NOVEL NEXT Chapter 84
Recently, the Virtual YouTubers have started popping up on Switch like swoosh.
Most of them have organized into groups for their activities.
They ranged from large companies specializing in producing Virtual YouTubers to smaller crews made by fellow Virtual YouTubers.
Currently, the Virtual YouTuber scene on Switch is divided into three factions.
First, there’s Inverse, the virtual idol from the Virtual YouTuber project Restart led by the famous Group N.
Next up, the Emperor of Virtual YouTubers, Rita, who founded the Flare Crew.
And then, we have the independent Virtual YouTubers who don’t belong anywhere.
Like some three kingdoms, these three groups shared the viewer pie, but suddenly, an unexpected twist occurred.
The balance of the peaceful Switch Virtual YouTuber scene was turned upside down overnight.
The reason? The emergence of a supernova Virtual YouTuber with a power level so high it ignored the existing Virtual YouTuber pie.
What could it be? The debut of the ecosystem disturbance species, the bullfrog Mollru as a Virtual YouTuber!
Mollru began claiming a pie as large as the combined size of the three factions, bringing in a significant influx of new viewers.
It was a crisis that the streamers who dominated the existing Virtual YouTuber market could not ignore.
With the sudden disaster looming, the leader of Flare Crew, streamer Rita, called an emergency meeting with her fellow streamers.
“Ugh… this situation is quite serious. Everyone, let’s discuss some good ideas… or at least any thoughts that come to mind!”
Considering Flare Crew was the newest and least powerful faction, it wasn’t surprising if they were completely absorbed by Mollru.
I had a few temporary solutions in mind, but the crew members might have better ideas than I did.
That’s why Rita called this emergency meeting.
“Uh, okay. Ria, go ahead.”
“If we continue like this, we’re doomed, Leader.”
“Yeah, I know that already.”
It’s hard to be calm when water is creeping into the house.
That’s a part of the broadcasting charm, but really, I didn’t expect this in reality.
Rita held her dizzying hair.
Another crew member spoke up.
“But will Mollru keep doing Virtual YouTuber activities?”
“I thought she’d give it a shot and then quit, but she seems to be continuing. I heard she bought a new avatar yesterday.”
“That must’ve cost a pretty penny. She’s serious, huh?”
“Wasn’t she originally using no cam?”
“These days, no-camera types are using virtual characters because just showing up without anything feels empty.”
The crew members chattered, but no convincing plans emerged.
“This is essentially a natural disaster, so there’s no clear solution.”
“Ugh…”
“Technically, there is one solution, albeit a low probability.”
Rita had a hunch about what might be said and asked just in case.
“What is it?”
“Let’s recruit Mollru into our crew.”
“If that were possible, would I be here asking for ideas?”
The concern of a huge entity like Mollru joining their crew, while the rest get buried, was something to think about later.
At least if she were in the same crew, there’d be a chance for some spotlight, and they could benefit from her viewer pie.
A kind of trickle-down effect.
Though it’s only realizable if Mollru considers joining Flare.
“Do you really think she’d join a little crew like ours? She’s rejected offers from other game crews.”
“Still, we’re the first for Virtual YouTuber-related crews.”
“Sure, but…”
Isn’t that basically the same?
Rita didn’t voice what she was thinking.
The crew members were racking their brains, so the leader shouldn’t douse their enthusiasm with cold water.
“And we’re the ones who are most passionate about the virtual scene. Our recruiting conditions were all about that, after all. How serious are we about being virtual?”
“Just a bunch of nerds gathered together…”
“Oh, Sister!”
Originally, it was a crew formed just to have fun playing games together.
They never thought it would grow this big.
Since being called the ‘Big Three of Switch Virtual YouTubers,’ it’s undeniable they’ve become a bit greedy.
“Who knows? Mollru might be serious about virtual. We know this world well, so we can gradually share knowledge and help with her avatar, guide her with VR, and all that.”
“Is that really a possibility?”
“At least give it a shot. You’ve got nothing to lose.”
At twenty-six, Rita thought of herself as someone who could objectively assess situations, but she didn’t realize she was a little gullible.
