A Basement-Dwelling Loser, the Inquisitor – Chapter 74

Rene’s broadcast screen is pitch black.

To be precise, it’s not the VTuber Rene’s, but the streamer Rene’s broadcast screen that is pitch black.

This pitch blackness did not carry any other meanings or metaphors.

It was literally true. Rene’s broadcast screen was completely black, devoid of any content.

When she turned on the stream, the black screen greeted her Rebongi fans, and when she launched a game, only that game’s screen appeared awkwardly.

That was Rene’s broadcast.

Of course, it didn’t matter much when she was playing… New Dimension.

But when she wasn’t playing any game at all, like during her clarification stream a few days ago, it was a different story.

A screen that showed nothing but her own reflection on the pitch black background.

That was enough to make several Rebongi, including Tuni, feel a sense of emptiness.

…Honestly, this could all be solved if Rene fully transitioned to being a VTuber, but since it’s already been officially recognized that streamer Rene and VTuber Rene are different individuals, it meant nothing.

In other words, there wasn’t much left that could fill that black screen anymore.

Tuni believed that what could fill that void was, of course, a camcorder.

“To put it bluntly, it’s such a waste.”

Tuni had a reasonable amount of confidence in her appearance.

Whenever she went shopping or to the hair salon, she often heard compliments about her good looks, and she was very interested in decorating herself.

Thanks to that, she had received confessions from boys at school, and the most frequent compliments after she started streaming were about her appearance.

So, it was only natural for Tuni to feel confident about her looks.

“Honestly, it’s a different dimension…”

It was hard to deny that comparing herself to Rene was a stretch.

Long silvery-white hair flowing down to her waist showed no signs of damage; on the contrary, it shone with radiance.

Her red eyes, reminiscent of rubies, seemed to draw in whoever looked at them.

Her skin was flawless, and her figure was the ideal body type Tuni had dreamed of since she was a child.

Yet, that didn’t diminish Tuni’s confidence.

From Tuni’s perspective, comparing herself was even beyond consideration, making jealousy seem extravagant.

In fact, now that her inferiority complex towards Rene was gone… she felt an urge to refine Rene’s treasure with her own hands.

But why wouldn’t she use such looks for her broadcasts?

It was not just wasting a treasure; it was akin to throwing it into the trash bin.

That fact was something Tuni, as a streamer, could not tolerate.

“Rene, you just revealed you’re a woman, right?”

“Ah, um, yes…”

“So, are you considering turning on the cam?”

Of course, Tuni knew that Rene lacked confidence in her looks.

She didn’t know why, but…

“…What?”

But the important thing was that, in the end, Rene was simply letting her treasure rot.

Tuni had a personality that refused to quietly overlook that fact.

“I watch your broadcasts quite often… and I often feel there’s something missing. Just a pitch-black screen with sound coming out makes it feel more like a radio than a broadcast.”

Having interacted with Rene for over a month, Tuni already knew.

When she had to say something to Rene, she had to be direct.

No. It shouldn’t just be direct.

It had to be… absolutely… very… in a way that left no room for retreat.

“So how about turning on the cam? No, let’s turn on the cam.”

But…

“I-I don’t want to…”

Rene’s thoughts were still as stubborn as ever.

★

“So how about turning on the cam? No, let’s turn on the cam.”

Tuni couldn’t understand why she suddenly said that.

Of course, it must’ve been said for her sake as her internet broadcasting mentor, but… still, that was hard to accept.

“I-I don’t want to…”

No. It was something she couldn’t accept.

She still remembered.

The looks of the children in the monastery when they glanced at her hair and eyes, the isolation she felt, and occasional bullying.

The nuns may not have shown her such looks often, but they certainly weren’t nonexistent.

When kids bullied her, they sometimes looked at her while smiling.

It was the same during her time at the Papal Office.

The priests avoided her, often glancing at her from a distance.

As if she were something that shouldn’t exist.

Even the heretics, who were supposed to repent, mostly looked away when they first saw her.

Those actions from people were evidence of how alien her appearance was, and of course, after returning to Earth, the scrutiny only intensified.

“I really don’t want to…”

After everything she went through, shouldn’t it be strange if she didn’t understand?

No matter how much her looks embodied the goddess’s preference.

Even if she thought she was quite pretty.

