Category: Toxic Game Streamer

“I have a lot to learn…” (Haruto)

“Well, I have my reasons—I want to monopolize Oni-chan’s true self as much as possible, you know?” (Aya)

“W-What’s that supposed to mean?” (Haruto)

“Don’t mind it. It’s just a personal interest of mine~” (Aya)

With a sly smile, she made a joke, sensing that the counseling session had ended.

With just this, the somewhat heavy atmosphere that lingered during the consultation was dispelled, and the usual cheerful mood returned.

This is probably a skill she honed as a streamer. Despite being younger, she still excels in many aspects.

“Watch out. After surpassing 200,000 subscribers, my next goal is to surpass Ayaya-san!” (Haruto)

“If you can achieve that goal, I’ll grant you any one wish, whatever it may be.” (Aya)

“That’s quite ambitious.” (Haruto)

“Well, I have no intention of losing!” (Aya)

“Haha, I see.” (Haruto)

Haruto was glad that he consulted with her on this today. And before they knew it, they reached the usual crossroads. It was at that moment…

“Ah!” (Aya)

“Are you okay?” (Haruto)

“Oh, that was close! Stumbling over a step like that, I’m so clumsy.” (Aya)

For the second time today, she stumbled and almost fell. It must have been quite a scare, judging by her wide-open eyes.

And she didn’t trip over a small stone this time. She tripped over herself.

“That’s unusual. Constantly stumbling like that.” (Haruto)

“Well, you know!” (Aya)

“…Hm?” (Haruto)

It doesn’t seem to be a coincidence. She averted her gaze for a split second.

“Shirayuki-san, is there something you’re hiding?” (Haruto)

“Huh!?” (Aya)

This time, she even seemed to hold her breath.

“Um, you know, is it possible that you’re sick, Shirayuki-san? I heard that repeatedly stumbling could be a sign of an illness.” (Haruto)

“I’m not sick at all!! It’s not an illness, it’s just…” (Aya)

“It’s just…?” (Haruto)

She hesitated in her words, which was unusual for her. When pressed on, his worries turned out to be unfounded.

“Oh, you see, when I was waiting for you, I lost one of my contacts…” (Aya)

“C-Contact? Ah, I see. So that’s why you seemed a bit off.” (Haruto)

“Yeah… Maybe I misplaced them? It happens occasionally.” (Aya)

“I wonder…” (Haruto)

Aya turned towards Haruto, tilting her head with a troubled expression. It was a cute gesture, but he was genuinely troubled by the question she posed.

“At least it would be better if it were daytime right now…” (Haruto)

“Well, I can see with one eye, so it’s okay!” (Aya)

“Even though you’ve already stumbled twice?” (Haruto)

“T-That was an accident!” (Aya)

The reliability she showed earlier seemed to have disappeared. It was moments like these that reflected her age appropriately.

(But I guess everyone has moments like these…)

With such thoughts, those words slipped out of his mouth unintentionally.

“If it’s okay with Shirayuki-san, how about we hold hands? You can just grab my wrist if you want.” (Haruto)

“Huh!?” (Aya)

“Otherwise, you might stumble again, right?” (Haruto)

“Uuu…” (Aya)

“If you fall and get hurt, it might affect your streams. It’s better to be safe than sorry, right?” (Haruto)

“Ugh…” (Aya)

Whether she understood it or not, every time she speaks, there’s a groan that seems to suggest that she agrees.

“Of course, I won’t force you, but what do you think?” (Haruto)

As Haruto offered his hand, Aya remained still and started fidgeting.

“Etto, um, then, is it okay to… hold the hem of Haruto-san’s shirt…?” (Aya)

“Of course, it’s okay, but your tone has become more polite than usual. Is there something wrong?” (Haruto)

“W-Well, you know, I haven’t done something like this since elementary school…” (Aya)

“Oh, really…” (Haruto)

As if to prove her words through actions, Aya timidly grabbed the hem of his shirt with trembling fingers, seemingly looking down to pay attention to her steps.

Perhaps due to the height difference or maybe because of nervousness, she appeared like a lost child being guided back home.

“W-What!? Surely that’s a lie, right? Since elementary school?” (Haruto)

“I wouldn’t make up such embarrassing lies… If I can get used to it, I don’t mind holding hands with Haruto-san…” (Aya)

“W-Well…” (Haruto)

With her cute appearance and gentle personality, there’s no way she isn’t popular. But looking at her blushing so much from just holding the hem of the shirt, there is probably some truth to her words.

“H-Haruto-san is way too used to this… I-I don’t like how I’m the only one affected by this…” (Aya)

“I’m not used to it at all.” (Haruto)

“I don’t believe you.” (Aya)

She tightens her grip on the hem of the shirt, pulling it a bit. It seems she wants to turn the tables even just a little.

Although her strength is quite weak, you can sense her determination.

With a faint smile, Haruto meets her gaze. The moment their eyes meet, the hand pulling on the shirt stops.

