Chapter 3: Red Pill

“Haa… haa…”

“……”

“…This is seriously driving me insane.”

After urgently ending the stream and catching my breath, I turned to the alien girl with a resentful look and started scolding her.

“Why the hell did you start the stream?”

“To make it as close to a real situation as possible…”

“That doesn’t mean you can just start the stream when the model isn’t even loaded yet!”

Despite my anger, the alien girl obediently knelt down and held her arms up as if being punished. 

But she remained completely nonchalant.

“But don’t we have to check whether the stream even starts?”

“No, that’s what private streams are for—Aaargh!”

Cutting myself off mid-sentence, I screamed in frustration and slammed my head against the desk.

“We’re screwed…”

“…Screwed? Why?”

“You’re seriously asking that? We dropped the red pill before we even debuted…”

Keyword alerts from the community were mercilessly making my smartphone vibrate nonstop.

It was already too late to brush this off as just some harmless accident.

“But you said the 3D model you made looks exactly like me. So what’s the problem?”

“Well…”

I turned to glare at her, clearly not understanding the problem, and was about to respond when—

“…Wait a minute.”

Something clicked, and I paused, deep in thought.

“Um, if there’s really no issue, can I put my arms down now?”

“……”

“This is tougher than it looks…”

The being in front of me—unbelievable as it sounds—had used my model as a vessel to cross over from another dimension.

Which means… the so-called red pill incident technically never existed.

‘…Wait a second. This could actually work.’

At that moment, my brain began whirring faster than it ever had in my entire life.

“Cut the nonsense and hold that pose for ten more minutes.”

“…What?”

“You think you can just trigger a massive scandal before your debut and walk away without consequences?”

With that, I calmly moved the mouse and clicked the “Start Stream” button again. 

Turning my back to the camera, I made the most arrogant face I could and spoke:

“Human… I’d appreciate it if you stopped subjecting a higher-dimensional being like me to such indignities.”

“No can do. Have you already forgotten the terms of our contract?”

“Ho? So that’s how it’s going to be? How bold of you.”

As expected, the alien—no, the little menace in front of me—began to respond exactly the way I predicted.

“Unfortunately for you, you’ve overlooked one crucial fact.”

“…That I haven’t given you a name yet?”

“You still haven’t—huh?”

Just then, my phone started buzzing even more intensely. 

And so, I finally said the name I’d agonized over all night long:

“Minater Shia. That is the name you’ll be using in this dimension from today onward.”

“……!”

Honestly, nothing visibly changed, but judging by how wide her eyes got, it looked like whatever “contract” she had mentioned was now officially sealed.

“Now raise your arms even higher.”

“……”

“No tricks will be tolerated.”

Sure enough, her body twitched slightly at my harsh command. 

But then she silently bit her lip and obediently raised her arms again.

“…I will remember this, human…”

As she muttered with murderous intent, I carefully moved my hand and ended the stream.

[The stream has ended.]

A short silence settled inside the soundproof booth.

“…Haha.”

I slowly looked down to check the community reactions—and seeing them, I grinned and clenched my fist in triumph.

[Anonymous Virtual Streamer Community]

[anon: What was that? A stream glitch?]

[anon(120.37): Glitch my ass—smoke and tentacles were coming out of a person’s body LOL]

[Showtime: No but seriously, what was that? Did they hire an actor and slap CG over them for a debut stream or what?]

[anon(110.12): Bruh, all the other VTubers suddenly took breaks, so I checked out the only stream still live and… what in the world did I just watch?]

[anon: The timing is god-tier LOL. Everyone else goes crazy and cancels their streams, and this one just casually drops an “invader” concept to bait views.]

It was a massive anonymous community. 

No VTuber dared mention it on stream, but everyone secretly lurked there.

And now, the masses of VTuber fans who were aimlessly wandering after that sudden chain of “hiatus” announcements were watching our stream in real time—loving every second of it.

It was so hot that it had climbed to #1 in the real-time community rankings.

