Chapter 3: CH 2

“Hmm, what should I do…?”

I find myself in quite a predicament.

You see, I need to shoot a self-introduction video.

Originally, I had planned on using a male avatar, so I had to completely rewrite the script.

Even the name I had chosen had to be scrapped entirely.

Well, at least this 3D model is adorable, so I want to make her shine.

I’ve been trying to promote Yuru-sensei’s art, but it’s difficult since I’m doing it on a mob Tweeter account.

Nonetheless, there’s something more pressing than all of that…

“The gender’s really bugging me… What if I try creating a voice?”

I mutter to myself as I contemplate in my room.

“Well, it’s a problem that’s hard for me to figure out on my own. I’ll have someone watch the video and help me with the voice.”

Perhaps I could show it to a friend and get his feedback?

“As for the name, I need to think of a new one. I want to include ‘shiro’ because her hair is whiteish, but I also want to include ‘hime’ from my surname to make it seem authentic.”

After much thought, this is the name that came to me.

Yuka Shirahime.

Since Yuru-sensei did the character design, I chose a name that would make people think it was hers.

I added ‘shira’ to match the hair color, and since I associate ‘hime’ with pink, I thought it would make for a name that’s inspired by the hair color.

I don’t know how others will perceive it, though.

Now, onto the character’s personality.

Given her appearance, she gives off a younger sister vibe, so it’d feel natural to call her viewers onii-chan and onee-chan.

As for how she speaks, I’ll have my friend in class watch the video and give me his opinion.

He’s deep in the VTuber rabbit hole, so I’m sure he’ll have some good insights.

With these decisions made, I altered the script and donned the motion tracking equipment to prepare for recording.

Frankly, it gets pretty hot wearing the equipment and moving around, so I turned on the air conditioner.

Even though it’s only July, it’s still hot when you’re in long sleeves.

With a determined mind, I pressed the button and began recording.

Now that the weekend’s over, I headed to school the next day.

As usual, I entered the classroom, and since homeroom hadn’t started yet, I went to show my friend the video.

“Morning, Yuuto. So, there’s this VTuber video I want you to watch, could you?”

His name is Yuuto Sasaki, a friend I’ve been close to since elementary school.

We’re what you might call childhood friends.

He’s been there for me when I’ve been in trouble, so he’s a reliable friend.

“Oh, it’s you, Yuki. Morning. What’s this about a video?”

“It’s this. I want you to tell me what you think.”

“Sure thing, leave it to me.”

I showed Yuuto the video I recorded.

On the screen, there’s a cute virtual girl moving and talking, with me controlling her movements behind the scenes.

[Hey there, onii-chans and onee-chans watching this video for the first time! My name is Yuka Shirahime, and I’ve decided to become a VTuber starting today!]

“Hey, Yuki, isn’t this girl super cute?”

“R-Right?”

If I weren’t behind that avatar, I might’ve been able to genuinely say she’s cute, but my feelings are complicated at the moment.

[As the title suggests, this is my self-introduction video! I hope you stay with me till the end! Onii-chan♪]

“Guhaa!”

Yuuto suddenly clutches his chest in pain.

“Huh? What’s wrong, Yuuto?! You okay?!”

“This onii-chan is done for. My heart is racing. I’m gonna die.”

S-Seriously…?

“U-Um…?”

“For now, I’ll give my first impression. This girl will be popular—her voice and design are undoubtedly strong.”

As for the voice, I naturally altered it a bit. Otherwise, viewers would automatically know I’m a guy, but is it really that good?

It’s hard to think outside my own perspective.

[First of all, my name is Yuka Shirahime, and I’m 17 years old! It’s true, I swear!]

[My hobbies are gaming and singing. Due to copyright issues, I think I’ll only be able to sing approved Vocaloid or folk songs. I hope you bear with me on that!]

[I plan to stream primarily on weekends, so I’d be happy if everyone could come and play with me! Teehee.]

[My debut stream will be next week on July 11th, starting at 6 pm. I hope to see you there♪]

[I also plan on uploading vids thrice a week! They’ll be about me reacting to popular things, playing games that are easily clippable, and other such things, so give those a watch, too, please?]

Yuuto has been silent ever since the self-introduction started.

“How was it? Did it feel strange in any way?”

“I’m supporting her.”

“Huh?”

“Ah, shit, I might’ve fallen in love with a VTuber.”

Uh oh, at this rate, Yuuto might fall into unrealistic love.

“Um, Yuuto?”

“WHAAAAAT?! SHE’S SO CUTE!!!”

“Huh? Wha?”

My phone caught the attention of the girls in my class.

They’re watching the same video I just showed to Yuuto. Oh no, this is bad.

“LOOK UP YUKA SHIRAHIME!”

Wait!!! She doesn’t have a channel yet!!!

Oh no, they’ll find out! God help me!!!

“I’ll look up her name, too,” says Yuuto.

But there’s no way her name would come up.

Nothing has been uploaded yet.

“HUH? NO RESULTS???”

“Hey, Yuki.”

“HIME-KUN???”

“Y-Yesh?!”

“CARE TO TELL US HOW YOU GOT YOUR HANDS ON THIS GIRL’S VIDEO?”

Ahh, it’s all over for me now.

There’s no way the odds would work in my favor, and the homeroom bell would ring.

“…s me.”

“HUH? WHAT WAS THAT???”

“That VTuber is me!!!”

“HUH?”

“I was planning to debut with this video if Yuuto’s reaction was good enough since I haven’t even created a channel yet!”

“Huh? For real? Are you under a talent agency?”

“No, I’m an indie.”

“Seriously? How did you get such a high-spec model?”

“I paid 500,000 yen for it…” I reply, looking into the distance.

“You must be motivated to invest as much as 500 thousand, Hime-kun… I’m rooting for you!”

“Me too, me too! Do your best, Hime-kun!”

“A shota who can do a loli voice…Uhehehe…”

Three classmates, Katsuki-san, Amane-san, and Hanazono-san, gave me words of encouragement.

Wait, did Hanazono-san say something strange just now?

“Did someone say something weird just now?”

“P-Probably just your imagination.”

“Let me superchat you! I’m adopting you, Hime-kun!”

Katsuki-san seems to have thought the same thing as me, but Hanazono-san is in denial. Was it really just my imagination?

And what is Amane-san even saying?!

“Yuki, you’re amazing… if there’s anything I can do to help, let me know, ‘kay?”

It’s reassuring to hear Yuuto say that.

“WE’D ALSO LOVE TO HELP!!!”

It seems like Yuuto and the girls in my class instantly became fans after I showed the video.

Wait, we haven’t solved the issue about my way of speaking, have we?