#005. What? She's Totally Cute!
(Universe Co., Ltd.) I'm standing in front of the company building. For reference, I'd roughly bought some clothes that fit this body and thrown them on. Not that it was anything fancy—just jeans, a hoodie, and a thick puffer jacket.
"I should've figured out what to wear for a place like this...."
At first, I'd thought about suiting up in something formal. But honestly, I was just here to look around, so casual should be fine. Skirts were still way too unfamiliar to even attempt.
"Uh, can I just... walk in?"
Yeah, I'm the company president's guest. Time to strut in with some pride!
...But I got stopped right at the entrance, where they demanded an access card. In the end, I had to call Yuseol again.
"Um, Yuseol? I've arrived out front...."
[Oh, really? As if I wouldn't know. I'll be right down.]
At least it was warmer inside. The security guard at the door was giving me a weird look, but what could I do?
Off in the distance, I spotted a tall, striking woman stepping out of the elevator. It was obvious at a glance that she was Yuseol—glancing around, searching for me. Our eyes met, and she strode right over.
"Are you... Neru?"
"Ah, yes. That's me...."
The height difference was ridiculous; I had to look up at her. Damn it, I should've set Neru's height taller when I designed her.
Yuseol peered down at my face for a moment, then let out a soft chuckle. What? Was she mocking me? Because I'm so short?!
"Shall we head up?"
"Y-Yeah...."
I stuck close behind her as we rode the elevator. The building was eight stories tall, and she pressed the button for the fourth floor.
"Truth be told, there's not a ton to show you. Most members stream from home, and the office staff work here."
"Ah... I see."
"Managers and the content team come here for meetings a lot, of course. And we do have rooms prepared for members."
We arrived on the fourth floor and walked down a pristine hallway. Through half-open doors, I caught glimpses of office workers here and there. The facilities were spotless—it screamed "great place to work."
A bit further down, we passed a room with a soundproof booth. Inside was a computer loaded with top-tier audio gear, plus a mic and headset visible through the transparent glass.
"This is the recording studio. We use it for cover songs or vocal practice. The equipment's top-notch."
"Ooh... First time seeing one."
"You'll probably end up here a lot once you start vocal lessons."
I tapped the mic lightly. Whoops, better not touch it too much or I'll get fingerprints on it.
"Want to give it a test run? Got any songs you know?"
"Huh? Uh... not really...."
"Just think of anything. J-pop if possible."
I'd listened to a ton of music while programming, sure. But songs I could actually sing? Not many. I hadn't hit the karaoke bars much even before the body swap.
Maybe an anime opening I'd enjoyed. No clue if I could pull it off, though. This voice was killer, at least.
"How about Flame Blooming in the Ruins...."
"Oh, you know that one? Your tastes are surprisingly niche."
"N-No, it's not like that! I just don't know anything else...."
For the record, the anime for that song had a super bleak, dark fantasy vibe. It was a hidden gem among fans. I didn't watch anime often, but I'd stumbled on it by chance and really enjoyed it.
...Of course, that was before the swap, so who knows if it'd hold up now.
"Anyway, got it. Hop in and give it a go. I'll queue up the MR."
"Okay."
I slipped on the headset and lowered the mic to my height. Soon, the familiar track started playing through the headphones. I opened my mouth in time with the music.
.
.
.
Yuseol hadn't expected much from Neru's looks. Sure, a pretty voice often meant a pretty face, but there were plenty of exceptions. They scouted based on visuals to a degree, but "decent enough" was passing grade.
But when she first laid eyes on the real Neru, Yuseol was a little stunned. Doll-like features—pretty, but in that super cute way? And why was she so tiny?
Seeing her fidget at the entrance stirred a protective urge. Trailing behind like a baby penguin after its mom, she couldn't help but chuckle.
If her singing's decent, she's in for sure.
There was just something inherently adorable about her. The members would love her. So she brought her to the recording studio. Honestly, even average skill could be polished up with lessons.
