Reality always falls short of imagination.
The true identities of a no-cam streamer, a person known only by their voice, and a female gallery enthusiast who’s popular among the crowd.
It’s no surprise that the real face of the trendy VTuber is often likened to a red pill. After all, truth has a way of brutally betraying people’s expectations.
Amidst the confusing and painful truth versus the peaceful and satisfying lies, there were those who stubbornly set out to find the truth despite everyone’s warnings.
Historically, such explorers tend to be disappointed time and again.
The utopia they sought never truly existed in the first place. What they thought was the ultimate treasure, like the One Piece, turned out to be Pandora’s box.
To begin with, it’s a gamble with extremely low odds.
A veteran who had played an obscure game long before anyone else, the founder of a community mostly made up of men, a freak who adored Camilla to the point of suspicion, an ambassador for a failed game, and an immortal ranker.
It’s surprising enough that the person with such titles is a woman, but to make matters worse, she’s a beauty?
What are the chances of that, rationally speaking?
Yusia, also a rare find as a female gallery enthusiast and a player, felt like nothing compared to Kayak.
Thus, Yusia didn’t harbor too many expectations. She told herself not to imagine what Kayak looked like or how her voice sounded before their meeting, knowing that expectations often lead to great disappointments.
For Yusia, who somewhat regarded Kayak as a celebrity as a fan, this was quite a challenge.
Since they had founded the gallery together long ago during the days when she streamed with no mic, Yusia had thought countless times about what Kayak must look like—what her voice must be like.
Embarrassing memories, indeed. Looking back, it feels a bit like a ridiculous crush. Was it just meaningless daydreaming common in school days?
Of course, that was back when she was still in a dreamy state, and she recently came to realize that Kayak was a woman. So, it was all water under the bridge now.
Anyway, Yusia, as a fan, resolved not to show any disappointment when meeting Kayak, regardless of whether her looks were what she had imagined.
No, to be precise, there was no reason to be disappointed.
She didn’t like Kayak for such trivial reasons. Though she was pleasantly surprised by how lovely her voice was, Yusia had been a fan of Kayak since she streamed with no cam and no mic.
She was fundamentally different from the countless nouveaux arriving recently. Those who called themselves fans only because they were enchanted by Kayak’s voice or chest. The ones who lewdly filled the gallery with inappropriate posts.
It was said that I was fundamentally different from those less fortunate souls. Those who called themselves fans were merely enchanted by Kayak’s voice or figure, scribbling sleazy comments in the gallery.
Yusia believed she was different from such people. Unlike those who casually liked someone based on superficial traits, she had admired Kayak’s inner self for a long time.
She could take pride in that. In fact, she had a subtle sense of pride.
“….”
However, right now, facing Kayak, Yusia realized that her pride and worries about not being disappointed by Kayak were utterly meaningless.
All she could do was stare with a blank expression.
What was this woman? What on earth was this appearance?
The more she looked, the more astonishing it became. It was similar to Camilla, yet upon closer inspection, it felt like a real-life adaptation of Camilla—a perfect fit for reality.
“—Miss? …Yours.”
Yusia was lost in admiration, gazing at Kayak’s face for a long time, probably unaware that Kayak was calling her.
“Yia!”
“Y-yes?”
Suddenly, Kayak leaned in, calling her name, and Yusia jolted in surprise.
“Are you sick? Your face is red.”
“N-no, I’m fine… yes…”
Yusia nodded slightly at Kayak, who was looking at her with a worried expression.
Though nothing had happened yet, the meeting with her idol was already a success.
*
“So, Ms. Yia, I didn’t know you were a woman at all.”
“Yup… I thought, too, that Kayak was a man.”
“Kim Jae-jun is surprising as well. I heard from Si Hyun that you worked in the video field.”
“Yes, indeed! I graduated in that field from college.”
Yusia, looking dazed, and Kim Jae-jun, responding rigidly, hinted that neither looked particularly well.
Once my question ended, an awkward silence fell.
This wasn’t even a formal question; I just asked out of curiosity. It seemed they thought my question was a signal to begin an interview.
Honestly, I had no intention of conducting a formal interview. What would I be interviewing them for?
I just wanted to share some casual stories and get a sense of their personalities.
But whether it was due to nervousness or their natural disposition, it didn’t look good.
Come to think of it, Kim Jae-jun had been flustered the last time I saw him, too.
