I May Be a Virtual Youtuber, but I Still Go to Work-Chapter 161

Magia hadn’t failed at anything she’d set her mind to so far, so it was easy to trust her.

But to say there wasn’t any anxiety? That would’ve been a lie.

Anyone who’d never had the time to cook due to a busy schedule—

Anyone who preferred ordering delivery to touching a frying pan—

Anyone who openly liked controversial things like pineapple pizza—

Such people couldn’t escape suspicion of being a cursed cuisine maker.

Some of the worst among them had left behind unforgettable horrors, memorable purely for how bad they looked:

Three-Minute Claymore, Deep-Fried Mutant Cuts of the Underworld, Hardened Bronze Glazed Chicken, Putrid Siren Sushi of the Deep Sea, and Plague-Infested Undead Pizza.

Masterpieces still whispered about online to this day.

According to most people's predictions, Magia was about to join their ranks.

— Magia’s definitely gonna suck at cooking, 100%

— She’s totally gonna make Han River ramen

— Honestly, even if she does make that, I hope she at least cooks it properly

— I feel like she’s about to invent Stir-Fried Intestines of Hell

— I mean, her taste in pineapple pizza says it all LOL

— No way... right? LOL

One person in particular, postponing his own stream, was hammering this point home in Parallel’s official channel chat:

— 🗡Mugeon: This isn’t a “reversal” battle, it’s gonna be a one-sided beatdown

— 🗡Mugeon: Momo’s seriously good at cooking

— r e a l LMAO

— Bro, how do you even know that?

— My horns hurt

:: Anonymous donor sent 1,000 Clouds! ::

:: There’s a weird dude being cringe over here ::

— 🗡Mugeon: If you’re salty, go become a 2-million-subscriber streamer yourself

— I’m so mad right now

— Seriously LOL

— Muted Mugeon

— Please stop showing up in public

Momo was already known for effortlessly pulling off home baking and earning everyone’s respect for it.

Now Magia was stepping up to challenge her. That left only two possibilities:

Either she was so shockingly skilled that she’d completely dominate—

Or she’d suck so bad it’d be cult-classic hilarious.

Based on her streaming habits, it clearly leaned toward the latter.

Which meant everyone had already made up their minds before the stream even began:

Magia can’t cook. Period.

Momo, having scrolled through the pre-show chat, addressed it head-on.

She wanted to believe in Magia.

She hoped that trust wouldn’t be misplaced.

“Everyone’s saying you’re going to be an absolute disaster in the kitchen. Do you have anything to say to that?”

Magia didn’t exactly deny it.

But she didn’t confirm it either.

“Truthfully... I’ve never really cooked properly before.”

— LOLLL

— Confirmed cursed cuisine incoming

— Just admit it’s a PPL gig and move on LOL

— You’re totally ordering food, right?

— Wait, was Momo really going up against delivery food this whole time?? LOL

“Then what gave you the confidence to challenge me in the first place?”

“I’ve never really cooked... but I’m confident I can follow directions well.”

And with that, she uttered the most infamous line in the amateur chef playbook:

“I’ve never done it before, but I’m great at following recipes.”

“I don’t know how to cook, but if I just follow the video or instructions, it’ll be fine, right?”

The audience lost it.

— Yo what the hell LOLLLLL

— LOLLLLLLL

— Spoiler ban

— Official channel dropping spoilers lmao

:: Anonymous donor sent 1,000 Clouds! ::

:: Upvote if you’re dying to see what kind of cursed creation comes out of this LOL ::

— Upvoted LOL

— g g

— Wasn’t this supposed to be a cooking battle???

:: Anonymous donor sent 1,000 Clouds! ::

:: Is this a torture event for the guest judges or what LOL ::

— LOLLLL

— Are they gonna get carted away after eating her dish...?

— Poor second-gens 😭

— Parallel really is the worst company LMAO

— How is their first official schedule eating cursed food from their senior??

:: Anonymous donor sent 1,000 Clouds! ::

:: At least it alternates—sweet and salty: Momo–Magia–Momo–Magia ::

— We have to start with Magia’s dish

— If you end with hers, you’re just gonna go puke

— LOLLL

Still, Magia’s comment did something important:

It raised expectations across the board.

Because now, even if she was terrible, people were already primed to enjoy it.

But if she actually turned out to be good?

That would be a twist no one saw coming.

An “armchair chef” moment turned real-life shocker.

Sensing the growing excitement, Do-hee stirred the pot a little.

“Well, I’ll be doing my best even if my opponent’s completely hopeless. So let’s see what you’ve got.”

“Boss, don’t be too surprised when you taste my food later, okay?”

“I’m seriously looking forward to it. Seriously seriously.”

— Boss, your expectations are too high LOL

— Maybe... set the bar lower? LOL

— LET’S GOOOO

— LOLLLL

***

A few minutes later, it was time to introduce the judges.

[Uheehee♡]

[Greetings!]

[Hello there]

There were some complaints about the second-gens only showing whiteboards and not revealing their voices—

But thanks to the magnetism of Magia and Momo’s hand cam, the viewers begrudgingly agreed to wait until the end of the stream for the voice reveal.

