My Childhood Friend, a Vtuber, Treated Me Like TrashโIโm Never Producing For Her Again
I didnโt really understand what Mizuta was saying.
It seems she bought a new dynamic microphone just like I advised. I get that.
It seems it was more expensive than he expected. I get that, too.
But on what grounds do I have to go to Mizutaโs house?
โUm, Mizutaโฆโ
โY-yesโฆ?โ
โWellโฆ Iโm happy you invited me, but why go out of your way to have me come to your houseโฆ?โ
Itโs not like youโre trying to show off your new mic or anything.
โOh, s-sorry! Well, actuallyโฆ You know, I told you beforeโI donโt know the first thing about my own equipment.โ
โRight.โ
โS-so, I know this is a bit presumptuous of me, butโฆโ
Mizuta-san kept her head down, fiddling with her fingertips as she continued.
โI was wondering if you could help me a little with connecting the mic and setting it upโฆโ
Even if she calls it โsetting it up,โ it should just be a matter of unplugging the current micโs cable and plugging in the new one.
Of course, Iโd have to be careful about the phantom power.
Wait, is she a beginner who doesnโt even know that?
โฆShe doesnโt happen to have an audio interface and still bought a USB-connected one, does she?
โJust to be clear, Iโm not exactly an expert myself, you know?โ
โO-of course I know that! But I spent all the money I borrowed just on the dynamic micโฆ I donโt have a single yen left to call a technician to come outโฆโ
Wait, am I just some kind of technician to her?
โO-of course Iโm not asking you to do it for free! Komachi-san, you havenโt had lunch yet, have you?โ
โWell, yeah.โ
โJust wait a secโฆ!โ
Mizuta suddenly stood up and rushed out of the club room in a panic.
Huh? Whatโs going on?
As I stood there dumbfounded, she came back, out of breath, in less than a few minutes.
โH-here, take thisโฆโ
Mizuta-san was clutching the lunch bag tightly.
Huh? No way.
Is this a homemade lunch from Mizuta-san?
Has a romantic comedy plot twist finally come my way?
As I stared at her with wide eyes, she held out the lunch bag and continued speaking.
โHeheโฆ I asked my mom to make one for Komachi-san, too.โ
โโฆโฆโ
Ah, so thatโs how it is.
It was my fault for getting my hopes up.
Iโll have to reflect on that.
โWell then, Iโll dig in. Since your bread is so delicious, Iโm really looking forward to this bento.โ
โHuhโฆโ
โHuh?โ
Whatโs with that awkward reaction?
โWellโฆ I gave this to you as a thank-you, so it feels a bit weird for me to say this now, butโฆโ
Mizuta-san kept glancing at me, as if gauging my reaction.
โMy momโs bread is really delicious, but her cooking isnโt that great. So Iโd be in a bind if you had too high expectationsโฆโ
โOh, rightโฆโ
Mizuta-san sure doesnโt hold back when it comes to her own mom.
That said, itโs been a while since Iโve had a home-cooked meal made by someone else.
I couldnโt completely give up hope.
When I opened the lunchbox lid, it actually looked pretty appetizing.
โOh, chopsticks.โ
โI, I brought some.โ
Mizuta-san timidly pulled a pair of chopsticks out of her bag.
โT-these are the ones I usually use, but I washed them really well, s-so you donโt have to worry at all about an indirect kiss or anythingโฆ!โ
Well, now that you mention it, that actually makes me think about it even more.
Anyway, if I let that bother me now, Iโll lose.
I took the chopsticks and took a bite.
For now, the texture is good.
As for the all-important tasteโฆ
โK-Komachi-san, you donโt have to force yourself to eat this. The taste is a bit off, isnโt itโฆ?โ
โAh, no. Hmmโฆ the seasoning is pretty light. I guess you could say itโs healthy.โ
How should I put itโฆ maybe I should just say it has no flavor.
It wasnโt so much that it tasted bad as it was practically tasteless.
Did she make it this way on purpose, or did she not even taste it at all?
โW-well, maybe I should make it myself from now onโฆ?โ
โHuh? Next time?โ
โY-yesโฆ I-is this a botherโฆ? I guess so. Itโs gross, isnโt it, for a socially awkward girl like meโwho isnโt even a pretty girlโto make a homemade bentoโฆโ
โNo, no, thatโs not what I meant.โ
She suddenly started muttering to herself and seemed to sink into her seat, so I hurriedly interjected.
