Bottom-tier voice actress wants to become a big star on VTuber.

Only after receiving a reply from the sound supervisor that no further adjustments were needed for the time being did Shimizu Toru breathe a sigh of relief.

Then, as the most senior newcomer among everyone present, he was the first to bow to everyone and say goodbye: "Thank you for your hard work today, see you next week."

"Bon Voyage."

If they are close friends, they usually go out for a drink after the recording ends, but "Carol & Tuesday" is a bit special.

Akio Otsuka is almost sixty years old, so it's not appropriate for him to invite two female juniors who have only been in the industry for three years to go drinking. If he's going to drink, he'll drink with the staff.

Needless to say, Shimizu Toru, who is under twenty and a minor, could only drink juice if he went there. In addition, he would run away as fast as if there was a tiger behind him after each recording session.

This left Miyuri Shimabukuro and Kana Ichinose, who wanted to get along with him, without any opportunity to strike up a conversation.

Fortunately, Shimizu Toru was unaware of their thoughts, otherwise he would have been extremely grateful that he ran away in time, or he would have ended up in Uchida Yuma's footsteps.

— Yuma Uchida actually played a leading role in his second year of debut, in 14, but he went into a two-year hiatus before making a comeback last year.

Besides the fact that his agency wanted him to work part-time as an idol, and at his peak he was scheduled to have four live shows in a week, another major reason was that he was criticized for taking photos with female voice actresses and accidentally drinking their water. Another major reason was that the two anime series he starred in were almost complete flops.

Shimizu Toru also has a face that suggests a woman's difficulties, so of course she should learn from other people's experiences and lessons, and take the lessons of the past as a guide for the future.

However, to be fair, Yuma Uchida should be considered the male voice actor with the best singing skills after Mamoru Miyano, which is obviously due to his frequent live performances.

As soon as I got off the train and was walking back, Daisuke Sakazaki called: "Shimizu, news about the July anime season is starting to come out. Do you have any particular favorites?"

The first promotional video for anime series that start in July is usually released at the end of April or the beginning of May, announcing the production team and the main voice actors.

Information about when light novels, manga, and mobile games will be adapted into anime is released six months in advance; only the specific release date is announced later.

You might not believe it, but the most anticipated new anime series of July is "Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest".

There was no way around it; the original work was incredibly popular, with nearly 400 million views across the internet—that's no small number—and then it was unfortunately adapted into an anime.

If you were to ask Toru Shimizu which anime series he most wants to participate in, his first choices would definitely be "Magic Eyes Train" and "Kengan Ashura".

Unfortunately, one of these is a new Type-Moon work, which highlights the fact that there are too many wolves and not enough meat. There are only a few male characters. Can he compete with Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Seiichiro Yamashita, and Daisuke Hirakawa?

The other one is exclusively sponsored by Netflix, with all twelve classic episodes released at once. By now, let alone the voice actors, the first six episodes have probably already been completed.

Since that's the case, we can only choose the best among the worst: "Iceland Chronicles, Dr. Stone, and Fire Force. As for the rest, we'll leave it to fate. It would be great if we got them, but it doesn't matter if we don't."

If we don't count OVAs and theatrical releases, there are usually around thirty new anime series per season. After all, we're not in the era of isekai (another world) anime where there are twenty or thirty series every season.

Excluding Symphogear 5, DanMachi 2, and Takagi-san 2, as well as projects like A Certain Scientific Accelerator and Ensemble Stars, which clearly won't use newcomers.

The former is a sequel, so it will definitely continue with the original team, while the latter is a spin-off and a mobile game adaptation, so there aren't many characters to offer to newcomers.

As for characters like the Demon Clan on the Street Corner, the Fitness Girl, and the Girls of the Restless Season, just by looking at their names, you can tell that there are no more than a handful of male characters.

Toru Shimizu actually has very few options. It's impossible for him to be a main character in a drama series like "Is It a Pervert? I'll Love You If You're Cute?" next season.

Then the only option is to find a male supporting role like the fourth or fifth male lead in a shonen manga adaptation with an ensemble cast, such as Crom, Gold Wolf, or Silver Wolf from Dr. Stone.

"These are all popular works. I understand. The company will do its best to help you get an audition opportunity, but whether you can get the role depends on yourself."

The advantages of being backed by a large company are now apparent. If you are a newcomer from a small agency, you won't even have the chance to audition for important roles in the first two years. You have to fight for even minor roles.

Moreover, for Shimizu Toru, as long as he can pass the first round of auditions, his chances of getting the role will be at least 30% higher than others.

If you were the general director, you would also choose the one that costs only 15,000 yen per episode, which can bring a lot of buzz to the animation and also do ARTSVION a favor.

"Welcome back~ By the way, is the anime you voiced about to air soon? Which TV station is it on?"

"Fuji TV, Ultra program, but my character didn't appear in the first episode."

