Establishing Discipline

March's final day. Sia had messaged me that VTube's settlement was complete. Stunned by the 3 million won deposited into my account, I asked her about it.

Just as a question mark popped into my head, Sia sent a video link.

A 20-minute-long video. The protagonist inside was none other than my past-life self. Or more precisely, an elf from World of Arceria, but aside from the ears, it looked exactly like me, didn't it? I wanted to report it for portrait rights infringement, but my current appearance was nothing like that tall, curvaceous woman. Unless they'd molded it directly from the real me, using someone else's game avatar wasn't a social taboo worth making a fuss over anyway. I'd missed my chance to protest.

That's totally irresponsible... I almost said, but then reflected on myself. Wasn't I the same? I'd said I'd take a break from streaming and never announced a return date.

Sia flashed confidence with a cute emoticon. We chatted about game systems for a while before she brought up the video again, curiosity about my identity piqued.

Before Sia's fussing got worse, I exchanged quick greetings and closed the chat. Sighing at the contrived, national-pride-laced video title, my original plan—to decide gifts for Yuna and Haru visiting my place tomorrow evening—would have to wait.

I hadn't forgotten Sia's streamer advice.

As usual, I watched the drifting chats until 7 minutes in. Even before I appeared, donations poured in on their own.

There was good reason to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hold my words for a bit. Spill announcements right at start, and I'd repeat for latecomers like a cuckoo. Plus, influx was chaotic—no desire to yap to non-listeners. Still, reacting to donors was basic courtesy, so I typed 'upvote' like others.

Like tossing a lucky letter in a bottle to sea—no big expectations. But my stream had sharp fishermen; they spotted my chat instantly.

Admiring my now-smooth setup, I felt a twinge of pride. VR streaming had few physical preps, but tons of fine tweaks—took ages to master. Some streamed 'virtual camgirls' in real looks, fiddling with dozens of camera angles, lights, deco, blur effects, etc.

"Hello."

I opened with a plain but polite greeting.

Expectations missing always clogged my chest. Frowning at voice complaints.

"What's wrong with my voice?"

Reactions split. The confused ones were WoA video newbies. Semi-auto customization included vocal cords apparently—vastly different from now. Broadcasting my natural seven-year-old voice, many felt the disconnect.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Sia's warnings were about this. Intentional or not, every letter poked my nerves. Uncomfortably so. Earning via streams meant some emotional labor to please viewers, but not enough to deny my self.

Four digits already felt like too many. Seferon Academy had ~450 students; staff and foundation included, ~500. Seeing them all in the auditorium listening to Principal Gu made me think she felt the pressure. But 4-5x that? Way beyond what I could handle alone.

'Filter the fakes.'

Curiosity clicks rarely stick; mismatches leave in weeks or months. Better etch what this stream is now.

A good idea hit. No need to force voice adaptation. Just boot the unadaptable ones—simple.

"Does my voice sound that weird?"

Brats. I shut off the floating camera.

Senses vary in sensitivity, but excluding sight. Knowledge I didn't seek: senses prioritize— no sight, rely on hearing, then touch, etc. I fired up VTube, searched a song.

Viewers griped at the dark screen and click sounds.

From my capsule days, a recommended VTube vid stuck with me. Original faded, but this remake was fine. Blast it non-stop till only good ears remained.