If you’re a manager at Star’s Flow, you’d usually think of M-chan, the general manager who coordinates the members’ overall schedules and steps up during company events.
But M-chan is a general manager, not a personal manager who handles each member individually.
Well, even if it’s a personal manager, they don’t just manage one person.
[Manager: Izumi Kainoh, can we meet for a bit today?]
[Manager: I’ll head over to Izumi’s home area.]
And the person who just contacted me was my personal manager.
“…Huh?”
An unexpected meeting today?
To be honest, it was a bit surprising.
Of course, I didn’t have any prior plans, but it felt way too sudden.
“Hmm….”
Let’s think about the distance between my manager and me.
Depending on the VTuber, the distance with their personal manager varies, but for me, it’s safe to say it’s strictly business-level.
I heard Ayaka is friendly enough to hang out with her manager, but in my case, we only talk about essential things.
So this call must be important.
But the manager always contacted me at least a week in advance to set up meetings for any reason…
“…Is it okay to decline?”
That thought briefly crossed my mind.
The message clearly stated ‘request,’ so whether to accept or not is totally up to me, right?
Well, having met her multiple times, I shouldn’t feel pressure about the meeting.
Hmm, to be honest, that’s false.
My manager has a really cold personality.
When we meet and talk, I often worry that I did something wrong.
After all, I messed up quite a bit during the early days of broadcasting…
But of course, an introverted social phobic like me has no courage to decline a request.
[Kainoh Izumi: I think it’ll be fine.]
[Manager: I’ll contact you again when I arrive.]
In the end, an unexpected appointment has been made.
★
The appointment time is at 3 PM.
The meeting location is near my home, but it’s a cafe I’ve never been to.
“Welcome!”
“Ah, hello….”
After replying to the cafe staff’s greeting, I quietly looked around.
Since it’s supposed to be on the first floor….
“This way, Kayanoh.”
At those words, I nervously turned my gaze toward the source of the voice.
There, my manager was seated at a round table with a laptop and coffee.
“Hello there…”
“Yes.”
Y-yeah, this person is indeed scary….
With sleek black hair tied back and deep brown eyes, her appearance is that of an ordinary adult office worker, but….
“Please sit comfortably.”
“Ah, okay….”
The cold atmosphere in her voice was anything but ordinary.
She even had dark circles under her eyes and always seemed to frown slightly, making her presence even more intimidating to me.
“Do you want anything to drink?”
“Uh, I’m fine….”
It’s definitely a regular offer, but it feels scary….
“So let’s get straight to the point… We will be starting the recruitment for the third generation soon.”
“…Huh?”
“You’re going to be a senior now, Kayanoh.”
Senior?
“M-me?”
“Yes. I heard the debut date is likely around mid-December.”
I had been thinking it was about that time.
All the second-generation members, including me, are celebrating our first anniversary, and discussions about the third generation have been popping up in the community anyways.
But somehow, it still doesn’t feel real.
I’m going to become a senior.
…I hope they aren’t all scary kids.
★
“Haah….”
Aozaki Fujie, Izumi’s personal manager, stretched her arms and sighed.
“Thankfully, she seems to be happy.”
She quietly smiled, recalling Izumi’s expression when she heard she would be a senior.
That moment when her eyes widened in surprise was so cute that Fujie wanted to capture it in a photo.
“Yawn…. Next is Yurika, huh.”
Fujie covered her mouth as she yawned, gathered her things, and stood up.
If she had to say, meeting Suzuha first would save her a lot of time.
Yet, the reason she informed Izumi first was because she remembered what Izumi had said on her stream.
[Hehe…. I can’t wait for my own juniors to appear….]
There was of course the option of sending a text to convey the news.
Knowing Izumi’s personality, Fujie had mostly communicated through text so far.
But because Izumi had been looking forward to the third generation’s recruitment so much, Fujie thought it would be better to tell her in person, so she came here.
And after seeing Izumi’s adorable reaction, she felt no regret for that choice.
“Busy, busy. There’s just no time…”
That wasn’t a lie.
Fujie was managing three VTubers: Izumi, Suzuha, and Tsubaki.
And after work, she also tried to catch up on all of Star’s Flow members’ streams, so her comment about having no time was far from exaggerated.
