Now That I Have Become a Woman, I Am a Vtuber

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“Really! I really can’t dance!”

After that, she continued to throw a tantrum.

It was as if a child who didn’t want to go to the dentist was lying on the street, begging the manager.

[Miro, no matter how much you say you can’t, it can’t be helped.]

I’m not a child anymore.

I’m a grown-up, bound by the chains of this contract…

The Six, I didn’t expect this from you.

I’m really shaking with betrayal.

All that time I was being unobtrusive, was it all for this?

“…When does it start?”

It must take some time, right?

I should at least build up my stamina during that time.

Swimming? Running?

Just thinking about doing that with this cursed body makes it hard to breathe, but if I could at least do some simple exercise to build my stamina…

[Well, you will probably start right after Chuseok, won’t you?]

“Wait??”

[Dancing isn’t something you perfect in a short time. I’ve only acquired superficial knowledge, but I’ve heard you need a solid foundation.]

Right after Chuseok? Are you kidding me?

This is practically a nightmare.

The company is bullying me!

“Uh, is there no way around this?”

But there’s nothing I can do as the subordinate but plead desperately…

[…Miro, are you really that uncoordinated? You don’t look it on the outside.]

“That’s just because of my naturally slim physique. I’m made of bones and flesh without any muscles.”

[This is getting frustrating. More importantly, you should try exercising once. As a broadcaster, isn’t stamina important? If you want to last long, stamina is a must.]

…Is that so?

Well, it is true that if you want to be on air for a long time, you need to build up your stamina…

Still, dance training really doesn’t seem like my thing.

“How long is it if we do it just once? 1 hour? 2 hours?”

There’s no way the instructor will come just for an hour.

It’ll probably be the standard 2 hours.

So if it’s 2 hours, with breaks and six members, if I play my cards right…

[You should expect it to be about 5 hours.]

“5 hours??”

[It takes time for everyone to arrive, you know? It’s better for everyone, and good for the instructor, to do fewer things over a longer period rather than cramming a lot into a short time.]

“That’s true, but who’s going to take responsibility for my stamina?”

[Just do your best. And don’t worry, we’ll make sure you get fed well.]

What am I, a pet?…

“Ugh… you’re really being too much.”

[Too much? We’re just setting it up so that when you come, you’ll suffer a little. But, you know, this year-end live concert will be really grand.]

“Is that so?”

[Yes, you know we’ve signed a tech agreement with the original company, right? This time, we’re going to use that technology properly to create a truly impressive live event.]

Hearing that, I feel a little excited, but— fine.

The company is really giving a lot, so let’s just think of it as three months of suffering through dance practice.

“…Then I’ll put ‘dance lessons’ as a reason for my break.”

[Oh dear, how did it come to this?]

How did it come to this? Isn’t this a mess that the company made?

[In any case, thank you for your hard work. I need to go tell the other members now. Good news always gets the best reactions when shared personally over the phone.]

“Manager, why do I get to hear this first?”

[I thought your reaction would be the weakest, but you made quite a stir, in a different way.]

…Hah, wouldn’t the other members make a big fuss too if they were told to dance?

I briefly thought of the members.

First, Loa… she seems like she’s done some sport, so she’s a pass.

Haru looks like she’s been in a dance club, so she’s a pass as well.

Maho, well, with her physique, her stamina should be good, right? Honestly, I’m a bit jealous.

Mile seems like she shares my lack of interest in exercise.

Anna did musical theater, so she must be able to dance well.

Thinking this way, it seems like none of them would make that big of a fuss about it? Mile might complain but would probably sigh and accept in the end.

Weren’t they all just gamer buddies in their rooms?

I’m feeling a bit of betrayal from the members.

[Well, do you have anything else to say? Then I’ll hang up.]

“…Yeah.”

And so, I finished the call with the manager while trembling.

Dance lessons after Chuseok…

I’m already terrified of that day.

“Aaah…”

For now, I added another day to my suspension notice.

Adding that it was due to internal company matters.

In the end, the last one to hit gets the most hate.

The Six.

Feel the wrath of the Miro Squad.

You can call me petty if you want.

But this is the best rebellion I can manage…

Thus, I preemptively set the suspension notice.

The period is flexible, so if I remember later, I can add to it then.

With the suspension notice drafted, I closed the window and left the café.

I have to see the posts later on the broadcast, so I shouldn’t get spoiled in advance.

Hah, there probably isn’t another broadcaster thinking this much about their broadcast.

Since I was sitting in front of the computer anyway, I thought I’d look at the desktop icons.

They’re all games that look the same.

Besides, the thought of having to dance just makes me lose interest in them.

Ah, should I search for that instead?

Now that I think about it, there’s something I kept putting off and forgetting.

It’s searching about Tenshi.

After seeing her bright side while gaming together last time, I thought I should learn from her.

I planned to see what kind of broadcasts she does as a senior.

I roughly knew who she was through the company but had never seen her broadcast, so I entered Tenshi’s YouTube channel and sorted the videos by popularity.

What came out were 3D live videos.

“The title’s in English,” I thought, “but the other titles are in Japanese—can’t read those.”

Anyway, it was a live concert video around an hour long, so… it would probably help me.

Speaking of which, I remembered that I had often seen Kim Soo-hyun’s 3D live performance videos from other VTubers.

I remember watching them in awe, but would it be different now?

So, with a studying mindset, I started the video.

What would it be like to watch a major VTuber from the mainland? A bit of anticipation, and yet it was hard to imagine the Tenshi I gamed with dancing and singing properly as I waited for the live performance to start.

It began with a promising scene in a concert hall where Tenshi appeared alone.

Wow, this was well-crafted—the tech of a famous VTuber company is incredible!

As I admired the concert hall, the music played, and Tenshi’s song began.

