Akubi Demonspade: The Queen and Her Overworked Producer
One karaoke stream changed everything.
Kenta, a rookie manager at the downtown streaming studio Million Production, is told by the CEO to become the exclusive handler for a streamer named Akubi. Standing at 140 centimeters with a self-proclaimed age of 2000 years, dressed as the Queen of Spades, she speaks in a husky, hyper voice—and when she sings, the world goes silent.
"[excited] So you're my new manager? You're tiny and cute!"
Her very first words leave Kenta speechless. But her streams a
Akubi Demonspade: The Queen and Her Overworked Producer - The Night of the Outrage: The Queen Discards Her Voice on the Rooftop
That's wrong, he thought.
He understood it in his head. And yet — why did his chest ache like this?
Satou Kenta stared at the screen of his smartphone, unable to move.
Past midnight at Million Production's headquarters. The old three-story building should have been sleeping quietly in a corner of the Hummingbird district. But at the reception counter on the first floor, Tanabe Yuki was gripping a phone, her face pale.
"Yes... I understand... We acknowledge your notice of contract termination."
Her voice was flat, stripped of emotion. But the fingertips that set down the receiver were trembling, just slightly.
Beside her, Kenta was staring at the trending page displayed on his phone.
"Akubi Demonspade — Discriminatory Remarks"
A three-second clip. Her voice, processed, swapped out for different words.
"Humans are all liars."
Just that one line, played on repeat. The context before and after had been cut away, edited to make it look as though she had turned all of humanity into her enemy.
(This is Ryou's doing.)
Kenta bit down hard on his back teeth.
He'd said three days. But he'd posted it early. By breaking his own deadline, he meant to completely crush any chance they had to prepare a rebuttal.
"Satou-san, that makes seven companies now."
Tanabe held out a memo of the calls she'd taken. A famous beverage maker, an audio equipment manufacturer, a telecom company. The sponsors who held CM contracts with Akubi were announcing their withdrawals one after another.
"Understood. ...I'll contact the president myself."
That was all Kenta could manage to say.
(I have to find something to fight back with.)
The archive of the relevant stream from three years ago. Kenta accessed the office server. He ran a search. But nothing came up.
(It's been erased.)
Only the data for that specific stream had been cleanly deleted. Ryou had reached even here. Kenta gripped his phone. Sweat seeped into his palm.
(Is there nothing I can do?)
Frustration welled up in the back of his throat.
***
2:00 AM.
People began gathering on the road in front of Milipro's headquarters.
At first there were about ten. Within twenty minutes, it had grown past fifty. They held up phones, waved placards, and shouted at the building.
"Come out, you lying queen!"
"Don't protect a bigot!"
"Milipro is rotten!"
The angry shouts pierced through the soundproof walls and echoed inside the building.
Kenta was on the second floor, in Studio Two. Akubi's exclusive streaming room. A low desk built to match her height, spare microphones lined up against the wall, and the scattered remains of cables on the floor.
Akubi Demonspade sat in the corner of the room, hugging her knees. Her red and black dress, the spade emblem at her chest. Silver hair, disheveled and falling across her face. Her crimson eyes were fixed on the clip of herself playing on the streaming equipment's monitor.
"Akubi-san, please stay away from the window. I'm lowering the shutter."
Kenta pulled down the window shutter. The grinding sound of metal scraping. The shouts outside grew just a little more distant.
"I'm shutting down all the equipment too. Streaming will be on hiatus for a while."
Kenta turned off the streaming equipment one unit at a time. The green lights winked out.
Akubi said nothing.
"It's all right. I'll figure something out."
Kenta spoke in the gentlest voice he could manage.
Akubi slowly raised her head.
"Figure something out? Figure out what?"
Her voice was far lower, far colder than her usual husky tone.
"What can you do? You're just a rookie manager."
Kenta was at a loss for words.
(What can I do?)
He couldn't find the answer.
Akubi turned her gaze back to the monitor. On the screen, the three-second clip played over and over and over.
