I May Be a Virtual Youtuber, but I Still Go to Work

It was a twenty-minute trip, but since I needed to stall for forty, I stopped by a café near Dora’s place.

She’d probably be parched after cleaning, so I figured I’d grab her a drink while I waited.

I had plenty to do in forty minutes.

Being outside the office meant I could finally watch native highlight clips without worrying about someone looking over my shoulder.

So, after a grueling forty minutes of holding back laughter in a corner of the café to preserve my dignity as a working adult, I grabbed a peppermint tea—Dora’s favorite—and headed to her apartment.

[Me: I’m here.]

But when I arrived at her door, there was no immediate response.

I pressed my ear against the door, just in case—

CRASH. THUNK. CLATTER.

The unmistakable sounds of plastic falling and rolling echoed from inside.

I told her to clean, not demolish her apartment.

She wouldn’t have messed with the soundproof booth, would she?

I rang the doorbell.

Ding-dong.

Still no response.

This time, I knocked firmly.

Knock knock knock knock knock.

Unfortunately, my hands were small, so the sound came out just as tiny.

It was loud enough to be heard over the commotion inside, but there was still no reply.

Was she wearing headphones?

Not long ago, she had posted about buying a fancy new pair, saying that connecting them to her sound card was like stepping into a whole new world.

Ever since I became cute, I kept running into situations like this.
But this was my job on the line, so it was a little more concerning.

"As long as she doesn’t touch the computer, it should be fine."

She probably wouldn’t.

Then again, I suddenly remembered a chat from a few days ago…

[Dora: Don’t be like that, I’ll just pretend my equipment is broken.]
[Dora: Let’s all meet up at my place, hahaha.]
[Parallel Operations Team - Magia: Please keep that kind of talk out of group chats I’m in.]
[Dora: Hng.]

… It should be fine.

Dora had moments of genius, but would she really go this far just to get me to come over?

"Maybe I should just wait ten minutes."

Even when she was late to streams and made a dramatic fuss about taking her punishment, it was never more than five or ten minutes.

Two more highlight clips, and she should be done.

It was cold outside, but since this was a self-contained apartment complex, the elevator hall was indoors.

I folded my coat into a makeshift cushion and crouched in a corner of the hallway next to her door.

The floor was chilly, but the building’s ventilation system kept the hallways warm.

After watching two clips, the chaotic cleaning noises inside finally stopped.

Almost as if on cue, my phone rang.

I swiped to answer while knocking on the door.

"I'm outside."

[Ahhh, I’m so sorry…! I was blasting music through my headphones and didn’t hear my phone…]

"It’s fine. Open the door."

I dusted off my coat as I waited, and—beep!—the door lock clicked open.

Dora appeared in the doorway, looking a bit disheveled.

Thankfully, she was wearing dolphin shorts this time.

The first time I visited, she had sprinted out in just her underwear, nearly giving me a heart attack.

"Sorry for not seeing your messages right away… Did you wait long?"

After locking the door behind me, I muttered with a blank expression,

"Not really. More importantly, I’m just relieved you’re wearing pants."

"Ughhh, I told you to forget about that! And it wasn’t underwear, it was pants-less fashion!"

"Either way, you weren’t wearing pants."

"Uuu…"

Uuu, my ass.

She wasn’t even wearing a long top that time.

If someone else had seen her like that before I did…
I didn’t even want to think about it.

Since she had claimed to clean, I glanced around.

Sure enough, the place looked tidier than my last visit.

The only suspicious thing was a moving box sitting in the middle of the living room.

‘… Ran out of time to finish?’

It looked like she had shoved everything inside in a last-minute panic.
I decided to ignore it.

If I opened it and found some black melon-colored fabric or lacy little triangles, I’d be the one in trouble.

Dora gave me a sheepish grin and quickly averted her gaze.

I ignored her and headed straight to the computer setup.

Her apartment was structured like a studio, but a sliding door separated the bedroom from the living room.
She had converted the entire bedroom into a soundproofed streaming space.

Which meant—

Gulp.

Just how bad was the mess?
… Or worse, what if she actually cleaned it?

I hesitantly opened the door.

500ml water bottles and empty zero-calorie soda bottles scattered around the computer.
A mountain of towels piled in the corner—probably from drying her hair post-shower.
Dozens of hair ties tossed every 30cm across the floor, likely a rotation system for her streaming gear.

It was an absolute disaster.

"... Phew."

I let out a sigh of relief before I could stop myself.

This was the first time seeing such a mess had made me feel safe.

I turned back to Dora and gave her a thumbs-up.

"Thanks."

Dora proudly puffed out her chest.

"Oh, you don’t have to thank me or anything! Hehehe. Um, if there’s anything else that needs cleaning, just hand it over! I’ll take care of it!"

… She thought I was praising her.

***

It took about thirty minutes to restore the computer area to its original state.

As I handed off items to Dora, she scurried back and forth like a little transport robot, sorting trash into the recycling bin and shoving miscellaneous items into that big box in the corner—conveniently positioned behind the door, making it pretty obvious what she was doing.

After that, I used a dust brush and a handheld vacuum to carefully remove the dust from the equipment without kicking up a storm.

When it was all done, Dora clapped her hands with a bright smile.

“It’s spotless! As expected of you, Gia.”

“If you had even the slightest knowledge about your own equipment, you could’ve done this yourself.”

