Chapter 7: I Only Need One Viewer.

Despite starting the stream, no one had joined yet.

It wasn’t surprising.

Even though I’d drawn something for someone last time, there was no guarantee they’d return.

If I were in their place, I probably wouldn’t come back either. I’d much rather watch other, more entertaining streams.

“Today, I’ll be working on a commission.”

Specifically, an album cover.

“Hm…”

The request from the singer Rage was straightforward: a slightly dreamy design, but with their face clearly visible.

To achieve this, I had already received a reference photo of their face.

I was still a bit unsure about how to approach it. How could I create an album cover that would satisfy the client?

As I was deep in thought.

[HurryAndLeave: heheh]

“Oh.”

The viewer from yesterday had joined the stream again.

[HurryAndLeave: Hi there.]

[HurryAndLeave: Looks like you just started streaming.]

“Ah, yes, I did.”

I was a little surprised.

I hadn’t expected them to return, but here they were.

“It’s nice to see you back. Honestly, I wouldn’t have been surprised if you didn’t show up again.”

[HurryAndLeave: Nah.]

[HurryAndLeave: You drew something for me last time, so of course, I had to come back.]

[HurryAndLeave: Plus, chatting with you is fun.]

Having even one viewer made the stream feel more alive.

It felt like every single person mattered.

Thinking that, I slowly started working on the album cover.

Swish, swish.

“So, today, this is what I’ll be working on.”

[HurryAndLeave: What’s this?]

[HurryAndLeave: It doesn’t look like a character.]

“Oh, I received a commission for this. That’s what I’m drawing now.”

[HurryAndLeave: Can I ask what kind of commission it is…?]

Hmm.

It didn’t seem like a big deal to talk about it. Besides, the client wasn’t particularly famous.

“It’s an album cover commission.”

[HurryAndLeave: Oh!]

[HurryAndLeave: Can you tell me the singer’s name?]

“That’s a secret, so I can’t really say.”

I didn’t think Rage would mind too much, but it was probably better not to bring it up.

If it caused unnecessary issues, it would only complicate things.

[HurryAndLeave: Ah, okay.]

[HurryAndLeave: By the way, the vibe is really nice.]

“I’m going for a kind of late-night aesthetic. There’s a bit of fog around, too…”

I incorporated the dreamy vibe Rage requested while making sure not to rely solely on their input.

Balancing these elements was tricky, but controlling such nuances was part of being skilled. It wasn’t overly difficult.

As I chatted with the viewer while continuing to draw.

[Whoa, what’s this?]

[This is the place, lololololol.]

[Haha.]

[Oppa~ hehe, oppa~ hehe, oppa~ hehe, oppa~ hehe, oppa~ hehe, oppa~ hehe.]

[HurryAndLeave: Wait, what’s going on? Where are these people coming from?]

[It’s the HurryAndLeave fan club, lololol.]

Suddenly, the chat exploded.

The speed of messages was on a completely different level than usual.

“Welcome, everyone. But where are you all coming from? There’s a sudden influx of viewers.”

[We came because someone posted the stream link on the forum ^^.]

[Whoa, but your voice is amazing lol.]

[Oppa, why is your voice so good…?]

[HurryAndLeave: Stop causing trouble and leave already. You’re so annoying.]

[You should’ve shared this earlier, lol.]

[You could’ve told us earlier.]

Feeling a bit awkward at the sudden surge of messages, I checked the current viewer count.

[Viewers: 26]

‘…That’s a 26-fold increase.’

It wasn’t like I was trading stocks or something.

Thinking it was absurd, I glanced back at the chat, which was still full of bickering.

Actually, to be precise, it seemed more like they’d come to cause trouble.

“If you’re not here to focus on the stream, I’ll start kicking people out.”

With that, I began forcibly removing viewers.

Click, click.

While having a lot of viewers was nice, people who came to disrupt weren’t real viewers.

As I continued issuing bans, HurryAndLeave, perhaps concerned, started typing in the chat.

[HurryAndLeave: Oh.]

[HurryAndLeave: Don’t you need other viewers?]

[HurryAndLeave: If you keep them around, it could bring more traffic to your stream.]