She knew better than anyone that to others, her appearance was alien and unacceptable.

Yet, asking her to turn on the cam and show her… the face of Selene to the Rebongi?

No. Absolutely not. Not even in death do I want that.

Imagining the Rebongi looking at her with such gazes and leaving was something she didn’t even want to contemplate.

Of course, there would be some Rebongi like Bora or Tuni.

But it was only natural that they were a tiny minority.

So, my broadcasts… streamer Rene’s broadcasts will continue as they are now.

No matter what happens.

“Are you absolutely against turning on the cam?”

At Tuni’s question, I nodded with all my might.

“Even if I say it’s such a waste, are you still steadfastly against it?”

“Yes…”

What could possibly be so precious.

“Well… I guess there’s nothing else to be done.”

Fortunately, Tuni seemed to understand my feelings.

★

“I’ll make sure to notify you in advance next time. I’m sorry for dropping by unexpectedly.”

“Sister, see you~!”

“Thank you for today, Rene.”

“Ah, goodbye…”

After sending Bora and Tuni off, it was already 5 PM.

Since we had already eaten together earlier, I didn’t need to prepare a meal, and I had finished all my household chores earlier too…

Hmm.

There was only one thing left to do now, so I immediately turned on my computer and began to write.

★

[Rene]

[Hello]

[Talk | 713 viewers currently | 00:01:35]

─?

─There wasn’t any announcement about this broadcast on the gallery

─Guerrilla broadcast, what a jackpot, lol

─Since there’s a waiting screen, does that mean it’s a VTuber today?

─Do we have to listen to some nonsense about the Iya Cult again…?

─Wow! Streamer Rene and VTuber Rene have the same name but are completely different people, hello!!!

─What on earth are they doing…

─To turn on the broadcast like this on the last day of the year… this is a virgin move…

─The host usually only talks about weird things anyway

─I’ve hardened my horns…

─Honestly, I was really looking forward to it because I thought she’d be really pretty, lol

“Um. Umm…”

I quietly cleared my throat while looking at the noisy chat window.

This was the second broadcast for her as a VTuber.

And today, I wasn’t playing New Dimension, but a different game.

At the outset, I had no intention of playing New Dimension while broadcasting as a VTuber.

Nevertheless, as I had previously announced, I waited until 6 PM to slowly bring my avatar to life and speak.

“Um, hello everyone…”

─Leha

─If you’re going to broadcast, at least let us know in advance

─Welcome

─Obangal (meaning “Today’s broadcast will be fried” lol)

─Panteki is really super pretty, lol

“It’s the second broadcast, and I’m really happy that so many believers have gathered….”

─Second? Broadcast?

─It’s clear that streamer Rene and VTuber Rene are different people, right? ㅇㅇ

─No one gets deceived, but only the deceivers exist, lol

─But what does ‘believers’ mean?

“Believers refers to the fan name you all decided on during my debut broadcast….”

Why can’t they remember?

Sure, it’s been almost a week since the debut broadcast, but… I thought they would remember since fan names are somewhat important in the VTuber industry.

“Anyway, today is my second broadcast…”

─So why did you suddenly turn on the broadcast?

─I thought there’d be no broadcast today since there was no announcement

─If there’s no broadcast at the end of the year… my horns are going to break…?

…Huh?

“I… am pretty sure I said I’d broadcast…?”

─?

─What are you talking about?

─You’ve never given any notice about this broadcast, 1149 viewers, none of them have seen the announcement, wow

─If you hear about a broadcast announcement that doesn’t exist, run for your life

─Rereiaaaa!!!

“Ano… it’s true, though…”

I was so flustered because I couldn’t understand why the believers were saying such things.

After sending Bora and Tuni off, I almost immediately left the broadcast announcement.

─Fact) I just checked, and there’s nothing

─Maybe you didn’t sleep?

─There’s nothing, Tenren.

─No, guerrilla broadcasts are nice, but saying something exists when it doesn’t feels strange;

─For real

“Ano, everyone… this, look…”

For some reason, things weren’t matching up, so I just showed them solid evidence.

[레네 @LeneVtuber · 1시간]

I’m planning to broadcast at 6 PM in an hour. Please take care of me.

“See? I clearly said it…?”

─?

─Seriously, it’s the truth?