“Ugh. No facts allowed. I know that, but it’s not like I can actually do it.”

“What about dinner?”

“We have to eat.”

“The CEO gave me the company card and told me to treat you to something nice. So, pick what you want.”

“No way. Steak! Can I get two?”

She really was a dragon-themed VTuber, considering how obsessed she was with meat.
If you asked her what’s the lowest acceptable steak quantity, she’d answer “two” without hesitation.

Back when the CEO took everyone to a buffet to celebrate their successful debuts, she made four separate steak reservations.

“You have to finish everything you order. And no burping on stream.”

“Ah! Seriously?!”

Dora huffed and flailed her arms, making the two creatures hidden under her oversized t-shirt bounce and wave at me.

Hello there, twin sacks of fat.

They were as large as the panel she used for streaming.

But they had no effect on me.

During auditions, I admired the first-gen members for their charm, talent, and stage presence.
After a year of working together, they were just Dumbass, Foreigner, Eccentric, and Megaphone to me.

The more time passed, the more they felt like a bunch of unruly sisters, completely devoid of any mystique.

So even if Dora paraded around her twin melons, my brain registered nothing.

I smirked and pulled up the delivery app.

“Do you want soda?”

“Hmph. No.”

“I do.”

“……”

Dora hesitated for a second before suddenly leaning forward, resting both hands and her chin on my shoulder.
Then she whispered into my ear.

“…Quincy Zero Lemon… just one…”

Despite having the most adult body among the first-gen members, she still smelled soft and fresh.

When I tilted my head to glance at her, she just grinned at me like What’s wrong?

Was this really the same girl who used to shrink back whenever I stared at her for too long?

Judging by the way she constantly begged for meals in the group chat, I already knew she had started treating me differently.

She had seemed awkward right after opening the door, but that was probably just guilt from making me wait.

Now, she was practically invading my personal space.

… The other first-gen members were probably going to act like this soon too, huh?

I should brace myself.

“I added your soda.”

“Thank youuuu… Hehe.”

Since I had already placed Dora’s order, I figured I should pick something for myself too.
I backed out to the main screen and searched for pizza.

Dora, who had been peering over my shoulder, immediately asked,

“Huh? You’re not getting steak with me?”

“I’m in the mood for pizza today.”

I had just suggested ordering separately, but Dora mumbled to herself, looking conflicted.

“Now that you mention it… I kinda want pizza too.”

“What about the steak?”

“…Sorry. Can you cancel it?”

Now?@@novelbin@@

“You don’t have to cancel. Why not just get both?”

“Ugh. I’m not a pig. I can’t eat that much.”

“I’ll eat too.”

Dora wordlessly placed her hand on top of my head.

“As if that matters~ You’ll just eat one slice and say you’re full.”

Then she grinned at me.

Ah. She was counterattacking.

I called her a “tiny dumbass” earlier, so now she was taking a jab at me for eating like a sparrow.

She wasn’t wrong.
Ever since I shrunk, my portions had naturally dropped to about half of what they used to be.

But challenging me to a petty comeback battle? How naive.

I was immune to short jokes.

“I should ask your YouTube editor to make a highlight compilation of your hiccup fails.”

“You…!”

Despite being way taller than me, she puffed out her cheeks in protest.
It was kind of cute.

Since she kept reacting, I couldn’t help but tease her.

It was the same when dealing with the CEO—if someone treated me casually, my inner troll instinctively kicked in.

But I was still her manager, and this was technically work.

I needed to dial it back a little.

“Kidding. Anyway, what kind of pizza do you want? We’ll order both steak and pizza, and whatever’s left, you can pack for later.”

Dora, who had been seconds away from bursting, immediately deflated.

“I’ll just eat whatever you pick. I already got what I wanted with the steak, hehe.”

She was going to regret that.

Without hesitation, I completed the order and showed her my choice.

Dora took one look at my screen and recoiled in horror.

“Never mind. I don’t want pizza anymore.”

Hearing that actually pissed me off.

What the hell was wrong with pineapple pizza?

***

— Dora (VTuber) Gallery —

[Wait, is there a collab today?]

— View on Z —
Akari Dora ☑ @Akari_Dora - 1 min ago
(Photo)
How can anyone eat something as vile as pineapple pizza? 🤮
———————————————

Dora almost never posts food pics unless she’s collabing.

[Comments]

— Dora185: Did she invite Komari?
ㄴ Dora351: Nah, Komari’s in ranked games all day. She can’t join.
ㄴ Dora351: And Komari hates Hawaiian pizza.

— Dora874: I don’t think she has anyone to collab with today.
ㄴ Dora716 (OP): That’s why I’m asking.
ㄴ Dora716 (OP): The CEO is streaming tonight too.

— Dora (VTuber) Gallery —

[I have uncovered the truth.]

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

This is true domain expansion.

No, but seriously, I never would've guessed she was a pineapple pizza person. 😂😂😂

[Comments]

— Dora185: What the f***, tell me too.
— Dora157: This dude is laughing.

— Dora951: Hey, you too?
ㄴ Dora363 (OP): You too?
ㄴ Dora910: Reported for clique behavior.

ㄴ 🟧Dora1: Hey, you guys too?
ㄴ 🟦Dora01: Mod, you too?
ㄴ Dora240: Even the admin?
ㄴ Dora932: Are we pretending we don’t know?
ㄴ Dora910: ?????????