chapter_0121

121 – Like Leaving Fish to a Cat (2)

121 – Like Leaving Fish to a Cat (2)

Thus began the official broadcast of Parallel.

Dohee, who had been confident, couldn’t help but be surprised by the explosive viewer engagement just ten minutes before the start.

While she had previously gathered 100,000 people for a personal concert, this was the first time she had managed to gather such a large audience for a surprise announcement in less than 30 minutes.

[ (🔴Live) Surprise Announcement ] 👪35,559

#Parallel #???

Since the first-generation members had not yet started the broadcast, the maximum number of viewers that could be mobilized from the Parallel fandom, excluding overlapping viewers, was about 30,000.

Even so, there was no guarantee that all of those expected viewers would actually show up…

Majiya made it happen.

Considering that the average number of viewers for KraeMang’s live broadcasts was around 15,000, if we assumed that half of them tuned in, that meant 28,000 had come just from the Parallel fandom.

This indicated that there was a high level of interest in Majiya’s activities within the entire Parallel fandom.

In fact, new viewers continued to join.

Thanks to the occasional highlighted chats in the chatroom.

— 🗡KraeMang: Thump thump, thump thump

— Seriously, it’s KraeMang

— What is this uncle doing not starting the broadcast? LOL

— 🗡Mugeon: Sigh, what’s the point of watching this if it’s not even an announcement of Majiya’s debut?

— LOL

— Mugeon, you’re such a loser…

— 🗡Mugeon: Of all days, it has to be April Fool’s Day. No one believes this, right?

— Yeah, but I believe it

— April Fool’s is just a date humans arbitrarily decided on

— What I believe is the truth

— Why are there so many Daekkaema fans? Usually, when broadcasters set VIP settings for people in the same group or those they are close to, it gets highlighted, but for some reason, one person has 3 million and another has 2 million.

Although this was a broadcast announcing something from Parallel, perhaps due to the speculation that it was news related to Majiya, it was already spreading in the community under titles like “Connections of a Virtual Youtuber Who Hasn’t Debuted Yet.”

So, just before the broadcast started at 8 PM…

[ (🔴Live) Surprise Announcement ] 👪40,559

A whopping 40,000 viewers.

Dohee was left in awe.

“… This is going to be great for promoting the new song.”

“Right?”

She wondered if Majiya might be nervous, but fortunately, she seemed calm.

In fact, it seemed like she was looking forward to the news of the collaboration between Parallel and CAT spreading even further thanks to the large audience.

Still, since she might be more nervous than she appeared, Cheon Do-hee, having taken responsibility for today’s broadcast, confidently said,

“Well. Let’s do our best. I’ll be on high alert, so you just relax, okay?”

“Yes.”

However, what Cheon Do-hee hadn’t anticipated was how much Majiya would play around after hearing the Boss’s words, “Go ahead and be as silly as you want.”

— Moha

— Jahaha

— Open the door!!!!!

— Hi hi

— Parallel 2nd generation Ma Ji Ya

— Announcement! Announcement! Announcement!

— Hurry and reveal it!!!!!

— Is it Majiya’s debut? Is it Majiya’s debut? Is it Majiya’s debut? Is it Majiya’s debut? Is it Majiya’s debut? Is it Majiya’s debut?

As the waiting screen transitioned to the main broadcast screen.

Momo and Majiya appeared, moving in a somewhat unfamiliar manner.

Dohee, disguised as Majiya, introduced herself first.

“Hello. Um. Everyone. I am Majiya’s proxy. Um. Ahem.”

With a somewhat husky tone, Momo struggled to imitate Majiya, but the limits were clear, and her unusual vocal technique led to a series of coughs.

The viewers immediately recognized who was being so awkward and burst into laughter.

— LOL

— LOL, seriously LOL

— Shirahoshi Jia, what’s going on? LOL

— Get out

— Get out of Majiya’s body, you wicked Boss!

— Ah, LOL

— This is so ridiculous, seriously LOL

— If you’re going to imitate, at least do it properly, LOL

Up to this point, the viewers hadn’t reacted too intensely.

It was April Fool’s Day, and body-swapping broadcasts were not uncommon during offline collaborations between virtual YouTubers in Japan or Korea.

Moreover, such hastily arranged body-swapping plans were often more entertaining when they were awkward.

However, now it was time for Majiya to introduce herself.

Rather than making a clumsy imitation, she was someone who, after much effort, could produce a voice very similar to the original.

Especially if the target was Oshi, a broadcaster she had been watching for five years.

Even if it was an April Fool’s joke, it couldn’t be awkward.

