TGS – Vol 3 Epilogue

“Alright then, to the success of the Ebe Festival, or something like that—cheers!” (Rina)

“Cheers!” (Haruto)

“Ahaha, cheers.” (Aya)

It was Saturday evening, a few days after the Ebe Festival had ended.

Inside an apartment in the high-rise tower where Rina lived.

With a stylish ceiling light adorned with multiple bulbs and decorations, indirect lighting running along the four corners of the spacious ceiling, and a luxurious floor lamp—

The entire, spacious living room was brightly lit. Haruto and Aya had been invited to Rina’s home.

Seated at a dining table lined with a lavish spread of homemade dishes, they had begun their little after-party.

“If there’s any leftovers, I’m tossing them, so both of you eat until you’re stuffed, okay?” (Rina)

“Okay! Thanks for the food!” (Aya)

“Thank you very much. Itadakimasu.” (Haruto)

She probably didn’t really need to throw anything away—they could’ve just refrigerated or frozen it. But by saying that, she was clearly trying to keep them from holding back.

It seemed that Aya understood Rina’s intent as well.

Grateful for the thoughtfulness, she put her hands together in thanks and began eating, trying to hide the nervousness of being in Rina’s home for the first time.

And so, as their stomachs filled, the three of them continued chatting for about twenty minutes.

The topic eventually shifted to the Ebe Festival.

“By the way, I heard Oni-chan had over 25,000 concurrent viewers that day?” (Rina)

“Wha—25,000 people!?” (Aya)

“Haha, it was just for that day though.” (Haruto)

“To pull that off with 250,000 channel subscribers—that’s amazing.” (Rina)

“It really is super impressive! …Wait, that means our record for highest concurrent viewers… got beaten…” (Aya)

Rina had a genuinely congratulatory expression. From Aya, there were also congratulations—followed by a more complicated expression, perhaps because she suddenly remembered they were rivals.

Thanks to both of them. Haruto bowed his head with a smile in return.

“Nene~ how did it feel to gather that many people?” (Rina)

“I-It was incredibly scary… I mean, the viewer count was more than three times my usual streams.” (Haruto)

Having so many people watch him was something every streamer would dream of.

If asked whether it made him happy or not, of course it made him happy—but the moment he saw that unprecedented viewer count, his reaction had been exactly as he described.

“That’s when you’ve gotta flip the switch and get excited! Excitement keeps things entertaining!” (Rina)

“Yeah, that was a bit much for someone like me who’s not used to it.” (Haruto)

Rina’s point made sense.

If he’d been able to shift his mindset back then, he probably wouldn’t have ended the stream so quickly.

He could have kept the energy going with his talk.

He might have even pushed the viewer count a little higher.

“Fufu, that advice brings back memories. Rina-san told me the exact same thing once.” (Aya)

“I remember that too. And your comeback was, ‘Rina-san’s sense of things is weird!’” (Rina)

“Wha—d-d-d-don’t tell me you’re still holding a grudge!?” (Aya)

“Who knows~? If you think so, Ayacchi, maybe eating more might help you make it out alive.” (Rina)

“Y-Yes ma’am!!” (Aya)

From Rina’s choice of words, it was clear she wasn’t actually holding a grudge—but Aya, fearing the slightest possibility, quickly started scarfing down the side dishes on her small plate.

Watching her do so, Rina quietly smiled—and when Haruto looked at her, their eyes met right away.

“W-What are you looking at, Haruto-san? Did you want to make some sort of comment?” (Rina)

“Haha, not at all.” (Haruto)

“Then it’s fine.” (Rina)

Rina showed a hint of embarrassment for just a moment before returning to her usual demeanor.

She was probably embarrassed to be seen as “someone who treated Aya like a little sister and doted on her.”

“Oh, right, right. This is a complete change of topic, but a gift arrived for you from my owner. I’ll give it to you before I forget.” (Rina)

“Huh? For me? Wait, when you say your owner, you mean that Chiyo-owner!?” (Haruto)

“Yup, from that Chiyo-san.” (Rina)

“R-Really…?” (Haruto)

Unless someone belonged to that team, they likely wouldn’t know the name of the gaming team’s owner, but she was a public figure who often appeared in the media, and each time she did, people on social media would make a fuss about her being a “beautiful owner.”

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she was the most well-known gaming team owner.

“U-Um… How do I put this… I really don’t recall doing anything that would deserve a gift from the owner…” (Haruto)

“She said, ‘Thanks for bringing excitement to the game.’ The team didn’t place, but it seems the owner was still satisfied.” (Rina)

“Just for that!?” (Haruto)

“Well, I mean, just that is already a big deal, right? Helping boost hype isn’t easy. Our owner’s the type who really gets that kind of thing.” (Rina)

As Haruto reacted in surprise, Rina grinned and stood up. She quickly walked out into the hallway and returned shortly after.

In her hand was a glossy paper bag.

“Here you go. Make sure you bring it all the way home with you.” (Rina)

“Rina-san and I already got ours, so no need to hold back, Haruto-kun!” (Aya)

“Ah, then… I’ll gladly accept it. I’m really happy…” (Haruto)

Aya, having just emptied her mouth, smiled warmly to back him up, which made it a little easier for him to accept what clearly looked like something expensive.

“If you could let Chiyo-owner know how grateful I am, I’d really appreciate it.” (Haruto)

“Got it! I’ll be sure to pass that along for you.” (Rina)

“Please do.” (Haruto)

After bowing his head once more, he took a peek inside the paper bag—inside was a large box, the kind typically used for sweets.

And then, there was also a rectangular box, like the kind used for gift cards.

Haruto was curious what kind of item Chiyo-owner had chosen, but he decided to save that surprise for later.

He set the paper bag down on the carpet, deciding to enjoy the after-party for now.

“By the way, I also got a message from one of my friends for you, Haruto-san.” (Rina)

“H-Huh?” (Haruto)

“You know Ameme Toto-chan, right? She participated in the Ebe Festival. The illustrator and VTuber.” (Rina)

“Ah… Well, this might not be the best way to put it, but she was the one getting criticized for her performance, right? I actually got a few comments about it on my end too…” (Haruto)

“That kind of thing happened!?” (Aya)

“Seems so~ I only found out because Toto-chan contacted me. I didn’t hear all the details, but apparently, you stood up for her in various ways.” (Rina)

“H-Hmm.” (Aya)

“Well… I didn’t exactly intend to stand up for her or anything like that…” (Haruto)

It wasn’t that he was trying to hide his embarrassment.

He had simply gotten irritated and said what he truly felt—that “the lamest thing is to criticize someone who gave it their all”—which ended up sounding like he was defending her.

“I think that really meant a lot to Toto-chan. She could tell you weren’t saying it with any ulterior motive.” (Rina)

“Eh…” (Haruto)

Haruto was caught off guard by the unexpected perspective.

“Anyway, it sounds like she wants to thank you personally, but she’s a bit hesitant because of Oni-chan’s character. She’s worried that following you on Twitto or reaching out might cause issues for you. Would it be okay with you if she did?” (Rina)

“Ahaha… I really feel bad about that… Of course, there’s no problem at all with a follow or anything like that. Honestly, I should be the one thanking her.” (Haruto)

“Got it. I’ll let her know that too.” (Rina)

He hadn’t interacted with her before.

He didn’t know much about her either, but her thoughtfulness left a good impression. It made sense—she was Rina’s friend, after all.

“If you could also tell her to feel free to contact me, that’d help.” (Haruto)

“Okay!” (Rina)

Rina formed a circle with her thumb and index finger, and Haruto nodded in return—just as the conversation wrapped up.

That’s when they noticed Aya, exuding a sulky aura.

“Huh? Ayacchi, you’re looking a little grumpy, aren’t you?” (Rina)

“T-That’s not true at all…” (Aya)

“Aaah, Haruto-san being nice to everyone has made Ayacchi pout~” (Rina)

“I don’t think I am!?” (Haruto)

“I-I wasn’t sulking or anything!” (Aya)

“Nihehe, I’m just kidding, just kidding. More importantly—both of you are not going home until you eat a lot more, okay?” (Rina)

As they both protested at the same time, Rina smiled and pushed a large platter of side dishes closer to Haruto and Aya.

The after-party lasted three hours.

It was wrapped in a cheerful, lively atmosphere the entire time.

And when the after-party finally came to an end—

—A follow notification from Ameme Toto, who had over a million followers on Twitto, arrived on Oni-chan’s account.

---

Thanks for reading!

Wow, with the way they are dressed, I assumed they were at a restaurant or something. Also, maybe Ameme Toto is a potential side character…? 

Anyways, that’s the end of vol 3. There sure was a lot of development on the Suzuha side but not really that much on the Aya side, which I guess is to be expected. I guess the next big thing we can look forward to is the pool/beach episode, I wonder if Aya and Rina are gonna join in somehow.

Now that this volume is finished, I can go back to translating British Stepsister. See you next volume.

---

1. None