Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: The Director's Real-Life Broadcast
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While preparing for the official preview broadcast, a sudden wave of doubt washed over me.
Do other directors really handle this much work?
The directors I knew were like captains of a ship that had set sail.
Leaders who guided teams ranging from dozens to hundreds of members.
People who actively gathered their team's opinions through communication and set the course ahead.
That was the role of a director as I understood it.
But me? On the other hand?
I was handling almost everything by myself.
Sure, I'd dumped a lot on Aka-chan in the meantime.
But since beta testing started, I hadn't touched it much.
Above all, I wasn't some omnipotent god.
I couldn't always be perfect, and sometimes I'd head in the wrong direction.
It would be nice to have someone who could assist and advise a person like me.
"Mm..."
Is it really only that one person?
Smart, sharp, and a master at handling subordinates.
"Crown Prince."
No one else came to mind for such an important role.
The Crown Prince was the second person I trusted after my mentor.
If it weren't for that deep trust, I never would have revealed that I was an otherworlder, a total outsider.
"The Crown Prince especially loved reading books."
To the point where he'd hole up in the library for a whole week without coming out.
When I asked him why he loved reading so much,
he said acquiring 'new knowledge' was incredibly enjoyable.
That led him to grow curious about my homeworld, Earth.
Things like cityscapes packed with towering skyscrapers,
or vehicles that could fly through the sky without magic.
I recalled the Crown Prince unable to hide his fascination with those stories.
If I transplanted a soul into a golem like Aka-chan and let him tour the city, he'd probably love it.
"It's not something I need to decide right now, though."
Aka-chan was still helping diligently enough to keep me going for the time being.
I probably wouldn't need extra hands until after official launch.
I'd discuss this with Aka-chan right before launch.
"Ah, aa... Euaah!"
Before the official preview broadcast began, I did a quick vocal warm-up.
You might wonder why I'd warm up my throat in virtual reality.
But right now, I wasn't in virtual reality—I was in actual reality.
Not quite the TS girl's ultimate move of full real-body reveal...
I planned to wear a mask that only exposed the lower half of my face.
'No need to show everything from the start.'
I'd worn masquerade masks a few times before.
The Crown Prince had semi-forced me into many masked balls, insisting social activities were a hero's duty.
'Come to think of it, wasn't that too much?'
Back in school, during breaks, I'd pretend to sleep with my face buried in my desk, eavesdropping on my classmates' chatter as a basic routine.
And on the day I showed up with a buzz cut, lying face-down at my desk as usual, the girls swarmed me, giggling about how fun my head felt to touch, and I just froze, unable to do a thing.
That was the kind of guy I was.
For a guy like that, pretending to be a hero on the outside while dealing with nobles trying to schmooze me up with every topic under the sun just to make connections—it was pure agony.
Well, thanks to the Crown Prince's persistent 'corrections,' my introverted personality had improved a lot.
"Wearing this mask doesn't hide it at all."
Even with the mask, my radiant beauty couldn't be concealed.
If anything, it looked a bit prettier with the mask than bare-faced?
'They'll just think it's cosplay.'
A director who does cosplay even in reality for official broadcasts—dead serious about 'self-character worship.'
If I clearly showed how committed I was to 'Aurora' this time,
it might finally quash those lingering self-insert controversies.
Or so I hoped.
I fervently wished for it in my mind and fired up the Mutube official live stream.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The waiting screen shifted, and Aurora appeared.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Aurora, director of Akashic Records."
*Bow.*
Just a simple formal greeting, and the chat exploded with reactions.
I even spotted occasional English chats that seemed from foreigners.
"The chat's scrolling so fast it's hard to read. Lots of questions about official launch date. When's official launch?"
It was Friday evening at 8 PM.
"Next week. Friday at midnight, official launch."
The chat flooded with question marks.
"Why? Do you think it's too soon? Should we delay the schedule..."
💬 Chat — User No no no no Absolutely not Love it Ah, this is fun.
Did my inner amusement show on my face?
Chats like 'Your smile is so pretty' started popping up.
I kept my expression in check as best I could and continued the preview.
Content to be added post-launch:
Affinity levels, avatars, launch events, and more...
When I introduced the swimsuit and maid outfit avatars, the reactions went wild.
"Oh, and by the way, if you max out an NPC's affinity, they can wear the avatar you have..."
Gasp!
I pretended to be shocked, covering my mouth with both hands.
It was info meant to be revealed anyway, but I acted like it slipped out by mistake.
💬 Chat — User Whoa for real Her gestures are hilarious lol Covering her mouth but her eyes are smiling Ah, that's her gimmick So damn cute Everyone play along ...Is my acting really that bad?
"Anyway, you can put avatars on them."
I glanced at the chat while pressing on.
"Next up is balance changes."
💬 Chat — User Gasp Martial Artist normalization ?? Mage nerf? Gasp How's the director a mage main lol Self-insert GOAT The moment that topic hit, the previously positive chat vibe turned chaotic.
