<Aya’s PoV>
“Hehe, I bet you all were surprised about my team members!” (Ayaya)
The day after Oni-chan’s crazy stream—
With over 450,000 subscribers on her MouTube channel, Ayaya, also known as Shirayuki Aya, a first-year university student and a VTuber affiliated with the professional gaming team Axcis Crown, was already launching ABEX while responding to the flood of comments from her viewers.
“Oh~? [That oni bastard had money signs in his eyes]—wait, why!?” (Ayaya)
With her sharp instincts for picking up engaging comments, Ayaya immediately caught onto the lively atmosphere of the chat and waited for her viewers to explain.
“Hehehe, I see! Trying to pay for a year’s worth of electricity and water bills with the prize money…Huh? [He got angry because his chat said that splitting it three ways would only give them 200,000 yen]…? Wait, so the way the prize money would be spent got exposed from that!?” (Ayaya)
Ayaya’s fresh reaction made it clear—this was news to her.
And naturally, since there were viewers who were hearing this for the first time just like her, the comment section sped up.
Comment: [That’s surprisingly domestic lol]
Comment: [No luxury spending wow]
Comment: [The way he’s using the prize money is way too practical.]
Comment: [That guy should just graduate from being a troll already lol]
“T-This is probably inconvenient for Oni-chan, so don’t go spreading it around, okay?” (Ayaya)
Comment: [Your voice is totally cracking up though]
Comment: [You’re roasting him so naturally lmao]
Comment: [This is definitely gonna trouble him LOL]
Comment: [Gonna tell Rina-san after the stream for sure~]
Thanks to the streaming mishap that brought Oni-chan even more attention, a lot of things had been unintentionally revealed to the audience.
That his toxic persona was just for show.
That he was actually a young man with an imouto who seemed to be a high school student.
And that, for some reason, the two of them were living together.
He was working hard to save money so that his imouto could go to university.
In fact, since it was impossible to deny these facts, there was no gap in understanding between Ayaya, who knew Oni-chan’s real self, and the viewers.
“For now… alright! If Oni-chan is in that situation, then I have to aim even harder to win too!” (Ayaya)
To entertain, make the viewers happy, and give back to them, but also to make Oni-chan’s life a little easier.
With those thoughts in her voice, Ayaya began practicing her aim—focusing on target practice, imagining combat situations.
Unlike real matches, she didn’t have to think about positioning, so she could focus more on checking the comments and keeping the conversation going.
“[What’s your plan for team composition at the Ebe Festival?]—Well, actually, I’m super torn on that… Oni-chan and I both specialize in fight characters, and Rina-san is a support specialist, so if we keep things as they are, the team will end up being an aggressive composition, but…” (Ayaya)
As she trailed off, the comment section picked up on what Ayaya was vaguely feeling.
Comment: [Considering the tournament format, it might be tough]
Comment: [Other parties will probably go for balanced comps, right?]
Comment: [I think you guys have the potential to fight with raw skill tho]
Comment: [It sucks that Ayaya and Oni-chan’s characters overlap lol]
Everyone had their own opinions.
Even so, it was only natural that many viewers saw winning as “tough”.
Unlike regular ranked matches, every team in the tournament would be using voice chat to exchange information, coordinate, and adjust their strategies on the spot to aim for higher placements.
Pulling off the ideal move of downing one opponent to gain a numbers advantage would be harder than usual.
“Um, everyone. I haven’t told anyone about this yet… but since it’s a special occasion, I thought it might be fun if Rina-san, Oni-chan, and I did a collab stream to decide on the team comp together! What do you all think?” (Ayaya)
Comment: [No way!?]
Comment: [I’d totally watch that!!]
Comment: [I’m really curious to see how Rina-san and Oni-chan will interact lol]
Comment: [Please! Do your best to make it happen!]
The viewers were all for it.
“Thank you! Then, I’ll check with them right after the stream ends!” (Ayaya)
Comment: [After the stream ends!?]
Comment: [Not right now!?]
Comment: [You don’t have to worry about us lol]
Comment: [Just send the message already]
“R-Really!? Then, sorry, everyone! Excuse me for just a moment…!” (Ayaya)
Ayaya always aimed to keep her streams engaging, but if the viewers encouraged her, she had no reason to hold back.
Since a collaboration stream would require aligning everyone’s schedules, contacting them as soon as possible would help avoid any inconvenience.
Just as she picked up her phone from the desk and launched Diacord, she caught sight of the sudden acceleration of the comment section.
“Hm?” (Ayaya)
Lifting her head, she immediately realized why.
“…Eh! Rina-san just sent a comment!? Rina-san, you’re watching the stream right now!?” (Ayaya)
Fixating on the screen, Ayaya stared at the flowing comments for several seconds, making sure not to miss anything.
