Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/822139844261747978/episodes/822139845174786720
“Yui? What’s wrong?”
Tomoka ilted her head, watching Yui return to the bench next to her after her two sisters had left.
To her, Yui recounted what Mitsuki had just said.
“!”
Tomoka looked startled for a moment… then her eyebrows knitted together.
“Ugh… Mitsuki, she seems spacey normally, but she’s surprisingly sharp…”
“She really cares about her sisters, huh. So… would you mind telling me about it?”
Yui was asked to listen to Tomoka’s worries. It was something only Yui could do.
he wondered how it would be, since Yukina was now his lover, but if Yukina herself agreed… he wanted to be a source of strength for the girl he supported.
Perhaps that feeling had reached her.
After a slight hesitation, Tomoka asked, “…So, will you listen?”
Yui nodded, and Tomoka began to speak.
“It’s not so much that I’m troubled… First, there’s something I’m thinking about right now.”
“Yeah.”
“As you know, I’m doing streaming activities right now. It’s about my approach to that.”
A bigger topic than expected came up.
To Yui, who braced himself and listened intently—Tomoka declared this.
“I’m… thinking about transitioning to being a VTuber!”
“…I see.”
It was an unexpected statement, but there was no point in lying in this situation.
“Not a regular streamer, but a VTuber?”
“Yeah. Right now, my streaming style is basically no face reveal, just using simple character art occasionally.”
After describing Tomoka’s streaming format, which Yui also knew well.
“The difference between regular streamers like that and VTubers. There are various aspects, and the boundaries are getting blurry… but I think the big difference is having that ‘character-like quality’.”
She shared her perspective as someone active in streaming.
“The appeal comes from having a character-like quality that’s a bit different from reality, something non-everyday. You see… my voice is distinctive too, so maybe that suits me better.”
“True. I think it suits you, both voice-wise and streaming style-wise.”
It was a big decision, but a convincing one.
After saying “Thanks” to Yui, who nodded in agreement, Tomoka continued.
“So. …This is what I wanted to tell you, Yui.”
With a straight expression—she stated this.
“My design as a VTuber. Would you do it, Yui?”
It was a surprising proposal.
But certainly, given he was someone close to her who could draw, asking Yui wasn’t unreasonable.
Still, under those conditions, Yui had to ask something.
“It’s an honor, but… couldn’t you ask Yukina-san?”
Given those conditions, there was a girl who should be considered before Yui.
Tomoka seemed to have anticipated the question, answering without hesitation.
“I think it’d be tough for onee chan right now. Why? Well… she just had her serialization canceled, after all.”
“…That’s true.”
“I want her to focus on herself right now. If it’s my design, she’d probably pour everything she has into it… I don’t want to add to her burden.”
It was a reasonable explanation. Yui understood why he’d been asked. But…
“…I can’t just decide lightly, you know.”
Because he was thinking seriously, Yui answered like this.
“Even if I accept, I’ll probably pour everything I have into it, just like Yukina-san did. I need to balance it with my own activities, so I can’t give you an answer right now.”
“Yeah, I get it.”
“But I’ll definitely consider it seriously. Can you give me a few days?”
“! Yeah, thanks…!”
Perhaps encouraged by the positive response, Tomoka nodded happily.
With that, the conversation reached a pause… and Yui thought.
(Isn’t this actually something she’s struggling with?)
She thought that… but apparently, the real topic was yet to come.
“Still, I was surprised. I had no idea you were thinking about something like that, Tomoka-san. Your streaming activities seemed to be growing steadily enough.”
“Well…”
Faced with the follow-up question, Tomoka faltered slightly.
“…Yeah. But I want to grow more. I want to become an amazing streamer that more people can see. …As soon as possible.”
“Soon…? Why so…”
“Because…”
She revealed the core of her ‘worry’.
“If I don’t… I’ll get left behind. By Michi-chan and onee chan.”
The second surprising statement of the day.
He urged her to continue with his gaze. Then, with an expression that seemed both troubled and eager to be heard, Tomoka spoke.
“Um… I wonder if saying this will make you uncomfortable, Yui-kun?”
“I don’t know if it’ll make me uncomfortable, but I won’t laugh. So, will you tell me?”
Perhaps his straightforward words opened Tomoka =’s heart.
“Alright, I’ll tell you.”
Uncharacteristically quiet for her usually carefree self, she began to speak.
