Ch.24 Collab Stream : "10 Games Showdown with Momiji-Senpai" ③
After talking to her for a bit, I understood.
When not wearing a mask, this person is the type who really doesn't understand other people's hearts.
Even though normally one would apply the brakes, Momiji-senpai just steps squarely on the accelerator without hesitation.
It was a constant parade of, "Oh, so he's going to say that..."
The amount of adults saying things like "I'm saying this for your own good" to children is incredibly high.
Even Ichiro would be surprised by this. Is it okay to be Non-Deli like that? It's not okay. (TL note : Non-Deli means have no delicacy)
I don't think she's particularly cold.
At least, I could sense, however faintly, that Momiji-senpai was being considerate in her own way.
However, because she bases her opinions too much on herself, her choice of words becomes terrible.
There are many unnecessary words, and one fatal word missing.
Of course people will leave.
To be honest, I think she has far more trouble communicating than Sakura.
When asked "What did I do wrong?" he answered "I guess it was just the jealousy of an ordinary person. Oh dear."
"Hypnotism!" is too big an answer to the question "So what should we do?". Please be considerate of others.
"Hey, Alpheria."
"Yes."
While I was racking my brains trying to think of what to do, Momiji-senpai suddenly called out to me, sounding rather serious.
"What did you think when you heard my song?"
"I thought it was really good. The pitch and vibrato were perfect."
In terms of technique, she is better than me.
I think she's probably comparable to Kaguya-senpai.
Well... No, it would be boorish to go any further than this. Let's stop here.
"That's it? Did you have any other thoughts?"
ーThat's what I thought, but it seems that's exactly what Momiji-senpai wanted to ask.
I hesitated whether I should tell her or not, but I decided to be honest.
"I'll say it again, there's no doubt that it was well done... But if you ask me whether it touched my heart, I'm afraid the answer is no."
"...I see. So that's what you say too."
Momiji-senpai said with a frustrated look on her face.
"too?"
"Everyone who listens to my songs says, 'There's something missing.'... I always thought it was just jealousy, the ramblings of some self-proclaimed critic. But if Alpheria says it, then it must be true."
Momiji-senpai spat it out weakly, looking like she was about to collapse at any moment.
"While i did say so myself. I still lost."
“You’re talking about karaoke, right? All you have to do is sing according to the setting. Considering the excitement in your singing and the comments, it’s obvious which one of us was better. …Even though I know that, I'm still happy about my fleeting victory…”
"That's really funny," Momiji-senpai said, laughing at herself.
"When I heard your song, it was the first time I felt like I'd lost. Tell me, Alpheria. How can I sing a song that really touches people's hearts?"
It was a voice that sounded as if clinging to a ray of hope.
From Momiji-senpai's perspective, it must have been extremely frustrating.
From Momiji-senpai's technique and attitude towards singing, it is clear that she pours an extraordinary amount of passion into her singing.
And yet she keep hearing that "something is missing."
And when asked for advice, Momiji-senpai dismissed it by saying, "You're just jealous."
Yep, this is just self-inflicted.
Well, I can kind of understand how she feels.
I don't like being criticized by people I don't approve of either.
But Momiji-senpai brings that to a high degree, ignoring whatever anyone said.
This is the result of someone with both extreme pride and ability becoming completely twisted.
Among all the people, I was the only one who met Momiji-senpai's standards.
Hmm, what should I do...?
It feels like some kind of deja vu.
"Alpheria?"
I couldn't help but let out a wry smile and was met with suspicious looks.
"I'm sorry. But, I was told similar thing in the past."
"Alpheria too?"
Momiji-senpai leaned forward as if she had said this without thinking.
"Yes. Valkyrie is a living weapon that fights by singing and dancing, so idol activities were essential. However, since I was originally a man, singing and dancing with all my heart was just painful for me."
"...You're going to keep that setting even after the stream ends."
"Because It's a fact."
Open bracket REAL close bracket. (TL note : yea the raw is like this too)
"Anyway, I was able to overcome those prejudices through some circumstances... but there was a problem with how I overcame them, so my singing and dancing was completely empty."
