Episode 5 – Department of Contemporary Visual Culture Studies


My Childhood Friend, a Vtuber, Treated Me Like Trashโ€”Iโ€™m Never Producing For Her Again


In exchange for some bread from Mizuta-sanโ€™s parentsโ€™ bakery, Iโ€™ll give her a little advice on her VTuber activities.

Three days have passed since that modest deal was struck.

(Surprisingly, she hasnโ€™t contacted me at all since then.)

To be honest, I thought sheโ€™d bombard me with questions.

Iโ€™d braced myself for it, rewatching Mizuta-sanโ€™s streams and even doing my research beforehand.

Maybe her mom scolded her after that?

After all, Iโ€™d gone and made the shopโ€™s bread a condition without even asking for permission.

(Well, whatever.)

Even though she was lured by the bread, to be honest, I was worried I might end up in the same situation as with Yue

Naturally, I didnโ€™t intend to get as deeply involved as I did back then.

Still, the thought that she might push me away again by saying, โ€œI donโ€™t need you anymore,โ€ made my heart flutter.

When lunch break rolled around, I looked back over my shoulder.

โ€œYamamoto, letโ€™s go to the cafeteria.โ€

โ€œOh, sorry. I have plans to have lunch with my girlfriend today. She said sheโ€™d make me a bento.โ€

โ€œWhat are you talking about? You just said your current girlfriend goes to a different school.โ€

โ€œThat was my ex.โ€

Wait, did he switch girlfriends in just a few days?

What on earth does โ€œgirlfriendโ€ even mean to this guy?

Does he think a girlfriend is some kind of daily special or something?

Before I could even call him out on it, Yamamoto stood up and vanished from the classroom like the wind.

(Oh well, guess Iโ€™ll eat alone today.)

I stood up too and walked toward the classroom door to head to the cafeteria.

It was right at that moment, just as I was about to step out into the hallway.

โ€œWhoa!?โ€

Suddenly, someone yanked hard on the back of my shirt, and I nearly stumbled forward.

Instinctively annoyed, I spun around sharply.

โ€œMizuta-sanโ€ฆ?โ€

โ€œU-um, s-sorry. I guess I misjudged how hard I pulled.โ€

Seriously, are you some kind of character from a superpower battle series?

โ€œU-um, a-are you busy right now, by any chanceโ€ฆ? โ€

โ€œNo, not really. Whatโ€™s up?โ€

โ€œW-well, thereโ€™s something Iโ€™d like to ask you about that thing.โ€

That thing?

Oh, you mean the VTuber thing.

Itโ€™s a bit awkward to talk about this openly in the classroom.

โ€œOh, I see. Well, letโ€™s go to the club room, then.โ€

โ€œHuh? T-the club roomโ€ฆ?โ€

โ€œYes, umโ€ฆ I think itโ€™s the Contemporary Visual Culture Research Club.โ€

โ€œHuh? Doesnโ€™t that sound like a place where they do really complicated stuffโ€ฆ?โ€

โ€œItโ€™s just an otaku club. Apparently, the name comes from an old manga.โ€

To be honest, this club is barely hanging on, and most of usโ€”myself includedโ€”are just ghost members.

Most of the otaku at our school seem to end up in the Manga Research Club.

When we arrived at the clubroom, sure enough, the door was open.

โ€œOh my, isnโ€™t that Komachi-kun?โ€

โ€œClub President, are you alone again today?โ€

The president of the Contemporary Visual Culture Research Club was once again sitting with her feet up on the table, munching on a yakisoba bread roll in place of lunch.

โ€ฆPlease, for the love of God, donโ€™t spread your legs so brazenly while wearing a skirt.

Also, I wish sheโ€™d stop resting her smartphone on her chest just because she has big breasts.

Even if no one usually comes by here.

โ€œAre you reading BL manga again today?โ€

โ€œNo, Iโ€™m not. Iโ€™m just looking through Teruko-chanโ€™s archive.โ€

โ€œโ€ฆโ€ฆโ€

Oh, right.

Iโ€™d even managed to convert the club president.

I didnโ€™t realize traces of that had made their way even here.

When I let out an involuntary sigh, the club president jerked her head back and finally looked at me.

โ€œHmm? Wow, thatโ€™s rare. Komachi-kun bringing a girl other than Yue-chan here?โ€

โ€œAh, Presidentโ€ฆ Actually, I confessed to Yue and she turned me down. So, if possible, Iโ€™d rather not talk about thatโ€ฆโ€

โ€œHuh? She turned you down? Huh?? Seriously??โ€

โ€œYesโ€ฆโ€

The club presidentโ€™s eyes widened in disbelief.

