The debut stream is basically a time for self-introduction.
Name, age, birthday, height, likes, dislikes, the mama and papa who drew and animated their model, their streaming tags, hobbies, special skills, goals…
Most debut streams usually cover these things, though with slight variations.
How uniquely and eye-catchingly a VTuber presents this standardized debut stream often determines how much attention they get.
That’s why, on modern Earth, it wasn’t uncommon to see VTubers who put an insane amount of effort into their debut streams, enough to leave viewers in awe.
But in this fantasy world, Lily is the very first VTuber. Even without trying to stand out, the fact that it’s the first-ever VTuber debut stream means it’s bound to feel fresh to the audience.
And so, the debut stream proceeded smoothly and uneventfully until the special skills introduction.
[Also, I can play musical instruments. In the future, I’ll have chances to perform for you all during streams, so please look forward to it.]
She can’t clean, cook, or do laundry, but she can play instruments?
Amazing, Maid Lily.
So she’s not a maid, but a bard, right?
Wait, so one of those people who posted music covers in the gallery was actually Lily?
Is it real that none of her hobbies or skills have anything to do with being a maid?
Isn’t this just a case of someone deluded into believing they’re a maid?
But how do you even animate an avatar playing an instrument?
Play something right now?
For reference, the Third Imperial Princess actually knew how to play instruments.
Not just one, but several.
Even if she had debuted on modern Earth, her skills would have been considered top-tier for a rookie VTuber.
Even the BGM playing in the stream right now was something the Third Princess had played herself, and I had somehow managed to edit it into the stream.
If she hadn’t known how to play instruments…
wouldn’t the BGM have ended up sounding so garbage that just listening to it would make you feel dumber?
[Play something right now? Hmm… I wasn’t really planning on playing anything today…]
That’s a lie.
From the moment she listed “playing musical instruments” as one of her skills, performing during the debut stream was already a set decision.
We’ve even manipulated public opinion under the guise of “promotion” on the gallery to draw in as many viewers as possible. In that case, we need to give those viewers at least one more reason to keep watching Lily’s streams.
And playing an instrument is more than enough to serve as a strong appeal point.
[Then, should I play a short piece?]
As Lily said that, something appeared on her chest.
No, to be exact, something was attached to her chest.
It was an image of an acoustic guitar—the so-called eternal companion of imperial bards.
Wow, this sucks so bad.
Wait, does the avatar not even have a feature for holding instruments?
Did she draw that guitar herself?
That’s a terrible drawing, lmao.
She’s seriously planning to perform with that?
My expectations just hit rock bottom.
So she has money to spend on her avatar but not enough to buy a decent guitar image?
Lmao.
For the record, Anna was the one who drew that guitar.
Was it because she had no talent for drawing?
No.
I specifically asked her to draw it badly for the sake of entertainment.
There’s a certain type of humor that comes from something being so terribly bad.
[This guitar was given to me by someone who’s like a mother to me…]
Gasp.
Oh no.
So the person like a mother to her just happens to be uniquely terrible at drawing.
She just pulled out an uncounterable defensive magic right there.
A dedicated maid takes care of a princess’s entire daily life, almost like a mother caring for her child.
So, it wasn’t exactly wrong to say that.
“Your Highness…!”
Hearing the Third Princess’s on-stream remarks, Anna seemed deeply moved.
Her loyalty toward the Third Princess had probably risen even higher.
Managing her closest aides while also streaming…
The Third Princess’s talents were starting to feel downright terrifying.
“By the way… I’m really looking forward to seeing what song you’ll perform.”
It was my first time hearing the Third Princess play guitar properly, too.
Well, I had heard her while editing the BGM, and it was obvious she was skilled.
There wasn’t much to worry about.
At that moment, Anna smiled slightly and spoke.
“Do you know why His Majesty, the Emperor of the Empire, never stopped Her Highness from practicing guitar, even when it made her fingers calloused?”
…Now that she mentioned it, that was a good question.
Why didn’t he stop her?
Could it be that he was just too much of a doting father?
Also, maybe this was just my own prejudice, but…
an acoustic guitar didn’t really match the image of a princess.
If I had to think of an instrument that suited a princess, a piano, violin, or flute would come to mind immediately.
But an acoustic guitar?
Not so much.
“It was partly because the first song Her Highness practiced and performed on the guitar was for His Majesty.”
It seemed like the current emperor of the Astell Empire really was a doting father.
Honestly, if the Third Princess ever said “I hate you, Dad,” wouldn’t she be able to get literally anything she wanted?
