Chapter 30: Chapter 29

It’s quite rare for companies to debut VTubers one at a time.

There are several reasons for this. First of all, not every VTuber can become popular. Instead of debuting just one and risking them not gaining traction, it’s more strategic to debut a group of about five, hoping at least one of them becomes successful.

But more importantly, it’s about relationships.

In the VTuber world, relationships are a critical component.

For example, imagine VTuber A isn’t particularly interesting. However, if VTuber A is best friends with VTuber B, who is extremely popular, and they have great chemistry together, VTuber A can ride on the coattails of VTuber B’s success.

In this industry, some VTubers survive solely based on their relationships.

“So, this upcoming 6th generation will debut with four members, including you,” Rion explained.

Laura had three major tasks before her debut. The first was clearing her name of the smurf account accusations. The second was finding an illustrator for her model.

The third task was bonding with her fellow debuting members.

“There are a lot of viewers who pay attention to the dynamics between debut members. When you become a VTuber, you’ll meet a lot of people, but your debut mates form the foundation of your relationships, so be mindful of that.”

[Oh, no need to worry about that. Do you know who I am?] Laura spoke confidently.

[I am the gem of a great duke’s household, a peerless beauty. When it comes to being adored, who could possibly rival me?]

That’s what she said.

…Will she really be able to pull this off?

Somehow, I doubt it….

Ayano Kouji Sora.

That would be Seosol-ah’s name as a VTuber.

It’s kind of a cute name. Or maybe not? It’s hard to tell.

It’s probably because it’s so similar to her real name that she couldn’t quite gauge its cuteness.

But objectively speaking, it was probably cute enough.

At least, since the name was close to her real one, there wouldn’t be any slip-ups on stream.

Though there was also a risk of her identity being exposed, Sora didn’t particularly care.

After all, she wanted to be famous.

[S-Sora…?]

As soon as she entered the voice channel, a voice greeted her.@@novelbin@@

Sora mentally flipped a switch.

Not literally, of course. It was just an image she conjured in her head.

Even that was enough to change her mood.

Sora smiled.

“Inagika, hey~! How’ve you been?”

[Uh… I-I’ve been okay.]

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it? It’s so nice to see you again, right~?”

Speaking in her most flirtatious tone, Sora subtly glanced at the member list in the Discord server.

Online──3

【Ayano Kouji Sora】

【Chel Sumeragi】

【Inagika】

Offline──2

【EYEAI Official Account】

【Aurora】

Ayano Kouji Sora. Chel Sumeragi. Inagika.

These three were the successful applicants of EYEAI’s 6th generation auditions.

‘They usually select five people per generation.’

For some reason, only three had passed this time.

Perhaps the company thought over-saturating the market with more VTubers wasn’t a good idea, or maybe the majority of the applicants lacked the necessary qualities.

Sora thought it was likely the former, but she couldn’t dismiss the possibility of the latter.

“There’s another person in the Discord. Is that ‘Aurora’ the new 6th gen member?”

[Probably…]

“But weren’t only the three of us selected? Do you know anything about them?”

[I-I’m not sure… I didn’t hear anything from the manager….]

Inagika’s voice trailed off timidly.

Inagika was one of Sora’s fellow 6th gen members.

Sora had spoken with her a few times before, but her impression of Inagika never changed. This girl was awkward, shy, and introverted.

Not that Sora was trying to insult her; that was simply her personality.

She stuttered frequently, used uncertain tones, occasionally failed to control her voice pitch, and sometimes reacted in exaggerated ways.

‘That’s probably why she decided to become a VTuber.’

It’s not like people who are academically successful, socially adept, or physically attractive typically become VTubers.

After all, many VTubers take up the profession because something’s lacking—whether it’s looks, education, or social skills.

In Inagika’s case, it seemed to be a lack of social confidence. She’d mentioned before that she didn’t think she could handle office work, which is why she auditioned to be a VTuber.

But still…

Isn’t being able to speak well a basic requirement for a VTuber?

“I see. What about Chel? Do you know anything about this ‘Aurora’ person?”

