Chapter 24: Brother, my horns are weird…

“By the way, Lene, why do you tell your viewers that you’re using a voice changer?”

“Oh, well… I thought if I attract attention with this and then reveal later that I’m actually a woman… it might become a hot topic, and I could get more viewers…”

“…Um, Lene, are you perhaps… an idiot?”

Tuni, upon hearing Lene’s explanation, couldn’t help but blurt out those words. It was, of course, her unfiltered honest thought.

“Uh… am I an idiot…?”

Lene’s eyes wavered non-stop, as if she couldn’t comprehend why she was hearing such a thing.

“I mean, I don’t completely not understand your logic…”

That was also an honest thought.

Even Tuni had to admit that Lene’s logic itself wasn’t necessarily wrong.

It’s true that streaming with a voice changer could attract some attention, and if she later revealed she was a real woman once her stream grew, it would likely cause a stir.

But the biggest problem was…

“You’re basically throwing away all potential viewers for the sake of future ones.”

It was absurd that someone who needed money urgently was focusing only on the future.

Given the general dislike for voice changers, it’s safe to say that most people wouldn’t like it.

In other words, it meant giving up nine potential viewers in exchange for securing one dedicated viewer.

Growing that one viewer into two. Then into three. And four.

You’d need to keep growing like that, at least until you were a mid-sized streamer, for Lene’s plan to be feasible.

And for someone like Lene, who needed money right now, such a plan was essentially a losing move.

“When a streamer’s content causes a buzz and they gain a solid base of viewers, it’s usually one of two cases.

The first is when they’re not small like us, but a big corporation.

Even small issues get spread everywhere because they have so many viewers.

The second case is when the content is so eye-catching, regardless of scale, that people can’t help but look.

But in that case, the content would need to be that much more provocative.”

Tuni laid out the cold reality for Lene, explaining that her plan didn’t fall into either of those categories.

“Even if you reveal, ‘Actually, I’m a woman!’ I think the most that’ll happen is that your current viewers will be surprised and that’s it.

Personally, it doesn’t seem like an incredibly shocking revelation, and there aren’t many people to tell it to in the first place.

Sure, it’s not impossible if you give it enough time, but you said you needed money right now, right? Considering that… it’s a failed plan.”

“Wow, I thought it was a perfect plan…”

Hmm. She’s really an idiot, this one.

Tuni’s impression of Lene changed once again in her head, of course in a negative direction.

“If she just turned on the webcam, her viewers would probably double.”

At this point, it was strange enough to make Tuni, or anyone really, suspicious.

If she just used her webcam, her viewer count would go up significantly, but she didn’t seem to be considering it.

Even if she didn’t want to use a webcam, if she had just admitted she was a woman from the start, she could’ve held on to at least 50% of the viewers who had left. Instead, she opted for a lie using a voice changer.

Plus, she claims she has no money, yet she lives in a nice apartment.

“Is she just messing with people?

Some people are struggling to pay rent, and she’s doing this… Is her life just too easy, so she’s bored?”

Of course, the real answer was simply that “Lene was just dumb.”

“Anyway, I think your current direction is wrong, Lene.”

“Thank you…”

Tuni had no way of knowing this truth.

“See you next time, Tuni! See you tomorrow, Lene!”

“Yeah, see you next time, Bora.”

“See you tomorrow, Bora…”

“I told you to just call me comfortably, seriously!”

“I’ll try….”

“Well, then I’ll be off. I hope we can meet again.”

“Oh, goodbye….”

After sending off Bora and Tuni, I was left alone to think.

What should I do from now on?

Thanks to Tuni, I realized that my ‘perfect’ plan wasn’t actually perfect.

Of course, it could be that Tuni was wrong, but… no. To be honest, I think there’s a 99.99 percent chance that Tuni is wrong.

Still, isn’t she my streaming mentor?

If my mentor says that, even though I have doubts, I should follow her advice.

So, what’s the best course of action?

Our mentor is quite strict in her teachings. She told me my method was wrong, but she didn’t tell me how to fix it.

In other words, she’s showing me the path and leaving it up to me to overcome this trial.

Let’s organize my thoughts.

Sticking to the voice changer concept isn’t good.

A lot of people have a negative reaction to voice changer programs.

It’s like abandoning my current viewers for the sake of the future, and there’s no guarantee my plan will succeed later on.

Of course, there’s a chance it could work if I think long-term, but I need money right now, so this strategy has no benefit.

