Chapter 2: I, someone so unworthy, am in such an esteemed place.

After wrapping up the conversation about the JP branch, Auka mentioned she had to leave and departed.

That’s a shame. As a fellow outfit illustrator, I felt a certain inner connection to her.

As I watched Auka exit through the door and smacked my lips in mild disappointment, Tsupi called out to me.

“So, shall we have our own discussion now?”

“Yes. You mentioned having a lot of questions about the 4th-gen outfits…”

“That, and also the recent feedback on the 3rd-gen outfits. Honestly, there’s a lot to go over!”

“Let’s tackle them one by one.”

Tsupi pulled out her laptop and showed me her notes.

“The 3rd-gen’s new outfits were finalized as hanbok, right? What kind of concept do you think would work for the 4th-gen outfits?”

“I’ve thought of two possible directions.”

I swirled the ice left in my empty Americano and popped a cube into my mouth.

“We could either follow the 3rd-gen and stick with hanbok, or we could branch out into something similar, like Japanese yukata or Western-style attire.”

“Oh, I was thinking along the same lines! Or we could take a more fantasy-inspired route like we did for the 1st and 2nd-gens.”

“That’s not a bad idea either, but I was thinking it might be better to maintain some consistency.”

“Hmm. This is tricky.”

While Tsupi furrowed her brows in thought, a notification popped up on her laptop.

“Oh, hold on a moment.”

“Sure.”

She started typing a reply but froze as soon as she saw the message.

“W-what?”

“What is it? Is something wrong?”

“Something is wrong… It’s a huge problem.”

Holding her head in both hands, Tsupi let out an exasperated groan.

“Ugh, why does this have to happen right now…”

“What’s going on?”

Curious, I leaned over to look at her laptop, and as soon as I saw the contents, I understood her reaction.

“Hm. Don’t worry. If you search hard enough, there are plenty of good people out there.”

“That’s not comforting at all…”

Face down on the table, Tsupi sighed dejectedly and then typed a reply.

“Now I have to find someone else… someone skilled and decent. Ugh.”

There wasn’t much I could say to comfort her in her state of despair. All I could do was gently pat her back as the heavy atmosphere lingered between us.

“There’s a reply.”

“Yeah… great.”

She had barely sent her previous response when another message came in. It looked like the situation was about to get even worse. I reached out to massage her shoulders, hoping to lighten the mood.

“Huh?”

“What’s this?”

Both of our eyes widened in shock.

The message stated that after the 11th generation, KR Märchen Live would no longer be recruiting any more VTubers.

‘Well, there are a lot of them. KR alone has over 40 members.’

But the real reason we were shocked lay elsewhere.

The 11th generation would have only one member. Even the smallest prior generation had at least three members, but this time, just one.

“…Are they crazy?”

I nodded at Tsupi’s muttered question, but a thought crossed my mind.

What if Märchen’s plan was to debut this single 11th-gen member alone to draw everyone’s attention?

From a business perspective, it could certainly be a success.

But how many people would be willing to debut alone? Especially when the audience of all the previous generations would inevitably flood to them.

The overwhelming thought made me shake my head.

“For now, shall we wrap up the designs for the 4th generation?”

“Let’s do that.”

Fortunately, Tsupi pulled herself together and turned her focus back to the screen.

“It’d be nice if we had someone with a degree in fashion design.”

“I studied computer science.”

“Muil, you’re the weird one.”

“Hearing that hurts, you know.”

The meeting continued, though it was clear that Tsupi was having trouble concentrating. She was probably still thinking about the lone 11th-gen member.

As a result, the meeting seemed to end in a half-hearted manner.

“…Muil.”

“Yes?”

“Can you sing well?”

“I’ve never even been to a karaoke room.”

Tsupi’s gaze turned strangely intense as she stared at me.

Feeling uneasy under her eyes, I turned my head to look out the window. The sun was already setting.

I really wanted to go home. I had work to finish today.

As I started to rise, Tsupi grabbed my shoulder.

“Uh, what is it? Why?”

“Let’s go. To karaoke.”

“T-Tsupi?”

“I’ll buy you dinner. Come on.”

Excuse me?

“You said you’ve never sung before.”

“…I wasn’t lying.”

Avoiding her persistent gaze, I turned my head. But her eyes stayed fixed on me.

Her intense stare, combined with the way she clutched the microphone, made me uneasy.

‘I’m being kidnapped. I’m being kidnapped!’

The look in Tsupi’s eyes was unsettling, like a lion that had just spotted its prey.

“You sing better than I do.”

“That can’t be true.”

“Come audition for us.”

“No.”

Despite my protest, Tsupi grabbed onto my waist.

