Goddess Descent

After switching to the 3D model, the streams continued with this avatar as the main focus. As expected from the hefty investment, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the avatar positioned in the bottom-right corner of the screen displayed incredible tracking ability, moving with perfect fluidity in sync with her every motion.

"Alright~ Today! We're going to do SingOutLoud!"

SingOutLoud was a game where you created a room, reserved songs to sing in order, and could voice chat inside that room. Seria loved singing, so whenever she ran this content, a huge number of viewers participated. Above all, the chance to communicate with her directly by voice made the competition insanely fierce.

Seeing this, one would think I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠would have joined without hesitation. Surprisingly, though, I had never once participated in a SingOutLoud session. It wasn't that I particularly enjoyed singing. I had never practiced, for one thing. To be honest, I barely knew any songs… To be precise, I didn't know any modern ones. I might recognize ancient songs, maybe.

"Then! I'll create the room~ The password will be revealed shortly, so everyone, please get ready!"

Yet today felt strangely different. Maybe my fandom toward her had grown even stronger than usual. For some reason, I desperately wanted to join that room today.

Wait. If I spoke with my voice here, everyone would immediately know I was a woman. It wouldn't really cause any trouble, but revealing my gender so easily felt… boring. Yeah. I'd keep it hidden. That would be more fun, wouldn't it?

"The password is! I typed it in chat, so check it and come on in!"

There was no hesitation. My eyes locked onto the target faster than a hawk, and my fingers flew across the keyboard quicker than a bee. I entered the password and hit enter in one swift motion.

"There's only one spot! I wonder which lucky person the goddess of fortune will smile upon!"

With reflexes bordering on miraculous, I entered the room faster than anyone else. I lowered my headset mic and clutched my pounding chest.

I didn't change my nickname to anything special. I left a subtle hint as I entered.

"Oh my?! Those are some amazing reflexes! I made the password pretty long, but you got in instantly!"

"…."

"Just so you know, this room is for voice communication, so chat is disabled. StrawberryMochi believer! Could you please introduce yourself?"

Oh man. Why was I so nervous about this? I'd watched her for so long, but speaking to her with my actual voice was a first. This was practically a one-on-one call with her.

"Um, StrawberryMochi? Please go ahead. We have other people waiting, so we don't have much time."

"…."

I took a small, quiet breath. Then I opened my mouth.

"Hello, Sister."

Seria's streams had an extreme male-to-female ratio. It was safe to say it was 9.8 to 0.2. A woman participating in an event here was something they had never even imagined.

"Oh my?! StrawberryMochi! You have such a beautiful voice!"

"Thank you."

"Wow, the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠chat is going absolutely crazy! They're saying a new goddess has descended!"

"This is a bit embarrassing. My voice isn't really anything worth bragging about."

"No, no! Your voice is wonderful! Do you watch our streams often?"

"Yes. I watch every day."

"The believers are curious too. You usually just watch?"

"Yes, that's right."

This was our first conversation using actual voices. My heart was racing wildly, and my mood soared higher with every word. The more I spoke with her, the more confident I felt myself becoming.

After that, I had a light chat with her. Since I was the first woman to enter, I was given extra time and ended up talking for a full five minutes.

"Okay! Time's up, so shall we hear you sing? What song would you like to perform?"

"Oh, um. One moment please."

I quickly scrolled through my playlist, looking for something I could sing. As expected, I didn't know a single recent song. If I could, I would have loved to sing one of Seria's songs, but she hadn't released any official covers yet, so that was too bad. Looked like I'd have to go with an ancient song after all…

Epic of the Hero. It was a song from the Gate War era that told the story of the hunter known as the "Hero," who brought an end to the bloody war between countless hunters and the monsters that poured out of the gates. A certain bard had sung it first, and then other bards copied it, so no one knew who the original singer was. Still, the song had spread far and wide, bringing hope and comfort to the hearts of many who had been devastated by the war.

It's personally my favorite song…

The gentle melody began to play. The modern remix featured bright acoustic guitar and piano accompaniment that gave the piece an even more elegant atmosphere. The lyrics appeared below, along with a countdown. My eyes stayed fixed on the words.

Three.

The intro ended. The countdown reached its final beat.

One.

I opened my mouth and began to sing.

Like a single bard singing before a campfire, I closed my eyes and poured emotion into the song. The tale continued with the hero who turned the tide defeating the Demon King, only to grow old and die in the end. I finished the song.

...

The silence that followed was absolute. Only then did I realize the broadcast chat had gone eerily quiet. It was so silent I actually wondered for a second if the stream had lagged.

In that moment, the first to break the awkward silence was none other than Seria herself.

"Waaaaah!! That was incredible!! You sing so well!!"

To be honest, even I was surprised. Had my singing been this good? It must have been over a hundred years since I last sang properly, yet my voice had come out better than expected. Could this be the elf correction too?

"Hearing compliments like that makes me feel really good."

"Of course! After hearing a heavenly voice like that, who could possibly not compliment it?! It would be rude not to!"

"Thank you. That's the happiest thing I've heard in a long time."

"I genuinely want to ask! Are you perhaps a aspiring singer?!"

"No, not at all."

"What a shame! How can you not be a singer with a voice like that?!"

"I'm telling you this with zero exaggeration or lies! If you audition anywhere, you'll pass for sure! I'm serious!!"

"I don't really have any plans to become a singer. This is actually the first time in a very long while that I've sung properly. I don't even like singing that much."

After that, I talked with Seria longer than the expected time before leaving the room. Thanks to her, I had a truly enjoyable time.

The community was said to be burning with speculation over the descent of this mysterious goddess.