My Childhood Friend, a Vtuber, Treated Me Like TrashโIโm Never Producing For Her Again
A few days have passed since then.
Mizuta-san has been dutifully coming to wake me up every morning, and just as we promised, weโve been walking to and from school together every day.
What surprised me was just how many guys out there try to pick her up.
The moment I looked away for a second, she was getting hit on so much it was ridiculous.
โWaaahโฆ Please donโt leave my side, okayโฆ?โ
โAh, no, Iโm sorryโฆ I mean, going to the bathroom is unavoidable, isnโt it?โ
โIโll follow you all the way to the bathroomโฆโ
โIt looks like either me or Mizuta-san is about to get arrested.โ
Most likely itโll be me, though.
At the same time, I started to feel a little guilty, wondering if Iโd done something I shouldnโt have.
After all, it was my suggestion that got her dragged into this unfamiliar situation in the first place.
โMizuta-san, if this is too inconvenient for your daily life, itโs okay to go back to the way things were.โ
Or, we could just go back to the way things were normally and only dress up when the cameraโs rolling.
But Mizuta-san immediately shook her head.
โB-but, Komachi-san, you complimented me by saying I was cute. D-do you maybe find me a hassleโฆ?โ
โNo, no, thatโs definitely not the case.โ
โAs long as Iโm not a bother to you, Komachi-san, Iโd like to stay like thisโฆ I-I mean, Iโm a girl, after allโฆ I want to be seen as cuteโฆโ
I see. That makes sense.
Even if being hit on is a hassle, she probably doesnโt mind being told sheโs cute.
Especially since Mizuta-san has a history of being bullied because of her appearance.
I chuckled softly and replied.
โItโs not a bother at all. So, shall we come up with a strategy so you can handle being hit on even when youโre alone?โ
โEh, ehโฆ? Is that even possibleโฆ?โ
โLike what happened in the restroom earlierโI canโt be by your side 24 hours a day. Besides, as a VTuber, youโre bound to run into some nasty viewers whoโll try to hassle you.โ
โOh, nasty, you sayโฆ?โ
โYeah. They might casually try to find out where you live, or post comments that border on sexual harassment. You canโt go around flustered every time you encounter someone like that.โ
โT-Thatโs trueโฆ!โ
For corporate-backed channels or major streamers, there are sometimes moderators or staff members assigned to them.
But even if thereโs someone in charge, the streamer herself needs to stay strong so she isnโt thrown off balance by malicious behavior.
โIโll give it my best shotโฆ! B-but, for a little while, Iโd like you to watch over me from a distanceโฆโ
โOh, sure, of course. Iโm not going to suddenly push you off a cliff or anything.โ
โAnd, if possible, Iโd like you to hold me tight the whole time, heheโฆโ
Mizuta-san sometimes says really sneaky things.
ใโ
The changes in my daily life werenโt limited to my commute to and from school.
Eating lunch together in the Visual Arts Club room during lunch break has now become a regular part of my routine.
Including the fact that Mizuta-san even makes my bento for me.
โKomachi-kun.โ
โYes.โ
The Visual Arts Club president narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms.
Well, to be precise, she was pushing up her ample chest from below.
I desperately forced my gaze away, even though I felt myself being drawn in.
โIโm pretty sure we made a deal, right? Youโd join the club in exchange for us letting you use the clubroom.โ
โYes.โ
โBut doing this every single day is a bit much, donโt you think?!!โ
โฆโฆThe president was definitely right.
Once every few days would be one thing, but having Mizuta-san and me hog the club room every single lunch break was definitely a nuisance.
Besides, even without bringing up the VTuber thing, coming here had somehow become second nature to us.
โIโm sorry. Starting tomorrow, Iโll only use it when itโs really necessary.โ
โNo, itโs not like Iโm trying to kick you out or anything.โ
The president grinned and turned her face toward Mizuta-san.
โBut if Mee-chan joins the club, I might be willing to turn a blind eye!โ
โโฆโฆโ
So, itโs just an excuse to secure another โghost member.โ
Well, since Yue joined under the same conditions, itโs not exactly surprising.
Mizuta-san grabbed the hem of my shirt and replied, looking like a frightened little animal.
โI-I donโt mind being a ghost memberโฆ but you wonโt make me do anything else, rightโฆ?โ
โHmm. Every time we use the club room, I think itโs fair to ask for a little something in returnโlike letting me grope Mei-chanโs breasts.โ
The club president slowly closed in on Mizuta-san, wiggling the fingers of both hands.
