Announcement Regarding the Retirement of Michelo Azuria

  Thank you for your support of Taiyou Digital.

  This is to inform that Michelo Azuria, one of our English-speaking talents from the Generation: Axiom, will cease all activities on October 31st, 2024.

  We are saddened with Michelo's departure and we wish to express our apologies to all our fans and supporters for this announcement.

  This decision wholly came from Michelo himself and upon further discussion of the matter, we wish to respect his requests to retire from his activities in amicable terms.

  Michelo has shown himself to be a very creative individual and has contributed to the company's innovations and delivery of unique content to the fans across the world. We are happy to have Michelo as part of our family, team, and the community.

  For cancellation of merchandise orders, please contact us in our official shop in the link below to process your request.

  Michelo's streams and videos will remain in his channel and his Witter account will stay public. Furthermore, membership and other paid content will be available for two months, until December 31, 2024 at 23:59:59 JST after the effectivity of his retirement.

  Fan mails will be also be accepted until the same date, and presents will be allowed to be sent from this point after the announcement.

  We are very much grateful for your continuous support towards Michelo's and Axiom's activities as a whole for the past year and we will continue to support him until his retirement.

  We wish Michelo all the best on his future endeavors.

  Taiyou Digital

  September 4, 2024

  ? ? ?

  All that Nagi was greeted with after ending his stream was the silence in his room. On that very moment, he announced live in his viewers that he would soon be retiring—or graduating—from his year-long career as an entertainer.

  Minutes after he went offline, Taiyou's Witter account had posted the announcement and the dreaded black text on a white background that had shaken thousands of people, if not millions.

  Realizing that his office had ran out of water, he descended the stairs only to find Gin standing by the porch door with all the construction gear still on him.

  "That's a really early announcement, in my opinion."

  "I had a few meetings with management about that. I asked if it's possible to announce it early because of the things I had planned. After all, out of all the Axiom members, I'm the one with the least projects under my belt, so I want to at least go off with a bang for my last two months."

  "I'm not going to pretend I know what the implications of the manner it was announced, but how did it go with your viewers?"

  "At first they thought it was a prank. I think they were really sad about it the same way I was before I was on the other side.

  But knowing what I'm getting into, I was naturally calm about it. Well, maybe a bit too high-spirited that they might think I was happy leaving the company."

  "You better not egosearch for a while."

  "I just hope they don't take it too hard."

  "That's a tall order especially when there's someone from Sector T1 that will be really affected by this."

  "You know what I heard from your sister, Gin? She met up with Sora wearing my merch."

  "What the… Then maybe she's responsible for a third of your accumulated income."

  "Hush.

  But well, I've saved up so much in hindsight. It's partly the reason why I didn't take on too many projects, but still, I can live comfortably for a while with this."

  "Until it falls into buying new lenses. I'm telling you, though. It's never too early to save up for the future."

  "I don't want to hear that from someone who went on a sabbatical."

  "Sheesh, pull your punches a bit."

  After a thorough wash of his hands, Gin picked up his phone that has been constantly vibrating and revealing the hundreds of notifications bombarding him the moment the pixels lit up.

  "Geez, even I'm swarmed with messages. This is the consequence of telling them that we're old friends, I see.

  Better just post something about it once and go back to work before I see any hate comments. I'll draw something quick later."

  "Appreciate it."

  Nagi wondered, perhaps this retirement of his was strange.

  He had come across many streamers that have retired over the few years. Some names' departure has made him sad, not just for the persona themselves, but also for their creators.

  There is one specific illustrator that comes to his mind, however. For the same agency, this artist had drawn a character twice for, and those two "children" of theirs have both left the company. Suddenly, the fans and this artist alike could never see those avatars move or speak again in those cherished forms.

  Meanwhile, as Nagi himself deemed his situation strange, a very much recent memory visited him.

  ? ? ?

  As the entire Sakato family, minus Kei and his wife, is currently living under Gin's roof, he had lent his room to his parents and as such chose the living room to be the place he sleeps at.

  In a day where Gin was visited with immense sloth, his futon had remained unfolded while he and Nagi clutches on a controller each comfortably on the sheets.

  Suddenly, Nagi had thrown Gin a question.

