My Childhood Friend, a Vtuber, Treated Me Like TrashโIโm Never Producing For Her Again
I managed to clear up Dadโs misunderstanding and went back downstairs.
โฆI didnโt get any studying done at all.
Why did Dad have to come home early today, of all days?
The three of us sat around the dining table.
A pot was bubbling away on the portable gas stove in the center of the table.
โMizuta, just relax.โ
โB-b-but weโre in front of fatherโฆโ
โNo,โฆโ
My dad burst out laughing heartily.
โI never wouldโve thought youโd actually get that close to the girl next door!โ
โHuh? W-what do you meanโฆ?โ
โNo, no, Mizuta, donโt worry about it.โ
To be honest, Iโm still amazed by this string of coincidences.
The girl who moved in next door is my age, she transferred into my class, and on top of that, sheโs a VTuber.
And on top of that, I ended up finding out her true identity.
The odds of so many coincidences piling up like this feel about the same as winning the lottery.
My dad asked Mizuta-san.
โDo your parents know about Tsubasa?โ
โY-yesโฆโ
Mizuta-san couldnโt meet my dadโs gaze; she looked down as she answered.
I wonder when sheโll ever get over being so shy around strangers.
If her channel grows even bigger in the future and she ends up holding fan meetings, this will be a problem if she stays like this.
โSo, how much do your parents know about Tsubasa?โ
โUmโฆ just name and age, face and voice, and YouTube account, I guess.โ
โWait, waitโhow do they know that?โ
I couldnโt help but interrupt the conversation.
Iโve never even met Mizuta-sanโs parents in person, so how do they know what I look like or what my voice sounds like?
โฆI was curious about the YouTube account too, but I decided to let that slide for now.
โAh, no, well, thatโsโฆโ
Mizuta-san kept glancing at my face.
She looked like she was having a really hard time saying it.
โI, I filmed itโฆโ
โHuh? What do you mean?โ
โW-wellโฆโ
Mizuta-san took out her smartphone and turned the screen toward me.
There, on the screen, was a video of Yamamoto and me talking in the classroom.
โI, I secretly filmed itโฆโ
โโฆโฆโ
Wait, when on earth did she film that?
And why, for that matter?
Iโd seen plenty of Mizuta-sanโs eccentric behavior before, but this time, even I couldnโt quite wrap my head around it.
As I stood there speechless, Mizuta-san bowed her head repeatedly, looking flustered.
โIโm s-so sorryโฆ! Iโll do anything, so please donโt hate meโฆ!!โ
โNo, no, I donโt really mind being filmed itself.โ
It wasnโt like I was dressed weird or anything.
โBut why on earth did you film it?โ
And why did she show it to her parents?
Was it simply because her parents were worried about me?
โAh, no, wellโฆโ
Mizuta-san interlaced her fingertips across her chest.
โE-even if itโs Komachi-san, t-thatโs one thing I absolutely canโt tell youโฆ!โ
โI seeโฆโ
What on earth was she planning to use it for?
If anything, this just makes her seem even more suspicious.
โWell, itโs no big deal.โ
Dad said as he added meat to the hot pot.
โBack when I was your age, I used to collect photos of girls I liked, too.โ
โDad, thatโs technically a crime.โ
โNo, waitโitโs just photos, right!?โ
โItโs just plain creepy.โ
The moment I pictured Dad getting all worked up over photos of high school girls in uniform, I saw prison bars superimposed behind him.
Well, I guess Dad was in a uniform back then, too.
Then Mizuta-sanโs shoulders shook violently, and she let out a choked-up sob.
โKo-Komachi-saaanโฆ Is collecting photos of the opposite sex really that creepyโฆ?โ
โHuh? What do you mean?โ
Wasnโt it just that one video from earlier?
โโฆYouโre not going to post it online, are you?โ
โN-no, thatโs not itโฆ!!โ
Mizuta frantically waved both her hands back and forth.
โI-I was just thinkingโฆ if I printed the photos I took at a convenience store and put them up in my room, maybe Iโd look a little yandereโฆโ
Thatโs not normal at all.
And why the sudden yandere thing?
Come to think of it, there was that incident with the decorative band-aids, so I guess itโs not really that surprising after all.
