If It Weren't for the Landlord
If it weren't for the landlord. I pondered this as I brought the black tea to my lips. Joining a company was the last thing I wanted.
"You don't want to join a company?"
"After all, there would be more than one or two things requiring my attention, you know?"
I am the noble and lofty lady, Lora Iris—the jewel that even the emperor could not claim. Yet if I entered a company, the day would surely come when I had to watch its every move. The reason I wished to walk the path of a streamer was precisely so I could continue existing with the dignity of a duke's daughter. A company, therefore, could only ever be an obstacle.
"Sister, in this day and age, indie VTubers are completely outdated."
But Rion refused to yield and spoke with serious conviction. "Indie VTubers struggle to gain popularity or earn money. If it's purely a hobby, I wouldn't stop you, but the investment costs might end up exceeding any profit you make."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. The VTuber industry pie is already firmly controlled by corporate VTubers."
Rion proceeded to explain the corporate VTuber system. Summarized, it went something like this:
Suppose five VTubers debut under one agency. If VTuber A reaches around 300,000 subscribers, the other four will naturally gain similar levels of popularity—roughly 100,000 to 200,000 subscribers each. The average streaming time for a VTuber is only four to five hours per week. Naturally, the periods when they are not streaming are far longer. During those gaps when A is offline, A's fans will naturally seek out other streamers—and they tend to watch the colleagues who debuted alongside A.
"And the same applies to the other four."
When B is offline, B's fans watch A. When C is offline, C's fans watch A. Because subscribers are shared among A, B, C, D, and E, the subscriber counts of the five VTubers within the same company inevitably end up balanced.
"Now, what do you think happens when a junior VTuber joins?"
Newcomers begin by inheriting a portion of the subscriber base their seniors have built. From the fans' perspective, their favorite has gained a junior, which sparks curiosity and draws them in. When yet another new generation arrives, they too receive a share of that subscriber pool. As this repeats, fans rarely ever leave the company—Rion explained.
"So each agency essentially has its own fandom."
Rion nodded at my observation. It was not a particularly difficult concept. One could see the same phenomenon easily in the world of sports.
"Back in the 2018 pioneer days, being an indie VTuber had its merits… But nowadays, very few people bother seeking out indies. That's why the standard path for anyone wanting to become a VTuber is to join an agency and start with an established fandom."
Agencies even provided broadcasting equipment, created the models, and assigned managers.
"Not only that, they handle MV production, original songs, 3D modeling, new costumes for the model, offline event planning, advertising deals, and more. On the flip side, indies have to manage all of that alone."
"I see."
After hearing all that, it was clear that indie VTubers faced a severe disadvantage. Moreover, I had always been the sort of person who commanded others as a duke's daughter. I had no desire to concern myself with anything beyond gaming. I wanted to delegate all those trivial tasks to someone else. In that regard, having a manager seemed undeniably convenient.
"Rion, where did you say your company was located?"
I set down my teacup.
A few days later, a car was parked in front of the house.
"Oh my, whose car is this?"
No matter how freely I spent money, I had never purchased a vehicle. For one thing, I did not know how to drive. A noble lady would never drive herself, after all. Since I intended to spend my time gaming at home anyway, and my only outings were to the nearby bakery or convenience store, I had never needed a car.
Yet here was Rion, having brought one.
"It's Dad's. I borrowed it."
"Borrowed it for what?"
"I'll be working as a manager too, won't I? I thought it would be good to have a car."
Rion continued, "I'll need to commute, and there might be times when I have to drive the VTubers around."
"Don't VTubers broadcast from their homes?"
"Not always. Sometimes they need to visit studios to record original songs or attend event venues."
"How very like celebrities."
"It doesn't happen often. Most VTubers usually take public transportation on their own… Anyway, are you getting in or not? How long are you going to stand there?"
Rion looked at me questioningly. Had she still not realized? I folded my arms elegantly and gave her a meaningful glance.
"…Wait, am I supposed to be your chauffeur?"
Though she wore an expression of utter disbelief, Rion eventually opened the rear door for me. Once I had settled into the back seat, she closed it.
"You may depart."
"…If it weren't for the landlord."
Rion, now back in the driver's seat, sighed and pressed the accelerator. In my days as a duke's daughter, I had traveled by carriage. Of course, the sensation of riding in an automobile was quite different from that of a carriage.
Leaning back against the seat, I found we arrived sooner than I had expected.
"I'm Lee Jung-woo, a manager at EYEAI."
