Chapter 315. [Recording Studio]

“Ah-ne, why are you here!?”

“I told you before, right? Mai can’t come because she has school, but I came here for the recording.”

Beep, a message alert on the smartphone.

Looking at it, there was a message from Mai saying, “It’s not fair that only Sis gets to go!” along with a crying face emoji.

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

“Hmm?”

Ah-nee tilted her head, and we exchanged glances.

I asked her on behalf of us all.

“Ah-nee, wasn’t that scheduled for tomorrow?”

“Huh?”

This time, Ah-nee came all the way to America for the recording of an international VTuber event.

More precisely, for the recording of our original collaboration song.

Since the time we sang it during my 3D reveal, that song hadn’t seen much light of day, but putting that aside.

Of course, Angu Ogu and I also had the same recording schedule…

“…Hmm?”

Ah-nee fiddled with her smartphone.

After understanding the situation, she snorted and shrugged her shoulders.

“Well! These things happen!”

“She totally messed up her schedule, didn’t she?”

“Yeah~ No wonder no one came to pick me up at the airport! I felt so lonely!”

“What an idiot… There’s a fool here, Iroha.”

“Calm down, Ogu. Ah-nee is always an idiot, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Don’t sweat the small stuff! Since I arrived early, let’s do something fun! By the way… what have you two been doing on the sofa this whole time?”

“~~~~~!”

We hurriedly straightened up and created some distance.

Fixing our disheveled clothes, I spoke to Ah-nee.

“N-nothing at all!”

“Yeah, really! We weren’t doing anything inappropriate!”

“Hey, Iroha!?”

“Oh!?”

Ah-nee suspiciously eyed us with a long “Jiiii~”.

Ugh, we’re totally busted…

“Oh, so you really weren’t doing anything! I totally thought Ogu was attacking Iroha-chan and kissing or groping her boobs or something!”

“Cough, cough!?”

“But if you weren’t doing anything, that means you’re free now, right? Alright!”

Ah-nee started dialing a number on her phone.

What is she planning now!?

“Hey, hello! It’s me! Yes! Today! Okay? Dance and la la la~♪ Hey hey, let’s go!”

“Ah-nee!? Please stop with that embarrassing English!?”

Angu Ogu cringed at Ah-nee’s ridiculous English… ‘Ane-glish’.

She quickly ended the call with a “Thank you!”

“Iroha-chan, Ogu! We’re going to the studio now!”

“What!? Why?”

“Well, I’m already in the mood to [Sing and dance!]!”

“???”

“I asked if we could reschedule and record now, and they said [Come on!]!”

“What!?” “What!?”

If this were a game and we could see her stats, Ah-nee’s [Action] and [Communication] parameters would definitely be maxed out.

That’s what I thought.

***

«I’m sorry, I’m sorry! My Ah-nee is so sorry! For suddenly making you clear your schedule!?»

«Hahaha, don’t worry about it. We were just here for another recording anyway.»

We followed our guide down the hallway.

This time, the singing and dancing were planned to be recorded separately. We were guided to the studio for the singing first.

«By the way, the group that was recording earlier heard you were coming and wanted to say hello. They’re also VTubers…»

«Eeeek!»

I ran away.

Huddling in a corner at the end of the hallway, I shut my eyes tightly.

«…Well. We’ll greet them for you, Iroha. You go ahead.»

«Sorry. Please apologize to them for me.»

«Don’t worry about it. You were always considered a rare character anyway.»

«Huh? That’s news to me…? Anyway, I’ll head into the booth.»

“Alright, Ogu! Let’s go hit on some cute girls!”

“Don’t say it like that!”

Watching them leave, I stepped into the recording booth alone.

The first thing I noticed were the three impressive microphones lined up inside.

The booth had a unique atmosphere.

Every time, I felt this sensation.

There was the nervousness, of course, but… was it because of the soundproofing? It felt like the air was ‘packed tightly’.

[Iroha-chan, that’s your mic. Let’s not waste time, start with some warm-up exercises.]

«Got it!»

Standing where I was directed, I could see the control room through the glass.

The producer who greeted us and guided us here was there too.

“Ah~ Oo~ Oh~♪”

And so, I gave it my all.

I sang with all my might.

And my evaluation was…

«Iroha-chan, are you here for practice?»

«Guh!?»

Ouch! Words stabbed me like knives, and I metaphorically bled out.

This is my best! Please, at least cushion it a bit!?