It's like one trouble goes away, but another one comes along.
If I sing and dance obsessively, it's not going to resonate with anyone.
The cheerful singing and dancing in an eerie atmosphere is more like horror.
Looking back now, I realize that I had nothing but flaws in my past.
Well, that's why.
"It was Kaguya-senpai who saved me when I was lost."
"I think she's a part of your group. Trinity △... was it?"
"Yes. She is one of the people I respect the most."
She's the ultimate Yamato Nadeshiko.
She has black hair and uses a sword.
She looks more Japanese than me.
"Kaguya-senpai became a Valkyrie due to various circumstances, but originally she wanted to be a singer. Her talent was such that people all over the world recognized her as a 'Diva'."
When it comes to singing ability, I can confidently say that she is superior not only to me but also to Momiji-senpai.
"That's what Kaguya-senpai asked me. 'What's the reason you're singing for?'"
"!"
Momiji-senpai's expression turned very serious.
"Did someone say the same thing to Momiji-senpai?"
"...Yes, my former teacher did."
"How did you respond then?"
"I just said thank you. I was better than them back then. So I just brushed them off as a bluff..."
The reason she was hesitant was probably because, even though she had tried to dismiss it as a bluff, it remained as a thorn in her side.
I mean, that's her responds despite her calling them her teacher.
"Well then, since you've given your approval, I'll say it. Momiji-senpai, what are you singing for?"
"That's... I guess singing is the only thing I can do."
This narrow perspective is a privilege of the young.
We attach scarcity value to the things we are good at, the things we work hard at, and the things we aim for, and we lose sight of the value we place on ourselves.
It is tantamount to losing the original source.
"Let me put it another way. Why did you start to like singing, Momiji-senpai?"
"...This may come as a surprise to you, but in the past I was not good at anything."
I'm not surprised.
"I was always protected by my childhood friend, Kikyo... but then something happened that changed my life."
The Kikyo in question is my senior, Natsukawa Kikyo, who is in the same gen as her.
It's amazing. Both childhood friends are VTubers, and they debuted at the same time.
Momiji-senpai continues speaking.
It all started during singing classes in elementary school.
There, Momiji-senpai showed off her singing voice for the first time, demonstrating her talent to the fullest and receiving praise from everyone, who said, "That's amazing!"
This was a first for Momiji-senpai, so it was only natural that she would become so passionate about singing.
Awake or asleep, she kept singing.
The better she get, the more people will smile.
Momiji-senpai's love for singing grew even stronger.
Her parents, seeing her passion, suggested that she enter a competition.
The result was - runner-up.
Momiji-senpai was stunned, long silver hair fluttering down ー she was witnessing the scene next to her, of a dazzling beautiful girl being awarded a trophy.
Her parents said this to encourage the depressed Momiji-senpai.
"That girl is from a good family, so I'm sure she was destined to win from the start."
"You were way better than her!"
It was a crappy way of encouraging her, but Momiji-senpai believed it.
Since then, Momiji-senpai's thinking has become distorted, and that is how we have arrived to this point.
Hmm, long silvery hair...
There are other people with the same hair color as me.
……Hm?
Competition?
………(poku).
………………(poku).
………………………(poku).
……………………………(Ding).
ーThat's me isn't it!!!
Oh yeah, I entered a competition!
I won by unanimous decision!
Oh no, so I was the one who caused Momiji-senpai to become like this?
Fuuuu....
"What's wrong, Alpheria? You're sweating a lot."
"Ah, aha, ahaha! It's nothing. Yes, it's nothing! Please don't worry about it!"
Setting the emotional expression to an exaggerated level backfired.
"Really? Come to think of it, Ouka called you Aria, right?"
Big boom!
"Yeah, so, what?"
"No, I just thought that your name was the same as that woman who rigged the contesr. ... That woman, if I ever get the chance to meet her again, I won't let her get away with it for free."
Whoosh, a crappy weak punch.
This is bad. I have to keep this a secret.
She must've remembered my face in real life. She must be traumatized.
