“Alright, that’s all for today—Phew, I’m tired…” (Keisuke)
After concluding the stream with those words, I leaned back in my chair, exhaling deeply.
Although I managed to get through my first stream after going viral, I was tense from start to finish.
After all, until now, I had only had one or two simultaneous viewers, but this time the number skyrocketed to five digits. The contrast was so overwhelming that it made me dizzy…
Of course, all of the viewers came after hearing about me from Yukina, and honestly, I was so overwhelmed that I couldn’t fully comprehend the situation.
There were various types of viewers—People who praised my skills, people who were skeptical about me, and people who casually tuned in because of all the buzz.
During the entire stream, I was determined not to let Yukina down after all the support she gave me, so I pushed myself to work harder than usual.
“Well, in any case, I’m relieved it ended without any issues.” (Keisuke)
I sighed in relief and decided to check the archive of the stream I just finished.
The number of views had already surpassed ten thousand, and there were numerous
comments.
…Seriously, it feels like a completely different world from just yesterday.
Not soon after, I came across the name “wankoromochi” right away.
Not only has she been commenting non-stop during the stream, but she was still among the first to comment on the archive.
Realizing once again that I was strongly endorsed by Yukina, my face couldn’t help but break into a grin.
However, the moment I saw the replies to her comment, my body tensed up involuntarily.
Comment: [This wankoromochi person has been commenting before this guy blew up. Maybe this person is Yukina, lol.]
“That’s bad…!” (Keisuke)
A cold sweat started to trickle down.
Well, I think this comment was probably written as a joke, right? Even though that’s what I believe, their assumption still hit the mark causing me to get uneasy.
If they find out that Yukina is indeed commenting all this time, it would undoubtedly cause another buzz once past comments start to get dug up. It would definitely cause problems for Yukina. I need to do something about this…
“Well, for now, I guess I’ll try asking her to comment less.” (Keisuke)
While planning to convey this to her at school later, I closed the archive and decided to turn my attention to something else.
Now that the stream has safely ended, it’s time to take a breather. Later today, there’s a stream from the incredibly popular VTuber, Daitenin Mariel-sama. Let’s just unwind by watching that.
Mariel-sama’s calm voice and manner of speaking are genuinely soothing. Despite that, during live commentary, she can be quite wild, mixing in a bit of banter with a moderate amount of poison during casual chats. What I’m trying to say is that she’s pretty good at talking. And also, she has various cute moments whenever she messes up. Her reaction when she confidently declared victory in a puzzle game stream only to realize she messed up and lost was entertaining.
…Ahh, Mariel-sama’s cute flustered moments during that time were seriously like a national treasure. I got so caught up in it that I impulsively bought her merchandise even though I already had some.
I also like the adult-like appearance of her character, and the gap between that and her occasional cute side was charming. I can watch Mariel-sama’s streams for hours; they’re just so fun. Just like Yukina, it’s become an essential nutrient for me. Since yesterday’s stream was suddenly canceled, I’m feeling starved for Mariel-sama’s content, so today, I’ll make sure to consume it to my heart’s content.
“Mariel-sama, I wonder what she’s planning to do in today’s stream. I’m looking forward to it! That being said… hmm, there’s still some time before it starts. Maybe I’ll check my DMs1 to pass the time.” (Keisuke)
Unable to wait for the stream to start, I decided to distract myself by organizing my DMs, which I hadn’t touched ever since the buzz. As expected, there was quite a lot (probably all related to Yukina), and just at that moment when I was contemplating what to do with all the DMs, a new DM arrived.
…But, upon seeing the sender’s name, I couldn’t help but let out a surprised “Huh?”
Daitenin Mariel (@Mariel_fallen)──
“Mariel… eh? Mariel-sama?” (Keisuke)
Suddenly, the name of a familiar VTuber popped up, and I found myself rubbing my eyes in disbelief.
At first, I naturally thought it might be a prank or impersonation, but because the handler2 felt familiar, I decided to cross-check with the official account just to be sure, and lo and behold, it was a match.
Despite my disbelief, I decided to check the contents of the DM. There, I found an invitation expressing a desire to collaborate with me.
The message was written in the same refined “desu wa3” tone as Mariel-sama. It began with an apology for the sudden DM and ended with a polite invitation asking if I would be interested in joining her in today’s upcoming LoF (Line of Fire) stream.
