“That, that… it l-looks like it was for a Vtuber, opened a [Legendary Membership], and tipped a, a little…”
Bai Qiu knelt before Bai Qiumu, head lowered, stammering, utterly unable to meet her little sister’s eyes.
“You can afford a [Legendary Membership] at 40,000 yuan a month, but you still have to borrow money from me for meals?”
“!”
Bai Qiu’s whole body trembled, and she lowered her head even deeper.
“Th-that’s a daily necessity… and that’s a friend…”
Bai Qiu still wanted to make excuses, but her little sister lifted her head with the tip of her foot, forcing her to look her in the eye.
“FX… although you’re no different from Renji, at least you occasionally earn enough for meals, and you don’t gamble that big, so I won’t say anything.”
“AI girlfriend, you’ve already poured in hundreds of thousands. Someday it’ll pay off.”
“Game development… I don’t know how the progress is going, but once it’s done and priced at 100 with tens of thousands of copies sold, you’ll break even.”
“Huge tips for a Vtuber—what do you get out of it?”
“Customized ASMR.”
Bai Qiu’s tone was oddly resolute.
Bai Qiumu rolled her eyes, put her foot down, and flicked her on the forehead.
“I knew Little Mu would understand, hehe~”
Just as Bai Qiu held her forehead, grateful that her sister had let her off, Bai Qiumu had already silently opened the computer, wearing an amiable smile as she looked at Bai Qiu.
“Well then, dear big brother, if you don’t earn the money back today, you know what’ll happen~”
Bai Qiu’s body trembled.
“Yes, Little Sister…”
Bai Qiumu glanced at her, rose, and left the room.
Helpless, Bai Qiu could only obey her sister’s command and go stream like a good girl.
‘If only I had a sponsor deal…’
With a sponsor deal, she could earn hundreds of thousands in a few hours, and even after the hefty commission, she’d break even or even profit.
But because her official account was registered under the “Magic Association,” sponsor deals were under strict control as well.
Simply put, unless the client insisted on a specific person, the Association handled sponsor deal assignments.
Those who could sell products, had high popularity, possessed strong professional skills, had strong product compatibility, and so on were usually the first picks.
Though sponsor deals didn’t exactly line up for Bai Qiu in the past, it wasn’t as bad as now, where a single deal was hard to come by.
It all started from a livestream sales event a year ago.
She mistakenly advertised roast duck legs as roast goose legs for nearly half an hour on the shelves, netting the client nearly a million in profit.
And then…
A customer complained about false advertising, fake-one-compensate-ten, and it directly bankrupted the client.
If the Association hadn’t stepped in to protect her, she might have already been elbow-striking concrete.
That said, she also lost a huge chunk of money because of it, compensated all her savings, and borrowed money from her sister that she still hadn’t paid back, with more borrowing piling up.
After that battle, she became a legendary figure in the “Magic Association.”
No client dared to have her do livestream sales anymore, and even video ads and feed ads had dropped to maybe once a month at best.
Speaking of which, one can’t help but mention the “Magic Association’s” salary system.
The “Magic Association” salary system is divided into a performance system and a fixed salary system.
Fixed salary, as the name suggests, means that regardless of how many monsters you slay or how many shifts you work, the pay depends only on your level.
Magical girls are divided into six levels in total: [Silver White], [Emerald], [Jade Gold], [Snow White], [Stardust], [Legend].
Bai Qiu is currently [Jade Gold].
The performance system, now that’s something else.
Based on the earnings from “Calamity Hearts,” it’s split 46—employee 6, Association 4.
A “Calamity Heart” is a high-purity magic crystal left after defeating a monster.
It has different manifestations in different states, and roughly speaking, it can be added as part of fabric in clothing, used as a building material, or made into crystal accessories and a series of other items.
It’s said they can even be eaten, but no research currently shows what effects eating them would have on the human body.
Calamity Hearts are divided into Grade I, II, and III.
The higher the grade, the rarer the Calamity Heart, and the stronger the items made from it.
For example, clothing is less prone to breaking.
Most magical girls’ combat suits are made from Grade III Calamity Hearts.
As for livestreaming and event earnings, the platform takes half first, and the Association takes a third of the remaining money.
However, because the livestreaming platform [Magical Girl Magic] is also run by the Association, most of the money ultimately ends up in the Association’s pockets.
At the same time, official streamers are strictly forbidden from opening alternate accounts to stream privately.
