was because of the difference from when we usually teased them, but even Dohee had tried harder than usual to invite guests.

Anyway, this was the background of the time dedicated to boasting about each other’s companies.

If the opponent brags, we have to respond with “Oh” and “Wow.”

Even if the bragging is actually a subtle attack on the other side, we should just laugh it off with a “ㅋㅋㅋ” and hold back any comments we might want to make.

The only one in this space trying to mess with the flow was, of course, Magia, who spoke first.

“Me.”

“Oh, Gia. Would you like to brag first?”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“No, I have too many things to talk about. I think it’s better if Luna goes first.”

“Wow, consideration for the junior! Alright, Gia said it, so Luna, what do you think? Would you like to go first?”

“Yes! I have so much to say! I’ve prepared a lot by watching what other people said on talk shows!”

“Alright, then let’s start right away.”

“Bachubachu KR, this is amazing!”

— ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

— ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

— Are you a PR worker? ㅋㅋㅋ

— Here comes the promotion~

Luna’s speech was dazzling.

Is this really a 3-month-old VTuber, or is she some clean new rookie from her previous life?

The support was overwhelming. The welfare was good. The facilities were amazing. The motion studio was incredible. And when the local studio permit is granted, they even support flights.

In true empire fashion,

The endless benefits and advantages of being a Bachubachu VTuber came pouring out.

“—And most importantly, the seniors have created an environment where our juniors can go wild without worry! 30 seniors in JP! 14 in EN! 10 in ID! And 10 in KR! Wherever we go, we can always feel like we’re on home turf!”

“Wow, what must it feel like to be Taro’s mom? I’d like to experience being a ‘baby’ for a day too.”

“I think even a giant baby like Mugeon would make mama dislike him...”

“No, maybe the kid is outstanding! Waaah!”

— Awww ㅋㅋㅋ

— Mugeonshichi

— Look at that ‘waaah’ sound, it’s so loud ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

— This guy is getting worse and worse ㅋㅋ

Magia threw a stone into the flow at this point.

Did I disturb the atmosphere by throwing that at the fans who were watching?

No, I hit Luna’s forehead exactly while she was speaking.

And I did it in Luna’s style, always raising the opponent up no matter what the situation.

“But I’ve been talking with Luna since yesterday. Luna is amazing too. She’s definitely a giant baby.”

“Huh?!”

Luna was completely surprised.

It was as if she didn’t realize the person she was calling a giant baby (the 2.5 million utaite) was her.

Magia continued.

Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freewebnσvel.cøm.

“Right? She already has quite a number of subscribers. I watched the collab with the Bachubachu seniors last week, and I was really impressed by how unstoppable they were. It feels like she’s already reached the top in terms of friendliness in the industry?”

“Hmm.”

“Ah, seeing you react to being called the top of the industry. Looks like Luna secretly thought that too?”

Luna’s response was slow again.

“Yes! My dream is to be at the top of the industry! I’m doing my best to become like Taro mama!”

Of course, the difference between now and when we had prepared for the broadcast earlier was quite small.

It was something only Magia, who had talked about it earlier, could notice.

The viewers didn’t notice it,

But only Luna could feel the silent agent M’s newspaper continue.

"Honestly, I think the best benefit at our company is that if you want, you can play games with the boss anytime."

"Hey, Gia. That's exclusive to you."

"No, not at all. I’m sure there are a lot of people in Bachubachu who want to be like the seniors, including Taro, or want to broadcast with the seniors. Right, Luna?"

"Yes! I couldn’t hold back the desire to be with the seniors, so I applied!"

"You see, you can’t ignore this kind of dream. It might be a bit of a stretch, but I think even people who’ve reached the top of the industry can still be curious and want to check things out."

Luna flinched.

Mugeon got defensive.

"...."

"Ugh. Isn’t this too obvious, Gia?"

"I didn’t say anything? Oh, if you were annoyed that I kept contacting our boss about the internal battle, I apologize."

"This is all— a lie, everyone!!"

— Dude...

— That’s so cringe ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

— You kept contacting them?

— I hear the Momo fans getting upset~

— I’m going to get upset!!!

When the main game began, everything seemed smooth, with Mugeon and Magia carrying the game flawlessly...

But the relentless arrows of Luna’s newspaper kept coming.

Even when hit by the arrows, it was only Luna who was poked.

"Tch. Gia, your skills seem to have declined a bit?"

"I’ve been busy preparing for my debut for months. Of course, my skills would regress."

"...."

"You’re talking about the 2nd generation, right? But looking at how you couldn’t even hit Master and got reset at the start of the season, it seems like you’re destined not to make it to Master."

— What? Debut prep?

— They’re not doing the 2nd generation, lol

— Don’t bring up old drama!!

— Again, again, again

— Sludgies, ears up

"I really want to hit Master this year, but I’m not sure if I’ll have time. Lately, it feels like I’m doing a side job just by working at the company."

"......"

"Basically, it is a side job. Company worker, VTuber."

"I’m not a VTuber."

— So is Utaite correct then?

— F... Ugh

— Nonexistent memories

— Our streamer is causing chaos ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

As this conversation unfolded, Luna’s words became fewer.

