[Rinjou Shizuka PoV]
“(I watched the stream, your character was totally collapsing LOL)” (?)
I stared at the message from Zeria-chan with a resentful look.
“(It was unbelievably painful! Tell me properly next time!)” (Shizuka)
Zeria-chan is a VTuber from the same VTuber agency as me, [Virtual Real].
Since we debuted around the same time, we became quite close friends, and we stay in touch even in our private lives.
Before I did the challenge, I asked my Super Spicy Peyoung challenge senpai, Zeria-chan, “How spicy is it?”. However, the answer I received was, “Hmm, not really that spicy. It’s quite ordinary.”
Based on that response, I ended up streaming the Super Spicy Peyound challenge even though it wasn’t something I was good at.
As you can see, the result was disastrous. In other words, it’s all Zeria-chan’s fault.
“(I mean, if I had told the truth, there’s no way you would have eaten it lol)” (Zeria)
“(Of course! What even was that? Was that human food?)” (Shizuka)
“(I know right! The next day, I had such a bad stomachache lol)” (Zeria)
So, Zeria-chan is a little devil VTuber who is the subordinate of the princess of the demon realm, “Mamimume Memo”, another VTuber from our agency. CP1 is often set up between them, and fan-arts of them are often created.
Zeria-chan usually plays the role of the “troubled subordinate of Memo-san”, where she is tasked with outrageous requests from Memo-san, making it a recurring theme in their content.
In other words, for her, the Ultra Super Spicy Peyoung challenge is not the worst thing she has experienced.
It seems that there is a content called “Zeria Torture” where people enjoy seeing Zeria-chan go through tough situations, but surprisingly, she herself seems to find it “delicious”.
As for myself, being a refined princess-like character, I feel like I have lost something important because of the Peyoung challenge.
“(Oh, by the way, you moved, right?)” (Zeria)
“(Yeah, that’s right! Starting today, I’m living on my own!)” (Shizuka)
“(Is it in Tokyo?)” (Zeria)
“(That’s right! Once I settle in, let’s hang out in real life!)” (Shizuka)
Zeria-chan said she lives in Tokyo, so now we will be able to meet easily. I’m excited about meeting someone in real life whom I have only known online until now.
“(I’ll drop by your place someday. Living alone can be quite challenging, but hang in there!)” (Zeria)
“(Thanks! The neighbor is really nice, so I think I’ll manage somehow.)” (Shizuka)
I sent a peace sign emoji.
“(You greeted the neighbor? In Tokyo, not many people do that.)” (Zeria)
“(Yeah, but they helped me with unpacking.)” (Shizuka)
“(…………??? You let a stranger you just met into your house to help with unpacking??)” (Zeria)
“(Yeah, but… was that a bad idea? I couldn’t finish unpacking alone.)” (Shizuka)
“(That person is a women right???)” (Zeria)
“(…………)” (Shizuka)
“(…………Seriously? Are you okay?)” (Zeria)
“(I made sure to separate boxes with underwear and stuff! And besides, they are really nice person, so I think it’s fine. Well, I couldn’t move certain things like my computer alone.)” (Shizuka)
Thinking of Souma-kun effortlessly lifting the heavy computer made my heart flutter.
“(Well, I guess there’s not much you can do about it… Anyways, be careful, okay? Living alone as a woman comes with lots of risks, and we also have the risk of our identities being revealed.)” (Zeria)
“(I will be careful. Thanks, Zeria-chan.)” (Shizuka)
I have already been exposed! But there is no way I can say that!
And so, my eventful first day of moving came to an end.
……
……
……Souma-kun.
◆
[Souma PoV]
“What are you looking at, Souma?” (?)
“A VTuber.” (Souma)
“Oh, it’s Ette-sama again. You really like her huh?” (?)
The one sitting next to me with a tray of curry was Keisuke, a fellow student from the same department. I can’t exactly remember what his family name. We usually have meals together at the university cafeteria on weekdays.