Once discovered, they face massive fines, though opening alternate accounts is allowed.
As for Bai Qiu, of course she chose fixed salary.
Her current level pays 4,000 a month.
Counting her instructor pay, she can make 10,000 a month.
Was that even a question?
By the time others had finished slaying three monsters, she was still passionately elbow-battling her first monster.
By the time others had finished slaying five monsters, she had just barely gotten into a hard fight with a monster.
Choosing performance pay with that level of skill—she’d probably starve to death on the street.
And such a person always told her juniors:
“I’ll give you rookies some chances. I won’t compete with you.”
But in reality, being weak as she was, she simply couldn’t compete with those monster juniors whose abilities were bugged, stats were bugged, or both were bugged.
Though the magical girl industry is all underage girls, each with poorly developed heights, their mechanics and stats are bizarrely varied.
Moreover, the magical girl industry has already reached saturation.
Now, veteran magical girls bypassing beginner and intermediate instructors to mentor rookies directly is everywhere, and being an instructor probably won’t last long either.
Still, compared to a regular job, even with the heavy streaming commission, she earns more than working.
‘Having to stream right after finishing monster-slaying… so exhausting… I really don’t want to work.’
‘When will I ever have unlimited money?’
‘When will a rich woman ever take me in~~’
She opened her profile page.
[Magical Girl Bai Qiu_office]
[Following: 1,383]
[Followers: 3.25 million]
[Videos: 251]
[Private Messages: 99+]
[Room Number: 420989]
She titled it [I’m Still the World’s Number One Magical Girl Streamer], snapped her fingers, used magic to make the room feel more girly, and started her stream.
Watching the viewer count rapidly climb to over 40,000, Bai Qiu spoke her opening line with the confident look of someone who was owed tens of millions.
“Hello——— yep, it’s me, your favorite Bai Qiuqiu the Great.”
“The game we’re playing today is a roguelike made using my adorable juniors as prototypes: Magic Girl’s Deep Sin Dungeon.”
She carried the brand-new box to the desk, tiptoed to open it, and showed the contents to the viewers.
“Game disc, this is the main game. I remember it comes with a DLC.”
She showed it to the viewers first, then inserted the disc into the console and continued unpacking.
[Hair Growth Secret Manual 152 sent a 50-yuan SC: Is there a defeat CG? If there is, I’ll buy it.]
“This isn’t a sales stream.”
“Who would dare have me do sales streaming now!”
“It’s a 12+ game. And I bought this for over 200 yuan out of my own pocket!”
“I want to see why a roguelike dares charge me over 200.”
“Instruction manual… this is useless.”
“Game guide… this is useless too. Who plays a roguelike with a guide?”
She casually tossed the two useless booklets into the trash.
“Ooh ooh, a He Xi acrylic standee! So cute, worthy of my wife!”
She hurriedly set it up to show the viewers.
Pink-white long hair, pink-white eyes, her half-worn fox mask revealing a mischievous little look and tongue sticking out, dressed in a pink-white kimono dress, a tachi hanging at her waist, one foot raised with a wooden geta dangling from her toes———it was exactly like herself.
[My wife!]
[He Xi is my wife!]
[I watched little He Xi grow up, she’s clearly my wife!]
Countless people wearing He Xi’s fan badge popped up.
“Someone, come, drag these people calling He Xi their wife out and electrify them!”
“Electrify them with an Eleking!”
[Eeeeegh! I’ll never tell you anything!]
“Looks like that’s everything.”
Bai Qiu set the box aside, sat in the still-warm gaming chair, and put on her headphones.
[Sleeping Soundly in Bai Qiu’s Arms sent a 300-yuan SC: Good afternoon, Mama!]
“Mm, good afternoon, have you eaten?”
“I’m still figuring out what to eat.”
“Also, sir, I am not your mother.”
[Yeah, what to eat.] ×487
Before formally starting the game, Bai Qiu said in a pinched voice:
“Babies, family, brothers and sisters, do you see the gift count in the top left corner?”
“Hurry and move your little money-making hands and help Bai Qiuqiu light them up~”
Then her tone shifted sharply, and she said in a flat, watery voice:
“Minors, don’t spend money. Just watch the stream and send danmaku and likes.”
The top left showed a high gift count, all large gifts.
The bottom left was her facecam window.
The top right showed the push-ups and sit-ups she owed: 40,000 push-ups and 10,000 sit-ups, respectively.
[Sis Bai, don’t be like that, I’m scared.]
