[Futaba Tamashiro]

Futaba usually had designated office hours. These office hours were for appointments, meetings, helping other staff, and what else she might have to do. Usually Futaba would work on her vtubing schedule or video editing. Most of the time, she wouldn't have people suddenly bursting in on her in the office. Most people at her work didn't know that she was a vtuber and she was fine with that. She knew some of the admins would be disappointment that 'she isn't dedicating 100% her effort to the students', whatever that meant.

The schedule she had planned for the coming week was rather low work compared to usual stream loads. She wasn't doing anything super intense this week. Just some Animal Crossing, Pokemon and chatting. It wasn't exactly her shamisen stream or when she would do music. Her neighbors also didn't appreciate when she would be playing with her gen mates. Brass instruments weren't exactly quiet. Regardless, she was self indulging a bit with her schedule. While creating her thumbnails for the streams, she would listen to the music that she would soon perform at the coming HoloStar concert. To hide what music she was listening to, Futaba had the music fed to her via her hearing aids.

"Long day..." Futaba would mutter, posting her schedule for her manager, peering that she still had a few hours in her work schedule.

[Freja Helt]

Freja had been visiting the library more and more lately. At first it was just to study the selection, see if there was anything that caught her eye that she could start reading up on. Then she took note of how nice and quiet it was and started to do some of her homework here. She lived with two roommates and while they weren't necessarily the loud types, it was just nice to have a corner of the school she could sort of, disappear off to. It was also way easier to enter 'work mode' while at school, compared to in her own room.

This entire time she wasn't just studying her homework or looking at books either. She was also taking careful glances in Futaba's direction. Was she busy? Was now a bad time? She would hate to be a bother, but there was so much she wanted to ask her. Like an overly anxious introvert she couldn't just walk into her office, it was more like building up the courage was a week long endeavor that eventually culminated in her knocking on Futaba's office door as she peeked her head inside.

''...Futaba-sensei?'' She spoke up carefully, afraid to disturb or offend her. As if asking for a minute of her time could be offensive somehow. It probably wasn't, but she approached the whole encounter carefully either way. ''Do you have a moment to talk? If it's not a good time right now maybe I can come back later?''

Futaba Tamashiro

[Futaba Tamashiro]

Futaba was humming a bit to herself. There was some music she had been thinking of. Being in a vtuber band was a very involved job. Talking to producers, writers, etc. Meant she was always busy with that in some form or another. Humming along, she finished up her schedule before hearing a voice enter her office. Turning towards the door, Futaba smiled softly. It was one of the students she met back when Futaba offered the library tour. "Ah, hello Halt-san. It's good to see you!" Futaba could somewhat relate to Freja. When she saw them, she saw herself when she was in High School. She couldn't place her fingers on why that was but she remembered offering that anyone can drop in and talk to her if they needed it.

"Of course, Halt-san. Take a seat!" Futaba would gesture at the seat in front of her desk before turning off her computer monitor. "Is there something bothering you?" She would ask, giving the student a inquisitive look.

[Freja Helt]

Was it? Was it good to see her? She really wasn't disturbing Futaba in the middle of work or anything? ''Thank you, sensei!'' Futaba wasn't exactly a hero teacher, but she still wanted to pay respect. If anything, Freja respected Futaba way more than she did some of her other teachers. Freja was a little sheepish in her movements, but eventually went to sit down as offered. ''Well..'' She sighed, ''I guess it's me?'' She looked down shamefully.

''I know powers aren't everything and that there's more to being a hero, or even being a person, but I can't help but feel... Lesser than everyone else. Like the fact that I don't have powers is somehow my fault, you know?'' She glanced up at Futaba, but only for a second. ''I've been having trouble getting jobs because of it too. Even though quirks don't matter on the job, lots of people don't want me when they could have someone with a quirk instead.'' She tightened the grip on the book she was holding a little bit. ''I know I shouldn't let it bother me, but I was wondering.. Sensei,'' she could feel herself growing more and more nervous asking a personal question like this. ''Have you ever tried something like that? I-I don't know a lot of quirkless people like me..'' In Freja's mind, Futaba had it all figured out. Nice job, she was as cool as could be, but it probably hadn't always been that way.

Futaba Tamashiro

[Futaba Tamashiro]

Freja was a very interesting student to Futaba. Very rarely would she encounter a student at UAU that was quirkless, let alone a hero student. The last quirkless student she remembered from the year before dropped out of the school and moved home after feeling their prospects limited by being quirkless. Futaba felt like they failed that student so isn't going let that happen to another student if she could help it. "I know what you mean. Seems unfair right?" Futaba wanted to start in a way that it didn't sound like she was dismissive of Freya's concerns. Futaba had gotten lucky with the jobs she has but understands that she was the exception, not the rule.

