#009. Achoo.

The news of Universe's 2nd generation debut had massive ripple effects among viewers who mainly hung out on Zzzk.

The virtual idol group created by Yuseol, who's currently called Zzzk's number one streamer. The 1st gen members had each shone with their unique charms, sparking huge hits. Universe's 2nd gen was the hottest topic in the streamer scene right now.

Five minutes before Universe 2nd gen streams went live. Each of the four rooms had an average of 7,000 viewers waiting.

Neru's room had a whopping 8,100.

And finally, the streams began.

Chats scrolled up rapidly on the right side of the monitor.

The stream had started, but I hadn't said a word yet. Of course, no virtual avatar up either.

Whoa, look at chat flying by.

Most were waiting for my avatar reveal.

I knew from Yuseol that debut streams drew big crowds, but I didn't expect this many.

"Achoo. Uh…."

My nose itched, so I sneezed first, then calmly activated the virtual avatar. I'd learned the whole entrance from Yuseol.

Bringing it up slowly from the head down, I checked chat.

"…Oops."

Turns out the mic was on during that sneeze. Total fail. Gonna get chewed out by the boss.

I decided to brazen it out and stick to character.

Avatar fully up, and cheers exploded in chat.

"Ahem. Hello. I'm Universe's autonomous AI. Model name: Hanako Neru."

Damn. Couldn't play it cool. Embarrassment flooded me; even my avatar's face was blushing on stream.

I tried fixing my expression, but people knew I was shy and teased harder.

"…Ahem."

I calmed myself and started the intro properly. Pulled up the prep screen with my nickname and character info.

"Model name: Hanako Neru. I've existed as an AI for about 84 years. Got a human body 4 years ago."

Damn. My image was already locked as the AI VTuber who sneezed on debut.

Still, I powered through.

"Height: 148.8cm. Basically 150. Didn't bother weighing this unit."

148.8cm matches my real body exactly. The "tiny" comments stung a bit, but I chilled.

Then fave foods and hates.

"I like sweets. Science says sweet flavors boost processing power a tad."

"…Spicy stuff and mint choco? Hate 'em. Spicy overstimulates the system, and mint choco… dunno why anyone eats it."

Topic shift success. I smirked and continued.

"Fan name: Pixels. 'Cause you all are the pixels that make me exist."

Pixels was my idea. Ties into AI concept, rolls off the tongue. Naming sense still alive.

Stream flowed smoothly after that. Tension eased; I kept introducing.

"That's the intro. Now…."

"Alright. Shall I sing as requested?"

Prepped for this: Practiced J-POP, especially Vocaloid tracks. Vocal coach praised my covers. No hesitation.

MR set, lyrics on dual monitor, mic ready.

Universe 2nd gen debuts all wrapped successfully. Minor hiccups, but they added charm without derailing—positive overall.

"Uwaaa… finally over…."

I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠flopped onto bed, letting the blanket swallow me in coziness.

"Ugh… stamina drained fast, but wrapped it up okay."

Group chat buzzed with post-debut chatter; Yuseol announced schedules.

Then, status window popped up.

2.7% jump from before. Debut drew crowds, so maybe faster than thought. Nah, future streams will net less.

"Gotta grind…."

I resolved, closed eyes, and drifted off.