[Slacking off so much today?]
[When is the streamer going to pay back the push-ups and sit-ups she owes?]
“Ah, don’t rush.”
“It’s not like I’m not doing them.”
“Today, after I finish the game, I’ll do them!”
[You can fool your bros, but don’t fool yourself.]
“So annoying!”
Bai Qiu huffily picked up the controller, clicked start, and entered the character selection screen.
There were five playable characters and one hidden character.
The playable characters were He Xi, Alice, Caili, Nox, and Zhen Hong.
They were the five latest-generation magical girls with the highest popularity, and perhaps the last generation of juniors.
[Streamer streamer, why isn’t there you in this?]
[I can’t imagine how overpowered Bai Qiu would be in this game.]
[Could it be the streamer is the hidden character?]
“Nonsense, it’s because the streamer is a bottom-tier!”
“If they had me, you’d go in, get beaten for half an hour, then get beaten for another half an hour, then get beaten for yet another half an hour.”
“Floor one: insta-killed by Lord Bai Qiu.”
“Floor two: insta-killed by Lord Bai Qiu.”
“Floor three: continuously insta-killed by Lord Bai Qiu.”
“Floor four: still insta-killed by Lord Bai Qiu.”
“In short, a dragon roaming the whole field, suffering no grievances.”
[Can’t kill her and she’s not scummy?]
[Still the one who suffers no grievances.]
[Bai Qiu isn’t a bottom-tier! Bai Qiu is the world’s number one magical girl streamer!]
[The streamer won’t fly (laugh-cry).]
[Troll again and you’re dead.]
[Kid, your “Magical Girl Collection Set Volume Seven” big hidden “Maid Bai Qiu” has arrived (laugh-cry).]
Amid the danmaku’s riling, Bai Qiu selected He Xi and started the game.
No particular reason, simply because she’d just pulled He Xi’s standee.
However…
“Does no one think He Xi is completely overpowered?”
“Intangibility they can keep casting as long as they have mana, they can deal damage while intangible, the ultimate is a full-screen exile.”
“Playing He Xi in Endless, put in however many floors you want.”
Less than half an hour in, Bai Qiu began voicing her opinions.
“The game balance is this bad and you still have the nerve to charge me 200 yuan?”
“Plus, the hidden character has to be unlocked by clearing the hidden ending.”
“I’ve played this much and I don’t even know how to trigger a normal ending, much less the hidden one.”
“Do you clear it directly or meet some condition?”
“Why isn’t there even a tutorial?”
“What are players like us who don’t like checking guides supposed to do?”
“And why…”
Just as Bai Qiu was sharply critiquing endlessly, her phone’s ringtone cut her off.
“Who is it, calling at this hour…”
She picked up her phone and looked—it was the Chairman calling.
“Oh, hold on, I need to take a call.”
Bai Qiu quickly muted and answered the Association Chairman’s call.
‘Didn’t I already finish my patrol shifts this week?’
‘He’s not going to make me go slay monsters again, is he?’
‘Spare me…’
“Chairman, sir, what are your orders?”
Her tone instantly became utterly sycophantic, just short of rubbing her hands together like a fly in person.
-Why are you critiquing the game we developed like that while playing it?!
-Say some nice things about it for me, will you!?
The Chairman’s voice sounded like he was furious.
In fact, he really was furious.
Inside the “Magic Association” Chairman’s office, Wakui Lee Ryder pressed his throbbing temple while staring at Bai Qiu’s stream on the computer screen.
—This silly child…
At his age, he still constantly got half-killed by the comedic effects Bai Qiu stirred up.
“Eh!? The Association developed it?!”
Bai Qiu was startled and hurriedly picked up the box to check the game developer information———”Magic Association’s” first official licensed Roguelike game.
She drew a sharp breath.
“Oh, oh my, Chairman~~ when promoting a game now, you have to talk about its flaws more, that makes it feel more authentic.”
“This is called reverse marketing.”
“Who only talks about flaws and not merits?”
“Uh… good things, good things… mmm… its———lots of options?”
“Praise the art!”
“Praise the music!”
“Praise the optimization!”
“Praise the story!”
“There’s so much to praise!”
“Okay okay, understood.”
“I guarantee the mission will be completed.”
“Beep beep beep———”
Saluting toward the distant high-rise, Bai Qiu returned to the computer and turned the sound back on.
“Kids, I’m back.”
Bai Qiu tremblingly picked up the controller and pressed continue.
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