In short, saying I’m using a voice changer and pretending to be a man is an action that brings me nothing but loss.

“Hmm….”

So, what would be the best option?

Should I just reveal that I’m a woman?

But how many people would believe that when I’ve already claimed to be using a voice changer and acting as a man?

I did some research before starting my stream.

In a situation like mine, just claiming to be a woman isn’t enough to convince people, and you need solid proof.

A photo of my ID wouldn’t be enough.

That could raise suspicions that I borrowed someone else’s ID.

So, to provide definite proof, I would have to turn on the camera and show my face…

But honestly, I don’t have the confidence.

I don’t go out much, but every time I do, I notice countless stares.

When I realize people are looking at me and turn my head, they immediately avert their eyes, as if they didn’t want to make eye contact with me.

Like they saw something they didn’t want to see.

That must mean my appearance is quite unusual.

And then to turn on the camera?

In that moment, even the few remaining viewers would surely leave my stream.

*Sigh…*

I hate how different I look.

But despite that, I don’t think I’m unattractive.

No, actually, isn’t this face pretty decent?

It’s a face that perfectly reflects the taste of a goddess, after all.

But for some reason, people seem to find my appearance hard to accept.

Both that world and Earth.

Still, lately Bora has been telling me I’m pretty often, so that’s a relief. It boosts my self-esteem.

… Anyway, for that reason, turning on the webcam is out of the question.

I can’t turn on the cam, no one would believe me if I claimed to be a girl, and continuing to use a voice changer feels stupid.

… Wait. This is a dead-end, isn’t it?

Should I just quit streaming…?

After all, the total donations I’ve received so far are only 1,000 won. Wouldn’t it be more productive to spend that time putting eyes on dolls?

“If only I hadn’t mentioned using a voice changer…”

Things might’ve been different if I hadn’t told that lie.

“… Wait a second.”

So, the problem ultimately came from me lying about using a voice changer, right?

Then, if I make it so that it wasn’t a lie, wouldn’t that solve everything?

“Am I… a genius?”

Realizing this amazing fact, I immediately started preparing for my stream.

It was time for a comeback.

[Lene]

[I apologize for everything up until now. I sincerely apologize.]

[Talk | 12 viewers | 0:00:13]

– What’s this?

— Finally apologizing???

– Lene/For controversy prevention, lol

Weird comments are flooding in.

Why should I apologize for killing heretics? If anything, they should be the ones apologizing to me.

Even though I’m trying so hard, they don’t seem to have any intention of changing and just keep blaming others.

Well, anyway, the fact that 12 people joined as soon as I started the stream is surprising.

It seems a lot of viewers really enjoyed yesterday’s recap of the heretic interrogation.

Tuni told me to turn these kinds of people into solid “fans.”

Not just viewers who tune in because the stream is fun, but fans of the streamer “Lene.”

And the story I was about to tell them would be the first step toward making that happen.

“Ahem. Hello… everyone….”

– ?

– What’s up with the voice?

─ What’s with the male voice lol

─ Bro, my horns feel weird…

The chat is buzzing with heat.

Who is this? What is this? Get the guy out of here, etc. The chat is updating at an unbelievable speed for just 12 people.

Of course, I expected this.

What they see right now is the same usual black screen.

But what they hear is a male voice they’ve never heard before.

“I am… the heretic interrogator, Lene.”

Once I thought of it, the solution felt ridiculously simple.

What’s the current issue with my stream?

It’s that a guy is using a voice changer to stream with a girl’s voice, and that bothers them.

The important part is not that I’m a man, but that I used a “voice changer.”

So the solution is simple:

I’ll just use a voice changer to make my voice sound like a man.

Since everyone thinks I’m a guy, if I just use a voice changer to sound like a real man, that solves the problem, right?

That way, no one will get upset over me using a voice changer. It’s such a perfect plan. I came up with it, but it’s so brilliant I’m almost afraid of myself.

Lene used a voice changer to pretend to be a woman because she wanted attention from the viewers.

Deceiving the viewers and betraying their trust, “It was quite something.”

– “What are you even talking about, lol”

– “You said from the start that you’re a guy, so there’s no need for this act.” (No one was really deceived.)

[“I sincerely regret this, and from now on, I will broadcast confidently using my real voice.”]

“…Is he seriously an idiot?” Tuni’s hollow voice echoed out. she was genuinely serious.