Skill Verification (2)
A few seconds after the intense trap beat slammed in.
Kang Yura, who had been listening in a daze, suddenly found herself doubting her own ears.
"...What?"
Before the recording, Sihyun had earnestly warned her. She had never majored in music or taken a single lesson, so don't get your hopes up. It wasn't even a field she'd been particularly interested in, so please teach her everything slowly, one step at a time.
At the time, Yura had simply accepted it—Well, alright then.
But now...
In the eyes of Kang Yura, who had more than a little experience with music herself, the woman in front of her was the complete opposite of everything Sihyun had claimed. This was nowhere near amateur level.
Talkin’ that talk? Boy, watch your manners─
Ice in my veins but my soul stay dangerous─
First of all, the mid-to-low register she was belting right now. Calling it mid-low was almost misleading—if you botched it even slightly, the whole thing could collapse into something limp and lifeless. Yet that powerhouse voice layered over Sihyun's signature husky tone carried every note with absolute authority. Not a single weak spot.
Straight to the top, I don’t see no ceiling─
Took all the pain, now I make a killing─
And then came the high-register machine-gun rap. The range had shifted in a blink, but there wasn't so much as a hint of a cracked note. At a glance, you couldn't even tell when she was breathing. It was originally a duet track—normally a nightmare to cover alone—yet she nailed the breath control that amateurs choke on most, and switched tones as freely as if she were swapping out her vocal cords entirely.
...This is an amateur?
Seriously, what the hell has she been doing with her life...?
Yura had glimpsed a spark of potential in Sihyun's voice, sure. But the potential she'd expected was a raw gem that would need careful polishing over time. She had never once hoped for a finished jewel.
...So what exactly was standing in front of her right now?
Lights too bright, but I never fade─
Golden mind, yeah, I'm self-made.
The skill was one thing, of course. But the sheer completeness of it went far beyond the level of someone who just occasionally sang at karaoke. This wasn't random, off-the-cuff belting. This was the kind of polish you only got after listening dozens of times, practicing dozens of times, refining dozens of times—the kind you carved out yourself.
...This would work.
"...Hoo."
While Kang Yura was still reeling from the shock, Sihyun exhaled once and carefully slipped off the headset.
"How was it? Was it listenable?"
"...Sihyun."
Pulled free from the lingering afterglow, Kang Yura suddenly opened the recording studio door, trudged straight over, and pulled Sihyun into a tight hug.
"Without you, we're all screwed."
"Eh...?"
Kang Yura, CEO of Lunabis—the agency locked in a fight for the number-one spot in Korea's VTuber market—had been completely conquered by the colossal diamond that had rolled in out of nowhere.
...What's with this woman now?
Of course, Sihyun had no idea about any of that background, so she was just left flustered.
After my music skill test, the CEO's attitude toward me grew noticeably softer.
...Well, not that she hadn't already cut me a fair amount of slack when it came to my convenience. But now she kept asking what I wanted to eat, or casually promising to personally destroy anyone who tried to screw me over. The whole direction of it felt... a little off, somehow.
Even the things she was saying lately were all bizarre. Stuff like "the pebble on the side of the road turned out to be a diamond," or "there's no way the second-generation trainees are going under." Word of those comments had gotten around the company, and thanks to that, every time I showed up at the office things got a little awkward.
How do I put this? I was drawing way too much unnecessary aggro from the staff. Being looked at fondly was nice and all, but the fuss they were making over me felt excessive. I'm really not that big a deal. Definitely not world-class...
"Ah, you're here?"
"...Yeah, well."
I couldn't exactly say any of that out loud, so I settled for polite little nods at the employees I passed and hurried off toward the CEO's office like I was fleeing the scene.
"Have you eaten? You haven't yet, have you?"
"Of course I already ate. What time do you think it is? What exactly do you take me for...?"
"Aww, this is all affection. I'm just worried about you, that's all."
Well... at least in here, it wasn't just lingering glances. There was someone who said it to my face, which made it annoying in a different way. But at least she was easy to deal with, so I'd take that as a consolation prize.
"So, what is it this time?"
"...Ugh. You're no fun."
Anyway, that was that. From experience, if I just rolled with it there'd be no end in sight, so I cut her off and steered things toward the point.
"You're going to have to get used to it soon enough."
"...?"
"A VTuber can't exactly stream under their real name, right?"
The playfulness vanished from her expression. In a suddenly serious tone, she quietly dropped a single line.
"Shiozaki Reina."
"...!"
"That's the stage name you'll be using from now on when you stream."
...Yeah.
This was where it really began.