From Now On, It's My Child. (2)
I glanced around cautiously as I followed behind Momona. It wasn't quite what I'd imagined. I'd pictured a bustling place teeming with people and activity, but it was dead quiet—maybe just the faint tap-tap of keyboards if I strained my ears.
"Um... but are you sure it's okay to just let me in without confirming I'm really here for the model stuff?"
"Ah... well, you knew that info I accidentally spilled on stream, so it must be you~"
I couldn't help but smirk at how she jumped at my words, then brushed it off like it was no big deal. For all her casual talk, her face was trembling with shock. She looked so cute, like she was worried her info had leaked and some rando had shown up—straight out of her streams, back when she'd goofed and leaked a song or her new outfit design. Seeing it in real life felt oddly fresh.
"Pfft... just kidding. I'm really here for work."
"Right? Phew, I thought I'd messed up again. Anyway, you're here to see the boss, yeah?"
"Yeah, they said come to the office and wait, and he'd come down..."
"Oh, I'll call him for you then. Hang on."
I waited as she pulled out her phone. Probably just a quick call to summon the CEO. While she chatted briefly, I took in more of the place. It had looked pretty big from outside, but inside it felt modest. Bigger than my one-room, sure, but small for a mid-sized company, wasn't it? Then again, for a VTuber agency, maybe that made sense. With VR being so advanced these days, VTubers could handle collaborations virtually—no need for sprawling offices.
A bit more waiting, and I spotted someone approaching. A guy I'd seen on internet news and video sites like TubeOn: the bespectacled intellectual type, CEO of Neoverse—Hyunwol Kim.
"Ah, hello. You must be MPG, here today for the model contract?"
"Y-... y-yeah. That's me. I'm MPG."
"So you're the one remaking our model... wait, who did you say?"
Momona's gaze locked onto me in disbelief at Hyunwol's words, and I slyly averted my eyes. That stare was... a bit embarrassing. I fidgeted, trying to dodge her intense focus, but it followed me like glue. Shivering, I ducked behind Hyunwol.
I got that she was surprised, but did she have to bore holes into me like that? I hadn't signed up for this level of staring.
"Wait, wait! Don't hide—seriously MPG? The MPG who sends me content? The one who drops weird gags in donations and chats?"
My cheeks burned at her words. Why drag in the donations and chats? Just stick to the content, jeez. Even Hyunwol was giving me a slightly puzzled look, making me shrink even more. This kind of attention was way too much for a fragile dev like me. I was gonna die! Help!
"Sia, calm down first. You're here for the model contract, not an interrogation."
"Ahh! No, I was just shocked. From the chats and stuff, I figured it was a guy... not such a pretty lady."
"Uh... ahaha."
It was a compliment, but I couldn't laugh easily. I still wasn't used to being a woman, and right now, the embarrassment and pressure drowned out any joy. Their eyes converged on me with my awkward chuckle, and I huddled up. I hadn't done anything wrong, but I felt cornered.
A brief silence fell, broken by Hyunwol's polite cough to shift the mood.
"Ahem. Anyway, please follow me. The contract papers are ready."
"Uh... oh, yeah, sure."
"Boss! You didn't sneak in any weird clauses, right?"
"Sigh... Sia, don't say silly things. Just wait here."
"Eek! Can't I watch?"
Momona—no, Sia—gazed up at Hyunwol with sparkling eyes, shaking her head when he refused. We hadn't talked much, but she was clearly hyper-compatible with people. Watching her chatter energetically just like on stream, unscripted and real, drained my energy. One day with her, and I'd shrivel into jerky.
"Wait here. Planning to leak the contract details too?"
"Eep, no... ugh, fine. MPG! We'll chat later, okay?"
"Uh, um... s-sure."
I wanted to say no, but those big, shiny eyes made it impossible. I knew it'd suck my soul dry, but nope. She grabbed my hand and shook it like we'd pinky-sworn, which creeped me out a tad, but since it was quick, I let it slide without complaint.
Ah, this was more exhausting than the subway.
I trudged after Hyunwol to the reception room for the contract. So tiring. I just wanna go home.
The room was neat and tidy. Simple snacks were set out—must get a fair number of visitors besides me. I stared curiously and flopped into an empty seat.
"Sorry about that. Our VTubers can be exhausting, huh?"
"Ahaha. No, I kinda knew from watching streams."
"I see. Well, take a look at the contract first."
He handed over a document he'd been holding. I took it and read slowly. I'd never dealt with papers like this, so I wasn't sure what to check. Internet tips weren't helping much. Words were words, letters were letters... My head started aching, but I'd heard first contracts matter most—no skimming.
From what I could tell, no red flags. It bought the model's IP rights and gave priority for add-ons like new outfits or features. Pretty standard—maybe generous, maybe not.
"...Looks good. I'll go with this."
"Really? Glad to hear it. You could probably negotiate better terms—sure you're okay with this?"
His offer to adjust made me want to sign even more. Money? Sure, more would be nice. But something mattered more: letting the VTubers I watched stream in a better setup. And what I wanted wasn't cash—it was to develop. Too much money might mean no more commissions, which would suck worse.
I grabbed the pen on the desk and signed. No second thoughts—this was perfect for me.
"Signed. Looking forward to working together."
"...More proactive than I expected. Great. Same here."
He extended his hand for a handshake to seal the deal. I fumbled mine out to meet it, gave a quick up-down shake, and smiled. Better than looking flustered, right?
"Oh, wait. There are model revisions too."
"Revisions?"
"Yeah. It's, uh, changed quite a bit."
"Hmm, understood. Can we check now?"
"Oh, yeah. Got the files."
I fished the USB from my pocket in a flurry and handed it over. My budget capsule took ages to export avatars, but Neoverse's top-tier ones would zip through in minutes.
"Didn't you save it to your account?"
"I did, but..."
"Then just transfer it that way?"
"Th-that needs a capsule too. Can't exactly haul mine here."
"We have spares for staff. Borrow one."
I stared blankly at that. Duh—he was right. If I'd thought of that, I could've skipped the export hassle and tinkered more on modeling. Sigh. Way to look dumb, buried in dev mode.
"Well... we'll return this. Mind sending the avatar directly?"
"Huh? Sure?"
"Looks like they're waiting outside."
I peeked at the door per his nudge. Through the slight gap, four pairs of eyes flashed then vanished. I jolted. Creepy—how long had they been spying? Probably Another World members... but he wasn't seriously telling me to go out there, chat, and transfer via capsule, right? Just dump me in a crowd of strangers?
I creaked toward Hyunwol like a rusty robot. Please say no. Take the USB back and send me home.
"Come on in, everyone. I'll step out. VTubers and creators get along great once they connect, right?"
I reached out as he bolted slyly from his seat. No, don't leave me here! He opened the door, ushered in the four, shut it behind him. I stared blankly at the closed door.
This... this wasn't the plan! Sign contract, hand over data, bolt home. Ruined. My dev time was now chat time.
"This the one who made Sia's map?"
"Yeah, apparently. That's why she's here."
"...Hmm, kinda gives off 'same type' vibes."
"Hi! What's your name? Hobbies? How do you make such cool stuff?"
The four women chattering nonstop from all sides? Way too much for me. Let me go...!
"Hey, answer us!"
"Hmm, doesn't seem like she can make anything that impressive."
"...She looks wiped. Even I'd struggle with three people grilling me."
"Girls, chill! MPG looks overwhelmed."
Ah, I really just wanna go home.