“Really? Then that’s fine. Today’s story ends here!”
“…Huh?”
Aunt Shia started to pat my head and hum a tune, showing that she really had nothing more to say.
“U-Um… Is it really over?”
“Mm? Yeah. It’s really over… I can help you think when you’re considering your options, but you’re still at the stage of figuring out what options you have, right? If I just say something, it won’t be advice, it’ll be interference.”
“B-But then… U-Um, I… I thought you would be angry with me… that you’d scold me…”
“Huh? Why would I? Is there any reason for me to scold you? You’re so cute.”
Aunt Shia’s gentle touch on my head felt so warm that I almost burst into tears.
“You came all the way to Japan for my career consultation… and here I am, not having decided anything… I thought you would see it as a waste of time…”
“Huh? Looks like my Mina has a strange misunderstanding.”
“…What do you mean?”
“I said earlier, right? I came to Japan because I wanted to see you after so long. Sure, Seona asked if I could help with your career consultation, but that was after I decided to come to Japan. It’s the other way around. I came to Japan, and since I’m here, I thought I might help with your career consultation.”
Hearing Aunt’s voice, there was no trace of a lie.
In other words, it meant I misunderstood things on my own.
Feeling this way made me start to get a bit embarrassed.
How self-conscious could I be? Even after hearing that she’d return next Sunday, I thought Aunt Shia came to Japan for my career consultation.
If that were the case, I could just go back the day after tomorrow…
“What’s wrong? Mina’s face is all red. Are you embarrassed? Is it because you mistook me for coming to Japan for your career consultation?”
“N-No, that’s not it…! I mean, it’s just because… I’m a bit warm…”
“Well, shall we go with that?”
“Uuu…”
Mina’s remark that my thoughts were all showing on my face wasn’t a lie.
But still, I thought her level of observation was weird.
“Anyway, what I can say to you now, Mina, is that it’s okay to think a little more. You still have plenty of time.”
Plenty of time for me?
“Really, is there plenty of time…?”
I’ll soon be a third-year high school student, and after this birthday, I’ll be an adult.
‘I’m considering external admission. There’s enough potential for me to get into a national medical school…’
‘I? I think I’ll choose internal admission. I’m a bit interested in economics.’
‘I think I’ll take over the family business right after graduation… I really like cooking.’
My classmates who I hang out with closely, Miyauchi, Tateyama, and Onodera, have already settled their careers to some extent, right?
“It sounds like you’re having some uncomfortable feelings about this.”
I understood it in my head.
That I still have time.
I’m currently earning my own money through broadcasts, and my family isn’t poor.
Mom and Yuyika will definitely support me no matter what choice I make.
So it should be perfectly fine to take my time and look for what I want to do.
Yet, this inexplicable sense of urgency doesn’t go away.
The feeling of falling behind others surrounds me.
“Hmm. I don’t really understand why you feel that way… But should I share a bit about myself then?”
“…Okay?”
“Well, my situation is a little different from yours, so it might be hard to take as reference.”
Having said that, Aunt Shia patted my head once more and continued speaking.
“I didn’t really have time to think. I needed to earn money right away. If it weren’t for Seona, I probably wouldn’t have been able to draw at all.”
“…B-But, Aunt, with your skills…!”
Even without Mom’s help, she would have definitely been able to become a professional illustrator.
I wanted to argue that, but Aunt Shia quietly denied it.
“No matter how much talent you have, if the conditions aren’t right, it’s tough to express that talent. Considering that, Seona is truly a lifelong benefactor for me.”
After saying that, Aunt Shia somehow giggled and covered her mouth.
“Hmm, I ended up sounding like I was lamenting about my situation. That wasn’t what I intended to talk about.”
“It’s okay!”
I could listen to this much lamenting without caring.
No matter how much I’m a high school student now, combining my previous life, I’m a solid forty-something…?
“Thank you for saying that. Aww, you’re just so cute!”
“Eh?!”
“Haha… But sometimes I think like that. Of course, I’m really happy now, but… what would my life be like if I chose not to draw? I’m really grateful to Seona, but viewed from another angle, my path was set in the first year of middle school. …Well, if I actually talked about this, Seona would probably support me even if I chose a different road halfway through.”
…I used to think Aunt Shia was amazing for making such decisions at that age.
To choose her career in the first year of middle school, it made me feel foolish for still being undecided.
But even Aunt Shia had such concerns, huh?
“So Mina, I actually think you’re amazing. You might think you’re falling behind because you haven’t decided yet, but on the contrary, it means you’re seriously considering your future.”
…I see.
“You might think it’s too late. But there’s a saying, the faster you go, the slower you should return, right? So it’s okay to take your time and think a little more. It’s not falling behind; it’s being cautious.”
It’s okay to fall behind.
“Or you could try everything. You could try being an illustrator, and if there’s something you regret about Star’s Flow, you can look for another company after graduation or even start personal activities. And you could go to college and find a new path… you could even follow Zia and do some modeling work too. If you do that, I’ll draw fan art for you.”
…Modeling? I feel like that’s not my cup of tea.
Of course, I’d definitely score high in looks.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but honestly, I envy you, Mina. You’re not poor, overflowing with talent, and cute… Come to think of it, it’s maddening, right? What a totally spoiled problem!”
“Huh?! A-Aunt? Eek?!”
Why was this happening suddenly?!
Again, I fought back with all I had, but the result was the same as before.
In front of her power, my resistance was just a little joke for a predator.