“Hello, Woldeungi fans. I am Shirahoshi Momo, the star illuminating the night sky of the Parallel World.”

— ?

— The real deal is here? LOL

— Why is this person the real deal? LOL

— Wow, suddenly good at impressions

So similar was her voice that some viewers claimed Momo was doing a one-person two-role act.

However, thanks to a donation that came in shortly after, it was confirmed that the person inside Momo’s avatar was indeed Majiya.

:: An anonymous supporter donated 10,000 Clouds! ::

:: I want to see the Boss who likes Tidburger ::

“Hey, I want Tidburger!”

“Hey. What are you doing?!”

Cheon Do-hee shouted immediately, revealing the identity behind the avatar, prompting Jia to quickly reprimand her for breaking character.

“Jia, did you just say ‘hey’ to the Boss?”

— LOL

— Oh my god, that’s hilarious LOL

— Today, I’m the Boss!!

— I was a slave who only worked, but now I’m the Boss of a black company in another world?!

— LOL

— What is this legal ‘yaja time’? LOL

It was quite spicy from the start.

Jia wasn’t doing this out of resentment towards Dohee.

She just wanted to see a certain scene, even if it was a bit forced.

After all, it was an April Fool’s broadcast, and Dohee had said she would take responsibility.

The first thing was to respond unconditionally to the viewers’ requests for cuteness and leave behind numerous clips.

:: An anonymous supporter donated 10,000 Clouds! ::

:: Boss, please do a facial test LOL ::

“Well, I’m feeling generous today. I’ll do it.”

“What are you saying… the audio isn’t even ready….”

[Virtual YouTuber Facial Test Start ♪]

“What? When did you turn on the music?!”

The virtual YouTuber facial test began.

It was a meme to check how well the facial tracking of virtual YouTubers (technology that recognizes expressions and reflects them in Live 2D illustrations or 3D models) worked…

[Blink. Show your cuteness.]

Majiya performed the test casually, showcasing a variety of expressions she had never shown before.

— LOL

— Good job, good job

— I’ve only seen tired expressions lately, so this is refreshing LOL

— Wow, LOL, this is amazing

— Boss Majiya is killing it LOL

— This is Momo! This is facial tracking!!

For Momo, it must have been absurd.

She was showing expressions she had never displayed on her own broadcast, as if she had been waiting for this day.

Knowing exactly which key corresponded to which expression and manipulating it perfectly, it felt as if the past version of herself, unburdened by the Boss’s work, was sitting there.

[Ultimate Move!]

Even at the end of the facial test.

In the ultimate move section, Momo even performed the screen kiss she used to do frequently while simping until three years ago.

— Hehehe

— Come here!!!!

— Thank you, thank you, thank you

“Thank you. And I will prohibit clips of the recent facial test. I’ll secretly save it and watch it myself.”

— Awwww

— Dictator Momo, step down

— Now you’re controlling your cute clips too!!!

— What are we supposed to live on!!!

Majiya had imposed clip control, but she couldn’t understand why she was being called a dictator.

However, the broadcast was flowing well, just as they had originally intended and hoped.

Moreover, it was noteworthy that there was almost no viewer drop-off.

They would have to analyze it later, but it seemed that the structure of ‘yaja time’ that even viewers unfamiliar with virtual YouTubers could enjoy had been established from the start.

Thanks to that, Momo was in a somewhat painful situation, but what could she do?

The person who told her to go ahead and be silly was Momo.

As long as Majiya kept it within limits and revealed her transformation form at the right timing, Momo’s tasks for today would be complete before announcing the teaser for the new song.

And although it was called being silly, up to this point, it was not much different from usual.

Perhaps due to the years of being subjected to malicious behavior, Cheon Do-hee had developed a tolerance and could endure it.

… But did she know?

That from now on, the pressure from the fake Momo would become even harsher.

Majiya’s second goal for today was still ahead.

“By the way, Jia, why are you so short on words today?”

“Ahem. I’m usually like this.”

“This won’t do. As punishment for your wrongdoings, do ‘I’m super cute and my cheeks are puffy~’ once.”

“What?!”

“What? Did you just say that to the Boss? Do it twice.”

“……”

“How strange. You’re not acting like yourself today, Jia. Usually, you do what I say just fine.”

“When did I ever do that?! No, when did I ever do that?!”

Majiya’s avatar was produced with the same quality as the first-generation members, and naturally, the facial tracking was excellent.

But as Majiya had thought when she first received her avatar.

She still believed that this avatar was a pearl necklace on a pig’s neck.

