November 2007
Talent and aspiring voice actress Takase Erina, a member of Seito Publishing’s special project team “Fantasia Project Unit”, was once again broadcasting from the studio today.
In an era where technology was still lacking,
She was a primitive virtual idol.
[<F.P.U’s Blue Warrior Eri-chan’s Classic Game Challenge Live! #36 – Live Broadcast]
[Live Viewers: 17]
Takase Erina, also known as Blue Warrior Eri-chan, looked at the GAME OVER screen in front of her with a tearful expression.
“Ah, I died again! Uuugh, those bad guys!”
“…”
Sitting next to her, her manager manually adjusted Eri-chan’s facial expression. Ideally, the motion camera should have been able to handle facial changes on its own, but compromises had to be made for real-time broadcasting.
-Click!
Right on cue, Eri-chan’s expression shifted seamlessly.
As a result, the live chat began to pick up. Thanks to a recently added real-time text overlay feature, messages scrolled across the screen like gentle waves.
「wwww A cute girl who’s bad at games lololol」
「Eri-chan, you got this!」
「Ughhh, if she just waited two turns and used a fire-based AoE attack, she could’ve cleared that so easily. Frustrating. If it were me, I’d have bought a scroll from the merchant near Green Village and moved on already…」
「Her voice sounds familiar. Who’s the VA?」
「Her way of speaking feels so forced.」
“…”
Takase glanced at the chat screen instead of the game screen as she continued her broadcast.
Some comments were harsh, but as a corporate-affiliated talent, she couldn’t respond emotionally to viewers.
So, she did what she always did smiled brightly.
“Eri-chan the Warrior”
The motion camera flickered, and Eri-chan sheepishly tilted her head.
“…Ahaha, sorry! Sorry! But, you know, I’m just a warrior from another world, so I’m not really good at these kinds of games! Let’s keep our spirits up and try again!”
‘Still… compared to the first week, I’ve improved a lot. But with this tiny viewership, there’s no way I can expect any real profit from this stream…’
Praise, encouragement, criticism, complaints…
A flurry of reactions continued to scroll past in real time.
“…”
But there was only one person she was searching for.
‘…Is C not here today? Their way of speaking is pretty distinct, so I’d recognize them immediately if they were…’
Takase thought back to the hopeless early days of this project, during the summer.
Even now, the future still seemed uncertain,
It wouldn’t have been surprising if she had received a termination notice the very next day.
“…”
That dreadful first-week broadcast.
The only viewers back then were:
– Her manager
– The project team lead Ito
– Takase’s own alt account
– The tech manager
Just four lonely accounts sitting in the stream.
Morning meetings were always grim.
-Team Leader, since we’re on a paid platform, it’s really hard to attract viewers. Shouldn’t we move to a foreign free platform even now?
-We have no choice. We need to show results on a domestic platform to secure follow-up projects and collaborations. Plus, the publisher preferred a familiar platform…
-That’s…!
Takase felt like she was walking down a hopeless path. She couldn’t forget the gloomy atmosphere that lingered every time she went to work.
‘Well… it’s not exactly bright even now, is it?’
To make things worse, their contract required them to upload recorded live broadcasts to a foreign streaming site simultaneously. She couldn’t just quit under the excuse of feeling unwell.
Forcing herself to maintain high energy,
she pretended to talk to an audience that didn’t exist.
“…”
But then.
A single viewer joined.
「Anonymous: This stream is so fun! You’re really good at hosting.」
That one sentence echoed in her mind.
『It’s fun.』
That simple phrase made her realize, for the first time, that she had a ‘real’ viewer.
‘The way they talk… It’s kind but a little stiff. Are they using a translator? A foreign user?’
Regardless of Takase’s curiosity,
this viewer kept showing up as promised.
Changing their account name to C-yan, they came by every day, leaving messages of support and encouragement.
「C-yan: I’m looking forward to Hero-chan’s adventures every day!」
「C-yan: What kind of monster will you defeat today?」
「C-yan: You said you’d be streaming again next Monday, right? I’ll always be cheering for you!」
…
…
…
In the quiet chat window,
it felt like she was streaming just for one person.
C-yan.
Throughout the broadcast, they were constantly chatting. Takase didn’t know who they were, but their support gave her strength each time.
C-yan was nowhere to be seen.
“…”
Takase kept glancing at the chat window while playing the game. But their username was missing.
‘…Did they not come today?’
She hoped nothing was wrong.
「C-yan: Hero-chan, keep going today too! (≥▽≦)」
“!”
The moment she saw the message, relief washed over her, and she smiled.
“Oh! C-yan! Hello! I was waiting for you!”
Eri-chan’s energy spiked in an instant. As her cheerful voice rang out, the animated expression of Hero Eri-chan changed into a bright smile.
Even the manager’s face looked a little lighter.
‘What a relief.’
Only then did Eri-chan naturally continue the stream.
“Ahaha! Alright, shall we get back to our adventure with renewed energy?”
「C-yan: Eri-chan! You’re fighting a new monster today, right?」
「C-yan: Show us your bravery!」
“Alright! Hero-chan will take the lead!”
