My Childhood Friend, a Vtuber, Treated Me Like Trash—I’m Never Producing For Her Again
In the end, I grabbed Mizuta-san’s wrist and practically dragged her inside.
Of course, just like last time, I didn’t take her to my room—I led her into the living room.
“Would you like some coffee?”
“Y-yes…!”
To help Mizuta—who was still as stiff as a board—relax, I decided to make her coffee, just like I did the first time she visited.
I added plenty of milk and sugar syrup, making it just as sweet as I had that day.
When I handed her the coffee cup, she took a sip right away.
“Komachi-san’s coffee is always so delicious…!”
I’m glad she liked it—that’s what matters most.
It’s just ordinary cold brew coffee, but it seems to have helped her relax a little.
“By the way, Mizuta-san, you have a pop quiz tomorrow, right?”
“Huh?”
Mizuta-san’s eyes widened as if to say she’d never heard of it before.
No way…
“The teacher mentioned it last week, didn’t she? That there’d be a pop quiz next Tuesday.”
“W-was that so…?”
“…Were you sleeping during class and didn’t hear it?”
“N-no, that’s not—”
Mizuta-san looked away.
It seems I hit the nail on the head.
Since this is a good opportunity, I might as well probe a little about her grades.
“Mizuta, you haven’t been studying much, have you?”
“Ugh… It’s n-not that I haven’t been studying—it’s just that I can’t…”
“How were your grades at your previous school?”
“W-well…”
Mizuta fidgeted, twisting her fingers together.
“It’d be faster to count from the bottom of the class…”
“……”
It seems more serious than I expected.
Come to think of it, she’s always dozing off in class.
And once she gets home, it’s nothing but VTuber activities and video games—so I guess it’s only natural.
I’m surprised her parents haven’t scolded her yet.
“Well then, Mizuta-san.”
“I have a bad feeling about this…”
“Let’s study.”
“I knew it…!!”
Mizuta-san shook her head vigorously from side to side.
“I’m stupid, so studying is impossible for me to begin with…!”
“Well, studying is actually necessary for your VTuber activities, you know.”
“Huh? R-really…?”
To be honest, the biggest reason is that streamers are generally better off having a side job.
Streaming revenue fluctuates wildly, and most people can’t even make a decent living from it to begin with.
So whether you go to college or get a job, it’s better to have some kind of safety net.
That said, even if I brought that up, it probably wouldn’t do much to boost Mizuta-san’s motivation.
“Mizuta-san, being airheaded and being ignorant are two different things.”
“Huh? W-what do you mean…?”
“From a viewer’s perspective, it’s fine if you’re airheaded and funny. But coming across as completely lacking in common sense is a no-go.”
“I-I see…”
As expected, when the topic directly relates to her VTuber activities, Mizuta-san listens seriously.
After all, I’m not just spouting nonsense.
“So, doing the bare minimum of studying will actually help with your VTuber activities.”
“Ugh… I get it, I’ll study… By the way, what rank are you, Komachi-san?”
“Well, to be honest, I’m not that great either. Just a little above average.”
My grades have slipped a bit lately because I’ve been spending so much time helping Yue.
Come to think of it, just a little above average in everything—I feel like that’s the kind of life I’ve led.
Whether it’s gaming skills, academics, or height.
“Waaah… You’re so smart…”
“I’m better than Mizuta-san, though.”
“That’s so mean… But you’re right.”
“Well then, let’s get right to it and study for tomorrow’s quiz.”
Mizuta-san slumped her shoulders in disappointment.
She always lights up when it comes to VTubers, but studying really doesn’t seem to suit her at all.
Just as I stood up to go to my room to get my study materials,
“W-well then, Komachi-san. I don’t mean to take advantage of the situation, but… c-could you grant me one favor…?”
“Sure, what is it?”
For some reason, Mizuta-san blushed as she fidgeted nervously with her fingertips.
“S-since we’re at it, I’d rather do it in your room, Komachi-san, instead of the living room…”
I couldn’t help but swallow hard.
Calm down—this is strictly for studying.
That’s not what she means.
Desperately trying to keep my composure, I managed to nod.
“Alright, let’s do that then. It’s just a totally ordinary otaku room, though.”
“An o-otaku room…! My heart’s racing a little…!”
Why?
Don’t most people find that kind of thing gross?
As always, I just don’t get Mizuta-san’s sensibilities at all.
Anyway, I went upstairs with her.
The moment I put my hand on my bedroom door, she let out a gasp of “Ah…!” and cringed.
“U-um… I guess you’ll need some time to tidy up, right…?”
“Huh? No, there’s absolutely no need for that.”
I clean and tidy up every day.
“B-but, I mean, in a boy’s room, there’s bound to be books like that, or, u-um, stuff with holes in them…”
“…What kind of prejudice do you have, exactly?”
“I-I know, I know…! I saw in an eroge that it’s only natural for a healthy boy…!!”
“Please don’t learn common sense from eroge.”
Brushing off Mizuta-san’s out-of-the-blue remark, I swung the door wide open.
Then she covered her face with both hands.
It’s a classic trope for her to peek through the gaps between her fingers.
“I-it’s surprisingly normal… And it’s cleaner than my room…”
Mizuta-san lowered her hands from her face and looked around the room with curiosity, as if she’d just stepped into a museum.
“Is this your first time in a guy’s room?”
“Y-yes… Well, it’s not just a guy’s room—it’s actually my first time ever being in someone else’s room…”
“Oh…”
Suddenly, the mood turned a bit somber.
It struck me that, up until now, neither of us had ever had a friend close enough to visit each other’s homes.
Mizuta looked at the figurine display case in the corner of the room and asked,
“Komachi, do you like bunnies? ”
“Huh? Well, I guess I like them as much as the average person… Besides, I just bought them because I like the characters.”
“So, you’re not interested in real-life bunnies or anything?”
“Huh?”
I instinctively turned my face toward Mizuta-san.
Immediately, her strikingly prominent chest caught my eye.
I shook my head inwardly, thinking, “No, no,” and hurriedly banished those impure thoughts.
“I-it’s just about average, really.”
“How much is ‘average’…? Don’t most guys usually like bunny girls…?”
“Well, I guess most of them do, don’t they?”
“So you like them too, Komachi-san?”
It was hard to deny that, to be honest.
After all, I’m the type who usually spends money on in-app purchases whenever a bunny skin comes out in mobile games.
As I stood there unable to answer, Mizuta-san flashed a somewhat knowing smile.
“Hehe, I think I’ve got a pretty good idea of Komachi-san’s taste. You like cute bunny girls with great figures and long black hair, right?”
“N-no…”
Maybe I should’ve hidden the figurine before coming into the room.
Yue was pretty much the only girl I’d ever let into my room, and since she already knew about it, the idea of hiding it hadn’t even crossed my mind.
Mizuta-san took a quick step forward, closing the distance between us.
“My face isn’t as cute as this figure’s… but my figure and hairstyle are similar… If I dressed up in a bunny cosplay like this one, would you be happy, Komachi-san…?”