ODL – Chapter 37 – First Livestream Start~

────Finally, the time has come.

In front of me are the computer and monitors that Miyabi-chan handed down to me, along with the mouse, keyboard, microphone, and camera that I bought together with Shizuka and Hiyorin.

My room, which used to have only a laptop, has changed quite a bit. It looks somewhat to Shizuka’s streaming room, and it makes me realize that I really became a VTuber.

……

The monitor in front of me currently displays the “Stream Starting Soon” screen (created by Virtual Real) which Shizuka helped set up using a streaming software.

Watching Shizuka, who can’t even clean up a bag of snacks by herself, operate the computer so efficiently is quite amusing. I couldn’t help but wonder, “Why can she do such complicated things, yet she can’t even throw her trash in the bin every day?” The fact that Shizuka is portraying a refined VTuber character is currently the biggest mystery of my life.

……Well, now is not the time to be thinking about that.

The debut streams of the [Virtual Real]’s Male 1st-gen are being held over a period of four days. Each of the four members has their own day to debut. And now, it’s just me left. Unlike the other three who had prior streaming experiences, I needed more time to prepare myself mentally, so being the last one was a relief.

Generally, the debut streams of the other three seemed to have gone well.

Some people were anxious, thinking that the addition of a Male division from [Virtual Real] which only had female talents, might cause some conflict within the community. However, it didn’t turn out that way at all.

Their streams proceeded in a peaceful and friendly atmosphere from start to finish. Viewers could sense the excitement in the chat as they celebrated [Virtual Real]’s new journey, and even as a newcomer, I felt a warm and comforting feeling.

Their debut streams garnered over 10,000 concurrent viewers. It was impressive to see so many people tuning in to watch newcomers who didn’t have established fan bases yet. It just goes to show that the name [Virtual Real] held significant weight.

“50,000 viewers huh…” (Souma)

As I looked at the viewer count displayed in the waiting room, my heart was filled with a mixture of impatience and nervousness.

…After all, I was the last one, and I garnered the most buzz on the internet out of the four of us. I even thought to myself, “Maybe I’ll have more viewers than the others, like 20,000 or something.”

But I didn’t think about 50,000 viewers.

Even the streams of [Virtual Real]’s top VTubers like “Mamimume Memo” and “Fukashigi Alice” rarely hit 50,000 viewers. What on earth was happening?

My smartphone, which I had placed on the computer desk near me, lit up, indicating a message from Rime.

I had to start the stream very soon so maybe I shouldn’t be looking at my phone right now. However, I grabbed my phone anyways hoping that whatever was sent would relieve my stress a little.

“(Good luck, Souma-kun~! Listeners are your family!)” (Hiyori)

“(Take a deep breath and relax. Don’t stress yourself too much.)” (Shizuka)

“(Onii-chan, do it for your cute little sister.)” (Mafuyu)

“Okay…” (Souma)

They weren’t quite what I had expected, but right now, their presence was incredibly reassuring.

“Alright… Let’s do this.” (Souma)

I slowly clicked the start streaming button.

──My name is “Otona Kodomo¹“.

…I probably should have come up with something a bit more creative.

◆

As the stream began, the comically childish elementary school model appeared on the screen of tens of thousands of viewers. By the way, the bug-catching net was sticking out of the frame.

Comments: “?!?”

Comments: “IT”S HEEREEEEEEE”

Comments: “A real kid!”

Comments: “I thought it was a prank all this time.”

Comments: “So cuteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee”

Comments: “Kodomo-chan!!!!!”

The chat was like a raging tsunami. It was almost impossible to read chat as the messages were flowing too quickly. I quickly decided to give up on trying to interact with the chat.

“…………” (Souma)

Oh man.

…………As soon as I started streaming, I felt an urge to use the bathroom.

Would it be bad if I went…?

But things might get pretty bad if I don’t. Trying to stream while holding it in is impossible for me right now.

Besides, I wanted to do my debut stream with a clear mind. It would be kind of sad if I was distracted by something else for the entire stream.

