Chapter 12 - Kororon

[500 JP¥] Neko11137: Song collab?

I smile. "Yep." I take a sip of beer. "It's why my streams were a little shorter than normal for the past two weeks. We should be back to normal soon. Also," I glare at the camera. "Neko-san, you don't need to send a superchat every time you message in the chat, yeah?"

And they really don't. My E+ Agi makes my every movement faster, which also includes my eyesight. It was pretty disorientating when I first realized I was able to read through dozens of sentences in a single glance, but I got used to it fairly quickly.

[500 JP¥] Neko11137: No. Make up for months before

General agreement fills the chat, and I can only smile wryly as another stream of superchats flood in.

I mean, they're not wrong, I suppose. I genuinely forgot that superchats were a thing—I didn't need the surplus of yen, mostly because I could convert my Streamer Points into money. But once my channel got somewhat big after I released my first MV, UTube sent me another email about applying my channel for monetization.

So I did, and the reply only came just a day ago.

I turned today's stream into a celebration for it. Nothing fancy, just some casual-talk with my viewers while I down a few cans of beer. What I underestimated was the sheer flood of money thrown my way, some as small as 100 Yen, and others upwards of thousands.

It's…honestly kinda scary how much money people are willing to throw.

Kurusu-kun: Collab with who?

"Secret~" My smile turns mischievous. "All I can say is that it's someone I greatly respect."

Speculation fills the chat, and I sit back and drink as I ponder over the past few days.

The recording with Fubuki had gone well. Really well. There was no need for a second recording after the smashing performance we did. I was knackered by the end of it, and it felt like someone had smashed a hammer into my chest, but I was conscious and breathing after using both Golden Voice and Synchronize, and that's enough.

The staff's treatment of me changed slightly though. There was more awe there, as I expected, but there was also reverence. Like I'm something more than them. Something beyond the natural.

It was honestly very uncomfortable, and I'm glad Fubuki dragged me to eat our ordered dinner before anything could happen. She probably noticed my growing discomfort and pulled me away.

All my thanks to Ms. Shirakami 'Not a Cat!' Fubuki.

"Not sure when it'll be up, but it shouldn't take too long." And it shouldn't. The composer was just as enthusiastic as my previous one. The only thing we're missing is the MV, and that shouldn't be too hard to finish. "Maybe at the end of this month? Not sure, but I'll put up a notice when it does come out."

…

A week later, just a few days before the month ends, I get a call from Hololive. It comes from the CEO himself, and I admit I was pretty scared when I answered the call.

I shouldn't have been. From what little I know of the man, Tanigo Motoaki is a very kind and patient man, and he even bantered with Hololive's talents when the opportunity came up. He is the so-called 'Best Girl' amongst the Hololive community.

And he called to tell her that the MV has been successfully made and that it'd be uploaded just a day later.

Suffice to say, after I made a small announcement on my social media about it, I went out and got drunk to celebrate.

…

When Suzuki Aiko made an announcement regarding her newest song, her fans were thrilled. After all, another song from Aiko-chan? After hearing the glamorous vocals she'd made in her first song?

But people were understandably confused when they couldn't find any upcoming uploads on Aiko's channel. 

That confusion swiftly melted into surprise when they found who it was that Aiko was collaborating with.

An upcoming premiere was found on Shirakami Fubuki's channel, and Aiko's fans promptly exploded with excitement. They didn't quite understand what Aiko meant when she mentioned 'someone she respected', but now they did.

Beyond that, a surge of congratulations flooded the internet. It wasn't rare for talents from Hololive to collaborate with smaller, indie streamers. But Aiko had literally exploded into the streaming scene in just over seven months, and she was now hitting the big leagues. It was genuinely impressive.

Some fans from Hololive knew about Suzuki Aiko as well, and they too were excited to hear the chart-topping singer collab with Hololive. And for it to be with their 'Best Friend' Fubuki was just the cherry on top.

