Chapter 13 – Nakamura Wataru: Isn’t This Something I Shouldn’t Be Watching? (2)
And so it was night.
I had come to Aoi's room.
And now, for some reason, we were both inside a soundproof room.
"Then, Wataru-sensei, please take care of me."
Aoi, with a beaming smile, gave me a thumbs up from a short distance away.
"Um... So today, you want advice on the side for the 'Hebishu' match with the office members, right?"
"That's right!"
A cheerful reply, that's good.
We'll communicate via a messaging app so my voice doesn't get picked up on the stream.
"Shouldn't I be outside the soundproof room?"
"Then you won't be able to see the Desco screen."
"Desco" is an app that allows voice chat and messaging on PC.
It's a popular tool among gamers and streamers, widely used.
Aoi seems to use it when streaming while talking to other streamers.
"But is it okay for me to see that?"
"It's fine as long as it's not secret information from the office. They haven't said it's not allowed."
Really?
"But is there any point in me looking at the Desco screen?"
"Didn't I say I wanted advice on how to handle things?"
"Does the Desco interaction have anything to do with game advice?"
"Not really?"
"Eh?"
"It seems like I'm treated as the girl who can't read the room at the office."
"Oh, you can read the room."
"Eh? Really!?"
"No, no, that was sarcasm."
"Hey, Wataru!?"
Aoi comes at me with a pout, and I return it with a smile.
VTubers are a gathering of eccentrics, but to stand out there, you must be quite something, right?
"So?"
"Mmm... That's why I want Wataru to teach me how to deal with the people at the office."
"Dealing with them like that..."
"I tried talking to Hitomi, but she said she doesn't understand streaming or me. Can't believe those are the words of a best friend!"
"But she's still hanging out with you, so isn't she a best friend?"
"Ah... right, that's true. Ehehe..."
I'd love to show this smitten face of Aoi to those who call her cool.
But it's too precious, so I'll never suggest that she flaunts it.
"And so, Hitomi told me to ask Wataru about it."
Iezuka, that girl , pushing her troubles onto me!
"I wonder if I have anything to say."
Just because I can study doesn't mean I can earn a single yen as just a student.
What advice could I, who can't earn a penny, possibly give to Aoi, who earns her own living? Perhaps only in the game.
"Only childhood friend Wataru can do it."
With that, Aoi tightly grasped my hand.
"Your hand is trembling..."
"No matter how long it's been, I always get like this before a stream. Ehehe, it's embarrassing even after half a year."
Being watched and directly commented on by tens of thousands of people, even if it's through a screen.
If you had normal nerves, you'd be crushed immediately.
Some people say that popular VTubers are "just playing games and making easy money," but at least I can't imitate that.
Well, it's about time.
Famous VTubers I've heard of are entering the Desco chat room.
"I'm going to enter the chat room too, so let's be quiet from here. Today's stream is the type where we gather beforehand."
Aoi made a zipping gesture over her mouth, and I nodded silently.
"Thank you for your hard work~"
Aoi, as Violet, entered the chat room and greeted.
"Good work~" "Good work~" "Good work~"
Familiar voices from the stream start coming in one after another.
They are today's joint practice members.
All of them are VTubers from the same agency as Aoi.
Should I even be here for the pre-stream meeting?
I'm sure I don't have permission.
(Wataru) Maybe I shouldn't be listening to this?
I try talking to Aoi in a chat that only she can see.
I make sure my phone doesn't make any sound.
(Aoi) It's okay. There are others who have their boyfriends help out beside them.
I didn't want to hear that!
Or rather, aren't we in a similar situation?
We're not dating, but.
If it gets out, it won't just end with a flame war.
It seems there was a pre-meeting, and after a brief confirmation of the proceedings, the stream started.
Three FPS veterans from the agency are supposed to teach Aoi.
By the way, in terms of channel subscribers, Aoi is the second among the four members.
First, they decided to go into actual combat lightly to see Aoi's strength.
"Ah, a butterfly. It looks cool like a moth monster."
Aoi's character chases after a small butterfly flying around for fun—
Turn!
And gets shot in the head and dies.
"Hey, Violet!?"
Voices of reproach come from the other VTubers.
But it's not serious, more in a joking manner.
"Huh!? Sorry! I've never seen a butterfly in this game before, so I just went for it."
"You thought it was a power-up item, right?"
"I wouldn't make such a mistake. It looked strong."
"St... strong...?"
Aoi brushes off the criticism and support from the other members with her unique sensibility.
It must be well-received by the listeners, but...
Isn't it difficult to give advice on how to handle this?
After all, she's quite popular during the stream, and the collaborators probably intend to ride on Aoi's popularity.
At that point, I feel like there's no advice I can give.
If the relationships off-stream aren't going well... is there still something I can do?
Maybe just listening is all I can do?
I guess I'm still just a child.