"Did I... ever say that?"
"You didn't. They cut the context and altered it."
"But everyone believes it."
Akubi's small fist clenched tight. So tight it went white.
"I've lived two thousand years, and this is the first time. The first time my voice has been denied."
At those words, Kenta felt something go cold deep in his chest.
(Akubi-san is having her very existence denied right now.)
Her voice was everything she was.
***
3:00 AM.
Footsteps came from the building's back entrance.
Kenta braced himself. But the one who opened the door and stepped in was a girl with long, purple-tinged straight hair. Her side braid swayed, and her narrow blue-violet eyes caught Kenta.
Sera Nox. Nineteen years old. Akubi's contemporary and a popular streamer signed to Million Production.
"Kenta-kun, this must be so hard for you."
Sera ran up to Kenta, out of breath.
"Sera-san, why are you here? It's dangerous, please go home."
"But I was worried about you. Akubi-chan's clip is spreading like crazy."
Sera tilted her head, brushing her hair back with her right hand.
"That clip — I helped spread it, you know. I found it on trending, and I thought it would help more people get to know Akubi-chan."
Kenta froze.
(What did she just say?)
"Why would you do that?! That video exists to trap Akubi-san!"
Kenta's voice rose before he could stop it.
The smile vanished from Sera's face.
"I didn't mean any harm. I really didn't. But it's still true that I spread it."
Tears welled in Sera's eyes.
"I'm sorry, Kenta-kun. I thought I was doing it for Akubi-chan..."
That was when it happened.
The studio door slowly opened.
Standing there was Akubi.
Her crimson eyes looked back and forth between Kenta and Sera.
"So you were in on it too."
Her voice was cold as ice.
"That's not true! I didn't know anything—"
"Then why are you meeting with Sera at this hour?"
Akubi's voice trembled.
"The two of you were laughing at me, weren't you. Saying my voice is the voice of a liar."
"Akubi-san, please calm down. Sera-san didn't mean any harm—"
"Shut up!"
Akubi's scream echoed off the soundproof walls.
"I won't believe your words anymore. I won't believe anyone."
With that, Akubi turned on her heel and ran.
"Akubi-san! Wait!"
Kenta tried to chase after her. But Sera grabbed his arm.
"Kenta-kun, what am I supposed to do? Akubi-chan hates me now."
Sera's tears fell onto Kenta's arm.
"Sera-san, right now, please let me go after Akubi-san."
Kenta shook off Sera's hand and ran after Akubi.
***
4:00 AM.
Akubi was on the roof of the office.
Above the three-story building. The Hummingbird district before dawn spread out below her. The rooftops of old buildings, narrow alleys, the red lamp of Voice Tower glowing in the distance.
Akubi was clutching a single sheet of paper.
A contract.
"I was going to end it after three years."
She murmured.
"Why does it hurt this much?"
The wind blew. On the rooftop wall, someone's graffiti swayed.
"A Soliloquy for the 2000th Year"
The continuation was carved into the wall.
"When you come to love someone, you fear the parting."
Akubi took out her smartphone. She was about to contact the president, Gouda, to cancel her contract.
Her finger trembled.
She couldn't press the button.
"I can't press it... Why can't I press it?"
A tear fell onto the screen.
That was when the rooftop door flew open.
"Akubi-san!"
Kenta came running up, gasping for breath.
"Don't come near me!"
Akubi screamed.
"What can you do? You couldn't protect me!"
Tears traced down through her silver hair, soaking into her dress.
"You were with Sera, laughing at me. Saying my voice is the voice of a liar."
"That's not true. I have never, not once, doubted your voice, Akubi-san."
Kenta took one step forward.
"I will prove the truth. That clip was altered — I swear it."
"How? All the evidence has been erased, hasn't it?"
Akubi's voice shook.
"Even so, I won't give up. I'm your manager. Protecting your voice is my job."
Kenta looked straight into Akubi's eyes.
"What can you possibly do..."
Akubi's voice grew small.
Kenta took a deep breath.
