Chapter 78: Chapter 77

“So, are you suggesting that Chel and I do a two-person improv performance?”

When I asked this, Rion nodded vigorously.

“Yup. To be honest, the recording went much faster than expected. We still have quite a bit of time left.”

Rion explained.

Originally, Chel and I were scheduled to record last. Since it was our first time participating, the staff had assumed we would make a lot of mistakes. They had allotted extra time for retakes, but Chel and I completed the recording in one take without any errors.

As a result, we now had plenty of time left.

“You both did great with your ad-libs, so I thought maybe it’d be fun to try an impromptu two-person drama.”

“This wasn’t part of the plan. You never mentioned we’d be doing a duet.”

“I know, but... you two were so good.”

Rion glanced nervously at the other staff members and VTubers around us.

“It’s more like... ‘It’d be nice if it works out, and if not, no big deal.’ We just have some extra time, so why not give it a try... do you understand?”

“Will this be included in the winter voice pack?”@@novelbin@@

“No, not really. But if it turns out well, we might sell it separately later.”

“I see...”

It sounded like this voice drama wasn’t originally planned.

It was just a spontaneous idea due to Chel and I performing well and having extra time. The circumstances and location were all convenient for it, so it seemed like a random suggestion that we could try out.

“So, that means it’s okay to turn it down.”

It didn’t seem like something that had been approved by higher-ups.

It was probably just the on-site staff thinking it would be interesting to have Chel and me perform a voice drama together. If I refused, it might be a bit disappointing for them, but it wasn’t a big deal.

Now, what’s the benefit of accepting this?

“If we manage to record a successful voice drama, we might earn a bit more money.”

On the other hand, if the result isn’t good, it would just be a little embarrassing and a waste of time.

Though money was a tempting reason, I wasn’t exactly desperate for it anymore.

“I want to do it.”

While I was still thinking, Chel suddenly spoke up.

“Chel, do you really want to?”

“Yes. Sora won’t like it, though.”

I wasn’t sure why she mentioned Sora, but Chel stared directly at me.

Her expression was still blank as always, but her message was clear—she wanted me to accept this.

“Alright. Let’s give it a try.”

We entered the booth.

This time, it wasn’t just me but Chel as well.

“...”

Chel stood in front of the microphone, her expression vacant.

I couldn’t tell what she was thinking. Was she lost in thought, or was there simply nothing on her mind?

[Why don’t the two of you just start by having any kind of conversation?]

Rion’s voice came from outside the booth.

A conversation...

‘We do need to talk.’

After all, nothing had been decided yet—not the theme or the direction.

We had to complete a short drama purely through ad-libs. Just thinking about it made the whole thing seem absurd.

Rion seemed to have some expectations of me, and Chel was oddly fired up about it, which made this all possible.

The other staff members and VTubers probably weren’t expecting much. They were likely just watching out of curiosity.

“Chel, is there anything you want to say?”

I decided to start by opening a conversation since we needed to figure out a theme for the drama.

“You can decide, Laura.”

Chel didn’t seem interested in taking the lead, as she passed the responsibility to me. Not surprising.

“You did well earlier. Did you learn that somewhere?”

“Yes.”

“Where?”

“I was a voice actor.”

A voice actor.

It was both surprising and not at the same time.

Chel wasn’t particularly social, nor was she great at gaming, but her voice had always been her strength.

So, learning that Chel had been a voice actor didn’t seem all that unusual.

“Then why did you become a VTuber?”

“To survive.”

...What?

“Did someone threaten you with a knife and force you to become a VTuber?”

“No. Being a voice actor didn’t pay the bills.”

“What kind of work did you do?”

“I only had one minor role.”

Yeah, that definitely wouldn’t make any money.

“There must have been other jobs. Why VTuber?”

“I thought it was the best way to be loved.”

“Loved?”

“Yes. I need to be loved, and the things I love need to be loved too.”

Chel said this without any emotion.

Chel loved subcultures.

If the works she loved became popular with the public, they could lead to media adaptations.