「Anonymous: wwwww staff member detected wwwwww」
「Anonymous: Staff?」
「Anonymous: I’ve been watching this stream from the start, and I swear that person is just a staff member trying to liven things up.」
「Anonymous: Delusions running wild…!」
「Anonymous: Not bad though? Seeing girls get along is kind of… noble.」
「Anonymous: Tee tee.」
「Anonymous: In my head, C-yan is a shy literary girl, secretly leaving comments while…」
No matter what the other viewers speculated,
C-yan’s support continued steadily in the chat.
Finally, the stream felt familiar again.
“Alright!”
With that, Takase regained her energy and resumed playing the game.
*
Go Hana closed her laptop in her dorm room and let out a sigh of relief.
“Phew…”
Once again, she had successfully kept small-time VTuber Doongi Doongi’s spirits up.
‘It’s a good thing this was a weekday evening stream. Worst case, I could’ve just played it in the background like a radio while working in the studio.’
It bothered her a little that she got so excited mentioning C so often, almost excessively. But for now, ensuring that her favorite VTuber didn’t disappear was the priority.
Wasn’t it still the romantic year of 2007?
A little networking could be forgiven.
“…”
To be honest, Hana didn’t really have a reason to care about them so much.
With technology and infrastructure still in such an underdeveloped state, even if so-called primitive VTubers mimicking future ones started to appear, it was only natural they wouldn’t be able to keep up with the flow of time.
The success of Saint Chris was an exception. That success had only been possible because of the shocking uniqueness of her performance and a drama packed with solid philosophy.
“…”
However.
Despite the poor technology,
despite the unfamiliar concept that made people turn away…
Go Hana knew that this had the potential to become a new culture.
And she had played a part in bringing this project to life.
‘In that case… it’d be a waste to let it die out just like this. If I help and it still fails, then that’s just how it is, but…’
In truth, Eri-chan’s streaming style and content were fairly ordinary for a VTuber.
The issue was just one thing, a hopeless lack of exposure and narrative.
‘I need something… something that’ll get people talking.’
As Hana thought about this, she turned to Mi-ja, who was busy working beside her.
“Mi-chan, are you really busy?”
“…”
Mi-ja had her earphones in, her hands moving frantically as she sketched webtoon storyboards. One leg was bouncing up and down as she focused entirely on her work.
‘…She looks really busy.’
Hana decided not to interrupt her further and carefully stepped out into the dorm hallway.
There, she spotted Yamada holding an L-shaped metal rod—a dowsing rod—searching for underground water.
“Yamada.”
“Hm? What? I’m busy right now.”
“I know you’re not busy, so come here for a second.”
Yamada slowly approached, still holding the dowsing rod.
Hana looked at her in disbelief.
“Where the heck did you even get that?”
“I bought it from that general store up ahead. Looked fun.”
“Yamada, the more I see you, the less I understand you. You mastered Korean in just a year to study abroad, then randomly started picking fights with Mari and playing the villain…”
“Ahh, I thought you were going to say something fun. But it was just nagging… Disappointing.”
As Yamada started to turn away, Hana quickly grabbed her.
“Anyway! Here’s the main thing have you ever sent any of your drawings to a publishing company?”
“?”
*
A Few Weeks Later
Takase Erina arrived at the studio as usual.
Her fellow trainees, the magician “Noa” and the rogue “Kagekage,” were already there. The managers and the team leader had also gathered. It had been a long time since everyone had assembled like this, even considering the project preparation period.
“Huh? What’s going on? Don’t tell me… the project is getting canceled…?”
Feeling a slight sense of unease, Takase greeted them.
“Good morning!”
“!?”
At the sound of her greeting, the person behind “Kagekage”—Mizusawa Kaede—hurriedly spoke up.
“Oh! Eri-chan, you’re here. Come over and take a look at this!”
“?”
As Takase stepped closer, she saw a large painting that had been hidden behind the crowd.
It was a portrait featuring herself, Noa, and Kagekage, painted in a style reminiscent of a grand novel cover, filled with an epic atmosphere. Beneath the elegant, vintage-style frame, the name “C” was inscribed.
“!”
“Isn’t this amazing? Looks like one of your viewers sent it in.”
“C…!”
“Getting something like this from a fan is really touching. And it’s such an incredible painting. Maybe that person is a professional artist?”
“Who knows…”
The team admired the painting for a while, then debated whether they should post it on the official website along with the talents. It was of such high quality that it would serve as great promotion.
Team Leader Ito spoke in a calm tone.
“…Regardless, we need to maintain the project’s concept. Instead of real photos of the talents, just post an illustration with a message of gratitude.”
“Understood, Team Leader.”
As the team busied themselves preparing the upload, Takase looked at the painting and smiled.
‘…Heh.’
24 years old.
An aspiring voice actress for years.
A life without any notable achievements.
But for the first time…
She had received this kind of support from someone.
And that fact alone filled her with pride.
“…I have to keep going.”
*
After the picture was uploaded to the official site, on a certain otaku forum, a fanart was posted depicting the imaginary character “C” in a romantic pairing with the hero.
Then, someone expanded on that fantasy, creating yet another fanart based on it.
What started as a small trend slowly grew, eventually drawing more attention to the broadcast itself.
[<F.P.U’s Blue Hero Erichan – Classic Game Challenge Livestream! #Episode 53> Now Streaming Live.]
[Current Live Viewers: 851.]
And so, the tale of the early virtual idols gradually became more than just a story, it began to take root as part of a growing culture.
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