My Childhood Friend, a Vtuber, Treated Me Like TrashโIโm Never Producing For Her Again
Man, why is it that Mizuta-sanโs intuition is always so sharp at times like this?
Should I deny it, even if it means lying?
Just as I was thinking that, Mizuta-san continued.
โTheir voices sound similar, so I watched a bit of Terukoโs stream too. But how should I put itโฆ? For someone who claims to have big breasts, the โresolutionโ of her bust is kind of low, I guessโฆโ
โโฆโฆโ
Come to think of it, Yue did emphasize over and over during her streams that her breasts werenโt small.
She even said she made her avatarโs breasts as close to her actual size as possible.
I bet Yue never imagined sheโd be exposed like this.
โPlus, at a certain point, the vibe of her streams suddenly changed.โ
โโฆโฆIs that so?โ
โYesโฆ! Itโs like her โconceptโ? Or โimageโ? Something like that just completely shifted. And that timing coincided strangely with when I met Komachi-sanโฆโ
As if sheโd realized something, Mizuta-sanโs eyes widened with a โHuhโฆ!โ
โCome to think of it, Komachi-san, you mentioned this beforeโฆ! You said you once helped an acquaintance who wanted to become a VTuberโฆ!! Could that acquaintance be Aizawa-san?โ
Now that sheโd figured it out, there was no point in denying it at this stage.
To be honest, I never would have dreamed that Mizuta-san and Yui would run into each other like thisโtwice.
Maybe I let my guard down too much.
โUmโฆ letโs not talk about that kind of thing in a place like this.โ
โAh, s-sorryโฆโ
โIโll tell you everything once we get to Mizuta-sanโs house today.โ
Judging by her behavior so far, I think Mizuta-san is a person who keeps her mouth shut.
โฆBesides, she doesnโt seem like the type to spread rumors anyway.
If I had to say, itโd probably just be a slip of the tongue.
โMizuta, please take this to heart: Yue is the type of person who, once she decides to do something, goes all the way.โ
โHuh? W-what do you mean by thatโฆ?โ
โIf you happen to let something slip, Yue might seriously take legal action.โ
โEekโฆโ
Just like when she cut me off without mercy.
Come to think of it, Yue has always been like that.
Sheโs the type who, once she gets absorbed in something, acts before she even thinks.
It was the same when she first announced she was going to become a VTuber.
โSo, Iโve just learned a secret that could get me sentenced to death if I accidentally let it slip, huhโฆโ
โโฆI donโt think itโs a state secretโit probably wouldnโt warrant the death penalty.โ
โBut Iโll take it to my graveโฆโ
Seeing her turn this pale, I figured she wouldnโt let it slip unless something really serious happened.
In fact, I even thought I might have threatened her a little too much.
However, Mizuta-san interlaced her fingertips and muttered, fidgeting.
โHehe, it looks like Iโll be sharing another secret with Komachi-sanโฆโ
Itโs moments like this that make me think Mizuta-san is really sly.
ใโ
After school, we arrived at Mizuta-sanโs house.
I installed beginner-friendly editing software on her computer and started by teaching her how to do cut editing.
โOh, this is easier than I thought.โ
โRight? If you edit based on the captions the AI generates like this, you can save a lot of time.โ
โBut it seems like there are quite a few typos and missing charactersโฆโ
โCurrent transcription AI still has its limitations. For now, just keep the necessary parts and we can correct them later.โ
Apparently, there are tools these days that let AI handle the cut editing itself, but itโs probably still too early for that.
Above all, it wouldnโt be helpful for Mizuta right now.
โHow do you make those flashy captions and stuff like thatโฆ?โ
โThatโs where it gets a little tricky. The work time increases dramatically, and if youโre dealing with full-fledged motion graphics, the amount of RAM required is on a whole different level.โ
โM-motion graphicsโฆ? R-RAMโฆ? Speaking of RAM, the only thing that comes to mind is that super-famous pink-haired maid character from that isekai seriesโฆโ
โโฆAnyway, the point is, there are just too many things we canโt do right now.โ
I had the impression that Mizuta-san was only well-versed in eroge when it came to otaku culture, but it turns out he knows about that stuff too.
