Chapter 26
While preparing for the official preview broadcast, I suddenly felt a sense of doubt.
Do other directors usually have this much work to do?
The directors I knew were like the captains of a ship that had set sail.
Leaders guiding anywhere from a few dozen to hundreds of team members.
They actively accepted team members’ opinions through communication and determined the direction to move forward.
That was the role of a director as I understood it.
But me?
I was doing almost everything alone.
Of course, I did rely on Aka-chan for some tasks in the past.
But since the beta test started, I hardly touched it.
More than anything, I wasn’t an omniscient and omnipotent god-like being.
I couldn’t always be perfect, and sometimes, I went in the wrong direction.
It would be nice if I had someone who could assist me.
“Umm… hmm…”
In the end, there’s only one person who comes to mind.
A clever, sharp person, skilled at managing subordinates.
“The Crown Prince.”
No one else came to mind who could take on such a crucial role.
The Crown Prince was the person I trusted the most after my master.
If we didn’t have a relationship of deep trust, I wouldn’t have revealed that I’m not from this world but an outsider.
“The Crown Prince had a unique love for reading, didn’t he?”
So much so that he would stay in the library for a whole week.
When I asked him why he liked reading so much,
He said it was immensely enjoyable to acquire ‘new knowledge.’
As a result, the Crown Prince was curious about Earth, my home.
About cities filled with tall buildings.
About means of transportation that could fly without magic.
I remembered the Crown Prince’s fascinated expression when he heard such stories.
If I could transfer his soul into a golem like Aka-chan and show him around the city, he would probably like it.
“It’s not something I need to decide immediately.”
For now, Aka-chan is still helping me a lot, so I can manage.
I’ll probably need more hands after the official release.
I’ll have to discuss this with Aka-chan right before the release.
“Ah, ah… ugh… ah!”
Before the official preview broadcast began, I warmed up my voice a bit.
You might wonder if there’s any point in doing vocal warm-ups in virtual reality.
But right now, I’m in the real world, not virtual reality.
It wasn’t some gimmick like showing off my true form as a TS girl.
I was just planning to wear a mask that only revealed the lower half of my face.
‘There’s no need to show everything from the start.’
I had worn masks for masquerade balls a few times before.
The Crown Prince often forced me to attend masquerade balls, saying that social activities were part of a hero’s virtues.
‘Come to think of it, wasn’t that too much?’
In my school days, I would pretend to sleep at my desk during break time, eavesdropping on my classmates’ chatter.
When I showed up at school with a shaved head, lying on my desk as usual, a group of girls crowded around, rubbing my head, saying it felt funny, and I was too frozen to react.
That same guy, now posing as a hero on the outside, dealing with nobles trying to connect with me through all sorts of topics, was a real struggle.
Well, thanks to the Crown Prince’s continuous ‘corrections,’ I’ve become much less introverted now.
“Wearing a mask doesn’t seem to make much sense.”
Even with the mask, this radiant appearance couldn’t be hidden.
It might even look better with the mask on than without it.
‘People might think it’s cosplay.’
A director who is so committed to ‘self-character’ that he even cosplays in real life during official broadcasts.
If I show my dedication to ‘Aurora’ through this opportunity,
I might be able to put an end to the occasional controversies about self-character obsession. That’s what I thought.
I sincerely hoped things would go as I imagined.
With that wish in my heart, I turned on the official MoTube live.
***
The waiting screen changed, and Aurora appeared.
“Hello. This is Aurora, the director of Akashic Records.”
Bows slightly
It was just a simple formal greeting, but the chat’s response was overwhelming.
Among them, I occasionally saw English messages, seemingly from foreign viewers.
“The chat is moving so fast, it’s hard to read. When is the official release date? I see a lot of questions about the release date.”
Today was Friday evening, 8 PM.
“The official release is next week. Friday, 12 AM.”
The chat window was filled with question marks.
“Why? Do you think it’s too soon? Then I could delay the schedule…”
―――
– No, no, no, no
– No, it’s great!
– We love it!
―――
Ah, this is fun.
Did my true feelings show on my face?
Chats like ‘Your smile is so beautiful.’ started appearing.
I tried to maintain my expression as I continued with the preview.
The content that will be added after the official release.
Affinity, avatars, launch events, and so on…
When I introduced the swimsuit and maid outfit avatars, the reaction was intense.
“Oh, by the way, if you maximize the affinity with an NPC, you can make them wear the avatar…”
Gasp!
I pretended to be surprised, covering my mouth with both hands.
It was information I intended to release anyway, but I acted like I leaked it by mistake.
―――
– Wow, really
– That gesture is hilarious lol
– Covering your mouth doesn’t help when your eyes are smiling
– Ah, so that’s the concept
– That’s so cute
– Let’s all play along
―――
…Is my acting really that bad?
“Anyway, you can make them wear the avatar.”
I continued, glancing at the chat window from the corner of my eye.
“Next is the balance adjustment.”
―――
– Gasp
– Is Martial God getting normalized?
– Are they nerfing mages?
– Gasp
– How could the Director pick mage as their main lol
– Self-character GOAT
―――
As soon as the topic came up, the cheerful atmosphere in the chat turned chaotic.
“The nerf targets are Martial God and Mage. Other classes will be adjusted.”
I explained why Martial God and Mage were being nerfed.
Unexpected gameplay led to excessive performance.
It was a deviation far from the developer’s original design and intention.
I admitted that it was due to a lack of ability on the Director’s part.