Somehow, the cheerful and aggressive Luna seemed to be swallowed by the presence of Mugeon and Magia.

It seemed like the Parallel fandom, which had been suppressed the whole time, realized they were taking over the chat.

Of course, Bachubachu’s fandom still seemed to consider it an issue of a normal rookie.

It had been amazing how they had rushed in so wildly.

Maybe it was too risky for a rookie to be doing so much public work.

Normally, it would be hard for someone like Magia or Mugeon, who are so aggressive, to speak while firing shots.

This was what people were saying in the chat.

However, this image was something Magia had tried to avoid, as mentioned before the broadcast.

Luna, who usually charged in like a dog meeting its master, was being held back by Mugeon and Magia in this situation.

[(🔴Live) Moving Talkshow #6 - Bachubachu 4th Generation Natsuki Luna, Parallel Operations Team Assistant Manager Magia] 109,552

#BattleColosseum #Bachubachu #Luna #Parallel #Magia

The viewers had increased, and Bachubachu’s fandom had grown to about 70,000. The idea of attacking not just Magia but also Parallel behind him was a bit frightening to think about.

Even if Luna was really Iyura, continuing to push her would just add one more enemy.

I had gathered enough evidence, so I needed to wrap up the interrogation and ease the tension.

"Mugeon, I think we’ve failed to balance things today."

"Huh? Really? The kill score conversion is pretty close though?"

"No, it’s not that. Luna, you’re not like us BattleColiseum addicts. You can’t even talk much because you’re focusing on kills."

"Aha... No, it’s because Gia’s been gobbling up kills like a pig. You should have given me some space. Stop playing like your life depends on it."

So, I decided to cover it up with rookie and skill issues,

Exchanged pleasantries (?) with Mugeon to lighten the mood, and then naturally called Luna over.

"Luna, how about we restart the kill challenge from the beginning? The balance was completely off."

"Oh my, what is this?! Is this my fault? I should have been doing it properly!"

— Is this praise or an insult, Sharayut? ㅋㅋㅋ

— ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

— Let’s call it praise? ㅋㅋ

Luckily, Luna was just holding back on speaking, but she hadn’t given up on the broadcast.

After Mugeon’s turn passed, she jumped right in.

"Ah. Um. No, it’s just because I’m not good at the game!"

"But still, there’s a bet at stake."

As I mentioned earlier, the loser in the kill challenge has to gift a subscription.

Multiplying the score difference by a conversion rate and then multiplying by 10 gives us the number of subscriptions to be gifted.

The current score difference was over 10 points.

So, if it ends like this, Luna would have to gift 100 subscriptions to Magia.

It was completely different from the usual talk show participants who ended with a score difference of around 5 points.

Everyone could see that we had failed to balance it properly.

So, Bachubachu’s fandom was like, "Right, we’ll take it."

— Right

— Is it you again, Gia?

— You’re handing everything over now, huh

— If the competitor is a VTuber, it’s natural for Gia to take care of them

— Magia would be the mama of all VTubers!!

Parallel fandom silently turned a blind eye.

Even they could tell the balance was off.

"Let’s adjust the balance based on the previous round, and do just two more rounds, anyway, we need to determine the winner. But since this is a do-or-die round, should we add some more conditions?"

"...Ah. You mean you want to raise the stakes?!"

"Yeah. The extra rounds should have that kind of flair. Luna, do you want to add any conditions? I’m fine with whatever."

— How merciful

— Just handing everything over

— If you hand everything over, what’s left? You guys are what’s left

— Damn it, again with Gia, I must praise Gia

The viewers were saying I was too merciful.

But since I had teased Magia a lot during the broadcast, I wanted to give a little back.

But maybe Magia didn’t know.

I wasn’t setting a trap.

Luna, in her weakened state, ended up tripping over her own feet.

"Then let’s say the loser buys dinner anytime, no price limit!"

— So nice ㅋㅋㅋ

— Cute ㅋㅋ

— She just likes eating with the seniors ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

This was Luna’s signature move.

Even during her previous collaborations with seniors, her go-to phrase for building rapport was "Let’s grab a meal."

But the problem was, that "meal" with Magia might reveal a truth.

Wouldn’t it be obvious if we ate together?

Magia, realizing this might have been a mistake, subtly gave her a chance to back out.

But Luna, sticking to her usual confident tone, pushed on.

"I’d prefer delivery, but that probably won’t work, right?"

The viewers were confused by her response.

— What do you mean by delivery? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

— Ugh

— Are you T-Company’s C?

— Talking about delivery ㅋㅋㅋ

— Get out!

— Oh, Goldilocks at home

Luna, following the atmosphere, sarcastically added,

"Of course it won’t work! Then it wouldn’t be meaningful..."

Then she faltered and stopped.

But by then, the damage was done.

Luna, who had been helped by me to maintain her usual energy,

Was now caught by Magia, who had been investigating her from the start of the broadcast.

Even though I gave her a chance to escape, she still ran headfirst into it.

What could I do? I had to headbutt her.

"Yeah, you’re right. It’s not polite. Let’s meet and eat."