“No thanks needed. Actually, I’d like to apologize for inviting you here and then acting so pompous. To be honest, I was hoping to get some intel on whatever new company had just entered the game.”
“Yes, I did get that impression.”
“And it certainly isn’t unheard-of for someone to create high-quality 3D models like hers as a hobby. But the motion-capture quality is everything. You can tell just by watching a video how sophisticated someone’s mo-cap equipment is.”
“Indeed. I’ve heard that her equipment is quite impressive.”
“Might I ask if she has her own studio?”
“She tells me she does her recording at home.”
“I see. That’s wonderful…”
As I’d long suspected, the mechanical life-form’s super-science was completely unparalleled. Thanks to that, we’d convinced him she was the child of a wealthy family. If Type Twelve could hear this conversation, I bet her nose would start twitching in joy.
Eventually, our conversation reached a stopping point, and my neighbor spoke up. “Um. Thank you, sir. It’s a pleasure to be working with you,” she said with a bow.
“Oh, the pleasure is all ours, Miss Kurosu.”
And so it was decided: My neighbor would make her pro debut as a VTuber.
After our meeting, Kuga accompanied us to the lobby. As soon as we left the conference room, a crowd of almost ten people appeared and began talking to Kuga. They included both men and women, mostly in their twenties and thirties. They were dressed more like college kids than like company employees.
“Hello there, Mr. Kuga!” “Lookin’ real good in that suit, as usual, sir!” “Suits really do fit you well, don’t they?” “Mr. Kuga! You look so cool today!” “Wait, what happened to your regular meeting?” “Oh, I’ve got something important to tell you!”
Everyone spoke casually; I wondered if that was because this was a start-up. Kuga was the only one in a suit. They looked more like coworkers than like a company director and his employees. I noticed that one or two of them spoke a little strangely.
Kuga greeted them all, then turned back to us. “Since everyone’s here, why don’t I introduce you?” he said, gesturing to the others. “From the right, there’s Miss Reika Kihouin, Miss Jurina Himemiya, Miss Rolly Rolling, and Mr. Leon Yagami. They’re hard workers, and they’ve been our biggest earners since before we went public. I’ll introduce the rest of our talents some other time.”
Kuga gestured to a few of the people in the group. Even I had heard of some of them. These people had debuted during the dawn of VTubing, right after 3D model-based entertainment started to get big. I got the feeling I’d seen them on TV before, on a New Year’s special or something.
“And this is Miss Kareki. She’s just joined up today.”
I got the feeling he was being polite for our sakes—probably because of what I’d said about Kurosu’s big shot family. I figured he’d do a ton of research on the company name on my business card that very night, or sometime soon—just as I’d looked into all the documentation for the locations Ms. Futarishizuka used to assist my otherworld trade back when I’d first met her. I doubted he’d come up with anything of interest, though. She was very thorough.
“Wait, what?! We have a new girl?!” “Ahhhn! Hello there!” “You look pretty young. Are you in high school? You couldn’t be in middle school, right?” “Look how cute she is. Where did you even find her, Mr. Kuga?” “You mean I get to have an adorable little kouhai? That’s marvelous!”
They all quickly greeted my neighbor, and she responded with a polite bow. “My name is Kareki. Pleased to meet you.”
“Hey, they’re your seniors in the industry, you know? Maybe you should try to be a little friendlier.”
I knew what Abaddon was getting at, but this was just how my neighbor was. And that meant it was her manager’s job to back her up.
“Kareki here is quite young, so I hope you can all watch out for her as she grows. If any problems occur here at the office, I can come right away to help, so please don’t hesitate to contact me.”
A moment later, the woman named Reika Kihouin spoke up. “Oh, Mr. Kuga. Who is this fine gentleman?”
She appeared to be in her midthirties. Her outfit was gaudy; she wore an extravagant, obviously expensive long coat, along with a short checkered skirt and a knit turtleneck. Her nails were painted with gel polish and glittered in the light. She looked like the daughter of a wealthy family.
“This is Mr. Sasaki, Miss Kareki’s manager. He’s not with the company, though, and I want you to be on your best behavior around him. As I’ve explained before, people from other companies wear a different lanyard, so you should always be able to tell.”
“Oh, yes. I understand completely, darling.”
Her speech style was so extreme, even someone from the otherworld would be able to tell. She was playing up the rich, well-bred girl persona with everything she had, appearance and all.
I wondered if she was putting on some kind of performance. It seemed a bit risky to speak to someone like that on a first meeting, but that probably meant she had enough status in the company to get away with it.
“I hope you’ll take good care of Kareki,” I said to her, taking the lead and bowing. If I ruined Miss Reika Kihouin’s impression of me now, it would damage my neighbor’s position at the agency. She seemed to have some authority in the group, so I figured a little flattery couldn’t hurt.
The others soon began voicing their doubts.
“Wait, she gets her own manager?” “I thought you said we didn’t do that here.” “Even we don’t have exclusive managers.” “Is this girl going to be a special case?” “Oh, I’d just love to have my very own manager. Even just for a day.”
It seemed my presence was a problem. My neighbor was brand-new, and now she was getting special treatment. I supposed I could understand where they were coming from.
“I’ll explain everything later, don’t worry,” said Kuga. “Just settle down for now. I told you it was rude to speak like that in front of guests, remember? This is a business, and we have to expect all kinds of people.”
It was mainly the younger ones speaking up. Entertainers were usually associated with an agency, but they weren’t the same as employees. It seemed reasonable that they would act a little different. As long as they were bringing in money, a few blunders could probably be overlooked, though if they stopped being successful, they’d soon be out the door.
Just imagining it sent a chill down my spine. I never wanted to give up the stability of regular employment. Maybe I should invite Mr. Akutsu out drinking some time—this weekend, perhaps. Actually, I got the feeling that would just rouse needless suspicion and cause him to pull away even further.
“Wait, Kareki, you had a personal interview with Mr. Kuga?” “Hold on. Kareki? You mean Ochiba Kareki, the one who’s been making the rounds online since yesterday?” “Wait, for real?” “Ochiba Kareki’s model is super high-quality, right?” “I thought for sure you belonged to another company!” “If it’s okay, could I ask what kind of equipment you use for recording?”
The ones with a few more years under their belt were using this chance to speak to my neighbor instead. She seemed a little lost, overwhelmed by their attention.
“Miss Kareki, Mr. Sasaki, I’ll send you an email tonight with more details about the contract and schedule.”
“All right, I understand,” I said. “Thank you very much.”
After that, Kuga and the others saw us off, and we left the office behind.