In other words, whether the reactions were good or bad, we had succeeded in capturing everyone’s attention.

“…We did it.”

And that—attention—was exactly what all small or starting streamers desperately needed to survive.

“…Miss Alien.”

“……”

“Actually, should I be calling you Miss Shia now?”

As the manager and CEO of her MCN, I had just pulled off the perfect bait and switched our streamer into a viral sensation. 

But there was… one small problem.

“…Go away.”

“Are you… sulking?”

“Haru. You are my first apostle, and yet you have gravely insulted my dignity.”

That “small problem” being: My affiliated VTuber, Shia, was now completely sulking over what happened earlier—curled up under the computer desk inside the soundproof booth, exuding an absolutely murderous aura.

“Can you still say that after seeing this?”

But I already had the key to resolving this situation in my hands.

[Anon: Shia-noona <<< Too damn cute, massive like 😘 ]

[EvilAnon: So she’s got this terrifying lore and what happens? She accidentally goes live during a test stream and gets scolded by her manager]

[Anon (110.17): She’s obviously just an actor~]

[Anon (10.113): But what if it’s not makeup and she’s really like that?]

[Anon: Yeah right]

[StoleYooHa’sPanties: Whatever, I just want to be wrapped up in those floating tentacles….]

[Anon (13.70): fr tho]

The language was a bit crude, sure, but for someone who was desperate to gain followers, this was definitely good news.

“Hmph.”

“Well? What do you think?”

“…Not bad.”

As expected, she, who had been pouting under the desk, climbed up quietly and claimed my chair again.

“By the way, why is it ‘Shia’? Shouldn’t it be ‘Minater’?”

“Well, this is Korea. In Korean, the family name comes first, then the given name.”

“There was a rule like that? I guess I haven’t absorbed enough local information yet…”

I answered her as kindly as possible, now that she was becoming a bit of a celebrity. 

Then, without thinking, I scratched my head and muttered aloud.

“Anyway, we should probably come up with a fandom name and a nickname too…”

“…Nickname?”

At that, she paused scrolling with her tentacles and glanced at me coldly.

“That’s even more unpleasant than naming.”

“…But it’d help recharge your divine faith.”

“Ugh…”

But by now, I was starting to get the hang of dealing with this bizarre lifeform.

“Hey, aren’t you curious what the name I made for you means?”

“…Meaning?”

When I carefully brought it up, she tilted her head, curiosity taking over her expression as expected.

“‘Minater’ is ‘Terminate’ spelled backward, which means ‘end.’ ‘Shia’ is a pure Korean word for ‘sprout.’ Put together, it means ‘Sprout of the End.’ Cool, right?”

“…Ooh. That’s actually kind of cool.”

Judging by how satisfied she looked, I’d better keep it a secret that “Termina” actually comes from one of my favorite games in the Legend of XDA series.

Well, it has its own etymology too, so even if she finds out, I can probably talk my way out of it.

“Anyway, this square device is really fascinating.”

“Well, yeah.”

“…That you can gather so much information like this—humans really are something.”

Just as I was thinking that, I looked at Shia, now engrossed in her smartphone again, and smiled in satisfaction—

“Hm?”

When suddenly, her eyebrows furrowed slightly.

“What is it? Did you find a hate comment?”

“If a ‘hate comment’ is what I think it is—a derogatory reply—then yes…”

Worried that she might’ve gotten upset again, I braced myself, but it turned out to be something else.

“It’s not about me. It’s about you.”

I glanced over and, sure enough, it was more or less what I had expected.

It was a semi-serious post criticizing how a female VTuber hadn’t even debuted yet but was already linked to a male manager.

Thanks to the wave of simultaneous hiatus announcements, bored users were downvoting it for ruining the fun, but the fact that such talk was out there meant we needed to address it.

“What shall I do? For this once, should I kneel and let these inferior lifeforms know what it means to insult my first Apostle…?”

“No need.”

Of course, that too was well within my expectations.

“I’ve already prepared a perfect solution.”

“…Hmph.”