  "Say, how do you feel knowing that an art you made that is responsible to your growth as an illustrator is going to essentially disappear?"

  "If this is your way to break my combos, then it's not working."

  "No, I'm being serious. You just keep saying you suck at games when here you are sweeping me on a fighting game.

  Anyway, I kind of want to know your honest feelings about it."

  "My honest feelings, huh…

  It might have been different if it wasn't you. I would probably get depressed if it was someone else."

  "So you're saying you're not sad at all?"

  "Oh, I will be of course. It just happened that it was you that 'wore' that 'outfit' I designed so I'm more connected with the person behind the character than the character itself.

  And since you want me to be honest, I would cringe if I unironically treat you like a son on the internet."

  "And we're at the same house so we're just going to say 'ew' at each other. Maybe I would have punched you if you crossed the line."

  "But yeah. If you want a definitive answer, I'm just going to be fine. I've personally known you for years that I just see it as you moving with your life. Like I said, it's a different story if it's someone else where I am just barely making a connection with. Still, it's best to set a distance with people I have only met online, is what I try to tell myself always.

  That said, I guess I still owe you some for the status that I have now."

  "So everything goes on, I see."

  "If anything, I am fully expecting a few of your viewers to go into my streams asking about you when you have already retired. Of course, I don't owe them an answer."

  "Now somehow I'm glad that we wound up in this toge-"

  Right at that moment, Nagi's character was knocked out.

  "Nevermind."

  ? ? ?

  "Man… I didn't even know we had this kind of place in Ginga."

  Days subsequent to the announcement of Nagi's retirement, he had expected that the two of his former college peers, Seto Tsuyoshi and Neth Fonzie that are also his fellows as a streamer in the same company, would approach him eventually and personally.

  Due to the nature of their work, the three of them had rarely met in person despite being in a relatively close proximity as they had to adjust to collaborations across the world, and would only do offline collabs when their schedules free up or it is official business.

  Nagi had always stressed the fact that he undertook less projects than his peers, but as his impending departure that he crammed all of his ideas is approaching, he had naturally gotten busier… and yet he was pulled out of his work to get a breather, or get exhausted as a matter of fact.

  Unbeknownst to him, a discreet warehouse somewhere in the city of Ginga housed towering walls with climbing holds that are shaped to imitate rocks.

  Suddenly, Nagi found himself inside a bouldering gym.

  "You know, I've only been sitting on a desk for a year so I don't think I have the grip or the core strength for this."

  "But you're not afraid of heights, right?"

  "…Not in particular."

  And as Nagi said that, he watched from afar a climber losing their footing on a hold and falling shy of two meters from the wall to an appropriately cushioned floor.

  Regardless, a fall is a fall, and a part of him did not want to experience it.

  "Seto… is this your first time too?"

  "No, not really? Neth has invited me here twice but I just end up watching him most of the time. I think he's quite good from what I've seen.

  Anyway, while you're here already, just follow him."

  "What's your foot size, Nagi?"

  "I'm size 9."

  A pair of shoes then flew to the hands of Nagi while Neth changed to a pair that was not provided by the gym.

  "Try it if it's a snug fit or if it has an allowance. If it fits your feet perfectly, then you're good, and if it's small don't force it."

  "…I think it's a good fit."

  "Nice. For now, let's get you warmed up and do some testing first."

  …

  Half an hour later, Nagi found himself lying on the cushioned floor not because of gravity giving him a hard embrace, but because he could not feel his arms and legs and his lungs are fighting for air.

  "We haven't even climbed, you know. How out of shape are you?"

  "Shut up!"

  Indeed, they have only done drills to get Nagi's body up to speed on what is to come next.

  "Have you ever climbed a wall as a kid, Nagi?"

  "What, no, I haven't."

  "Really? Not even once?"

  "Sir, I think that's called trespassing."

  "Well, you're probably going to know how it feels like before and after.

  Alright, pop quiz: how do you come down again?"

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  "With my legs bent."

  "And I almost forgot. Any idea how to land in case you fall on your back?"

  "Uhh, I think I've seen some videos about stuntmen tucking their chins on their falls."

  "Yup, but don't spread out your arms like they do."