“O….”

Nice.

Quite nice.

Her voice is good, and just the introduction adds sweetness to the song.

This is beyond my expectations? Or could it be that since I’ve only seen myself awkwardly speak Korean, I can’t imagine her skillfully singing in her native language?

Thus, the stage that started with amazement continued to field waves of admiration.

A high-quality stage, pleasant songs, dances that make one doubt their own eyes, and guests from a vast network of connections.

In that one hour, the resolve to pour everything she had into the live performance was almost overwhelming.

In the past, from the perspective of a viewer, watching a good stage of Kim Soo-hyun,

now, as a junior VTuber, I could see details in every single moment.

How did she do that?

Is she doing a somersault from there? Would the tracker even stay steady? I mean, can a VTuber even do a somersault?

Who was that guest who just appeared? Their skill isn’t ordinary.

Every moment is a series of surprises.

I even start to feel respect.

Is that the Tenshi I played games with?

This live performance might be the peak performance of the VTuber Murasaki Tenshi.

The YouTube views say it all.

And that pinnacle of a live performance from a major VTuber is a huge shock to me, who hasn’t even been in this for a year.

After watching the live performance, which lasted just over an hour and could be considered long or short, I found myself lost in thought.

Is this some sort of respect I’m feeling?

More than that, there are VTubers with even more subscribers than Tenshi on the mainland; how do their live performances go?

Indeed, the mainland is different.

When it comes to the Celestial Realm Project, I’m one of the few popular VTubers in Korea, but Japan is on a completely different scale.

Chills ran down my spine, and the expectation of being able to have such a live event with the members lingered in my mind as I sat in my chair absent-mindedly until I heard an alert from my Discord.

Who could it be?

The only people who usually message me on Discord are the members; could something be up?

Not knowing who it was, my intention to share the link to the live performance I just watched remained as I checked the message, but surprisingly, it wasn’t a member.

(Murasaki Tenshi): Miro! Let’s play a game together!

It was a message from Tenshi, who I had just added as a friend on Discord.

Hmm… is it because I just watched the live performance?

She looks a bit different.

Since she messaged me first, I should ask her some things and play a few rounds together.

So, after quickly responding, I hopped into the game, and then I received a call from Discord.

[Moshi moshi?]

“Ah, Tenshi?”

[Hello! I didn’t expect you to accept right away!]

This slightly awkward Korean-speaking Japanese person is the very same one who led the live performance I just watched; it feels a bit disjointed.

After that, we logged into Royal Ground and started the game.

Is Royal Ground the only thing we’re playing? I wouldn’t mind playing other FPS games either.

Personally, I’d love to try an FPS game from the same company as LoL, so I should suggest that later.

The game progressed smoothly.

With Tenshi being really good at FPS and me being decent, it was bound to go smoothly.

After winning and grabbing some chicken, I finally brought up what I had wanted to ask since before during the waiting screen.

“Tenshi, I watched your 3D live concert earlier. It was amazing!”

[Arigato! But Miro, you sing well too, right? I listen to your songs often these days.]

My songs? The only ones I have are songs from the Celestial Realm and the cover I did last time.

“What do you usually listen to?”

[I saw the one you did during the Utawaku; it’s on YouTube, you know?]

“Oh, I see.”

What? Did a fan edit those songs together and upload them?

Since I sang quite a bit, it might make sense that there’s a video or two on YouTube.

“By the way, Tenshi, your dancing was impressive too! I was surprised when I saw it.”

[Dancing?]

“Yeah, I’m terrible at dancing; do you have any tips?”

This is the very question I had been itching to ask!

In the 3D live video, Tenshi’s dancing was truly top-notch.

She must have practiced countless times for her performances at the company’s request, right?

As a senior, surely she has a tip or two she could share.

Or maybe a quick way to learn suitable for live performances, perhaps?

But…

[There are no shortcuts! You have to practice until you say ‘Ugh-’! It’s really tough!]

Tenshi acted as if there were absolutely no shortcuts, even pretending to gag, leaving me feeling despondent.

“Ah… practice…”

[Exactly! Practice is the only way! There’s no quick route to dance! Plus, during a live show, you’re not just dancing one thing; if you can’t keep up, it burdens the others and the staff as well!]

Right… there really are no shortcuts. Also, if I can’t keep up, it would mean I’d be burdening the staff—meaning I’d be a nuisance to them.

I’m already scared just thinking of fumbling during a shoot and needing to retake, feeling the eyes of everyone on me.

[You understand, right?]

“Ah, I get it…”

[By the way, why are you asking about dancing? Do you want to learn?]

Hmm, should I say this out loud? From what I saw, it looks like the year-end concert may turn into a surprise event…

“Uh, this is supposed to be a secret, but…”

In the end, I decided to reveal it. After all, she’s in the same industry, so I figured she would keep it quiet.

She doesn’t seem the type to blabber about it anyway.

[Secrets? I love secrets!]

…No way, right? Whatever, I don’t care anymore.

“Actually, I think we might be having a live performance for the year-end. So, I need to dance, and I’m worried about it.”

[Huh? You’re going to do a live performance?!]

Tenshi seemed a bit shocked at the mention of a live performance. It’s indeed surprising, especially since I’ve been in this less than a year, and such attempts are almost unheard of in Korea.

“Yes.”

[Wow! Um… um… then….]

Then what? Does she have some good tips or something?

I quietly leaned in to catch any tips that might come out.

After pondering for a moment, Tenshi spoke again.

[Um, do you need guests? If it’s Miro’s live, I can be a guest! But in return, you have to come as a guest on my live too!]

…Huh?

Instead of tips, I received a suggestion out of nowhere.

It’s a proposal that could only be a plus for me, never a minus.