(I have to tell her now. About my past. About why I'm here.)
"Back in university, Ryou and I started a streaming project together."
Akubi listened in silence.
"Ryou said numbers were everything. That streamers who couldn't grow their view counts should be cut loose. I opposed him. But I lost. He made me admit his way was right."
Kenta's voice trembled slightly.
"There was a streamer I was managing then. The numbers didn't grow. But that person streamed every single day, giving it everything. I couldn't protect them. I let Ryou cut them loose."
Kenta clenched his fist. The old burn scar on the back of his right hand rose to the surface in the dim pre-dawn light.
"Back then, I ran away. So this time, I will never run. I won't leave you alone, Akubi-san."
Kenta's voice rang out across the rooftop.
"I won't abandon anyone ever again."
Akubi's eyes wavered, just slightly.
The contract she clutched fluttered in the wind.
"...You never told me any of this before."
Akubi's voice had softened, just a little.
"I couldn't say it. I didn't want you to see how pathetic I am."
"You idiot."
Akubi gave a small laugh. Tears still lingered on her cheeks.
"You really are hopeless, aren't you."
That was when it happened.
Kenta's smartphone buzzed.
An incoming call. When he saw the name on the screen, Kenta's expression froze.
Ryou Kurosaki.
Kenta pressed the answer button.
"Kenta. It's been a while."
A cold voice flowed from the speaker.
"Come get the full archive. The riverside promenade along the Orpheus River. Six AM. Come alone."
"What are you planning?"
"If you don't come, I'll release another clip tonight. A more interesting one this time."
There was no emotion in Ryou's voice.
"Results are everything. You know that better than anyone."
The call cut off.
Kenta stood frozen, still gripping his phone.
(The full archive. If I can get that, I can fight back.)
But it could be Ryou's trap.
"Don't go."
Akubi tugged faintly at the hem of Kenta's shirt.
"That man is dangerous. There's no telling what he'll do to you."
"But if I don't go, I can't protect your voice, Akubi-san."
Kenta gently took Akubi's hand.
A small hand. A cold hand.
"I'll be back. I promise."
"...Promise me."
Akubi's voice trembled.
Kenta nodded.
And then he left the rooftop behind.
Behind him, Akubi's small sobs faded into the wind.
***
Kenta ran through the Hummingbird district before dawn.
The anti-fans in front of headquarters had already been dispersed by the police. The road was littered with torn placards and trampled paper cups.
Kenta kept running toward the Orpheus River.
(Ryou, are you testing me?)
Or did he really intend to hand over the archive?
He didn't know.
But he had no choice but to go.
To protect Akubi's voice.
To keep from adding any more to her two thousand years of loneliness.
The riverside promenade came into view.
Morning mist covered the water's surface.
Within that mist, a man in a black coat stood waiting.
Black hair slicked back. Cold gray eyes. A silver piercing on his left ear caught the morning light.
Ryou Kurosaki.
Kenta's former best friend.
And now, his greatest enemy.
"You're late, Kenta."
A smile played at the corner of Ryou's mouth.
"Still wearing that same clueless face, I see."
Kenta glared at Ryou.
"Hand over the archive."
"Oh, I'll hand it over. On one condition."
Ryou stepped forward.
"Quit managing that little girl. And come to Nocturne. Your abilities would actually be worth something with us."
"I refuse."
Kenta answered instantly.
"I see. Then I can't give you the archive."
Ryou pulled a USB drive from his pocket.
"This is the complete version from three years ago. If you want it, accept my terms."
"You've always been like this. You'd do anything for the numbers."
"Results are everything. You know that's true, deep down."
Ryou's gray eyes pierced through Kenta.
"You're not a man who can protect that little girl. Not then, not now."
Those words stabbed into Kenta's chest.
(No. I'm not running anymore.)
Kenta clenched his fist.
"The streamer you
Novelia is an AI-powered platform to read original light novels and fan fiction, create your own in just a few taps, and chat with the characters. New, illustrated episodes arrive daily — free to start.