Looking at the message from his manager, Bai Qiuchen’s eyes went wide.
[Someone here is asking for you by name to help promote a light novel.]
And also.
[She says she’s your friend.]
“…Huh?”
It was Chinese, but somehow when you put it all together, he couldn’t understand it.
Promote a light novel, and it was his friend?
Bai Qiuchen’s brain froze for a moment, and he quickly scanned his already meager social network.
It took him less than one second of deep thought to figure out who it was.
“No way, she actually did it…?”
Bai Qiuchen hurried back into [Magical Girl Magic], typed “Wuyuzi_official” into his following list, and clicked onto her profile.
Sure enough, her latest post read:
<New Book Release Event (Full Blood Promax Edition) ~ The World’s Number One Magical Girl Streamer and the Popular Light Novelist’s Double Feature of Sharp Commentary ~ Writing Books in Another World While Still Showing Real Skills ~>
She’d even made the collaboration graphic already!
“At least tell me first.”
Bai Qiuchen grumbled, then replied to his manager.
[OK.]
If it were anyone else, he would have turned it down.
One stream and you get rich overnight, so why the hell would you still work?
If he didn’t lie in bed for 20 hours a day, simultaneously watch eight Vtubers and donate to become their top fan, dabble in FX, and when bored send messages to AI girlfriend development studios just to nitpick their work, he wouldn’t be doing justice to the lavish lifestyle of a rich person.
But this was his friend, and one who knew Bai Qiu’s real identity.
He genuinely couldn’t be sure that if he refused, given her personality, she wouldn’t pull off some earth-shattering stunt.
He still didn’t want to lose his job and become a magical girl who could only attend offline events as an adult babysitter.
He especially didn’t want to end up as the type who disappeared from the magical girl world without even leaving a proper farewell.
If the Association was reasonable, they’d at least save him some face and not ban him too thoroughly.
But the Association saving him any face was unlikely.
Just imagine: a Vtuber whom fans screamed “my wife” at every day was actually a guy using a voice changer.
Who wouldn’t lose their mind?
Letting him physically disappear would already be showing mercy.
“Hm?”
Bai Qiuchen was still waiting for his manager’s reply when Wuyuzi had already started streaming.
He immediately switched to his alt account and clicked in.
“Hello, hello, can you hear me~?”
A little girl wearing a wizard hat and a mage’s robe flowing with the galaxy appeared on screen.
She had crystal-like long hair and matching eyes.
Her 3D model was excessively lively.
Aside from being a 2D design, she was practically indistinguishable from a real person.
Just from the precision and rendering, you could tell it had cost a fortune.
Wuyuzi was a magical girl, but she used a 3D model for streaming.
In short, she was a Vtuber.
In the magical girl streaming world, where everyone appeared in person as sisters, big and small, this was one of a kind.
The [Legendary Membership] he’d recently bought was for her.
Bai Qiuchen didn’t know why she chose to stream with a model on [Magical Girl Magic] when other platforms suited her better.
But then again, he’d never seen what Wuyuzi looked like, nor did he know her thoughts.
Judging from her personality, which was somewhat similar to his own, what if she was also an uncle using a voice changer?
And her privacy measures were a bit too good.
Rumor had it that no one knew what she looked like.
So it was better not to dig into questions that shouldn’t be dug into, lest he make himself uncomfortable.
“Test, test. No problems, right?”
“Total Annihilation. Peak Fiction. No Notes.”
“PEAK, FICTION, PEAK, FICTION”
[Good.]
[Good.]
[Good. The translator just writes it down because he…]
[Can you hear me just doing mostly repetition at…]
[This point and a little descriptive detail with…]
[Dialogue A being peak and dialogue B being no…]
[No, no notes. Only just talk about peak fiction…]
[And directly associate or quote a number at random…]
[Is very, very consistent across all chapters since…]
[About chapter. Chapter seven and eightish…]
[So I’m just doing the same thing here and, oh…]
[Yes, worth pointing out that never includes the…]
[Peak slash na or na peak, fun, never end dialogue…]
Wuyuzi snapped her fingers, and the scene shifted from a Western fantasy castle to a modern city.
A time appeared on screen—12:00.
It was the countdown to the true content of this stream, the “New Book Release Event.”
“Twelve more hours. Before that—”
Wuyuzi snapped her fingers again.
The chat that had been confined to a box now fell like Tetris blocks.
SCs floated in the sky for different durations based on their amount, and various gifts materialized in the space.
She caught a chat message.
[Who’s the world’s number one magical girl?]
“Of course it’s our adorable Bai Qiuqiu~”
While Wuyuzi interacted with the chat, the manager also sent Bai Qiuchen the content of the novel to be promoted.
The book was called .
Skimming through the novel content that had been sent over, Bai Qiuchen gave it a quick read and came to the following brief summary.
This was a light novel told in first person by a character named “Monogatari Yagiri,” about her life as both a Vtuber and a witch.