…It’s settled. I’ll quickly inform them and take a break. It’s still early in the stream, and some of my fellow genmates were also late. Compared to that, it’s not so bad. At least I showed up on time.

Comments: “Say something!!!”

Comments: “The model is super cute.”

Comments: “I feel like some viewers will start to develop weird fetishes.”

The flow of comments has settled down somewhat. It’s now at a level where I can just about keep up. I should be able to interact with the chat while continuing the stream.

“…………Ah, sorry. I need to go to the bathroom real quick. Be right back.” (Kodomo)

I muted my microphone and dashed to the bathroom.

◆

“Alright, I feel more refreshed now. Shall we continue?” (Souma)

I was only away for about a minute, so I probably won’t get in trouble.

I’m also feeling a bit more relaxed now, and I have a feeling that it’s going to be a good debut stream.

I sat back in my chair and unmuted my microphone.

“I’m back.” (Kodomo)

Comments: “He’s back lol”

Comments: “What a naughty kid.”

Comments: “The legendary escape.”

Comments: “Welcome back~”

The comments are picking up speed again, but it seems like nobody’s angry. I feel a bit relieved.

“I’m not a naughty kid. You know, when you get nervous, you suddenly feel like you need to use the restroom. It happens instinctually. Well, let’s not dwell on the bathroom talk.” (Kodomo)

While adjusting my balance on the chair, I made some light excuses, feeling like the listeners were like family.

Comments: “Don’t make excuses!”

Comments: “If you do something wrong, you have to apologize, you know?”

Comments: “Apologize to your mom (okaa-san).”

Comments: “Your older sister (onee-chan) is hurt.”

I thought I could brush it off lightly, but the chat was filled with voices demanding an apology, leaving me puzzled. Was it really necessary to apologize for this…?

“Huh? Do I really have to apologize? And who’s this ‘mom’ and ‘onee-chan’?” (Kodomo)

I only have a little sister…

…Wait, no, I don’t even have a little sister. That was a close call.

Comments: “Apologize.”

Comments: “Say sorry.”

Comments: “I want an apology.”

Comments: “I’m your onee-chan.”

“Seriously… is this that bad?” (Kodomo)

Is streaming really such a serious atmosphere? I had this image that it’s somewhat relaxed, you know? Did I mess up somehow?

And wait, these listeners aren’t really like family at all, are they?

Comments: “Going to the bathroom during a stream is a big no-no.”

Comments: “Unheard of.”

Comments: “Your mom doesn’t remember raising you like this.”

Comments: “This could lead to a major backlash.”

Comments: “Onee-chan is sad.”

“Ugh… Okay. Uh… I’m sorry for going to the bathroom so early in the stream. Is that okay?” (Kodomo)

Comments: “It’s okay.”

Comments: “Good job.”

Comments: “You’re a good kid.”

Comments: “It’s good to apologize.”

Comments: “I’ll give you a sticker.”

As soon as I apologized, the chat suddenly gave off an overprotective vibe.

What’s with this vibe? What kind of atmosphere is this…?

“What’s with that? Anyways, I should probably introduce myself now. I have a lot of things I want to do today.” (Kodomo)

…Yeah, unlike my other genmates, I had something I needed to do.

…I mean, I was given some suggestions for what to call my viewers and some ideas for tags before the stream, but I didn’t really find any of them decent.²

The others ended up going with what was suggested and announced it during their debut streams, but I decided to pick during the debut stream itself.

TL notes:

Thanks for reading!

LMAO the audacity to use the bathroom at the start of your debut stream.

I guess his fanbase is just gonna be people who want a son/little brother lol.

Honestly, 10 000 concurennt viewers for a debut isn’t really a lot considering [Virtual Real] is one of the bigger agencies and that Shizuka gets at least 10 000 daily. But then again, idk about the size of female viewers who are interested in VTubers and the VTuber industry in Japan so maybe 10 000 is a lot.

I’m not gonna put the brackets for comments anymore, otherwise it would be too much.