Chapter 4: Adding the Most Beautiful Magic and a Little Grumbling.

“A beautiful girl. Is born…!”

Beautiful blonde hair, like a slice of brilliant sunlight, and green eyes that hold the lushness of foliage. The gently swaying blonde hair is refreshing. The eyes are playful yet innocent. A perfectly shaped nose on a pearly white face, a size that isn’t overwhelming even at close range.

A beautiful girl who seems to embody summer.

My daughter. Hanasaki Yui.

“Ahh…”

As expected, the pen is mightier than filthy things like tactical knives.

Those are merely tools of the mundane, incapable of creating beautiful girls.

Weapons are for killing people. In other words, they are the worst kind of objects, reducing the possibility of a beautiful girl being born.

I slowly admired the single beauty created by my pen.

A blonde-haired, green-eyed beauty in a unique outfit is looking at me.

“Hmm.”

A sense of incongruity.

There’s a sense of incongruity somewhere I didn’t notice. An unfamiliar feeling in an avatar that should be entirely my own creation.

Ah. Found it.

“Somehow, it feels like my drawing skills have improved a bit.”

No, not just a bit.

I’ve surpassed the limits of my drawing skills. I’ve been a professional for years, and my drawing skills, which I thought had peaked, have improved.

As you well know, a drawing style that satisfies everyone cannot exist.

The drawings I’ve created so far are simply imbued with my individuality; they’re beautiful from an otaku’s perspective. I can’t guarantee that Raphael or Van Gogh wouldn’t burst into tears if they saw my drawings.

But what if Monet’s techniques were used in a manga designed to appeal to otaku tastes? No matter how well the artist draws, it would be difficult to succeed.

As I always say, there are as many ideals of beauty as there are people in the world. This means that finding fault with my drawings is as easy as pie.

The eyes are too big compared to a real person.

Why are the lips just drawn as lines?

The lips are lines, so why are the teeth a single block?

It’s creepy. It’s otaku-like. It’s not a proper drawing.

I don’t think it’s something you should come to my personal SNS to say, but I do listen. Sometimes, when I realize it, the otaku drawing style is quite bizarre.

But like this drawing I just drew. A picture so impactful, filled with the artist’s dedication and talent, that makes you involuntarily exclaim how beautiful it is at first glance.

Perhaps it can reduce the criticism a little.

Looking at the noticeably smoother curve of the mouth, I murmur.

“This part. I always got hate DMs about it.”

My flaws have been corrected so naturally.

Chronic problems that wouldn’t go away even after years of drawing.

Thud-

A pose that used to be uncomfortable because my legs were too long. I put my legs up on the desk and looked at the ceiling.

“A TS perk? Not bad.”

Should I say it’s a little anticlimactic?

They could have given me superpowers or something. Improved drawing skills. Of course, I’m happy, but I wonder what it would have been like if they had given me something else.

Like singing, or gaming. Ah, gaming, I’m so bad at it, I was a bit envious.

I wanted to be so good that I’d get suspected of hacking in online communities, surprise a male part-timer at the convenience store I was forced to go to instead of waiting for my online delivery…

I wanted to try things like that.

“Still, my d*ck was fcking useless.”

So it’s a gain?

Still, losing a man’s symbol and getting improved drawing skills is all? There’s no status window, so I don’t even know if there are any more perks.

It would be nice to have one more useful thing.

Like, for example,

Rigging.

***

Two weeks later.

There’s a beautiful girl rolling around in bed in a dark room. A beautiful girl giggling with a stupid expression that makes you involuntarily call her pathetic.

That’s right, it’s Yui.

Yui, wrapped up in her blanket like a soon-to-be pupa, is tapping on her phone with a silly grin.

“Hmm~! I’m in a good mood today. Time for a Haru-chan archive binge…”

Ding!

“Eek!”

The notification that appeared above YouTube, no, above her phone screen, straightened her relaxed back. It was the kind of notification that would startle anyone in a relaxed state.

[WhitePalette: Final product. Please let me know if there are any parts you need to be revised. I finished it quickly on my own, so feel free to tell me. (Image attached)]

“Eh. This is dangerous.”

Hanasaki Yui. 18 years old. Instead of going to the school she dropped out of, she was rolling around in bed when she suddenly received the cornerstone for her future career.

The work she thought would take five months arrived in just two weeks.

“Should I click it? Really? Click…?”

Tremble, tremble…

Yui’s small fingers trembled. With a single touch, the long-awaited work filled with the artist’s dedication would appear.

Her avatar, commissioned with the money she saved while enduring her mother’s disapproving glances and begrudgingly accepting her allowance.

“Gulp…”

She didn’t doubt White Palette’s quality. They were someone who drew incredibly well even in speed paintings done as a hobby, not commissions.

