At Dohee’s instruction, the first-generation members immediately got into the car, only to feel a headache coming on as they read Jia’s message.
The most shocked among them was Maru, who had previously burst into tears, convinced she had deeply hurt Jia.
“What the…? Did we just get played?”
Judging by the message alone, it seemed like Jia had figured everything out and turned the tables on them.
Komari sighed and muttered,
“I knew something felt off when everyone was awkwardly trying to compliment her. We got caught.”
Even if Jia wasn’t the most perceptive person, she had never seen the first-generation members trailing after her like this before. On top of that, the compliment relay wasn’t just normal praise it was so over-the-top that any listener would find it ridiculous.
Komari openly called Dora out.
“Now that I think about it, everything was terrible. ‘Wow, are you the seagull Jia used to raise?’ What even was that?”
Maru turned to Rain.
“And what about Rain unnie bringing up superconductors? That trend died ages ago.”
From the third row, Dora stretched out her arm and grabbed both of them by the back of their necks.
“Are you two seriously about to start a UFC match? Calm down.”
“I was just stating facts.”
“This is a disaster. A complete failure.”
Unfortunately, Rain also lost control at the timing of it all, unable to hold back her laughter.
Even though they tried to force their mouths shut to match the mood, suppressed giggles leaked through.
“Khuhuhu. Kuhuhuhuhu.”
“Don’t laugh!”
“Unnie, are you seriously laughing right now?!”
“Pfft—Hahahaha! Kyahaha!”
But they couldn’t just keep bickering among themselves forever.
Their grand hidden camera plan, meant to touch Magia’s heart and bring her to tears, had completely flopped.
Still, they needed to pull themselves together, show her the cake, sing the birthday song, and at least properly give her the presents.
Komari sighed and mumbled,
“But seriously. Who prepares a hidden camera prank for their own birthday? Jia unnie is seriously weird.”
Hearing that, a memory suddenly flashed through Dohee’s mind.
That morning, when she had gone to pick Jia up, Jia had mentioned the “surprise gift” she had in her large bag.
‘Knowing Magia, there’s no way she just let this slide the moment she caught on…’
It was probably a gift that could be given at any time, but if Jia had realized the members were trying to prank her, she was definitely waiting for the perfect moment to strike back.
There was no way she had prepared something half-heartedly.
It would be best to mentally prepare the others in advance.
As they drove up the hill toward the campsite, Dohee stopped the car for a moment and turned her head slightly to the side.
“Once we get there, let’s check on Jia first, let her calm down a little, and then have the party. It’s better than just wrapping things up half-heartedly. We still have a couple of hours before bedtime, after all.”
Since it was Maru who had originally suggested the hidden camera prank, everyone’s eyes naturally turned to her.
She had exhausted all her emotions throughout the day, worrying about Magia, but her desire to show Jia how precious she was to all of them remained unchanged.
Even if the prank had failed, they couldn’t forget their true goal.
In the end, they had all come together for one reason to give Magia the best Happy Birthday of her life.
Magia never made a fuss about her own birthday. She wouldn’t even acknowledge it, instead taking the day off just to stay home. This was the first time she had come out like this.
Since Magia had made a big decision to be here, Maru had to reaffirm her resolve, too.
Wiping away her teary eyes, Maru spoke determinedly.
“Yes. Let’s talk to Jia first and then try again. It’s too early to give up!!”
* * *
Late November is cold.
Even if the stars gather in clusters, twinkling playfully as if they might fall right into my heart acting cute, being charming the cold remains the cold.
Not knowing how long I’d have to wait while hiding, I was glad I had tucked a heat pack into my jacket in advance.
Being small was a huge advantage at times like this.
Even with just an ordinary jacket, curling up like this meant my entire body was wrapped in warmth, letting the heat pack quickly spread its warmth through me.
I really wish they’d hurry…
I search the sky for constellations. Then I find the same constellations again. Whistling, I wonder, What constellation is that one?
Vrrrooom.
The CEO’s car rumbled up the hill, its heavy diesel engine giving away the urgency in their driving.
Normally, they would come to a smooth stop but not this time. The car screeched to a halt the moment it arrived.
Six people tumbled out in a rush, sprinting frantically in my direction.
Still hidden in my spot, I immediately switched on the battery pack, activating the device connected by wires to the battery.
Four long, straight blades shaped like those of a fan attached to a circular disk began to spin.
Whirrrr.
A thin, thread-like light glowed at the center of the spinning blades, forming words in midair.
A hologram projector.
A magical device capable of making the stars in the sky seem insignificant.
A tool to bring my stars down to earth.
[Please gather around the speaker in the center.]
[If you get too close, it could be dangerous, so watch from where the speaker is.]
Seeing the words suddenly appear in the air, the six of them stopped in their tracks and picked up a brick-sized Bluetooth speaker that had been placed on a nearby camping chair.
The words shifted into a countdown.
[5]
Counting down from five.
When the counter hit 1, music familiar to the four first-generation members began playing from the Bluetooth speaker.
[Goddess of Rain, Aoyagi Rain]
“Holy shit. It’s my song.”
Rain muttered in shock, slipping into English.