A blue-name user, indicating an official MouTube creator, appeared.
Rina: [Yahoo~ I’m also on board with Ayacchi’s idea. Besides, that way, we’ll be able to interact more. I’ll start chasing you-know-who on Twitto to make sure they join.]
“Haha, then let’s leave Oni-chan to Rina-san, shall we!” (Ayaya)
Comment: [As expected of Rina-sama.]
Comment: [So reliable lol]
Comment: [Please drag him in!]
Comment: [Even that guy can’t resist Rina-san lol.]
Just as Ayaya was looking at the increasingly lively comment section, a notification sound from Diacord rang out.
Almost instinctively, Ayaya shifted her gaze to her phone screen, where a real-time message from Rina had just arrived.
Diacord DM: [I’ll take care of that matter! I’ll contact you right away if there’s any progress. In the meantime, keep up the good work with your stream, Ayacchi! Sorry for barging in!]
Along with the message, there was a sticker of a character bowing repeatedly in apology. Ayaya couldn’t help but smile at Rina’s thoughtfulness.
Shaking her head slightly, she quickly sent a reply: [It’s totally fine!] Then, gripping her gaming mouse, she returned to the stream.
“Alright! I’ll update everyone about the collab once I get more info, so stay tuned! And in just a bit, I’ll be diving into ranked matches too!” (Ayaya)
Her time holding her phone was over.
Fueled by Rina’s encouragement and determined to bring fun to her viewers, Ayaya continued to give it her all today.
∮
<Haruto’s PoV>
Two days later, on a weekday morning.
At the front door—
“Yuu, did you forget anything? Do you have your wallet with you?” (Haruto)
“Haa… onii-chan, I’m not like you.” (Yuno)
“Do you really have to say that right now!?” (Haruto)
As he saw off Yuno in her school uniform, Haruto found himself taking an unexpected hit.
“But it was just yesterday when you forgot your wallet. I mean, how do you forget it when you’re going to the convenience store?” (Yuno)
“Uh… I was just really focused on wanting to eat some gummies…” (Haruto)
“That makes no sense at all.” (Yuno)
Yuno understood his reasoning—‘I ran out of my essential editing snack, so I had no choice but to go buy some’—but forgetting the very thing needed to make the purchase was beyond her comprehension.
“Ahem. Anyways, I had a hard time back then, which is why I’m reminding you now.” (Haruto)
“Then, do you want to see? My wallet’s right here.” (Yuno)
“Eh? Ah, um…” (Haruto)
Seeing her confidence, there was probably no need to check.
Logically, Haruto knew that. But there was always that what if?
Caught in this internal struggle, he unconsciously furrowed his brows, his expression turning apologetic as he spoke.
“Sorry, just to be sure… is it okay if I check?” (Haruto)
“Yeah, go ahead.” (Yuno)
To most people, Haruto’s excessive worrying would be seen as overbearing. But Yuno never felt that way.
Now, it was just the two of them left in their family.
She understood his feelings all too well.
Opening her school bag, she pulled out the folded wallet Haruto had given her as a birthday present and held it up for him to see.
“I know it’s a little late to say this, but I always stop by the supermarket after school, so there’s no way I’d forget it.” (Yuno)
“Do you have enough money? If you need some allowance—” (Haruto)
“—I don’t need it. What’s the point of me working part-time if I take money from you?” (Yuno)
Yuno cut him off because she already knew what Haruto was about to say.
This was something she wasn’t willing to compromise on.
“But…” (Haruto)
“If it comes to taking money from you, I’d just add another shift.” (Yuno)
“I-Is that so…?” (Haruto)
“Obviously.” (Yuno)
While Haruto covered the bigger expenses like tuition and living costs, when it came to personal spending money, that was a different story.
“Anyways, onii-chan—are you sure you don’t need me to make dinner for you today?” (Yuno)
“Ah, yeah! There are no changes to the plan, and I’m still meeting up with my colleagues at the izakaya (casual Japanese bar or pub), so it’s all good. Thanks as always.” (Haruto)
“…You don’t need to thank me.” (Yuno)
“Don’t say that.” (Haruto)
As Yuno pouted in dissatisfaction, Haruto mirrored her expression, standing his ground.
“Because it’s natural for me to cook.” (Yuno)
“And it’s natural for me to thank you.” (Haruto)
“Enough. I’m gonna kick you.” (Yuno)
“S-Sorry!” (Haruto)
“…Seriously.” (Yuno)
As Yuno slipped off her loafers and stepped back into the entryway, Haruto quickly apologized.
It was the natural consequence of mimicking her too much, but this kind of exchange was just part of their way of communicating.
Watching her put her loafers back on, Haruto narrowed his eyes slightly.
