They say that everyone will face a once-in-a-lifetime, extraordinary opportunity at least once in their life.
Even the unluckiest person will find a chance at some point.
Dull folks might not even realize that an opportunity has knocked and let it slip away, while those unprepared may recognize the chance but end up regretting it too late.
Opportunities come by luck, but seizing them is all about personal skill.
This year marks the second year for the streamer VTuber Kumalung, and she was well aware of this fact. She was preparing in various ways, waiting for the opportunity that would come someday.
To hone her essential singing skills for VTubing, she attended a vocal academy and hit the gym to ensure longer broadcast sessions.
In addition, she practiced the dance she learned in her school dance club every day to keep her skills fresh, putting in relentless effort for her broadcasts.
Besides prepping for the future, she had no choice but to keep pushing for her fans, whom she had steadily entertained over three years.
Having overcome countless setbacks, Kumalung doesn’t give up. Why? Because she decided to keep going.
Today, she was busy broadcasting and working out, juggling her schedule.
In response to her hard work, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity suddenly came knocking.
“Finally…!”
Kumalung’s face lit up with joy as she peered into her monitor.
Her heart raced with excitement and nerves—a complex and chaotic feeling that was hard to put into words.
– Apply now! We’re waiting for your call!
This line, scribbled like a third-rate ad, might just change Kumalung’s broadcasting life.
Knowing this well, she re-read the announcement multiple times, stuffing the information in her head.
It was a notice from Taker. They were recruiting VTubers for their organization.
There was no downside to trying. In fact, when weighed in, the benefits far outweighed the drawbacks—an absolute must-do content!
If she were to join the massive Taker corporation, that would be the best outcome. Even if that didn’t happen, just showcasing an impressive side of herself during Taker’s broadcasts would be beneficial.
There would surely be viewers who would be drawn to her broadcasts after seeing her during auditions. This was a classic case of hoping for a trickle-down effect.
Anyway, Kumalung, who had been eyeing the growth of her broadcasts, couldn’t let this chance slip by.
She began filling out the application according to the guidelines provided in the notice, pondering how to create a more exciting image for her audition.
While filling out the application according to the prescribed format, I pondered how to create a more interesting impression during the audition.
‘Singing is a must, but should I prepare something funny? Or maybe dance? How should I appeal?’
Understanding the tastes of the judges, who would be doing the audition with the Taker, was quite important as well.
The notice mentioned that one could advance to the next round by getting the majority approval of the judges or a super pass from a specific judge.
There were a total of 5 judges conducting the audition. Excluding the Taker, who was essentially the main host and organizer of the content, there were 4 others.
All the judges listed were familiar faces to Kumalung. There were streamers, musicians, and MCN employees…
Out of those, only one person was a complete mystery to Kumalung.
– Special Judge: ???
With a question mark and a black silhouette instead of a photo, it marked someone unknown as the special judge.
‘Could it be a celebrity?’
The Taker, who frequently appeared on public broadcasts, was practically a celebrity himself. It wouldn’t be strange for him to bring in a real celebrity through his connections.
Just thinking of potential candidates brought to mind quite a few names. Kumalung stopped guessing who the special guest might be and focused on her own preparations.
She began to simulate in her mind what she would say and how she would appeal during the audition.
Taking every possibility into account, she prepared thoroughly. Only careful preparation would lead to success. Planning ahead for anything was Kumalung’s nature.
However, on the actual audition day, before she could even showcase what she had prepared, she heard a positive response.
“I’ll pass.”
“Oh, can I ask why that pass came immediately after your introduction, Kumalung?”
“Just… because I feel like it. I like your avatar and your voice.”
It was a mysterious acceptance notice from the special guest, Kayak, whose identity had remained unknown until the audition day.
*
Before the broadcast began, what I received from the Taker was this.
“You can just do whatever you want.”
“Whatever?”
“Yes, I’m called a Special Judge, but it’s just a title, you know.”