[Don’t ban me, don’t ban me, don’t ban me, don’t ban me, don’t ban me, don’t ban me, don’t ban me, don’t ban me.]

[User has been forcibly removed.]

It would be a lie to say I wasn’t a little disappointed, but not enough to regret it. That’s why I kept banning them.

“As long as I have you, HurryAndLeave, I’m fine.”

And I truly meant it.

As long as there were people who genuinely wanted to interact with me, that was enough.

After saying that, I continued working on the album cover.

The next day.

“I think this looks pretty good.”

I was satisfied with how the album cover turned out.

Although I had technically finished it during yesterday’s stream, something felt missing, so I worked on it further after the stream ended.

The final result was a blend of the intricate feel of R&B and the singer’s unique dreamy atmosphere.

“Yawn…”

Feeling a bit tired, I sent the artwork to Rage.

They’d probably review it and request edits if necessary later.

That said, working on something so meticulously, imagining and constructing it step by step, was a challenge.

It felt like creating something out of nothing.

As I was reflecting on that—

Rrring.

A call came in from Ryu Arim.

What could this be about?

The last thing I remembered was seeing her engrossed in her stream two days ago.

“Hello?”

“Oh, hi, senpai. Are you free right now?”

“I am. Why?”

“Do you want to grab some food? My treat.”

“Oh, if you’re buying, I’m definitely coming. Send me the address.”

“Got it.”

After ending the call, I waited for a bit until Ryu Arim sent over the address.

But still, asking me out for a meal so suddenly?

Could something good have happened?

“I guess I’ll have to ask her when I get there.”

Thinking that, I got dressed and headed out.

“Oh, senpai!”

“…Is it okay to eat here? This place looks like it’s going to cost a lot.”

The restaurant had a special-occasion vibe, and it felt a bit overwhelming.

It seemed like the kind of place where the bill would be pretty hefty.

“Come on, I said I’d treat you, so don’t worry about that.”

“Well, in that case, I’ll enjoy the meal.”

I still felt a bit uneasy, but I decided to just go along with it.

It seemed like Ryu Arim genuinely wanted to treat me.

Refusing any further would’ve been the rude thing to do.

“May I take your order?”

“Oh, yes. We’ll have one set of Course A, please.”

“Understood.”

After the staff left with the order, Ryu Arim smiled brightly before speaking.

“Senpai, you know how I told you I started streaming?”

“Yeah, you did.”

“Well, since I only started recently, I don’t have a lot of viewers yet. But yesterday, I ran into a streamer named Glim while playing a game, and they invited me to their group server.”

Hmm.

What was so important about this?

It didn’t seem like a big deal to me.

As I looked at Ryu Arim, wondering what she was so excited about, she smiled faintly and continued explaining.

“To join that group server, you need at least a thousand viewers, or you have to get invited by someone else. I got lucky and got an invitation.”

“Oh, that’s impressive.”

After hearing her explanation, I could understand why Arim was so happy.

While I didn’t know much about internet streaming, based on what I’d experienced so far, that group server must be a huge boost for increasing viewership.

Yesterday, my own stream saw a sudden spike in viewers because the community had posted my stream link.

If Arim joined a server full of famous streamers, the effect would likely be even greater.

“So, how many viewers are you getting now?”

As far as I remembered, her average viewership was about ten people.

“Hmm… on average, I get around 60 viewers now. When I collaborate with other streamers, I sometimes go over 100.”

“…Wow.”

Meanwhile, my stream averaged just one viewer.

As someone who streamed purely as a hobby, I couldn’t help but feel amazed.

“Does this mean you’ll treat me to king crab when you start earning big?”

After all, I did have a small part in her streaming journey.

When I watched her stream last time, I noticed the illustration I’d drawn was displayed in the bottom-right corner.

“Of course, I’d be more than happy to treat you to king crab!”

“Alright, I’ll hold you to that.”

“Yep.”

As we continued chatting, the courses started arriving one by one.

“…I can’t help but feel a bit jealous.”

It’d be nice if my stream could gain about eight more viewers.

Impressed by Arim’s talent for streaming, I started my stream at the usual time.

[The stream has started!]

But then.

[Viewers: 3]

The growth in viewership was unusual.