My Childhood Friend, a Vtuber, Treated Me Like TrashโIโm Never Producing For Her Again
Three monitors, an iPhone mounted on a stand, gaming headphones, a condenser microphone, an audio interfaceโthe room was cluttered with all of them.
โHuh? Y-Youโre going to fire meโฆ?โ
I found myself asking her to repeat that.
My childhood friend, Yue, swept her long, golden-dyed hair back irritably and narrowed her eyes.
โThatโs right. Got a problem with that?โ
โNo, butโฆ Iโve been doing this all this time for Yueโs sakeโฆโ
โHuh? Whatโs with that tone? Tasuku, are you trying to make me look like a terrible person?โ
โN-no, thatโs not what I meantโฆโ
โYou were just in it for the money, werenโt you? How much do you think your cut from my earnings was?โ
Ten percentโwas that really that much?
To begin with, it was Yue who brought up giving me a cut in the first place, and Iโm pretty sure I turned her down once.
Sure, even though itโs only 10 percent, considering Yueโs earnings now that sheโs risen to the top ranks of VTubers, itโs by no means a small amountโฆ
โAre you saying my contributions arenโt worth that much? Iโve helped out with all kinds of things since we were at the bottom, havenโt I?โ
โIs that supposed to be something special? Anyone could do that. Besides, Iโve paid you properly for that work, havenโt you?โ
Itโs trueโI didnโt do anything particularly impressive.
Setting up streams, handling sponsorship deals and collaborations, video editing, managing backlash, coming up with ideas, and managing schedulesโthatโs about it.
Depending on how you look at it, maybe it was just basic behind-the-scenes work.
But there must have been some meaning to the fact that I kept supporting Yue back when she didnโt know her way around.
โI hate deadbeats like you the most.โ
โD-deadbeatโฆ?โ
โIsnโt that right? Iโm the one whoโs actually been making all the money. You thought things would just work out just because youโre my childhood friend, didnโt you? Too bad.โ
Yue gave a wry smile and shoved her smartphone screen in my face.
It displayed the chat history from Disco.
โFrom now on, Iโm going to have this person produce me.โ
โHuhโฆ?โ
The person in question was a celebrity in the male VTuber sceneโa name everyone knew.
โUnlike you, whoโs all talk, this person is an independent creator whoโs actually made it big in that highly competitive male VTuber scene. That means they know the ins and outs of the business.โ
โN-no, but male and female VTubers are actually pretty differentโฆโ
โAre you making fun of him right now? Iโm appalled. Listen, just by collaborating with him, listeners will flood in all at once! Heโs on a whole different level of usefulness compared to someone like you!! And besidesโโ
Yue blushed and gently cupped her cheeks with both hands.
Just like a heroine straight out of a shoujo manga.
โThe person behind the character is super handsome, too!โ
โW-wait a second. You donโt meanโฆโ
I swallowed hard.
The reason Iโd been sacrificing my sleep to support Yueโs dreams from the shadows all this time wasโbecause she was my first love.
โHave you actually met that personโฆ?โ
โOf course. I could never entrust myself to someone Iโve never even met in person. โAh, Iโd love to see him again and go on a date!โ
โA, a dateโฆ?โ
โOh, if you spill the beans about this anywhere, I wonโt let you get away with it! Plus, it seems like heโs into me too?โ
So thatโs why she suddenly announced she was going to Tokyo recently.
A warmth slowly spread at the back of my throat.
I asked in a hoarse voice.
โโฆDid you dye your hair blonde all of a sudden for his sake, too?โ
โWell, yeah! He said he likes blonde characters, so I sent him some slightly risquรฉ cosplay photos where I was channeling that look. And he was super happy about it!โ
I see.
My first love had ended a long time ago.
I let out a deep breath and stood up.
โI get it. From now on, I wonโt have anything to do with Yueโs streams.โ
โThat goes without saying. Just knowing my true identity is a privilege in itself, since weโre childhood friends, right?โ
โโฆI guess so.โ
It wasnโt like Yue and I were actually dating.
I was just the one who had a one-sided crush on her.
I think this is what they call a โBSS,โ right?
It hurt my heart much more than Iโd imagined.
(Since things have already fallen apart this much, I might as well end it cleanly right here.)
If we kept running into each other as childhood friends, it would only make things harder for me.
In that case, itโs better to draw a line here and go our separate ways as complete strangers.
Honestly, I donโt even want to hear about Yue getting all lovey-dovey with some other guy.
Besides, I felt like Iโd just keep clinging to that silly hopeโโWhat if?โโforever.