Of course, it was natural for a virtual YouTuber company employee to use an avatar, and she was grateful to use it since it had been made for her.

But why, Majiya had almost no emotional changes and her expressions were flat.

She always stared at the screen with half-closed eyes, and even when she smiled, only her mouth moved in that state.

Even if she tried to express various emotions forcibly, it only felt awkward, so she was in a situation where she couldn’t utilize her good avatar.

However, Majiya was quite fond of her avatar.

From the moment she first received it, she had been thinking that if she ever got the chance, she would ask the person inside to perform various expressions.

… Oh, today, Cheon Do-hee had entered her body?

So how could Majiya let this opportunity slip away?

It was a legitimate chance to check all the expressions and functions she hadn’t been able to use until now.

And it was in the version of her favorite Oshi, Cheon Do-hee.

“Jia, I’m getting dizzy. Hurry up and do it.”

The funny thing was that as Majiya gave that order, the viewers also went wild.

— Majiya, attention

— What are you doing?

— You’re not in a proper working posture

— Hurry up and do the puffy cheeks!!!!!!!

— Aaaah, hurry up!!

— Is this a black company?

— Huh, aren’t you going to listen to the Boss?

— Praise the greatest dictator Momo

Earlier they were calling her a dictator, and now they were praising her.

They were all over the place, doing whatever they wanted.

But this was also proof that the viewers were curious about Majiya’s various expressions.

Why Cheon Do-hee had to show them instead of Majiya was a mystery, but since she had taken responsibility…

‘Since it’s come to this, I’ll show the functions and naturally reveal them.’

Moreover, if this flow continued, they could even do a facial test with Majiya’s avatar, and at the end of the test, create a scene where she transformed into a witch.

“Jia, is the Boss’s command funny? Are you stalling?”

It was uncertain whether Majiya would grasp Cheon Do-hee’s intentions as she yelled at her to act cute.

But, well, they would only know by trying.

Taking a short breath, Dohee tightened her vocal cords and tried her best to imitate Majiya’s tone.

“I, I, am super, cute… cheeks, puffy. Puu….”

A moment of silence.

— Wowww

— Emergency, emergency

— Major casualties reported

— Cardiac arrest, cardiac arrest!

— Someone has died here!!

The explosive reaction that followed.

Majiya displayed an expression she had never shown before, and everyone was ecstatic, of course, the expression of Majiya, the owner of the avatar, was also very vivid.

Shock, extreme joy, pleasure.

That expression reflected perfectly on Momo’s previously flat avatar, providing great entertainment for the viewers.

— The expression LOL

— LOL

— I was so surprised LOL

— Purely enjoying it LOL

— Wide-eyed

— Look at those eyes LOL

— Seriously surprised LOL

Immediately after, Majiya spoke up.

“I thought about it, but doing the same thing twice is excessive. So, Jia, let’s do a facial test once. How about it?”

Surprisingly, the facial test that Dohee had wanted came out right away.

In that moment, Cheon Do-hee felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.

They hadn’t even communicated separately, yet their intentions aligned perfectly.

Without hesitation, Cheon Do-hee played the audio for the facial test.

[Virtual YouTuber Facial Test Start ♪]

She blinked her eyes.

Opened her mouth wide.

Showed winks, pride, joy, and sadness…

Then came the ultimate move.

Cheon Do-hee tapped her fingers on the table, signaling Majiya.

Now, she was going to reveal it, so be prepared.

[Ultimate Move!]

The voice from the audio shouted the ultimate move, and Cheon Do-hee used a special control key to play the transformation animation.

Far from the cute magical girl’s “sharara,”

Black dark clouds and deep blue particles spread like paint splattering against a transparent glass panel.

— ?

— ??

— Huh?

Then, with a shotgun shot that came from somewhere, the screen shattered, creating a large hole.

Amidst the shattered black glass debris, a gun barrel aimed at the viewers outside the screen was visible.

The person elegantly shouldering the long double-barrel shotgun was none other than Majiya.

Moreover, she was dressed in a wide robe and a broad-brimmed hat, looking like a witch.

“Ultimate move… transformation into a witch!”

With Momo’s awkward imitation of Majiya, everyone was thrown into shock.

Even though everyone was watching the broadcast, vaguely aware it was an April Fool’s joke, the moment they saw the transformation form, a theory that had been circulating as a rumor suddenly surged into their minds.

— What the…;

— ??

— Wait, is she really debuting?

— ???

— Is she debuting?

— What the hell

— Is Majiya really a second-generation member?

— I never expected this.

— Crazy, why is this real?

Author’s Note (Author’s Commentary)

Kiri Kiri Safe!