A Basement-Dwelling Loser, the Inquisitor – Chapter 230

A site where you can post questions linked to Nator, MaicaRong.

After doing a bit of research regarding that.

It seems that VTubers often use this place to receive questions and answer them in their content.

And ASMR.

Honestly, even though I bought a dedicated microphone for this specific content, I still don’t really get what ASMR is.

So, you’re saying you mix ASMR with this thing called MaicaRong?

“Hmm…”

Maybe you receive questions from viewers, read them in an ASMR-like atmosphere, and then respond?

Thinking that far, I searched “ASMR MaicaRong” on the internet, and a ton of videos popped up on OnTube.

Looks like it’s more popular than I thought.

While I was pondering that and scrolling down the screen, a channel named “Konomi Eri Ch” caught my eye.

There were even quite a few of them.

Well, I guess in a situation where you don’t really know each other, having one person do familiar content makes it easier to set the atmosphere for the broadcast.

Should I check what kind of content it is?

★

“Did I make some kind of weird mistake?”

The silence from my suggestion deepened Eri’s distress.

It was also awkward to send another DM considering that something really busy might have come up.

Ultimately, Eri could only keep checking Miscode steadily while preparing for today’s broadcast.

About five hours must have passed.

Finally, a DM came back from Rene.

[Rene: Is there any particular reason to read this MaicaRong while doing ASMR?]

That was quite a direct question.

“Um…”

The answer to that question could only be, “If you think about it, there’s no particular reason.”

The broadcast itself of reading MaicaRong is a kind of chatting broadcast.

The ASMR part felt like an additional element for fans who like ASMR.

“Does that mean you want to say you don’t want to do it? If you think about it, Rene’s broadcasts are basically games… and the ASMR broadcasts have only happened once…”

If Rene really didn’t want to do ASMR-related content, Eri felt there was nothing she could say.

After all, a collab is usually only possible when both sides agree.

But Eri didn’t want to give up on Rene’s ASMR.

Her voice felt optimized for ASMR; Eri realized this the moment she first watched Rene’s broadcast.

“Not using that voice for ASMR would be a real waste of talent…”

But it’s not like she could forcibly make her do something she didn’t want to do.

Thus, torn between manners and desire, Eri began to agonize.

★

Eri didn’t get a response.

Well, I did send my reply pretty late.

Five hours is a time frame where it wouldn’t be weird for someone to start another activity.

After watching a bit of Eri’s videos and eating, Bora came over and I lost track of time.

I’ll have to apologize when I eventually get a response.

Anyway, the one thing I felt from looking at this ASMR MaicaRong content for a bit was, why mix the two? Wouldn’t it be better to split them into two broadcasts: one for ASMR and one for MaicaRong?

After all, viewers generally like longer and more numerous broadcasts.

As I waited about an hour while browsing the community, Eri finally replied.

[Eri: There’s not really a reason; it’s just that it’s fun, and it’s one of the contents that the fans like.]

[Eri: Is there anything you don’t want to do among MaicaRong or ASMR?]

Is there something I don’t want to do?

If I had to pick, I guess it would be that thing called MaicaRong.

ASMR is still a bit foggy for me, but since I’ve done it at least once, it feels less daunting.

But that MaicaRong broadcast is fundamentally a type of casual chatting broadcast.

I mean, if I were doing a casual chatting broadcast alone, that would be one thing.

But doing it with another person, especially with someone whose personality I don’t even know— that feels too burdensome.

With my current communication skills, I’d definitely ruin the atmosphere.

But if I had to choose, it just means I don’t want to; it doesn’t mean I absolutely refuse to read MaicaRong.

The believers love chatting broadcasts the most among my streams.

And if Eri’s fans like it too, then I have no reason to oppose it.

[Rene: I don’t hate it. I was just curious, so I asked.]

[Eri: So you don’t dislike ASMR, right?]

[Rene: No. I’ve actually done it on stream before.]

★

“Phew… that’s a relief…”

After hearing that the reason for the five-hour wait was due to personal matters and realizing that ASMR was something she had tried but didn’t hate, Eri finally let out a sigh of relief, realizing that she hadn’t made a mistake.