Neru's pick was Flame Blooming in the Ruins—a track that suited low registers well overall.
When Neru started singing, Yuseol was mildly surprised.
Doesn't sing much, huh?
The voice was amazing. But the technique? Barely there.
Still... it sounds good somehow.
Neru's clear, pure tone had market value on its own. Like an uncut gem. With vocal lessons on basics like phrasing, it'd shine beautifully.
Yuseol was convinced.
By then, Neru had finished and was shyly removing the headset.
"Um... how was it?"
"Not bad. You'd sound even better with songs that match your timbre."
"Ah, okay...."
She was a talent not to be missed. Yuseol resolved to sign her to the second gen today.
.
.
.
Before the swap, I'd hummed this song absentmindedly while coding sometimes. But in this new body, I was caught off guard—my low notes wouldn't drop as far as expected. The original was sung by a guy, so it didn't mesh perfectly with my current voice. I'd picked it without thinking.
Ugh... idiot, moron.
Hope I didn't leave a bad impression.
After touring the recording studio, the break room stocked with snacks, and the practice room for dance, we ended up in Yuseol's private office. I sank into the plush sofa at her direction.
"Any drinks you like? Coffee? Iced tea?"
"Coffee, please."
Two steaming mugs hit the desk, and Yuseol spoke up again. One sip, and it tasted brutally bitter. I'd chugged coffee like water before. Damn this kid palate.
"What'd you think of the tour?"
"Uh... it was cool. Bigger scale than I imagined...."
I was starting to get what made a big corp a big corp. Streaming itself hadn't clicked yet, though.
"Alright, down to business."
"Huh?"
"I want you, Neru."
"Eh?"
That sounded dangerously loaded, didn't it? Yuseol seemed to realize her wording and added hastily.
"Oh—I mean, if you join us, I'll explain how things work, what you'd do, all the details."
"Ah...."
Yuseol pulled out a stack of about thirty A4 pages and showed them to me. Good thing it wasn't wall-to-wall text—plenty of diagrams.
"Basically, this is our pitch. Hear us out and decide."
"Y-Yes...."
"First off...."
After that, Yuseol laid out a ton: company structure, IP ownership, revenue splits, activity scope. Tips on what to watch out for, especially privacy stuff.
Then revenue: If all income was 100, Zzzk platform took 30, leaving 70 to split between company and me—something like that. I didn't catch it all.
But she was bending over backward to sweeten the terms, clearly eager to sign me. It was kinda touching.
"All this is complicated anyway. If you join second gen, let's talk what we can offer."
"Ah, sure."
- Full coverage for custom avatar model production
- Dedicated manager (optional)
- Support for thumbnails, editing, chat moderation
- Merch production
- Ad connections
- Collab opportunities
...and more.
The perks were insane. As a solo VTuber, this would've cost hundreds—no, thousands—of my own cash. And this was on top of revenue, pure legend status. Plus reinvestments if I blew up.
No way I could say no. I double-checked the contract meticulously, then signed.
"Perfect. Welcome to Universe, Neru."
"Y-Yes...! Should I call you President?"
"Just Yuseol's fine. We're family now."
We wrapped up a few more details, finalized the contract, and left the office.
"Oh, right—got something for you. Probably in the members' lounge. Follow me."
"Ah, got it. Any other members around?"
"Nah, probably not at this hour? Maybe."
Tailing Yuseol, we reached a door with the Universe logo. Inside, a woman lounged on the long sofa—pastel-dyed hair. She lit up at Yuseol and rushed over.
"President! What brings you here this time of—huh? Who's this?"
That voice was familiar. The one who'd looked out for me in the last Log collab, who'd first brought up Universe.
Kagura Iori's eyes met mine.
"Ah, hi....?"
"That voice... Neru?!"
Her eyes sparkled like stars. I felt an inexplicable pressure and ducked behind Yuseol, but Iori suddenly scooped me into a tight hug.
"Eek."
"Kyaa! What? She's totally cute!"
I was stuck in Iori's arms for a good while.