An Unusual Request
Guest, it seems the time has come to face the problems you've been putting off. Humans cannot live without money. That's a reality even I, the noble daughter of a ducal house, cannot escape. Of course, I do have certain advantages over others. A beauty worthy of being called the empire's finest noble lady, and physical specs that surpass even adult men. But there were disadvantages too.
'I can't do restaurant work.' I can't cook or clean. And on top of that, becoming an office worker is probably impossible as well. I was the one who collected taxes from the people of the duchy and whose hiring fee was higher than most mercenaries, with offers coming from all directions. Would it make sense for a proud ducal daughter to be ordered around by someone else? Nobles are creatures made entirely of pride. In that sense, 'teaching others' was something I could barely tolerate. Only nobles can teach nobles. The tutors who taught me back when I lived in the Iris Duchy were all of noble birth. A ducal daughter working as a tutor is somewhat ridiculous, but when it comes to earning money, you can't be picky about every single condition. I have that much flexibility.
And then there's 'streamer…' I hadn't considered it until now, but with my bank balance hitting rock bottom, it seemed worth thinking about. I'd been considering trying to join a pro gamer team, but most pro gamers are men. If a woman like me tried living in a team dorm, all sorts of problems would likely arise. Besides, retired pro gamers often end up becoming streamers anyway.
'It might be good to look into what streaming is like while I have the chance.' Just to be clear, I'm not doing this because I have no money. I still have enough saved to live comfortably for a few months, and if it really comes down to it, I can always break into my savings account. I simply became curious about what kind of job streaming is, for the sake of planning my future. That's all there is to it.
[I don't know how game coaching fees are usually priced, so how about we start with 1 million won?]
"I'll accept."
The polite speech slipped out before I even realized it. How could I possibly refuse 1 million won?
***
Establishing a single VTuber requires a lot of manpower. For example, when creating a VTuber model, it's common to hire illustrators from outside the company. After all, even though it's not a game company, keeping multiple illustrators on staff isn't feasible. So what happens if you bring in a small number of illustrators and assign them the modeling work? Naturally, the work slows down. That might be fine if the company only operated one VTuber, but EYEAI manages around twenty. As their activity periods accumulate, new outfit designs have to be provided, and one or two illustrators could never handle outfits for twenty people. On top of that, new VTubers are confirmed to join this year. If you also ask them to handle modeling for three to five newcomers? The illustrators would die from overwork.
That's why outsourcing is unavoidable when running VTubers. Modeling production, recording and mixing, MV creation, video editing—the manager's job also includes mediating between the VTubers and various outsourced workers.
'But is game coaching considered outsourcing? I'm not sure.' Anna tilted her head at the sudden question. Whether it counted as outsourcing or not, it probably didn't matter either way. She'd heard that some VTubers even had dance trainers or vocal trainers attached to them. Wouldn't this be similar?
"The call's over. She says she'll accept."
Leon, who had finished the phone call, came back into the room. Anna glanced at Leon once, then turned her gaze back to the monitor.
"Really? That's a relief."
"But are you sure this is okay? A million won is a bit much, isn't it…?"
"It is, but…"
The company rarely covered outsourcing costs for VTubers. For example, VTubers whose main content was singing often released MVs. Since MVs were advantageous for views and attracting new viewers, the company might support costs for singing VTubers. But what about those whose main content was gaming instead of singing? Because of fairness issues like this, the basic principle was 'each for themselves.' The company only provided the most basic broadcasting equipment, like a computer. If someone wanted an ASMR microphone, they had to buy it with their own money. The same went for commissioning MV production—VTubers handled it themselves. Of course, the manager would connect them with outsourced workers, but that was as far as it went. So this one million won would also come out of Anna's own pocket.
"Still, it'll probably be fine."
Anna thought lightly. She had never worried about money. She'd never been in a situation where she lacked funds. Plenty of her friends called themselves chaebol kids, and Anna had never denied it. It was true—she came from a wealthy family. That was also why she could pursue being a VTuber as a career.
"From what I saw in the chat logs, she's really skilled. So a million won should be worth it."