The university cafeteria is spacious, and although there are many people, seats are often empty. That’s why we always wait for each other at the usual seat. There are no strict arrangements, and if one of us doesn’t show up, the other just eats alone. It’s a relaxed relationship, but I didn’t mind the atmosphere.
“Alright, let’s eat.” (Souma)
I put away my smartphone, which I was using to watch MeTube, and picked up my chopsticks to take a bite of the steaming ramen.
Keisuke, who was scooping up his curry with a spoon, started talking.
“Do you know? The Shootdown King of the Engineering Department recently rejected the top player from the Tennis Club. That same victim is the one who won the Mister Contest last year.” (Keisuke)
“The Shootdown King of the Engineering Department? What was that again?” (Souma)
“Are you an idiot? It’s the super beautiful girl that our university is proud of!” (Keisuke)
“Don’t face this way and yell at me, gross.” (Souma)
The Shootdown King of the Engineering Department…?
Even after searching my memory, I have no recollection of hearing rumors about such a person.
“Was there really someone like that?” (Souma)
“Haven’t you heard of Minase Mafuyu, a first-year engineering student? Since April, all the cool guys at our university have been obsessed with talking about her.” (Keisuke)
“Minase Mafuyu…?” (Souma)
Minase Mafuyu…Minase Mafuyu…Minase Mafuyu… The face doesn’t come to mind, but the name does sound oddly familiar.
“Oh, I think I might have heard of her before.” (Souma)
“I knew you would probably know. She is said to be a sure winner for this year’s beauty pageant, but it looks like she’s not interested in it at all. Not to mention, no matter who she talks to, she always felt distant.” (Keisuke)
“Well, that’s understandable. If you’re bombarded with attention right after entering university, it might make you wary.” (Souma)
While slurping on my ramen, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Minase Mafuyu, a woman I knew nothing about.
Coming to study diligently at a university, yet constantly approached by unknown guys and even being expected to join the beauty pageant, it’s no wonder she’s fed up. Just as guys who don’t attract attention have their own worries, popular ones also have their fair share of troubles.
Although I’m not completely disinterested in a kouhai3, who seems to have captured the hearts of everyone in the university, I certainly don’t stand a chance if even the top player in Tennis Club got shot down. I promptly deleted the name Minase Mafuyu from my brain’s memory. After all, I have Ette-sama in my life now. Ette-sama, who lives next door, is way more significant than some unknown beauty pageant winner. That’s just common sense, right?
“I wish I were born two years later, sigh.” (Keisuke)
“You idiot, you wouldn’t stand a chance either. Well, I’m off.” (Souma)
“Alright, good luck!” (Keisuke)
While Keisuke is stuffing his mouth full of curry and daydreaming about a rosy university life with a beautiful girl, I left my seat and headed off. Unlike him, I still have a class in the fourth period.
I took the elective course “Information Media Studies”, it is not required but I was curious about it. I decided to eventually take it because I wanted some extra credits, but it turned out to be quite interesting.
What I particularly liked about it was that the content of the class was directly applicable to daily life.
You see, for subjects like mathematics, it’s easy to think, “When will I ever use integrals in real life?” However, in Information Media Studies, there’s no such dilemma. The class covers topics like internet security, how the websites we frequently use are created, and even how to make CG (computer graphics). It delves into fields that are noticeable to us in some way if we have smartphones or computers.
Sure, you can light a stove without knowing how it works, but understanding its mechanism can help you avoid many dangers. In today’s society, I believe that becoming knowledgeable about internet-related matters can be more beneficial than anything else. That’s why I was looking forward to this class quite a bit.
◆
The lecture room was by no means large, and the students were sparsely seated. Many of them were kouhais. Diligent students who willingly took extra lectures were not common at this university, it seemed.
I quietly sat down at the corner of the back row, trying not to stand out. I was about to put on my earphones, but I stopped myself. The lecture was about to start soon.
“Mafuyu, did you really get confessed to again?” (?)
