I May Be a Virtual Youtuber, but I Still Go to Work-Chapter 117

Magia was notoriously difficult to get to speak informally unless the other person was younger.

But once that hurdle was crossed, she became remarkably lenient.

Take Maru, for example—now, the two of them exchanged casual speech without a second thought, and when things got heated, they even threw sharp words at each other without holding back.

It felt like an On/Off switch.

Once granted, the familiarity remained effortless, but if it wasn't allowed, things stayed rigid and distant.

Of course, even when she did use informal speech, it was usually just to match the atmosphere the other person wanted. It didn't necessarily mean she had fully opened up.

People usually noticed.

They realized, She must not be the type to do this easily, but she's really making an effort for us.

That was why the second-generation members, who had already grown fairly close excluding Magia, rapidly advanced in their relationships with her.

Orca was the same age as Magia, Eоna was a year younger, and Miho was two years younger.

Unlike the first-generation members, where Rain and Komari had a five-year age gap, the second-generation members were all similar in age.

And now that Magia had also started speaking informally, they had practically become friends.

New n𝙤vel chapters are published on novelbuddy.cσ๓.

They weren’t quite at the level of the first-generation members, who had spent over a year together through thick and thin, but they were catching up at an impressive pace.

Perhaps thanks to that, the second-generation members barely managed to clear the fourth mission two minutes before the deadline at 5 PM, securing themselves a grand dinner.

One might wonder, How is a lavish feast possible in a zombie apocalypse setting? But the concept behind it made sense—a table prepared for officers who had sensed their impending death but ultimately never got to eat.

On top of that, knowing that all attractions were temporarily suspended during the one-hour dinner gave them a sense of relief.

And after all the struggle, the food—pasta, bread, steak—went down effortlessly.

Except for one person.

Only Orca looked uncomfortable and was the first to stop eating.

Considering that before arriving at the lodge, she had eaten a bowl of ramen, dumplings, and kimbap at the rest stop, this was a significantly smaller amount.

It was likely because the setting of the restaurant was an officer's dining hall.

Ironically, the one who had been screaming for help the entire time—Miho—was now the most relaxed, even finishing off the food Orca left behind.

"Is the military really that hard?"

Had she asked that during a live broadcast after debuting, it would’ve caused a massive uproar.

But right now, it was fine.

Miho wasn’t mocking Orca—she was genuinely curious about just how tough it was.

"My younger brother is in the military right now. My parents and I take turns visiting him every two weeks, and every time we go, he looks completely dead inside.

I feel bad for him, so I bring him things when I visit... but there's just something about it that I can't understand.

When I ask him how hard it is, he just says I don’t need to know."

Orca smirked at that.

"There’s nothing to understand. It just fucking sucks."

"Wow, that’s blunt."

"I'm serious. It fucking sucks... When you're in there, everything becomes unbearable.

At first, I couldn’t understand active-duty soldiers at all. But after a month of being stationed, I found myself ranting about officers along with the others.

It was so bad that I even apologized to them for not understanding sooner."

What followed was a flood of brutally realistic military stories.

Listening to them, Miho looked completely horrified.

She had felt bad for her younger brother before, but now she was genuinely distressed at the thought of him going through all that.

"I could never do it... How did you even decide to enlist? I respect you even more now..."

"I didn’t exactly choose to go. But surprisingly, it suited me."

"Wait... are your parents in the military?"

"Yeah."

And just like that, their conversation continued throughout the meal.

Watching them, Magia simply smiled in satisfaction, seeing this as the early access phase of the second-generation members bonding.

But no matter how much she wanted to sit back and observe, the moment she started speaking informally, she became fair game to be pulled into any conversation.

Just like how, after traveling with the first-generation members, she ended up getting surrounded by them all the time.

Sure enough.

Miho, noticing that Magia had only eaten half of her steak and pasta, asked,

"Gia, are you already full?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I guess since you’re small, you can’t eat much... Can I have the rest?"

"It’s already been eaten, but if you don’t mind."

"I’m kinda sick of pasta, but I can’t pass up meat... Hehe..."

And just like that, the remaining half of Magia’s steak disappeared into Miho’s mouth.

Seeing this, Orca turned to Magia and asked,

Orca, who had barely spoken to Magia in the past five days unless it was about training, had made significant progress.

"You do all that work while eating so little?"

Since Magia’s table wasn’t where a manager’s should be—at the instructor’s spot—but rather among the members, every visiting team leader had said the same thing:

"So you’re finally taking a break? Good thinking."

