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

Luckily, the equipment didn’t break—yet.

Since Dora was blindly shooting without aiming, there was no way her bullets could actually hit the boss. She died almost instantly, leading to a Game Over before any real disaster could strike.

If any of the equipment had broken, I would’ve had to submit a purchase request over a sad McMorning breakfast, Dora would have to write an incident report, and the stream would be ruined.

People assumed expensive gear was durable, but even a $1,000 smartphone could shatter from a single bad drop. Electronics were fragile as hell.

If Dora kept flailing around like this, it was only a matter of time before something did break—
Honestly, the mouse cable was probably the first thing that would go.

Leaning in close, I whispered quietly into her ear.

“Say you need to use the bathroom and mute your mic.”

“Huuh… huuuhhh…. I wanna go to the bathroom… huuuh….”

— Go ahead.
— Yeah, take your time.
— BRB, getting a drink.
— Bro, I nearly choked on my food from laughing.
— HOW does her aim shake that much?!
— This is legendary.

:: Anonymous donated 1,000 Clouds! ::
:: I don’t have dental insurance for this. TT ::

Once the mic was off, I turned to Dora.

“I figured out why things always go wrong when you play horror games.”

Sniffling, she wiped her teary eyes with her sleeve and blew her nose into a tissue.

“…What is it?”

“It’s your habits while playing.”

“My habits?”

I pulled up the recording I had taken earlier and played it for her.

The footage showed her whipping her head left and right while her right hand scrubbed across the desk like she was mopping the floor.

Dora stared at the screen, completely dumbfounded.

“…Do I really look like that when I play?”

“Yes. It’s incredible.”

“NO, IT ISN’T!!!”

Now that we had identified the problem, it was time to fix it.

“…What are you doing?”

From behind her chair, I grabbed her head and held it firmly in place.

“You keep looking away and flailing your arms. If I hold your head steady, your mouse won’t go flying all over the place.”

We could move the equipment further away, but I had already positioned everything at a safe distance ages ago.

After multiple incidents, I had arranged it so that Dora wouldn’t touch anything while still making it easy for me to access.

So rather than rearranging things again, the simplest solution was just to physically restrain her.

“This is impossible! I can’t move properly!!”

“If it’s too scary, do you want to end the stream?”

“UGH. I can still stream without doing this, you know?!”

“But you’ll just cause another equipment issue. This is the best way.”

“Uuuugh….”

As her break dragged on, chat started getting rowdy.

— Where’d she go lol
— Did she RUN?
— Hello?
— I KNEW she’d eventually bail on a horror game lmao
— Legend.
— Did she just abandon the stream?
— Abandoning your team, Hatchling?!

Sighing, Dora scowled at the screen.

“…Fine, I’ll just try keeping my head straight and my arms under control.”

“It’s scary, though. Can you handle it alone?”

“Ugh. Can you… maybe help a little differently…?”

She hesitated, glancing between the chat and me.

Then, in a barely audible voice, she mumbled,

“…This might sound weird, but it’s not for any other reason, it’s just to feel more secure… Can I put you on my lap?”

There it was.

I’d been waiting for this.

It was only a matter of time.

And now that she’d said it, a memory resurfaced—

Right.
When Komari had been with her, the stream had gone perfectly fine.

The stream had been a while ago, and I had been too stunned by Dora’s antics to connect the dots earlier.

“If we do that, will you stop flailing around?”

Dora pouted but nodded.

Fine, then.

I wasn’t the type to waste time dancing around a perfectly functional solution.

It would be weird to be wrapped up like a younger sibling, but if it worked, then whatever.

“Alright. Let’s do it.”

As soon as I hopped onto her lap, Dora carefully wrapped her arms around me.

Since motion tracking wouldn’t work in this position, she switched her Live2D model to a static panel.

Chat instantly caught on.

— It finally happened.
— This setup is STRONG.
— This was how she cleared it last time too lol.
— Thank god, my teeth might be salvageable now.

Dora unmuted the mic and reentered the game.

Her voice had completely changed.

Her energy, her focus—she sounded like a determined warrior.

