A figure wrapped in a suspicious hooded robe spoke in a raspy voice. His face was hidden by an eerie mask. He was a man who claimed to be the disciple of the fortune-teller 'Grandmother of the Galaxy,' who had taken the world by storm a few years ago.
The Grandmother of the Galaxy had been arrested on fraud charges, and since then, she had no media exposure, so it was unclear if she really had a disciple. It felt like choosing to honor such a person as a master at this point would only result in a negative image, but he was an unconventional fortune-teller who utilized even that rumor.
He called himself 'the most sincere swindler.' He publicly declared that there was no credibility in fortune-telling, and that it was nothing more than a performance to relax the customer's mood and gain their trust. Despite this, there were many fans who desired his readings. It seemed customers were flocking to him so much that his high-priced live chats—thirty-five thousand Jenny for one hour—were booked months in advance.
His true strength lay in mentalism. It was the technique of grasping human thoughts and behavior based on psychology and guiding them at will. The videos he uploaded unconsciously guided the thoughts of the viewer, making them feel as if their hearts were being seen through. It was supposedly the result of applied behavioral psychology and independent research.
On the premise of being deceived, the number of people who wanted to receive his fortune-telling never ended. He also apparently held many qualifications such as psychological counselor, and he was said to resolve the troubles of consulters using the power of mentalism. However, there were also voices suspecting it might be brainwashing.
"Next up, the factory-human who constantly creates something as easily as breathing! The 'tried making' I-Tuber, Tsukuteku!"
"I'm gonna make the Statue of Liberty."
Scraps of iron poked out from various pockets of the tattered coat the man wore. Then, he abruptly began to crumple a large piece of paper, one meter square. No, it looked like he was just mindlessly crushing it, but he was actually folding 'origami' at a staggering speed. In no time at all, he had completed an exquisitely crafted statue of the Statue of Liberty.
Not just this high-speed origami, he had many special skills regarding craftsmanship. He often made various things by recycling trash. He once built an amusement park using oversized garbage that had been illegally dumped as material.
He usually lived in a place called Meteor City. Although it had 'City' in its name, it was a desolate political vacuum where trash from all over the world was gathered and dumped, belonging to no nation. He seemed to be an eccentric who dared to live in such a place.
Aside from his special skills, the catalyst for his breakout as an I-Tuber was surprisingly his crafting videos for children. On I-Tube, there are kids' channels established primarily with small children as the target.
One shouldn't underestimate them just because they're for children; the repeat rate of this viewer base is extremely high, and videos that once gain support and popularity tend to be played over and over without the viewers getting bored. Tsukuteku was not just a genius at crafting; he was also able to convey the fun of crafting to viewers in an easy-to-understand way.
Recently, he had been trying his hand at sandbox-style game streaming. The numerous structures born from his imagination were of a breathtaking scale. They were meticulously thought out to the smallest detail; down to every single house in the towns he built, the feeling of life was reproduced as if real humans actually lived there. He could be called a multi-talented I-Tuber who possessed both his own talent and the skill as a video creator to express it in diverse ways.
"Now, it's time to introduce the ladies! An rapidly rising new genre, the new idol! The virtual-type I-Tuber, Magical☆Milky!"
"Miru-pyon is here-pyon☆☆☆!! Today, I'm gonna Vorpal Bunnnnyyyy your hearts too☆☆☆!!"
The figure of a girl, looking as though she had jumped out of an anime, was projected onto the chair as a 3D hologram. Was the small, spider-shaped machine nearby the projector? It was amazing technology.
She had black hair and black eyes without highlights, a superb figure, and a voluptuous chest. She wore skimpy clothing that looked like a bunny girl and a ninja split down the middle, but this was apparently the traditional 'Japanese Kunoichi Style.' It was even written in the Kojiki.
What kind of person was the so-called 'person inside' who played the assassin girl from the land of magic? Were they female or male? On the net, it was said to be a man using a voice changer, but if so, I respected him even more.
Ever since I learned of the existence of Virtual I-Tubers, I had felt a strange sense of kinship. Breathing life into a girl's avatar and creating a character. I might have overlapped that process with my own situation.
I am an ant. This girl's body is nothing more than a borrowed thing. On the other hand, the appearance of a Virtual I-Tuber in a video is a created illusion. Even Milky, who was acting as if she existed on the stage now, was obviously not a real human.
He must be aware that he has become a distinct entity. And the fans watching also know that truth. Despite that, the existence known as Magical☆Milky is recognized and loved by many people.
Wasn't this a wonderful thing? At the very least, I thought the person inside Milky was someone worthy of respect.
"Next is the greatest problem child of the I-Tube world! The flame-type I-Tuber, Velvet Alecto!"
A girl about the age of a high school student was sitting in the seat next to mine. I didn't know much about fashion, but she wore clothes that looked like they belonged in a magazine, and she herself had a well-proportioned body like a model. She crossed her legs, rested her cheek on the armrest, and looked toward the crowd with cold eyes as if looking down on them.