"She is skilled, but… whether she'll be good at teaching is another question. …How about looking for someone else even now? It might be hard to find active pro gamers, but retired ones…"
"This game has only been in service for about three years, right? There can't be that many retired pro gamers."
By that logic, wouldn't the same apply to active pro gamers? Just because pro gamers are good at the game doesn't mean they'll necessarily be good at teaching. So whether retired or active, Anna didn't feel much difference.
"Besides, I'd rather have my senior's family than some stranger. It's more reassuring if it's another woman."
"…If that's what you think, then fine. I'll proceed as is for now."
"……?"
Leon senior's attitude felt a bit strange. Like she was being cautious about something. Anna noticed the question but decided not to dwell on it. Taking an interest in others was tiring. She simply brushed it off with a light 'there must be something going on' and moved on.
"She says she's hit a login limit. So meeting in VR right away will be difficult."
"Login limit?"
"She exceeded five hours in a gate raid. …Isn't that insane? That means she played for twenty-five hours straight in virtual reality."
"That's impressive."
"What do you want to do? Should we talk over the phone? Or we can postpone it."
"I don't want to postpone."
Anna's goal was to participate in the Labyrinthos VR Streamer League. The tournament hadn't been announced yet, but based on last year and the year before, it would likely start in three to four months at the earliest. Three months. Anna didn't know if that would be enough time to get good at the game. If she wasn't sure, then starting as soon as possible wouldn't hurt.
"Inviting her to this house feels a bit awkward. I'll go to senior's place instead."
"What…? You're saying you want to come to our house right now?"
"You said you live with senior. I've been curious about senior's house for a while, so this works out nicely."
And so Anna got into a taxi with Leon.
"…Can we keep our jobs a secret?"
The moment they got in the taxi, Leon said that.
"Jobs? You mean VTuber and manager?"
"Uh, yeah… Let's just say you're a regular streamer, not a VTuber."
"I don't mind, but why?"
"I'm hiding the fact that I was a VTuber from my family……"
"Ah~."
Anna understood immediately. What was it again? Something about being a nekomimi princess from Cat Planet. She could have ruled the planet but ran away to Earth because she didn't want to inherit the throne—that kind of setting. VTuber concepts were often bizarre, but Leon's was especially over the top. Anna had wondered several times how she could keep adding "nyan" to the end of her sentences without feeling embarrassed.
"Let's just say you and I were senior and junior who went to the same school… Let's go with that. Don't mention the company name."
"Then why did you stream with a concept you couldn't even handle? Honestly, when I first saw it, I thought you weren't in your right mind."
"…I'm hitting you."
***
A guest has arrived at our house.
"Leon, show the guest to the living room and then come to my room for a moment."
[…What?]
I hung up the phone and waited for Leon to arrive.
"Hey, what are you doing not coming out of your room…?"
"I can't greet a guest looking like this. Help me fix my hair."
"Do I have to…?"
Leon asked with a puzzled expression. Instead of answering, I sat down in front of the vanity. Leon let out a sigh and moved behind me to start fixing my hair.
"We have scones and macarons at home, don't we?"
"You mean the ones you bought? Probably."
"Serve them with tea for the guest. But first, make sure to ask whether she prefers black tea or coffee."
"…Are you running a restaurant?"
Leon made an exasperated face, but this was unavoidable. After all, first impressions determine everything that follows. Thinking about it, this was the first time a guest had come to our house. My parents and Leon's parents had visited a few times, but no one outside the family had ever come. Rather than responding poorly, it was better to greet them lavishly, even if it was a bit excessive.
'Wearing a dress might be a bit much.' A dress would be the proper choice, but this was Earth, not a medieval fantasy. Besides, I'd already done my hair, so changing clothes now would be troublesome. After finishing the basic preparations, I came out with Leon.
"Welcome. Thank you for coming all this way."
I greeted her with a gentle smile. A woman was waiting in the living room. Her eyes widened in surprise. She stared blankly for a moment before saying,
"Sorry for saying this on our first meeting, but could you swear for me?"
……What?