Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/2912051596567318343/episodes/2912051597574762385
I woke up to the alarm on my phone.
I reached toward the sound, felt something hard under my fingertips, and immediately turned it off.
“I’m so sleepy…”
It’s Monday. My body feels sluggish from being completely wiped out on Sunday.
To make matters worse, I’ve got a troublesome message waiting for me.
“Get that proposal out by today, okay? If you’re late, it’s death.”
The sender was “Ichigo Daikyo.” She’s a female VTuber known for her sassy, little-devil-like antics.
She burst onto the scene like a comet six months ago and, despite being an independent creator, boasts an explosive following of 300,000 subscribers.
“You just started streaming, right? I said I’d collaborate with you, so since you’re a bottom-tier streamer, you should be grateful!”
I scrolled down, and my mouth twisted into a frown.
Last night, in response to that condescending DM, I tapped “Please” with trembling fingers.
It’s frustrating, but if I miss this chance to collaborate with a celebrity, I might never get another one.
I’m very satisfied with my last few streams.
But I only have two viewers. I don’t know when that number will drop to zero, so I have to increase my viewership to avoid streaming to an empty room.
Plus, I rarely get the chance to talk to anyone. This is a great opportunity to level up with my crush in mind.
Even if the other person is a total disaster.
“Ugaaaaaaa!”
I let out a scream because I hated it so much.
It might sound strange coming from me, but I’m usually pretty tolerant.
Whether it was when a bubbly gal invited me to lunch with her popular friends, or when my childhood friend gave me a look of pure hatred, it was awkward, sure, but I never actually disliked anyone.
But when it comes to her, I can say with certainty that I really don’t like her.
The reason is that we just don’t get along at all.
We didn’t have a bad relationship when we first met, so how did things turn out like this?
Or maybe it was bad from the very beginning.
“Nice to meet you! I’m a fan! I’m always rooting for you!”
“Waaaaa!! Thank you so much! I’ll keep doing my best!”
When I scroll back to the beginning of the DMs, that’s the first conversation.
What could have happened since then to make me dislike her this much?
I scroll down to look at the rest.
“Your video was fun again this time! It made me want to start streaming too!”
“Cool! I’m rooting for you!”
It’s still okay.
“I started as a VTuber! I already have 10 viewers!”
“Whoa! Impressive!”
I’m still handling this.
“My viewership just won’t grow~. What should I dooo?”
“I don’t have many viewers either, so I’m not sure, but maybe you should try this?”
I feel like that’s when things started to go off the rails.
“I followed your advice and it worked! I’ve got over 100 concurrent viewers!”
“You’re the best!”
“Okay! So, about what to do next… could you help me come up with a concept?”
“A concept? Um…”
“I know this is a hassle. Please, I’m begging you!”
Agreeing to that request was my last mistake.
“It went viral~! Wow, maybe I’m a genius?”
“Congratulations! Of course, it’s all down to your talent!”
“I know that! So, give me the next idea!”
“I don’t really have anything to say. Maybe we should stop with the ideas. Your fans probably want to see what Ichigo Daikyo comes up with.”
“Huh? What? Are you jealous? It’s embarrassing, so just give it to me already~”
At that point, I choked on my words, but since we’ve been friends for so long, I stayed up all night thinking about it.
“Good work. What’s next?”
“Next? I don’t have anything.”
“Huh? How dare you talk down to this super-popular VTuber?”
“I’m not talking down to you.”
“Then get it ready already.”
“Nah, seriously, I’m getting tired too.”
“Go ahead and get tired. It’s pointless to keep grinding to something no one’s gonna see anyway. Isn’t it way more meaningful to devote yourself to me?”
The back-and-forth continued in a similar vein.
She was a completely different person once she started racking up those numbers. She’d clearly become arrogant and started looking down on me.
That alone wouldn’t have been so bad. But when she kept pestering me to do it even after I refused, I finally lost my temper.
“I’m not doing it!!”
“Huh? Why not?!”
“I’m a student! It’s exam season right now, and I have to study! I don’t have time for that!”
“You’re dumb anyway, so it doesn’t matter. Even a popular girl like me has exams coming up. If we’re talking about whose time is more important, it’s obviously mine.”
“I don’t care! Then just stop streaming!”
“You’re telling me—a popular girl—to stop? Do you have any idea how many people that would make sad? Since everyone else will be saved by the sacrifice of a worthless guy like you, just be happy to make that sacrifice.”
I growled, “grrr…”
She had a point, so as a severance payment, I came up with a few ideas for future projects and submitted them.
“Tch, don’t make me go through all this trouble.”
“This is the last time, you hear me!”
“Yeah, yeah. Thanks for everything so far.”
And just like that, our ties were severed.
If only things had stayed that way.
Ichigo Daikyo went solo for a while, but eventually she started ripping off the concepts from my uploaded videos.
What’s more, she went to such lengths to ensure my videos wouldn’t show up when people searched for hers.
From there on, it’s been nothing but a back-and-forth exchange of insults.
“Haa…”
Of course, it’s not like I haven’t blocked her.
She tried to contact me through a new private account, so I unblocked her, figuring it was pointless.
“Haa… I guess I have to go to school.”
Wasting time on such nonsense, I realized it was almost time to head to school.
＊＊＊
It happened as I was walking through the school gate toward the entrance.
“Ouch, that hurt~”
Quick footsteps approached, and I felt a jolt in my back, so I turned around.
When I looked, a girl was lying on the ground. It seemed we’d bumped into each other.
“Senpai~. Don’t stop so suddenly~”
Her slender, white thighs were exposed, and a pair of black, revealing panties peeked out from under her skirt.
I knew I shouldn’t be looking, so I looked away.
Her skin was soft and white, her cheeks flushed with a faint blush. She had features so perfectly symmetrical they seemed almost unreal.
Her black hair, cut in a wolf cut, curled slightly at the ends, adding subtle movement to her quiet silhouette. A splash of red was hidden within, and every time it peeked out from between the strands of black hair, it added a touch of dangerous glamour to her overall appearance.
Contradictory elements—delicate, refined, mysterious, and adorable—coexisted within her, and I thought to myself, if there were such a thing as a succubus still growing up, she would probably look just like this.
“I’m not really standing still, though.”
As I reached out my hand, she flashed a mischievous smile and intertwined her fingers with mine in a lover’s grip.
“Senpai, thank you so much!”
Saying that to me in a saccharine tone, she stood up.
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