Even the elderly accounting director had gone so far as to use a recent meme, saying,

"At last, Magia’s working hours will return to normal."

So seeing someone who barely ate properly working herself to the bone—it was both worrying and baffling for someone like Orca, who usually made sure to eat well.

"It’s mostly desk work, so it’s manageable. It’s nothing like being a soldier who has to use their body all the time."

"Still, aren’t you going to collapse at some point? Even I ended up passing out from exhaustion during training, and I eat way more than you."

"I’ve collapsed before too. But I go to the hospital often these days, so I’m fine."

"Mm. I figured as much."

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

And just like that, with Magia naturally getting pulled into conversations, Eоna ended up slipping into the role that Magia had originally been expected to play.

It was as if Magia had been waiting for this—watching the second-generation members naturally take on their own roles.

Having debuted once before, Eоna had enough experience to act as the mature senior between Miho and Orca.

In fact, as she watched the three of them talking, she was already imagining what their future might have looked like if all four of them had debuted together.

Orca was strict but provided clear standards.

Miho, on the other hand, constantly toyed with those boundaries, always hovering just at the edge of crossing the line.

And then there was Magia—the cheat code of every collab. Toss her into a group, and she would always create an unforgettable moment.

In the middle of it all, Eona played the role of mediator, making everything seem harmonious.

Just as the first-generation members always relied on Dora for emotional support and Komari as their in-game bus driver, the second-generation members were starting to find their own roles.

It wouldn’t be surprising if Eona and Magia ended up taking on similar positions within their group.

But this wasn’t just about being a VTuber.

Magia wasn’t just another debuting talent—she was rumored to be one of the founding members of the company, one of CEO Momo’s closest confidants. (Allegedly.)

That was why Eona and Orca didn’t react much to Magia’s playful talk about debuting.

That was why, despite being initially reserved, they had started chatting comfortably with her the moment she allowed informal speech.

Because their expectations for her were just that high.

It would have been more than enough for Magia to remain a manager.

But a VTuber? And a fellow debutmate at that?

That was like suddenly gaining an army of a thousand reinforcements.

Still, Eona couldn’t shake a growing sense of unease.

Magia kept sending her signals.

"I’m really debuting, so don’t doubt it."

But when someone went out of their way to repeatedly reinforce something, it often meant they were hiding something.

I just hope she’s not doing this because of what I said...

Eona had originally been on the path to becoming an idol before switching to VTubing.

She was fully satisfied with her career now, but before meeting Magia, she had been completely against the idea of debuting because of someone else’s decision.

If Magia was really going through with this, Eona wanted to help her.

After all, her father was an industry expert who had deliberately stepped out of the spotlight.

If she asked for his support, even if the business potential wasn’t great, he would at least make sure it passed the break-even point.

But only if Magia was choosing to debut on her own terms.

Eona just hoped that her offhanded comment on Monday, when she had seen that only three people had passed the auditions, hadn’t put any pressure on Magia.

"Gia."

"Hm?"

Eona leaned in and whispered into Magia’s ear.

"You remember how I wanted to be an idol but couldn’t, so I ended up debuting as a VTuber instead, right?"

"I remember."

"But now, I really enjoy being a VTuber. Maybe it’s because you’re helping me, but... things are completely different from before.

Back then, I was being forced into it. Now, it’s my own decision."

"Yeah, I get it."

"So, tell me... You’re not just doing this because people around you won’t stop talking about it, right? You’re not just getting swept up in things and debuting without really wanting to?"

Eona hesitated before asking, but Magia’s answer came out immediately.

"I’m doing this because I want to. I get why you’re worried, but don’t be."

Her unwavering expression made it clear that she wasn’t just saying that to brush things off.

Her determination was so transparent that it reassured Eona.

It was enough to convince her—Magia was debuting of her own will.

Relieved, Eona grinned.

"Alright. Let’s do our best for the fifth mission after dinner!"

Magia had always avoided doing things she didn’t want to do.

But when it came to Cheon Do-hee’s requests, she did them even if she didn’t want to.

That had been her unwavering rule for all three years at this company—so much so that it was second nature now.

...However.

The burning determination Eona had just witnessed felt different from the usual "I’ll work ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) like a dog for Momo and Parallel!"

After all, today’s attraction wasn’t something Momo had asked her to do.

Magia had simply gotten involved because she was worried about the second-generation members preparing for their debuts.

For them, debuting was part of fulfilling their dreams.

For Magia, it was just another task on her to-do list.

And because of that, her exhaustion was piling up much faster than usual.