:: MISSION: ::
:: (New) Clear the game and claim your prize - 50,000 Clouds! ::

“Alright, I’m going serious mode now! Thank you for the mission! Guys, I’ve equipped my gaming suit! This time, we’re going all the way! LET’S GOOOOO!!”

— No one believes you.
— 100% chance she’s screaming for her life in five minutes.
— “Serious mode” my ass.

The funniest part?

The only thing different was that I was sitting on her lap.

And yet, it was like she had become a different person.

“KYAAAAAAAH!!”

…Well.
She was still terrified, just less of a disaster.

At least now, instead of blindly running away, she was actually looking at the screen and fighting the monsters.

“DIEEEE!! KYAAAAHHH, DIEEEE!!”

Her aim was still awful, and she occasionally traced the enemy’s outline with bullets instead of actually shooting it.

But this time, at least she was aiming in the right direction.

— She’s evolving, she’s evolving.
— Still screaming, but at least she’s functional now lol.
— Is she mad or scared?

It was still a mystery why she was so different with or without someone around.

She had never mentioned it directly on stream.

But thinking back to a past conversation, I formed a hypothesis.

[ Dora: Oh, today? ]
[ Dora: I guess having someone else here makes me feel safer…? ]
[ Dora: I dunno, haha. ]

The company didn’t interfere too much in the private lives of VTubers.

After all, the company’s job was to support and develop talent—not micromanage their daily lives.

So all I needed to remember was that as long as Dora had someone with her, horror game streams would be smooth.

If Komari was available, great.

If not, I could fill in.

For me, sitting next to Dora wasn’t much different from being on night shift at the office.

But it completely eliminated every issue that came up during horror game streams.

Perfect.

This was exactly the kind of practical, efficient thinking I was known for.

Lucky Vicky moment.

***

Midnight at 12 AM.

After finishing her short broadcast, Do-hee left a closing comment to prepare for work tomorrow.

“Alright, see you in two days, MongMongs.”

— Moba ㅠㅠ
— Moba
— Don’t gooooooo
— モバ!
— Don’t go (sob sob emote) (sob sob emote)
— moba!
— moba~
— モバ (kiss emote)

Right after ending her stream, Do-hee logged into her alt account and headed straight to Dora’s stream.

[Kyaaaah! Kyaaaaaah! Don’t come! Don’t come! No bullets, no bullets! What do I do?! What do I do?!]

The moment she tuned in, an ear-splitting scream blasted from the speakers.

Do-hee winced and immediately lowered the volume by half.

🔴 [Live] Too Scared, So I Called Chinggu Over 👪 7,891
#Pandemic_Village #Parallel #TerrifiedPlayer

Despite it being so late, and even though this game had already passed its peak popularity, she was pulling in nearly 8,000 viewers.

Do-hee, whose channel had five times as many YouTube subscribers, had just ended her stream with around 13,000 viewers—on a weekday at midnight, no less. In comparison, Dora’s numbers were even more impressive than expected.

If Dora usually maintained around 5,000 to 6,000 viewers when playing horror games, then that meant at least 1,000 to 2,000 of these viewers had been drawn in by Gia.

That traffic could have come from another first-generation member’s stream, Momo’s stream, or even from casual Battle Colosseum players who didn’t normally watch Parallel content.

But one thing was clear: Gia was beginning to cultivate a dedicated fanbase.

That 1,000 to 2,000 viewers were people who had set aside other streams, other activities, and other games just to watch Gia.

Considering that the average first-generation member had around 3,000 to 4,000 viewers, the fact that someone who had only appeared on stream twice was pulling these numbers was remarkable.

And if these viewers fully integrated into Parallel’s fandom, Do-hee would have nothing to complain about.

It was a great thing.

But.

"This is probably the limit."

These were transient ghosts of the internet—viewers who followed trends and hype rather than any set loyalty.

No fixed oshis, no go-to channels, subscribed to multiple accounts but didn’t necessarily watch them.

An audience that could drop to zero at any time.

In other words, to secure these 2,000+ viewers, they needed the next step.

For someone who streams with a camera, that would mean high-end equipment and a polished appearance.

For a VTuber—or someone who would blend in with VTubers—that meant a well-drawn, appealing illustration. In other words, a model.

"But well… it’s Gia, so it can’t be helped."