“I’ll be home late tonight, so make sure to lock up properly, okay?” (Haruto)
“I will, so onii-chan, just go and have fun. You don’t need to worry about me.” (Yuno)
“Got it. I’ll be back before midnight.” (Haruto)
“…Hey, were you even listening to what I just said?” (Yuno)
“Eh?” (Haruto)
Haruto, with a blank expression, seemed completely oblivious to Yuno’s raised eyebrows and skeptical look.
“If you were actually listening, you wouldn’t have said, ‘I’ll be back before midnight.’ I literally told you not to worry about me.” (Yuno)
“This is just something I want to do. It’s not because I’m worrying about you.” (Haruto)
“You can phrase it however you want, but that’s still the same thing.” (Yuno)
Yuno’s retort carried a justified sense of dissatisfaction.
“This time, you’re going to the izakaya to discuss work, right? If you set a return time beforehand, you won’t have any flexibility when it actually matters.” (Yuno)
“And that’s fine, because the most important thing to me isn’t work.” (Haruto)
“…” (Yuno)
She couldn’t argue with that.
Yuno was right—if the discussion didn’t go well, having the flexibility to stay longer would be necessary. Without it, he might leave a bad impression.
But tonight’s meetup at the izakaya after work wasn’t just any business discussion—it was with his teammates for the Ebe Festival, Ayaya and Rina.
The meetup was both to plan the collab stream and to strengthen their bond, making it easier for the three of them to stream together. Even so, Ayaya and Rina were understanding people who respected others’ circumstances.
“…Even as a joke, you’d get scolded if other people found out about what you just said.” (Yuno)
“Haha, true.” (Haruto)
“It’s not something to laugh about.” (Yuno)
Saying something like that could rub both their viewers and streamers the wrong way. Haruto knew it wasn’t something he should be saying out to others, which was exactly why he only said it to the person he wanted to protect the most.
That aforementioned person, Yuno, idly touched the black hair tied in her ponytail and deliberately averted her gaze.
“Well… if that’s what onii-chan wants to do, then go ahead. It seems like anything I say won’t make a difference anyway.” (Yuno)
“Then I will.” (Haruto)
“…Mm.” (Yuno)
Yuno took note that Haruto would be back by midnight.
It wasn’t that she was upset about that fact.
“Of course, I remember. I was the one who suggested it.” (Haruto)
“Then that’s good.” (Yuno)
It was something they had talked about a little while ago, but the memory was still fresh.
—(Oh, and onii-chan, on a separate note, let’s go clothes shopping together next time.)
Yuno had casually brought it up once…
—(It’s just that you might have more chances to go out from now on, right? Since you can wear them to work too, it wouldn’t hurt to have a few more sets of clothes.)
—(Got it. While we’re at it, let’s pick up some clothes for you as well. If it’s okay, Suzuha-chan can join us too.)
…and he had responded in such a way.
And later, Suzuha, Yuno’s best friend, agreed to the outing without any issues.
“Then, should we settle on either this Saturday or next Saturday?” (Yuno)
“Yeah, that works! I just have an important stream next Saturday that I can’t miss, but aside from that, I’m good.” (Haruto)
“Got it. I’ll check with Suzuha-chan about our schedules today and let you know.” (Yuno)
“Thanks. I appreciate it.” (Haruto)
“Mm.” (Yuno)
If someone asked why the day was fixed, it was simply because Haruto only had Saturdays off from his part-time job.
If they wanted to spend a long time together, this was the only day that worked.
“Anyway, it’s already this late… There aren’t many siblings who stand around talking this long just for a send-off. If anyone found out, they’d definitely think we’re weird…” (Yuno)
“You’re looking at me like you want to say, ‘This is all your fault,’ aren’t you?” (Haruto)
“The whole wallet thing was totally unnecessary. I’m not a kid anymore.” (Yuno)
“Haha, well, at least you managed to make your brother feel at ease.” (Haruto)
Haruto understood what Yuno was trying to say, but he was genuinely grateful that she let him check.
Now, he could see her off with peace of mind.
“Alright, do your best at school today. Stay safe on your way there and back.” (Haruto)
“Got it… I’m off!” (Yuno)
“Take care!” (Haruto)
Yuno waved somewhat bashfully as she spoke, and Haruto waved back, watching her until she disappeared from sight.
“Alright. I’ll have to do my best too.” (Haruto)
With that, he pumped himself up in the now-empty entryway and headed toward his gaming room.
Between video editing and practicing for the Ebe Festival, there was plenty to do—but Haruto found himself enjoying the busy days.
TL Notes:
Thanks for reading!
Wasn’t expecting the “And that’s fine, because the most important thing to me isn’t work” line. That would be such a romantic line if the other person weren’t Yuno.
thanks for the chapter