Surprisingly, many found the written responses charming, as each girl’s personality shone through.

The one getting the most attention was the first judge of the day: Miho.

Her writing was a disaster, but the cutesy tone—like a high school girl’s doodle—was something Parallel hadn’t seen before.

[Hmm~♡ It’s late at night right now. I need something quick and easy to eat during a stakeout, so please take care of it☆]

[#InstantlyAwake #Convenient #HeartyMeal]

— What’s with the hearts and stars LOL

— She's like a gal detective

— Why is her handwriting so messy LOL

— That is a severe case of bad penmanship

[(🔴Live) Reversal Cooking Battle (Momo vs. Magia)] 👪29,984

#Cooking #Momo #Magia #Parallel

Either way, this familiar Momo vs. Magia rivalry had successfully pulled attention.

The bait had been cast—the viewers were busy speculating about the new girls.

Exactly what the production team had hoped for.

Now, all that was left was for Magia’s cooking to turn out well.

If she nailed it, Eona’s transfer issue would quietly vanish beneath the hype.

But while Momo dazzled with the golden sear of sizzling meat—

— Is she making burritos?

— That looks delicious

— Wow, that meat

— I can’t hold back

— Opening my delivery app now

Magia’s dish, at some point... turned purple.

And not the soft pastel kind. A deep, disturbing purple.

The blender whirred.

Some sludge-like paste churned inside like a monster brewing.

When she opened the lid, the thick purple substance clung to the blade and slumped down in a clump.

It was a slightly lighter shade now, but the texture... was deeply unsettling.

— Why is it purple LOL

— Is this an Underworld recipe?

— Guaaack

:: Anonymous donor sent 1,000 Clouds! ::

:: Why is no one acknowledging she threw in blueberries LOL ::

— When did she do that? LOL

— Sorry I was watching the boss

— Do blueberries even make it that dark? LOL

— I thought she poured in some underworld juice or something

— Wasn’t it that syrup she dumped in earlier?

All she’d done was blend banana and blueberries, then add a special syrup—

But since people already believed she was a terrible cook, it looked nightmarish by default.

Which was... understandable.

Take a visually shocking dish with odd texture and polarizing flavor.

Now imagine it served by a professional chef vs. someone famous for being a kitchen disaster.

The pro would get “Whoa! It’s surprisingly delicious!”

The latter? “What is that?!” drop spoon

That was exactly how the viewers were reacting.

Even Miho, the judge, looked visibly tense—even in handwriting.

Her whiteboard flickered on-screen, then disappeared, then came back with new text:

[Deputy’s dish looks seriously YABEE—!]

— "Magia Yabee" LOL

— It really is dangerous

— We've never seen a dish like this before

Luckily for Miho, Magia’s concoction was finally taking shape as a drink.

She blended the thick goop again with milk and ice.

It started to look like an actual food item.

Served in a clear tumbler with a thick straw, it almost looked legit.

The color softened into a gentle lavender.

Sweetness practically radiated from the screen.

Sure, it looked thicker than store-bought versions, but still—

It was a banana–blueberry smoothie.

No one expected much after that monstrous start,

But bananas and blueberries?

Kind of hard to screw that up.

— Huh?

— Suddenly looks tasty

— Not so fast

— Gotta taste it first

— Banana + blueberry... can that even taste bad? LOL

— Unless she used rotten berries, it’s probably fine

Ding.

Magia was first to ring the bell. Dish complete.

Only then did Momo’s face—previously focused and intense—relax a bit.

(In VTuber cooking streams, faces are tracked separately from the top-down hand camera, so expressions are visible.)

“I thought you were making some weird pudding,” Momo said, glancing at her own tortilla.

Magia fired back, “I figured for a stakeout, it’d be better to down something clean in one go—rather than messily chew and spill ingredients everywhere.”

— Oooh

— Gasp

— C’mon, burritos aren’t that messy

— I always spill mine though

— Smoothie wins on convenience

— Burrito wins on filling

— Smoothie’s probably better for staying awake

— Wake up with blueberry LOL

— You never know—if that burrito’s got jalapeños...

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight

Just as viewers were saying:

Each dish had its strengths.

Convenience: banana-blueberry smoothie.

Heft: burrito.

The judges had been informed of the theme beforehand, but this was the first time hashtags were used to highlight judging criteria.

So there’d been a disconnect.

Ultimately, whichever dish woke you up more would likely determine the winner.

Time to judge Magia’s smoothie.

Almost like ASMR.

The mic by Miho captured every slurp.

— ssssllrp

— She keeps drinking

— Where’s the reaction...?

— Is it good?

— I TOLD YOU, it can’t taste bad LOL

If anything was clear, it was this:

Miho would not stop sipping.

Soon, the sound of the emptying tumbler echoed—

A final slurrrrp.

And then...

“Kyah.”

That single exclamation was all it took to turn the tide.

— “Kyah,” she said.