“…………Yes. Of course, I turned them down.” (Mafuyu)
“When will they ever learn? Even though Mafuyu already has someone in her heart“ (?)
“It’s not like that, though.” (Mafuyu)
The seats in the lecture room were arranged like in a movie theater or the tea fields of Shizuoka Prefecture4. From my position in the last row, I could see the entire lecture room.
A little ahead of me, I could see two female students chatting.
One of them had pink-beige bob-cut hair and is talking cheerfully, while the other had long black hair and responded in a calm way. It was an interesting combination.
Feeling a bit bored, I decided to pass the time by eavesdropping on their conversation without much thought.
“Eh, but you said before! You can’t be with anyone because you can’t forget your first love!” (Pink-beige-haired girl)
“It’s not as dramatic as that. It’s just that, somehow, that person is still in my heart. We haven’t seen each other since we moved due to my parents’ transfer, maybe because it happened when we were still little, I couldn’t even experience a proper heartbreak. I just can’t find myself interested in being in a relationship with anyone right now.” (Mafuyu)
The two of them seemed to be talking about love.
From behind, I couldn’t see their faces, but the girl with black hair seems to be quite popular.
However, she can’t forget her first love, and that makes it difficult for her to be in a relationship with anyone. It’s a heart-wrenching story.
“Mafuyu, you have some surprisingly romantic tendencies, you know? If it were me, I would have forgotten about someone I haven’t been in contact with for 10 years.” (Pink-beige-haired girl)
“…………It’s not like I will go out of my way to meet that person again. But I just want to cherish these feelings a little longer.” (Mafuyu)
I was on the verge of shedding tears due to the earnest feelings hidden behind the cool demeanor of the girl with long black hair.
What a wonderful person she is. How can it be okay for such a pure maiden’s feelings to not be fulfilled?
Her crush should just come and see her right now.
Seriously.
“*Gugugu*… You’re making me cry… Oh, but you know what? Nowadays, if you search their name on Instagram or Facebook, wouldn’t they show up? Have you tried searching?” (Pink-beige-haired girl)
“I’m not really familiar with that kind of stuff, so I haven’t tried it… Does that mean their profile comes up just from their name?” (Mafuyu)
“Well, I’m not sure, but if it’s someone from our generation, there’s a good chance they have an account. Why don’t you tell me their name, and I can try searching for you?” (Pink-beige-haired girl)
As expected of an Information Media Studies student.
Indeed, using social media, you might be able to find information about someone you only know by name.
Whether it’s a good or bad thing in terms of privacy, I’m not sure, but at least it’s helping this maiden’s first love was starting to move. So it must be a good thing.
Good job, Instagram.
Good job, Facebook.
The girl with long black hair hesitated, shaking her head a few times, before finally mustering the courage to meet the gaze of the pink-beige-haired girl.
“Um… Tendou Souma(天童蒼馬). Ten(天) for Heaven, Dou(童) for Child, and the difficult one, Sou(蒼) for Blue and Ma(馬) for horse.” (Mafuyu)
……………
“…………Eh? Me?” (Souma)
TL notes:
Thanks for reading!
Ah yes, Meta, the company who blatantly demands all of your data.
I am not good with spicy stuff either, but I will definitely not eat anything that starts with “super spicy”. But maybe Shizuka did it FoR ThE CoNTeNt.
There is a good chance I might have messed up the princess VTuber’s name. It’s like really confusing so idk: “魔魅夢まみむメモ”.
Also Vol 2 illustration just got released:
Footnote:
- CP means coupling/character pairing like shipping I guess. No, it’s not the other CP you are thinking of.
- Nanchatte means just kidding or something like that. I don’t exactly know what this meant so to not make it weird, I put in the original text instead.
- Kouhai is an underclassman, Senpai is upperclassman but you probably already know the latter.
- A place in Japan where “Mt. Fuji” is located and also boasts the largest production of Japanese green tea.
Thank you for the chapter