Chapter 21: A Chance (?) Encounter

Surprised by the rather straightforward proposal right from the start, I glanced at the other person’s expression and cautiously opened my mouth.

“Um, may I ask you just one thing?”

“Yes, yes, feel free to ask anything.”

The manager, who was offering me refreshments along with a cup of warm tea, nodded with a friendly smile.

Somehow, the image of the female employee I saw earlier at the desk came to mind.

“As you know, I wasn’t exactly a popular streamer on Twip either. So while I’m thankful for this offer, I’m also curious about the reason behind it.”

“Ah, I understand. I was planning to explain that point now.”

I was worried that I might be throwing cold water on what seemed like a good opportunity, but the manager just smiled as if he had anticipated my question from the start. He pulled out a sheet of A4 paper, which made me wonder if he was about to show me a contract, but it turned out to be blank.

“As you know, Cosmo, these days, there are a lot of diverse concept streams out there, right? From virtual streamers to those producing all kinds of content on their own.”

“That’s right.”

The streaming scene nowadays is fiercely competitive, like a red ocean. As the manager said, most streamers try content that others have already done, and there are countless viewers lurking around, looking for something fresh.

Even I find it surprising sometimes that I manage to maintain an average of 300 viewers without any particularly special content.

“From that perspective, we hold your stream, Cosmo, in high regard. As you’re aware, most streaming content is becoming more provocative over time.”

True. For the top-tier streamers who are already established, it doesn’t matter as much, but for those just starting to gather viewers, they tend to try more provocative and novel things to stand out.

As a result, some streamers end up broadcasting excessively suggestive content, or even shows that could be deemed socially inappropriate.

Recent news articles make that clear.

“In that regard, Cosmo, your stream stands out as something truly unique in today’s market. Moreover, the fact that you’ve achieved a certain level of success with it is something worth noting.”

“Hmm…”

Is that so? I’ve heard from viewers now and then that my stream is quite unique, but honestly, it’s hard for me to judge it myself.

There are other streamers who focus on similar content, like consultation streams, so I don’t know if it’s special enough to warrant such praise.

“Haha, you seem a bit unconvinced.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Your words were so flattering that I got a bit flustered.”

Realizing I had been lost in thought while the person in front of me was waiting, I quickly apologized.

The manager waved it off and, with his characteristic friendly laugh, spoke again.

“I understand. But I hope you see it as a sign of how positively we view you, Cosmo. To be frank, we haven’t made this kind of offer to many other streamers with a similar viewer base.”

“Oh…”

That explains why I hadn’t heard of other streamers with similar viewer numbers going to Aiver. Even if they did, all they mentioned was receiving a briefing on the new platform, without any talk of contracts.

Maybe it’s just because it was a general briefing and contracts weren’t discussed. But based on what the manager said, it seems they didn’t receive any offers at all.

It’s clear they view me in a positive light.

“If I’m not mistaken, Cosmo, you don’t have a YouTube channel either, right?”

“Right, I don’t. I thought about starting one, but… I’m more comfortable just streaming casually.”

Some of my viewers have even suggested that I start a YouTube channel and upload edited highlights for fun. But I found the idea of hiring an editor and managing that process too bothersome, so I gave up on it.

Being reminded of that, I scratched my head a little, feeling awkward.

“We see that as a positive as well. As you know, these days, YouTube and streaming often create a virtuous cycle. People watch streams, find them entertaining, and then check out the highlights, or they watch the highlights and get interested in the live streams.”

“That’s true. It’s hard to find streamers who don’t do YouTube nowadays…”

There used to be a clearer distinction between YouTubers and streamers, but nowadays, the lines are blurred. There are quite a few YouTubers who don’t stream, but it’s rare to find streamers who don’t do YouTube.

Most of them jump into YouTube, aiming for that virtuous cycle the manager mentioned. Of course, the financial incentives are part of it too.

“In that sense, the fact that you’ve maintained this level of viewership without any YouTube presence is a very positive sign.”

“Is that really how it looks?”

“Absolutely. There are streamers and YouTubers with content similar to yours who are drawing a significant number of viewers through shorts and edited highlights.”

The manager scribbled the names of a few streamers I might know on the paper, then showed me detailed graphs illustrating their growth rates, as if he had thoroughly researched the data.

Seeing it all laid out like that, it was pretty surprising how noticeable the growth was after starting a YouTube channel.

“And once those viewers settle in as regulars, you could eventually broaden your content range—from variety games to various other topics. For these kinds of streamers, it’s not just about the content they produce, but also the charisma of the streamer themselves that keeps people coming back.”

“That’s fascinating…”

I couldn’t help but admire the manager’s insight as he presented a clear growth direction that I’d never even considered.