Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Legend's Fundraising Live (3)
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"Eh."
Unable to hold back her curiosity any longer, Mika let out a dazed sound while watching the stream.
Are they together right now? Actually together?
Ignoring the phone that kept ringing—undoubtedly from Maki—Mika scrutinized the screen closely.
The movements were far too sharp and precise to be some edited collage of distant Myth footage.
No, the fact that it wasn't MMD models but actual humans dancing with such perfect sync, and the sight of Myth's hand resting on Sara's shoulder, made it blatantly obvious the two were in the same place.
'She's deliberately placing her hand there.'
To convince the half-doubting viewers that they were dancing together in the same spot right now.
Is Sara in Korea?
Or did Myth go to America?
Sara hadn't streamed much lately due to the Rayshojo controversies, while Myth had been consistent with her broadcasts.
It made more sense to assume Sara was in Korea right now.
"Ahh, my head... my head hurts..."
Singing along via voice chat felt worlds apart from syncing up dances in the same physical space.
It was like expecting a mere bomb of an event, only for a nuclear warhead to drop right on her skull.
But what was even scarier was that this wasn't the end.
"We still haven't seen a single thing from QWER's work."
A chill of dread crawled up her spine.
Myth's outfit was her usual, and Sara's was unchanged too.
Just a little retouch on the concert hall map? That was all QWER did?
Don't make me laugh. If it was QWER, he could pull off a full three-hour cutscene in a single day if he set his mind to it.
'Then what the hell did you prepare, QWER? What?'
The performance continued. Three songs, five, seven, all the way to the tenth without a break.
And still, not a glimpse of QWER's handiwork.
"Not the stage, not the outfits. Live stream, concert, fundraiser—what are you hiding so hard for?"
If Myth had reached the top with her singing and avatar, and Sara with her vocals and spicy charm, what elevated Mika was her overwhelming planning prowess.
Anticipating viewer reactions and crafting plans for maximum engagement—that was her greatest strength.
The concert's unusually fast tempo.
QWER's complete absence.
Not avatars, outfits, or maps.
Then what could he possibly do? What had he accomplished to stay this quiet?
Half fear, half anticipation for what this guy would pull off next.
Mika fixed her gaze quietly on the screen.
A bone-chilling vibration in the air.
I was floored by the singing talent that nearly stole my breath away.
"You asked if I'd never heard it live before—turns out there was a real reason."
"I listen to Myth's lives often, but her vocal power is just so hard to get used to. It's a shame the audio files can't capture this live intensity."
I fully agreed with Sara's words.
I rubbed my arms, where goosebumps prickled relentlessly.
If Sara's songs carried a universal love for all humanity, Myth's were fiercely devoted, almost obsessively so.
I could even feel the weight of that love pressing down on my shoulder.
"...Did you hate that I looked away for a second that much?"
Maybe she didn't like that I'd glanced admiringly at Sara's performance earlier—Myth kept shooting looks my way even while dancing and singing.
It mixed awkwardness from wanting her to focus on stage with joy that she was still watching me, creating a strangely complex emotion.
"Man, time really has flown."
"Out of nowhere?"
"The Myth I knew used to chatter away alone in a stream where no one but me chatted."
And she always brought in those weird shitty games to play.
Seeing her dance not through a screen but right in front of the camera, under cutting-edge gear, really drove home that she'd become a titan in the VTuber world.
"You've grown so much."
"Isn't that a bit too nostalgic?"
"Totally nostalgic."
Our eyes met again in mid-air. Myth greeted me with a beaming smile.
I responded by raising my fist in encouragement.
Keep it up.
I'm watching closely.
Some things connect without words.
No, we connect without words. That ticklish feeling made me pat my chest.
Of course, it wouldn't make the flutter in my heart go away.
"The community's exploding. Want the donation total?"
"...Spare me."
If I heard the amount now and it fell disastrously short of the goal, I'd bawl my eyes out.
Money, success, failure—none of that mattered. I just wanted to savor this moment.
Your most radiant moment, etched in my eyes.
Forever.
Tap.
We turned off the phone screen.
Public opinion was at fever pitch across Korea, Japan, America—everywhere.
To outsiders, it might seem like just two VTubers meeting up to dance, but for those in the know, it hit huge.
The world's top two VTubers pulling off an unprecedented collab, out of the blue.
Yet even so, people were hunting for QWER.
No, a ton of people were.
'...Well, that's only natural.'
We glanced sideways at Legend.
The literal legend of the industry.
Even with years of titans dancing on stage, people still clamored for him.
It meant that Myth's boyfriend—this guy gaping in awe at the stage, eyes sparkling—had risen to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the big three VTubers.
Even without being a VTuber himself, his fans numbered endlessly.
Nearly a million subscribers on his barely-run Nutube channel proved it.
"Alright, everyone's all hyped up now, right? You've been waiting."
After ten full songs, Sara raised her arm.
The chat stirred.
Something big was coming. Years of viewership instinct had viewers holding their breath.
Overhype even stiffened the chat.
"This is Sara and Myth's collab—but why advertise Sara and QWER? You've all been wondering."
A torrent of agreement poured in.
QWER's feats were mythic themselves.
After debuting 'Myth' seven years ago and vanishing, his sudden return brought insane-quality avatar outfits.
Ridiculous concert maps, narrative with Myth.
And lately, that White Day map carved out for just one day, blanketed in splendor.
So now, his first external collab—what would he unveil?
'Whew... this pressure's beyond imagination.'
Chats flooded the massive screen beside the camera, set up for real-time sentiment checks.
The internet masses gaped hungrily, demanding 'QWER.'
Feed them his creations. Reveal it now.
Dopamine addicts begging for their fix.
'I get it. A hundred times over.'
After all, hadn't he himself flown from America to Korea in hours upon seeing that White Day map?
All to recruit one man: QWER.
That's why Sara was genuinely worried for the viewers.
Not QWER, not the work—but the viewers themselves.
'Even with those gluttonous appetites, can they handle digesting this video?'
Exciting.
Heart pounding like it might burst.
You have no idea how long we've waited to unveil this to the world—me and Legend-oppa's creation.
"Behold! This is the 'hope' we painted!!!!!!"
The moment Sara snapped her raised fingers, the screen went black.