At this point, all she wanted was to finish this attraction, get her confiscated phone back, and catch up on the streams she had missed.

There’s no one more desperate than a working adult who’s had their hobbies taken away.

With a rare surge of enthusiasm, Magia shouted,

"Let’s go!"

***

Some people who are highly attuned to emotions feel deeply frustrated when they fail to pick up on someone’s feelings.

Eona was exactly that type of person.

So once she fully understood what had been going through Magia’s mind, how could she not be thrilled?

With excitement for the second-generation members’ future activities and the anticipation of being able to enjoy every moment, it felt like she was walking through a field of blooming flowers.

Which was why, on her way home the next day, while chatting on the phone with Maru—who had called to ask how the escape room had gone—she unconsciously revealed just how close she had gotten to Magia.

["—We failed the last mission, so we had to sleep in sleeping bags. Gia was cold, so I wrapped her up like a banana to keep her warm. When she finally relaxed, I felt relieved."]

And with that, she had unknowingly triggered Maru’s jealousy sensor.

Normally, before debut, seniors and juniors weren’t allowed to meet up without the company’s approval.

Maru had planned to bring it up when everyone got together later—to discuss how they would divide up their time with Magia.

But suddenly, Magia had participated in some escape room attraction and, just like that, become incredibly close to Eona?

“...Really? Back when it was our turn, she just sat back and smirked while watching us roll around at the lodge.”

["She was actually trying pretty hard this time! Though she kept using me as a shield instead of speaking up herself. Oh, and did you know? Gia’s actually kind of a scaredy-cat. She doesn’t scream, but at every surprise scare, she’d grab onto my jacket. It was kinda cute."]

Of course, Eona had no intention of bragging to Maru.

She had assumed, based on what she had heard, that Magia was already super close with the first-generation members.

So she had just been sharing her own fun experience, thinking, I also got to have a great time with Gia!

But for Maru, who had just taken two unintentional critical hits in a row, it was nearly a knockout blow.

She had spent an entire year watching for the right moment to start speaking informally with Magia.

And even then, the process had been hellishly difficult.

But the second-generation members?

They just laughed and joked their way into it?

How...?

That entire day, Maru was overcome with emotions.

And unfortunately, she was the type to openly share her feelings with her audience.

Whenever she did casual content like café tours before streams, she meticulously read out every single $1 donation message, making her incredibly prone to accidental leaks.

:: An anonymous donor has sent 1,000 Clouds! ::

:: So, what’s Magia up to these days? ::

That single well-timed donation...

It was enough to add another mark to Maru’s infamous record of unintentional leaks.

“She’s busy with the second-gen debut preparations. Looks like she spent the weekend having some cozy bonding time with the other three... Honestly, it looked fun enough to make me jealous...”

On the surface, there wasn’t anything particularly revealing about what she said.

It could just be interpreted as Magia is working hard, and the second-gen members are training well.

But her voice was so drenched in melancholy—like she had just had a dear friend stolen from her.

And just like that, the speculation spread across the community.

As fate would have it, it happened to push the exact buttons of Magia’s most extreme fans—who had already been going feral after not seeing her for an entire month.

— Parallel (VTuber) Gallery —

[Something feels off.]

Didn’t Maru just say “Magia and three others” instead of “Magia plus three others”?

Why did she phrase it like that?

Shouldn’t it be four debuting members?

[Comments]

— Parallel853: Probably just a slip of the tongue?

— Parallel095: Yeah, people mix up “and others” versus “including” all the time.

— Parallel251: ...Wait, hold up.

— Parallel (VTuber) Gallery —

[I've figured it out.]

Magia is also debuting as part of the second-gen.

That’s why it’s “Magia plus three others.”

It makes perfect sense now.

The three selected through auditions + Magia = the second-gen lineup.

[Comments]

— Parallel194: Holy shit, are you a genius?

— Parallel804: Now that I think about it, Maru’s leaks have never been wrong.

ㄴ Parallel055: Credit where credit’s due—her accuracy is insane.

ㄴ Parallel280: Maru, the loudspeaker of Parallel.

— Parallel099: If this turns out to be true, I swear to god...

— Parallel735: Guys, did you hear? Turns out there were four second-gen members all along...

— Parallel946: Please let Magia debut so she can stream 7 days a week, 240 hours nonstop.

ㄴ Parallel744: Bro, how do you fit 240 hours into a week?

ㄴ Parallel900: Magia fans have been starved for a month—they’re losing their grip on reality.

ㄴ Parallel052: Forced fasting...

ㄴ Parallel255: Tragic...