  And so, the three of them walked towards a completely vertical wall bearing the easiest climbs of the gym.

  "Here, get some," suddenly Seto handed out a bag to Nagi leaving him extremely confused seeing white powder inside it.

  "Do climbers take enhancing drugs?"

  "You dingo, that's chalk for your hands so you'll have friction on the holds. Just get enough in your hands and not get them caked up or something."

  "S-Sure…"

  "Eyes on the wall, Nagi!" shouted Neth as he dropped from the wall.

  "I'd like you to start on the black ones. Do you see them?"

  In what seems like random placements of the plastic holds, Nagi noticed the color coding of them.

  "You just have to follow the colors on where you'll grab next and where you will put those grippers next."

  "Can't you just say feet?"

  "Blame the brainrot. If it gets difficult for you, can always prop your feet on other colored foot holds, but try to stick with one color so you can get used to it.

  I'll tell you where the final hold is and you have to touch it with both of your hands. Try to pay close attention on how I'll do it and you can copy it."

  Right at that moment, Nagi's eyes opened into a new world. A part of him thought that a human body can do such versatile things as he watched Neth covered the height in no time, forgetting that there is literally someone that can do way beyond it right under his nose.

  "How was it, feeling up for it now?"

  "You make it look and sound so easy…"

  "I'm of the opinion that you should get used to how it feels falling since it's your first time. It's cushioned anyway so you really shouldn't have to worry about it. I don't think the first holds won't be an issue, though. It just gets a little tricky the higher you go."

  With a heavy sigh, Nagi had submitted to Neth's untold persuasions and stood in front of the wall after putting his hands inside a pouch of chalk.

  As Neth instructs behind, he grabbed onto the first holds and in no time, his feet were off the cushioned floor.

  "Easy enough, right?"

  "Stop saying that."

  With the sudden fear and anxiety of being in a flight off the ground as his shaking arms legs continued to persevere, Nagi constantly reminded himself that this activity was never all about the limbs but about utilizing one's entire body which is taking a lot of his thinking and physical power.

  And occasionally, he would see an imagery of climbing a cliff with a tall drop that would simultaneously make him lose and gain his grip.

  But with his body as his very own enemy, he needed to let go and trust that he would still land on a cushion rather than a rocky sea where waves dynamically dance at. At his descent, the sudden pull downwards from a height he has never fallen from caused his body to go on a shock for a very brief moment until his feet are touching the ground anew and falling on his back rolling once.

  "Uh, you good?"

  His heart felt like it was about to burst. His breath was short, and his eyes were dazed at the bright ceiling.

  Suddenly, his lips trembled, resisting an arch until he couldn't fight the smile anymore.

  "I think… I wanna do it again."

  Neth and Seto's eyes met, and after a long pause, their fists collided.

  "Hell yeah. That's what I was trying to tell you when I asked if you climbed a wall as a kid. I knew you would say you want to climb it again," Seto asserted.

  "How's your first fall?"

  "Am I still alive?"

  "You are, you are. But do take a break first before you climb again."

  Figuratively, Nagi has climbed a wall of fear. Suddenly, all of his worries of the height and the gravity broke away from him. But while it may be apt to say that it was what's weighing down his ascent and he was free from it, bouldering, at the end of the day, takes immense skill.

  A thud sounded as Nagi couldn't land on his feet and thus fell on his back.

  "Would you look at that, you managed to go up two levels of difficulty."

  "I think that's it for me today…"

  "Sure, sure. Let's watch the climbers on harder walls while we rest, then."

  And so, the three of them walked towards walls that are either angled or almost parallel to the floor. Many eyes gathered on the lone climber that challenged the hardest wall of the gym, while they sat at a distance with the long silence having taken over all of them.

  For a while, the only sound that could be heard from them was the twists of bottle caps amidst the thuds, the claps, the cheering, and even the occasional grating of nails on the wall.

  "So in the end… it was only you that's going to retire between us three," Seto exhaled.

  "Crazy, isn't it? The initial plan was that we will all be retiring at the end of our contract, and it turns out I'm the only one that put a request to extend it for only a month, and then I say bye.

  Still, I owe our school a lot for the opportunity despite the challenges… that were mostly self-inflicted."

