Chapter 25: The Last One is the Youngest

First, let me say one thing: there are several Mamas and Papas in Märchen.

Just take me as an example, I specialize in costumes, and the work that isn’t related to costumes goes to them.

– ???????

– Mama? Who’s that? Is it Camila?

– It might be Phanop.

– ???

– Is it Venue?

– Is Mama really just one or two? There are five just in the official list;;;

– But hasn’t it only been Yuppie and Muil who haven’t appeared on the broadcast?

– ???

So, for the viewers, it’s hard to tell who the Mama mentioned by the first generation really is. There are five Mamas in KR Märchen, after all.

‘It’s a bit weird to have my name included in the Mamas though.’

I thought that as I watched the live broadcast in the hallway outside the set.

I was given a little time to prepare since I was about to go in soon.

“I’m going in now. Is there anything uncomfortable?”

I nodded at the staff’s words and took a step toward the set.

“Isn’t it nice to have five Mamas? Manager! Ban them!”

“Woah, woah, calm down, Sara.”

“How dare you speak informally to your older sister?”

“Ha ha ha ha ha!!!”

As I approached the set, I could hear the lively voices of the first generation from behind the door. Honestly, it was a bit funny that this was happening now.

I felt a bit tense.

‘Well, I can’t help it…’

I had been a little nervous since earlier, and now that the live collaboration was approaching, my body had stiffened.

But thankfully…

“Huh? You’re here?”

“You’ll be surprised when you see us, too!”

“It seems like it’s okay for you to come in now.”

“Our Mama is a legal loli!!!”

“Rumi!!!!!!! Please… shut up!”

Thanks to the people inside who were waiting for me, I felt my shoulders lighten just a bit.

Of course, it felt like a chaos had broken out because of Rumi’s shout.

“Alright, let’s go in then.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

The staff opened the door and sent me inside the set.

It was exactly the same set as before I went to the waiting room, but now I could see the first generation members, all wearing tight motion capture suits like me.

And on the green chroma key, there were six chairs, with my chair just added.

Since my appearance hadn’t been shown on the screen yet, it was only natural that the viewers’ curiosity was piqued.

“Uh, please don’t come over here just yet… hmm. Can you just wave your hand?”

“Unnie, that might be a bit hurtful…”

“Uh, uh? No! I didn’t mean it that way!”

“Ugh, this is what I get for having a daughter like this.”

“Shit.”

Anna stopped me from coming in. It seemed better from a broadcast perspective to reveal me slowly, but… do we have to?

Anyway, following Anna’s advice, I only extended my hand to be caught by the camera. Of course, I didn’t open my mouth. If they heard my voice, they’d know who I was right away.

– ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ So who is this? ㅋㅋ

– It’s a bit frustrating though.

– Can’t we just show a bit more???

– Anna and Mita are such a good match ㅋㅋ ㅋㅋ

– Just like Rumi said earlier, those hands are really small lol.

– Legal… legal…

– 700

After glancing briefly at the chat reactions, I pulled my hand back, letting the first-gen members continue their conversation. This was actually kind of fun.

While they were throwing around all sorts of speculations about who I was, I kept teasing by slightly revealing my hand on the broadcast. My feet were off-limits since my shoes could give me away.

“Aaah~. Who could this be? I really have no idea~.”

“But isn’t it about time for the big reveal?”

“If you say it like that, what does that make me?”

As I was messing around and laughing to myself, the first-gen members gestured for me to come over.

I guess that meant it was time to go in.

“Alright, let’s introduce our guest!”

Anna stretched both arms up and smiled.

And with that, I stepped into the chroma key area.

– ??????

– ??????????

– ??

– What?

– Why are YOU coming out of there?

Huh? What’s with this reaction?

– ?????

– Is this a prank?

“I’m the warrior who couldn’t even take a break on a Friday and got dragged into work.”

“Wait, I was supposed to say that first…?”

“Oh.”

– Oh.

– A.

– AAAAAAAAAA LOLLLLL

– Somehow… this feels familiar…

– ???????

– Why is the baby here?

– What kind of chaotic mix is this?

– Mama…?

– A.

As soon as my avatar, Yuwol, appeared on screen, the entire mood shifted.

Most people were expecting a completely new guest, only to be met with a clueless warrior. No wonder they were confused.

“Well, anyway! I’m Yuwol, the costume illustrator of KR Märchen and the warrior of the 11th generation!”

“No, you’re not.”

“Huh? I’m not?”

“No. Muil and Yuwol are completely different entities.”

At my words, Anna nodded and smiled. Yeah, she definitely didn’t get it.

