Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Time is the Cure
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"Ugh..."
I let out a groan from the bed that anyone hearing it might find weird.
My body was so stiff.
Especially my chest.
It was the result of sleeping prone.
Ever since I'd encountered the 'Black Smoke' and my gender changed.
If I had to pick the most annoying part of this new body, it'd hands-down be these cumbersome lumps of fat.
I'd always preferred sleeping on my stomach, but with this body, I'd been half-forced into sleeping on my back.
Old habits die hard, though.
Somehow, in my sleep, I'd flipped over onto my stomach without realizing it.
And now I had muscle soreness to show for it.
...Well, duh.
The bed in my place is rock-hard.
With soft, squishy breasts mashed against that rigid mattress, of course they'd ache.
I cautiously reached out, massaging the sore spots.
"Hnnng..."
A weird noise slipped from my lips.
Anyone walking in might think I was having a good time solo, but nope.
Just legit trying to work out the kinks.
Obviously, I still hadn't adjusted to this changed body.
Or more precisely...
I hadn't had the luxury to adjust.
Was changing gender a big deal?
Or was staying alive a bigger deal?
Obviously the latter.
Skip broadcasts and you're screwed, fail to register as an Awakener and you're screwed, don't document that Item and Anomalous Phenomenon on the wiki within a month and you're dead.
Gender swap? Small potatoes.
"..."
Truth be told, the gender swap...
Was a big deal.
I headed to the bathroom for a bath, squeezed my eyes shut, and stripped off my clothes one by one.
I couldn't face the mirror yet.
Staring at a woman's naked body—my own—with my own eyes still felt way too awkward and embarrassing.
'I'll get used to it eventually.'
Time is the cure.
Given time, even this body would start feeling normal.
...Just not right now.
I soaped up while mentally singing the national anthem up to the fourth verse.
After a quick rinse...
"Haa..."
I sat on the edge of the bed, drying my hair, lost in thought.
Yesterday had been way too close.
Ten minutes.
If I'd been ten minutes later turning on the broadcast, I'd have been forcibly returned to the Omnia Archive and scrapped.
Just imagining it sent chills down my spine.
I needed to prepare thoroughly so nothing like that ever happened again.
With my life on the line, I had to account for every variable.
I'd thought broadcasting was no biggie and the real issues were the Item and Anomalous Phenomenon... but I'd been too complacent.
After that, I'd spent a full three hours brainstorming countermeasures for every variable and jotting them down in a notepad.
1. Make turning on the broadcast a daily routine.
Office workers always wake up at the same time.
Plenty even pop awake automatically without an alarm.
How do they manage it when so many people hate mornings?
Simple: ingrained habits.
Spend a year rising at 7 a.m. every weekday—no weekends—and anyone would snap awake on autopilot.
So.
I needed to lock in a fixed time for broadcasts as a routine too.
Decision made.
Broadcast start: 8 p.m. every day.
Why 8 p.m.? Because...
That's around when Ayase, who does daytime streams, wraps up.
2. Prepare for disasters.
Okay.
Say the power goes out in my whole villa building.
Sorry, Reflecting Myriad Stars, sir! No power in the building, couldn't stream!
Would that fly?
"..."
As if.
Power outage is my problem, not Reflecting Myriad Stars'.
To cover for times like that...
I'd need to carry a high-spec laptop and portable Wi-Fi everywhere.
Even when heading out.
Just in case.
If I couldn't get home, I'd have to stream from wherever.
A laptop beefy enough for streaming costs a fortune.
Back before Items and Anomalous Phenomena, they were pricey but doable.
Now? They're straight-up luxury items.
Luckily, I had a decent income stream these days.
Donations.
Even with my dogshit streams, the fans loved my avatar and showered me with 1,000-won punches.
...Of course, keep half-assing it like yesterday, and I'd normalize fast—viewers dropping to a tenth.
For my wallet's sake, I couldn't slack on streams anymore.
Alright, that covers it. Feels sorted.
Oh, right—my stream.
How was the community vibe?
Curious about reactions, I hopped into the VTuber gallery and ego-searched.
"What the—?!"
I panicked.
Hadn't even typed 'Lee Jia' in the search.
Yet the front page was plastered with posts about me.
Good...?
💬 VTuber Gallery — Title: Lee Jia <- Honestly, she brought some pretty intense RP [Post body would be here, but it's just titles] — Title: Whatever else, that last line before ending stream — Title: Clipped Lee Jia's last words before stream end. Judge for yourselves — Title: Isn't daily streaming part of that 10:0 contract deal? ⭐ Top Comment — Title: Idk, but our girl's cute so upvote lol — Title: BigTits SuperPlump Jia my love hekhekhekhek No.
Looking at those post titles, I couldn't call it all good.
The 'fanatic devotee' concept wasn't easy for viewers to swallow, it seemed.
Even that line right before ending the stream about streaming every day had stirred controversy.
But I felt wronged.
Everything I did and said on stream was real—not just the concept.
...Should I just spill all my info outright?
Truth was.
Once I registered as an Awakener and started tackling Anomalous Phenomena, like it or not, my identity and name would go public.
Awakeners were humanity's heroes.
They had celebrity-level fame.
Meaning.
Like it or not, my redpill truths were destined for mass exposure.
And my redpill self looked just like my VTuber avatar.
Well.
Awakener work would eventually reveal my identity and clear my name, but no need to rush.
For example.
Go live today and say:
Actually, I'm a guy.
Met Black Smoke in my room, turned into a girl.
Got this power to check target info as wiki entries.
Species changed too.
Now I worship a god.
And if I don't stream once a day, I get scrapped.
Oh, and blaspheme the divine? I pay the price—headbutts and self-harm.
For real.
Believe me.
...Who'd buy that?
I'd just get labeled a crazy bitch.
Already catching flak for over-the-top RP—say this and I'm done.
Stream tanks.
No views, no money.
No money, no laptop.
No laptop, can't stream in a blackout.
Can't stream...
Yeah.
Dead.
Negative thoughts spiraling.
Enough.
Stop thinking.
Guess with my life on the line, I'd gotten antsy without realizing.
No rushing.
Time would sort it.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Oh, yeah.
What about my Awakener registration?
The investigator said they'd have an internal meeting today and get back to me.
I was in a one-minute-one-second crunch.
Just not too late, please.
What if they take a week?
Nah.
No way.
The Awakener Association isn't that dysfunctional.
They'll call soon.
...Probably.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Awakener Association.
Internal conference room.
The meeting proceeded in a solemn atmosphere.
The ice was broken by the man presumed to be the facilitator.
"Hmm."
He eyed the documents on the conference table, letting out a meaningful hum.
The documents were.
The investigation report on Lee Jia, written by the association's handler, Kim Junghwan.
Contents as follows.
📋 Investigation Report Lee Jia, 24, female. Encountered [Black Smoke] at [Home] → Awakened after encountering [Black Smoke] → Ability to view target info in wiki format → Detailed ability info unconfirmed; high research value ... ... ... The presumed facilitator scratched his head over the report on his desk.
Then asked Kim Junghwan, the investigator.
"So, all this has been verified as fact—not fabrication?"
"Yes, correct."
"...Understood. Time for a decision."
He fiddled with Lee Jia's report and spoke.
"Regarding the new Awakener, Lee Jia... we'll need more deliberation. Table her disposition. One week."
"Agreed."
"Agreed. Too exceptional a case."
"Suggest three rounds of internal meetings."
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
Finally, he stamped the report red.
[ON HOLD]
Bad news that would make Lee Jia foam at the mouth and collapse if she knew.