“Anyway, it’s about time we start the real debut stream.”

Watching Shia pout in slight disappointment, I reached over and snatched my phone from her tentacles as I got to the real issue.

“…Huh? Already?”

“Yes. If we don’t do it now, we won’t get another chance.”

“Why now of all times?”

“I don’t know the reason, but just moments ago, all VTubers suddenly went on hiatus. Which means—”

I had been about to patiently explain the current situation to someone who couldn’t even grasp a simple accident like this—

“If we start your debut stream now, it’s the ultimate opportunity to raid an empty house—wait a second.”

But then, a chilling realization struck me, and I fell silent.

‘…Does this situation even make sense?’

Sure, VTubers going on hiatus isn’t that rare, even when it’s not a holiday or special occasion.

And although less common, chains of hiatuses do happen now and then.

But all those completely unrelated indie VTubers, without a single exception, suddenly going on hiatus together?

No. 

On top of that, even major MCNs overseas were all announcing breaks at the same time. That was undeniably suspicious.

“…You didn’t do something to the VTubers, did you?”

“…Who knows?”

“Please answer seriously. This isn’t a joke.”

Starting to feel anxious, I turned toward the alien girl—who looked oddly smug—and pressed her with urgency.

“Alright, guess it’s time to tell you the truth. Oh, you might understand better if I call it the ‘red pill.’”

And then, the words she spoke next hit my ears—

“All the VTubers in this world… are real.”

“Uh, yeah, obviously. They’re not like digital lifeforms or—”

“No, I mean their backstories are real.”

It was a shocking truth that completely overturned everything I had ever believed to be common sense.

“Because every one of those VTubers you know… I’ve seen them before, at least once.”

“…What?”

“They’re the few powerful beings who survived my invasion in other dimensions. That’s who they really are.”

As my mouth hung open, unable to process what I was hearing, the red pills kept coming, and I found myself collapsing weakly into a seat.

“Oh, well—calling them ‘powerful’ now might be a stretch.”

“…”

“Never would’ve guessed they’d hide away on Earth, gathering energy bit by bit through such childish antics…”

She smiled again—chillingly—as she looked down at me.

“That’s insane.”

“Sorry, but it’s true. You asked why they all suddenly vanished, right? Isn’t it obvious? They all scattered the moment I showed up.”

Honestly, I didn’t want to believe her, but there was enough damning evidence that I had no choice.

“…Then what about my childhood friend?”

“Hm?”

“She’s… she’s also working as a VTuber right now…”

That one fact was what made it hardest for me to accept this reality.

“Even as a magical girl VTuber…”

“…What? Hah! Is that for real?!”

It wasn’t just her. 

I knew a few VTubers in real life. 

People I’d actually met.

“This just got so much more interesting!”

“…It’s not interesting at all.”

***

Meanwhile, around that time—

A shabby officetel building near Haru’s home.

“…Ugh, my head…”

In a dim basement room so dark you could barely make out the furniture, a gloomy-looking girl groaned and sat up, knocking over a pile of empty beer bottles.

[Contractor Yoo Haneul. This is your final warning.]

[In accordance with Emergency Dimensional Protocol Class X, you are to report to the Committee immediately.]

Blinking her eyes and ruffling her hair, she checked the flood of messages on her phone—and her eyes shot open.

[Failure to comply will be interpreted as consent to activate {Protocol: Red Pill}…]

“…Shit!”

Below the screen, an old childhood photo faintly glowed in the darkness. 

It showed a younger version of her, flashing a peace sign while leaning on the shoulder of a sickly-looking boy.

[Haru♥Yoo Haneul]

To be more precise, photos like that, and matching scribbles, covered an entire wall of her room.

[Haru♥Yoo Haneul] [Haru♥Yoo Haneul] [Haru♥Yoo Haneul]

[Haru♥Yoo Haneul] [Haru♥Yoo Haneul] [Haru♥Yoo Haneul]

[Haru♥Yoo Haneul] [Haru♥Yoo Haneul] [Haru♥Yoo Haneul]…