"Well, as someone who lost their quirk before I really could do anything with it so a lot of my career options got limited but there a plenty of jobs out there for people like you and me." Futaba knew being quirkless in today's society probably meant that a lot of your career prospects were limited or eliminated in the latest, hottest economic trend: heroes. "Like, I want to be honest. With how heroes work, being quirkless puts you at a great disadvantage. Futaba paused a bit, giving Freja a soft smile. She didn't want to come off as discouraging so she continued "I got my degree from the University of Tokyo, at least I got my masters from there. I work for UAU so I do work for the hero course." Getting up from her chair, she went and closed the office door.

"I work two jobs because UAU doesn't pay me enough to live in Tokyo. I don't live in Tokyo anyway. It's too loud for me." Futaba laughed a little, before sitting down again."I think, however, if anyone can make this hero thing work, it would be you, Helt-san."

[Freja Helt]

''Yeah..'' She lowered her gaze, looking down at her own lap. When she was a kid she had been bullied for being essentially quirkless, but she always imagined that once she grew older everything would work out. That adults were beyond discriminating on each other and valued the person more than the power. Unfortunately, that hadn't been the case for Freja's own lived experiences.

''You used to have a quirk too, sensei?'' She looked up, blinking her eyes and blushing ever so slightly as she realized she had let her own secret slip. That Freja too, technically hadn't always been quirkless. ''Y-Yeah, that's okay.. I'm working hard at it in the meantime!'' She forced a smile, Futaba's soft smile was so comforting, she was glad she had decided to speak to her about this. It wasn't that she didn't talk to her other teachers, it was more like Freja felt like they didn't understand. As good as their intentions were, most heroes barely went a week without using their precious powers. They could never understand what being inadequate felt like. ''From the University of Tokyo, that's quite prestigious isn't it?'' It was no surprise to hear that Futaba was a genius. ''You work.. Two jobs?'' She somehow didn't anticipate that however. A job at UAU wasn't enough? Rents out here had to be crazy expensive then. ''Oh, thank you sensei, I-I'll keep working at it. The biggest problem is... I don't think I'm good at anything else, but I can't exactly be paid to be a hero yet, not for another few years, so I need to find a job that a quirkless person can do.''

Futaba Tamashiro

[Futaba Tamashiro]

"I used to have a quirk. Indeed. It's why I have these now." Futaba pointed at the hearing aids in her ears. The hearing aids were a side effect of her loss of hearing that was induced by her quirk. It was a rather nasty thing that she rather not want to deal with again. The hearing loss is a cakewalk compared to what her quirk would do. She could without whatever the hell happens at her house at night. Spirits weren't fun to look at. "You'll get used to it, I promise." Futaba nodded, not wanting to pry too much on the quirk issue. She has met others who have lost quirks who never told her why and others who shared it openly. She isn't going to pry on Freja's personal life unless Freja disclosed that information herself.

"Yeah, it's a fancy place. A lot more prestigious as UAU but that's my personal bias." Futaba laughed a little, her pride in her alma mater being a rather infamous thing among the UAU staff. It did concern Futaba, however, that Freja was struggling to find employment. She knew that being a hero student usually meant that the students would do internships at agencies. It was rather disheartening for Futaba to think about.

Looking at her computer screen, she noticed her HoloStar schedule was still up. "So, uh, well. Would you be interested in working for HoloStar? I know it isn't hero work but its a nice job and they have various career opportunities." Futaba would suggest, wondering what Freja's reaction would be.

[Freja Helt]

Freja had never even noticed the hearing aids if it wasn't for Futaba pointing them out to her. ''..Thank you, sensei.'' She smirked, realizing that Futaba was just trying to put her weary mind at ease. ''Probably a lot more smart, brainy types at Tokyo U, not that people here aren't smart or anything, but a lot of us on the hero course... Well, we're more physically gifted, I guess?'' She wasn't even sure why said 'we', considering she had to work hard for every inch she had gained so far. Some people were born with powerful muscle quirks, Freja had to lift weights manually and better her body to make up for her lack of a quirk.

''H-HoloStar?'' She blinked her eyes perplexed at what she had just heard. Was Futaba-sensei talking about... ''Like the idol agency?'' She furrowed her brow, remembering that her current screen saver was actually a picture of HoloStar Sea idol Oshiro. Wait no, that was way too weird of a coincidence, did she know someone in the idol industry?? Was there something Futaba didn't know? It felt like her knowledge and connections were nigh infinite. ''Um.. Pardon me for asking sensei, but what do you mean? Do you know anyone that works at HoloStar?'' She fidgeted a bit as she fished out her phone. ''I'm a pretty big fan of some of the talent there, actually.'' She admitted with a dorky smile. ''Do you know Oshiro? Her videos introduced me to HoloStar, I also saw Momo and the Golden Bazookas recently, they were really good.'' She showed a couple of pictures from the live concert during the Ikigai event.

It wasn't until after a moment or so she finally realized Futaba might be serious. ''Do you think they have a job opening for someone without a quirk?''

Futaba Tamashiro

[Futaba Tamashiro]

Futaba couldn't help but giggle a little. Hearing someone say they're a big fan of 'Oshiro', her friend and co-worker. She was just testing Suki a few minute ago about dinner plans. Suki and Futaba usually go out to lunch or dinner together after work. It was funny to her that she could overhear some of the students talking about people she knew really well and worked with. She has to remember to mention that to Suki when she sees her the next time. "Oh, yeah. That's my second job. I work for HoloStar." Futaba peered over to the door to make sure it was closed.

