My Childhood Friend, a Vtuber, Treated Me Like TrashโIโm Never Producing For Her Again
Mizuta brought up exchanging LINE contacts in a strangely suggestive way.
It made me feel strangely nervous, too.
(Thatโs not what I meant.)
Mizuta had simply suggested exchanging LINE contacts as a way to send me my homework.
If I had to read into it, it just meant weโd become somewhat close.
As friendsโthatโs all.
I put on a calm face and gave a small smile.
โSure, thatโs fine. Well then, shall we exchange numbers after we eat?โ
โY-yesโฆ!โ
Yue was the only girl I had saved in my LINE contacts.
Was Mizuta-san going to be added to that list now?
It felt kind of strange.
I shook off those distracting thoughts and went back to cooking.
I scooped a little soup into a small bowl to taste it and took a sip.
(For some reason, the food I make myself always seems to fall a little short.)
Dad tells me itโs delicious, thoughโฆ
But since itโs a meal cooked by his son, he might just be saying it out of politeness.
Suddenly, Yue crossed my mind.
When Yue was streaming all night, Iโd make her a bento in the middle of the night and go out of my way to deliver it to her house.
(At first sheโd say โthank you,โ but before I knew it, I stopped hearing those words.)
It was as if I were just another staff member.
No, if she were actually working for a corporate team, Yue would have at least kept up appearances.
Maybe she just saw me as someone she could use whenever it suited her.
โKomachi-san? Is something wrongโฆ?โ
โOh, sorry.โ
It seemed Iโd gotten too caught up in the past.
I held out the small bowl in my hand and said to Mizuta-san.
โWant to try a little taste?โ
โOh, y-yesโฆ!โ
For some reason, Mizuta-sanโs face turned bright red, and she timidly took the small bowl.
She just stared intently at the bowl.
I wonder whatโs wrongโwas there something odd about it?
โWhatโs the matter?โ
โAh, noโฆ! S-sorryโฆ!โ
Mizuta-san swallowed hard and, as if making up her mind, brought the bowl to her lips.
Thatโs when I finally realized.
(โฆโฆOh, that was an indirect kiss.)
Iโd done it without thinking, just like I usually do when I have my dad taste-test my food.
I shouldโve served it into a separate small bowl.
It mustโve been a little gross for Mizuta-san.
Still, the fact that she didnโt complain made me think she really is a good girl.
โW-wowโฆโฆ! I-itโs sooo deliciousโฆโฆโ
โReally? Honestly, it just seems normal to me.โ
โItโs almost frustratingโฆ Iโm a girl, yet Iโm losing this badly to a boy my own age when it comes to โgirl powerโ.โ
โEven you, Mizuta-san, could do this in no time with just a little guidance.โ
โDo you really think soโฆ?โ
Mizuta-san really lacks confidence in herself.
I understand thereโs a reason for that.
But if she wants to keep being a VTuber, sheโll have to work on improving little by little.
Even through an avatar, a VTuber canโt perform as perfectly as an anime voice actor.
No matter what, the person inside inevitably shows through.
Ironically, a lack of confidence actually diminishes her appeal as a VTuber.
โIf you look at the bento you made the other day, youโll improve in no time. In fact, you might even get better than me!โ
โR-reallyโฆ?โ
โYes. Itโs definitely better than when I first tried making one. Back when I was starting out, I even filled the whole house with black smoke once.โ
Of course, part of that was because I was in elementary school, but honestly, Iโm not that dexterous.
โฆIโve gone through more trial and error than I care to admit.
When I exaggerated those stories of failure a bit, Mizuta-san chuckled.
โListening to you, Komachi-san, I really feel like even I could get better at thisโฆ!โ
โItโs not just a feelingโitโs definitely going to happen. Not just with housework, but as a VTuber, too.โ
โIโll do my best to make that happenโฆ! Otherwise, all the effort you put into helping me would be for nothingโฆโ
Well, thatโs true.
But when I think about what happened with Yue, maybe what I really want isnโt success itself.
โS-so, Komachi-sanโฆโ
Mizuta-san asked, looking up at me while fidgeting with her fingertips.
โW-what do we do a-after an indirect kissโฆ?โ
โโฆโฆโ
Nothing at all.
ใโ
After lunch, I exchanged LINE IDs with Mizuta-san as promised.
