Chapter 43 - Episode 39: Live Stream Starts!
“Evening, everyone.”
“Shou-kun.”
When I entered the Virtual Club Room a bit early, around 15 minutes before 8 PM, Mion was already standing by.
She doesn’t seem nervous before her first live stream, so she must be okay? I wonder what’s up with her usual extreme shyness…
“Club President Bell mentioned the live stream venue at noon, but…”
“Yes. The preparations are complete, and we’re planning to have the club president and Yata-sensei check them.”
The screen she showed me had various settings: resolution, bitrate, latency, and other detailed settings were probably left at the values Club President Bell and Yata-sensei had set.
The only things I could understand were the 8:30 PM start time, that only subscribers could comment, and that comments were text-only.
“You two are early.”
Club President Bell appeared and took her seat, then reviewed the live stream settings we had checked.
She nodded, humming, and there didn’t seem to be any particular problems.
“I think the settings are fine. Also, do you have a title background ready?”
I had no idea what she was talking about, but apparently, it’s like the “Preparing~” display that often appears before live streams start.
“I couldn’t think of anything, and I was planning to ask you about it.”
“Well, it might be okay to skip it this time. There’s also the option of asking viewers for suggestions.”
Said Club President Bell. She apparently uses fan-submitted art for the title background and header image on her own channel.
“Sorry to keep you waiting~.”
“Good evening.”
“Good evening. Thank you for today.”
“Evening, everyone.”
Yata-sensei appeared. “Sorry to keep you waiting,” he said, even though it was only a little past 8 o’clock.
We immediately had him check the live stream venue settings and told him about our discussion regarding the pre- and post-stream title backgrounds.
“I thought that might happen~, so I’ve prepared a provisional one~.”
Yata-sensei pulled up an image of Lupi in a close-up, cut from the video released on Thursday.
“It’s cute.”
“The cuteness is lethal…”
“It’s practically cheating, isn’t it?”
After setting that up and finishing the final checks, we opened the live stream venue to the public, and then…
“Eeeeh… there are already people waiting…”
“If you subscribe to the channel and turn on notifications, you’ll know right away. That’s how it is.”
Club President Bell answered nonchalantly.
Apparently, in her case, almost 10,000 people are usually waiting before she even starts.
“Mion-san, are you nervous?”
“Just a little. But I’ll be fine.”
“I’m more worried about Shou-kun. Be careful not to accidentally mention anything real, okay?”
“Got it…”
I really need to be careful when Club President Bell talks to me. I have to avoid casually saying things like “Club President Bell is~.”
“Alright, shall we get ready?”
“Yes.”
“Got it.”
Mion and Club President Bell went to the studio. I went into IRO.
Yata-sensei is going to watch the live stream from here and manage the entire broadcast with moderator privileges.
According to Club President Bell, once people get used to live streams, viewers also learn the channel’s etiquette, so moderators only need to be vigilant at first.
She also said that this becomes part of the channel’s unique character, but I wonder what Mion’s channel will be like…
…
…
…
“Yes.”
““Yes.””
Yata-sensei’s voice was only audible through the group call. Of course, it wasn’t broadcast to my game or Mion’s live stream.
My limited stream from IRO to Mion had already started, with one viewer.
The video and audio were reaching Mion’s studio, but they were just not being displayed on the screen by the switcher. It should be…
Yata-sensei reconfirmed the procedure.
After Mion’s opening greeting, Club President Bell would be called in as a commentator, and after some casual chat, it would finally be my turn.
“Woof?”
“It’s going to be pretty tough today, but I’m counting on you.”
“Woof~”
Until it’s my turn, I’ll calm myself by petting Lupi. No, maybe food first. A full belly makes for a full heart, or something like that.
<5 minutes until the main broadcast~. We already have nearly 3,000 people waiting for the live stream~.>
This is crazy… If “Majo Bell is here!” gets announced halfway through, it’s definitely going to be 10,000?
I made minced rabbit meat to calm myself and watched Lupi eat it deliciously.
<1 minute until broadcast starts~.>
…
<10 seconds… 5, 4, …>
“Good evening, everyone. And hello for the first time on a live stream. I’m Mion, the game mystery hunter. Nice to meet you!”
I heard Mion’s clear voice. Still, she sounds a little nervous? No, synthetic voices shouldn’t have that much nuance, should they?
I can’t see the comments at all myself, so I’m anxious…
Yata-sensei’s voice reassured me.
“Um, regarding ‘How did you find Shou-kun?’ it was truly by chance. I was watching various live streams when IRO opened. All of them were interesting, but Shou-kun’s stream, which I watched last, truly didn’t look like the same game, so I couldn’t help but ask, ‘Is this really IRO?’”
Ah, yeah, it was something like that.
After watching other IRO streams, if you watched mine, you’d probably think, “Huh? Is this the same game?”
I see.
“Another stream I often watch is ‘Witch Bell’s Manor.’ I was a fan and subscribed to her channel even before I started IRO.”
This is true. In fact, before joining the Cybernetics Club, she apparently saw and heard “Katori-senpai,” who never showed any such inclination, and realized, “Is it her?”
She confirmed it repeatedly and finally handed her a letter. It seems that was why she was often missing during breaks.
“I hope today’s live stream will be as fun as Majo Bell’s. But I’m worried if I can properly commentate on Shou-kun’s gameplay…”
Yes, yes, the segue worked. Or rather, thanks to Yata-sensei, who’s a Japanese teacher, she’s really good at guiding the conversation.
“So, today we have a special guest commentator!”
“Yay! Majo Bell’s IRO commentary is starting now~!”
This person really never changes…