NOVEL NEXT Chapter 32
My collaboration with Hikari Kurokami is set for three days later on September 16.
Since last week, I’ve been training with Suzuha Koga to avoid making mistakes during the collaboration, so all that’s left to do is wait.
Of course, Suzuha is still worried and feeling anxious, but I’m the type who performs better under pressure.
During this collaboration, I’m sure not a single letter of the term ‘Yeo-sang’ will come out.
[【Membership Exclusive】So let’s practice communication more… #KainohIzumi#StarsFlow]
“Everyone probably saw today’s announcement, but we have just three days left until the collaboration with Hikari Kurokami.”
Even though I think so, it’s a human thing to feel anxious.
In other words, I need to practice until the very end to avoid mistakes.
– I can’t believe Hikazumi is actually happening.
– We’re fine, but is Mei okay?
“To be honest, I’m really not okay… I really, really want to run away…”
– From the way you’re stuttering, it seems like it.
Of all the six seniors, it has to be Hikari Kurokami.
Of course, I watch Hikari Kurokami’s broadcasts right after Natsune’s, but that’s from a viewer’s perspective, not a VTuber’s.
Honestly, when collaborating with seniors, I wanted to save Hikari Kurokami for last.
It doesn’t mean that I find her uncomfortable.
I could tell how kind she is from our recent chats.
It’s just that I find the collaboration with Hikari Kurokami somewhat awkward.
No wonder…
“Everyone keeps saying Hikari Kurokami and I are similar, but we’re actually totally opposites…”
My personality doesn’t support RP, and neither does Hikari Kurokami under the situation.
From others’ perspectives, both RPs might seem equally shoddy, but there’s a crucial difference.
– Ah, the young lady is really faithful to her RP. I think I get what you mean.
That statement was spot on.
Most VTubers nowadays base their broadcasts on their avatars’ roles and use their unique traits as weapons for their streams.
To put it simply, the avatar’s concept is merely a starting point for the broadcasts, so as long as the VTuber stays somewhat in the bounds of RP, viewers typically won’t leave.
But Hikari Kurokami firmly respects her role as “a girl aspiring to be an evil noblewoman,” even if the situation doesn’t support it.
Considering she debuted last October and hasn’t broken her RP even once in these 11 months?
Her manner of speaking is always in the young lady style, and no matter what happens in the content, she tries to act as the villain.
It felt more like watching an early VTuber who prioritized character concept and RP over live gameplay than a VTuber who uses her unique traits to focus on live content.
In fact, many of Hikari Kurokami’s viewers are said to be fans of early VTubers.
…But the fact that fans from that era still watch her is a bit scary.
– It definitely feels different.
– The young lady always tries to act like a ‘young lady.’
Thanks to that earlier chat, it seems the people understood what I meant.
“Yes. Those words are true….”
In other words, even if I don’t want to, there are times in my broadcasts where I completely disregard RP, which stands in stark contrast to Hikari Kurokami‘s thorough adherence to her role.
“So I started the broadcast to practice communication!”
My avatar, Izumi Kainoh, is a water avatar with an interest in human civilization, attending a lively high school in Japan.
What’s important here is, it’s not about being a water avatar, but rather being a high school girl.
To be specific, I’m an ultra-social high school girl and the life of the party.
“…If I can truly become a communication pro and a super socialite, everything will be solved.”
Thinking that the senior, who has maintained her RP for nearly a year, should cater to my style is too much.
So, it’s only natural that I should adapt to what my senior is doing.
– But is that even possible?
…Probably not, right?
If it were a game, it would feel like a stage that’s purposely set as impossible to clear.
But I can’t just sit here and do nothing.
At my current level, I might dodge the ‘Yeo-sang,’ but that doesn’t mean we’ve succeeded in the collaboration.
If the collaboration is boring from the viewer’s perspective, that’s a failure.
In this collaboration, if the result says ‘not fun,’ the bigger risk is obviously for Hikari Kurokami.
And when a collaboration is deemed boring, it usually happens when there is a divergence in direction, resulting in a negative experience.
In other words, we need to align our directions somewhat.
So, even if I can’t become a super socialite, perhaps aiming for a quarter socialite would do…?
Aim for a quarter socialite…!
– So what exactly is this communication practice?
“Umm, first, I’ll show you the notes Suzuha sent me on what to keep in mind.”
I copied the DM Suzuha sent and pasted it into my notebook.
[First. If there’s nothing to say, don’t talk about the weather for no reason.]
[Second. Don’t drown in your own thoughts and break the flow of conversation.]
[Third. Don’t talk about things that only you understand.]
[Fourth. When a senior brings up a topic, listen, and give clear answers.]
[Fifth. If it’s gameplay-related content, make sure both of us know it or that neither of us knows about it.]
[Sixth. If you’re thinking, “Can I talk about this?” just don’t mention it.]
[Seventh. Skip any questions that might put extra pressure on your senior when reading the mic.]
[Eighth. In situations where you’re exchanging info, it’s better to communicate clearly.]