In Dust Fate City, she befriends a pure-as-white-paper goddess named Shirakami Tsurukyo, the goddess’s believer Myoumi Riu, the Lord of Blood Aotsuki Tsujigetsu, a street singer named Asukagawa Aozora, the Lord of Foxes Tamamo Sakura Mashiro, and others.
They were gods and demons whom she dragged into becoming Vtubers to debut as an idol group.
There were also side characters like an amoral troll named Kamiyama Hitomi, a genius painter with the worst personality named Origami Ryuu, an omniscient information broker named Hoshikawa Shishi, and a famous actress whose true identity was the Lord of Dragons, Mikazuki Hanamai.
That was the general content of the first volume.
After reading his own summary, Bai Qiuchen didn’t even know how to react.
There were almost too many things to poke fun at.
Did he read too fast and misunderstand some parts?
Anyway, if he had to evaluate it, he could only say it was a pretty fascinating light novel.
The setting and characters were interesting and pretty unhinged.
Strangely enough, it really clicked with him.
‘Am I being assimilated by her?’
“Phew, let me rest a bit.”
Possibly tired from several hours of high-intensity interaction, on-screen Wuyuzi pulled over some chat messages to sit on.
She took off her wizard hat and pulled out her phone from inside it.
At the same time, Bai Qiuchen’s computer pinged.
[Ready yet? Hurry up and come.]
It was from Wuyuzi.
[You’re way too eager.]
There were still over seven hours left on the countdown.
[Ever heard of building hype? Hurry up. I urgently need you to help me keep this atmosphere boiling.]
[Fine, fine, fine.]
Bai Qiu really hated these tryhards.
‘Couldn’t they learn from a good employee like me?’
[Do I need to use VR too?]
[Yep. It’s not a voice call anyway.]
[Sure, whatever.]
Fortunately, when he’d participated in events before, the operations department had asked a studio to make a 3D model of her in her magical girl form.
He’d thought it would gather dust after the event, but never expected to use it at a time like this.
Bai Qiuchen summoned the “Heart Stone” and transformed into Bai Qiu.
“I hope I won’t feel like throwing up after this.”
If he could actually throw up, that’d be one thing.
The worst was feeling nauseous and not being able to.
Swallowing hard, Bai Qiu put on the VR headset and opened <Incredible Country (Full Blood Version)>, the VR game Wuyuzi had personally developed.
The fact that Wuyuzi’s VR game platform wasn’t compatible with PC was what annoyed her the most.
As unbelievable as it sounded, the official word was that Wuyuzi had designed and developed this game all by herself.
The dizzy feeling gradually subsided.
There was still some discomfort, but it was much better than last time.
Speaking of which… how long had it been since she last used VR?
Bai Qiu entered the room number Wuyuzi had sent her and entered her private room.
All her streams had always been in this space.
“The world’s number one magical girl has arrived.”
Wuyuzi jumped down from a chat message and waved to Bai Qiu.
[Don’t hype Bai Qiu to death, otherwise where am I gonna watch a surreal magical girl from?]
[This is your reminder to follow Wuyuzi meow. Follow Wuyuzi, thanks meow.]
[Clearly you don’t know. Your Wuyu-chan is no less of a weirdo than Bai Qiu.]
[There are two such god-tier freaks? Then I guess I have to follow and taste the flavor now]
[Little foodie]
“Oh please, keep a low profile.”
Bai Qiu lightly tapped her forehead with a fingertip.
“I mean, it’s all true, but you’ve gotta save some face for others.”
After yesterday’s stream, her follower count had reached 3.89 million, about to overtake team-based magical girl streamers and break into the top ten of the fan rankings.
She was becoming the first legend to enter the top ten as a solo streamer.
Bai Qiu dodged various chat messages clearly aimed at her and walked up to Wuyuzi, looking at the little girl who was about the same height as her.
Wuyuzi rested one hand on her chin and squinted, examining her carefully from head to toe.
“Is something wrong?”
Bai Qiu turned around, finding nothing out of the ordinary.
“Your skin isn’t great.”
“If the Association people heard that, they’d probably die of rage.”
It had taken the Association over half a month to commission that studio to put it together.
The quality was definitely above average.
But even so, compared to Wuyuzi’s model, it was instantly outshone.
Who knew how much Wuyuzi’s model cost?
Just her cape and robe alone could probably buy several Bai Qius, not to mention the even more extravagant eyes, hair, and accessories.
Wuyuzi landed on the ground.
Her crystal-colored long hair sparkled, and wind-chime sounds rang out with her movements.
The owl that had flown away when she was hanging upside down landed back on her shoulder.
She opened Bai Qiu’s character panel.
“Let me change it for you.”
“Hey, your permissions are way too high!”
Bai Qiu had no right to refuse, and the two immediately began a dress-up game.
[The XP Symposium has begun.]