Right now, both of them were unable to meet my gaze directly, answering with their eyes wandering nervously, and whenever I tried to make eye contact, their pupils would tremble and roll around.
I was responding without making eye contact. Whenever I tried to meet their gaze, their pupils would twitch and their eyes would subtly roll around like they were on a roller coaster.
Why are they acting like this? If this were a big corporation interview, they would have been disqualified on the spot.
I wasn’t exactly outgoing myself, but these two seemed even more socially awkward than I was. I thought I could ease the mood and move on to a conversation about editing, but…
“When did you both start watching my broadcast?”
“I’ve been watching since the first episode. Not the super old ones, just the return and the first episode.”
“Uh, I watched since the really old, like, true first episode.”
“Hmm, I see.”
With that, another silence fell.
It was just a question I threw out because I had nothing else to say, but it felt like an interview question, and Kim Jae-jun was nervously fidgeting as if he were on trial. Yusia, on the other hand, had a somewhat triumphant expression.
Should I drink something?
Honestly, there’s nothing easier than using alcohol to bond with people.
If we sat next to each other, raised our glasses one or two times, and gradually showed off our goofy sides that we wouldn’t dare show others, even a naturally reticent person would end up sharing a couple of heartfelt thoughts after being swept up in the atmosphere.
Of course, getting lively can also lead to raised voices and frequent fights, but that’s a risk worth taking given the huge advantage of quickly becoming friends.
Should I really just go for it? Seriously?
“Sigh…”
Caught up in that impulse, I quickly regained my composure.
Why did that incident happen recently, and now I’m already facing such temptations? That can’t happen. No way.
Biting my lip in regret, I noticed the two of them were glancing at me, pretending not to look.
I decided to put off the alcohol for now. I had asked all the formal questions, so it was time to move on.
I shot up from my seat and asked, “You both play Abyss, right?”
*
“…You want me to 1v1 this guy with Camilla?”
Yusia looked back at Kim Jae-jun, seeming to confirm if she understood me correctly.
I smiled and nodded at her, signaling yes.
We were at a PC Bang near a café, and since it was a bustling weekend afternoon, the place was packed. I nearly couldn’t find three seats close together.
Thank goodness I could finally sit down comfortably.
After confirming that the mouse and keyboard at my seat were functioning properly, I was about to explain to the two why we came to the PC Bang.
“Does that mean the winner becomes the editor or something…?”
“Not exactly, but it definitely earns some bonus points in my heart.”
“That’s basically the same thing….”
“So it’s like telling each other to go kill each other. Got it.”
To be honest, both of us had similar editing skills, so I could only choose someone who clicked well with me.
This one-on-one match with Camilla was to figure out who I meshed with better.
They say there are no bad players who really like and excel at Camilla. I intended to find out who the better Camilla player was this time.
I secured my spot and watched both of their screens.
“Oh, Platinum. What’s your most played character, Jae-jun?”
“I play a lot of Lennok.”
“Hmm, Lennok….”
I couldn’t hide my disappointment. They were still playing something like Lennok? I should have clearly shown during the last tournament that Lennok was inferior to Camilla.
“…Didn’t you play Lennok in the tournament?”
“That was just for performance; the main is Camilla. You saw that too, Jae-jun.”
“I’m most played as Camilla!”
On the other hand, Yusia proudly showed me her screen. It wasn’t a lie that she played a lot of Camilla, as her stats were all flooded with Camilla.
“Oh… you have played a lot. But.”
For some reason, that stats page was dyed a deep crimson red.
How many losses are we talking about here?
“Hehe…. It’s just a process of honing my skills. You said so on your broadcast. Camilla is originally tough when you start out.”
“Wait, you said you were most played!”
“N-no, now I am most played! I’ve played her the most this season!”
Yusia puffed up her chest with a cough. It was impressive that she had logged dozens of games with just Camilla. She had practiced by watching my broadcast.
“Do you think Jae-jun can win? That person is Platinum.”
“If it’s a Camilla mirror match, wouldn’t he still have a fighting chance?”
There was quite a tier difference between the two. Yusia was Silver, and Kim Jae-jun was Platinum.
However, Yusia had a point; this wasn’t ranked play but a simple one-on-one.
Considering Camilla was the designated character, Yusia, who had played her recently, would definitely handle her much better.
Hmm, although I set this up, it might actually be a close match.
With a delighted heart, I began to watch their game.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