  "And you had the option to go indie too."

  "I just couldn't be bothered with the process of retaining the IP. And I never really considered this gig to be something long-term. Although I may revisit streaming but who knows really. Still, I liked being able to educate people about filming in front of an audience."

  "Then, with Michelo Azuria sunsetting, what's next for the persona behind him?" asked Neth, a hefty question.

  "I'd be honest, I could probably live comfortably for a few years with all that I've saved up, but that is if I'm on my own, which I'm not. If we're talking freelancing, I already have some plans, but for employment… having Taiyou Digital in my resume just sounds awesome. Who knows, maybe I will be around in some form or another because someone will get lonely once I'm gone."

  "Hey, are you talking about us?" somewhat crept out rather than glad, Neth asked.

  "Unfortunately, no.

  Well, I think I've had enough rest so I'm probably bailing if you two are going to stay. I'm supposed to drink with some friends today."

  "Whaaaat? You're leaving us just like thaaaat?" jokingly, Seto used the voice and attitude he uses for streaming to poke fun at Nagi.

  "Can't be helped, it's with the lonely person, after all."

  As the three of them bumped their fists all at once, Nagi thus set out.

  ~ ~ ~

  By the time he had arrived at Sector T1, it turned out that the other three namely Gin, Yuuga, and Eia have already gathered in the mangaka's office.

  "Dammit, why is your office on the second floor…" Nagi grumbled as he slowly trod towards the floor table that just made his face look sourer.

  "Now that's a look I haven't seen from you." sat on the couch, Gin commented.

  "Can we just switch places, man?"

  Noting the annoyed look, Gin thusly came down from the couch and sat on the floor, giving way to Nagi whose knees vigorously shook at the smallest bend and fell on the couch leaving Eia startled.

  "That explains it. Did you go to a battlefield or something? You look absolutely exhausted."

  "The classmates I went with to Taiyou invited me to go bouldering. Lo and behold."

  "Wait, there's a climbing gym nearby? How come I don't know about it?"

  "I had the same reaction as you… maybe the four of us could go together some time, though. I'm aching everywhere but it was a nice experience."

  "That sounds fun," Eia was up for it, "maybe we could set things up when it's much colder."

  "Just don't finish all the courses in one go, Gin. I beg you," Yuuga then retorted.

  "Oh? Does Capysan do climbing?"

  "No… more like he's just a monkey that can draw and has a job."

  "Don't forget I'm still here, hey. Besides, I'm more trained on my legs."

  "Doesn't take away the fact that your core balance is just stupidly insane."

  "What I'm getting from this is that Capysan is an athlete. How many secrets do you have?"

  "A lot, actually."

  And thus befell the room silence only to be broken by the sound of a can popping on Eia's hands.

  "I'm just joking, if it's not obvious enough."

  "No, you're not," Nagi almost uttered loudly.

  "Anyway… this still feels extremely weird to think that I wound up being friends with a vtuber and eventually seeing his retirement notice."

  Upon Yuuga's words, another can sounded a pop not from anyone's hands but Eia.

  "Didn't she just open a can earlier?"

  The current beer count is that Eia has two and the rest of them has zero.

  They thought, they are going to need to call Minase later on to take Eia home downstairs.

  "Geez, I know it's fully your decision to graduate, but a part of me still doesn't get it. You have a company's support and probably a stable flow of income, so why give it up?"

  "Don't get me wrong, Eia. I never hated the job, but one thing I learned is that there's a limit to how public facing I can get. There's a point where I realized I'm not exactly cut out to performing in a live audience that's the same size as a small arena. Meanwhile, your viewer count could fill an entire stadium and you're used to it, or at least that's how it appears.

  Also, I just don't get a lot of opportunities to film when my main work is being a streamer."

  "I guess… that makes sense. Maybe I just never get used to the reality that things really come to an end, that I end up asking the same thing when someone leaves."

  "You know, I could count that as a slip if you're talking about peers who didn't reveal why they graduated."

  "I don't take you as someone who would bring a person down, Capysan. But I really need to learn to rein my tongue more, that was my bad."

  "Well, enough of that. Since I'm basically living with this guy, I know that he's been drooling over drones since he really wanted to get one. That's just how much he missed filming, especially now that he has the disposable income."