“Pleeeaaase!”

“W-wait, that’s a sensitive spot!”

Unable to resist as she attacked my sides, I reluctantly nodded in agreement.

Seeing my startled reaction, she smiled in satisfaction. How is this person a team leader?

‘I’m technically a Märchen employee too…’

Well, I guess we’re both employees, but is this just supposed to feel like a department transfer?

As I mulled over the situation, I couldn’t help but think this job didn’t suit me at all.

A VTuber? That’s a talent in itself. You need charisma, creativity, and, of course, skills in singing and dancing.

Granted, being bad at dancing might be forgivable to some extent.

But do I have charisma? Creativity? All I can do is draw. I’m just an illustrator.

“If a recruitment announcement comes out, please apply right away. Actually, better yet, give me your contact information, and I’ll apply on your behalf.”

“…Okay.”

Well, at least now I have a girl’s number on my phone. Is that a win?

After returning home, I quickly washed up and flopped onto my bed.

Forget work—everything else slipped from my mind.

All I could think about was the 11th generation. What am I supposed to do?

Whether it’s an audition or an interview, I’ll have to attend. If I don’t, I’m sure I’ll get a long, heartfelt letter from Tsupi.

I sighed deeply and started imagining possible scenarios.

The 11th generation would be the last group for KR Märchen and would likely take on the permanent role of the youngest VTuber generation.

Could an ordinary person even handle such a position? It’s a place where you’re constantly in the spotlight.

Not to mention the pressure of having dozens of senior members watching you. Could anyone perform or stream properly under that kind of weight?

‘And now they want me to do it.’

I sighed again, but I tried to think positively.

It might not be me, right? There could be someone better—someone cooler, more charming, and prettier than I am.

Surely, there’s a more qualified candidate out there, someone with talent and creativity.

Please.

[Tsupi: The recruitment announcement is up! Please check it out!]

[Muil: Okay.]

By the time late evening rolled around, I finally managed to start working.

I was drawing lines under the glow of my pen tablet when Tsupi’s message interrupted me.

If it weren’t for that, I might have been able to finish my final touches.

At her request, I took a break from work and decided to check the recruitment notice on the Märchen Live portal.

The qualifications were easy to meet. I had plenty of free time.

“Well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to just check it out.”

There was no way I’d get accepted anyway. I figured it’d be fine to just go through the process with no pressure.

There are more people here than I thought…

The waiting room was filled with countless women sitting and waiting for their turn.

I let out a sigh of relief at the overwhelming number of people, far more than I had expected.

The interviews were divided into morning, noon, and afternoon sessions, and I was part of the morning group.

“It’s still morning, yet there are so many people.”

I clicked my tongue as I searched for an empty seat, but the room was packed tight, like a crowded subway car. There was nowhere to sit.

I briefly considered sitting on the floor.

But that felt a bit too undignified, so I decided to just stand and wait.

“We’ll be taking four people at a time! Numbers 1 through 4, please step forward!”

An employee entered the waiting room and called out, prompting four women to head outside.

The people waiting were varied—ordinary-looking, some with larger builds, and others whose appearances didn’t quite stand out.

Of course, there were a few who were as beautiful as idols, but it didn’t leave much of an impression on me.

After all, a VTuber’s appearance doesn’t matter. Their model is their face, and the outfit makes the character shine.

Body type? What’s that?

Let’s not blur the line between 2D and 3D.

Anyway, I found myself silently cheering on all the other applicants in the room.

“Please, just let someone else get accepted instead of me.”

As I fervently wished and prayed, my turn crept closer without me realizing it.

“Next four, please step forward.”

I, along with three other women, left the waiting room.

The hallway that had seemed so short earlier now felt endless.

“There’s no way they’ll choose me, right?”

With that naive thought in mind, I entered the interview room—and was greeted by a familiar face.

Of all people, Tsupi was one of the three interviewers. The sight of her suddenly filled me with unease.

“No way… She wouldn’t give me special treatment just because we know each other, right? She’s still an interviewer.”

As if reading my mind—or maybe because she had her own plans—Tsupi flashed me an unreadable smile.

“For now, please have a seat and remove your masks and hoods,” one of the other interviewers said, addressing us.

I, along with two other women, removed our masks.

“I was hiding my face to avoid standing out…”

Reluctantly, I pulled down my hood as well, and immediately, all eyes turned to me.

“Wow… So pretty…”

The woman sitting beside me let out an absent-minded remark, causing my shoulders to flinch slightly. I tried my best to play it cool.

Even the interviewers were staring at me with dumbfounded expressions, which only made my nerves worse.

“They’re supposed to choose VTubers without caring about looks, right?”

Please, tell me that’s true.