Up until now, cheers had broken out every time an I-Tuber was introduced, but when it was her turn, the atmosphere changed completely, and a storm of boos erupted. In response to that reaction, Velvet didn't say anything in particular but thrust her middle finger toward the venue. At that insolent attitude, the volume of the booing rose further.
Among I-Tubers, there are posters called 'flame-type' or 'calling-out type.' Many of their videos involve picking up and criticizing the scandals of other famous I-Tubers. They also sometimes deal with scandals that are becoming topics among the general public.
The reason this was called 'flaming' was because the methods were extreme. They would thoroughly disparage the target with enough force to deny their personality. From the perspective of the fans of the targeted I-Tuber, they couldn't help but feel anger.
By widening the wound of the scandal further and further, making the topic burn by involving both the opponent and themselves, they increased the view counts of their videos. It was certainly not a praiseworthy act, but infamy is better than being unknown. To the extent that the flame-type was established as a genre, that many people also existed to watch it.
Scandals that cause a stir in the world, such as TV talk shows and gossip magazines, easily attract people's interest. The difference between an I-Tuber and normal mass media would be the point of how far they can step over the line of common sense. Because individual videos with few restrictions can express naked malice more extremely, there are parts that resonate as disgust or empathy.
The flame-type is a genre that requires one to act as a hated person. Velvet, who had climbed to the top of that genre, was not the possessor of ordinary mental strength. The booing currently being chanted in the venue was not necessarily filled with only negative meaning.
It was praise for pseudo-evil. People felt a sense of reason in her words, as she calmly and openly spoke for the resentment that everyone felt a little in their hearts. She had a talent that could be called charismatic in a way, making even voices of condemnation the fuel for her infamy.
As for why such a person occupied a seat as a Pomerni Child, she publicly stated without hesitation that it was 'to eat it from the inside.' And in response to that, Pomerni also described her as 'Velvet is like the opposition party to the ruling party,' and it was the history behind her being allowed into the Official Pome-Chil.
By the way, due to its nature, the flame-type results in the number of 'antis' being equal to or greater than the number of fans. Through the relentless investigation of specialized groups (which was almost stalker-like), information such as her address was exposed, and there had even been antis who resorted to group assault, but they had all been repelled. She possessed a legend of having been suspected of excessive self-defense in reverse.
Velvet's introduction ended. It was almost time for the last of the Pomerni Ten Elite—me, Six. My mind was already a blank. There was no way I could give a clever response like the others. I felt like a criminal waiting for execution.
"Now, finally, the last I-Tuber! The sensational rookie who achieved a hall-of-fame entry at the youngest age since the founding of the Official Pome-Chil! The animal-type I-Tube—"
"Wait a second."
Velvet snatched the host's microphone from the side. Six's introduction was interrupted.
"I simply cannot accept why a worthless poster like you is in this place."
Those words were uttered while looking straight at me, but it took several seconds for me to understand they were directed at me. I just described myself as a criminal waiting for execution, but to use a comparison, it felt as though just as the hanging was decided and the rope was around my neck, I was suddenly pierced by a spear from behind.
"Do you think you are on equal footing with the Ten Elite? For a newcomer who just popped up, you sure had the nerve to participate in this. Didn't you feel like declining?"
Among the ten people introduced so far, most were veterans who were called the Pome-Chil Ten Elite and had protected their seats as Official Children for a long time. There had been other I-Tubers who achieved Official Pome-Chil status, but all of them had dropped out after failing to gain views. Just continuing to stay in that position was a struggle.
Among them, Magical☆Milky and I were still called newcomers. Looking at the flow so far, it was a situation where it wouldn't be strange for us to drop out eventually. But even so, for now, there was no mistake that we were Official Children. I had the qualification to participate in the offline meeting, and it wasn't something she should be nagging me about.
"Virtual I-Tubers are a growing genre right now, and even a gross old man like Milky is barely a passing grade for a newcomer."
"Wanna fight-pyon☆? I'll kill you-pyon☆☆☆!"
"Compared to that, what about you? What was with that debut video? How could you upload such a stupid video? Well, it was so incredibly boring that it became a topic in reverse. Was even the part where it flamed and became a festival calculated?"
"That's, because of you...!"
When my video was raided, I didn't know what the cause was at first. Certainly, the content might have been terrible. But I hadn't imagined it would worsen to that point. So, prepared to be hurt, I researched various posts on the internet.
As a result, I learned that Velvet had been involved in the flaming behind the scenes of the uproar. From the perspective of a flame-type I-Tuber, I must have been the perfect prey. Due to her incitement, a massive number of antis had flowed into my video.
I was shocked when I learned that fact, but I didn't hate her for it. That level of thing was a daily occurrence on I-Tube, and I accepted it as a baptism and a lesson for a beginner who knew nothing.
However, being told to my face, with such brazenness, as if it were someone else's business, I couldn't stay silent. Who did she think was responsible for me going through that?
"Because of me? Yes, I did it. I fanned the flames and made it blow up. That's why you were able to get views, right? If I hadn't hyped it up, you wouldn't have been able to make such an explosive start. You should be grateful, I have no reason to be glared at."