Mazia Will Do

A phone call from the boss came about an hour later. It was past eleven at night, but since I had gotten into the habit of sleeping during the day lately, I was surprisingly alert. That must be why I could clearly sense the faint tremor hidden in the boss’s voice.

It was the first time I had ever seen the boss acting so cautious around me. Why was she worrying me like this? I completely forgot the team leader’s order to answer in a weak voice, and real emotion slipped into my tone.

“I slept a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lot during the day, so I’m not tired at all right now.”

“Yes. I’m fine.”

Maybe thanks to that, the boss’s timid mode ended quickly. She had never been the type to shrink away just because she was worried about someone.

Yet the main point that immediately followed was—

The desperate tone threading through her endless stream of words stirred up guilt. Even though I knew the boss was trying to isolate me from work out of worry, I had kept pushing myself anyway, placing my desire for her success above everything else. …At this rate, I was causing the boss far too much heartache because of me.

‘This is completely different from last time.’

When I had collapsed before, her reaction had been something like you’ll handle it, yeah just handle it well, don’t make me worry. But now the boss looked ready to fall ill the moment I collapsed. Since I had only wanted to help the boss by participating in the eve event, the situation felt bewildering.

‘If I get sick, she’s going to stay in this state the whole time…’

It was nice that the boss treated me like a friend and played around with me. But I believed I could not keep receiving special treatment like being nursed. After all, I was just one lucky person chosen out of 1.6 million subscribers. I was simply a fan working hard in place of the countless others who had not been chosen, receiving more attention than most only as compensation for my labor.

Here, it seemed I would need to compromise a little with my belief that I should grind my body to dust for the company’s sake.

“I’m sorry too. After all, I collapsed because I didn’t manage my health properly.”

“That’s why I wanted to ask—after the eve event and the concert, we’ll have some breathing room, right? Seung-yeon is here now too, so would it be all right if I use up all my vacation days next week?”

It took the boss nearly thirty seconds before she spoke again.

Since I had converted three years’ worth of vacation into cash, the boss seemed genuinely puzzled by the decision.

“Yes. I’ll rest and visit the hospital too. I want to get a proper check-up on my condition.”

“A medical examination is still just getting your body inspected so it can be fixed.”

“Anyway, you’ll approve the vacation request, right? In exchange, I really want to participate in the eve event. I promise I won’t overdo it, so please allow me.”

The boss’s voice was still trembling, but the earlier anxiety was gone.

“Ugh. Do I have to sleep in the president’s office again?”

Making me come to work even while on vacation. This company was the very definition of black company. Still, if staying in the president’s office for a while would put the boss at ease, I had no choice. Besides, she would have some free time then too, so I planned to work her to the bone for a whole week. Right, I should start practicing in advance. Water! Snacks!

The moment the call ended, Cheon Do-hee let out a huge sigh.

“Haa…… I thought my heart was going to drop.”

She had been terrified when she heard about the resignation threat. But after actually talking to her, it seemed the team leader had been overreacting. Of course, the situation had been serious, but….

Before Do-hee could even speak, Jia had brought up work first and put her mind at ease. It meant she still had the will to work.

‘Yeah… If Jia wants to do something, it would be wrong for me to stop her just because of my own feelings.’

She was a top internet streamer, but still a novice when it came to running a business. The company had somehow sailed through three years without any major crises, but it wasn’t solely because of Do-hee’s leadership. It was thanks to reliable employees who perfectly covered their own areas, and the gray-zone killer Mazia.

……Which was exactly why she had made this mistake. As a president, she was still a beginner. Because she had known Mazia for five years, because they were close, because she thought of her as a friend, she had naturally said, “Take a break for your health,” out of concern for her friend’s well-being.

A president must not do that. Employees get startled. What? Am I not needed anymore? Is she telling me to quit?

In other words, the direction had been completely wrong from the start. Instead of ordering Mazia to rest, she had to eliminate every single worry the company had. If she wanted Mazia—who lost sleep over the company’s problems—to rest comfortably, that was the only way.

‘At least it’s a huge relief that we already hired Seung-yeon…’

It looked like she would have to accelerate hiring more staff. The concert was the day after tomorrow; after it ended, they would begin selecting second-generation members. If they didn’t prepare in advance, the gray-zone killer Mazia might once again shout “Yeehaw! There’s work left!” and swallow everything until she collapsed.

She must never forget that the reason Jia had stayed here alone even after her entire family moved overseas was because of Momo and Parallel. For Jia to stop overworking herself, Cheon Do-hee had to become a more perfect president.

It looks like Pino (Komari’s dad) recently worked on one Live2D model. I’m 99% sure it’s Employee D’s model. This guy is so busy with work that he barely posts on X lately, but if you collect them all, every single one was posted on days Employee D appeared in streams and they’re all related. Of course, whether you can ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠even call these posts is debatable. He only writes the same sentence over and over like some kind of spell, and the one he posted on Halloween became legendary.

How is this something a normal person would write? I think Pino-gae is a sucker who boarded the Employee D coin.

And so the next day arrived—the day of the eve event. I couldn’t stop marveling at my model that was now moving on its own. After all, it was the model I had been obsessed with. The fire that had burned when I first saw it had died down once I learned it was mine, but watching it move still gave me a special feeling. The moment the broadcast ended, I resolved to save every clip of just the video without the voice. Something this cute absolutely had to be preserved.

“How on earth did Mr. Pino finish this in five days?”

“I don’t know. He must have been desperate.”

He had apparently pulled all-nighters to finish early and be released from his special duties two days sooner. Somehow the quality looked even better than the first-generation models. When Dora made the character sheet she must have reflected reality, which made the lolicon sensor react properly.

“I’ve left only the expressions you want to use activated and turned the rest off. You know how to use it, right?”

“Yes. I’ve touched all of them while setting up the kids’ streams, so I know.”

“Good. That part doesn’t need teaching, which is convenient.”

With that, the boss’s model was placed at seven o’clock on the screen and mine at five. Once we flattened the main screen in the center and the chat window below it, the broadcast setup was complete. In truth the boss had done almost everything yesterday, so there wasn’t much for me to touch.

“If it feels burdensome or you get tired, tell me anytime. Even if you step away to rest in the middle, I can finish it myself. Got it?”

“Yes.”

“So. Are you mentally prepared?”

“Mentally prepared?”

“In a way, this is your first proper broadcast.”

“I’m not particularly nervous, though.”

“Well, if that’s the case then fine….”

The boss fiddled with the nameplates that would be placed in front of the two of us sitting side by side on screen and asked.

“Will you come out like this for the second-generation first anniversary too?”

“Yes. As long as you allow it, President.”

“Then how about deciding on an activity name while we’re at it? It feels weird to keep calling you Employee D.”

“Does it matter? I am an employee.”

“That’s true, but… I’m worried people might look down on you if we keep calling you Employee this, Employee that. I think it would be good to have some kind of activity name.”

When I looked at the avatar on screen that tilted its head following my movements, opened its mouth, and cast a shadow of contempt over its face, it really did look like a VTuber. But I was not a VTuber. I was the shadow of a VTuber. A cool setting that would interest people, or a plausible name—neither was necessary for someone who had to remain in the shadows. In fact, those things would only make me look like a VTuber.

Therefore, within Parallel’s worldview, the identity of the person called Mazia was—

“Let’s just go with Mazia.”

Mazia the deputy. That was enough.