Chapter 75: The Worst First Stream [2].
Noah returned to the game and the new match began.
The image froze for several seconds and, when it came back, he had already lost two turns.
"This isn’t fair."
The phone was hot, much hotter than during the match with Iris.
The battery had dropped from eighty percent to thirty-four in less than twenty minutes.
Noah touched the back of the device.
"It’s burning up."
The audio transmitted a loud noise and several viewers complained.
[Lower the volume.]
[You almost made me deaf.]
[Your microphone is really bad.]
[NOVICE_NOAH, buy another phone.]
"I know."
Suddenly someone knocked on the door and Noah froze.
"Noah?"
It was Emma.
"Yes?"
"Are you talking to someone?"
Noah glanced at the stream and the chat started reacting.
[Who is it?]
[Is that his mom?]
[Tell her to say hi.]
[NOVICE_NOAH, OPEN THE DOOR.]
Noah muted the microphone.
"I’m playing."
Emma turned the handle. The door wasn’t locked, so Noah quickly stood up and held it before it could open.
"Wait!"
Emma stopped.
"Is something wrong?"
"No."
"Then open up."
"I’m busy."
"With what?"
Noah looked at the phone. The stream was still going.
The camera was off, but the game screen remained visible and the chat filled with messages.
[He doesn’t want his mom to come in, how cute.]
[He’s nervous.]
[They probably don’t let him do this.]
[NOVICE_NOAH, TELL HER YOU’RE TALKING TO 57 WOMEN.]
Noah felt his face heat up.
"I can’t open right now."
Emma stayed silent.
"Are you changing?"
"Yes."
The lie came out too fast, but Emma stepped back.
"Okay, I just wanted to let you know dinner will be ready soon."
"Thanks."
Noah waited until he heard her footsteps moving away before returning to the desk and turning the microphone back on.
"Don’t write weird stuff."
One viewer replied.
[You lied to your mom for us.]
Another.
[Does this mean we can say our relationship is serious?]
Noah shook his head.
"Of course not."
The connection failed again and the stream froze for several seconds.
When it returned, the number of viewers had dropped to 49.
Noah tried to continue the match, but then he received a call from Ava.
The call took over the entire screen and kicked the game stream out.
Noah rejected it and Ava called again.
Noah rejected it once more and then a message arrived.
[WHY ARE YOU TALKING TO YOURSELF?]
Noah looked at the wall.
Ava’s room was right next door, so she had probably heard his voice.
He typed.
[I’m playing.]
The reply came immediately.
[WITH WHO?]
Noah didn’t answer, but the chat was still active and some viewers had seen the notification with Ava’s name.
[WHO IS AVA?]
[YOUR GIRLFRIEND?]
[NOVICE_NOAH, DO YOU HAVE A GIRLFRIEND?]
Noah answered out loud.
"She’s my sister!"
The chat changed.
[Introduce your family.]
[Where does your sister study?]
[Does she know you’re streaming?]
Noah put a hand over his face.
"I’m not introducing anyone."
Another knock came at the door. This time it was Ava.
"Noah."
"What?"
"Open up."
"I can’t."
"Why?"
"I’m busy."
"Who are you talking to?"
"No one."
"I heard you answering questions."
Noah looked at the screen.
[68 VIEWERS.]
The number had gone up while he argued with his family and the chat was full of messages.
[Is Ava jealous?]
[Open the door.]
[We want to hear the argument.]
Noah muted the microphone again.
"I’m watching a stream."
"Then why are you talking?"
"I’m... commenting..."
Ava tried to open it, but Noah had locked the door this time.
"That’s weird."
"Go eat dinner."
"Are you hiding something?"
"No."
Ava stayed behind the door and Noah could imagine her expression.
"I’ll talk to you later."
"Okay."
The footsteps moved away slowly.
Noah returned to the stream and turned the microphone back on.
"I think I’m going to have to end this."
The chat filled with protests.
[NO.]
[Stay.]
[You’ve only been on for half an hour.]
[Play another one.]
[Give us your social media.]
[What high school do you go to?]
Noah read the last question.
"I’m not saying where I study."
One user wrote.
[In the receipts you could see the logo of a store that’s in Star City.]
Another replied.
[His accent is from that area too.]
Noah felt real concern because they had gotten information from a receipt that had appeared on screen for less than two seconds.
"Stop investigating!"
The battery reached eight percent and the phone showed another temperature warning.
The stream started freezing more frequently and the audio cut in and out.
Noah decided to end it.
"Thanks for coming. I’ll do another stream when I have better equipment."
Several viewers asked when he would be back, but Noah had no answer.
"I’ll announce it."
He remembered he had started with zero followers, so he checked the number and saw he had gained 132 followers during that disastrous stream.
Noah stared at the number. That was way more than he had expected.
"See you later."
He looked for the button to end the stream, but the screen froze and wouldn’t respond.
Noah tapped it several times.
"Come on."
The phone vibrated and the battery dropped to three percent.
The image returned, but the button still wouldn’t work, so the viewers could still hear his voice.
[He doesn’t know how to end it.]
[Stay forever.]
[NOVICE_NOAH, say you love me before you go.]
Noah pressed again, but the screen went dark and the phone shut off.
The room fell silent.
Noah held the hot device with both hands. The stream had ended because the phone died, not because he had chosen to.
He left the device on the desk to cool down and then leaned back in his chair.
He had gained viewers and followers, which proved the idea could work, but everything else had been a disaster.
The microphone was bad, the connection couldn’t handle the stream, the phone overheated, the battery didn’t last, his family could walk in at any moment, and several viewers had tried to figure out where he lived and where he studied.
’Iris was right.’
He needed a computer, a good microphone, a stable connection, and a place where no one would interrupt or accidentally reveal private information.
Noah opened his notebook and started writing all of that down.
He looked at the list and then wrote the approximate price next to each item. The final amount was worse than before.
Noah leaned back against the chair.
He couldn’t ask Emma and Sarah for all that money. They were already paying for his studies, food, transportation, and basic needs.
He didn’t want to depend on Yume, Luna, or Iris either.
If he wanted to start streaming, he had to pay for the equipment himself, and that meant only one thing: he needed to work.
Noah looked at the dead phone.
First he would have to get money, and for that he needed to find a job.