The Unprecedented V-Tuber Broadcast
The screen Minji showed me displayed a familiar game title: Grand Ragnarok.
Thwack.
"Auuuugh..."
As soon as I released her cheek, she clutched it and rubbed furiously.
"It huuuurts... I was just... kiiidding..."
"Self-inflicted."
You say you're gonna play an adult game, and it scares me 'cause it sounds like you mean it.
"Anyway, what about this... Gra(Grand Ragnarok) thing...? It matches... all the conditions I mentioned, right...?"
"Sure does."
It's a mobile RPG, so it's easy to play while checking viewer reactions. Minji already knows it well, and since we went to GPiF, she has a direct connection to it. Plus, there were viewers from Japan, so they'd love to watch someone they know play it. No arguments—it was the best pick for a game stream Minji could handle.
"Perfect. Let's go with this. Good thinking."
"Ehehehe..."
"Got a Plan B just in case? Something else if this doesn't work."
That said, the direct connection could backfire and draw extra scrutiny. We'd gone to GPiF, and our image was tied to it, so we'd have to be extra careful. If our girls started yapping about this game, people might get the wrong idea.
She'll probably say yes 99% of the time, but...
"Plan B... something else... um, 'Idol and Ecchi-'... Ow ow ow ow ow, ah, okay, okayyy...!"
"Got it. I'll tell Forest Corp we have to do it."
I pinched Minji's cheek and firmed my resolve. Gotta beg Forest Corp to let her stream it, no matter what.
Getting permission was anticlimactically easy. I called Director Nakamura using the business card from last time and said we wanted to do a Ragnarok Order game stream. He laughed heartily and approved it on the spot.
"Thank you. Any forbidden content or things to watch out for?"
Great, permission granted with no issues. Now just nail the stream. Still, better safe than sorry, so I gave Minji one last warning before she started.
"Minji, you know this, but it's an 'idol' stream. No words unbecoming of an idol, got it? No swearing."
"Duh..."
"No sex jokes or anything. Got it?"
"O-of courseee..."
We're a sexy-concept group, but that's how others see us—not stuff coming out of our mouths.
"Especially no doujinshi drips."
"Y-yesss..."
"Remember: This is a bright, wholesome game suitable for teens. Got it?"
Nod nod.
Minji nodded along to my repeated advice. Her eyes showed she was listening hard. Yeah, if she pays this much attention, she won't screw up.
"Alright, let's prep the stream... I'll watch from the living room like always."
"Yesss..."
Minji nodded and slipped into her bling-bling pink room, closing the door.
"Hey, if you're that worried, why not supervise from beside her?"
"You think that's okay...? The moment a male manager steps into an idol's room on stream, fans explode."
"You've done everything outside with me."
"No, seriously..."
Squish.
I lightly pinched Haeun's right cheek as she grumbled and picked a weird fight. Don't say that after stressing all day, Haeun.
"Ow ow, I didn't say anything wro—"
Squish.
Soye pinched her left cheek this time.
"Uwaaaah, nooo, why even you, unniii...!"
"Haeun, don't act as immature as Minji."
"Auuuugh..."
"Looks like it's starting."
The 'on air' mark popped up on my laptop. I checked my headset one last time and prayed. Minji, redeem yourself today...!
"Uh, uh, can you hear meee...?"
Viewers flooded in the moment the stream started. Even after yesterday's rough ending, her name value drew a solid crowd.
Good...
After inwardly sighing in relief, Park Minji scanned the chat and gave a light greeting.
"Hello, it's Minji. Oh, Japanese fans... ohayo~... Granblue... won't be playing todayyy... Ah, yes, good eveninggg... What'd you have for dinner? Um... salad, I think..."
She rambled, diligently replying to the chat. I stopped her.
"Oh, right."
She nearly made another mistake in her eagerness not to repeat yesterday.
"U-um... Then I'll announce today's game... It's this one..."
With that, the title Grand Ragnarok appeared on the stream screen.
"Grand Ragnarok... that's what we're playing...!"
"Not sponsoreddd... I picked it to play with you all... Easy to chat about... and I know it wellll..."
From Im Haeun's ad to our Japan debut, Grand Ragnarok had played a huge role in building The Queens' name value, so most viewers welcomed the pick.
"We'll do some story, but... something more important... The best part of mobile games..."
With that, Park Minji selected the 'Summon' menu.
"Gacha...!"
"In the Korean version... haven't pulled it yettt..."
"As you know... first limited char... Oriana original... meta pick, and it's Oriana...? Can't skip..."
Minji grinned and held up the card to the camera. I'd given it to her before the stream since she'd said she'd do gacha pulls.
"And today... mana—ahem, oppa gave me the card toooo..."
"Gonna pull with this... Payment card already set..."
As viewers cheered wildly, Minji bought the most expensive pack: 100-pull worth of currency.
"Purchase complete... ehehehe..."
"Okay, first 10-pull... Let's go Oriana...!"
Ting ting ting ting~!
Cheerful sounds and flashing lights. Then—bam—the Oriana character from GPiF, whom Minji had cosplayed, appeared with a shiny NEW mark.
"...Huh?"
"No... this... kills the stream content..."
"Uh... s-super happy... um... Oriana... so prettyyy... uh uh..."
Torn between joy and the need for content, Minji floundered.
"I-if it doesn't come... was gonna use as sacrifice... brought Oriana figure too..."
Clunk.
Minji pulled out the limited-edition figure from the event, courtesy of the company.
"Was gonna... do cosplay at 50-pull..."
She also showed off the Oriana outfit.
"Ah, now... what do I dooo...?"
She'd planned backups for each failed pull, but now they were all useless.
"Uh, okay, yeah... Then... first, figure tour...?"
At my words, Minji fumbled and lifted the figure.
"Sooo pretty and well-made... Actually, what amazed me is this part..."
She quickly turned the figure's lower half toward the camera to introduce it—and a roar exploded from my headset.
"Aaaah, this, uh, sorry! Not thaaat..."
"Y-yes... Sorry, I got... flustered... Insteaaad, the cosplay outfit..."
She'd gotten chewed out yesterday too—if she didn't cover this, she'd get it again today. Minji stood up with the outfit.
"Lemme show yooou..."
Bang!
The door flew open, and Im Haeun burst in.
"Wha— unni?"
"What the hell!"
Thwack.
Haeun immediately knuckle-rapped Minji to stop her.
"Who changes clothes mid-stream?!"
"Oh, right..."
"Pause the stream quick."
Minji followed her unni's order and turned off the stream screen.
A polite standby screen appeared... and
The chat scrolled furiously, growing rowdier. And so, Minji's second stream doubled my headache.