Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: The Idol Beyond (5)
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📋 Profile Rico R.I.C.O. Real Name: Rico Meiren Gender: Female Birth: January 12, 2059 (20 years old) Height: 163cm MBTI: ESFP Affiliation: V-PRISM Debut: December 14, 2076 (Day +950 since broadcast start) Channel: RICO TimE Subscribers: 4.41 million (as of July 2079) 1. Overview A first-generation virtual reality broadcaster with V-PRISM. The channel's main content consists of daily chit-chat, singing, and talk shows where she listens to viewers' troubles. On March 28, 2079, she broke through 4 million subscribers, solidifying her position as V-PRISM's flagship streamer. Leveraging that fame, she's gearing up for the first-ever solo concert by a VR broadcaster at Omega Stadium this September. 2. Personality & Broadcast Style • Known as the queen of high-energy broadcasts thanks to her upbeat, bubbly personality. She keeps the vibe lively no matter what.
• Incredibly sociable and outgoing—she can hit it off with total strangers like old pals, with insane likability.
• Her network goes beyond just connections; the experiences from meeting all sorts of people fuel sharp insights into relationships, creating a positive feedback loop.
• That's the secret sauce behind her hit advice and talk shows. Deep empathy for viewers plus real-world wisdom makes it fun and helpful.
• She loves hearing personal stories and juicy anecdotes, diving right in with genuine immersion.
• Pair that rapport with pro-level vocals—she holds her own in collabs with top artists.
• With the fame, die-hard fans, and killer pipes, she's landing that historic Omega Stadium solo gig.
3. Discography (Tap to expand)
"......"
I scrolled down the document to that point, then closed the terminal screen.
The invitation from Lumina Group way back when—Godfather had gathered folks from all walks of life.
Rico was a broadcaster I'd bumped into purely by chance at that event.
Her bright, bubbly voice still echoed in my ears.
I'm Rico from the streaming channel Rico Time! Nice to meet you! Yay~!
I'd been mulling over the direction for our virtual reality worship service when the memory suddenly surfaced.
In this field, she was the only expert I could vaguely recall.
Digging deeper into Rico, she turned out to be...
'Way more impressive than I thought.'
Back then, she'd just seemed like a super noisy girl.
But Rico was a top-tier streamer in the VR personal broadcast scene right now.
She had tons of ads, collabs with celebs, and even a fanbase big enough for a concert at Omega Stadium—a massive sports venue.
That put her on par with real idols.
It also hit home just how massive Godfather's pull was, casually inviting someone like her to a private gathering.
Anyway, Rico was the perfect expert for my current dilemma.
Staring at the contact info from that day, I hesitated.
"......."
There was a reason for my reluctance.
It wasn't that I disliked her or anything. It was just that her boundless energy and high-octane vibe... felt a bit overwhelming for an introvert like me. I'd never once reached out.
Sure, I'd toyed with the idea of a casual check-in.
But then life hit me with a whirlwind of events, and I totally forgot about the number.
By the time I remembered, too much time had passed.
Now, calling out of the blue the moment I needed something? Even I thought that seemed kinda tacky.
I groaned inwardly.
"Ugh...."
What to do? Would it make me look opportunistic?
After agonizing, I made up my mind.
Just call and be straight with her.
Nobody's perfect in relationships.
If she felt weird about it, I'd apologize sincerely. If she still said no, oh well. But if she helped, I'd repay the favor properly.
No more stalling. I grabbed the note with her number and my communicator.
The signal tone blared from the speaker.
Dring-dring- dring-dring-
As it rang, tension crept in unbidden.
"......."
After a wait, the line clicked, and someone picked up.
But it was a gruff male voice, totally unexpected.
Hello?
I'd figured Rico would answer, so I fumbled.
'Did I dial the wrong number?'
My pause drew an irritated snap from the other end.
Who is this? You called, so say something.
"Ah, yes...! Hello. Um, is this Rico's number?"
...Who the hell are you?
The voice dripped suspicion. I paused, then replied.
"Well... I'm a friend who got her number last time. Mention Eve, and she might remember?"
...Hold on.
Mumbled conversation filtered through after the curt tone. Too quiet to make out.
"......."
Then, mid-wait, the speaker nearly blew out with a shout.
Eve!!!
"....!"
I yanked the device from my ear. A torrent of glee poured out.
Why'd it take you so long to call?! Do you know how much I waited?!
Her warmth threw me—it felt like we were longtime buddies. I stammered back, dazed.
"Sorry. Been tied up with stuff..."
Her response blindsided me.
Yeah! That debut stream was insane!! You prepped so hard, right?!
"Huh?"
Your debut! I watched it!! Eve, from the first time we met, I knew it—you're gonna blow up! My gut was spot on! See? Told ya! That mysterious saintess concept? Total hit! You see the community buzz? Huh?!
Setting aside that we'd only met once...
I sensed a misunderstanding amid her rapid-fire chatter.
She thought I'd been busy prepping my own stream.
No resentment about the silence—in fact, she sounded pumped.
Keeping quiet that I knew the saintess pre-debut was torture! Hey, can I name-drop you on my channel? Say I'm tight with the hot new streamer? Who's genius came up with it? Radiance Church saintess—wow, so hip! Heavenly, right?!
Her dizzying chatter hit like old times.
No proper hello, just nonstop talk. Then—
Hey, one more thing... Oh, hold on.
The endless stream cut off abruptly.
A distant voice calling her, maybe?
Sorry, Eve. Don't hang up—gimme a sec.
Rico stepped away to chat with someone.
Muffled noise, but her clear voice carried snippets.
Ah... a friend. Yeah, fellow streamer... No... Really... Believe me...
"?"
Something felt off.
She bounced back, all energy again.
Haha, sorry—manager. Where were we?
Seizing the lull, I cut to the chase.
"Rico, reason I'm calling: advice on streaming. You're the expert, so I hope it's not too forward. Could you help a bit?"
A thin connection like ours—she could easily say no.
But Rico jumped in eagerly.
Of course! Perfect timing! Let's meet up IRL?!
"Really? You're not busy?"
Haha, nah! On broadcast hiatus for concert prep—super free!
Yet... that cheer felt slightly forced.
'My imagination?'
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ And just like that, the meetup was set.
I sat in a quiet corner booth of a downtown cafe with Esty.
Second floor, window seat—sparse crowd, partitioned for privacy.
Waiting, I pondered Rico. Big names like her must be swamped, yet she offered to meet in person.
Was she always this generous? She seemed nice enough at first meet.
'Though... a tad too chatty.'
Footsteps echoed up the stairs.
A woman in hat, mask, sunglasses—face hidden, but pink hair gave her away.
As I started to wave—
A rough-looking guy trailed her. I froze.
Rico spotted us late, bounding over with waves.
"Eve! Meeting like this—what, years later?! You good?!"
She rushed me, all hugs and glee. I felt awkward inside.
'Even busy, I should've texted once.'
Mid-greetings, eyes shifted.
The gruff guy following Rico.
He eyed me up and down as our gazes met.
"Barnes, Rico's agency manager. So you're the saintess everyone's hyped about? Not an avatar? Looks just like."
Cocky tone.
Esty's fingers twitched—
Rico laughed awkwardly, intervening.
"C'mon, sit! Eve, broadcast troubles, right? Spill—what's up? Dying to know!"
An unnaturally abrupt pivot, not her style.
The old Rico would've chattered nonstop before sitting.
Straight to business? Something was off.
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