Are there people inside?
A quiet cafe with a peaceful and elegant yellow lighting.
I’ve forgotten the name, but a song sung by some famous jazz singer with a sentimental tone fit perfectly with the refined atmosphere.
The vibe is great, and since not many people come here, it’s a neighborhood cafe that I really like.
The sound of coffee beans grinding and the hum of the machine running feel like music in this beautiful space. The atmosphere naturally bestows elegance, and the finishing touch is my presence.
Although I’ve hidden my perfect face with a mask and sunglasses, and my hair is covered by a hoodie.
Even my melon-sized two-year-old has been completely disguised with loose clothes and bandages — I found them at home — to conceal all traces.
What I mean is, the unique elegance a person carries just oozes out.
My white, long fingers carefully held the coffee cup with steam rising from it.
Then I slowly raised it, and the cup met my adorable lips that were slightly revealed under the mask.
Slurp.
Mmm…
“Ugh…”
I coughed, wiping the coffee that spilled from my mouth with a napkin.
Damn. My vibe.
“Ugh…”
It’s bitter. It’s so bitter I can’t even drink it.
It’s the first time my work is debuting on such a grand scale, so I wanted to commemorate it by watching it at a cafe…
But what am I supposed to do if I can’t even drink the Americano I ordered for a palate cleanser?
“Maybe my taste has changed too much…”
No matter how I think about it, this is unjustifiable.
How can someone not drink an Americano that’s had three pumps of syrup added to it?
“…What a waste.”
Of all cafes, this isn’t a cheap one. It’s the roastery cafe I, a guy, usually frequent. If I had known this, I would’ve just gone to a brand cafe… But it’s such a waste to throw it away.
Hmm… No one’s looking, right?
I quietly moved toward the napkin holder and squeezed some syrup into it.
The amount of Americano I had drunk was now restored.
“Ohh…”
Wow! Is the Americano here refillable?
…I shouldn’t say that. It’d be rude.
Slurp.
The bitter taste is still lingering in my mouth, but at least the pleasant sweetness follows.
“…Now it’s drinkable.”
Phew. Now I can focus on the broadcast.
I leaned back against the chair, stretching my body, and opened my laptop.
The debut of the first generation of Lumilive members is at 6 PM today.
And now, it’s 4 PM. There’s still quite a bit of time left, so I can do other things.
Then…
Click.
I connected the tablet to the laptop and took out the stylus.
Since I haven’t drawn at all since this body transformation, I’m worried about a lot of things. My body has changed, so even something simple like drawing a line might have shifted slightly.
So today, I’m going to try drawing a bit to get the feel back.
To be honest, I don’t have much interest in the VTuber culture, so if the work takes too long, I might just watch the replay later.
I won’t deny that I’m a geek, but… isn’t VTubing the pinnacle of geekdom?
To those who aren’t geeks, VTuber culture is something they push away, and to geeks, it’s something mixed with reality that they’re reluctant to engage with.
I love anime and games, but I’ve never watched VTuber content seriously.
Well, I’ve seen some legendary VTuber singing videos that popped up in the community. They sing well.
The hardest thing about being a VTuber is being called “mama.”
Although my body is like this, my mind is still male. Until a few days ago, my body was male too.
I don’t want to be remembered as a woman by random people.
To sum up, I neither dislike nor like it.
But since this is my first time in such a large-scale project, I’ll probably watch the live broadcast.
Ugh. Have I rambled too long?
Now that I’ve brought it up, I’ll try drawing a picture of Hanasaki Yui.
I haven’t posted any drawings on my White Palette account for a while, so I’ll do some self-promotion, even if it’s small.
Hanasaki Yui.
Key details: blonde hair, green eyes, short stature, big chest, innocent, playful, flowers.
Main request: don’t add too many flowers that sway too much to make rigging easier.
The pen danced freely over the tablet.
The lines feel smoother than usual.
A girl lying in a flower field, smiling sweetly.
Slightly rounded chest and the folds of her white dress.
The grass gently bending with the silhouette of her body.
A small dandelion blooming next to her pure smile.
Good, it’s done.
…Hmm?
“Huh. I definitely meant to draw lightly, but…”
Isn’t this drawn too well? This?
My own, the unique style of White Palette, is still intact.
But the texture of the clothes, the shading, the depiction of the skin, every little line.
The quality has definitely gone up vertically compared to when I was a man.
“This is dangerous. This.”
When I draw things like this, I get so happy.
I might even want to grab the title of the best in the industry…
Ding ding ding!
The alarm signaling 5:55 hit my ear through the wireless earbuds.
“of.”
“Right. Hmm. I should wrap this up now.
I’ll finish the picture of Hanasaki Yui later.
For now, I need to focus on my own work.”