  "I want to go back to Japan and film stuff… But now that I've gotten more familiar with YouCube, I've learned that there's a demand for cameramen in the platform, granted that you find the right person at the right time.

  Oh, also drone reels. I want to study and do some of them to add to my portfolio."

  Three cans.

  "Man… I'm so envious with you suddenly…

  After the shitshow that happened at my first job, I threw myself into streaming, but I feel like I don't have goals as clear as yours, Michelo, especially now that you're moving on."

  "I wouldn't say it's all clear. I'm debating whether I would get a full-time job or join my partner in freelancing. I'm surprised you're contemplating this, though."

  "Hey now. You guys pretty much know a senpai of mine that's quite successful and signed in a major label, and yet she's still soul searching. It just feels a bit depressing when you reach a point where you ask yourself 'what's next' and you don't see an image of it.

  I'm glad that I have a job where I'm having fun, and I want it to stay as it is for as long as I can be in the place I'm at now. But I would be lying if I said that I'm not scared of thinking about what comes after."

  "So it really happens regardless of how old you are…" without thinking, Yuuga's first pour on a glass was more foam than alcohol.

  "I can't count how many times I've told myself 'I'm going to end this series in X chapters', and I never did, so I kind of get you. While I'm really planning to retire as a mangaka, a part of me really doesn't want to go back to the convention of adapting a routine when it's going to cost you much of your creativity."

  "Don't you have the option of going the writer-artist duo route, sensei?"

  "Hmrrghh… I'm not sure how simple that is going to be for me, though. I don't want some strange artist telling me that Mina gets kidnapped and burn bridges because of that. No, no way."

  "That's strangely specific…"

  Gin then whispered to Eia, "He had a falling out with a fellow mangaka because of an incident."

  "H-Huh…

  But on that topic, you look like you're the one among… You're the one in our midst who was his things sorted out, Capysan."

  "My word, the brainrot really has gotten to you to the point that you can't say 'among' without cracking up, huh…

  But I wouldn't necessarily say I have my life sorted out."

  "You say that when you have a stable job, a well-paying side gig, and being engaged, to boot," Eia sighed.

  "Th-That's beside the point. As a person, I'm still inherently flawed. It will probably take years to sort out my issues, and that's probably the only time I can say that I'm set.

  I'm just glad that for the first time in my life, things are finally, legitimately becoming peaceful for me. I guess I owe part of it to Nagi who has been putting up with me since our early days in high school."

  "Spare me the flattery. You're the one who had to put up with me for an entire year."

  "Right… we never talked about it, but are you moving back to your family once everything is settled?"

  "Yeah… I'll stay with them for a few months and probably let my parents get to know Shiro a lot more. Then I'm most likely going to duke out the thought of living together with Uncle Junpei."

  "At least you sound a bit more confident when talking to Shiro's dad."

  "Who knew all it would take is a few drinking sessions with him."

  All the while Nagi and Gin are exchanging about their lives, an unimpressed look has surfaced on Eia's face as she continued to sip on her drink.

  "Sorry, sometimes Gin pulls people into their own world like that. He doesn't mean any harm, though," Yuuga whispered.

  "That's not even what I'm concerned about…" gradually, Eia's voice returned to a normal volume, "I'm just really envious of you all."

  The other three's eyes then found the forlorn smile carved on Eia's face.

  "It's like I said earlier… It's like there's nothing more with my life aside from what I have right now. I secluded myself a bit when I lost my first job. As a result, I just became kind of alone in this new place, that's why I'm really glad I met you all, and even Min.

  I honestly feel like I'm being left behind sometimes. I couldn't really relate when it comes to talks like this because I only have one thing going on and I can't even share those experiences without the risk of compromising my security."

  "Ah… my bad," Gin admitted. "I really should stop myself from making things about me. It's a really bad habit.

  On the other hand, if there's something we can do to help, we'd be willing to."

  "Well, if there's one thing… I'm terminally online and doesn't go outside," Eia said, half-jokingly.

  "I can attest to that…" Yuuga remarked. "She probably has more food delivered to her than the rest of the entire complex."