Still, Do-hee didn’t want to pressure Magia just to keep 2,000 viewers locked in.

After watching the VTuber scene for so long, she could already predict what Magia would think the moment she saw a commissioned model:

"Oh, I’m debuting, huh?"

Magia was the kind of employee who firmly believed that if someone invested in her, she had to return that value.

Even if the most devoted members of the Magia Love Cult presented her with a model as a "gift," she would refuse it outright.

Because, in her own words, "I’m not someone who should have fans."

As Do-hee was finishing her thoughts, Dora had just completed Chapter 2 of the game and was taking her last break before diving into the much-anticipated Chapter 3.

[Chullinis, I need a bathroom break and some water… Why is this game so long? This is insane. It’s like a mountain of rice…]

— GOTY, right?
— No wonder it won an award
— 95% ‘Very Positive’ on Steam, and you still doubted it? LMAO
— Honestly, you should’ve been halfway through Chapter 3 by now, but you got stuck in the early areas, so… lol

Dora was supposed to be heading to the bathroom.

But then—

Bzzzzzt.

[Dora: Boss]
[Dora: Are you asleep?]
[Dora: I figured you’d be done streaming by now, so I messaged you.]

She had timed her message perfectly, right when Do-hee had ended her stream.

In fact, Do-hee had been planning to watch for another five minutes before heading to bed.

[Me: I’m not asleep. Why?]
[Dora: Can I draw a fanart of Gia?]

…Out of nowhere?

[Me: You haven’t drawn anything in a while.]
[Dora: Yeah, but I really appreciate everything Gia did today. She showed up first and did everything I asked, so I want to do something in return. ㅠㅠㅠ]
[Dora: If she hadn’t come, today’s stream would’ve been a disaster.]
[Me: Oh, so this is your way of paying her back?]

The logic made sense.@@novelbin@@

To Dora, Magia had been an absolute lifesaver today.

[Dora: But I don’t really have anything I can give her.]
[Dora: And sending money as thanks feels weird.]
[Dora: So I thought I could draw her something instead.]
[Dora: I mean, I am good at drawing, hehe.]

The drowsiness that had been creeping up on Do-hee vanished instantly.

Because an instinctual curiosity began to stir inside her.

…What happens when a VTuber offers tribute to Magia?

[Me: Ask Gia first and let me know what she says.]
[Dora: Okay!]

Magia’s Response?

She answered without a second thought.

“Sure.”

“Huh. Really?”

“Yeah. It’s not like I have a reason to refuse.”

As expected, Magia would have rejected a gift from fans.

Saying she didn’t deserve it, of course.

But Dora wasn’t a fan.

In fact, even though it didn’t seem like it, she technically outranked Gia. And it wasn’t like Dora was bad at drawing, either.

She hadn’t had time to draw properly lately, but when she did, her work was professional-level—good enough to sell.

The idea of seeing her own chibi self in 2D…

To say she wasn’t curious would be a lie.

“I’ll make you look super cute! So if you ever appear on stream again, you have to use my drawing, okay? Hehe.”

But that was a conversation for later.

Dora was still streaming, and the viewers were waiting.

Magia quickly nodded.

“Fine, now go finish your stream. Your viewers are waiting.”

“Oh, just one more message—”

“Who are you always texting in the middle of your stream?”

“Boss! It’s Boss!”

[Dora: Gia said yes!]
[Dora: She really liked the idea, hahaha.]
[Dora: She even said she’d use it on stream later!]
[Dora: I’m going to make it extra cute~]

Do-hee stared at her phone in disbelief.

"She actually accepted?"

With that, the fate of 2,000 viewers was sealed.

And she had just involuntarily accepted another responsibility.

A future broadcast appearance… and VTuber support duty.

Convincing fans wouldn’t be hard.

After all, whenever a VTuber’s family or friends appeared on stream, it was an unspoken industry rule to give them matching illustrations to fit into the shared universe.

But now that Gia had a model… and she had agreed to use it…

This was a turning point.

Would Magia continue as a behind-the-scenes employee?

Or step onto the stage?

Either way, that decision was now up to Magia.

Yawning, Do-hee decided it was a problem for another day.

For now, she let herself drift into sleep.