Yet, for someone like Fujie, a true VTuber otaku, being this busy felt like pure joy.
Communicating directly with the VTubers she loved, and considering that all the Star’s Flow members are beauties, it was always a delightful experience. What else could be considered a luxury?
Fujie seriously thought about that.
Of course, she had no idea that her dark circles and worn-out appearance made the VTubers find her a bit intimidating.
★
[“On the Day the God Falls”, I’m absolutely not going to abandon you! #Star’sFlow2ndGen#KainohIzumi]
“Konizumi~. I’m the atmosphere maker Kainoh Izumi….”
–Hizumi!
“Yes, as previously announced in the stream, today we will be playing this game….”
And thus, the god finally falls.
This is a visual novel released five months ago by an indie game development team called ‘Shindae Project.’
…Well, I ended up streaming this game, though I don’t particularly love visual novels.
Of course, the attractive aspect of a story where the ending varies based on choices is definitely appealing, but… isn’t that true for most games with a narrative?
Even the last game I played, ST, was like that.
And the unique advantage of being a novel didn’t resonate much with me, a fan of paperbacks.
In other words, visual novels, which are novels with choices turned into game formats, are way off my taste.
Still, the reason I’m playing this game is that Aki earnestly recommended it to me.
[Aki Nekoto: I thought Izumi would absolutely love it.]
While I’m an omnivorous otaku who tries everything, Aki is a pure gaming otaku.
So, since she recommended it, I thought I’d at least try it out once… and made that decision.
–Is it going to be the Day of the God?
–I do think it’s more Mei’s taste.
Indeed, On the Day the God Falls received good reviews, and when I posted about it, the responses were quite positive too.
Just like in the chat, many said it aligned with my preferences.
Well, since it’s happening, I hope I can have fun playing it.
I thought that as I quietly pressed the game start button.
★
[Huyune Hiroto: I’m really… sorry, God.]
[Hestia: Hiroto? Hiroto?! N-no! Don’t leave me alone! No way!]
[With this, she can return again. The time we spent together was just a fleeting moment in her life, so she’ll forget very quickly.]
[As I comforted myself, I quietly closed my eyes.]
[Dead End: The Day I Couldn’t Reach.]
“Are you an idiot, Hiroto?!”
–Aah, as expected, that’s a classic response.
On the Day the God Falls is the tale of the god Hestia, who comes down to the human realm, and the protagonist Huyune Hiroto.
The disconnect in values caused by the difference between gods and humans.
An immortal god who can never die and a human who is ultimately bound to die.
These themes are endlessly questioned by the game, and how the player answers them affects the ending.
And the ending I just saw was a dead end where Hiroto sacrificed himself due to government intervention upon discovering the divine presence.
“If you truly love her, don’t think she’d forget if you die. Create everlasting memories for her…!”
–You got excited, huh.
–That was quite the touching line.
–Are you crying by any chance?
“…N-no?! There’s no way I’d cry over something like this…!”
…Honestly, I was crying my eyes out.
But isn’t that understandable?
When you watch such a sad story, how could you not cry?
Hestia, who has grown numb to her feelings due to her eternal life, gradually awakens to her emotions through small daily moments with Hiroto.
Seeing Hestia tear up saying “It’s delicious…” while eating the curry they made together had been so beautiful….
What’s with this ending that has Hiroto sacrifice himself? How could I not cry?!
During the choices regarding values and lifespan, I always picked the cheerful “It’s okay” option, so why the heck did this ending happen?
I only chose the good ones, so let me see a good ending!
–As expected, Mei is exactly the sentimental JK at the moment.
“I-I told you I’m not crying!”
Visual novels really aren’t my type….
★
[Thread 485 discussing VTuber Kainoh Izumi]
…
25. How many times have I cried now?
26. 25 << 3rd time lol 27. 26 << Curry CG once, dead end once, suddenly once in the middle, and once just now in the amusement park episode. Total of 4 times! 28. Watching Mei-chan insist she isn’t crying while she’s actually sobbing is so cute!!!
29. 27 << Really? That’s way too much crying. 30. This proves Mei-chan is a sentimental JK!
31. 30 << After all, otakus are just filled with sentimentality…
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