Chapter 428: So like… what now? |
Qing hummed and said, "Sitri is a great streamer. She is a very skilled entertainer, and her quirks are endearing to her fans. But..." He sighed. "I'm not sure she's suited for Project MirAIs."
Bai frowned. "She isn't?"
Qing shook his head. "If we're continuing with Project MirAIs helping women in need and saving them from a bad situation... Well, Sitri doesn't fit. She definitely has the talent, but the 'background' is wrong."
Bai blinked again. He looked confused, then he groaned and said, "Well. There goes our one and only lead..."
Qing let out a wry smile and said, "Well. We can at least spin up another VTuber agency under Myth Incorporated. But..." He sighed. "Yes. There is still that problem."
Bai stared at Qing.
Qing stared back.
Bai sighed. "We are so screwed-"
*knock*
And then John popped into the room out of thin air.
Bai instinctively chucked his cup of coffee at John.
"Oh, thanks." John plucked the cup of coffee out of the air, not a single drop spilled. He took a sip and gave an appreciative nod. "Needed a pick me up. Good thinking, Bai."
Bai had to bite back a retort. Even now, that guy was taking things from him... But whatever. This was Earth, not the Three Realms. At least John was more civilized about it... and it was just coffee. Right. Just coffee.
Qing cleared his throat and looked over at John. "It would have been good to have some notice before you just... pop in, Boss."
Bai nodded. "Yeah. Not that you can't, but it would cause a lot less trouble."
John shrugged and pulled out a few packets of sugar from a spatial fold before dumping them into his coffee. After that, he said, "I *did* knock. And besides, I checked to make sure you two were alone before I warped in." He pulled out a chair and sat down.
Bai had to resist the urge to sigh at how nonchalant John was. And he also had to push down the mild resentment at seeing him like that. Was this the natural aura of a family man? No, was this why those anime kept saying 'die riajuu...?'
"So." John looked between Bai and Qing and said, "What's the plan for Project MirAIs EN? Did you kick it off yet?"
Bai glanced at Qing.
Qing nodded and sat up straight. "To start off, let us discuss the current state of the industry."
John nodded, idly sipping on his coffee. "Go on. I haven't checked much on the international side of things, so give me the details."
Qing moved his coffee aside and laced his fingers together. Then he said, "Due to the success of Project MirAIs and Boss's forethought in providing automatic subtitles... and such high quality translations at that, there is a large fanbase for both Project MirAIs and VTubers in English speaking countries."
Bai chimed in and said, "The MIRAIZ app has helped a lot too. Since you provided it free of charge, and since it gives so much to help someone start up, the VTuber industry is growing, and growing quickly. But it's not mainstream yet."
John hummed. "Makes sense. We made a big splash with the concerts and everything, but we're still just based in Japan." He sipped on his coffee. "It's not a big deal though. We aren't concerned about profits, but helping people fulfill their dreams."
Bai stared at John and couldn't help but think about the greedy bastard in the Three Realms who constantly kept stealing Bai's treasures. Did marriage- No, did having a child really change a man so much...? Or was this what John really was like?
Qing glanced at Bai, seeing the former White Tiger's turmoil. But Qing ignored it and looked to John. "Speaking of that, I wanted to ask you for your thoughts, Boss."
John tilted his head. "Thoughts on what?"
"Well." Qing frowned. "Since Project MirAIs is such a diverse group already, what do you have in mind for the EN branch?"
Bai nodded. "Right. You had Prototypes, Prodigies... what's the theme now, Boss?"
John waved his hand. "The themes were just by chance, really. We can come up with that later." He set his coffee down and put on a serious expression. "The main point is to give people who need the opportunity a chance. Even in this peaceful world, there are too many people who fall through the cracks. I want to save them."
Qing slowly nodded. "A noble mission. But, uh... Boss... You don't mean to say that you want us to sort through all the applicants AGAIN like with Prodigy, do you...?"
John shook his head. "No. I'll do it this time. Since it's the first generation, I want to make sure we have the right people."
Qing let out a sigh of relief.
John raised an eyebrow and said, "The Chief Operations Officer acting like that isn't a good sign... Don't tell me you don't even have applicants for me to look through."
Qing coughed, his ears turning a bright red. "O-Of course not, Boss... I... We have plenty of applicants. Right, Bai?"
Bai flinched, caught off guard at being suddenly addressed. 'You bastard snake! Didn't you JUST say we don't have anyone?!'
Despite his thoughts, Bai swallowed and nodded. "Of... course we do, Boss. We'll send the... list to you later."
John hummed. "...Well, I'll let it slide this time. But have you two been that busy?"
Qing sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Don't get me started. I have been busy enough making sure Sitri stays monetized with her content, and then there is the fact that she insists on destressing after streams-" He suddenly stopped talking, realizing what he was saying.
"Hoh~?" John's blue eyes sparkled. "I forgot. You have a lovely girlfriend now... Or is it fiancee?" He chuckled and glanced at Bai. "And you do too, Bai. Right? How's Eri?"
Bai felt his face heat up. And when he glanced over at Qing, Bai saw that Qing was bright red too.
John chuckled. "I'm just messing with you two. But." His eyes turned firm. "If you two are serious, don't play around. This isn't like the Three Realms. You don't have forever with them, and a woman's heart in this world isn't nearly as patient or enduring... probably."
Bai frowned. John made a good point. This world was completely different in history and expectations- Wait. "Probably?"
John waved his hand. "Don't worry about it. Now." He sipped his coffee and said, "I'll set up the auditions myself. But to double check, you guys at least set up the infrastructure here, right? This office has a proper studio and stuff?"
Bai laughed, puffing out his chest. "What do you take me for? When it comes to stocking a place with the best, I make sure it happens." He swept out his arm and said, "All the latest game consoles, motion tracking equipment... I've got it all ready to go. And since Boss bought out Googol, all of the streaming infrastructure is good to go too."
"Great." John smiled. "Now then, for the next order of business..."
Qing blinked. "There's more?"
"Of course." John chuckled. "You two have been on payroll for months without doing too much for Myth Incorporated, so it's time you get started. What did you think you were, parachute hires?...Wait, don't answer that..."