In reality, I was more like a guest than a judge, and the PASS or FAIL buttons for deciding the participants’ fate were just there for me to press as I liked.
“You can toss in a word or two if you feel like it. And feel free to add more whenever you want.”
There wasn’t any strict script, which meant it was a free-for-all, really.
It was true. I wasn’t exactly an expert in music, and though I learned a bit of dancing from Sebi, I didn’t have the knowledge to analyze or critique someone else’s moves.
I wasn’t a total novice, but I couldn’t provide professional evaluations either.
The only thing I had any experience in was broadcasting. But even then, bringing up broadcasting in front of judges with way more experience, including the Taker, felt a bit silly.
I decided I really should play my part like a wallflower, just there to observe as an audience member and panelist, and if someone caught my fancy, I’d pass.
So, I committed to that stance.
And just like that, the audition began.
“Hello, I’m PP who has been streaming for six months. I primarily do karaoke and interaction streams. I often watch Taker’s broadcasts, so as soon as the announcement went up, I signed up right away.”
The audition took place inside the game called VRChat. I had never actually played it, but I had seen it a few times on other broadcasts, and this was my first time actually logging in and entering an audition-like map. When I asked Taker, he said everyone does it this way now.
“Thanks to you, I get to be the first one judged… Feeling a bit nervous, are we?”
“It would be a lie to say there’s no pressure at all, but I think it doesn’t matter what position I go in as long as I can show my real skills.”
“I love that confidence.”
Following the short self-introduction was the singing. After the introduction comes the self-promo, so this person likely intended to appeal through their song.
Since singing is essentially the foundation of being a VTuber, we all expected everyone to be prepared to sing. It was almost a given, really.
“Soaring high in the sky—far away—.”
As someone who exuded confidence in their skills, their singing was impressive. It was refreshing to hear high notes soaring effortlessly.
“Let’s hear the judges’ comments one by one, starting with Jenimaru?”
“Oh, the song you prepared. I really enjoyed it. Should I call it pure talent? It has that raw gemstone vibe? It doesn’t have the finesse of professional singers, but the power is definitely alive.”
I couldn’t help but nod in agreement. It felt a bit like a disruptive species showing up at a coin karaoke venue.
It didn’t evoke a feeling of perfection like when I listen to professional singers, but among ordinary people, I’d say it’s top-tier.
After that, several more participants received their evaluations. Some, like the first participant, appealed with singing, while others brought dance, impressions, or comedy acts to the stage.
The audition was more entertaining than I had anticipated. It had a certain appeal to it.
Even though I was out here as a judge instead of a viewer, I thought it would have been quite fun just to be a spectator without being on the broadcast.
[Why is Kayak failing again? LOL]
[Surprisingly strict, huh]
[I’m curious what the judging criteria are]
[Wasn’t the dance the problem?]
[It seems like they’re just doing whatever they want]
[I’m a subscriber for 12 months, and the host is clearly out of it, right? Yup]
[Hmm… So you hit fail after hearing this song?]
[It’s a variety show anyway, just let it slide]
Unexpectedly, I was receiving a lot of attention, which was surprising. Aside from the judges’ introductions at the start, I hadn’t spoken much at all.
Then, as I was subtly scanning the chat, suddenly my name came up.
“Oh, I just received a live report for my broadcast. It seems that all the VTubers Kayak approved have either silver hair or blue eyes… Is that true, Kayak?”
“Uh, what?”
[Oh, is that how it was?]
[Did you really only give passes to VTubers who look like Camilla?]
[Just a pure admirer of Camilla;;]
[Is it you again? goat]
[If they come in with silver hair, blue eyes, and styled like Camilla, they’ll get a super pass]
[1st round pass lineage is revealed, LOL]
Was it really so? Reflecting on it, it seems I unintentionally ended up being that way.
I just gave a pass to those I felt drawn to, but looking at the results, I can’t deny it wasn’t wrong.
“Busted…”
That was all I could say in reply.
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