  "H-Hey, I cook from time to time too…"

  But I really want to explore the country. I really don't have any plans on moving to Japan or UK anytime soon so I want to get the best of my stay here."

  "If you're now going to ask us for spots, then I'd say visiting Chikami Inn is a must. It's just north of the province and you'll be able to see the long mural we made there. We personally know the owner so we can give them a heads up if you'd like to come. Heck, maybe you can invite your genmates if they're not busy.

  There's also Presto, or even Payns itself if you want the coldest place in the country."

  "Just be wary of trucks… and visit Gola Labs with caution," Nagi butted, at which Yuuga sank down.

  "I'd recommend eastern Orio, though."

  "Just don't go camping in the mountains. Maybe going to the shore is a better experience," Gin butted, at which Nagi sank down.

  "Then maybe Hitoretsu is the way to go. I don't think we'll have to worry about sharks again there."

  "Waahh… You guys are scaring me. You recommend one place and then you say something about it."

  "Nah, they're good places. We just happened to get the short end of the stick everytime. They're stories of the past, so no point dwelling on them.

  But on one hand, our other girl friends would probably enjoy your company if you're okay with that."

  "If that includes your partners, then I wouldn't want you guys to get killed by introducing me."

  "We have Minase, you know. For one, she and Rin were former classmates before we met. She could get clingy thought when she gets close to someone."

  "Add to that, they know about Nagi being a vtuber and my connection with him as Capy.

  But maybe we could introduce you to them without telling them that you are from Yololive. That is, if they don't recognize your voice since they watch our collabs."

  "A part of me is looking forward to that, but I can't help but be anxious, still."

  "It's natural with your work, I guess. They are also artists, so you could probably bond with them over that."

  "Ohh… that changes things," her face suddenly brightened.

  "Now that's nice," out of the blue, Nagi chuckled which left Eia puzzled, especially, and asked without asking.

  "You sort of had an upset look on your face when I arrived here. It looked like you're really bummed that I'm retiring, see.

  I'd endorse Gin's suggestion since they're good people. It becomes hard when we become face to face with stagnation—which I do believe to be an enemy for us who are in this industry. I do think you need a bit of a change of pace if you feel like you're doing the same things all over again."

  "Hahh… I'll see when I can find some time. Maybe I'll even take a short break from streaming since I hardly did that anyway.

  Thanks for the concern, though. I never really had anyone to tell me what faces I'm making since I've practically been on my own since coming here. I just really enjoyed the time we had, so I'll try not to get it to me too much."

  "Well then… I know we're all here about Nagi, or Michelo's departure, but should we drink for what's to come next for us all?"

  Glasses and cans alike collided, but with Nagi's being noticeably lower as there's a certain point where he can only lift his arm without aching.

  Thus, with the feelings of both sadness and hopefulness, the party of four continued on the night.

  But suddenly, a vibration was felt pulsing on the table.

  "Anyone's phone ringing right now?"

  "Ah, that's mine. Sorry, I have to take this for a bit," upon Yuuga question, Gin took notice of the silent alerts from his phone.

  "Hey, Hiro. Something up?"

  "Are you out right now?"

  "Ah, yeah. I'm currently at Sector T1 at Kei's apartment. Are you next door? I'm probably going to be home in two hours if you need me."

  "That's fine, that's fine. You do remember you also have a day off tomorrow, right?"

  "Yup."

  "Just in case you forget, we'll be having Yu stay at Mykes starting from tomorrow. Got that?"

  "…I do. Just so I'm assured, everything is fine, right?"

  "Yes, yes. Nothing to worry about. If anything, I'm the one that's anxious."

  "Ahaha. I'll be right there with you, man."

  "Well, I have nothing aside from that. We're just here next door if you want to check on us later."

  "Alright. I'll probably stop by. Thanks for the reminder."

  And so the call hung up with Gin left in silence for a few seconds.

  "You got non-alcoholic beer with you, right, Yuuga?"

  "Want me to fetch you some?"

  "Yes, please. I'd rather not get anymore alcohol in my system."

  "You sure it was nothing serious? You don't have to step out?"

  "No, it's nothing. Well, I can't really say it's nothing.

  After all… Rin's sister will be due very soon."

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