At that, Mizuta-san began to tremble violently.
โEekโฆ! N-no wayโฆ!โ
โI see, so itโs a no. Well, I guess thereโs nothing I can do about it.โ
โClub President, you back down surprisingly easily.โ
I thought youโd be a little more persistent.
โWell, itโs a crime without consent, after all.โ
โHuh? Did you actually have that kind of common sense, Club President?โ
โHow rude! Iโm a gentle lady!โ
โSo youโre a gentle lady, not a lady, huh?โ
โHehe, you see, fujoshi always carry a huge, magnificent imaginary rod in their hearts!โ
Thatโs the first time Iโve heard thatโฆ
Well, Iโm not a fujoshi, so I guess itโs only natural I wouldnโt understand.
โAnyway, Mei-chan!โ
โY-yesโฆ?โ
โWho would you let grope your chest?โ
โClub President, I think thatโs definitely sexual harassment too.โ
Why is she so fixated on Mizuta-san today, of all days?
I wonder if sheโs just taking it out on us for hogging the club room so much.
Mizuta-sanโs face flushed red, and she looked down slightly.
โW-wellโฆ if itโs K-Komachi-san, thenโฆโ
โHuh? M-me?โ
I couldnโt help but widen my eyes and let out a ridiculous-sounding gasp.
Before I knew it, my gaze was once again drawn to her chestโwhich, as always, was quite assertive.
Mizuta nodded slightly and continued.
โB-but in return, please be gentle with meโฆ!โ
โNo way, Iโm not doing that.โ
The club president grinned with the look of someone whoโd just finished a job.
โKomachi-kun, what kind of attitude is that toward a girl whoโs mustered up the courage to speak up! โLetโs eat!โโstretch out both hands, and move them right, left, and diagonallyโfreely and wildly!!โ
โSexist Club President, please get out of here right now.โ
In the end, I gave the club president a push in the back and kicked her out of the clubroom.
ใโ
Alone in the clubroom, we ate Mizuta-sanโs homemade bento as usual.
โI-Is it deliciousโฆ?โ
โYeah. Your cooking is getting better and better. At this rate, youโll surpass me before long.โ
โHehe, it makes me want to keep tryingโฆ!โ
Having conversations like this while eating Mizuta-sanโs bento has now become a regular part of our daily routine.
To be honest, my compliments are pretty much the same every time.
Still, every time I say something, she smiles happily, which makes me feel a little shy too.
After we finished eating, Mizuta-san tentatively asked me.
โHowโs my vocal projection been latelyโฆ? Has it improved a lot?โ
โAh, yeah. Your voice definitely projects better than before.โ
โG-greatโฆ!โ
Thereโs still room for improvement, but at least now I can clearly make out what Mizuta-san is saying, even through the stream.
โSo, whatโs the next stepโฆ?โ
โHmmโฆ I guess itโs about increasing exposure, even just a little.โ
โE-exposureโฆ?โ
โOh, I didnโt mean it like that.โ
The biggest reason why low-tier VTubers struggle to grow actually lies in an issue that precedes the entertainment value of their streams.
To begin with, new listeners just donโt seem to be coming in.
The very existence of the channel is virtually unknown to the general public.
โAfter all, YouTube is the main platform these days, isnโt it?โ
โY-yesโฆโ
โThereโs a limit to what you can achieve with just stream archives.โ
Very few people are willing to go out of their way to search for and watch the long archives of a low-tier VTuber.
โWe need highlight clips, donโt we?โ
โB-but donโt you have to be famous to get highlight clips madeโฆ?โ
โWell, ideally, fans are the ones who make them. But thereโs no rule saying fans have to be the ones to do it.โ
Highlight clips offer many benefits.
First, because theyโre short, the barrier to entry is low.
By extracting only the entertaining parts and condensing them, you can create a high-density video, much like a variety show.
โAs a promotional tool for individuals, thereโs hardly anything as effective as clip montages. Thatโs why even small-time creators often make their own.โ
โO-oh, I seeโฆโ
Of course, there are downsides too.
If done poorly, a characterโs appeal can be exhausted all at once, and people drawn in by the clipโs pace might be disappointed by the gap when they actually watch the full stream.
But for Mizuta right now, increasing her exposure was the top priority above all else.
โB-but whoโs going to make those self-edited clipsโฆ?โ
โThat goes without sayingโโ
I held out my hand toward Mizuta as I continued.
โYou, Mizuta.โ
โWhaaaatโ!?โ
Mizutaโs voice rang out louder than ever before.