Setsuko Shishido has always taken her job seriously, but recently, she’d been working way, way too much. Too many projects, too-close deadlines, and too much overtime; looking haggard was fairly standard for the office worker, inured to the rigors of corporate culture as she was, yet with her worsened eye-bags, paler skin, and oft vacant gaze, it was obvious that even an embattled employee like Setsuko was beginning to buckle under the weight of it all.
It certainly didn’t help that every night, after a long day of office work, she was faced with the prospect of several more hours of rigorous mental pressure. Playing video games was far less taxing, to be sure, but remaining in-character the entire time? Especially for a vtuber like Cordelia Everwinter, the fantasy land of Elonia’s wandering mage, where her heavy kayfabe was a strong element of appeal? It was no simple matter. Certainly not something she could give her brain a much needed break by doing. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to simply leave her viewers without any content, either…
In short, Setsuko was exhausted.
As the elevator doors shut with a nigh-imperceptible hiss, she let loose a heavy sigh. Another day of overtime, another delayed stream. Which meant another late night, and another where she barely slept. Setsuko could hardly even stand up straight on her own at this point, forced to lean against the elevator’s far wall while clutching the folder in her arms like a lifeline; after all, it wasn’t far off. Held within were the details of her raise- it wasn’t a promotion (shocker), but it was still a marked increase to her income, a step closer to achieving her dream, and that made all the back-breaking effort she’d put in over the last month or so feel entirely worthwhile. Not any easier to bear, mind, but like an accomplishment rather than mere labor.
The longer Setsuko stood there, the more she found her spirits rising. Her load was finally easing, and she was being compensated for her trouble. How could she not be elated? There was finally a light at the end of the tunnel, and how bright it was. Tiredness mingled with the dark-haired woman’s relief, creating a potent cocktail of excitement, building in her chest, until she was forced to release it with a triumphant “YES!” and a pump of her arm…right as the elevator doors opened.
In that fleeting moment, she had sounded exactly like her vtuber self. There wasn’t a huge difference between their voices anyway- mainly a performative one- but that cry of victory was a genuine dead-ringer. Setsuko sheepishly stepped free from that metal cube and into the Kuronawa Corporation’s rather opulent lobby, where she gave a quick bow to the nearby receptionist. “Sorry about that…” She murmured, face bright red as her soft green gaze swept slowly over the room. Surely no one here was a fan of Cordelia’s, right…? The magician had a reasonably large following, but not one that would typically result in her voice being recognized out in public…right…??