“Hey! It’s because of you, Mina!”
“Pfft?! Huh?! Why?!”
It should have been a serious career consultation, but why did it turn into this?
“Haah. Hah. Hahhh…”
I still couldn’t understand the answer even after the tickle punishment ended.
“Anyway, Mina. It’s definitely not too late. Think about what you want to do and reflect on what you’re doing now… It’s totally okay to start from the beginning and think slowly.”
Even if you fall behind, it’s okay.
“Or it might be a good idea to challenge everything. Try being an illustrator, and if there’s something lacking in Star’s Flow, after graduation look for another company or even start working independently. You could also go to college and find a new path. Following Zia into modeling could be fine too. If you do that, I’ll draw fan art for you.”
…Modeling? I don’t think that’s for me.
Although my looks would naturally pass with flying colors.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but honestly, I envy you, Mina. You’re not poor, overflowing with talent, and cute… When I think about it, it makes me a bit mad, right? What a totally spoiled problem!”
“Eh?! A-Aunt? Eek?!”
Suddenly, why was this happening?!
Again, I fought back with all my might, but the outcome was the same as before.
In front of her strength, my resistance was merely a little performance for a predator.
“Hey! It’s because of you, Mina!”
“Pfft?! Huh?! Why?!”
This was clearly a serious career consultation, but why did it unfold like this?
“Haah. Hah. Hahhh…”
Even after the tickling punishment ended, I still couldn’t understand the answer.
“Anyway, Mina. It’s definitely not too late. Think about what you want to do and consider what you’re doing now… It’s perfectly fine to start from the beginning and think slowly.”
Even if I fall behind, it’s fine.
“Anyway, let’s wrap this up on a warm note, shall we?”
“Mina! Shia! Dinner’s ready!”
“Yeah, sister. I’m coming! …Come on, Mina. Let’s go eat.”
“Yes…”
In the end, I take Aunt Shia’s extended hand and stand up.
Of course, my concern about my career wasn’t perfectly solved yet, but…
I could definitely view it as proof that I was thinking seriously about it.
That thought was enough for me.
★
[【Off Collaboration】Having an offline collab with Toka Mama after a long time! #KainohIzumi#YukinoToka#StarsFlow]
-─(≧▽≦)>ZumiZumi!
-─(≧▽≦)>ZumiZumi!
-An offline mother-daughter collab after a while!
“Hehe. Mina is about to hit 300k subscribers soon, right?”“Um, honestly, it doesn’t feel real…”
As Aunt Shia said, my channel was on the verge of hitting 300k subscribers.
I was the first among the second generation of Star’s Flow and the seventh overall member to reach 300k subscribers.
“Do you have anything planned for the 300k subscriber stream?”“…There have been lots of requests for a live stream.”
Since my last live stream was the one-year anniversary stream, it had already been over six months since I last did one.
Of course, I had participated in others’ birthday live streams as a guest, but I knew that wasn’t what my supportive players were looking for.
Well, I could do a live stream if I wanted to.
I was consistently taking vocal training and dance lessons anyways.
…What’s more, it had become a normal thing for my vocal teacher to be surprised at how I couldn’t catch the beat, even after working so hard.
But the real problem came from another side.
For a live stream, I needed money.
There are a lot of preparations to take care of for live broadcasting, which means a lot of expenses. All that burden falls on the VTuber themselves.
For events like the 3D debut broadcast, birthday, or anniversary stream, the company supports those as a celebratory gesture, but the subscriber milestone streams are solely the responsibility of the VTuber.
It’s not hard to understand.
It wouldn’t be feasible for the company to cover every subscriber celebration for 16 members achieving 200k or 300k subscribers.
What I’m trying to say is that live broadcasts require money.
A lot of money.
“I’m not short on money, but…”“Ah, but then again, it’s a quite heavy sum for a student to spend recklessly.”
…As Aunt said, that’s the kind of dilemma I have.
Of course, that money all came from the supportive players, so spending it for them doesn’t feel wasteful at all, but…
No. To be honest, it does feel wasteful…
After calculating how many times I could gacha with that money in a decisive battle… it suddenly felt way too precious…
“B-But I’m still thinking about it.”“Hmm. If that’s the case, you definitely need to give it some serious thought then…”“Yes…”
While exchanging these thoughts with Aunt Shia, it was already time to start the broadcast.
“Then I’ll start, Aunt?”“Yes!”
Taking a deep breath one last time, I switched the broadcast screen.
Before me, as always, my avatar ‘Kainoh Izumi’ blinked and nodded slightly.
-─(≧▽≦)>ZumiZumi!
-─(≧▽≦)>ZumiZumi!
“G-Good evening…!”
I slowly calmed my pounding heart and unmuted the mic, quietly… I uttered my opening line.
“I’m… from Star’s Flow… I am… the enchanting woman… Kainoh Izumi…!”
Pfft!
– Hahahaha
– The enchanting woman, Mei-chan has arrived!!!
– LOL
Of course, the chatroom was bursting with laughter.
Aunt Shia was giggling with her mouth covered.
That’s right.
In the previous Empress’s Trial, I was found guilty and received a total of three punishments.
First: Change my Naiter name to the sinful enchanting woman, Kainoh Izumi.
Second: Leave a line in my Naiter that promotes my enchanting woman title.
Finally, the third was… to change the starting greeting from a mood maker to an enchanting woman.
The duration… was a total of two weeks.
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Repeated paragraphs?