NOVEL WEB Chapter 5
Before I knew it, summer vacation was just two weeks away from starting at High School.
I might have burned every VTuber community yesterday, but there’s one thing that hasn’t changed.
“Kayanoh-san?”
That is, the fact that I’m just an ordinary high school girl in real life.
Of course, an ordinary high school girl wouldn’t remember being a guy in her previous life.
Anyway, what’s important isn’t that but what I was about to say.
“…Yes?”
No matter how much of a hot topic I became on the internet, it still means I’m just an ordinary high school girl.
And also, a super social outcast with zero friends.
…Now that I say it, it sounds less ordinary.
“Are you getting along well with your friends these days?”
My homeroom teacher smiled kindly as she looked at me.
This was the time before summer vacation when teachers held individual consultations with students, and today, it was finally my turn.
“Y-yeah, I’m doing well.”
The School office’s scenery was still unfamiliar to me.
Since I’d likely be seeing it often in the future, I decided to memorize it in advance.
“That’s a relief, but I hope you’ll tell me honestly if there’s something troubling you.”
Sorry, teacher. An outcast like me only has the internet as a place to air her troubles.
But I couldn’t say that out loud, so I just nodded silently.
“Understood.”
“The kids in your class are all nice, so I hope you’ll rely on each other since you’ll be seeing each other for three years.”
“Yes.”
The teacher probably already knew how I spent my time at school.
Going to school, sitting down without talking to anyone, eating lunch alone in the yard, and rushing home faster than anyone else after class.
At least, it was fortunate that the teacher didn’t pry into that.
My homeroom teacher from last year bluntly told me about it and made a fuss about correcting my personality.
Thanks to that, I was able to experience what it was like to genuinely detest another person for the first time.
“I’m looking forward to the future, Kayanoh-san!”
“Y-yes. I’m looking forward to it too.”
Today, I had talked to people a whopping two times in reality.
It had been tough, so I planned to reward myself when I got home.
I’d have two of those fancy macarons that Mom had asked me to only eat one of each day.
Then, after a little break, I would stream as planned in the evening.
After all, there’s nothing better than doing what I want to do alone at Home rather than at School.
I’ve really been feeling that being socially active is kinda pointless these days.
It’s really enough to bring a tear to my eye….
… I really hope vacation comes soon.
★
Let me share a brief story from my previous life.
Not the ‘VTuber’ version of my “previous life,” but the actual story of my past life.
It’s a bit tiresome to talk about at this point, but I was a total outcast even in my previous life.
Oh, unlike now, I did have one friend back then, so maybe I wasn’t a complete outcast?
Just a “kind of” outcast, if you will.
Anyway, I was an outcast in my previous life, and it goes without saying that I was an otaku.
And not just a casual one, but a full-blown, no-holds-barred otaku.
Manga, anime, idols, games, light novels, webtoons, web novels, everything went for me.
What I want to talk about here is web novels.
Specifically, Korean web novels.
In web novels, there’s a genre called TS (transsexual) internet broadcasts.
It literally refers to works where the protagonist’s gender changes one day, and they start internet broadcasting.
And there’s a particular cliché in these works.
For example, the protagonist is an incredible beauty.
A perfect example would be me.
An absolutely stunning beauty with a voice that’s to die for!
I’ve even been exercising a bit at Home, so while I may be short, my body isn’t something to sneeze at.
Unfortunately, due to my genetics, I couldn’t become well-endowed though.
…I wasn’t trying to talk about this, but here we are.
So, what’s one of the clichés in TS internet broadcasts?
The reason is unknown, but the body’s reaction speed is incredibly fast.
And using this insane reaction speed to shine in gaming skill is literally one of the golden rules of this genre.
In other words?
It means that I have an incredible reaction speed, so when I stream games, I could just run wild, right?
Of course, in my case, I’m a perfect reincarnated case as a VTuber, so it’s somewhat different from those web novels.
However, before debuting as a VTuber, I had played various games and had pretty good results in almost all of them.
So, I’ve got more than enough evidence…!
I didn’t delve too deep into just one game since I had so much else to do.
“Whoa.”
Before I knew it, it was almost 6 PM.
And on the computer monitor, the loading screen for the stream was up.
There were a whopping 2,000 people waiting for me in real-time.
-─(≧▽≦)>Zumi-Zumi!
-─(≧▽≦)>Zumi-Zumi!
“I feel kinda anxious…”
Memories of yesterday’s Yeo-sang flashbacks came to mind.
The fact that 2,000 people waiting in real-time can only mean one thing.
Aren’t they going to burn the Chatroom the moment I start the stream?
But that’s also a result I have to endure.
Since this is the VTuber I chose, I must hang in there, no matter what.
So let’s make a resolution before starting.
Today, let’s stick to RP as much as possible!
First of all, no honorifics!
5. 4. 3. 2. 1.
As the clock struck 6 o’clock.
“Ko, Kon-Zumi~. I’m Kainoh Izumi, the atmosphere maker dreaming of a world where everyone can smile!”