"Nerf targets are Martial Artists and Mages. Other jobs get tweaks."
I explained why Martial Artists and Mages were getting nerfed.
Unexpected playstyles led to excessive performance,
far beyond the developers' design and intent.
I admitted it stemmed from the director's shortcomings.
💬 Chat — User Felt the intent. Survival. Daehyeop Kim shoutout lol Mages were OP af Normalization is god-tier Totally understandable (noob gamer) Fortunately, the chat mood stayed decent.
Right after, I revealed the Elder Lich trailer teaser,
and viewers spammed praise for me.
'The preview's all done.'
But the most crucial part of this live hadn't landed yet.
The 'director so devoted to self-insert she cosplays in reality' setup.
Why wasn't anyone picking up on it?
I'm doing the official broadcast not in VR, but reality.
I suddenly showed up in a mask. Isn't that weird?
I wanted to spell it out from frustration, but I couldn't.
Say it myself?
Tomorrow's headlines would read: 'Director ends it all in shame.'
"That's everything I prepared today."
What now? End the live like this?
Time was short. Full brain freeze.
No matter what, it felt like such a waste— that thought pierced my mind.
"H-how's the mask?"
Words slipped out unbidden.
💬 Chat — User Mask? Avatar? Pretty but why? ??? : Bro, do I look different? Wait, this is VR right now? A few perceptive viewers caught the oddity and chimed in.
"M-maybe because of the mask? It's a bit hot."
*Fan fan.*
Hinting that I was broadcasting from reality, I fanned my flushed face to cool off.
💬 Chat — User Now that you mention it, chroma key? Not VR? ??? Cosplay in real life? Lmao Whoa, we missed it Once I dropped the hint, the reactions I wanted finally poured in.
Before I could even rejoice, overwhelming self-loathing and embarrassment crashed over me.
"I-I don't know."
On impulse, I ended the live.
"Ah, huu..."
It's those zero-EQ users' fault.
I ripped off the mask, headed to the bathroom, and splashed cold water on my face.
My face burned so hot I couldn't stand it.
After the intense washing, I stared at my reflection.
"Like a tomato..."
My flushed cheeks looked just like a ripe tomato.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The next day dawned.
Waking up, yesterday's events flooded back,
bringing a twinge of embarrassment, but not as bad as before.
"Gotta check the reactions..."
Embarrassing or not, I had to see.
📰 [Indie Game Gallery] Peak self-insert? [819] She just did everything [771] Sorry for being dense, incel dudes [562] Director's a female genius beauty? Lmao [640] Daehyeop Kim << Death penalty over special prosecutor [433] ⭐ Top Post — Title: Isn't This the Peak of Self-Insert? Beyond self-insert, becoming one with the character. The true realm of divine character fusion ?? Recs 1201 | Disrecs 1 — Reply 819 Divine fusion my ass lol So tacky it made me snort laugh ↳ Reply Human trash dudes More like game trash ffs ⭐ Top Post — Title: She Just Did Everything (Mashed meme of Martial Artist and Mage 1% friendship) Normalized the trash legacy classes (Aurora in mask meme) Revealed the blue pill too (Affinity, avatar, trailer update memes) Developed content too Fuck, she did EVERYTHING Recs 1111 | Disrecs 1 — Reply 771 She really did it all ↳ Reply That's the problem~ Hater cels all die for real Even if my skull cracks, praise Aurora — Title: Director's a Female Genius Beauty? Lmao [640] (Aurora covering mouth with hands meme) Remembering last live slip-up, playfully teases once (Pouting Aurora meme) Chat teases back, she pouts lips and continues (Fanning face Aurora meme) This female genius magical girl indirectly hypes blue pill while embarrassed Is really the director of the first VR game's dev studio? Makes sense? Recs 999 | Disrecs 15 — Reply 640 No-gap thrusting is peak incelgal ↳ Reply Asgard does it too Sue incels for settlement, covers 10 years dev costs Write it down like me lol The overall vibe and reactions looked incredibly positive.
To the point where enduring that embarrassment felt totally worth it.
Even outside the quality posts, regular threads were similar.
The one downside? Every post had my memes attached.
Turns out the gallery owner set my meme as the front page image.
"It's me everywhere I look..."
Clicking posts meant facing my photos constantly—embarrassing.
"Embarrassing self-portraits."
After browsing the gallery, I tossed my phone on the bed and headed to the fridge.
To fuel today's hard work, I pulled out pre-bought desserts.
"Pudding... Aka-chan must've eaten it."
One slice of tiramisu wasn't enough; I wanted pudding too.
Couldn't find it anywhere—Aka-chan must've gotten into it.
Disappointing, but I bought it for her anyway.
One chocolate bar made up for the sugar deficit.
Then I hopped into the capsule and logged into virtual reality.