After changing into the slippers that Lily had prepared, Shimizu Toru said while taking off her mask, "But I still highly recommend that you watch anime with Rion. The songs are all very good, and they're all in English."

"Red bean paste? I'll have to buy a CD to collect then. When will it be released?"

"The first one will probably be released around June. The complete collection will be released in November. You can record it while you're watching the series."

Japanese households generally have DVDs that can record videos, just like when Shirou asked Rin Tohsaka to help record a program in Carnival Phantasm—and it just so happens that it was all on Fuji TV.

When recording, the data is first stored on the DVD's hard drive. You only need to insert a blank disc to burn the data onto it, thus saving the money of buying a Blu-ray.

Of course, Blu-ray discs usually come with bonus items, which are supposed to be included, but they actually cost money.

They are divided into several tiers, such as the bonus package which is included with the disc and is included with every purchase.

For collaboration bonuses, you need to buy one or more volumes at once, depending on how many volumes are included in the collaboration.

Another type is store-specific promotions, which are the various gimmicks that stores use to increase sales.

"Oh right, I saw Mamo-san today, but unfortunately I forgot to get his autograph. I'm afraid I won't be able to see him again for another two weeks."

"Miyano Mamoru-san!?" Yuhi Lily's eyes lit up; she was clearly a fan of his too. In fact, there were very few girls in Japan who weren't his fans, except perhaps those who weren't gay.

After all, he is a representative of idol artists who excel in looks, popularity, and singing. His only flaw is that he is a bit too neurotic, and he is considered a severe case in the voice actor circle where chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) is rampant.

They're the kind of person who's talking to you normally, but suddenly starts striking poses, trying to look cool, or making funny faces to make you laugh.

Especially when he's making exaggerated facial expressions, he really does resemble Jim Carrey; he has such incredible control over his facial features.

"Looks like I'll have to carry autograph pens and shikishi with me from now on. I'll ask famous seniors for their autographs, and it'll be nice to keep them at home as collectibles."

"Good idea~ We can sell it for money when we go bankrupt."

Bankruptcy? Shimizu Toru raised an eyebrow.

It's impossible for him to live to see it happen, unless Season 3 really comes someday, otherwise his money will only keep increasing.

After all, by the time he's 25 years old, even if he just puts the money in the bank and earns interest, it'll be enough for him to live comfortably for the rest of his life.

Volume 1: Chapter 81 Celebrating 200,000 Followers + 3D Unveiling

In mid-April, the air in Tokyo already carried the slight dryness of early summer.

Looking at the prominent 200,000 subscribers on the screen, and the constantly scrolling congratulatory messages, Shimizu Toru felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction welling up inside him.

Going from zero to 200,000 in a month is a terrifying speed even in the entire V-circle.

"Thank you all for your support. See you at the 3D reveal tomorrow! Bye-bye!"

After reading the list of SCs for nearly an hour, Shimizu Toru finally ended the broadcast and immediately gulped down several mouthfuls of goji berry water.

"Congratulations to Tou-kun on reaching 200,000 subscribers! The 3D reveal is finally coming!" Xi Yang Lili pushed open the bedroom door and came in, her face filled with undisguised excitement.

"Yes, it feels like a dream." Shimizu Toru put down his phone, walked to the window, and looked at the lush vegetable garden and grapevines that had begun to bear fruit in the backyard.

From that cramped apartment to this vibrant villa, and now to the upcoming 3D live stream, everything has happened incredibly fast.

Rion Takamiya poked her head out, still holding a rice spoon in her hand: "Tohru, how about we celebrate together tonight? Rion and I bought new underwear together when we went shopping last time, you know?"

"...You guys should let me rest and recharge, otherwise there might be a performance mishap tomorrow."

For my first 3D live stream, I'll definitely be running and jumping around. How can I be as limp as a skinny person?

To prevent the two from forcing themselves on him, he even slept alone that night, locking the door from the inside.

The next day, when the three arrived at Nijisanji, Satoshi was already waiting in the lobby on the first floor. Upon seeing Shimizu Toru, she immediately came to greet them, her face beaming with barely suppressed excitement.

"Tou-kun! Congratulations on 200,000 votes! Come with me quickly, everything's ready at the recording studio, and the president will be here soon!"

"Thank you for your help, chan." Shimizu Toru followed her through the familiar corridor and toward the area dedicated to 3D live streaming and motion capture.

The atmosphere here is completely different from that of a regular film studio. The air is filled with a sense of technology, with a huge green screen background, a complex array of motion capture cameras, and technicians wearing motion capture suits covered with reflective markers moving back and forth.

"Hanyu-san, this way please." A technician in a motion capture suit led him into the preparation room: "Put on the motion capture suit first, and then we will calibrate the sensors."

When Shimizu Toru came out wearing that black, tight-fitting motion capture suit covered with white sensors, Yuhi Lily and Takamiya Rion were already outside the soundproof glass of the control room.