[Still showcasing XP.]
“How about a shrine maiden outfit?”
Wuyuzi put a blue-and-white shrine maiden outfit on Bai Qiu.
Bai Qiu switched to third-person and spun around.
“I think it’s nice, but it doesn’t really fit my character’s persona.”
“Gothic Lolita?”
“Dark colors don’t match my light-color-focused character design either.”
“I think a kimono would work too.”
“It looks better on He Xi.”
“What about a summer outfit? Hmm~~ It feels nice.”
“Summer outfits need to be worn in summer. Wearing one in spring just doesn’t have the right vibe.”
“Then we need something more dramatic.”
Bai Qiu’s eyes lit up.
“Now that’s what I’m talking about. Elaborate.”
Wuyuzi glanced up.
“What kind of design do you think creates the strongest impression?”
“Are you looking down on me?”
Bai Qiu’s gaze was disdainful as her finger flicked a chat message.
“For a question like this, you might as well ask the people in the stream.”
Two options immediately popped up on the viewers’ screens.
A. All.
B. Not all.
Option A shot far ahead in the blink of an eye.
“Ugh…”
Seeing the result, Bai Qiu shook her head in disappointment.
“How do I normally teach you all? Have you forgotten everything I taught you?”
Bai Qiu’s outfit instantly turned into an ancient private academy teacher’s robe.
A blackboard appeared behind her, and she held a stack of bamboo slips in her hand.
“Everyone has their own preferences when it comes to character design.”
“Some people prefer a simple appearance, while others like elaborate designs with more details.”
“But a good design isn’t about putting everything on display. Leaving some room for imagination can make a character much more memorable.”
Bai Qiu circled the words “the unknown” for emphasis.
“Imagine a problem. If you know the answer and go to solve it, you might get it done fast, but it feels bland.”
“But when you don’t know the answer, and you explore step by step, each step forward revealing unexpected new discoveries, and ultimately you conquer the problem through your own strength, methods, and knowledge—isn’t that the attitude a scholar should have?”
[???] x 7891
[This episode is god-tier.]
[Master, I have seen the light.]
[As expected of Bai Qiu!]
[Is this something I can learn without paying??]
[Are these two really discussing character design this seriously?]
[Extremely appropriate. Keep going.]
“Then, Teacher, what’s the correct answer?”
Sitting across from her, Wuyuzi, now in a sailor uniform, raised her hand like a real student.
“This question has no correct answer.”
“Or rather, the answer you think is correct in your heart is the correct answer.”
“Everyone’s preferences are free, so this is just my own opinion.”
“Everyone can express different views without attacking each other—that’s what I want to see.”
“Only when everyone can voice their opinions and we seek common ground while preserving differences will we find like-minded friends.”
With that, Bai Qiu bowed with her hands clasped in salute, and her outfit reverted to the original magical girl dress.
[Excellent.] x 114514
“But that particular style is off limits. That kind of design must never exist.”
The moment Bai Qiu raised her head, her gaze turned sharp.
[?] x 2887
[What does this mean? He literally just said it and the boomerang already came back?]
[Still left brain attacking right brain, cerebellum refuting cerebrum.]
Bai Qiu kicked several chat messages flying.
“This is the bottom line. That kind of bizarre design shouldn’t exist!”
[What did that design ever do to you?!]
[I support the streamer, but only if you add more unusual designs too.]
[I will never forgive that trend for the rest of my life, really…]
[Isn’t the one that deserves to be criticized actually the bizarre stuff?]
[I don’t care about all that. NTR forever!]
Chat message after chat message rained down from above.
Bai Qiu attacked while roaring.
“A bunch of tasteless creatures! You have no idea how much damage bizarre character designs can do to a person!”
Seeing that if this continued it would escalate into a chaotic battlefield between the streamer and the viewers, and between the viewers themselves, the always-scheming Wuyuzi threw another log on the fire.
“Am I the only one who thinks hypnosis is ten times more interesting than time stop, and tentacles are ten times more interesting than both?”
“And isn’t it common consensus that cute magical girls are the best? Different character types can compete all they want!”
[Are you trying to start a war?!]
In fact, the war had already begun.
[???? What the hell are you even saying? Hypnosis doesn’t even deserve to be compared to time stop.]
[I think it’s fine, both hands and both feet supporting.]
[Surreal You’re a magical girl yourself, so of course you don’t understand the appeal of older characters.]
[I have no objections to magical girls being better than older characters, but as for character types, I’ll be having words with you.]
[Go to hell! Different character types can coexist!]
The stream’s popularity skyrocketed to new heights, and the density of chat messages reached new extremes.
[Coca-Cola tastes better than Pepsi.]
[McDonald’s is clearly better than KFC!]
[Did I just enter the Warp?…]
[Not that normal.]
[Fun fact: this is not a Cthulhu-universe world.]
[Cthulhu’s not this indescribable.]