โ€œYue-chan really is an idiotโ€ฆ Rejecting Komachi-kun like that.โ€

โ€œWellโ€ฆ It canโ€™t be helped. She said sheโ€™d found someone else she liked.โ€

โ€œSo, youโ€™ve already moved on to the next girl, huh?โ€

โ€œThatโ€™s not it at all!?โ€

What are you saying right in front of her?

Look, Mizuta-san is shocked tooโ€”sheโ€™s blushing bright red and fidgeting with her fingertips.

โ€œMizuta-san, please say something too. Tell her itโ€™s not like that at all.โ€

โ€œAh, y-yesโ€ฆ! Wellโ€ฆ We havenโ€™t known each other very long, but I d-donโ€™t think Komachi-san is that kind of guyโ€ฆ Though I was surprised when he suddenly showed up at my house the first timeโ€ฆโ€

โ€œHuh, suddenly showing up at a girlโ€™s houseโ€ฆโ€

โ€œNo, no, Mizuta san. That doesnโ€™t sound right.โ€

Even though I hadnโ€™t even set foot inside Mizutaโ€™s house.

I hurriedly changed the subject.

โ€œAnyway, Chief, thereโ€™s something I need to talk about with Mizuta alone. Could you step out for a moment?โ€

โ€œI guess I have no choice~. Itโ€™s just a talk, right? Donโ€™t do anything weird, okay?โ€

โ€œOf course not! Get out of here already, you sexual harasser of a club president!!โ€

To begin with, the only reason I joined this club was because I wanted a place where Yue and I could talk about VTubers alone during lunch break.

So I made a deal with the club president.

In exchange for Yue and me lending our names as โ€œghost members,โ€ we arranged for her to clear out the club room whenever we wanted to use it.

โ€œWell, now that the club presidentโ€™s left, please make yourself comfortable. From now on, whenever we want to talk about VTuber stuff at school, we can just use this room.โ€

โ€œAh, uhโ€ฆ But thereโ€™s one thing thatโ€™s been bothering meโ€ฆโ€

โ€œYes?โ€

Mizuta kept glancing at my expression.

โ€œD-do you really do, u-un, naughty things in the club room?โ€

โ€œI donโ€™t know. At least Iโ€™ve never done anything like that.โ€

Iโ€™m a virgin, after all.

She fidgeted with her fingertips and, for some reason, blushed even more.

โ€œB-but, itโ€™s just me and Komachi-san here alone, s-so if Komachi-san were in the moodโ€ฆโ€

โ€œNo, no, no.โ€

What on earth was I saying?

Well, she had a point. If I suddenly brought a girl into an empty room, she might take it the wrong way.

But this was only because we couldnโ€™t talk openly about VTubers in the classroom.

โ€œI donโ€™t have the slightest intention of doing anything like that, so please donโ€™t worry.โ€

โ€œR-rightโ€ฆ I seeโ€ฆ S-sorry for suddenly saying something weird like that.โ€

โ€œNo, I guess I was a little insensitive. I shouldโ€™ve told you beforehand.โ€

โ€œA-actually, I, I kind of like dirty jokes tooโ€ฆ Heh, heheheโ€ฆโ€

โ€œโ€ฆโ€ฆโ€

Mizuta-san, for better or worse, youโ€™re quite a character.

โ€œSo, whatโ€™s up?โ€

โ€œHuh?โ€

โ€œI mean, didnโ€™t you suddenly grab me just now? You said you had a favor to ask.โ€

โ€œOh, r-right.โ€

No wayโ€”did she forget all that in the few minutes it took to get here?

โ€œW-well, the other day, I bought a dynamic microphone just like Komachi-san recommendedโ€ฆโ€

โ€œOh, right.โ€

โ€œDynamic mics are expensive, arenโ€™t theyโ€ฆ? I had to borrow some allowance money from my mom in advanceโ€ฆ Iโ€™m going to be completely broke for the next few monthsโ€ฆโ€

โ€œOh, rightโ€ฆโ€

Is that all?

Did she just call me over to vent?

Anyway, wouldnโ€™t selling her used condenser mic help cover some of the cost?

But apparently, that wasnโ€™t the main point, and Mizuta-san continued.

โ€œS-so, Komachi-sanโ€ฆโ€

โ€œYes.โ€

โ€œP-please come to my houseโ€ฆ!!โ€

โ€œโ€ฆHuh?โ€

Why?


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