And amidst that exchange, one thing hit her.

“Rene-san, you’re really not great at communication, huh…?”

The conclusion was that Rene’s communication skills were far worse than she had imagined.

Eri had observed Rene’s broadcasts as the streamer Rene already, so she had a rough idea of what kind of person Rene was.

But she naturally thought that part had some exaggeration typical of streamers.

However, after having this brief conversation, it became clear that Rene really struggled with communication skills.

“I should give up on MaicaRong even now…”

A deep intuition rose in Eri, whispering to her, “Give up on MaicaRong!”

But, at this point, Rene had already responded positively about doing ASMR MaicaRong.

“…I guess it’ll work out somehow. Yeah.”

Ultimately, Eri decided to stop pondering.

★

[Rene @LeneVtuber · 1 min ago]

Tomorrow, I’ll be doing a collab with Konomi Eri, a partner streamer from the Sirius team.

It will be on Eri’s channel. Looking forward to it!

Please write your questions on the site below, and Eri and I will answer them together.

https://ma.caron-qa.com

★

[Konomi Eri]

[Today, it’s the ASMR MaicaRong broadcast with partner streamer Rene!]

[Talk | 7153 viewers online | 00:01:33]

─So, is there anyone who can explain what MaicaRong is?

─Rene’s ASMR broadcast has returned after 394754398573459 years…

─(Eri thumbs up)

─Believers, please maintain etiquette ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ〔Deleted message〕

“Wow…”

A natural gasp slipped from Eri’s lips.

It had only been a minute since the broadcast started, and over 7,000 people were already gathered.

Of course, she knew that Rene’s broadcasts had a much larger scale than her own, but seeing a nearly threefold difference was a whole different feeling.

But now that quite a few people had gathered, it felt like a fitting moment to start the broadcast.

“Rene-san, are you ready?”

[Ah, yes… I’m okay anytime….]

Actually, Eri had suggested they meet in real life to properly conduct the ASMR broadcast, but it was thwarted by Rene’s adamant refusal, and the in-person collaboration—real-life collab—fell through.

“Well, since it’s not an official event, it doesn’t matter much…”

Feeling a bit regretful about that fact, Eri changed the broadcast screen and opened her mouth.

“Ahhh! Your psychology is fully analyzed! Psychology analyst Konomi Eri has arrived!”

─Ha, Eri~

Then, just like always, the chat was filled with “Ha, Eri.”

Normally, she would greet them and start talking at this point, but today, that wasn’t possible.

Most of the viewers who had come to the channel were waiting for her to introduce someone.

“Everyone. I mentioned this in the fan cafe yesterday, right? A guest has come to my channel! Please introduce yourself!”

And with those words, Eri simultaneously displayed Rene’s avatar on the screen.

[Hello everyone… I am Rene, the Inquisition Officer of the Iya Cult….]

─Leha lol

─Finally, my wife has arrived ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

─Hello ㅎㅎ

─We’ll be counting on you today, Rene.

─Believers <<< Look at these guys keeping etiquette in someone else’s channel…〔Deleted message〕



The voice that sounded almost languid and whispery filled the air, and the chat was instantly flooded. Eri felt more certain than ever.



‘This broadcast is bound to be a hit today.’



Just to be safe, she had done a bit of research beforehand.



Rene’s fandom, the believers, were waiting eagerly for her ASMR.



Moreover, the type of broadcast they preferred the most was casual chatting.



In other words, the ASMR MaicaRong broadcast Eri proposed today was destined for success, even without considering her personal desires.



【Hello Rene-san. I’m Sake, and I just got to know about you this time.】



【In the case of Eri, I named my fan group after sake since it’s my hobby to drink Japanese rice wine.】



【Is there something you really enjoy as much as that, Rene-san?】



[I… like games….]



─Is that it?



─Shut up and say more, you homebody hikikomori lolololol



─Are you engaging in power struggle even on someone else’s channel???



─The channel’s owner, Eri <<< is now regretting it lol



─Eri emergency room lol



─I’m regretting it…



‘…This is a disaster.’



And it didn’t take long for Eri’s fantasies to shatter like that.