Seven Years Old: "Chel, Do You Want Me to Be Your Mom Too...?"

"I'm seven years old! Chel, do you want me to be your mom too...?" Inagika asked Chel cautiously. It seemed she was trying to get close to her, but her approach to closing the distance was utterly terrible. There aren't many people more vicious than me, the villainess.

"That's quite enough, dear. How many parents are you planning to collect, I wonder?" I interjected, unable to watch any longer. Chel was still terrified, clinging tightly to my back.

"Is it weird to have multiple moms...? Then should Chel call me big sister instead?"

"While we're on the subject, let me ask properly. Exactly how old are you? I'm asking about your physical age, of course, not your mental one."

"Seven years old!"

"......"

"...Um, I know it bothers you, but please don't look at me with those eyes. It hurts my feelings."

"If you're going to get offended so easily, then don't do things that invite offense, Inagika."

I unconsciously crossed my arms. I knew Inagika was older than me. So just how old was she, really? Had she passed thirty, or not? Was she over thirty and still acting like this? A creeping dread, as if facing Cthulhu itself, began to seep in. I decided to stop thinking about it deeply. I'd simply treat Inagika as twenty years old. That seemed better for my mental health.

"Inagika... Being called that feels a bit awkward," Inagika muttered, as if she'd regained some sanity.

"What strange things you say. Do people usually call you by a different name, then?"

"Not really, but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠saying it openly like this on the street feels a little..."

"Now that you mention it, I suppose that's true."

It was something I hadn't considered. Rion and I had simply used our real names as our VTuber names, after all. In communities, there was quite a bit of what they called "Red Pill" digging into VTubers' personal information. It was human nature not to leave the unknown alone. Just like Pandora's box. I wouldn't mind if my own Red Pill was exposed, but it wouldn't be the same for other VTubers.

"It seems I was careless. I'll be more mindful from now on."

"It's fine! Ah, my real name is Lee Eunha, so when you can't call me Inagika, you can call me Eunha."

"Eunha... I'll remember that."

This was the second time I'd learned a VTuber's real name, after Anna. Come to think of it, I still hadn't heard any of my fellow sixth-generation members' real names. Now that it had come up, I was a little curious about my gen-mates' ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠real names, but there was no real need to know. It would be bad if we accidentally called each other by our real names in private and then slipped up on stream.

Inagika didn't seem to want to be called by her real name either.

"Mom! This is Veronica. She's Anna's gen-mate, right? The one who judged with me last time."

"And that's Michael over there, from the second generation. Erica's next to him too, isn't she?"

"The one over there is Ichika-senpai. She's from the first generation and the same gen as Rinko-senpai—"

Inagika introduced the seniors who had arrived before us one by one. Using their VTuber names, not their real ones. The seniors were calling each other by their VTuber names too. Even with staff nearby. Was this normal in this industry?

'If you think of VTuber names as stage names, it's not that strange.' Most of them were Japanese-style names, so it still felt a bit off, but seeing how comfortable everyone looked, they must be used to it.

"Do you have any more questions, Mom? Ask me anything."

"Rinko and Anna aren't here."

"Rinko-senpai already recorded her part last time, and Anna hates this kind of thing."

"She hates it?"

"Yeah. She finds going outside bothersome, so she doesn't do stuff like this much. She probably got invited but turned it down. That's why only two of us from the fifth and sixth gens showed up."

She answered my questions diligently. Her impression was quite different from when we'd met on stream. It seemed she was looking out for me and Chel. This was our first recording, after all. I'd thought she was usually a bit of a weirdo, but she was still a senior, it seemed. She wasn't flaunting her authority, but there was a subtle sense of experience about her.

"Everyone, may I have your attention for a moment?"

After Inagika introduced the senior VTubers and gave us various explanations, the staff called for us. It seemed all the recording preparations were complete. The staff were waiting in their positions, and among them I could see Rion as well.

"We will now begin the recording. You'll enter the booth one by one to record. Those waiting outside the booth may make some noise, but it could confuse the staff, so please refrain from raising your voices."

"The recording order will follow generation order. Miss Ichika will go first, and the rest of you please wait outside the booth."

The staff gave us these instructions, particularly watching me and Chel closely since this was our first time. After the brief orientation, Ichika, who had the earliest generation among us, entered the booth. Then Rion, who had been waiting a little distance away, quickly approached me.

"You and Chel will be last. And here's the script."

Rion handed me and Chel a thin booklet.

"You don't have to follow the script exactly. If it doesn't feel right, you can ad-lib."

"That's what you said yesterday too."

"We'll give you and Chel plenty of time. So even if you make mistakes, it's fine. Just don't get nervous—"

"Rion, what's this?"

Inagika, who had been sneaking a peek at the script beside me, made a puzzled face.

"What is this content?"

"...It's the script."

"I know that much."

Inagika snatched the script from my hand and read it.

"This doesn't match Laura's character at all. Is this really Laura's script?"