Well, I guess thatโs exactly why sheโs trying her hand at being a VTuber.
โFor now, letโs stick to simple editing like adding captions. Please keep the length under five minutes.โ
โF-five minutesโฆ? Isnโt that pretty longโฆ? S-since itโs my first time, wouldnโt a short video be betterโฆ?โ
โPrecisely because itโs your first time, itโs actually better to have a certain amount of length.โ
โHuh? Isnโt a longer video harderโฆ?โ
โWith short videos, itโs not just a matter of cutting it short. Amidst the constant stream of videos, you have to grab viewersโ attention in just a few seconds and make them stop scrolling. That makes it much more difficult.โ
Of course, itโs true that short videos are more effective than long ones as a promotional tool these days.
That said, itโs not uncommon to spend nearly 10 hours on a single one-minute short video.
Itโs definitely not something to take lightly.
โAlso, you know, while youโre making a video, you tend to get anxious and end up making it longer than intended.โ
โHuh? Is that so?โ
โYou start thinking, โTo really convey how interesting this is, people need to know the context before and after,โ and before you know it, youโve included unnecessary parts. As a result, the video often ends up dragging on. This is especially true for beginners.โ
I suppose this applies to any creative work, but with videos, ultimately, cutting things out is more important than adding them.
โI-I seeโฆ Iโll have to be careful about that.โ
โYes. So, try making a video under 5 minutesโฆ letโs say, within 3 hours.โ
โThree hours?โ
โYes. You absolutely must not pull all-nighters trying to make it perfect. As Iโve said before, sleep is always the top priority.โ
โY-yesโฆโ
In reality, no matter how much time you spend on it, itโs nearly impossible to make it perfect.
Thatโs why you also have to learn where to draw the line.
Especially since, for Mizuta-san, live streaming is your main focus.
โIโll limit questions to three per video.โ
โHuhโฆ? D-does that mean I canโt just ask questions whenever I want eitherโฆ?โ
โYes. If you donโt search for the answers yourself, you wonโt really learn them.โ
Besides, as an independent creator, you have to be able to handle all kinds of problems on your own.
This will definitely be useful as part of that training.
โAlso, Iโll limit feedback on the finished video to just once.โ
This is for the same reason I capped the work time at three hours.
Itโs to keep you from getting too hung up on the videoโs quality.
โWhoaโฆ This homework assignment seems to have a lot of restrictionsโฆโ
โAre you going to give up?โ
โNo wayโฆ! I actually really like playing with restrictionsโฆโ
Is this what they mean by a gamerโs blood boiling?
A smile slipped out before I knew it.
To be honest, even though Iโd set the assignment myself, Iโd thought it might be a bit tough for a beginner.
But being able to enjoy even a situation like this is probably one of Mizuta-sanโs greatest strengths.
After I finished explaining the entire process up to exporting the video, we finished our shopping and returned to Mizuta-sanโs house.
While Mizuta-san was prepping dinner, she asked me:
โUmโฆ so, Aizawa-san, she really is Teruko?โ
โYes.โ
โSo, was it Komachi-san who raised Terukoโฆ?โ
โWellโฆ I wouldnโt say itโs all my doing, but I do think Iโve helped out in various ways. Yue wonโt acknowledge that at all, though.โ
I briefly explained what Iโd done for Yue up to that point and the circumstances leading up to my dismissal.
As the conversation unfolded, I found myself compelled to confess that Yue had been my first love.
After hearing my story, Mizuta-san quietly lowered her head.
Could it be that Mizuta-san, like Yue, thinks thereโs something wrong with me?
Just as that anxiety crossed my mind, a soft sob reached my ears.
โT-thatโs so cruelโฆ Komachi-san tried so hard, yet instead of being rewarded, he was just cast asideโฆโ
Tears trickled down the back of Mizuta-sanโs hand as she gripped the kitchen knife.
I never would have imagined sheโd cry for me.
Flustered by these unexpected tears, I hurriedly pulled a handkerchief from my pocket and held it out to her.
Mizuta took the handkerchief, wiped her eyesโ
โSniffโ!โ
โฆand then, quite naturally, blew her nose.