Before she knew it, she was drafting a crew proposal email.
“…So basically, it’s not anything special, just aiming for a fun atmosphere where Virtual YouTubers play games together. Does this sound too desperate? Ah, I don’t know.”
Whatever happens, if it’s food or life, something will work out.
But she should keep expectations low.
Rita tried to lighten her heart as she sent the email to Mollru’s listed address.
“I would like to discuss detailed conditions in person…? Did I get that right?”
A response from Mollru wanting to join the crew soon arrived.
*
“Virtual YouTuber crew, Flare…”
While rummaging through her inbox, she found a new type of email amidst the usual spam and ads.
It was a familiar name for me—after all, this was the crew whose broadcasting helped me pivot to Virtual YouTuber status during my face controversy.
The sender was none other than Flare’s leader, Rita.
Her VR exploration broadcast had served as a benchmark for my recent VR broadcast.
So you could say she was sort of a role model for me.
I didn’t idolize her like a superfan, but she did provide a pivotal moment in my career.
In fact, I received a fair number of similar recruitment offers before.
MCNs and crew contracts, as well as an affiliation with EOW, and even offers from various unknown entertainment agencies.
It baffled me how someone could promise to debut a complete stranger as an entertainer; it was all absurd.
But there were offers that could benefit me.
Some proposals indeed had enough potential to help me financially and in terms of viewership.
But none of them sparked my interest, except for the cold noodles ads, looking back, I really think I did the right thing.
That was something completely new.
This time, it seemed to follow a similar trend.
The recruitment offer from Rita’s Virtual YouTuber crew.
I was more inclined to think about it.
Whenever I made decisions, I relied on my editor Si-young’s advice, and this time was no different.
I headed to her house on the meeting day.
“This isn’t bad. Going the Virtual YouTuber route means less image consumption for you.”
“Really?”
Si-young showed a positive reaction to reading Rita’s email.
“To be honest, even if you were to mess up big time now, people would still applaud you.”
“Eck.”
“Because you’ve become famous.”
That was an extreme way to put it, but it meant that unless it was a serious issue, I wouldn’t just crash and burn.
As long as I played it safe, I’d still hit above average.
“Will you continue doing Virtual YouTuber broadcasts?”
“Actually, that’s the problem. I plan to discuss it in our meeting.”
I was quite an oddball among Virtual YouTubers.
I started as a no-cam streamer; I had shown my upper body due to competition rules a few times, but I remained distinctly different from others who usually kept their identities hidden.
I wasn’t day-to-day operating a virtual avatar like the rest; I relied primarily on no-cam streaming.
Often, I wouldn’t even bring out my avatar when setting things up felt like a hassle.
It was more of a spontaneous appearance when I thought about using VR for a bit, so here came the Virtual YouTuber Mollru.
“Streaming daily as a Virtual YouTuber might not be beneficial for your existing audience. There could be backlash. Those who enjoyed no-cam Mollru might not necessarily embrace the Virtual YouTuber side of her.”
“Is that so?”
“I think I’d prefer to bring out the avatar occasionally rather than regularly.”
Nodding, Si-young added, “You’d be closer to a guest than an official crew member.”
“That seems better. Playing games together all the time would feel burdensome.”
“Let’s make sure I go along too.”
It was a meeting that might decide the direction of Mollru’s broadcasts, and she wanted to join in.
At this point, I felt she was more like a manager than just an editor.
I was fine with it, but I wondered whether she’d have too much to handle.
“Should we hire more editors?”
“…Huh?”
“I mean, since you’re doing so much, isn’t it tough on you? Other teams usually delegate work among multiple people, so why not add a few more?”
“No.”
Si-young shook her head firmly.
“Not at all, I’m not struggling.”
She seemed to reject any arguments with that expression, so I nodded slowly, feeling a bit uneasy.
“Uh, right. Then.”
She had this possessive attitude towards the videos on my channel, confident that she alone must create them.
It was remarkable to find such dedication in a worker.
As a self-proclaimed boss, I felt pleased for the first time in my life.
I thought I should give her a raise.