"It is, for now."

"For now? What does 'for now' mean? Are they just using you two as replacements?"

Inagika's voice grew icy as she asked, and Rion's expression hardened. I recalled what Rion had told me yesterday.

She had explained that two other people were originally scheduled for the voice roles this time, but due to some circumstances, they had suddenly dropped out.

They usually prepared eight people's worth of voices, but doing only six this time wouldn't look good.

The recording date was hard to change because of gathering staff, renting the space, and coordinating the VTubers' schedules.

So she said it would help if I and Chel could step in. Putting in other generations felt awkward, and the only ones with open schedules right now were the sixth generation.

That was the situation.

"...Who were they? Never mind, don't tell me. I can guess."

Inagika let out a heavy sigh.

"But is it right to push this onto the sixth gen? Shouldn't they have picked from the senior generations for something like this?"

"Inagika. Why are you suddenly like this?"

"Is it right to suddenly give newcomers work that even veterans find difficult?"

As the atmosphere grew hostile, Michael tried to calm Inagika, but her expression only grew darker.

"Shouldn't the management take care of things like this? What are the staff even doing?? Rion, you've been a VTuber, so you know our position. Shouldn't you be taking Laura's side?"

"...I'm sorry."

"...Right, you're just a powerless employee too. ...Move aside. I'll go talk to them myself."

"That's enough, dear."

I spoke up.

"It's been quite a while since I've received this much overprotection. It might be interesting to switch roles entirely. It feels as though I've become your daughter."

"...Laura, stay out of this. This is wrong."

"My, does it make sense for me not to step forward in my own matter? What strange things you say."

I placed a hand on Inagika's shoulder.

"I'm grateful that you're raising your voice for my sake, but there's no need to worry. I accepted this job fully aware of the circumstances."

Even if I had refused, Inagika or Sora would have had to fill in. Sora aside, Inagika wouldn't have done well. Besides, Inagika wasn't good at refusing things. Asking Sora would have been awkward too. She was good at singing, but whether she could act was uncertain.

'Besides, Sora seems busy lately.'

Until recently Sora had come over to our house at every opportunity, but she'd been scarce lately. While Chel had been visiting us frequently, I'd thought Sora might stop by at least once, but she never did. It seemed she was preparing something after the competition ended, but I didn't know what. She hadn't told me.

I didn't want to interfere with Sora. In the end, someone had to drink from the poisoned chalice, and doing it poorly would only make things look worse. There was no one better than me for this.

"Rion, adjust the order, if you would."

"The order?"

"It seems I'll need to show them to make them understand. Can you do it, Chel?"

I asked Chel. She, who had been quietly silent the whole time, nodded.

"I'm confident."

Inagika was feeling a slight sense of regret. Maybe she'd been too harsh with Rion. But it couldn't be helped. Her temper had flared up.

Why did the company always handle things so poorly? This was Inagika's third year as a VTuber. Over these three years, she'd noticed that no matter the fandom, everyone complained about their management. It was understandable. The history of VTubers was still less than ten years old, and there were many new companies. Naturally, it wasn't easy to share know-how with other agencies. Know-how was their competitive edge, after all. Why would they share it?

That meant they had to accumulate know-how through trial and error. 'But there's a limit to that.'

If half the people who quit being VTubers did so for personal reasons, the other half were surely due to management incompetence. No, even the 'personal reasons for retirement' should be something management could help cover to some extent. Inagika believed that failing to persuade those who wanted to quit was also largely the management's responsibility.

She wasn't asking for much. Just pay attention to the small things. Those small things had piled up, causing many VTubers to retire. Many had left EYEAI as well.

...After this is over, I should have a talk with the boss.

"Sister, are you ready?"

While Inagika was sighing, Rion was speaking into the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠microphone.

"There's no problem on this end. You may begin whenever you like."

"Okay. We have plenty of time, so take it slow. We can do retakes if you make a mistake."

"You evaluate me far too lowly. One take will be more than sufficient."

Beyond the glass, Laura wore a confident smile. Seeing that face made Inagika's heart feel even more unsettled. She was truly admirable. Even though she'd been forced into this job and couldn't possibly feel good about it, she still showed such confidence.

'I should buy her a meal after this is over.' That would be repaying her kindness.

With those thoughts, Inagika watched Aurora's recording, but suddenly felt a sense of unease.

"Doesn't she have the script?"

Both of Laura's hands were empty. When Inagika glanced at the seat beside her, she spotted the script Laura had left behind.

...No, how could she leave that behind?

"Wait, hold on—"

Just as Inagika opened her mouth to stop them,

A frozen voice echoed through the room. It was a coldness that seemed to squeeze the heart tight. The very air grew rigid, making it hard to breathe. The feeling that even the slightest exhale might cause something to shatter. That sense of crisis crawled down the nape of her neck, and beyond the glass stood Aurora with a face as white as a sheet of paper.