โฆโฆAfter all, the reason she started as a VTuber in the first place was something like a longing to be a mentally unstable heroine.
Mizuta-san tapped her index fingers together and looked up at me.
โI-Is this bothering youโฆ?โ
โNo, wellโฆ As long as itโs not too weird, I donโt mind.โ
I have no idea why, out of all people, I was chosen to play the supporting role in her yandere act.
Dad grinned and pulled out his smartphone.
โActually, Iโve got some candid photos I took of Tsubasaโโ
โDad, youโre just plain creepy, so no way.โ
โWhy!? Why am I not allowed!? Thatโs discrimination!โ
โHigh school girls and old guys are different species.โ
โUgh! This is exactly why young people these days are soโฆโ
โOh, the meatโs done. Letโs eat.โ
While exchanging jokes like that with Dad, I picked up my chopsticks and dug into the sukiyaki.
Then, Mizuta-san, who had been glancing furtively at Dad, opened her mouth as if sheโd made up her mind.
โU-umโฆ! About that photo you mentioned earlier, c-could you send it to meโฆ?โ
Why do you only find the courage at times like this?
ใโ
After that, we finished dinner without incident, and I walked Mizuta-san home.
Though โwalking her homeโ wasnโt really a big deal since she lived right next door.
(In the end, I didnโt really get any studying done.)
Even when I sat down at my desk, I couldnโt stop worrying about Mizuta-sanโwondering if sheโd be okay for tomorrowโs quiz.
โฆShe doesnโt seem like the type to study on her own, after all.
I opened my notebook, took a picture of the quiz material with my phone, and sent it to her via LINE.
โIf you memorize this section by heart, you should be able to cover most of it. Getting a perfect score might be a stretch, though.โ
Less than a few seconds after I sent it, a โpingโ sounded as her reply came in.
โYou really are a godsend!! Iโll make it up to you properly later!!โ
โMake it up to me,โ huh.
I couldnโt help but wonder what kind of โrepaymentโ she had in mind.
After finishing my studying, I lay down on my bed.
(I wonder if Mizuta-san is streaming today, too.)
I unlocked my phone and opened YouTube.
I tapped the stream thumbnail featuring a character with pink hair.
Today, she was playing โPokoLand,โ a game where you build a village with cute monsters.
โฆThough, since it was released at the beginning of last month, it does feel a bit late to be playing it now.
(Still, I wonder what โSakumiโ means.)
Iโd been curious about Mizuta-sanโs channel name for a while now.
Maybe Iโll ask her next time.
Itโs not like itโs taken from โsuccubus,โ is it?
She does have pink hair, so even if itโs derived from โsuccubus,โ it would suit her.
While I was thinking about that, I must have drifted off to sleep without realizing it.
โKo, Komachi-saaanโฆโ
I woke up to a voice that seemed to tickle my ear.
What is itโฆ?
As I rubbed my eyes, the figure speaking to me gradually came into focus through my blurry vision.
โG-good morningโฆโ
โM-Mizuta-sanโฆ?โ
โY-yes, itโs Mizutaโฆโ
Oh, thatโs rightโshe was supposed to come wake me up this morning.
She really did come.
Still, being woken up by a girl is way more embarrassing than I thought.
As I sat up, my smartphone, which had been resting on my stomach, plopped onto the bed.
โW-whatโฆ? Komachi-san, were you watching my stream the whole timeโฆ?โ
โHuh? Oh, yeah.โ
Apparently, Iโd fallen asleep while watching her stream.
Well, since it was a late-night stream, there are probably plenty of viewers like me who doze off.
As I made that excuse to myself, Mizuta-san blushed even more than usual and fidgeted, twisting her fingers together.
โW-well then, after watching my stream, youโre allโฆ big first thing in the morningโฆโ
โโฆโฆHuh?โ
At that moment, my mind went completely blank.
But it didnโt take me even a few seconds to understand what she meant.
โNo, no, no, thatโs not it! Itโs just a natural bodily reaction!โ
โI-I understandโฆ! I mean, itโs only natural for a guy to get turned on, rightโฆ?!!โ
โThatโs not it!!โ
I actually wished sheโd just insult me.