Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: A Strategic Investment
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That same evening, inside a corporate building in Gangnam, Seoul.
In an office with a commanding view of the Gangnam streets, several people were gathered in a soundproof conference room.
Their ages ranged from their late 30s to their early 20s.
Surprisingly, they were the executives of this Gangnam-based company.
"Everyone."
At the center of them all was a woman with long, golden-blonde hair.
"How are our talents holding up right now?"
"Those who don't know are streaming as usual, but the cuckoos are starting to flock in."
"Excuse me, Vice President?"
"Yes?"
"Our investor is also listening in, so if you could explain it in terms they can understand."
"Ah. Ahem."
The Vice President, a man in his mid-30s and the oldest in the room, glanced at a tablet on the side of the table and cleared his throat.
"You are all likely familiar with 'Starflower Production.' One of the four titans of the Japanese VTuber industry... or rather, the company that was fourth in the industry."
The Vice President brought up a slide on the presentation screen, displaying four logos.
"Holi, Niji, V. The one that followed them, Starflower... has collapsed. The company went bankrupt, and its affiliated artists became unemployed overnight."
"Their most subscribed talent had 1.24 million subscribers. Following her were channels with hundreds of thousands of subscribers..."
"They have all transitioned from being corporate-affiliated to independent. All thanks to a certain 'PD'."
As the Vice President changed the slide, a photo of a lecture hall appeared.
"Kang Minhyuk. Age 29. A talent scouted by Starflower... 'Spl' for short... immediately after graduating from university."
A voice suddenly cut in from the tablet, responding to the Vice President's words.
It was the voice of a woman, seemingly around the same age as the CEO, but it carried a slight chill.
"Yes. I'm sure you know him better than anyone, Investor. Thanks to his recent actions... our affiliated artists have been making various inquiries."
Click.
The screen changed again.
It now showed a private chat conversation with someone. The content was stiff and serious.
"Who holds the copyright to the character after the company goes bankrupt? Normally, a talent cannot continue to use their character avatar after 'graduating.' This is because..."
"The avatar was created with company funds, making it company property. The VTuber is merely an actor who used the company's avatar to broadcast."
A silence fell over the room at the blonde CEO's words.
It was an uncomfortable part of the 'red pill' discussion, but this was a place where hundreds of millions were exchanged with a single word.
"I used to have a favorite idol group. When they left their agency, they formed a new group on their own, but they had to use a different name than their original one."
"You're saying the avatars are also like that?"
"Yes. But this case is a little different. I don't know how well he managed to coordinate with the stakeholders, but he made it so that all the VTubers could become independent with their own channels."
Everyone in the conference room swallowed hard at the investor's words.
"...Yes. Ma'am. He."
The investor's voice was laced with an eerie intensity.
"..."
"Well."
The blonde CEO scratched her cheek and spoke.
"Rumor has it that the team leader of the virtual idol division under Rescal Entertainment met with him personally to make an offer."
A faint laugh echoed from beyond the tablet.
"..."
"Ah, that unstable one... ahem."
The gazes of those in the conference room crossed for a moment.
Even in a meeting, there were some things best left unsaid, even if everyone knew.
"So, shall we offer 300 million?"
"I'm aware of that, but... he proved his skills in Japan. This is Korea."
"His methods might not fit the Korean sentiment. In the first place, his approach is-"
The investor's word, cutting off the Vice President, was as sharp as a blade.
"Pardon?"
"..."
"Yes."
The CEO smiled as she spoke.
"We will recruit him and have him produce the next generation of our <Fantagio>."
"If we do that, the subtle friction with the senior generations..."
"He has enough merit to be managed as an independent generation. In fact, the senior generations might be even more eager to approach him. He is a talent worth taking such a risk for."
The CEO stamped her seal in the approval box of the document in front of her.
"I don't know where he is or what he's doing, but we have to bring him in. At the very least..."
"At the very least?"
"If we can't have him, we must ensure no one else does."
The CEO and everyone else in the conference room looked out beyond the curtains.
"There are more than just a few people after him."
"...Are you saying major corporations are also targeting him?"
"It's become a virtual industry now. I don't know where he is or what he's doing, but he's probably looking for a new nest somewhere in Seoul, don't you think?"
In front of my house.
I crossed the yard, opened the main gate, and found food sitting on the doorstep.