“A collab with Mariel-sama!? N-No way, something like that…!” (Keisuke)
I double-checked the account again, and it was indeed a match. If that’s the case, I had no choice but to believe it was real, but I still couldn’t quite wrap my head around it.
Mariel-sama isn’t just a regular celebrity. She’s practically a legend. Among the numerous VTubers out there, Mariel-sama set a massive record by reaching millions of subscribers within just a month of her debut. Truly deserving of the title of a legend.
I’ve been following her since her first stream, and I still can’t forget the impact it had. During her debut4, Mariel-sama introduced herself as a fallen angel expelled from heaven because she loved otaku culture, especially games. Her background, design, and personality itself complemented each other so well that it instantly captivated many people.
Of course, I, too, was captivated by Mariel-sama. I found myself getting absorbed into her streams and before I knew it, I had not only subscribed to her channel but also become a member. Since then, I’ve continued to support Mariel-sama, and well, she’s just too cute! I’ve been pushed to my limits by her so many times…!
Something like this hadn’t happened to me ever since I found out about Yukina, so it was genuinely shocking.
If someone were to ask me whether I prefer Yukina or Mariel-sama, that would be a stupid question. An incredibly stupid question.
You can’t compare the two. They’re both the best in their own field! Yukina and Mariel-sama stand side by side in my heart! Both of them are my favorite oshis, and there’s no one over the other. I’ve even distributed my budget equally to support both of them, though managing it was incredibly challenging.
…Well, I got a bit carried away there, but I want you to understand how passionately I support Mariel-sama. She has the kind of charm that shook my heart, even though Yukina was already my oshi. She has also captivated the hearts of many and now reigns at the top of the VTuber world.
So, what I’m trying to say is, why is such a prominent figure inviting me?
“…Let’s just ask her for now—wait, already!?” (Keisuke)
As I replied to the DM just to confirm her invitation, the response came back in the blink of an eye.
…Isn’t this way too fast? It’s almost like the speed of a bot…
I had sent a message roughly asking if she was the real Mariel-sama, and how was the collaboration going to work.
In response, she assured me that she was the real Mariel, apologized for the suddenness, and mentioned that for now, I didn’t have to voice chat with her. Just playing together would be fine.
The last part included instructions to send a friend request, along with the LoF account ID and password5 and I stared at it intently.
This ID looks familiar… It’s actually her?!
I immediately launched LoF and, with trembling hands, entered the ID and password.
And then came the prompt, “Do you want to send a friend request and form a party?” and without hesitation, I clicked ‘Yes’—
“N-No way!? So, it’s really…!” (Keisuke)
On the lobby screen, next to my hero, the ‘Shadow Hunter’, stood Mariel-sama’s main hero ‘Dark Wing’. Above it was the genuine ID of Mariel-sama, the same one I had seen multiple times during her streams.
Chat (Mariel): [I’m glad we could form a party. Thank you for accepting the sudden invitation, Kei-sama.]
Without a moment to soak in the surprise, a message appeared in the chat, and I had no choice but to finally accept the reality.
“Whoa!? It’s the real Mariel-sama!? W-Wait, she invited me to a party…! W-Wow!?” (Keisuke)
I quickly reached my limit at the fact that I had been directly invited by my oshi VTuber.
Overwhelmed by the situation, I felt the urge to jump around my room in excitement. However, I remembered that I hadn’t replied so I hastily tapped on the keyboard.
Chat (Kei): [T-Thank you for inviting me for this collaboration.]
My face heated up as I noticed the apparent signs of my nervousness in the message.
Chat (Mariel): [I originally wanted to invite Kei-sama more formally, but a lot of things ended up happening all of a sudden, so I want to apologize for that.]
But Mariel-sama didn’t seem bothered at all and continued to reply politely.
…Ahhh, what should I do!? Am I really having a conversation with Mariel-sama!? Is it even okay for something like this to happen in reality!? Oh, man, I feel like I’m breaking out into a weird sweat!!
Overwhelmed by happiness, my emotions were on the verge of going haywire. However, I couldn’t expose such an embarrassing side to Mariel-sama, so I made an effort to calm down and replied.
There were many things I wanted to talk about, but there wasn’t much time left until the stream started. So, I hastily confirmed what to do during the stream for now.
Since I wouldn’t be directly to her, she’ll handle the streaming part, and I just need to play the game as how I normally would.