— Kyah moment achieved

— Guess it was good, LOL

— This is the kind of thing a Palbungi could blend at home and still taste fine

— Pretty sure it’s just the syrup making it sweet

— Sweetness is basically a cheat code anyway

Still, everyone said the same thing:

Magia didn’t win because she was a good cook—

She just picked ingredients you couldn’t mess up.

Not a bad method, considering her lack of skill.

But compared to Momo, most viewers agreed she still fell short in actual technique.

Whether Magia knew it or not, she grinned and asked Miho directly,

“M Judge. How’s the taste? Pretty insane, right?”

Miho nodded.

Since viewers couldn’t see that, Momo chimed in to explain.

“She’s nodding, so I guess it is good. But can you really endure a long stakeout on just a smoothie? You never know how many hours you’ll have to push through—drinks don’t exactly last.”

“Stop being so negative, boss. It’s embarrassing.”

“You were the one being negative first!”

— LOL

— Fight fair with the food, not each other

— Why are they both bullying the newbie judges LOL

— Secret boss vs. the actual boss

— I’d be too stressed to eat if I were there

While the mood stayed rowdy, Miho picked up a board marker and scribbled her evaluation.

Magia and Momo chatted while keeping an eye on the camera angle, waiting for the judge’s board to come into frame.

“Looks like she’s done writing. So, M Judge’s review for Magia Deputy’s smoothie is...?”

— Drumrolllll

— DKGDKGDKG

[★Judging Notes★]

[At first, the dark purple color during prep had me worried, but?! The moment I took a sip—bright tartness and rich sweetness hit me like a truck—! There’s this subtle bitterness that’s not from the banana or blueberry, must be the syrup she added earlier... Is it pomegranate? That’s my favorite fruit♡ OMG one more! One more! Who needs a stakeout? I just wanna drink this all night LOL]

It was absurdly positive.

Dohee read the whole thing and clapped a hand over her mouth, amazed.

‘So that syrup was pomegranate, huh.’

Since her time with the second-gens had been limited, Dohee hadn’t yet memorized their individual preferences.

But Magia clearly had.

Rather than relying on cooking skill, she’d built her strategy around simple, optimized recipes tailored to the judges themselves.

‘So that’s why she was so confident.’

Sure, a scoring system should be objective.

But people stop being objective the moment something hits their personal taste dead-on.

Sure enough—

Miho’s review of Dohee’s burrito was...

[★Judging Notes★]

[Just the flavor I expected! A perfect burrito. The meat was cooked so well, I couldn’t stop smiling while eating! The spicy kick from the jalapeños definitely helps keep you awake, and the fullness gives me the energy to push through the night♡ But... there were maybe a few too many veggies!]

— Is she a meat-lover or what?

— There weren’t that many veggies though...

— Okay yeah Magia won this one LOL

— You sneaky little—LOL

— She’s clearly a meathead judge LOL

Magia smiled at Miho’s comment, then said,

“At the end of the day, unless it’s a pro judge, cooking contests really come down to matching the judge’s taste, right?”

“Very well prepared, huh?”

“Of course. I know the boss is a great cook. You think I’d come in here unarmed?”

And so, Round 1 of the showdown ended with a win for Magia.

[Winner: Magia Deputy’s Blueberry Banana Pomegranate Smoothie]

Dohee, though disappointed, still praised the clever strategy.

If this continued—if she could keep Eona happy and sway public opinion—

Then they’d be one step closer to securing Eona’s smooth debut.

“You really did your research. I’ve barely seen anyone use that pomegranate syrup. And you even knew M Judge’s favorite fruit?”

But Magia tilted her head.

“That was pomegranate syrup?”

“...?”

“Oh. I visited M Judge’s place to help set up her rig, and she made me a drink with that syrup. So I just used the same one. Didn’t know it was pomegranate.”

“Wait. So the recipe—wasn’t from a video or anything?”

Magia shook her head and dropped the bomb.

“Nope. I just followed a basic blueberry banana smoothie recipe and tossed in the syrup. That paste earlier? I didn’t expect it to come out that dark either. Thank god the milk and ice fixed it.”

“.......”

Still reeling, Dohee took a sip of the leftover smoothie Miho hadn’t finished.

It was like nothing she’d ever had—

Surprisingly good, with a unique punch.

The kind of thing an indie café might try as a seasonal special.

But if every dish Magia made today followed this kind of logic—

“You didn’t... prepare everything like this, right?”

Magia nodded proudly.

“Yup. I prioritized matching each judge’s taste.”

And then she revealed her next “special ingredient.”

A flat tin with an unusual design—

One most people wouldn’t recognize.

But anyone who’d done military service... would know it immediately.

The worst side dish in army mess hall history.

— ?

— ???

— Uh

— No way

— PLEASE NO

— KRAAAAAK

— What is THAT doing here

— 𝘌𝘹𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘦??

— THIS is the “special” ingredient?

Orca’s last hope—that this was a joke—was [N O V E L I G H T] shattered.

Magia proudly introduced her next dish for O Judge:

“The next course is a seafood-based Jjamppong!”

Dohee and Orca’s faces went ghost-white.

But Magia puffed up proudly, clearly hoping her effort would be recognized.

“O Judge had a bunch of these stacked at home, so I figured she must really like them!”