It wasn't a remote area that incurred extra delivery fees, but since it was a house and not an apartment, things like this couldn't help but make me a little anxious.
Especially in a situation where a strange being had just appeared.
"Is this the power of 'cash-chemy'? Incredible. To think you can have such hot food delivered just by having money."
However, the person in question was only interested in the food spread out on the living room table.
"This is a hambugie."
"Hamburger."
"But that angel over there called it a hambugie."
"...That's just something people say on the internet."
Should I be glad she didn't say something like "hambugie-book-stacks" or whatever that meme was?
"I see. Hamburger... confirmed. A hamburger can be called 'buger' or 'bugie' for short. Noted."
It was a clear example of how the ills of internet broadcasting could corrupt even beings from another dimension.
"...But why is it called a hamburger when there's chicken inside instead of ham?"
"..."
"Understood. I shall restrain myself."
Or perhaps I should be amazed that she had already grasped enough about this world to use such things to leave me at a loss for words.
"Thank you for the food."
Rasian picked up the chicken patty hamburger with both hands.
I thought she would take a big bite, but she nibbled at it delicately, like a hamster shelling a sunflower seed.
"...As I thought."
The moment she took a bite, Rasian's eyes began to sparkle.
"I believe I can sublimate this into mana."
"...Mana?"
"Yes. It's not high-quality mana, but it seems I can accumulate mana through food consumption."
Putting down the half-eaten hamburger, Rasian moved on to the french fries, nuggets, and coke, tasting each one.
"It's not just the hamburger; the other foods are the same. If I were to describe it... it would be like converting calories into mana."
Rasian patted her stomach with her palm and smiled.
It seemed that great archmages possessed a grand magic that could convert food in their stomachs into mana.
"..."
A question arose in my mind, but I couldn't bring myself to ask it.
If there's an input, then-
"Just in case you were wondering, the matter of the restroom does not apply to me."
"......!"
"'How did she know what I was thinking? Can she read minds?' If that's what you're thinking, I'd like to tell you that's not it."
Rasian sighed and pointed to her stomach once more.
"Your expression is identical to that of an acquaintance when I first developed this magic and told them about it. No matter how skilled someone is at controlling their expressions, they all make that face when I talk about this magic. And they all think the same thing."
"Wh-what do you think I was thinking?"
"'She probably doesn't need to go to the bathroom.'"
"..."
"Unfortunately, it's not a magic I can cast on others. It's a spell I've meticulously woven for myself. The only exception would be if you learned it directly."
"..."
Perhaps it was an occupational hazard.
Normally, my first reaction should have been 'I'm jealous' or 'That's so convenient.'
But the thought that came to me first was...
'That would be convenient for streaming.'
The absence of a problem that was most fatal for female internet broadcasters, yet unavoidable for any human.
-1:02:11 01
-2:40:53 02
-2:55:40 03
...
Back when I was managing a VTuber, there were people who would even track 'how many times she went to the bathroom in a day.'
-Th-this is just counting the times I was away, right? It has to be, right? The fact that you're checking so precisely every time I say I'm going to 'pick flowers'... it's just a coincidence, right?
-I'll look into it right away. Please don't worry too much.
I remember how furious I was back then.
I eventually found a way to prevent such comments from appearing in the chat, but things like that had happened.
Of course, there were also those who worried about bladder infections if she didn't go at all.
"In that sense, I would like to request that you order more hamburgers."
"More hamburgers?"
"Yes. I've become curious about this 'bulgogi patty' as well."
"..."
"What is it?"
"It's... nothing."
What was I even thinking, treating a great archmage from another world like this?
'A half-cam eating show? I must be crazy.'
Have I been too obsessed with work?
How could I still be thinking about work even when I came here to rest?
"Is that so? Well. I suppose it would seem strange for a man living alone to order nearly ten hamburgers."
"It's not really like that these days."
"Why not?"
"You can just say you're filming for YouTube or something."
"Is that so? What a relief."
Rasian continued speaking as she sipped her coke through a straw.
"I thought about ten would be enough to replenish the magic I need to return."
"..."
?
"What did you just say?"
"Ah."
Rasian, who was about to take the last bite of her hamburger, widened her eyes in surprise.
"I forgot to tell you."
"D-Don't tell me...?"
"I can cross back over there using dimensional magic. It's similar to a warp gate."
"..."
...