My Childhood Friend, a Vtuber, Treated Me Like TrashโIโm Never Producing For Her Again
I arrived in front of the Mizuta familyโs house.
Iโd gotten so worked up by all the commotion that Iโd come here on impulse.
But is it really going too far to just barge into someoneโs house while theyโre live-streaming?
No, precisely because sheโs live-streaming, Mizuta san shouldnโt be able to just brush me off.
(As the streamer, it must be embarrassing to have her voice clearly audible to the neighbors.)
It would probably be best for both of us if I set the record straight right now.
With that in mind, I rang the doorbell.
The โding-dongโ sound echoed for a long time.
But there was no sign of anyone answering.
โUmโฆ Mizuta-san? Meo Mizuta-saaan? I know youโre in there!โ
No matter how much I called, there was no answer.
Before I knew it, my tone had turned into something strange, like a debt collectorโs.
Maybe sheโs so engrossed in her game with her headset on that she canโt hear me at all.
At this rate, it might have been faster to just shout through the window from my own room.
(She isnโt staying inside because sheโs scared or embarrassed, is she?)
A stranger had suddenly shown up at a house where a girl was home alone. It was only natural for her to be wary.
Should I try to get in touch with her through her parents?
No, I donโt even know when theyโll be back anyway.
(Is there any way I can get her to come out?)
Iโll check to see if she really canโt hear me.
I went back to my room for the time being.
I opened the window and curtains in my room and looked over at the window next door.
(โฆโฆThe windowโs open.)
No wonder itโs so noisy.
At least the curtains are closed.
She probably just forgot to close the window.
To make absolutely sure she didnโt catch my real name, I chose my words carefully and raised my voice.
โHey, neighbor! Can you hear me? I live next door, and I need to talk to you for a moment!โ
But there was no response at all.
Thereโs no way they couldnโt hear me from here.
Noโif I listened closely, there was a change.
The voices that had been echoing nonstop until just a moment ago had stopped completely without me noticing.
(โฆโฆDid she notice the intercom and are now holding her breath?)
To be honest, I was a little taken aback.
But considering how timid she has been at school, I could understand why.
For a split second, the thought of calling the police crossed my mind, but that was definitely a last resort.
If possible, I wanted to settle this amicably through discussion.
(Maybe Iโll drop a subtle hint in the comments.)
I returned to my desk and booted up my laptop.
Then I set about identifying the stream.
The fact that it was live, and the time when I first started hearing voices.
Using these two clues, I worked backward to narrow down the start time.
Judging by the terms I could hear, the game was definitely a famous hero shooter.
(Found it.)
It was easier to find than I expected.
Just to be sure, I rewound the seek bar to the beginning and played it back.
โT-Today, well! It was my first day at the new school, but I w-was so nervous! Everyone around me was a strangerโฆโ
That voice.
And that line.
Itโs definitely Mizuta.
(So sheโs a VTuber, after all?)
I never would have imagined it.
A girl my age who moved in next door transferred into my classโand on top of that, sheโs even a VTuber.
Could such a coincidence really happen?
I never thought Iโd be reminded of just how competitive this industry is right here, so close to home.
(โฆโฆHer avatar looks way different from the real her, doesnโt it?)
In real life, Mizuta-san is the epitome of a wallflower, but her avatar has pink hair and wears some pretty risquรฉ outfits.
She looked like the epitome of an extrovert.
The only thing that matched the real person was her bust size.
Is this Mizuta-sanโs ideal self?
(Five concurrent viewers?)
You couldnโt call it a large-scale stream, even by the most generous standards.
Itโs better than zero, but itโs still at the very bottom.
Surprisingly, sheโd actually been active for quite a while.
Looking at when the channel was created, it had already been over a year.
Scrolling through the archives, far from slacking off, sheโd been streaming almost every day.
(I can pretty much guess why her viewership isnโt growing, thoughโฆ)
Itโs not something I need to worry about.
Anyway, whatโs important right now is getting Mizuta-san to turn down her voice volume.
I reached for the keyboard and typed a comment.
โExcuse me for barging in. Iโm your neighbor. Your windowโs open, and I can hear everything youโre saying.โ
Perhaps my comment caught her eye, because the avatar on the screen shifted its gaze.
The next moment, she on the screen suddenly widened her eyes in surprise.
I heard a clatter from her chair, and sensed her scrambling to her feet.
Without a momentโs delay, the window next door slammed shut with a loud clang!
โU-umโฆ A-are you really my neighbor? Youโre not a, a stalker, are youโฆ?โ
Mizuta sanโs trembling voice reached me through the microphone.
Come on, a stalker?
โฆBut come to think of it, I guess itโs no wonder sheโd misunderstandโI was acting that way.
I guess the noise had gotten to me a bit.
โIโm actually in your class, too.โ
โH-huhโฆ? N-no wayโฆโ
โAnyway, my initials are K.T.โ
โS-sorry, but I donโt remember you at allโฆโ
Wait, didnโt the whole class take turns giving brief self-introductions today?
โDo you remember the good-looking guy sitting behind me by the window?โ
โOh, I remember that guy.โ
Just as I thought.
I knew it, but it still stings a little.
Itโs not like I actually wanted Mizuta-san to remember me or anything.
โI was the one sitting in front of that handsome guy.โ
โS-so you really are my classmate, and my seatmateโฆ?โ
โYes. I rang your doorbell a little while ago, but you didnโt come out, so I had no choice but to leave a message.โ
โOh, s-sorryโฆ Iโm just a little scared of real peopleโฆโ
โWell, I supposeโฆ Iโm sorry too. Anyway, it would help if you could keep your voice a little quieter. Bye.โ
After sending the message, I snapped my laptop shut.
I probably wonโt have anything more to do with him.
Thinking that, I turned my attention back to my study guide.
ใโ
โโThat assumption was quickly proven wrong.
The following afternoon.
I headed home from school as usual and was just about to start studying in my room whenโ
Ding-dong.
Suddenly, my doorbell rang.
I wasnโt expecting any deliveries. Who on earth could it be?
Tilting my head in confusion, I peered at the intercom screen.
โU-umโฆ I-itโs Mizutaโฆ My mom told me to come over and apologize properly for what happened yesterdayโฆโ
Thatโs way too honest.