Chapter 5: Originally, a shy, introverted girl has no friends.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Participant #5.”

• – A
• – A…
• – AAAAAA
• – Is A supposed to mean a battery?
  ᄂ Standing ovation for your unique interpretation.
• – How can your first word just be A…

Nothing happened—or at least that’s what I’d like to say. But far too many people had already seen it.

Still, it shouldn’t be a big deal, right? I haven’t debuted yet; it’s just a stream. Anyone can make a slip of the tongue.

As the chat, which had briefly gone silent, picked up again, I greeted them and fell into thought.

What should I do? What will get people to vote for me?

First, I should finish my introduction. I can figure out the rest afterward.

“I didn’t expect to pass the first round, but since I did, I’ll give it my best shot to survive.”

• – Rooting for you!
• – You ‘didn’t expect to pass’…?
• – Is this mocking the applicants who failed the first round?
• – What’s your content theme?

That wasn’t my intention at all. Scratching my cheek awkwardly, I responded.

“I didn’t mean it like that. I wasn’t even planning to debut. Well, not until now.”

• – ???
• – So do you want to debut or not?
• – Your soft voice is tickling my ears.
  ᄂ That’s the charm, you clueless fool.
• – Does this VTuber not have a reincarnation backstory? Why does this voice sound completely new?
• – The over-interpretation here is insane. How do you even twist that into mockery?

Watching the chat grow increasingly tense, I began to worry.

Managing chat is an essential skill for any streamer, and VTubers are no exception.

The problem was, I had no idea how to manage it.

Since this was a fair survival event, I didn’t have a manager or anyone to assist me. There wasn’t even a bot or AI to help moderate, which left me in a bind.

“Maybe I should change the subject?”

It was crucial to defuse the tension before things escalated further.

Ignoring it completely wasn’t the best approach, but right now, I didn’t have many options.

I had to focus on what I could do.

“I do want to debut. I didn’t think about it before the first round, but after passing, I figured I might as well.”

• – O ŏ
• – That’s understandable.
• – It’s like when you apply to college without much expectation, but once you pass the first round, you start taking it seriously.
• – Exactly. If you’ve passed, you should give it your all.
• – I like your voice, sis!

Thankfully, I succeeded in calming down the heated chat. Feeling a small sense of accomplishment, I allowed myself a slight smile.

• – Oh….
• – There’s just something about this.
• – Making us like them even with a low-quality avatar.
• – Are you telling me they’re not a professional?
• – Feels like watching an innocent adult child.
  ᄂ That feels like it came out wrong.

For some reason, the chat grew lively again. At least this time, it didn’t seem negative, so I decided to let it slide.

After the brief introduction, I enjoyed some casual chatting with the viewers.

There weren’t many people demanding specific content. They simply said they found it fun to just talk with me.

Still, doing absolutely nothing felt a little irresponsible, like a toothpick poking at my conscience.

“Shall we play a game now? Let’s see what’s available here.”

• – Oh, finally some content.
• – Honestly, I wish they’d just keep chatting.
• – Starting a game an hour into the stream, huh?
• – Look at the viewer count. Everyone from the other streams migrated here.
• – Nothing to see here, folks. Move along.
• – Why were they hogging the good stuff for themselves?
• – Heuuuung…
• – Their voice is seriously amazing.

Ignoring the chaotic chat, I started looking through the games I could play.

“Most of the games are installed. Should I try League of Legends for the first time in a while?”

Resting my chin on my hand, I scrolled lazily through the list, but nothing caught my attention.

Most games nowadays are dominated by veterans, so playing them would likely end in losing. And trying something new didn’t seem exciting either.

In the end, perhaps a drawing stream was the best option.

“Hmm, there doesn’t seem to be a game worth playing. Should I just draw instead?”

• – Let’s play League!
• – Everyone else is doing League or FPS games.
• – Some are doing different stuff, though.
• – Wait, you can draw?
• – How about Speedy Paint then?
  ᄂ Oh, yeah, some people are playing that right now.
• – LOL.
• – Let’s sneak in and join them.

Seeing the mention of Speedy Paint in the chat reminded me of a game I used to play.

Could it be that one? A competitive drawing game I used to play to blow off steam when work got too dull.

I’d often get called out for “smurfing” or being a “cheater,” so I stopped playing it after a while.

Maybe it’s time to give it another shot.

“Shall we play Speedy Paint then? But I’m not sure if it’s okay to join someone else’s game.”

• – It’s fine. None of the players in that room know each other.
• – The room was set up by Märchen anyway, so go ahead.
• – The radio vibe isn’t going away, lol.
• – There are about seven people playing right now. A lot of artists, huh?
• – Are you good at drawing, Participant #5?
• – The room is password-protected, so you’ll need to check first! Märchen’s official Tujijik stream has a list of games; you can find it there.
• – How much money has Märchen dumped into this?
  ᄂ They’ve created private rooms for nearly every game. Absolute lunatics.