…Phew, that’s a relief. If that’s the case, I can definitely manage it. Despite being overwhelmed by this sudden turn of events, for Mariel-sama’s sake, I’ll concentrate on the game as instructed… Oh, right, there’s one more thing to do before that.
Chat (Kei): [Why did you decide to collaborate with me? If you don’t mind, I’d like to know the reason.]
With trembling hands, I managed to type and send that question.
It was something that had been on my mind for a while. While I’ve known about Mariel-sama for a long time, we had no actual connection.
So, I was genuinely curious about how Mariel-sama came to know about me. After a while, I received a response.
Chat (Mariel): [Because of the Yukina Nozomi-san incident yesterday.]
…I see, that makes sense. There’s probably no other way for my existence to be known.
I nodded in understanding. Somehow, I felt like the response took a bit longer than usual (and the wording seemed a bit blunt), but maybe Mariel-sama is busy preparing for the stream. That must be it.
“The impact of Yukina’s buzz sure is incredible.” (Keisuke)
Without dwelling on it too much, I marveled at the strength of Yukina’s influence. Just as Mariel-sama messaged that the stream would start soon and she would be away from the chat, I quickly prepared my smartphone.
Since I’m playing LoF on my PC, I’ll watch the stream on my phone instead… As I opened Mariel-sama’s channel, the stream was already live.
“(Good day, it’s Mariel desu wa. Now, the banquet of Daitenin Mariel is about to begin. Everyone, are you ready to be ruined?)” (Mariel)
Soon, the main event started, and along with the usual greeting, Mariel-sama made her appearance.
She has long silver hair and black wings on her back. On top of that, she also had a charming expression on her face, and, inevitably for any man, attention was drawn to her ample bosom. Speaking in a refined “desu wa” tone like a young lady, this person was none other than the immensely popular VTuber, Daitenin Mariel.
“Wow, seriously, that’s me, isn’t it!?” (Keisuke)
At that moment, I was on the screen of my oshi VTuber’s channel.
The screen showed the LoF lobby, and there I was, standing next to Mariel-sama!
Oh no, it feels amazing to be in the stream of my oshi like this…!
People might mock me, saying I do my own game commentary, so why am I getting so emotional? But this is completely different! It’s incredible to appear on Mariel-sama’s channel! It’s only natural to be moved by this!
“(Now, we’ll be playing LoF, but we have a special collaboration with a surprise guest. That guest is already on screen, and as you can see, it’s the trending game commentator, Kei-sama from Kei’s Game Commentary Channel desu wa!)” (Mariel)
Mariel-sama is introducing me…! I don’t know how to describe this feeling; My body is squirming uncontrollably!?
While enduring the overwhelming excitement, I managed to check the comments of the stream on my smartphone.
Among the viewers, some were genuinely excited about the collaboration, while others had reactions like ‘Who?’ or ‘I don’t know him’ or ‘I think he went viral yesterday.’ It was a diverse range of responses.
Well, that’s to be expected. Even I would question why if someone told me that they were collaborating with someone I’d never heard of before.
“(Kei-sama’s LoF skills are quite impressive. So today, the plan is to play ranked matches while getting carried by Kei-sama.)” (Mariel)
As expected of a fallen angel. She’s devilishly charming. She even makes it sound like she’s been watching me.
…Alright, I can’t embarrass myself in front of Mariel-sama. I’ll do my best to carry her!
TL Notes:
Thanks for reading!
From my experience, I can tell you that it’s an amazing feeling to get shouted out by your favorite YouTuber. It’s the same ‘I can’t believe it’ feeling that the MC’s experiencing.
Yeh, she definitely isn’t watching him, right? I wonder if a certain someone who’s been friends with him for a long time would know about his channel.
Honestly, I love characters who speak in desu wa tone so I’ll keep the desu wa whenever it appears.
Footnote:
- DMs probably means direct message on twitter.
- Handler as in the @XXX thing in Twitter. It’s unique to each account so it can be used to verify the authenticity.
- Idk how to explain this but it’s that rich young lady (ojou-sama) way of talking.
- If you don’t know VTubers, a debut is your first ever stream on your channel where you introduce yourself, your character, your background, and basically let the viewers know you better. Debut streams usually lasts for an hour or so.
- I guess the game had a setting such that the user can set a password such that only people who know of it can add them.
DESU WA
SASUGA Marie DESUWA
She’s based on Salome isn’t she.