โฆI never wouldโve thought Iโd actually have trouble just installing LINE.
Still, it felt strange to have a girl other than Yue added to my friends list.
Even though she hadnโt even set a profile picture yet.
โHehe, heheheโฆ So this is LINEโฆ With this, Iโm officially part of the โpopular crowdโโฆโ
โIf youโre aiming to join the โpopular crowd,โ you really should at least be on Instagram, donโt you think?โ
โUghโฆ So does that mean the โpopular crowdโ takes photos every day and posts them online?โ
โWell, yeah. Not necessarily every single day, though. Instagram has a chat feature too, so a lot of people use it instead of LINE.โ
โHuh? Isnโt Instagram a social media platform?โ
โMost social media platforms these days come with a chat feature.โ
Mizuta blinked rapidly, looking as if she were hearing this for the very first time in her life.
She really hadnโt had even the slightest bit of interest in it.
I donโt actually use it myself, but I do know a thing or two about it.
โCome to think of it, Mizuta, donโt you use Twitter?โ
โHuh? W-well, should Iโฆ?โ
โItโs practically a must. Of course, itโs not mandatory, but itโs useful for promotion and interacting with your listeners.โ
โCanโt I just interact with listeners during my streamsโฆ?โ
โNo, I mean, to announce your stream schedule and stuff.โ
โOhโฆ W-well, in that case, what should I do if I say something I shouldnโtโฆ?โ
โYou just have to be careful not to say themโthat goes without sayingโฆโ
Actually, whatโs really scary isnโt social mediaโitโs live streams.
Apparently, when youโre doing all-night streams or really long ones, your brain starts to go foggy.
When that happens, all thatโs left is a sense of obligation to fill the silence, and you might unconsciously slip up.
โThe internet is like a world where there are crowds of people waiting with knives drawn right beneath a person walking a tightrope. You have to be careful all the time.โ
โEekโฆโ
โWell, you wonโt get trolled until youโre somewhat famous, so youโre fine for now.โ
โThatโs true, I guessโฆโ
It seems Iโd better help her set up a Twitter account soon.
โฆโฆWhat kind of posts should she make? Things she absolutely must not write. Topics she must not react to. All of that included.
We chatted a little longer after that, and then Mizuta glanced at her watch and stood up.
โWell then, Iโm going to head home now. Thank you so much for treating me to lunchโฆ I really appreciate itโฆโ
โDonโt say that. Actually, Iโm the one whoโs gratefulโit was great getting to eat with you, Mizuta-san.โ
โR-reallyโฆ? Well, in that case, if youโd like, how about we keep having lunch together like thisโฆ? Actually, my parents both work and are really busy, so Iโm often home alone.โ
โIโd be more than happy to. So, how about having lunch at my place tomorrow too?โ
โY-yesโฆ!โ
Itโs really convenient when you live right next door to each other in situations like this.
Thinking that, I exchanged a brief goodbye at the front door and saw Mizuta-san off.
Well, I guess itโs about time I started studying.
She did say thereโs a quiz next week.
With that in mind, I headed upstairs and was just about to enter my room whenโ
Pingโ
A LINE notification sounded from my smartphone.
When I opened it, it was from Mizuta, who Iโd just exchanged LINE contacts with.
โThis is my first time using LINE, so Iโm not sure if Iโm doing this right, but please let me know right away if Iโm wrong. Oh, should I start by introducing myself first? Iโm Mei Mizuta. Thank you again for exchanging LINE contacts with me. Lately, thanks to you, Komachi san, I feel like Iโm discovering more and more of a world I didnโt know existed.โ
โฆThatโs long. And it doesnโt make much sense.
I scrolled through it, trying to figure out what she was actually getting at.
I thought it was just a greeting, but I was wrong.
โSo, about thatโIโve been thinking about making that vlog-style video you suggested, Komachi-san, and Iโve been brainstorming ideas. But then I realized I hardly own any cute casual clothes. I canโt even remember the last time I wore anything other than my school uniformโฆโ
โUm, so does that mean you have to buy new clothes?โ
โOh, yes!โ
Mizutaโs reply was surprisingly quick.
Without a momentโs pause, the next message popped up.
โIf itโs not too much trouble, would you go shopping for new clothes with meโฆ?โ