“…Apparently, that’s the case.”

Was that really okay to just gloss over?

I peeked at the chat, and it was clear they still hadn’t fully processed the situation.

– This lore is wild, folks.

– ??????? Am I the only one not getting it?

– So basically, Muil was a Mama first but then debuted as an 11th-gen member?

– So they were destined to be a VTuber from the start LOL. Even when they were just an illustrator, they had a crazy presence.

– I knew something was weird—how were they that good at drawing?!

– If you think about it, it should’ve been obvious, right? The names are reversed.

– I had my suspicions, but damn, it’s actually true LOL.

– So basically… the Mama is the youngest one???

– I finally understand what Rumi meant by “legal lo…”

– LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL

– ???? Am I the only one who doesn’t get it?

– The ones who figured it out in the special stream earlier are true veterans.

– This is actually kind of shocking.

The chat reactions were all over the place. Some were piecing together the connection between Muil and Yuwol, some had already figured it out earlier, and others were just completely bewildered by this bizarre family dynamic.

“Well… but yeah, I really did get dragged into this today. I was planning to reveal that I was Muil later anyway, so I figured it’d be better to just do it now.”

“But you know what’s funny? We just found out that Yuwol is actually Muil, too.”

“Our mama was only 14… heh heh heh.”

“Please, Rumi, I’m begging you…”

– LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL

– This is pure chaos.

– What even is this?

– Mama at 14… hmm…

– Rumi… she wasn’t always like this, was she?

– LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL

– Wait, why did you guys only find out just now?

I only came here to chat, but somehow, this had turned into an impromptu reveal of Yuwol’s debut backstory.

Still, there was nothing I couldn’t answer, so I responded to each question as they came.

Some people asked if I was really Muil, while others questioned why I debuted as a VTuber after working as a Mama for so long.

But honestly, that was an easy question to answer.

Of course, I didn’t mention Tsupi. I also avoided any answers that might cause problems later.

“I just… wanted to try it. Since I was already working in the VTuber industry. And I was also a viewer myself.”

I had never properly watched a full stream since I was always busy with work.

But whenever I was working, I would always have a stream playing in the background.

To match the costumes I designed to the characters, their concept, personality, and overall vibe.

“So naturally, I started wanting to try it out myself. Not necessarily a full debut, but at least a little experience.”

As I shrugged and gave my carefully crafted response, the chat instantly turned into a sob-fest.

– ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

– So it was admiration all along…

– Well, as an illustrator for VTubers, it makes sense to be curious about it at least once.

– ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

– I wonder what it felt like to listen to streams while working on them…

– I think I understand why Tsupi became their manager now.

…That’s not it, though.

I only applied because Tsupi forced me into it.

The viewers had completely misunderstood the situation, but honestly, there was no real reason to correct them.

In fact, it might be better to just let them keep believing this.

Even if I was basically forced into this job, I don’t actually hate it.

If anything, I was happier now that my deadlines had been extended.

Isn’t this what real workplace benefits are?

“…Wait, so that’s what this was all about?”

“Huh?”

“MAMA!!!!!!!!!!”

“W-Wait, what?”

Uh…?

Something felt off.

Before I knew it, the collab was reaching its end.

And finally, the moment the viewers had been waiting for—the mini-concert—began.

The first song from the first-gen members was, of course, Re:Maerchen.

Since the popularity was explosive, the chat was flooded with calls for an encore.

“Encore! Encore!”

“Could you at least put some soul into it…?”

“Oh.”

I also joined in with the viewers, waving a virtual lightstick from the side.

—

– LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL

– Encore! Encore!

– Hahaha, “put some soul into it” LOL

– Yuwol gets funnier the more you watch them.

– 700

– Please, just one more song…

– Angela Angel, please!!

—

The first-gen mini concert started with Re:Maerchen, followed by two group songs, and then each member performed their solo.

And as the mini concert neared its end…

“Phew! Doesn’t it feel a little disappointing to end it like this, Creamies?”

“YEEES!!!”

“Right, right. We need to bring one more person up.”

“Ugh, I’m exhausted.”

Anna swept her hair back and gave me a bright smile.

…Why did I have such a bad feeling about this?

I quietly lowered my lightstick and slowly stood up from my seat.

“Uh… I just remembered I have something urgent to do—”

“Thirteen thousand viewers are waiting. Really?”

“…Fine. Just one song.”

Unable to withstand the pressure from the first-gen members, I had no choice but to take the microphone.

Can I seriously not report this as workplace harassment?

With that thought, I turned to the staff and asked them to play Warrior.