If there's going to be an off-collab with this, it would be war!
I'm glad there's a full dive!
And for the sake of my honor , I won by pure skill.
There's no way the match was fixed.
There's no way I'd lose to a bunch of kids.
I was completely unbeatable.
"Hmm! Let's get back to the topic. Momiji-senpai, for now, let's forget about this trouble and sing a song that you sang as a child."
"From when I was a child?"
"Yeah, don't think about anything, just feel yourself go back in those days."
As I told her that, I opened the karaoke app and handed the song search window to Momiji-senpai.
Momiji-senpai chose the song with a questioning look on her face.
"Wow, nostalgic."
Such a voice naturally spills out as the melody shakes the depths of memory.
"That's right. It really brings back memories..."
Then Momiji-senpai and I started singing together.
One song, two songs, three songs, the kind of songs that everyone has sung at least once with their class as a child.
The main songs are nursery rhymes such as "Furudokei" and "Mori no Kuma-san"
While singing, I listen to Momiji-senpai's voice.
Unlike the previous songs, this is a genuine singing voice that doesn't rely on technique.
In terms of quality, it's probably two or three levels inferior.
Butー Yeah.
I prefer this one.
In the first place, nursery rhymes are meant to be sung from the heart, not in an elegant manner.
That is what Momiji-senpai needs the most right now.
"Fuu, ..."
Momiji-senpai's singing voice begins to choke, tremble, and raspy in parts.
But on the other hand, her singing was full of heart.
It was an emergence of true feelings that had been kept bottled up for so long.
I gave her a smile, but she continued singing, ignoring my gaze.
After the song was finished, all that remained in the room was sobbing.
Momiji-senpai sheds tears of joy.
After fully savoring the afterglow, Momiji-senpai slowly began to speak.
"I forgot. Singing can be so much fun..."
So she pours out her deepest feelings.
"Forget that, it's embarrassing."
"There's nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, it's something everyone has experienced at least once."
"Really?"
Of course.
"At first it was just fun - that's all, but before you know it you're obsessed with thoughts like 'how can I get better?' or 'how can I win?' and you forget how you felt back then. This is especially true when it comes to competitive things like sports."
At first it was fun whether they won or lost, but before they knew it, it was no longer fun unless they won.
They can only find meaning in producing results, and they continue to run down a path of hardship, leaving behind the feelings they had at the beginning.
Whether you call it evolution, degeneration, or even stagnation or wandering is up to each individual.
At least when it comes to Momiji-senpai, I think the latter is correct.
"Thank you, Alpheria. You have woken me up."
Momiji-senpai smiled softly.
Her expression was one of relief, as if she had been liberated from a burden.
"So, can you listen to my song one more time?"
"ーI'd love to"
The voice that was produced in this way was truly like that of a diva.
A heavenly melody filled the air.
"Ah."
"What's wrong?"
"...Um, well...about the stream."
"Yes"
"...I just closed the screen, and...it didn't cut off..."
"……………………eh?"
It was a huge buzz.
I got scolded hard.
Unreasonable!
Eh, am I also at fault for neglecting to check?
...Tashi crab. Snip, snip. (TL note : a word play of certainly (確かに) into tashi crab (たし蟹))
――――――――――
At first I thought of making it more serious, but what I wanted from Vtubing was something more slice of like like Kirara series, so the setting of hypnosis popped up.
In the first place, there's plenty of room for serious content in the prequel stories.
Kusunoki Momiji
【profile】
Birthday: October 3
Height: 147cm
Age ? ? years old
Hobby: Singing
Special Skill: Singing
Main content of stream: Songs
Singing Ability S
Expression: C (later A)
Dance Ability E
Idol Power D
Charisma C
Talking D
Player Skill F
Academic Ability F
Non-Deli S+
[One-line survey]
Q. What is your favorite food?
A. Foods that don't strain the throat
Q. How do you spend your holidays?
A. Singing lessons
Q. If you were to compare yourself to an animal?
A. Dragon (Even though I'm set as a demihuman, I answered "Dragon". As expected of me- is that what you think, Chihuahua Fox? - childhood friend)
Q. Why did you become a Vtuber?
A. Invited by a childhood friend
Q. Lately you have been told to be Non-Deli?
A. That's a misunderstanding. There's no woman who can be as considerate as me.
【overview】
Originally, she was bad at both studying and sports and had a timid personality, making her a target for bullying, but one day, she was awakened when someone praised her singing.