[Everyone, hello! The leader of the Lumilive first-generation members, blooming like a flower! Hanasaki Yui! 15,773 waiting, starting in 5 minutes]
“About 16,000…”
Ah-hyun tried to smile, forcing the corners of her mouth up, but the mounting tension made her just twitch instead.
Well, it’s 16,000 people. Even if there were 1,000 students at a school, even combining 16 schools wouldn’t add up to this many people all gathered just to see me.
If we actually met, it would fill up the Seoul Olympic Park Gymnastics Arena with 1,000 people still left over.
After asking ChatGPT and really feeling the scale, Ah-hyun started shaking even more.
16,000 people are wasting 5 minutes just because of me, doing nothing.
“Phew. Hoo. Okay. Let’s not be nervous. Seo Ah-hyun, you’re amazing… You’re an amazing woman.”
The Nightcode Lumilive chatroom was already filled with messages from Killog Note, Flying Clouds, and the members.
[KillogNote: Yui, don’t be scared. If you just do half as well as you did in the interview, you’ll seem really confident.]
[Flying Clouds: Yui, you’re first. If you do well, the rest of the kids will have more people too.]
[Yamamoto Emi: Why are you making her nervous, manager? Even if you spank her now, it wouldn’t be enough.]
[Fujimoto Rie: Emi, that doesn’t suit the situation.]
[Yamamoto Emi: You intentionally made a typo, didn’t you?]
[Yoshida Misa: It’s not ‘somehow’ (X), it’s ‘on purpose’ (O). Is Emi from Gyeongsang-do?]
[Yamamoto Emi: Seriously… Just cheer for Yui.]
[Yoshida Misa]
“Hehe.”
The tension eased.
The members I’ve only known for a month after passing the final audition already feel like family, and they’re so fun.
I guess it feels that way even more since my family is far away in the countryside.
Ah-hyun’s fingers danced across the keyboard, filled with happiness and smiles.
[Hanasaki Yui: Yep! I’ll do my best!]
[Fujimoto Rie: Don’t put too much energy into it. It feels like a death flag.]
[Yoshida Misa: Yui, let’s go eat samgyeopsal after!]
[Yamamoto Emi: Ugh, pig;]
[Flying Clouds: Emi, if you don’t control your tongue during the debut broadcast, I’m taking you to the boxing gym with me.]
[Yamamoto Emi: Please save me;]
[KillogNote: Yui, fighting!]
“Hehe. Really. Everyone’s so funny.”
That’s why Ah-hyun really liked the first-generation members and the Lumilive family. Whether they’re fighting, playing together, or laughing like crazy.
“Okay. It’s starting now…”
Before I knew it, the time was 5:59.
Ah-hyun thought that if she kept Nightcode on, she would just keep chatting, so she turned it off.
Baparara~
The music played as the blonde girl danced in the flower field. It was the waiting screen provided by Lumilive, a high-quality anime image.
Ohhh
Killno has totally lost his beginner’s spirit
Normally, he just plays FPS; what’s this VTuber stuff?
Those who say they’ve lost their beginner’s spirit: They’ve only watched on YouTube and then just peeked at the live broadcast, but once they heard the word ‘VTuber’, they fully committed and came.
“Hmm…”
Of course, there weren’t only good reactions, but that didn’t become an obstacle for Ah-hyun.
The idol that Ah-hyun thinks of is a ‘growing idol’.
In other words, even if I hit obstacles, no matter how many times I fall.
I’m a being who gets up after hearing the fans’ support and shows them a smile.
“Okay! I just need to captivate everyone, right?!”
In a situation where a normal person would panic, Ah-hyun started the broadcast with a gentle smile.
“Ah. Ah, can you hear me?”
Wow
Wow, listen to that voice
Of course, the job lives on the voice, so it has to be good, really sucking up; Wow
Doesn’t seem that great?
Wow
Well, Flying Clouds will take care of it soon!
Ah-hyun doesn’t really care about the trolls.
She has the reliable Flying Clouds.
[Manager Flying Clouds] If the chat is blurry, it’s an instant ban
Ugh
Run away!
^^7
^^7
“Seems like it’s coming through well. Okay, then. Shall we start?”
Paat.
The room is filled with pots of various flowers by the window.
In contrast, game consoles, potato chips, and comic books are scattered around.
The empty center signifies the imminent arrival of a beautiful girl.
Ohhh
Something big is coming
ᄃᄀᄃᄀᄃᄀᄃᄀ
ᄃᄀᄃᄀᄃᄀᄃᄀᄃᄀᄃᄀ
ᄃᄀᄃᄀᄃᄀᄃᄀᄃᄀ
Pip.
The flower crown on the blonde head sways just below the screen.
Swaying… swaying… a gesture that stirs the heart.
“Hehe. I’m not showing any more!”
?
?
?
?
[Manager Flying Clouds]?
Ah-hyun clearly had planned to debut properly at first…
But the thrill of manipulating people’s emotions was unexpectedly huge.
“Hehe!”
Yui laughed.