…
[Thirtieth. Collaborate to enjoy each other’s company!]
The list Suzuha sent contained a whopping 30 items.
Well, the last one is just a pep talk, so practically it’s 29 items.
– At this point, isn’t Suzuha just Mei’s mom?
– It’s like watching a child on their first errand.
“Y-You know, I got scolded for calling Suzuha ‘mom’ after she sent this to me…”
I was hit with a reality check to memorize a line or two instead of making weird comments.
Thinking that someone is so caring clearly displays maternal instincts, was honestly my mistake.
“But isn’t this a bit much? No matter how much I’m an introvert with communication impairment, a lot of this stuff is too basic. Am I seriously going to bring up the weather…?”
I’m not some retro gag manga protagonist who would bring up such a topic.
– It’s quite rational.
– But I feel like Mei could easily do that.
“Don’t underestimate me!”
– So what would you do when you suddenly run out of things to say to Hikari?
“Umm.”
That’s a tough question.
What should I do if that scenario really occurs?
Ah.
“Um, ask about her ideal type?”
– You already tried that with Suzuha and failed.
– If Mei asks, it feels like it’d just be weird.
“Grrr.”
It’s true that I have previous experience making the atmosphere awkward after trying to ask Suzuha about her ideal type.
Is being a quarter socialite such a difficult goal?
“Then, what the heck should I bring up?”
– I don’t know.
– Think for yourself.
– Don’t rely on others.
“You guys are way too harsh…”
– The world is originally strict.
…After all, isn’t it much easier to live as an introvert than an extrovert?
While conversation needs skill, if you don’t even converse, you don’t need that skill.
This way, I wouldn’t need to rely on Suzuha or Izutomo for help.
Is being an extrovert just an enormous hassle…?
“Then I’ll just live as an introvert…”
– The reason for starting the broadcast 30 minutes early is now gone.
“You all made me this way.”
– Don’t blame others.
– A VTuber who shifts her communication issues onto the viewers…
– This is 100% ‘Yeo-sang.’
– After all, conversation skills grow naturally, doesn’t this special training hold any meaning?
“It sure doesn’t….”
Then I’ll just settle for memorizing the list Suzuha sent.
Well, aiming for a quarter socialite might have been too much to ask for…
– So what else can you talk about instead of the weather when you run out of things to say?
“…Let’s just talk about the weather!”
– And thus, Suzuha’s efforts went up in smoke.
– It was too hard of a request for Mei.
“So, everyone, goodbye. See you again next time….”
Today’s conclusion.
When the conversation stalls, let’s talk about the weather.
[Suzuha Koga: Doesn’t that conclusion sound weird?]
[Izumi Kainoh: I’m sorry….]
★
Today is September 15.
Which means, tomorrow is the day of my collaboration broadcast with Hikari Kurokami.
And today is the day to decide what content we’ll do for the collaboration.
[Hikari Kurokami: Before that, I have something I’d like to discuss over the call.]
Before I even finished sending my message that chat would be fine too, a call request notification from Hikari Kurokami popped up on my screen.
…I really shouldn’t press the decline button, right?
In the end, I just shut my eyes and pressed the accept button, and with a ding, the call was connected.
“Ah, hello….”
[Yes, hello. First, please take care of me tomorrow, Izumi.]
“I, I’ll take care of you too…”
Hikari Kurokami’s voice was slightly different from what I heard on her regular broadcasts; it was a gentle and soft voice that tickled my ears.
[What I wanted to say is, simply put, that you can go about tomorrow’s collaboration however you feel comfortable.]
“…Huh?”
I couldn’t grasp the meaning of her words and unintentionally tilted my head.
[Just as it is. There’s no need to strictly conform to my RP; you can do what feels comfortable for you, Izumi.]
“Uh, um…”
What the senior said was actually something I had been worrying about for the past three days.
“B-but we should keep our RP and direction aligned…”
My head was spinning.
And of course, it made sense why I was confused; she was trying to play it loose and nice instead of following RP constraints that I had been stressing over.
That was obviously a one-sided act of kindness from her.
I felt delighted yet genuinely sorry for it…
“Uh, um, I’m so sorry. It’s just that…”
My mind was slowly filling with a cloud of confusion.
[Izumi, I know why you’re worried. I watched your membership exclusive broadcast yesterday.]
“…Huh?”
Hikari Kurokami watched my membership broadcast?
In an instant, a flush of heat crept up from my previously white mind.
Did I say anything weird?
Let me recall the content of the membership broadcast from two days ago.
…Oh. The only thing that comes to mind is that I concluded we should just talk about the weather, right?
[One side firmly adheres to RP, while the other treats it merely as one element. There could indeed be a disconnect born from that difference. I can certainly see how that might happen.]
But Hikari Kurokami continued speaking.
[That said, you don’t have to change your broadcasting style. If anything, think of it this way — the fact that two people with contrasting styles are coming together for this broadcast might even make it more enjoyable, right?]
….
“Um, mom?”
[…So Suzuha’s remark about you suddenly saying strange things during conversation wasn’t unfounded.]