From then on, she continued to train in singing, and with the dream of becoming a singer in the future, she entered a competition at the recommendation of her parents.
The result was runner-up.
She was fully confident of winning, and when the outcome was decided unanimously she was stunned and devastated, so her parents tried to encourage her by making the rubbish statement that "The girl who won was actually a rich girl from a good family, so the match was fixed."
And at the time, the innocent Momiji took it seriously.
*In truth, there were rumors of the match being fixed, but a certain silver-haired girl overcame them with her pure skill and took the unanimous victory.
From that day on, Momiji awakens to the supremacy of meritocracy, and at the same time, losing her delicacy.
She has lost her humanity.
As Momiji becomes more and more devoted to singing, she begins to study and abandons everything else.
She said that studying is something average people do.
A true genius is someone who can make the bold decision to cut off their retreat.
As a result, her self-esteem became incredibly inflated, and she began to believe that she was perfect and could do anything, not just study, but everything in the universe. Fernmar's Last Theorem! Wow!
Because of this, she is one of the biggest troublemakers at the training school.
She made many enemies with her outspoken behavior.
The day after she got some advice (which was actually harsh criticism), she had quit the training school, and she ended up becoming a space cat.
However, she is a coward at heart, so she gets really scared when someone she respects gets angry at her.
Since she will ignore what is said by someone she she deems inferior, it is possible for ger to be blunt to those described above.
Her teacher tried hard to correct Momiji's flaws, believing that her songs "didn't resonate with anyone" and that "she's the kind of person who will never be able to survive in society...", but in the end Momiji graduated from the training school without listening to their advice.
Afterwards, she was invited by her childhood friend to become a Vtuber.
Realizing that an ordinary person could not keep up with her walking speed, she resorted to hypnosis.
Being the height of stupidity, she fell for it easily.
But maybe it's the right decision.
Her true self is what they call "the type who is interesting to watch, but you don't want to get involved with," so she is perfectly suited to be a streamer, but that's something that only an ordinary streamer can relate to.
Since she is affiliated with a company and Vtubers are in a position to sell relationships, if she had continued streaming as she was, it is likely that she would have been in hot water in an instant.
If she was an indie Vtuber, she would probably shine... In dark colors.
The hypnotized Momiji turns out to be rather caring, and even takes the initiative to comment on her peers' streams.
However, she had fewer quirks, and as seen in the main story, she had problems with singing, which is her forte, so her number of subscribers was on the lower side among the Prisma Ark members.
But she exploded (in collab with the protagonist).
She forgot to turn off the stream. The camera was off so there was only audio, but the exchange was more than enough to make Momiji an "interesting woman."
The number of subscribers has skyrocketed, and from now on she'll be her true self during solo streams.
She now only uses hypnosis when collaborating with people other than the protagonist or her childhood friend.
Non-Deli is exploding with energy today as well.
On a side note, it seems that she had a mental breakdown after streaming a crappy game later on.
You feel deep gratitude and admiration for the protagonist, who has led you to a clean solution to the problems you have been carrying for years, but don't forget. The protagonist herself is not to blame, but she is one half of the reason why you have become so twisted. The other half is your parents.
Author notes :
Profiles and status suddenly appeared.
Why did they start with a new character instead of the protagonist and Sakura?
Setting: "Since the protagonist and Sakura are both main characters, I thought that these two should be revealed in detail in the main story."
Real reason: "I just thought of it"
Anyway, all of the protagonist's idol-related abilities are maxed out.
You can think of Sakura as the reverse.
Next up is the episode about the childhood friend who has been taking care of this strange woman since she was a child.
Kikyo Natsukawa: "Babu... Mommy"
Alpheria: "What do you mean?"