Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Prepping for the Half-Cam Broadcast
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📰 Domestic VTuber Gallery Title: Big one's coming. Today at 7 PM. Fervent Devotee of Reflecting Myriad Stars, Lee Jia's first half-cam stream. Many viewers expected. 💬 Comments (69+) — Anonymous Kyaa!!! — Anonymous She's really doing it lol — Anonymous When did this girl hit 50k followers? ↳ Reply Broke through 50k after peaking from yesterday's all-time best stream. ↳ Reply Growth speed is insane;;;; Isn't this the fastest ever to 50k? ↳ Reply You think Ayase is a joke? ↳ Reply Possible to beat out class-monster Ayase. ↳ Reply Ayase is corp-affiliated though lololol ↳ Reply GOAT indie VTuber. — Anonymous But pledging half-cam as a promise means she's got some confidence lololol ↳ Reply I thought so too at first, but after yesterday's stream, seems like maybe not. ↳ Reply Didn't watch yesterday, gimme a one-line summary. ↳ Reply Just a full-day shitshow trying to pluck ants for superchats. Failed doggedly, of course. ↳ Reply She seemed to really hate doing half-cam lololol ↳ Reply Her 2D model's quality is so overwhelming, her expressions give everything away lololol ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Ugh..."
I woke up several hours earlier than usual, grimacing as I let out a groan.
My body felt heavy and stiff.
Even after sleeping, the fatigue hadn't lifted.
I just hadn't been able to sleep properly.
Today was the day of my half-cam stream.
No joke.
It felt more nerve-wracking than the first stream after my body swapped.
I must be crazy.
What kind of glory did I think I'd bask in back then to make a half-cam promise like that?
Sure, the psychological dread of the half-cam stream had kept me tossing and turning.
But the bigger reason was something else entirely.
My period.
It was sticky.
Uncomfortable.
All so foreign.
I had no idea how many times I'd woken up and fallen back asleep.
I wondered how newborn babies could sleep so soundly in diapers.
After getting out of bed, I first chucked the sanitary pad I was wearing into the trash without a care.
Then I headed straight to the bathroom for a bath.
Cold water poured from the showerhead.
Hot water cooldown.
1 minute.
"Haa..."
I must have sighed a dozen times during that one minute.
...What a mess.
I still couldn't believe I'd have to go through this physiological phenomenon once a month from now on.
At least, thanks to this sturdy body, I didn't have to worry about menstrual cramps.
Damn it.
The 'anomalous phenomenon of blood coming from my body' seemed resolved after just one day, fortunately. Now it was time to worry about the half-cam stream.
After finishing my bath, I suddenly stood in front of the mirror and stared at my reflection.
Time for a confession.
Since the body swap, I'd been consciously avoiding mirrors.
The reason was simple.
This new face and body still felt awkward.
Every time I looked, it felt like my sense of reality slipped away.
Honestly, I still flinched every time.
Whoa, that face.
Whoa, that figure.
Right, that's me.
...Something like that.
So why was I, who had been deliberately avoiding mirrors, now staring at my reflection?
The half-cam stream, obviously.
Two problems stood out.
One was this flashy pink hair.
The other was these ridiculously huge breasts.
The hair wasn't a huge worry.
I could stubbornly insist it was a wig, and things might slide.
The viewers would probably buy my lie.
They had no choice.
Even to me, my hair looked so silky it sparked doubts if it was really a wig.
There's an idiom: 'hair like silk.'
It fit perfectly.
If I claimed I'd prepared a special wig for the VTuber aesthetic, the hair would pass muster.
The problem was...
"..."
Poke.
Poke.
This damn lump of fat.
How the hell was I supposed to explain this?
I couldn't claim I'd stuffed them.
...Wait, no.
I hadn't done anything wrong in the first place, so why was I thinking about excuses?
Sure, running a half-cam stream would make my channel a bit chaotic for a while.
But couldn't I just go on a long hiatus?
"..."
Yeah.
No.
Unfortunately, I was a VTuber cursed with no option for a 'long hiatus.'
I had to do the half-cam stream.
And turn on stream again tomorrow.
My life's a legend, a legend.