While I was lost in such useless thoughts, Anna continued speaking with a voice filled with pride.
“His Majesty believed that Her Highness’s talent was far too precious to be wasted just because of a few calluses.”
And at that very moment, the sound of an acoustic guitar began playing on the stream.
Then, layered over the sound of the guitar, came the voice of the Third Princess—no, of Lily.
The acoustic guitar and Lily’s voice instantly blended together.
“Wait, this… holy… wow…”
There’s a saying in the VTuber world.
You don’t choose your oshi—your oshi comes to you, punches you in the face, and declares, “I’m your oshi now.”
And I agreed with that statement with every fiber of my being.
Because I had experienced it firsthand.
Back then, I had wanted to find a VTuber to oshi, so I watched live streams of those that people recommended as fun.
But nothing really clicked.
I ended up just skimming through their kirinuki clips instead.
That was who I used to be.
But after watching the debut stream of an untested rookie VTuber, I found myself watching more and more of their content.
Before I knew it, that rookie VTuber had become my oshi.
But now, I finally understood.
I had never truly experienced what it meant to have an oshi.
I had been mistaken.
The saying that your oshi comes to you, punches you in the face, and declares themselves as your oshi—it wasn’t just a metaphor.
It meant that when you truly find your oshi, it feels like getting smacked upside the head.
Honestly, I had listened to more VTuber utawaku—singing streams—than I could count.
There were even VTubers who specialized in utawaku—full-on Vsingers. That’s how much of a red ocean the singing content scene was in the VTuber industry.
Finding a VTuber who could sing decently?
That was easy.
Which is why I almost never felt shocked while listening to a VTuber’s utawaku.
And that’s why…
The moment Lily’s utawaku smacked me upside the head, my oshi was set in stone.
Lily’s utawaku had that level of destructive power.
…Someday, I have to make her sing J-POP.
[Thank you. How was it?]
Is this really a maid?
After hearing this, I feel like I don’t need to do chores anymore.
So she’s actually a bard who thinks she’s a maid?
Lol.
Damn, she plays the guitar really well.
She could probably make a living just as a bard.
I wondered what Lily—no, the Third Princess—was feeling right now.
Well, I didn’t even need to see her to know.
She just hit a home run, so she must be feeling amazing.
She’s probably thinking that she absolutely killed it.
Isabella, the Third Princess of the Astell Empire, placed her right hand over her heart and took a quiet breath, trying to calm its rapid beating.
In truth, she had repeated this action multiple times since the start of the stream.
Was she nervous because so many people had tuned in to her first broadcast?
Was she feeling pressured to make it a success?
No, that wasn’t it.
Then, was she excited because she had nailed the performance, just as Ray Volkan had predicted?
That wasn’t it either.
Right now, the princess who carried the most noble bloodline in the empire was pretending to be a maid.
And countless citizens of the empire were watching her in real-time, completely unaware of the truth.
On top of that, the chat was filled with messages that Isabella could never tolerate if they knew that Lily was actually her.
A level of wicked thrill and exhilaration far beyond anything she had felt in her previous brief streams engulfed Isabella.
Her body trembled.
For an ordinary person, their voice would have been shaking uncontrollably by now.
[It looks like it’s time to wrap up my first stream.]
But Isabella continued speaking without revealing even the slightest crack in her composure.
[I plan to stream at the same time tomorrow. See you all then, Master.]
And with that, VTuber Lily’s first stream came to an end.
At the same time, an indescribable afterglow spread through Isabella’s entire body.
She didn’t know how long she remained immersed in that lingering sensation.
“…That was fun.”
She muttered under her breath.
Just then, a knock echoed through the room.
“You may enter.”
The door opened, and two people stepped inside—Anna and Ray Volkan.
Anna was the first to speak.
“Your Highness, you must be tired. I’ll prepare some tea for you.”
“…Yes, please.”
At Isabella’s words, Anna immediately left to prepare the tea.
At the same time, Ray Volkan spoke.
“You did an excellent job, Your Highness. It was truly remarkable. I don’t even know if I have the right to critique it. Especially your singing and guitar performance—my god… If monetization were enabled, I would have thrown my entire wallet at you on the spot. I can guarantee that today’s stream will go down in VTuber histo—”
“…Ray Volkan.”
She interrupted him before he could finish his blatant flattery—flattery so over-the-top that even a sycophant would have cringed.
Because she had something she wanted to say.
A small smirk tugged at Isabella’s lips.
“Good work.”