Following Rion's guidance, I met a man. From what I had heard, he was the manager who had previously handled Nekozuka Rion and held a rather high position within the company.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Oh Lora, Rion's cousin."
"Wow… This might be rude to say upon first meeting, but you're truly beautiful."
"My, does one not feel good upon hearing they are beautiful? I fail to see what part of that could possibly be rude."
"I'm sorry, Manager… My sister has a rather unique way of speaking…"
For some reason Rion bowed her head. Lee Jung-woo simply laughed.
"I like it. It makes sense that Rion would recommend you."
We took our seats.
"I've heard a lot about you from Rion. I also watched the broadcast you did with Anna. From our company's perspective, we would very much like to scout you, Miss Lora."
"Scout me? There will be no audition?"
I had understood that VTubers were typically selected through auditions. When I asked, Lee Jung-woo shook his head.
"In general, we do select through auditions, but those with genuine talent are scouted directly like this. Our company sees great potential in you, Miss Lora."
If that was the case, then it could not be helped. It seemed they had been quite taken with me, as I was an overwhelmingly perfect human being. I accepted this reasoning.
"The detailed schedule will depend on how things progress, but we believe a debut in August would be ideal."
"Manager? August means next month, right? …Isn't that rather rushed?"
"It is tight, as Rion says, but a debut in August would be perfect timing. That's when the sixth generation is scheduled to hold their debut streams."
The sixth generation. Since Rion was fourth generation and Anna was fifth, this referred to the batch after them. In other words, it appeared I would be joining the company as the junior of those two. Hmm. The feeling was rather complicated.
"But Manager, what about the model… the Live2D and such? Is it possible to produce one in a single month?"
"We have a strategy in mind for that. We were thinking of basing Miss Lora's model on her real-life appearance."
"Her real appearance? You mean using Sister's actual face?"
"Yes."
Lee Jung-woo nodded. "Of course, not completely unchanged. The approach is this: Miss Lora is already beautiful exactly as she is. Honestly, she gives the impression of an anime character who has stepped into reality."
An anime character stepping into reality. He was not entirely wrong. This body—Lora Iris—had originally been a character from a game.
"That's why we'd like to preserve as much of Miss Lora's real appearance as possible in the modeling. It would significantly reduce the time needed for character design."
"But if you do that, won't people recognize her in real life…?"
"If we slightly alter the eye color and hair color, and dress her in clothing far removed from everyday fashion, it should be difficult to recognize her. We'll need to establish the character concept first, but…"
"A villainess."
I spoke abruptly. "Could you set it up as a villainess?"
"A villainess… That's not bad at all."
Lee Jung-woo stroked his chin as he observed me. "We could go with a concept where she was exiled from her family and thus became a VTuber… If we give her ornate gothic lolita attire, it would be hard to connect her to reality. Adding a hat to the model would make it even more unrecognizable."
"…But if the costume design is complex, won't that increase the modeling production time?"
"We'll have to ask the illustrator to work in VR. Using the time acceleration system should give us plenty of time."
The time acceleration system—the one that made time flow five times faster inside VR. When I first experienced it, I had thought it a revolutionary system for enjoying games at length. Hearing it would be used to wring people dry, even I, a villainess, was surprised. No matter how excellent the technology, its application could turn downright vicious. As a villainess, I had learned something new.
"Of course, this is all on the condition that you join our company, Miss Lora. What do you think?"
"It is not bad. However, I have not yet heard about the broadcasting activities."
The matter of creating the VTuber model did not seem like something that required much of my concern. It was not as if I were becoming an actress, nor did it demand professional acting ability for roleplay. Even if acting skill were required, it would pose no problem. As the daughter of a great ducal house, with a little study I could master it to the level of a professional performer. Therefore, whatever the design or setting, it mattered little to me. As long as it did not stray too far, there should be no issue. From what I had seen, most VTubers did not take their roleplay particularly seriously. The model simply needed to be pretty and high quality. Broadcasting itself seemed far more important.
"As for broadcasting, I believe VTubers should fundamentally stream whatever they wish to do. Of course, the company will occasionally offer guidance, but… with Rion assigned as your manager, the broadcasting side should not be difficult."
Lee Jung-woo looked at Rion. She nodded in response.
"Oh my, Rion is to be my manager?"
"It will be more comfortable for you, Miss Lora, and more convenient for the company as well. A manager who understands the VTuber best makes for the ideal partner."
"I see."
I took a sip of coffee.
"That sounds good."