Press…

Her white finger gently pressed the notification. And another her emerged. Her mask, her face, that would deliver her songs to everyone.

“Eh…”

Blink, blink.

Her dry, scratchy eyes moistened themselves to confirm that this moment was real. It was real. The high-quality avatar reflected in her eyes was real.

The care put into each strand of hair was delicate. The elegance of the lines of the outfit was astounding. Although the quality of other parts surprised her enough to make her faint.

Green eyes. Those eyes captured her almost-lost mind. Playful, energetic, yet innocent girl’s eyes. Those green eyes like a heavenly sprout.

They captivate people. They draw in gazes that would have wandered away. Beautiful, sparkling eyes that silence those who were amazed by the other parts of the avatar.

That fleeting sparkle when caught in their gaze.

Not only for corporate Vtubers with tens of thousands of waiting viewers.

But the most important thing for independent Vtubers, where substitutes are abundant.

It’s an avatar that will succeed. Yui felt it.

Yui’s hands trembled.

“Isn’t this…industry top level?”

Even though she could hardly call herself wealthy, Yui felt a pang of guilt.

She spent 500,000 yen on the avatar. It’s not a small amount, but it’s not the kind of money you’d spend on a top-level avatar. Just looking at the quality, it’s… and it even includes expressions and special effects.

Yui was surprised, and then another fact struck her.

The attached file contained her moving avatar.

A blonde-haired, green-eyed beauty bobbing her head cutely.

Every single piece of clothing and hair moves smoothly, rivaling a 3D avatar. This avatar wasn’t just about appearance; it was professionally rigged.

“A million yen..? No. More than that…”

They’ll definitely ask for an additional fee. Just as Yui was about to doubt her eyes and her idol’s apparent scam, her idol’s message crushed her hopes.

Ding.

[WhitePalette: Rigging, expressions, and various effects are on the house. I hope you like it.]

“It’s not a dream.. Is this real?”

Pinch.

The small hand pinching her snow-white thigh fell limply. It hurts. Not enough to bring her back to reality, though.

Tap, tap, tap!

Yui’s fingers moved unbelievably fast.

[Hanasaki Yui: On the house!? That seems like it would be over a million yen…!]

[WhitePalette: It’s my first time doing this kind of work, so I got carried away and added this and that. Think of it as a test run, so don’t feel pressured.]

“No, no, even so, you can’t just accept a million yen!”

Yui was almost in tears. Her conscience pricked at her. It was too large a sum to simply accept with a smile.

[WhitePalette: If you insist, there is something I’d like in return.]

[Hanasaki Yui: What is it! I’ll do anything…!]

Yui waited for the upcoming request in the message window with a face full of joy. It was her idol’s request. She would probably have agreed even if they asked for half of her future donations.

Ding.

[WhitePalette: Please call me Mama during your broadcasts. If you keep calling me White Palette-nim, there might be rumors of discord.]

“Eh. Mama…”

Of course, Yui knew that in the Vtuber world, the person who draws the illustration is called Mama. But to Yui, White Palette was more than just an idol. Calling them Mama required quite a bit of mental preparation.

[Hanasaki Yui: Okay…! Mama!]

[WhitePalette: Come to think of it, I’m also in charge of Papa. I’ll create a new account later and let you know the name, so don’t say Mama and Papa are the same person.]

[Hanasaki Yui: Yes! Mama!]

“I won’t forget this kindness. Mama!”

Thud!

Yui wiped away her tears and bowed deeply to her phone. If she knew where Soohyun lived, she would have bowed her head several times in that direction.

A few days after Yui and Soohyun’s tearful drama, Yui’s debut broadcast date was set. She already had other necessary items like a soundproof booth and a microphone, and all she needed was Soohyun’s avatar.

“Hmm. Is this my first time writing?”

Soohyun, seeing her significantly increased followers, wrote a short post. It was the first written post on White Palette’s SNS, which usually only had pictures.

[My first daughter, Hanasaki Yui, will debut tomorrow.]

(Image of a black silhouette)

Please show her lots of support.

Ah, White Palette… you’ve grown up well.

You’re not a small artist anymore, but congratulations!

I’ll definitely watch tomorrow.

Is the Vtuber Japanese?

White Palette’s local fans were mostly pleased with the news. She suddenly gained a lot of followers and wasn’t their little illustrator anymore, but wasn’t this a good thing? She’ll get even more followers now.

However, for most of the followers who came from Haru’s broadcast, not the local fans, and the majority, including Sayo, it came as surprising news…

First?

-Eh, is Haru-chan abandoned?

You should have thought about the fact that if you abandon your Mama, you’ll be abandoned by your Mama…

Haru’s treatment is sad.

Quick abandonment

Especially for Sayo, who happily entered SNS to see her proud Mama’s post…

“…Mama?”

It was a bolt from the blue.