โThereโs just one thing I want to say.โ
โWhat?โ
Yue was filing her nails, seemingly uninterested in what I had to say.
โActually, Iโve liked you for a long time, Yue.โ
โโฆHuh?โ
Plop. The nail file fell to the floor.
Yue jumped to her feet and glared at me with wide eyes.
โSince when!?โ
โProbably since elementary school.โ
โHuh!? So youโve been by my side all this time, looking at me like that!?โ
โโฆYeah.โ
โThatโs gross!!โ
Yue started shoving me roughly in the back.
โGross, gross, gross!! Whatโs that supposed to mean!? So all this time, youโve been helping me just because you were trying to get a shot with a VTuber!?โ
โN-no, thatโs notโโ
I couldnโt exactly say that wasnโt true.
After all, I did want to date Yue.
But that didnโt mean my desire to support Yueโs dreams was a lie, either.
As I clammed up before I could finish my sentence, Yue raised her voice even higher.
โBeing childhood friends with a creepy otaku like you is the shame of my life!! Donโt ever have anything to do with me again!! Donโt show your face at school or anywhere else!! Donโt talk to me!!โ
โO-okayโฆโ
โAnd give me back the key! I trusted you enough to give you a spare key!! You didnโt do anything weird while I was sleeping, did you!?โ
โThatโs absolutely impossible.โ
โI canโt believe a single word you say! Iโm going to the hospital later to get a thorough checkup!! That person said men never help women for free, and now I see what they meant!!โ
Maybe Yue actually had some feelings for me after allโIโd even thought that at one point.
But today, I realized that was a complete misunderstanding.
I took the spare key out of my pocket and handed it to Yue.
Yue scowled as if she were looking at something filthy, pulled out a tissue, and snatched the key through it.
โGet out now! If you expose my true identity online, Iโll seriously sue you!!โ
โโฆโฆOkay. I wonโt have anything to do with you ever again.โ
Just before leaving Yueโs room, I muttered without looking back.
โGoodbye.โ
ใโ
I made it home.
I wanted to get to my room and lie down as soon as possible.
Iโd probably end up crying myself to sleep tonight.
I might as well get a spare pillowcase ready just in case.
Just as I was thinking that, my dad, who had just gotten home, called out to me.
โDid you help Yue with her work again today?โ
โโฆโฆNo. I donโt think Iโll ever see Yue again.โ
โHuh? Why? Did you two have a fight or something?โ
โWell, I guess you could call it a fightโฆ but it seems like Yue has found someone she likes.โ
โOh, I seeโฆโ
Dad doesnโt know much about VTubers, and he doesnโt know exactly what Yui does for a living.
Her income has only started rising sharply recently.
But he does know that I have a crush on Yue and that Iโm deeply involved in her work.
So he probably has a pretty good idea of what happened.
Dad patted me on the back a couple of times and gave an awkward laugh.
โCome on, there are as many girls out there as there are stars in the sky!โ
โThatโs not something a divorced dad like you should be saying.โ
โUghโฆ this kid, rubbing salt in the wound. Anyway! Just donโt dwell on it for no reason.โ
โI know.โ
The problem is, things arenโt going the way I want them to.
โOh, by the way, did you hear?โ
โHear what?โ
โThat someoneโs moving in next door.โ
โThatโs news to me.โ
โApparently, thereโs a girl your age living in that house, too?โ
โฆSo whatโs the point of that?
This isnโt some romantic comedy mangaโjust because a girl my age moved in next door doesnโt mean anythingโs going to happen.
โMaybe youโll end up in the same class next semester, and she might be an incredibly beautiful girl?โ
โThereโs no way a coincidence like that would happen.โ
My dad sometimes says things that sound like theyโre straight out of a manga.
โAnyway, Iโm not in the mood to cook today. Just order some Uber Eats or pizza.โ
โEhh?โ
โThis isnโt the time for โehhโ.โ
โThen how about we go out for a nice meal together for the first time in a while? Like some non-conveyor-belt sushi?โ
I guess Dadโs just trying to cheer me up in his own way.
Maybe I should just go along with it.
It might actually be a good distraction.
โOkay. But no alcohol, though.โ
โWhat?!โ
โDad, you know you canโt stop once you start drinking. I donโt want to have to carry you home on my back.โ
We both laughed as we stepped out the front door.
Then, I glanced briefly at the nameplate on the house next door, which said the family had just moved in.
โMizuta
At that moment, I had no way of knowing.
I never imagined Iโd end up so deeply connected to this houseโ