―――
– We felt your intention, it’s survival
– Shoutout to Daehyeop lol
– Mage was really broken
– Normalization makes sense
– A totally understandable reason (gamers who don’t understand the game)
―――
Fortunately, the chat atmosphere wasn’t too bad.
Right after, I released the Elder Lich trailer teaser.
The viewers who saw it kept posting chats praising me.
‘The preview is over now.’
The most important part of this live stream hadn’t been conveyed yet.
The setting of a Director who is so dedicated to their self-character that they cosplay even in real life.
Why hasn’t anyone noticed yet?
I’m doing this official broadcast from reality, not virtual reality.
I even suddenly put on a mask. Isn’t that strange?
I wanted to tell them directly out of frustration, but I couldn’t.
To say that out loud myself?
It would definitely be on the front page of the newspaper the next day, with headlines about a Director who died of embarrassment.
“That’s all I’ve prepared for today.”
What should I do? Should I just end the live stream like this?
There wasn’t much time left, and my mind was completely blank.
It felt like such a waste, that thought pierced through my mind.
“Ho-how do you like the mask?”
Words slipped out of my mouth without me even realizing.
―――
– Mask?
– Is it an avatar?
– It’s pretty, but why?
– ??? : Hey, do I look different today?
– But is this still virtual reality?
―――
Some viewers, sensing something odd, started commenting.
“It’s… is it because of the mask? It feels a bit warm.”
Fan, fan
While subtly hinting that I was streaming from reality, I fanned myself to cool down my flushed face.
―――
– Now that you mention it, is that chroma key?
– Isn’t this virtual reality?
– ???
– Did you cosplay in real life? Lol
– Wow, how did I not notice that?
―――
As I made it obvious, I finally got the reaction I had hoped for.
Before I could even relish that satisfaction, a flood of overwhelming shame and embarrassment rushed in.
“I-I don’t know.”
So, I impulsively ended the live stream.
“Ah, heuuugh…”
It’s the fault of the clueless viewers.
I threw off my mask and headed to the bathroom to wash my face with cold water.
My face was burning so much, I couldn’t stand it.
After a vigorous splash of water, I looked at my reflection in the mirror.
“I look like a tomato…”
My flushed cheeks looked just like a ripe tomato.
***
The next day dawned.
As soon as I woke up, yesterday’s events came to mind.
I felt embarrassed, but not as much as yesterday.
“I should check the reactions, right…”
Even if I’m embarrassed, I need to see it.
[Indie Minor Game Gallery]
―――
– Isn’t this the peak of self-character obsession? [819]
– Seriously, she gave us everything, damn it [771]
– Sorry, losers like us didn’t notice [562]
– The Director is supposedly a genius pretty girl? LOL [640]
– Daehyeop Kim << Forget special investigation, just execute him [433]
―――
[Title] Isn’t this the peak of self-character obsession?
Going beyond self-character and becoming one with the character.
Truly, a state of unity between oneself and their character.
Like 1201 Dislike 1
―――
[Comment 819]
Unity with their character, my ass, LOL
ㄴI couldn’t help but laugh at how shallow it looked.
ㄴDamn idiots.
ㄴMore like losers than idiots, damn it.
―――
[Title] Seriously, she gave us everything, damn it
(Meme of the friendship between Martial God and Mage at 1%)
She even normalized the corrupt ones.
(Meme of Aurora wearing a mask)
She even revealed the blue potion.
(Meme of affinity, avatar, trailer updates)
She even developed new content.
Damn, she gave us everything! Just everything.
Like 1111 Dislike 1
―――
[Comment 771]
She really gave us everything.
ㄴThe problem is that she gave too much~
ㄴAll the haters should just die, for real.
ㄴEven if my head is crushed, I’ll still praise Aurora.
―――
[Title] The Director is supposedly a genius pretty girl? LOL [640]
(Meme of Aurora covering her mouth with both hands)
Recalling the mistake she made in the last live stream, she tried to make a joke.
(Meme of Aurora with a pouty face)
When the chat teased her, she pouted while continuing the stream.
(Meme of Aurora fanning herself with her hand)
This genius pretty girl who subtly hinted about the blue potion and got all shy—
Is she really the Director of the company that developed the first virtual reality game?
Does that make any sense?
Like 999 Dislike 15
―――
[Comment 640]
Still hammering away like Brupham.
ㄴEven in Asgard, it’s a hot topic in the in-game gallery.
ㄴIf they just extorted settlements from the losers, they’d get ten years of development funds.
ㄴWrite it down in a notepad like me, LOL.
―――
The overall atmosphere and reactions seemed really positive.
It didn’t feel like enduring the embarrassment was a waste at all.
Not much different from the general posts outside the featured ones.
If there was one side effect, it was that every single post had my meme attached.
After checking further, it turned out that the gallery’s moderator had set my meme as the gallery’s main image, which caused this issue.
“Everywhere I look, it’s just… me.”
Every time I clicked on a post, I saw my own image, which made me feel oddly embarrassed.
“It’s a shameful self-portrait.”
After browsing through the gallery, I threw my phone onto the bed and headed to the refrigerator.
To work hard again today, I took out the dessert I had bought in advance.
“The pudding… Did Aka-chan eat it?”
I had planned to eat some pudding after finishing a piece of tiramisu, but—
No matter how much I searched, it was nowhere to be found, so it seemed Aka-chan had eaten it.
It was a bit disappointing, but I had bought it for Aka-chan anyway.
After replenishing my sugar levels with a piece of chocolate—
I entered the capsule and logged into the virtual reality.
—
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