CH 5

Chapter 5. [VTuber Preparation]

[Talent is not essential to success. But luck is essential.]

That’s what my sister said.

I remember that she recently won the Ig Nobel prize for her research. I remember that kind of knowledge, though.

Anyway.

In the end, it was a story to collabs again without missing this opportunity.

What? So we’re going to collabs with Angu-ogu again?

[Well, since Ogu’s schedule doesn’t work out, it’ll be you and I, or with other VTubers.]

It seems that inquiries from other VTubers have been coming to her.

She said that she would be working with one or more of them.

Considering the number of subscribers to her channel, her collaborators are probably all well-known.

In other words, she’s my oshi.

Ah, another line of the fan.

Besides, an elementary school girl who speaks fluent English would be crazy. I was also worried.

The reason I use the past tense was when I checked myself. I found that the most trending was the “Otsukareta-, Arigeta-” clipping at the end of the piece.

…… Najie?

I have no idea why this is growing. It’s just an old people’s gag.

Maybe this is how the buzz-winning side feels.

I’m too good at both Japanese and English is trending. But they are not as good as the “Otsukare-ta” clippings.

It’s silly to be concerned about this.

However.

“Ah-nee like I said, I’m just a fan…”

[Ogu said she’ll give you her autograph.]

!”

[I’m sure my next collaborator will too. If I tell them, right?]

“!!!?!”

I hung my head over the phone.

“Ah-neesama, thank you very much!”

I’m weak ……!

I’m a weak fan.

But it’s an autograph! How can I win?

＊　　＊　　＊

After that, I started to accompany Ah-nee, and collabs with her on several events. She had her schedule, and I had to be flexible with her schedule, so the frequency of my participation varied, but I still averaged about once a week.

That’s a pretty fast pace.

And she was on trend every time. The number of clippings was also quite large.

Last week, a scene in which I pointed out a spelling mistake to an English-speaking VTuber was a hot topic.

The comments section was filled with ‘You’ve got it backward!’.

It even led to a ranking of how good I am at English posted on a meme board.

Ah-nee was laughing hysterically when she saw it.

Oh, you think it’s someone else’s problem.

However, I was enjoying a comfortable life immersed in VTubers because Ah-nee was paying for my premiums, and my collection of colored papers was growing at home, so I was very happy.

There are things in this world that money can’t buy.

Come to think of it, I haven’t been able to retrieve the collection I collected in my previous life because I can’t remember my previous address.

I hope it’s still safe.

“Shucks, it’s going too well, I’m afraid.”

I have almost no worries or complaints.

The only thing that still gives me a bit of an “ouch” is the “otsukareta” gag at the end of every stream, but it’s cute.

There is a war going on somewhere in the world today, but it doesn’t bother me as long as I live in Japan.

It is a distant country.

“I wish these peaceful days would last forever.”

But I guess I shouldn’t have said that.

If you whisper it, it’s a flag. A ringtone echoes. The caller is Ah-nee.

[Hello, Iroha-chan, do you want to make a full-fledged VTuber debut?]

＊　　＊　　＊

I’m weak. I’ve seen a similar scene before.

At first, I was adamant about my refusal, but in the end, they pushed me to my house, and then they pushed me away.

I thought I was too good to step directly into the VTuber industry, let alone help out.

How did this happen?

“Ah-nee, …… no? (Very rare pampered voice)”

“Hi, Yorokonday!”

I was smitten.

I’m too easy ……, I’m too easy.

Ah-nee, play with the hearts of the fans as you see fit.

How can I refuse when you ask me to do it in the voice of Monet Anegasaki, my oshi?

Ah-nee seems to have noticed this recently, and I’m being played along with nicely.

Damn, she’s a sadistic woman who doesn’t look like that.

Now, as for my debut.

There are things I need to do and decide, so Ah-nee explained to me.

First, my Vtuber model.

The illustration of a girl in a pure white academic gown that I have been using has already become synonymous with “Translator Girl,” so we decided to keep the same design.

She also said that it would be better to hire a professional to do the job.