“I always think… that I’m the least talented of us sisters.”
The weight she carried.
“Onee chan is amazing. By the time she was about my age now, she was already a pro. Even when a serialization flops, she pushes forward to the next thing.”
“…”
“Mitchan’s amazing too. She keeps creating wonderful songs, and her singing is the best among the first-years. Even though there are so many talented musicians at Asahi Academy.”
“…Don’t you have livestreams too, Tomoka-san? You have so many subscribers, and your voice is…”
“Thanks. …But you see.”
After receiving Yui’s supportive words, she continued.
“Probably. If my onee chan or Michan did livestreams like me, they’d be way more successful than I am.”
“…”
“As for voices, mine’s just distinctive—they both have amazing voices too. onee chan has this versatile voice that works for cool stuff and reactions, and Michan has this calming yet sexy voice you just want to keep listening to.”
Her analysis was spot-on, born from having listened to them more than anyone.
“I can’t draw. Music too—I started doing it with Michan, but I realized I couldn’t beat her. That’s partly why I focused on streaming, but even that was just doing something anyone could do…”
“…”
“—Whoops, sorry! I didn’t mean to make it so gloomy!”
Realizing she’d said too much, Tomoka frantically waved her hands in front of her chest.
“I’m not complaining! Of course I don’t plan to stop here—that’s why I’m considering becoming a VTuber! …I just… sometimes feel this way…”
“Yeah, I get it.”
I understood everything.
Both the reason it was a ‘worry she couldn’t share with her sisters’, as Mitsuki had analyzed, and her own thoughts.
And on top of that… what Yui could say was.
“──You’re amazing, Tomoka-san.”
It was sincere praise.
“Huh?”
“You recognize what you lack, yet still acknowledge how incredible those around you are. On top of that, you’re seriously thinking about what to do and truly facing it head-on.”
Yui knew.
Just how difficult that was. How many people couldn’t face it, choosing instead to gloss over their own shortcomings.
And she’s facing it head-on, without running away. That alone is worthy of respect.
“I can’t solve your worries, Tomoka-san. So at the very least, I’ll say this. You’re amazing. Just facing them properly makes you incredibly admirable. You’re an amazing person.”
“!”
“I respect you even more now. To borrow your own words from before, I’m personally happy to discover a new side of my favorite person. So… I want to support you.”
Was I only saying clichés?
But at least I carefully conveyed my heart.
Then.
“…Ugh. I was going to hold back today because it’s my Onee chan’s day—”
Tomoka said this with moist eyes.
Then, she lifted her hips. Leaning toward me—
“…Eh?”
She hugged me.
Her arms wrapped tightly around my neck, pressing her soft body against me.
Then, her glossy lips drew close to my ear.
“…I like you.”
She whispered it in a voice like sugar-coated candy.
“Remember? When we first talked, I said, ‘I think I might have fallen for you.’ …Can I take the ‘maybe’ out of that?”
“……”
“Actually, I’ll take it out. I like you, I-like you. Do you think it’s weird since we just started talking? But it’s how I feel. I’ll keep saying it until you understand. Not just with words…”
Then, moving her arms, Tomoka’s face came directly in front of Yui’s.
Her eyes glistened, her cheeks flushed. A beauty that could steal all your awareness.
Time seemed to freeze right then…
“…………”
Then, Tomoka’s awareness snapped back to normal.
Simultaneously, she seemed to realize what she’d just been doing. After freezing for a few seconds, her cheeks slowly flushed—not with sensuality, but with embarrassment—
“Th-that’s… voice practice!!”
She declared this, her eyes darting around.
“Eh?”
“See! Like I said before, I’m aiming to be a VTuber! I need to be able to do voices like this too! Hehehe, did I make your heart race?! Well, I’ll be off then…!”
She rattled it all off in one breath, then abruptly pulled away from Yui. She dashed off toward the day after tomorrow.
Left behind, Yui stood dumbfounded for a moment…
“…………, huh?”
With a bright red face, she muttered only that.
“………………Why —”
Far away, Himehime Ryota.
Following Mitsuki the other day, he witnessed his childhood friend—the one he believed understood and cherished him most—clinging to a man he didn’t know.
Jealousy, anxiety, and hatred boiled within him, and he didn’t know what to do about it.
──He still hadn’t realized that even greater despair awaited him immediately after this.
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