Sora turned her attention to the other person in the voice chat.

Despite being online and present in the voice channel, their fellow 6th gen member hadn’t said a word, nor made a sound.

It wasn’t until Sora called out to her that she heard the sound of a microphone being unmuted.

[No.]

Click.

And just like that, the microphone was muted again.

Chel Sumeragi.

She was always like this.

Unless spoken to directly, she never initiated conversations. Even when she did speak, it was usually short, one-word answers.

It wasn’t just that she seemed disinterested in the world. It was more like she had no interest in conversations, period. It was obvious she didn’t want to engage with the rest of them.

‘How did they even gather people like this?’

Sora shrugged.

One was socially awkward and shy. The other was a lone wolf who isolated herself from the world.

But Sora didn’t think they were bad. Whether they’d rise or fall in the VTuber world was uncertain, but Sora didn’t care much about that.

Since her two fellow debutants were so quiet, it only meant that Sora herself would stand out more.

And that would lead to popularity.

For Sora, that was the only thing that mattered.

【Nekozuka Rion has joined the server.】

※Please wave hello※

“Rion?”

Sora tilted her head at the sudden message.

Even Inagika sounded surprised.

[W-why is Rion here…?]

“Oh~. Didn’t she say she was switching to staff? Maybe she’s here for that.”

Sora speculated that Rion wasn’t here as a senior VTuber, but as part of the EYEAI staff now.

Her guess was confirmed when Nekozuka Rion posted a message in the chat.

Nekozuka Rion

[Hello, 6th gen members. I’m Nekozuka Rion, your new manager at EYEAI.]

[I’ve joined the server today because I have some announcements for you all.]

[Originally, the 6th generation was going to operate as a group of three, but as of today, Aurora has joined, making it a group of four.]

[Please coordinate among yourselves to decide on a group name, the order of your debut streams, and any plans for collaboration streams after your debut.]

“So, a new 6th gen member, huh?”

Sora mumbled, unconsciously licking her lips. To be honest, she wasn’t thrilled about it.

But she was also curious. Why had this new 6th gen member appeared just a month before the debut?

What kind of person were they?

-Ding

The sound effect.

A notification that someone had joined the voice channel.

Checking the member list, Sora saw that the previously offline ‘Aurora’ had now gone online.

And the person who’d joined the voice chat was none other than ‘Aurora.’

[Nice to meet you.]

“Huh?”

Sora had been about to greet them with a “Hello!” when she suddenly stopped.

It wasn’t just because Aurora had spoken first. It was because that voice sounded familiar.

[Uh, w-wait… isn’t that… the person who appeared on Anna’s stream?]

[Oh, you saw the stream?]

Aurora responded casually.

Inagika’s comment jogged Sora’s memory. Wasn’t Aurora Rion’s cousin?

From her research, Sora knew that Rion had been living with her cousin for quite some time.

Wasn’t Rion supposed to be a runaway princess from a cat planet? Living with her cousin doesn’t exactly sound like running away, though.

Either way, Sora remembered hearing about Rion’s cousin.

It’s a well-established trope for VTuber family members to occasionally appear on their streams.

And Aurora had even appeared on Anna’s stream, not Rion’s, which had stirred up the community a bit.

She had a strong personality.

And excellent gaming skills, too.

[I’ll be debuting alongside you all. Please take care of me.]

Aurora spoke in a cheerful voice.

Isn’t this… totally unfair?

‘…This is going to make it hard for me to stand out.’

Sora mentally flipped through her year’s worth of VTuber knowledge. As far as she could remember, no VTuber had ever debuted with a family member of another VTuber.

Sure, maybe if you dug around, you’d find something, but at least among major VTubers, this was unheard of.

While EYEAI wasn’t exactly a global giant, it was still a well-known company in the country.

And Nekozuka Rion switching from being a VTuber to becoming staff was an unprecedented case in itself.

This would definitely cause a buzz.

“At this rate, I’m just going to be a background character….”

Sora felt that something was wrong.