The clock ticks down. Twelve hours down to nine. Nine hours to six. Six to four.

And through it all the number of people waiting in the chat rises. Five thousand. Ten thousand. Twenty thousand. Thirty thousand. Forty thousand. Fifty Thousand.

Then, the countdown ends. And the song starts playing.

A symphony of electric guitar and bass plays, interlaced over a thrumming and rhymytic drum. It's a slow and winding beat, reminiscent of the songs played in the background of a chill bar.

The Music Video begins with two women inside a club of some kind. One is talking with her friends, her fox ears bobbing with cheer as she laughs and giggles. The other woman argues with a man, sharp black eyes narrowed into a scathing glare.

Then the black-haired woman punches the man in the face, and the song begins in earnest.

Fubuki's voice sounds. It's playful and airy, and it's hard for anyone to mistake her for anyone else. She sings with cheer, but the melody hidden beneath all the playfulness can be heard. 

Then comes Aiko's voice. It's a complete flip compared to Fubuki's. Low and heavy, almost dipping into occasional growls. It's completely different to how Aiko sounded in her first song, and the chat explodes with surprise. 

But what everyone can tell is that the two's singing were much better than normal. Like, leagues beyond. 

The Music Video continues to play, but most of the viewers are caught up in Fubuki's and Aiko's singing. There's something enchanting about their voices, and the way Fubuki's high-pitched tone melds around Aiko's low altos was positively euphoric to listen to.

The number of concurrent viewers goes through a meteoric rise. Fifty thousand jumps to seventy thousand. Seventy to eighty-five. Then to ninety thousand.

Inevitably, the concurrent viewers breaches past 100,000.

And, as if by fate, the final chorus sounds. Fubuki and Aiko sing together, and somehow they sound even better than they did before. Fubuki's voice lowers slightly whilst Aiko rises in pitch. Their vocals meet together in a crescendo, just in time for the Fubuki and Aiko of the Music Video to reconcile and laugh as the ocean sparkles behind them.

Then the song slows. The vocals go silent, and only the slow strumming of bass and drums is there to slow the song to a stop.

Overall, nearly 110,000 people were there to watch the MV live, and over the next few days, millions more will follow.

It's, without a doubt, one of the most successful song covers Hololive has ever released, and it will serve as another glowing success for Suzuki Aiko's career as a singer.

…

It's six in the morning, and I'm hunched over a table in a local izakaya, my palms sweaty as I hold onto my phone like a lifeline.

Kson's sitting to my left, looking awfully smug as she gives my cheek another poke. "Come on, what's wrong, Aiko-chan?" She grins. "You're not doing anything wrong! It's just checking your channel."

I give her my most-unimpressed stare. She just grins back.

I sigh. "Fine, fine." I take a deep breath. Shut my eyes. "I'm opening it."

My thumb presses onto the UTube icon. The app opens, opening right onto my UTube account. I can hear my heart beating like crazy, and I slowly pry my eyes open.

My heart stops.

@Suzuki_Aiko Ch. | 677,102 Subscribers

…Holy shit.

I look up my recent cover of「虎狼来」on Fubuki's channel, and I barely manage to stop myself from gagging.

#17 Trending [Music]

Top #17 Trending. On UTube's [Music] category. I-, I barely got onto Top #100 last time. I-, what-, ah-

Kson whistles. "Damn! That's, like, 200,000 Subscribers in a day! And Trending too! That's amazing Aiko-chan!" She smiles, and then panics when I don't respond. "Aiko-chan?" She shakes my shoulder. I remain silent. "Aiko-chan!"

My head mechanically turns to her, and I chuckle. "I'm gonna dip now."

"Aiko-chan!?"

My consciousness flees as I collapse onto the table.

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Author's Note:

Holy shit, I had so much trouble with this chapter. Maybe my jetlag is messing with me (highly likely), but I had to rewrite this chapter, like, six times. 

Rewatching Holofest 2024 helped a lot though (Korone flip let's gooooooo)