While launching the game, I fiddled with the pen tablet and listened to the viewers’ comments.

I figured spending the morning playing Speedy Paint would be fine, and then I could focus on actual drawing in the afternoon.

Since drawing is the only thing I’m good at, that’s what I’d have to rely on.

As I was finalizing my plans for the afternoon, the game loaded and filled my monitor.

It had been a while since I last saw Speedy Paint. I searched for Märchen’s private room, entered the password, and joined.

“Oh, I’m in.”

• – A newbie’s here!
• – What are these art freaks drawing now?
  ᄂ Look at the theme, dummy.
• – What’s going on? Why are there suddenly 13 people? There were 7 just now.
• ᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏ They’re joining because Participant #5 started playing Speedy Paint.
• – You can’t start until the previous round’s theme is finished, huh?

The first thing I noticed upon entering Märchen’s room was the current theme.

The theme, simply “hands,” had inspired various pixel artworks already in progress.

My avatar, a tiny character, roamed around observing the other participants’ drawings.

“Some of these hand shapes are a bit…”

• – T.
• – Are you even allowed to show this on stream?
• – I mean, technically, yeah.
• – Märchen, is this okay?
• – How far can tastelessness really go?

Two rather suggestive hands were… uh, intertwined. Wow.

The artist was quite talented. They probably got a lot of praise for their drawings in school.

After skipping over the embarrassing artwork, I checked out the other hand drawings.

“They’re not bad.”

While none were professional-level, they were decent amateur efforts.

Despite the varied submissions, the winning piece turned out to be the suggestive hands I’d seen earlier.

“Would it be weird if I congratulated them in the chat?”

• – Nah, go for it.
• – Is this kindness, or are they just clueless?
• – They’re just adorably dumb, lol.
• – How’s someone who hesitates to type in chat supposed to survive this?
• – As long as it’s not overtly friendly interaction, I think it’s fine.

Reassured, I casually sent a congratulatory message, and the next theme was chosen.

-[Snake] -[Tissue] -[Apple] -[Leg] … -[Mouse] -[Root] -[Productivity] …

Ding!

[Productivity].

“Huh.”

• – t…
• – 1?
• – Umm…
• – O…

Wait. This kind of theme shouldn’t even appear.

But the theme was already selected, and time had started ticking.

“Uh, uh… for now…”

• ᄉᄇᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏ
• – Did Märchen pay for this? Lol.
• – Oh god, even Speedy Paint is watching this stream.
• – Why does the theme ‘Productivity’ even exist? Lol.
• – It’s hilarious how everyone else looks completely baffled too.
• – Participant #5, calm down, calm down.

I couldn’t even pay attention to the rapidly scrolling chat as I fell deep into thought.

Productivity. What counts as productivity? Something inappropriate was definitely out of the question.

But without that, how do I even approach this?

Unintentionally, my mouth hung open, prompting viewers to spam the chat with exaggerated reactions.

• – What counts as productivity?
  ᄂ “That thing between your legs.”
  ᄂ “Um.”
• – How about a tree? It produces oxygen, after all.
• – Yes! Yes! Gasp—gan, gand- (message blocked).

I instinctively moderated the chat as it veered into inappropriate territory. Good job, Muil.

“Hmm. A tree is a nice idea, but just drawing a tree feels a bit dull.”

Tilting side to side in my chair, I added, “Let’s draw a tree as a cute girl instead. Although it might be hard to convey in pixel art.”

• – Nice!
• – This is it!
• – Just listening to them talk, they sound so confident.
  ᄂ “Who even uses the word ‘confident’ these days?”
  ᄂ “Get with the times, dude.”

Feeling encouraged by the viewers’ reactions, I smiled faintly and started drawing.

I didn’t put too much effort into it. It was just a game, and as long as it was visually engaging, that should be enough.

The only details I focused on were some shading and color distribution.

In just 4 minutes and 20 seconds, my light-green young girl character was complete—and won the round with 17 votes.

Wait, 17 votes?

Excluding mine, that meant 16 others voted. So there were 16 people here?

No wonder it seemed like there were more people than before.

“A third of the 50 participants are playing this game?”

Just a while ago, everyone seemed to be playing League or FPS games. When did everyone suddenly get hooked on drawing?

Feeling increasingly overwhelmed by the growing crowd, I quietly exited the game.

So much for my morning content…

• – Look at them dip the moment more people join, lol.
• – Are they just shy?
• – A socially awkward, slightly clueless girl who avoids crowds?
• – Everyone leaves again as soon as Participant #5 exits. Jeez…
• – Since it’s come to this, let’s take over the chat!

“I’m not shy or socially awkward.”

But somehow, those comments hurt more than losing my content.

• – So, do you have friends?

“…I do.”

Even promotional messages on KakaoTalk can count as friends, right?