-Hai-Zumi!
-Ja-chin atmosphere maker arrives!
-At least my voice isn’t completely inaudible like last time.
–Yeo-sang master VTuber makes an entrance!
-I’m curious about how you’re gonna burn bright today!
-Agreed, lol.
Shouting the greeting we all decided on the day before, I began the stream.
It stings a bit that there’s more talk about Yeo-sang than my comeback, but…
The Last Queen’s Crown, abbreviated as TLQ.
It was the title of the game I was going to play today.
Translating it means “The Last Queen’s Crown.”
This game was a fighting game created about two years ago by a small game company.
As you might guess from the title, the storyline revolved around battles fought for the last queen’s crown.
And this game drew immense attention as soon as the development news broke.
Not only were all the playable characters female, but also the full voice acting by a luxurious cast, incredibly detailed and stunning modeling, and effects more dazzling than competing titles.
No matter how you look at it, it didn’t seem like a product from a small game company.
Naturally, it attracted all gamers’ expectations.
Additionally, rumors spread among test users that it received rave reviews, so no one thought this game would fail.
…Until the day of release.
On release day, TLQ’s ratings plummeted from the start.
The absolute worst game optimization.
Server lag.
Matchmaking errors, etc.
There were problems that should not exist in a fighting game, and eventually, it was assessed among users as a product designed for the company to make a quick buck and bail.
After just one day, refunds flooded in, and TLQ became the most minor fighting game within an already minor genre.
And that’s the game I was going to stream today.
The reason I picked this game is because, after doing some research for the stream, I found out that TLQ was not made simply for the company to cash out and run.
Optimization, server lag, matchmaking issues, character balancing problems, etc.
Ever since the evaluations hit rock bottom, the developers have been steadily working on fixing problems, resulting in a pretty decent fighting game.
Sure, the initial impact of that perception was so severe that the user count hasn’t substantially increased, but that was a game that was completely to my taste during that time, so I decided to indulge my desire to play it.
When I revealed this, my manager opposed it, and when it went up as an announcement, the viewers disagreed too…
But, so what?
I’m gonna do the stream I want!
“Okay, so as I announced, I’ll be playing the game called T, TLQ…”
-That trash fighting game?
-You’re really going to play this?
-A waste of time and money.
-Do they need to look at that trash balancing again? This is insane lol.
-Why isn’t she doing a debut stream review like other second-gen folks who talked while playing together?
-Do you think she could chat with her peers?
-Seriously apologize…
-You guys are worse.
Naturally, the ratings were poor.
It couldn’t be helped; that was the fault of the developers.
But I hope this stream will help erase some of that blame.
After testing it out a bit yesterday, it was definitely different from what I remembered.
“I, I was genuinely disappointed when I played it once before.”
-Then why are you playing it again?
-Are you a fool?
-If you know it, please don’t play it, Mei-chan…
“Well, I found out that it’s actually improved, so I played a bit yesterday, and it really seems to have gotten better.”
-Your voice is super quiet.
-She can’t even confidently recommend it, lol.
-Are you a newcomer? Since when did Mei-chan have this voice?
-Like a newcomer would have that voice, lol.
-I also saw the announcement yesterday and played a bit, and it’s definitely better than before.
-I played too, and it was still trash!
The Chatroom was ablaze with disputes over my words.
…Well, whatever, I’ll just ignore it.
I feel like if I intrude, it would just make it harder for me.
I’ll just proceed with my stream.
My manager also told me not to react too much to the Chatroom if it wasn’t really necessary.
“Alright, I’ll start now. The password will be between 1,000 and 1,500.”
-So if there’s a grade limit, you won’t end right away.
-Mei-chan must have confidence in herself to be coming out like this.
-So true lol.
Glancing through the passing messages in the Chatroom, I slowly loosened up my hands.
“Ah, hello, Flame of Love.”
-Hi there.
After about 30 seconds, an avatar entered the waiting room.
Next to the name ‘Flame of Love’, an E was written.
E-rank, huh. Should be a cinch to win.
-I bought this after seeing the announcement yesterday. Looking forward to playing!
“I, I’m looking forward to it too.”
With a ding notification sound, the lobby screen shifted to the character selection screen.
I chose Leticia, the Blood Doll Queen, who reportedly has a high difficulty level.
The character my opponent chose was the Silver Witch, Shiro, known as a beginner-exclusive character.
Luckily, the matchup was in my favor.
[3, 2, 1.]
The numbers slid across the screen.
[Usurp The Last Crown!]
The combat sign was displayed, announcing the start of the match.
And I could win effortlessly.
Without taking a single hit.
-?
-What?!
-Didn’t you say you were just a novice a second ago?
-They said the opponent was a beginner too!
-It’s a matchup advantage for sure.
-But this disparity is huge, isn’t it?
-Does Mei-chan actually play games well?
As I glanced at the astonished comments in the Chatroom, I couldn’t help but smile slightly.