That might give Chel, who had only ever landed small roles, new opportunities for voice acting.

And Chel Sumeragi as a person needed to be loved.

If more people liked Chel, if more people loved her voice, then more opportunities might open up in the future.

“So, that’s why you became a VTuber.”

“Yes.”

Chel nodded.

To her, being a VTuber was both survival and a way of life.

“So, ‘Please love me.’”

Chel’s tone shifted.

In the middle of this undefined conversation, her words felt like the opening move in a game.

‘So that’s how you want to play.’

I understood what Chel was getting at.

Time wasn’t unlimited. Instead of fussing over themes, it was better to start acting and see where it led.

It was a display of confidence, a clear desire to complete this ad-libbed voice drama no matter what.

She was challenging me.

Could I respond to her line?

“‘That’s impossible, Lady Chel.’”

I spoke.

Chel’s eyes widened at my line.

I smiled softly in return.

A reversal of roles.

Normally, I played the role of a duchess, but now, I took on the opposite role.

For the audience, this would be an unexpected twist.

‘You underestimated me.’

The “duchess” was my chosen persona, but just because I had chosen that life didn’t mean it controlled me.

The duchess was just one of many roles I could play.

I could set it aside whenever necessary. And returning to it wouldn’t be difficult.

Of course, the cost wouldn’t be cheap.

I wiped every trace of the “duchess” from my face, reflected faintly in the glass.

I replaced my grace with coldness, my poise with precision.

I stood there, hands and legs neatly together, in a stiff, unmoving posture.

Luckily, I’d seen plenty of maids in my time.

So playing the role of a maid wasn’t hard for a duchess like me.

“‘How could someone like me possibly love you, Lady Chel?’”

“‘I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.’”

“‘Please, Lady Chel, forget everything that happened today.’”

If I was going to do this, I would do it thoroughly.

And perfectly.

The voice drama recording ended.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure if it could even be called a voice drama.

It felt more like Chel and I had been dueling with words, not swords.

“‘If I had known this, I wouldn’t have wanted to be born as the duchess of this house.’”

“‘What’s the point of the family’s glory and power if I can’t even achieve my smallest dream?’”

Chel didn’t back down either.

She deliberately threw lines that provoked me, targeting my role as the duchess.

Was this acting, or was she picking a fight?

“‘Lady Chel, you are the jewel of the great duchy.’”

“‘It is my honor to serve you, and your very existence brings glory to the family.’”

“‘You will surely lead the empire into a bright future.’”

“‘I hear your marriage to the crown prince is imminent.’”

“‘I know you care deeply for both the people of the duchy and the citizens of the empire.’”

So I threw in some extra details, countering her. Could she handle that?

Somehow, the story continued to unfold, but it felt like something out of a daytime soap opera—meaning, it was quite the melodrama.

In the end, we created something filled with tension and drama.

And the result?

“We’ll have to show this to the president first. Whether it can be sold... we’ll see.”

That was Rion’s conclusion.

Of course, for a company to sell a product, it has to go through various procedures, but this was just a spur-of-the-moment thing because we had extra time.

Rion would take the recording to the company, and the president would review it.

Then there’d be an internal meeting, and if they decided it was good enough to sell, they’d process the voice drama.

They’d also need to hire an illustrator for the key visuals.

The winter voice pack we recorded earlier would be sold in November, so the voice drama would likely be released sometime next year, to avoid overlap in sales.

“It’s kind of deflating, hearing that the final result won’t be out until later. Don’t you think so, Chel?”

“I agree.”

“...Just so you know, if it doesn’t have commercial value, the voice recording might be scrapped.”

Rion added.

At that moment, none of us knew that in about three months, the voice drama would be successfully released.

[Aurora X Chel Sumeragi] Voice Drama: A Secret Meeting Between the Lady and the Maid

Neither Chel nor I could have predicted that our voice drama would sell well, and even spark a bit of buzz in some communities.

“What... what is this?”

And we certainly didn’t know that when the voice drama was released, it would leave Sora speechless.

That was something yet to come.