Explaining the Broth
Even though I'd called it a lecture, honestly, it wasn't anything particularly amazing. Just very basic stuff that anyone could figure out after spending a month or so watching various streams. Things like, if you're a general gaming streamer, you play the popular new releases as quickly as possible. Or if you're doing virtual streaming with a female character, you need to know how to handle your simps. Utterly commonsense advice.
To be frank, I had zero intention of claiming I had some special talent for explaining this. I was just sharing the kind of knowledge any idle slacker like me—who stared at streams all day—would naturally pick up.
But.
"Ooooh……"
Rena, at least, didn't see it that way. She kept letting out gasps of admiration with every word I said, scribbling notes furiously.
"This is really helpful…… There are so many things I never knew before you explained them."
"You're just learning this now?"
At my incredulous tone, she answered with the utmost innocence.
"Yes! It's like a real study session. I feel like I could do anything now! My heart's pounding!"
The little sun in her avatar's eyes was spinning and sparkling like crazy.
Honestly, kinda cute.
But her outfit? Not so much. No, it wasn't just unattractive—it was so unbalanced it was baffling. Why the hell was she wearing a total rainbow raincoat?
"And don't forget. Change your outfit. The avatar's cute, but that getup is ruining it completely."
"Y-Yes……? Is it? Isn't this outfit…… cute?"
"Did you design it yourself, by any chance?"
"Yes!"
"……"
If that was true, her fashion sense was hopeless—I nearly told her to never design anything again. But I swallowed the words.
Yeah. No need to be mean on our last hurrah.
"Anyway, change the clothes. Got it?"
"……Okay…… If Subway-Old-Man-Denture-Stealer says so, I guess I have to listen……?"
She looked so dejected, I softened my tone a bit. Felt kinda bad for her.
"Hey, don't get too down. You'll do great from here on out. Like I taught you earlier—if you keep this humble mindset even after success, staring it down defiantly, you'll make it big for sure."
I wondered if she really could, but hey—tossing out some encouragement couldn't hurt.
Not that…… honestly……
Even now, with the two of us doing this [Phone Date] nonsense, our voices broadcasting live—
Not a single soul had even lurked in the stream.
Still, managing to keep going for a full 100 days with this level of response? Her sheer grit deserved some props.
It was that pitiful.
"Thank you! Hehe…… Oh, right right. Can I ask one more question?"
Rena peered at me curiously from across the monitor.
"Shoot."
"Um…… Earlier, when you explained it, you said simps—right? That we need to control the simps well."
"What's the problem with that?"
Wasn't it the most obvious thing ever?
Put up a cute female character avatar, chat and laugh with viewers, keep the interaction flowing. For streamer RenaP, that led to revenue. Fine.
But the people coming to watch, chatting along, donating encouragement, pouring in their time—what brought them here?
Because RenaP's banter was hilarious? Her gameplay skills? Curiosity about the games?
I wasn't some internet streaming guru, but on this one point, I'd stake everything.
All that? Total bullshit.
The real answer: pseudo-romantic feelings.
Female BJs and streamers had this unwritten rule: turn on the stream for special days like Christmas or birthdays. Officially, to spend the day with fans—but that was a front.
The real pressure was silent: [Gonna meet a boyfriend that day? Nah, you're single, right? NEET? Shut-in? Total loser? Stream then.]
Everyone knew it hung over female cam streamers. They just hushed it up. At its core, it demanded: [No dating].
And virtual streamers? Shockingly, same deal. Avatar or facecam made no difference. The obsession with celibacy vows, the debates over streaming on big days—it all carried over.
Cold hard fact: whether the streamer wanted it or not, parading a beautiful girl avatar inevitably stirred viewers' pseudo-romance.
"I watch for the fun," "The memes are hilarious," "Here for the hot games"? Ninety-nine out of a hundred times, bullshit. I'd say all hundred, but I'll hedge for that one-in-a-million.
That's how I saw it: Over 90% of male fans watching female virtual streamers harbored pseudo-romantic feelings.
I had no interest in judging the simp-selling—good or bad. It didn't start with streamers anyway. Flip on the TV, and idols were hawking the same vibe.
Why else did scandals about young male idols dating cause such uproar? Why the [no-dating clauses] in their contracts? Can't explain it without this.
Streaming had its equivalent: the Celibacy Vow. Swearing eternal singledom…… Leaving aside how it's viewed, its very existence admits they're selling pseudo-romance.
Anyway. Even with an avatar front and center, virtual streamers were peddling the same emotions. Their audience? Guys who preferred 2D girls over real ones.
So yeah. Handling fans with those pseudo-romantic feelings—aka simps—was the most crucial part of streaming. No question.
Be careful collabing with male streamers, set guidelines so viewers chase off creepy donos themselves. Preemptively drop that Celibacy Vow, like I mentioned.
What a random third party thought of the scene? Irrelevant. Simps—not outsiders—put rice in the streamer's mouth.
But why was that worth asking?
'Probably wondering how to control simps effectively, right?'
Made sense—she sucked at streaming, so basics might elude her. What I taught today was embarrassingly entry-level.
Innocent assumption on my part. Her actual question?
Way beyond anything I'd imagined.
"Which broth…… should I control?"
"……Pardon?"
Ignoring my frozen state, she rambled on.
"Is chicken broth okay? I have some instant stuff at home…… Or do I need beef bone broth? Pork broth?"
"……Hold up."
"No, before that—what does 'control' even mean? Heat adjustment? Cooking streams are trending, so maybe it's about Korean-style soups that—"
"Hold on."
I cut her off.
"You don't know…… what broth means?"
"Huh? Broth is…… um…… meat-boiled water, right……?"
"Haa……"
I let out a bottomless sigh.
"D-Did I do something wrong, Subway-Old-Man-Denture-Stealer……?"
Her avatar wore a flustered expression, her voice thick with panic.
……Yeah. Come to think of it, she was a total rookie—fresh as a kindergartener—who'd failed to run a proper stream for 100 days with that avatar.
Not knowing "broth"? Fair enough.
Part of me wanted to snap: [What the fuck do you even know? Empty-headed? What balls did you start streaming with? Is it a bit? You think this shit's easy?]
I shoved down the vicious impulse and opened my mouth slowly.
"Okay, so. Broth means…… Ha…… well, you see……"
"Yes yes! Tell me!"
Rena gazed at me with pure, innocent eyes.
Ha. Is this my fate?
I'd just wanted to do a tiny good deed in my final moments, on a whim.
Why explain this too?
Burying the thought deep, I launched into what "broth" meant, its origins, how it was used in streaming slang—spending ages on it.
And of course—throughout that whole time, as she reacted with fascination or shock at the meanings—
Not a single viewer showed up in RenaP's stream.