"Yeah, you can say I know Oshiro. I have lunch with her all the time. If you start working with the company, you'll probably meet her." Futaba couldn't help feel a bit giddy. Naturally there was a fandom behind her band but it was usually the regulars that supported generally most of the talent from the company. She loved being 'Momo'. Momo was very much like her but there were just parts of it that expressed itself better through Momo. Hard to show off your love for Ska and music in general being a librarian.

"Glad you liked the concert. My band mates and I worked hard on it. Was a really fun time. Anyways." Futaba casually dropped the detail without lingering too much on it. She wanted Freja to meet her own conclusions. "HoloStar hires many people, quirk or not. Some of us have quirks, some don't. Not everyone is an idol. My best friend works as a video editor for them. There are lots of opportunities there!"

[Freja Helt]

Maybe it was a childish hobby after all, being as into HoloStar as she was. She couldn’t help it, it’s not like she was weird about it. Well, not that weird. The simple truth was watching it or listening to it on her runs made her relax and feel at ease. The streams often helped her laugh too, and she always needed that. When Futaba revealed her little ‘secret’ Freja’s face turned beet red. “Y-You’re… What?! You work for HoloStar??” She was genuinely shocked, but now that she really listened there was something familiar about Futaba’s voice, and not just because of her job as a librarian. Maybe that was exactly why she was so shocked. Who would expect their school librarian to also be working as a V-Tuber on the side?

“You have lunch together?” She put her hands up to her head, as if to plug her thoughts from leaking out of her ears. “That’s crazy.. I would have never guessed!” Meet her? Meet Oshiro? Oh no, she couldn’t do that she might actually faint and never wake up. How could life get better than meeting one of your idols? “Really? Do you think I would have a chance?” She had to admit if it was between waiting tables and working at HoloStar, she was ready to accept any position. Heck, she would happily clean the toilets if that was all they were looking for. She rubbed at the back of her neck. “I might apply.. B-But not just because I’m a fan!”

Futaba Tamashiro

[Futaba Tamashiro]

Freja's reaction was very endearing. She rarely got to tell people about her profession. Her family had to sign a NDA before she could tell them. It was odd at first to her but understanding on how people view vtubers. Futaba was playing a sort of character. People wanted to see that character, not the person behind it. She was already used to it by this point so when she could tell someone who just seems to be a earnest fan was always great. "People don't talk to me enough here to recognise me voice." Futaba giggled a little, before continuing "Once you remove the models, we are less scary. I swear."

Futaba glanced at her phone, seeing a couple notifications from her gen mates. "We have a couple job openings that aren't being an idol. I need a editor for my stream VODs for example." Futaba would offer, looking at her phone again. "If you want, I can send you my managers number and you can talk to them?"

[Freja Helt]

''I-I would've never guessed, or linked your voices together.'' She mulled it over for a moment. ''I guess I never thought about who is behind the avatar, I was just happy to watch and cheer along, so I would've never guessed that you worked for HoloStar.'' She was both amazed and completely starstruck. Hopefully she wasn't coming across like an awkward fan or anything! Was her palms sweaty? Why was she thinking about things like that now? ''Y-Yeah! N-Not that I ever found you scary, sensei!'' She bowed her head politely, as if she felt a need to silently apologize.

''Really? You do?'' Her eyes lit up, Futaba was offering her hope. Lighting a path in the dark, dark existence that was job hunting and sending out hundreds of applications only to hear nothing back. ''Would you do that for me? That would be fantastic! I-I'll do my best at the interviews, you won't regret it!'' Not just any job, but a job at HoloStar! She was ready to work for this, train herself to be as professional as possible for the interview. It was either this, or most likely some kind of entry level service job where she would have to deal with rude customers. She had done that for years already outside of Japan and it was exhausting, but a job at HoloStar? This was her golden ticket. A one time opportunity to take her life in a much more adventurous direction. ''..Were you nervous at first? Getting the job, I mean- or getting into the business.''

Futaba Tamashiro

[Futaba Tamashiro]

"Most people don't make the connection. I'm good at hiding it. My own partner didn't know until I told."
Futaba laughed at little on how of a shock it came to some of the people she was allowed to tell about her second job. It was a awkward situation often to manage when it comes to her regular work but she didn't mind the multi tasking. When she was attending High School, she would often work long hours in her family's bakery. Like many people in her family, she was overworked but she never let that show. She was too much like her mother to admit that.

"Let me just..." Futaba pulled up Freja's email on her computer. "I'll send you some links, kay? Not just for HoloStar but other places as well." Futaba attached a couple links and job boards before sending Freja the email.

"I think you'd be a great fit for HoloStar if that's worth anything." Futaba smiled before pulling up her phone. "Let me give you my phone number. If there is ever a emergency or something pressing you want to talk about, I'll be reachable. Sound good?"