The two couldn't help but cover their mouths and chuckle when they saw his ridiculous outfit. Rion Takamiya even secretly took a picture with her phone.

"Hanyu-san, relax, just like you would during a regular live stream." The staff's voice came through the headset: "We'll do some motion calibration first. Follow my instructions and do a few basic movements."

The next hour was filled with tedious but crucial calibration and adjustments, involving raising hands, turning around, jumping, and simulating various facial expressions.

Shimizu Toru meticulously carried out the task, feeling the subtle feedback and delay adjustments from the sensors on his body.

The technical team worked around him, constantly adjusting parameters on the console to ensure that the virtual avatar's movements were completely synchronized with his own.

"Great! The motion capture system has a synchronization rate of 98.7%, and the facial expression capture system has a synchronization rate of 99.1%! Excellent!" The technical lead looked at the data report on the screen and smiled with satisfaction.

"Hanyu-san, your physical coordination and expressiveness are really suitable for motion capture. You could practically be a suit actor for tokusatsu dramas."

Tadakatsu Riku had also arrived in the control room at some point. He gave Shimizu Toru a thumbs-up through the glass: "Shimizu-kun, how's the preparation going? The audience can't wait!"

"Everything is ready, President."

Shimizu Toru took a deep breath, looked at Lily and Rion outside the soundproof glass who were giving him a thumbs-up, and nodded to Sa-chan who looked expectant beside him.

"Alright! Attention all departments, the 3D live broadcast will begin in 5 minutes!" Tian Jiaolu's voice rang out in the internal communication.

Shimizu Toru stood in the center of the green screen and put on a specially made motion capture headset.

As the countdown ticked, he slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his gaze was as bright and focused as it had been during the live broadcast.

"3, 2, 1—Go live!"

The moment the live stream screen lit up, the barrage of comments flooded the screen like a tsunami.

【Here it comes!!!】

[Congratulations on reaching 200,000!!!!]

[Tou-gege 3D, ahhhhh!!!]

Let me see this cool 3D see-through effect!

What appeared on the screen was Toru Shimizu's virtual avatar, Toru Hanyu.

But unlike most VTB 3D models, this model achieves an astonishing level of detail and realism.

The boy's tall and slender figure, his smooth and layered wolf tail and mullet head, and most striking of all, his face—almost a perfect replica of the suit's appearance, especially his clear yet sharp eyes, which seemed to shimmer with starlight under the 3D rendering.

Subtle changes in expression—raising eyebrows, blinking, and slightly raising the corners of the mouth—are all incredibly natural and vivid.

"Good evening, everyone! This is Toru Hanyu, the virtual transfer student belonging to 2434!" Toru Shimizu's voice came through the microphone clearly, with his usual refreshing quality.

He raised his hand and waved at the camera, and the 3D model on the screen made the same movement in perfect unison, smoothly and naturally.

Holy crap! The model's precision is incredible!!!

[He's so handsome I could cry! I immediately called him my husband!!]

[The movements are so smooth! awsl!]

[This synchronization rate is amazing! There's absolutely no lag like some other systems have. Is this some new technology?]

"Thank you all so much for your support along the way, which has allowed me to reach the milestone of 200,000 subscribers so quickly!"

Shimizu Toru bowed slightly, her movements elegant and precise: "To repay everyone's expectations, today, my 3D avatar is officially unveiled! I hope to create more fun memories with everyone in the 3D world!"

After the opening remarks, Shimizu Toru began to demonstrate the various functions of the 3D model.

Walking, running, jumping, sitting, and even some funny actions, the model is perfectly synchronized without any delay or clipping.

He specially demonstrated the action of playing an air guitar, with his fingers moving flexibly on the virtual frets, creating a very realistic effect in conjunction with the background music.

[That guitar playing is so professional!]

[It's so smooth! Even hand movements are captured precisely!]

[Tou-gege is so talented! He can even play the guitar?]

It felt like watching a live performance!

"Next up is the performance segment that everyone's been waiting for!" Lily's voice came in at the right time; that's right, she's today's MC.

"Tou-kun, are you ready? The fans can't wait any longer!"

"Of course! Muc!" Shimizu snapped his fingers with a smile, and the band members, who were already prepared, transformed into faceless figures in black and entered the stage. The background instantly switched to the stage.

"The next two hours will be all 3D song and dance performances, so everyone get ready to have a blast! Today's first song is—Complete Feeling Dream!!"

"So now my time is up, your game starts my heart moving!"

When Shimizu Toru opened his mouth, he raised the key by two from the already high key of the original song, to the point that people couldn't help but exclaim – the lead singer really went all out.

In addition, it has been almost a month since the last song broadcast, and the audience has long since worn out the original recording.

The stream immediately jumped to the 3D song segment, and the already frenzied SC (Super Score) became even more turbulent, making it seem like another live stream that could earn someone else a month's worth of money.

Volume One: Chapter Eighty-Two: The Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss