Chapter 23: My Favorite YouTuber (Edited)

Although the beginning of autumn was fast approaching, the heat hadn’t completely subsided yet.

But today, unlike usual, the sky was slightly overcast, and a pleasantly moderate breeze was blowing.

At first, I was worried about having to wait in line for rides under the scorching sun.

But with the sky partially blocking the sun and the wind blowing, maybe it would be okay.

Relying on the shade that offered some protection from the sweltering heat, I was heading to catch the train with Ina Yeon (Sumire) and Lee Hyemi (Azusa) from the station.

We lived nearby, so we gathered here, but we were meeting Yoo Sea (Hoshino), who lives in Seoul, at the station there.

Yoo Sea didn’t seem like the type to participate readily in these kinds of gatherings, but maybe she was starting to feel a sense of belonging since she’d be debuting with us in the 2nd generation if nothing major happened.

Seeing the growth of that aloof Yoo Sea makes my chest feel flat…

“……”

Anyway, I feel a little nervous.

Because, as expected, this outfit is just too embarrassing.

Honestly, for me, who used to be a man, this fluttery outfit deals too much damage.

Even though I frantically wore women’s clothes and went out for the interview on the very first day I became Wooseo Woo, it doesn’t mean I’ve perfectly adapted to the female body.

For example, having to wipe properly after urinating, the fact that even if you’re flat-chested, not wearing a bra is noticeable, the feeling of inexplicable fatigue and irritability due to menstruation…

And keenly feeling the relative decrease in muscle strength compared to when I was male, or the change in speech patterns—

Ah, I really don’t know why that last one happens.

My way of speaking used to be akin to the world’s roughest tough guy.

Anyway, compared to when I was male, I’m acting like a completely different person.

So, for me, whose mind is still completely male, these feminine actions hit hard.

Besides, with three pretty girls sticking together companionably, I kept feeling people’s gazes.

Uncomfortable with the attention, I found myself unconsciously walking modestly, pressing down on the hem of my skirt.

“Ugh…”

This skirt is too short; aren’t people going to take pictures from below…?

I didn’t want to be like this, but honestly, it bothered me way too much.

Just wearing a skirt for the first time in my life felt like I could faint, but being dressed with more than half my thighs exposed made me conscious of even the breeze blowing under the skirt.

Because of that, while standing on the escalator to board the train, I became wary, wondering if someone was taking pictures from below.

Back then, when women going up ahead of me were wary of me, I thought it was ridiculous…

I’m reflecting on my past self now.

As I stood there anxiously, pressing down the hem of my skirt, Yeon Mamang approached me with her usual gentle smile.

“Is wearing a skirt awkward?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“That’s strange. Didn’t you wear a school uniform skirt when you were a student?”

“Huk.”

That’s too sharp.

I quickly racked my brain for an excuse.

According to the internet, female students wear skirts over their gym pants, right?

“W-Well, back then, I wore gym pants under my skirt…”

“Aha.”

She nodded deeply as if she understood.

Whew, did I pass the hurdle?

But it was too early to feel relieved; this time, Lee Hyemi clung to me.

A strong feminine fragrance drifted on the breeze, and my hand was once again led by hers and tucked into her cleavage.

Th-This person is really too touchy-feely.

“Seo Woo must have been popular during her school days.”

“Eh-“

“Men usually like girls like this, who evoke a protective instinct~ Right?”

“I-I went to an all-girls middle and high school…”

Well, Wooseo Woo did, so that should be correct, right?

Besides, Wooseo Woo was a glasses-wearing, gloomy, friendless loser girl, so she probably had no connection with boys whatsoever.

“Eh? You didn’t go on blind dates or anything?”

“I didn’t…”

“Heol, poor thing.”

What’s there to pity.

VTubers are supposed to be virgins, okay?

Some people say dating before becoming a VTuber is forgivable, but for a real man like me, there’s no such thing.

I’ll curse you, reeking of non-virginity…

“Actually, I was a loser in school too, so I didn’t have friends. Hehe.”

“……!”

Azusa! You were a virgin! I believed in you…!

Seeing your actions, I thought you were utterly irredeemable non-virgin material, but thank you for protecting the horn of this otaku unicorn believer.

I mentally sent her thanks on behalf of the 1 million Rainbows.

“The train is here. Shall we get on?”

And Yeon Mamang, the personification of ‘pure virginity’ whom I firmly believe to be a virgin, led us onto the train by hand.

Yeon Mamang is definitely a virgin.

My virginity detector, the unicorn horn, isn’t reacting. Yes.

“Thank goodness. There aren’t many people.”

Perhaps because it was a weekday when everyone else was commuting, there really weren’t many people on the train.

There were about two groups of men who looked like they were going somewhere fun, and a woman who seemed to be traveling with her child and an elderly woman were sitting and sleeping.

I looked at the reserved ticket, started searching for our seats, and looked for a place to put my suitcase.

Glancing around briefly, I saw space above the seats to store luggage.

Other than that, there didn’t seem to be any specific place for luggage.

I saw something at the end of the aisle, but putting it there felt too far, and I worried it might get lost, so this seemed like the best option.

“My hand…! Can’t reach!”

“Cute!”

No matter how much I struggled, lifting the suitcase above my head, I couldn’t reach.

If I were a man, I could have lifted it easily, but Wooseo Woo’s body is really so small and weak.

By the way, instead of just sending those loving gazes, could you maybe help me?

My arms are starting to lose strength…!

“Need some help?”

A smooth male voice came from the side.

With my arms stretched straight up, I looked sideways.

A handsome man who had apparently noticed us and approached was holding out his hand with a greasy smile.

Another man…

When I was a man, women never hit on me, but now that I’m a woman, it seems like someone hits on me every time I go outside.

Is it really the difference in looks?

“Ah, we’re okay. Seo Woo, give it here.”

“Okay…!”

Lee Hyemi, who had been watching from the side, subtly blocked the man’s view of me, then grabbed the suitcase and put it on the luggage rack.

Cool… isn’t she.

I’m seeing an unexpectedly reliable side of Azusa today.

Could it be that, contrary to my weird thoughts, she’s actually a better person than I thought?

“Heheheheh. Can’t give away our cute Seo Woo. Come here! Let me pet you some more!”

“N-No!”

“Eeeeh.”

…I was a fool to expect anything.

Evading her touch as she approached with a lewd smile like a balding old man from an AV, I quickly slipped into the seat next to Yeon Mamang, who was watching us fondly.

Then, Lee Hyemi looked at the seat next to Ina Yeon with longing dripping from her eyes before sitting down quietly opposite us.

Wait, was this her real goal? Pretending to pet me to sit next to Mamang…?

While I was momentarily stunned by her immense scheming, the train had already departed, and we started chatting while opening the snack bags we brought.

“I’m excited since this is the first time we’re hanging out just like this… It would have been nice if Rika (Mao) and Jihye (Miyuki) came too.”

“Why didn’t Eun Jihye come?”

“I’m not sure. She said it was family matters, maybe something important came up…”

Yeon Mamang twirled her neatly braided hair with her finger, gazing out the window with a worried look.

“……”

Seeing her like that, she looks like the heartbroken heroine of a youth romance movie.

As I stared blankly at her, Lee Hyemi, who was excitedly munching on snacks, popped a snack into my open mouth.

“Nom.”

“Seo Woo, are you into that too?”

“Eh?”

Tilting my head, I looked at Lee Hyemi, only to find her sending sharp glances from behind her cheerful smile.

Sensing what she was wary of, I flinched and shook my head.

“N-No. I’m not.”

Without lying, an image flashed through my mind of her stabbing Mamang’s stomach while muttering ‘Congrats on the dome concert…’

I have Haruka, so I’m not interested in Mamang. You crazy menhera lesbian b*tch.

“What are you two talking about?”

“Nothing at all!”

“What the…”

Mamang chuckled, adjusted her posture, and closed her eyes.

It seemed she was quite tired from driving early in the morning to pick me up.

I feel kind of sorry…

Come to think of it, I’m also a bit sleepy since I woke up early to pack my luggage hastily.

“Haa~m.”

“If you’re sleepy, want to sleep a bit? I’ll wake you up when we arrive.”

“Okay… Tell me when we get there.”

“Sleep tight!”

I replied to Lee Hyemi, nodded off for a moment, and eventually fell asleep.

Yeon Mamang’s shoulder was warmer than I expected.

Click-!

“Hup!”

“Ah, you’re awake?”

My eyes snapped open at what sounded like a camera shutter.

Rubbing my eyes with the back of my hand, I looked around to see Lee Hyemi, who had been holding up her phone, lowering her hand.

“Were you taking pictures?”

“Hm? No, no.”

What, I don’t really mind if she takes a picture.

Taking it without asking is a bit much, but she’ll be my colleague soon, so that much is acceptable.

We’re practically family now.

“Really not?”

“……”

I half-closed my eyes and stared steadily at Lee Hyemi.

She flinched, squeezed her eyes shut, and yelled.

“I-I’m definitely not jealous that you were sleeping so intimately with Nayeon…!”

“……?”

“And I wasn’t planning on cropping you out at home and photoshopping my picture in!”

“That’s absurd.”

Seriously, cropping my picture out and pasting hers next to Yeon Mamang?

Wouldn’t it be easier just to take a picture together then?

…What kind of person is she, really?

Feeling like I might go crazy too if I talked more, I gently shook Yeon Mamang’s shoulder to wake her up.

We normal people need to keep our wits about us. Yep.

But watching her huge breasts sway with my hand movements, the hardcore otaku sexual harasser VTuber fan sensibility within me began to awaken.

Ugh… I want to get crushed between those soft, bouncy mochi water balloons and suffocate.

“Mmm…? Have we arrived?”

“…Yeah, we need to get our luggage down now.”

“Haam- My shoulders are stiff.”

Maybe your shoulders are stiff because you’re carrying around things the size of watermelons.

Since Wooseo Woo’s are about the size of mugs, my shoulders don’t feel strained at all.

…Honestly, it feels similar to when I was a man.

“Gotcha. Here!”

While I was staring intently at her chest, Lee Hyemi had already taken down the suitcase again, subtly looking out for me.

“…Thanks.”

She seems weird, yet surprisingly considerate and strange. I really can’t figure her out…

Is she trying to get on my good side because Yeon Mamang and I are close?

“Let’s hurry, Sea said she arrived too.”

Getting off the train, we walked out with light steps.

“It’s been a really long time since I’ve been to an amusement park.”

“Yeah. Me too, I haven’t been since my school days.”

“It’ll be fun. Right? Let’s give the CEO a thank-you video call after playing all day.”

“Yeah! Nayeon is really nice. Hehehe.”

The two seemed extremely excited about going to an amusement park for the first time since their school days, and since my only memory of an amusement park was going with my deceased parents when I was very young, I was quite excited too.

During my school days, it seemed like nobody wanted me to tag along to places like amusement parks.

…Actually, the kids in my class probably didn’t care much about me, but I felt self-conscious and didn’t go.

Even if I had gone, I wouldn’t have had friends to hang out with, and this was before I made fellow VTuber otaku friends.

“There’s Sea!”

Just then, I saw Yoo Sea (Hoshino) waving a small hand towards us from afar.

She was dressed very simply in a white t-shirt and jeans, but even dressed like that, thanks to her perfect proportions and figure, she looked like a celebrity in airport fashion.

“Seaya!”

“Hi.”

Lee Hyemi ran ahead first and greeted her cheerfully, but she just gave a cool wave and nodded curtly at us with a blank expression.

Still chic as ever…

I roughly set down my dragging suitcase and approached her.

“It’s been a while?”

“Yeah. Nice to see you.”

She nodded with her usual Tibetan fox-like expression.

It’s impossible to tell if she’s happy to see us or not.

I feel a little disappointed.

I thought we had gotten pretty close towards the end of the training camp.

However, my slight disappointment quickly vanished at her next words.

“There’s someone else coming with me too.”

“Eh?”

Who on earth could it be?

Which clueless moron is trying to barge into our girls’ party?

I’d welcome Ari-nim, but she said she couldn’t come today because of a business trip.

And she subtly didn’t want to disturb our outing, so she probably wouldn’t have come even if she didn’t have work.

…Don’t tell me it’s Kim Kanghyun?

He didn’t just give us the card, he came in person too?

While I was quickly scanning the surroundings, just in case, I saw four women with incredibly striking appearances approaching from the distance.

“……!”

Our eyes met.

In an instant, the air surrounding me changed.

“Uh…?”

All their faces looked familiar.

Moreover, the woman leading the group had looks I hadn’t forgotten even once since accidentally seeing her on the gallery.

Perhaps it was when I was managing the Belus Gallery before, inevitably seeing her while chasing away trolls who came to stir up trouble…

“Are these the people Sea-nim mentioned? It’s really nice to meet you.”

…My most beloved VTuber.

“Just as the CEO told me, you’re all really pretty.”

My oshi, Haruka.

“I heard there’s a Kanari here too. Fufu. I came here really looking forward to it, you know?”

She looked straight at me with the beautiful smile I had only ever imagined.

My body won’t move.

I expected to meet her someday since I was debuting in the 2nd generation, but I never thought we’d encounter each other so suddenly.

I wanted to meet her with at least a little mental preparation…

“Ah, uh…”

There were so many things I wanted to say.

But even when I opened my mouth, the words swirling in my head didn’t form sentences.

I was just busy endlessly taking in her appearance with my eyes.

Haruka was a woman with a strong yet warm feeling, possessing a completely different charm from Yoo Sea, whom I had considered the most perfect among everyone I had met so far in some ways.

Her hair was a bright brown, as if holding sunlight, tied up like a tail, cascading down below her waist in long, voluminous waves.

The ponytail, not fully hidden by the well-fitting cap, swayed gently whenever the wind blew, adding liveliness in itself.

Her large eyes had a subtle navy hue, shining brightly in the light like sunbeams filtering through trees in a deep forest.

Her gaze was also soft, radiating a warmth that felt like it could instantly melt the heart of anyone whose eyes she met.

However, in contrast, her confidently raised eye corners and lips seemed to confirm she wasn’t just a soft person.

Her eyelashes were long and full, casting shadows on her irises.

Every glance revealed a natural ease and confidence, proving exactly why she was called the best among VTubers.

…Yes. She really was Haruka.

“Nice to meet you. From what the CEO told me, you seem to be the one from Kanari… Is that right?”

“Ah…… Yes.”

My gaze, which hadn’t left her face, blankly dropped to see a hand with flawless, clear skin.

A handshake… is that what she wants?

The Haruka—

With someone like me?

“This is the first time I’m meeting one of my fans in person like this. It feels kind of strange.”

I raised my trembling hand.

Slowly, towards the hand she offered.

“N-Nice… to meet you.”

We met.

Before I could even feel the thrilling sense of accomplishment from touching her soft skin, she firmly pulled me closer, enveloping my small hand in hers.

I can feel her.

The person I had only ever watched from beyond the screen is alive and moving in front of me.

I trembled with an indescribable emotion.

“Ah-“

“Your hand is really small… Fufut, the first Kanari I met is a cute fan.”

“…! Th-Th-Th-Thank…!”

“Pfft…! Why are you trembling so much? Are you nervous?”

Meeting her warm smile, my vision swam.

Honestly, I had worries at first.

The person I stan is a VTuber.

In crude terms, someone who operates hidden behind an avatar.

No matter how much I was into her, it’s impossible not to worry about the side effects of taking the red pill.

The red pill I accidentally saw was pretty.

But I was too scared to believe it outright.

Afraid my fantasy would shatter.

It’s a sensitive topic, but wouldn’t any VTuber otaku, while hoping to see their oshi’s real face someday, also hide the dark desire for their fantasy not to be broken?

But.

Haruka was just as I had imagined—

“……”

No.

She was shining even more brightly than I had ever imagined.

“……Huh.”

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

Her strong, husky voice tickled my ears.

Some might disparage it as unsuitable for a VTuber, but I like her voice.

When she sings, her voice is truly electrifying.

“My real name is Han Seoyoon. What’s your name, Kanari?”

“I’m…”

But right now, I couldn’t just close my eyes and listen calmly to the voice I loved.

Because something strange happened to my body.

“…Wooseo Woo.”

I flinched, my shoulders trembling.

What do I do…

I desperately want to make babies with Haruka right this instant—