I Joined the Agency as a Manager to Support a Vtuber, but Somehow I Ended up Becoming the Face of the Company as an Official Staff Member? - 19

Chapter 19: Long Story Short, The Official Staff and the Popular Talent

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It was Wednesday. I had already told Aihara-san that I wouldn’t be able to watch her lesson because something had come up. Still, even through text, I could tell she was in a bad mood. No matter what, I had to go to her lesson on Friday. I etched that into my heart as I made my way to the training room.

“Excuse me. I’m Hiori.”

“Come in.”

“Come on in~”

When I opened the door, there was a long-haired woman wearing glasses, and for some reason, a blue-haired woman bouncing up and down.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Reiko Himi, known as the official MC for our official program under the name Atsumi Nukumizu.”

“Oh, nice to meet you. I’ve been watching your videos since your first one. Your perfect timing and pacing were always entertaining to watch.”

Her way of slicing through conversations with stunning precision earned her the nickname “Hiyamizu-san” from listeners, who both feared and admired her.

“Ah, th-thank you…?”

I turned my gaze to the bouncing woman.

“Himi-san, who’s that person jumping around…?”

“Ah… that’s Sunabara-san. Sunabara-san, he’s here now.”

“…Hm? Ah! Sorry! That was awfully ungraceful of me!”

The blue-haired woman turned around with an incredibly cheerful voice.

“I’m Sui Unabara, known online as Ui Sunabara, the horror game-loving VTuber! Konsui~!”

“Wait, you’re that Sui Unabara-san? The HoloEco first-gen VTuber with over a million subscribers—the one who loves horror games but is terrible at them, and whose contrast between cheerful personality and terrified screaming has charmed so many fans!?”

“Yup, that’s me! You really know your stuff—could you be a fan of mine, perhaps?”

“No, my oshi is Kodama-san.”

“Aww, I got shot down, huh?”

“Not really—I mostly support the whole group. I think you’re amazing too, Unabara-san.”

“Really? That makes me happy~”

“Hey, enough chit-chat. Let’s get started with the training. Now then, Hiori-san, please take a seat.”

“Yes, thank you for having me.”

As I sat down, Sunabara-san also took a seat next to Himi-san across from me, and the lesson began.

“Alright! Let’s get started on narration training! So Hiori-kun, what do you think is the most important thing in narration?”

“The most important thing? Probably pronunciation, so the content comes through clearly.”

“Right! That’s true. Then let’s try reading this.”

As she said that, Sunabara-san pulled out a piece of paper from who-knows-where. It was filled with tongue twisters.

“Read it three times in a row, okay?”

“‘Sugamo Komagome Komagome Sugamo Oyagamo Kogamo Ōgamo Kogamo, Sugamo Komagome Komagome Sugamo Oyagamo Kogamo Ōgamo Kogamo, Sugamo Komagome Komagome Sugamo Oyagamo Kogamo Ōgamo Kogamo.’ Okay, done reading.”

“…Huh?”

“I mean… Wow. That’s incredible. Most people couldn’t read that correctly on the first try.”

“If you just divide the words up by sight like ‘Sugamo, Komagome, Komagome, Sugamo,’ it’s actually not too hard.”

“Th-then, next one. You only need to read it once.”

“‘Kaigun Kikan Gakkō Kikaika Konkigakki Gakka Kamoku Kakukyōkan Kyōgi no Kekka Kaki no Gotoku Kakutei, Kagaku Kikagaku Kikaigaku Kokugo Gogaku Gaikokugo Kaiga Kokkagaku.’”

“…There’s nothing left for me to teach you.”

Sunabara-san muttered this with a distant look in her eyes.

“Isn’t that a bit fast!? I thought we’d at least do a bit more than this!”

“Well, to be honest, if your diction is clear and your voice is easy to understand, that’s already good enough for narration. I was going to teach you how to pronounce things, but you seem fine already.”

“That’s kind of… Sloppy.”

“Well, that’s pretty much all I can teach. The rest is up to Reiko-chan—she’ll explain the mindset needed for narration.”

“Indeed. I’ll make sure to teach you thoroughly.”

Himi-san pushed up her glasses and handed me several sheets of paper.

The title read, “Important Points to Keep in Mind as an MC.”

“To be honest, I should’ve prepared materials specifically for narration, but I only got the request for this training a few days ago. So this time, we’ll go over the parts that are relevant to narration from these materials.”

“Oh, now this feels like proper training.”

And so, I spent nearly half a day being drilled by Himi-san on what narration was all about.

“—That concludes your training. The rest is just a matter of gaining experience.”

“Thank you very much. I still have many shortcomings, but I humbly ask for your continued guidance and support.”

I bowed deeply, especially to Himi-san, as I received the wisdom of those who came before me.

“What about me? Don’t I get anything?”

“I’m looking forward to your next stream. Please stay safe and avoid any controversies.”

“That was kinda cold, don’t you think? I was your instructor too, you know?”

“Near the end, you were sitting in and listening too. That made you a student—a participant.”

“It was rewarding to teach you, Hiori-san, because you picked things up so quickly.”

“Hey! Whaaaat aboooout meeee!?”

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After training ended, I immediately headed to the room where the lessons were being held. But there was no lesson going on anymore—only the coach cleaning up.

“Haah, I knew I wouldn’t make it in time.”

When I checked the time on my phone, the dance lesson had just ended. As expected. I hadn’t kept my promise. Mission failed.

“Ah! Hiori-kun! There you are!”

As I was feeling dejected, Kurama-san, dressed in training wear, called out to me from behind. Her cheeks were flushed, and she was wiping sweat with a towel—probably just finished her own lesson.

“Kurama-san… Sorry. What about Aihara-san?”

“She was feeling kinda down because she couldn’t see you. Her dancing was off, too.”

“Ugh… I’m really sorry.”

“Well, it’s also Aoi’s fault for not checking your schedule… Wait here a second. I’ll go get her.”

Kurama-san headed into the changing room. After a short wait, the door suddenly burst open and Aihara-san came flying out.

“Hiori-san!”

Then she dove straight into me! A perfect 10-point dive form. Nailed me right in the solar plexus.

“Urgh—!”

But since Aihara-san was petite and pretty light, I managed to stay on my feet without getting knocked over. Still, I wish she wouldn’t cling to me like this… If anyone found out a talent did something like this, it would cause a scandal in no time. And more importantly, it was bad for my mental health too.

“Aihara-san, please let go of me.”

“You came…”

She murmured this while still clinging to my waist.

“I wish I could’ve gotten here a little sooner. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m the one who got carried away and made an impossible promise. You’re not at fault, Hiori-san. So… How was the narration training?”

“I actually learned quite a bit. Himi-san and Sunabara-san taught me.”

“I see…?”

Suddenly, Aihara-san pulled away from me.

“…!? S-Sorry! I’m going to go change real quick…!”

She rushed back into the changing room in a fluster. What was that about? Maybe she got cold. I should bring her something warm to drink later. But before that—

“Hey, Ren. Just finished up, huh…Wait, you okay? You look a little pale.”

It was Ōno-senpai, apparently helping with the cleanup, coming out of the lesson room.

“Yes, I’m fine. Just going to the restroom.”

“Oh, it’s just around the corner there.”

“Thanks.”

I briskly walked off toward the restroom.

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“Huh? Ōno-san, where’s Hiori-san?”

“Hm? Ren? He went to the restroom.”

“I see…”

“By the way, Aihara-san, did you always wear perfume?”

“…T-Today I was just in the mood for it.”

“Ah, it smells nice.”

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