Monet Anegasaki is now a member of a major agency, but she made her debut as an individual VTuber by creating her 2D models.

Although she has such a high level of artistic ability, according to her, “It’s just a hobby level.”.

“You don’t have to worry about it that much if it’s a normal individual debut. The materials and stuff are all free, but Iroha-chan’s expectations were different.”

Her words carried the weight of his experience.

She had experienced both the sweet and sour sides of working for an individual and a major company, and her words carried the weight of her own experience.

“I have connections in that area, so leave it to me.”

However, I was worried it would cost a lot of money to hire a professional.　I was worried.

Unfortunately, I don’t have that kind of money in my pocket.

“Don’t worry about that. I’ll pay for everything you need for your debut.”

“What? I’m not going to go that far. I know that it was Ah-nee who asked me to make my debut, but…”

“Don’t worry. The video has become a hit, and I can expect unexpected earnings. Not only the video ads and donations, but I also get a portion of the profits from the clippings.”

“Wow, I didn’t know that.”

“I’ll take it from there, so don’t be shy. It’s like Iroha-chan earned it herself. Rather, I felt sorry that I couldn’t thank you enough until now. Giving cash to elementary school students is a bit bad.”

For me, there is no reward more valuable than an autograph. I even thought it was too much.

I guess it depends on one’s sense of value.

“The other thing is, between you and me, tax planning. I’d like to use some more money for expenses.”

Ah-nee smiled mischievously.

According to her, the VTuber business is a difficult one to tax. In that sense, she said, investing in me is a very “reasonable” investment.

“Just so you know, you don’t need models, right?”

She turns the monitor toward me.

There was a list of things I would need for my debut.

“The equipment: desktop computer, monitor, microphone, headphones, webcam, audio interface …….”

She traced the words with her finger as she read them out loud.

“Image editing software, video editing software, motion tracking software, delivery software …… standby screen, delivery screen, end screen, opening video, screen switching direction, standby BGM, BGM during the stream, BGM after the stream, logo ……”

“Wait, my head can’t keep up.”

“This is just the beginning, okay? you’ve got to set up the PC, the tracking, and the distribution software, and the hardest part is setting up the audio. You also have to create a Twitter account and advertise in advance. You also have to prepare promotional images and videos.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Of course, you have to open a MyTube channel. You also have to shoot a video introducing yourself. The day after your debut video, you should collabs with my channel, and draw viewers from there. ……No, it would be anomalous, but it would be better to release your self-introduction video after the collabs video. …… ”

“Hee~!”

Debuting as a VTuber is so hard!

There are more VTubers than stars in the world, but are they all overcoming this?

“Don’t worry. I’m here as an advisor, so you don’t have to worry. It’s a billion times easier than when I worked on my debut. And I’m guaranteed to get off to a good start. What an easy game. Hmmm.”

“What?”

“I got permission from my manager, too, and it’s all green. You’re going to make your debut in a month at the earliest. ……Ah, I’ll continue to collabs with you as I have in the past while we prepare. We mustn’t stop providing material.”

Ah-nee’s eyes were fixed.

It’s too late if I think “I might have been premature” now. Ah-nee had a firm grip on my shoulders. It didn’t look like she was going to let me go.

＊　　＊　　＊

From there, it was a flurry of activity.

After all, there were so many things to do.

Surprisingly, the hardest part was getting permission from my parents.

My sister told me it was “Necessary” because it seemed that only minors would be allowed to monetize the business later.

They agreed to permit me to if I got a perfect score on all my school tests for a month.

I have no idea how it came to this, but I think this kind of exchange condition existed when I was a child.

What parents want from their children may be the same at every age.

However, this is easier said than done.

Even for elementary school tests, I was surprised at how hard it was to get a perfect score on all of them.

Thanks to this, I had to devote myself to my studies while preparing for my debut.

Did they force me to do that? Huh? Aren’t schoolwork the main job of elementary school students?

Putting those questions aside, I took my classes seriously and did my review.

＊　　＊　　＊

And a month and a half later.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Iroha, the translator girl!

I made my full-fledged VTuber debut.