Soon, a 3D model of herself, used in broadcast performances, was projected into the air.
She was dancing with smooth, rhythmic movements just as she had in their first-anniversary song.
No one could take their eyes off the hologram.
As Rain continued to dance, the projection seamlessly transitioned to a glamorous, red-haired character.
[The Dragon Who Loved Humans, Akari Dora]
The music shifted to Dora’s original song, which carried her uniquely bright and refreshing tone.
“Whoa…! Did you see that transition? That was insane…!”
Dora twirled like a bird in midair, singing as she danced.
This, too, was a meticulously modeled recreation of a scene from her music video.
As her performance ended, she momentarily dissolved into countless shimmering light particles then reformed into a small elf girl.
[Battle Genius Elf, Midori Komari]
“…No way.”
Her dance? Ordinary. Her singing? Decent.
But in games, she was sharp and brilliant.
And now, she was in her element, taking the form of the archer she favored most, dashing across a battlefield.
Another faithfully recreated music video moment.
And then the final moment.
The lights suddenly vanished into pitch darkness.
From within the void, an explosive vocal rang out through the speaker.
A beam of light shot down from the sky, striking the ground.
It burned like a fountain of fireworks, then blurred into a haze, before summoning a single girl.
[The Singing Hedgehog, Nezumi Maru]
Gripping the standing microphone with both hands, as if reminiscent of the genius singer who once cried out for their “Mama.”
A brief instrumental break.
Then, Maru of the virtual world sings with deep emotion.
As if wherever she stands becomes a stage of its own.
“……………………………………….”
While Maru stares at the screen in silence, her character also slowly fades into the void.
Four stars, each representing one of them, twirl and dance together, forming the shape of a diamond.
At its center, the congratulatory message I had prepared for the first-gen members appears.
[Parallel Another, Happy 1st Anniversary!]
Maru, ever sensitive, is already trembling as she struggles to hold back her tears.
Even after crying so much earlier, it seems her tear ducts have fully recharged in no time—
the others are hugging her, making a fuss.
…Hmph.
It’s too early to get emotional—
the hologram video I prepared isn’t even over yet…
— BURP. Ah. Dragon burp. Uhyoo, that was legendary~.
The sudden loud belch startles Dora, and just like that, the latter half of the anniversary hologram begins.
“…W-what. What?!“
— W-well, for a dragon, this is totally normal! It just means I’m healthy! Ehehe!
“KYAAAH…!”
It’s my absolute favorite video Dora’s dragon burp compilation.
I even went out of my way to commission an MMD expert to make a 3D version of it.
— Huuuuhk. Hhic. Thank you so much. I never thought I’d make it this far…
— GOD DAMMIT! DEFENSE HOI! WHAT THE PARKING DELICIOUS! HELL YEAH!
— Ah! Rain unnie, shut up for a second!!
— Hey Maru. Shut up. Stop crying and just eat your sushi.
— Keuhup. Hhuphup!
“……Wait.”
“What the…”
Next up: Rain and Maru.
Maru is crying out of happiness because she can finally afford expensive food after debuting.
Meanwhile, Rain is ruining the moment, casually roasting her.
This is yet another one of my favorite collab videos.
MMD Expert #2 put in a lot of work for this one.
Fuck!
Seriously, you bastards.
If you keep throwing things, huh?!
I swear I’ll find where you live and chuck your PCs right out the window!
Huh?! HEY! YAAAAAAH!!!
“A. A. A… Ahhh!”
And lastly, Komari.
I’ve seen plenty of VTubers who swear, but Komari is the first I’ve seen who does it so flawlessly, in such a cute voice, too.
Of course, this is another one of my favorites.
Shoutout to MMD Expert #3 for their hard work.
Then comes an onslaught of clips—
from their Ara Aras, to Jagiyas, to Pijjettos—
stuff that makes the members want to die from embarrassment,
but that viewers (myself included) absolutely love.
[ FIN ]
[ Another, looking forward to another amazing year! ]
As the closing message fades, the hologram projector gradually slows to a stop.
For a moment, everyone stares blankly at the air—
Then, as if on cue, they all start shouting.
“MAJIA!!!”
“JIA! WHERE!! I’LL KILLL YOU!!”
“Seriously, where are you, unnie? Hurry up and come out. I’m holding the speaker in my hand right now. Is this a brick?”
“Where are you, Jia-nim? I’m seriously about to start swearing…?”
It was a beautiful quartet.
Congratulations don’t always have to be emotional.
Crying just because it’s an anniversary isn’t really my style, so I prepared a gift instead. Thankfully, it seemed like everyone liked it.
As expected, I prefer things to be fun rather than tearful.
But if they catch me now, I might actually get beaten up.
I need to stay hidden for at least five minutes until they cool down…………
“Majia.”
Just as I’ve observed the boss for six years, the boss has also observed me for six years.
There are still many things we don’t know about each other, but at the very least, the boss seems to have figured out that when I play pranks, I’m usually hiding somewhere and watching.
Before I knew it, the boss had caught me from behind and spoke in a low voice.
“Come out.”
…Hoeeeh.
TL/N : Magia is the gaming name of Jia/Majia.