All I could do was hope the manager handled chat moderation.
...Sigh.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Sitting at my computer desk, I habitually checked the cafe first.
📰 Lee Jia Fan Cafe - Fervent Devotees of Lord Reflecting Myriad Stars — Title Holding my breath until the leader streams, whoosh-! — Title If the leader's half-cam turns out surprisingly potato quality, might be even better...? — Title Can't hold back from potato leader's cute face lol — Title Hmm... Why are there so many potato faction heretics in the cafe today? — Title Potato faction lives on. — Title Bang! lol — Title Potato! lol The cafe was in total chaos.
Potato this, bang that—they were all hyped up, drumming and dancing among themselves.
I quietly left the cafe, then started combing through other VTubers' half-cam archives, watching replays one by one.
I'm a total noob streamer and noob VTuber.
I needed to study in advance how those who'd done half-cam streams had handled theirs.
For agency VTubers, the company would detail every precaution for half-cam...
Too bad Omnia Archive is the blackest of black companies that dog-abandoned its one and only VTuber.
Big expectations lead to big disappointments.
I wasn't expecting anything anyway.
Expecting support from a shitty black company like that would be weirder...
Bam!
"Oink."
What set it off this time?
The 'shitty' part?
The 'black company' part?
It's undeniable fact, no rebuttal possible.
To avoid words like that, manage your VTubers properly.
Or at least pretend to.
...Anyway, I monitored the VTubers' half-cam streams.
One thing in common.
Angel outfit half-cam.
Bunny girl outfit half-cam.
Saintess robe half-cam.
Every VTuber who'd done half-cam wore some special costume.
I already knew that.
Showing up in a special outfit for half-cam was basically a national rule.
Of course, I had zero intention of preparing a special outfit for my half-cam.
And it was way too late now anyway.
I planned to just do it in whatever clothes I had at home.
The problem?
I had no decent stream outfits at home.
The clothes in my house were...
A blouse and blue tennis skirt matching my VTuber avatar perfectly.
Several white cotton tees.
Black dolphin shorts.
That's it.
No joke.
Amazingly, that was all.
Until a few weeks ago, there were also jeans and a cardigan.
But the jeans and cardigan ended up full of holes from the 'Golden Piggy Bank's' sword stabs and had to be thrown out.
Please.
I should've bought some clothes earlier—I'm pathetic for still not having any.
Excuses? Sure.
First, I rarely go out.
Second, I don't know my size.
Third, shopping for clothes is a hassle.
...Yeah, pure excuses.
Anyway, for that reason, I still hadn't bought clothes.
So I planned to do the half-cam in a white cotton tee and black dolphin shorts.
No need to wear an uncomfortable blouse and skirt at home.
Dolphin shorts.
Super short shorts that bare almost the entire thigh.
I initially had reservations and preconceptions due to their sexy image.
But trying them on?
They're just GOAT shorts, period.
Comfort goes without saying, and they're easy to slip on and off.
Doing half-cam in comfy home clothes might seem half-assed.
Who cares about my fans.
They should be grateful I'm doing half-cam at all.
At least comfy clothes would ease my tension a bit.
Outfit for the half-cam stream: decided in a flash.
Next: cam setup.
I carefully set up the expensive cam I'd bought in advance.
Checked if it was secure dozens of times.
Not satisfied, I wrapped it in tape for extra safety.
If my face accidentally showed, it'd be a total disaster, so caution was key.
"..."
Even with this careful setup, I couldn't block the price of blasphemy.
The biggest reason I hated half-cam was exactly that: the price of blasphemy.
What happens if I get hit with blasphemy penalty while half-cam is on?
I'd smash it.
My face would inevitably show when I headbutt the floor.
But whatever.
Lord Reflecting Myriad Stars might cut me some slack during half-cam.
From my experiences so far.
She's not just a rigid god.
Surprisingly flexible and understanding.
Of course, I'd be extra careful with my words...
But if.
If I slipped up and she mercilessly dropped the penalty anyway.
Then I dunno.
I'd strip naked and protest that I can't do this anymore.
So please, grant me some mercy this time too.
Praise be.