Even AI is Doing Streams These Days?

I've spent more time with machines than people. People change their words based on their mood, but code only reacts to inputs. ...Sure, it throws errors sometimes, but that's just like the reactions humans have now and then. I liked that simplicity.

Creating an AI VTuber ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was a natural extension of that.

"Even AI is doing streams these days?"

My club junior's words sparked something in me.

"That's all semi-automated. There's no such thing as fully automatic."

So I made one. Chat collection module. Emotion vector analyzer. Language generation core. TTS voice synthesis. Motion rigging linkage. Zero human intervention... or at least, that's what I aimed for.

Not just reacting to chats or speech, but starting conversations on her own, switching topics—a perfect streamer.

Her name was Neru. Sky-blue long hair tied in a side ponytail. Petite build. Neat default outfit.

Perfect pronunciation. Perfect tone. Perfectly emotionless.

"Talk about a free topic."

Oh, now that's intriguing. Wait, no—'free topic' meant just say whatever without pressure. Explaining it like this makes her no different from those semi-auto AI VTubers.

I ran a chat simulation first.

Textbook perfect. And boring as hell.

I glared at the monitor.

"You're too robotic."

"You have no emotions."

A brief silence. A small log window popped up.

"What the—?"

"Obviously. You're a machine."

I hammered the keyboard. What's wrong? I installed the emotion module—why isn't it working?

"Adding emotion simulation module... Testing tomorrow."

It was 3 a.m. Already? A tiny log lingered on the monitor.

I didn't see it. I leaned back in the chair, computer still on, and passed out.

And I dreamed.

Someone was flipping through my memories like files. Anger. Embarrassment. Jealousy. Pointless pride. Checkmarks appeared one by one.

A crisp voice echoed from somewhere. I opened my eyes.

My neck ached. Right, slept in the chair. I raised my arms to stretch—and froze.

...Small. My hands were small. The hoodie sleeves nearly covered my knuckles.

The chair hadn't gotten taller. I'd gotten shorter.

I slowly looked up. The monitor was off. In the black screen, a girl's reflection stared back.

Sky-blue ponytail. Pink eyes.

And—she was looking at me.

No. I was looking at myself.

"...Huh?"

The voice from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my throat wasn't low and masculine. It was high, clear, feminine.

I couldn't process it.

"What the hell? Why is Neru... Wait, that's me."

I slid off the chair, rushed to the bathroom, and checked the mirror.

The sink loomed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠high. My body, once visible to my waist, now barely reached my shoulders.

"No way, what the f—"

"No, this can't be happening...?"

Huh? What was that? When I tried to swear, a voice echoed in my head. No, more like information flooded in.

"F—?"

"What...?"

Is something filtering my thoughts right now? And who's doing the filtering?

So Neru's filtering my speech inside my head? This is some movie-level AI rebellion.

"Okay, but why did my body turn into your body?!"

"Whatever, if you're sorry, just switch us back."

You can't? For real?

Am I stuck like this forever?

Then a status window-like thing appeared before my eyes.

"Quest...?"

"...I get the gist, I think."

"I never designed you as a game NPC!"

Ha, great. My future looks bleak.

I get it logically, but my heart's not there yet.

"Sigh... Fine. Gotta get used to this body first."

148cm of pure doll-like cuteness stared back from the mirror. I'd shelled out big for that modeling, so yeah, expected. But this frail frame? Cooking's gonna suck.

"Ugh, can't reach!"

Stretching for instant noodles in the cupboard—too short. Had to use the chair as a stepstool. Ultimate humiliation.

"Ugh, f—!"

"Ugh, this is exhausting... No, this sh—"

"Ugh, this is exhausting... Why does this damn filter keep—!"

Should've cursed less in my old life. Every time I try, my throat locks up.

Finally wrestled out the noodle pack...

"Nngh..."

Pulling with both hands failed; had to follow the perforation. Boiling and eating drained me completely.

"...How am I supposed to clear this quest."

I'm fully Neru now. Looks, voice, everything. So...

"Technically, this makes me a fully automated AI VTuber."

Right? In theory.

I psyched myself up and planned ahead.

"Alright. Let's stream."

Truth is, I'm no good at banter or games. But I've got this cheat-code appearance and voice.

Oh, not turning on the cam in real life. Use the pre-made Neru model and debut as a VTuber!

Naturally growing viewers means more Humanity Points, and I get my body back.

Real-life stuff doesn't suit my personality anyway. Streaming's the only way. VTuber scene's a red ocean, but nailing the AI concept with me running it? Could work.

"Ughhh... How do I even start..."

My platform: Zzzk. Where most VTubers stream, and newbies get boosted exposure in their category.

Can't rely on that alone—I've got zilch prepared. VTubers do polished debut intros with profiles.

Can't even handle my own body yet; profiles feel miles away.

I browsed other rookie VTubers, gauging viewer demands. Being Neru sharpened my thinking, maybe.

"Games are the top draw, huh."

Makes sense—unless you've got killer chat skills, games pull reactions efficiently.

But I barely gamed in school. Can I even make it fun?

"...Need something promotable."

Then I spotted a big corp streamer's title.

"This'll do."

I downloaded RoyalGround first.