Please, I Beg You
The voice of Lora flowed smoothly from the Discord call.
For a brief moment, Sora sat there completely dazed before she shook her head to snap herself out of it. No. Nothing's been decided yet. I haven't officially become her sidekick.
There was no denying that Aurora was an overwhelming presence. But as the saying went, every crisis was an opportunity. Her debut broadcast would undoubtedly be dominated by Aurora's sheer impact. Still, Sora tried to look on the bright side. Becoming the same generation as Aurora meant she would get to share in that impact.
"I'll go first. My name is Sora. Ayanokouji Sora."
"That's way too stiff~ We're the same generation, so let's drop the formalities!"
Sora spoke in the lightest tone she could manage. While she wasn't exactly thrilled by Aurora's existence, now that they were going to be in the same cohort, she had decided to welcome her as warmly as possible. There was no point in starting off as enemies.
"Ahaha... You're really direct. You shouldn't just ask something like that so casually."
She's a total parachute hire.
After listening to the exchange, Sora unconsciously furrowed her brows. They were all about to become VTubers, yet Aurora didn't even know something this basic? She must have gotten in through some route other than the audition. Probably scouted purely for her buzz factor.
Her unique position as Rion's cousin, the experience of appearing on Anna's stream, and her outstanding gaming skills. To the higher-ups, it must have seemed like a good package. And honestly, her guest appearance on Anna's broadcast had been decently entertaining. But being a guest and actually carrying your own stream as a VTuber were two completely different things.
"I'm a bard who wanders the world."
"Well, we are the sixth generation. The similar vibe was intentional."
It was partly to create a sense of unity, partly to foster camaraderie among the new members. On top of that, same-generation VTubers often participated in joint events. Sometimes they even performed on stage together, and in those cases, similar concepts made it much easier to coordinate costume designs.
She really doesn't know anything about VTubers.
It wasn't exactly pleasant. The rest of them had fought their way through auditions to get here, so seeing someone who hadn't even done basic research felt irritating. Even so, it was also an opportunity. Inagika was timid. Chell had almost no presence. And Aurora knew nothing about VTubing. Therefore, Sora concluded that she was the only one who could lead this sixth generation.
Sure, strong character concepts might bring a flash of popularity, but steady growth was what truly mattered. If she showed herself leading Lora and the others as the sixth gen leader, she would eventually surpass Aurora in popularity.
Absolutely.
They say that the existence of your same-generation colleagues cannot prevent a VTuber from graduating. No matter how close your genmates are, if someone wants to graduate, they will—whether for health reasons or something else entirely. However, they can become a reason to keep going.
There's a story about a VTuber with one million subscribers who was asked by another streamer: "What would make you want to graduate?" The million-subscriber VTuber supposedly answered, "If all my genmates graduated, I might just graduate too." Apparently she was especially close with her generation. When she wasn't streaming, she spent most of her time in Discord calls with them.
There's also this story. One day, a four-member VTuber group debuted. But one of them was expelled for falsifying information on their contract, and another was fired for smoking on stream. That left only A and B. Then B had to graduate due to health issues. The last remaining member, A, was so shocked by B's departure that she quit not long after. That was what Inagika had told them.
Sora didn't know how true any of those stories were. But she understood that genmates could serve as a kind of emotional support.
Though that has nothing to do with me.
As the perfect villainess from a ducal house, even my mental fortitude is flawless. My genmates might come to rely on me, but the reverse would never happen. Because I am perfect.
It doesn't really hit home.
She had gained three genmates, but she still couldn't tell what kind of meaning their existence would hold for her. Even so, having colleagues wasn't bad at all. Even a villainess like her once had allies.
Since she was the villainess, she had clashed with the protagonist's party several times. In the process, she had met people who shared her views. If they were going to keep the protagonist's group in check anyway, they might as well cooperate. It was simply more efficient that way. She had gone into dungeons with such companions a few times. Though in the end, not a single one had stayed with her until the very end.
Even if they were only passing connections, as long as it was enjoyable, that was enough. Perhaps that was why the conversation with her new genmates felt quite pleasant.
"Sis, let's go out together for a bit."
But she didn't have time to linger in the afterglow. Starting the day after the genmate meeting, Sora suddenly became incredibly busy.
"What's this all of a sudden? Did you get a craving for eating out?"
"It's not that... Come with me to meet an illustrator."
"An illustrator?"
"Yeah. If we don't find one soon, we won't make it in time for next month's debut."
That was true enough.
"I don't understand. Is there really a need for me to go with you?"
"Normally our management team would handle outsourcing, but... you're a bit of a special case, Sis. The model is going to be based on your actual appearance."
"In other words, I need to serve as the model."
But if that was the case, wouldn't sending photo data be enough? Sora thought so, but Rion shook her head.
"This is just my gut feeling, but I think things will go better if you show up in person. ...After all, you look like a beauty no matter what, right? Plus you have charisma."
"And the moment I open my mouth, everyone falls in love."
"Ugh, that concept-obsessed brain of yours... Anyway, I think showing them the real thing will help with negotiations, so I'd like you to come along."
"If that's how it is, then I suppose it can't be helped."
Honestly, the world demanded far too much of her. But unfortunately, she was not an immortal being who could live for a thousand years. Though she was a noble ducal lady, having been born in a human body meant she had a limited lifespan. Someday in the distant future, even she would disappear. She wondered if this Earth could endure without her.
Therefore, the world should practice living without her in advance. So that it wouldn't regret her absence later.
"There goes the narcissism again... Sometimes I really wonder what your brain looks like. What on earth do you eat to come up with thoughts like that?"
Seeing Rion's exasperated expression, Sora stood up from her seat.
After that, they drove in Rion's car to a somewhat distant location and met the illustrator at a café.
"W-wow, you're incredibly beautiful...! How can someone like this even exist..."
The illustrator was a woman who appeared to be in her thirties. She had a plain appearance, with round-framed glasses as her most distinctive feature.
"I was actually going to turn it down... but you really make me want to draw you. ...Do you do cosplay or anything like that?"
"I've never tried cosplay. Though I've worn plenty of dresses."
"Dresses! That would look amazing on you... Do you have any photos?"
Sora showed her a few saved images, and the illustrator gasped.
"Whoa... whoaaa..."
"Please do cosplay for me someday! I beg you...!"
The illustrator practically shouted as if she were bowing in supplication. ...Just what did cosplay mean to this person? It was honestly a little frightening.
"I'll think about it. So, will you accept the commission?"
"The schedule is quite tight, but... I'll give it a try!"
Whether it was because she had fallen for Sora's appearance, the illustrator's energy shot up. It couldn't be helped. After all, Sora was the jewel of the ducal house, the flower everyone looked up to, and the sun of all mankind.
After exchanging contact information with the illustrator, they met frequently in VR whenever they had time. Mostly so Sora could serve as a drawing model.
"Give me a smile! Yes, perfect! No matter what expression you make, it's all beautiful!"
They also met in person several times. The illustrator said she wanted to reference Sora's real-life appearance more than her VR avatar. In that manner, Sora went out both to prepare her plate and for other reasons. Before she knew it, the day of her debut was drawing near.
"Sis. The boss wants to have a talk with you before the debut."
Rion said those words.