โI was just wondering if you were planning to keep making lunches for me.โ
โIf youโre going to teach me all about VTubers, Iโd be happy to make you lunchesโas many as you wantโฆโ
She might be more serious about VTubers than I thought.
After all, she went and bought a new microphone right after hearing my advice.
But honestly, since even Yue fired me, Iโm not sure if Iโll be of any use to her going forward.
โI understand. If thereโs anything I can do to help, Iโll help.โ
โAh, thank you so muchโฆ!โ
In reality, thereโs only so much I can do.
Still, seeing the happy look on Mizuta-sanโs face, I couldnโt help but smile.
ใโ
After school, I headed over to Mizuta-sanโs desk with my bag in hand.
โWell then, shall we head home?โ
โOh, y-yesโฆโ
Mizuta-san also stood up and left the classroom with me.
Just then, Yamamoto, who was on the phone in the hallway, saw us and her eyes widened in surprise.
โOh, sorry. Iโll call you back later.โ
I wonder if the person on the other end of the line was her, after all.
More importantly, why would she go out of her way to call when weโre at the same school?
Surely she hasnโt switched girlfriends again without me knowing, has she?
Yamamoto approached us and grinned.
โO-oh, whatโs up? Komachi, youโre doing pretty well, arenโt you?โ
โWhat do you mean, โdoing pretty wellโ? Donโt get any weird ideas.โ
First the Visual Arts Club president, and now thisโwhy does everyone always jump to that kind of conclusion?
Yamamoto turned to Mizuta-san and said,
โThis guyโs a good guy, all things considered, so take care of him.โ
โWhat are you talking about?โ
And โall things consideredโ? At least give one specific example.
Mizuta-san looked nervous and just nodded repeatedly instead of answering.
Yamamoto waved, saying, โSee ya~,โ and walked away immediately.
โSeriously, that guyโฆ Heโs such a busybody. Iโm sorry, Mizuta-san. That must have startled you, didnโt it?โ
โN-noโฆโ
Mizuta-san was blushing, fidgeting with her fingertips.
Ah, so thatโs it.
Come to think of it, Mizuta-san did know about him.
โYamamotoโs really good-looking, isnโt he? Donโt you think so?โ
โHuh? W-well, I guess soโฆโ
โSee? Should I talk to Yamamoto for you and smooth things over?โ
โW-whatโฆ?โ
โSo you and Yamamoto can get together.โ
โW-what?!?โ
Mizuta-san stretched both arms straight out toward me and shook them vigorously.
โI-I donโt actually like himโฆ!! I-I mean, sure, heโs handsome, but I donโt think a wallflower like me could ever be a good match for himโฆ!!โ
โThatโs not true at all. Mizuta-san, youโve got great potential.โ
โHuh? R-Reallyโฆ?ใB-but someone like me is stillโฆโ
You donโt need to put so much pressure on yourself.
Just by tweaking your makeup and hairstyle a little, your whole look would change beyond recognition.
Well, I canโt force you, though.
Speaking of which, it looks like you really did fall for Yamamoto at first sight, Mizuta-san.
โWell, take your time thinking it over. Since I happen to be Yamamotoโs friend, you should make good use of that, right?โ
โI-I told you, itโs not like thatโฆโ
On the way to Mizutaโs house, we chatted about this and that.
โSo, did you transfer here because your house caught fire?โ
โY-yesโฆ Back then, I was still secretly working as a VTuber. That night, I was streaming secretly in the middle of the night when I happened to notice the fire.โ
So sheโd nearly died.
Mizuta-san has certainly led a turbulent life.
โThat must have been really tough for you.โ
โB-but after that, I got proper permission from my mom and dad, so I was able to continue my VTuber activities. I guess you could say it all worked out in the end.โ
โHuh? Really?โ
โYeahโฆ I couldnโt keep it a secret anymore anyway. Besides, itโs b-because I was a VTuber that I managed to escape with my life in the middle of the night, right?โ
Admittedly, if she brought up an argument like that, her parents would probably have a hard time objecting.
And even if they had tried to stop her, thereโs no way Mizuta-san would have listened anyway.
As we chatted aimlessly, before we knew it, weโd arrived right next to my houseโin front of the Mizuta residence.
She opened the front door for me, so I just walked right inside.
โU-umโฆโ
โYes?โ
Then, for some reason, Mizutaโs face turned bright red, and she squirmed nervously.
โJ-just because weโre a-alone together, if you t-try to do anything s-strange, wellโฆ Of course, I couldnโt possibly resist you, Komachi-sanโฆ b-but please donโt be rough with meโฆโ
Why on earth did she go out of her way to say that right now?