“Hey, Shirayuki-san.” (Haruto)

“W-What is it…?” (Aya)

“I just wanted to say it again, but thank you for today. Thanks for listening to my troubles.” (Haruto)

The direction he should take for his channel was now clear, all thanks to her. He couldn’t thank her enough.

“I’d like to express my gratitude properly. Do you have something you’d like?” (Haruto)

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve already received a lot of help from Haruto-san.” (Aya)

“Do you have something you’d like?” (Haruto)

“I-I told you…” (Aya)

“Hmm?” (Haruto)

“Uwah, you’re not going to back down now, aren’t you?” (Aya)

“You’re absolutely right. If you can’t think of anything now, it’s fine to tell me later. Take your time.” (Haruto)

Knowing her personality, he had anticipated this kind of response from her. Still, he wanted to make sure he could give her a thoughtful thank-you gift.

“U-Um, if it’s okay with you… I’d like to go out and have fun with Haruto-san. Is that okay?” (Aya)

“Is that what you want the most?” (Haruto)

“Yeah, it would make me really happy.” (Aya)

“I-I see…” (Haruto)

While holding onto the hem of his shirt, her words made his heart skip a beat. It sounded like she was suggesting a date, but she might not have thought about it that far.

“Haruto-san, your only free day is Saturday, right?” (Aya)

“Yeah, but you have a stream every Saturday, right? I can rearrange my work schedule to another day.” (Haruto)

“No, Saturday is fine! But I’ll have to check my schedule and contact you again!” (Aya)

“Thanks. I’ll be looking forward to that day.” (Haruto)

“Me too!” (Aya)

By this point, her timidness earlier had disappeared, and her usual cheerful demeanor returned. As they continued walking, they discussed various details about the outing, such as the meeting place, time, and activities.

“Oh, this apartment building is where I live!” (Aya)

“Eh? Here!?” (Haruto)

“Yeah! There’s a soundproof room on the upper floor.” (Aya)

She stopped in front of a beautifully designed black and white 20-story apartment building building.

“As expected of a streamer… Living in such a nice place.” (Haruto)

“I actually wanted to live in a more budget-friendly place, but finding one with soundproof rooms was difficult.” (Aya)

“That’s true… It’s also important to live in a secure place to stay safe.” (Haruto)

“Oh! If Haruto-san lives with me, we can split the rent, and security will be even more perfect!” (Aya)

“That’s a good idea. Can my sister live with us too?” (Haruto)

“Of course, she’s more than welcome! There are some vacant rooms available!” (Aya)

“Well, in that case, I have no choice but to live here. Anyways, enough joking around, let’s head back.” (Haruto)

“Haha, you switch gears so quickly!” (Aya)

Even if it was a joke, she wouldn’t have said it without trust. Besides, her sharing her home address was also a sign of trust in itself.

“Thank you for walking me home, Haruto-san.” (Aya)

And with that, she released the hem of the shirt she had been holding. 

“Also, thanks for guiding me back, I really appreciate it!” (Aya)

“No, thank you for helping me with my troubles.” (Haruto)

“You’re welcome.” (Aya)

With a somewhat overly casual “you’re welcome,” she headed towards the entrance of the apartment building.

“Well then, let’s meet again at the cafe, Haruto-san!” (Aya)

“Yeah, see you.” (Haruto)

Taking the card key from her bag, she held it up to the authentication device and entered.

After the entrance closed, Aya turned around abruptly one last time and waved ‘bye!’ with a smile.

---

“Etto, um, then, is it okay to hold onto the hem of Haruto-san’s shirt…?”

---

Thanks for reading!

That was totally an invitation to a date. I’m calling it right now, they’re gonna hold hands during the date.

---

1. None

“Good job today.” (Haruto)

“Yeah! Good job to you too, Haruto-san!” (Aya)

At 22:00, having finished the part-time job without any issues, they change into their regular clothes, exchange their usual greetings, and start walking home together.

“Hey~ let me I’ll walk you back home today, Haruto-san!” (Aya)

“I’ll pass.” (Haruto)

“Why!? I gathered up the courage to say that!” (Aya)

“Haha, it’s not that I don’t want to. It’s just that today is a special day for Shirayuki-san, so let me walk you home instead.” (Haruto)

While there might be some mixed feelings about being escorted by a younger girl, the spoken sentiment was stronger.

“A special day for me?” (Aya)

“Yeah. Didn’t you surpass the viewer goal you set for today’s stream? 10,000 viewers.” (Haruto)

“Ah, hehe… If you put it that way, I’ll have no choice but to accept it.” (Aya)

She gives him the biggest smile of the day. 

“Alright then, I’ll be the one to walk you home.” (Haruto)

“Okay!… Whoa!?” (Aya)

*Thud*

“Hey, are you okay!?” (Haruto)

“I’m okay, I’m okay! I just stumbled a bit.” (Aya)

“Be careful, it’s dark outside.” (Haruto)

“Yeah! Thanks.” (Aya)

She’s not only a streamer but also part of a professional gaming team. It would be bad if she got herself injured in such a way.

It’s the one thing she has to be careful about.

“But still, you achieved quite an incredible goal.” (Haruto)

“I’m the one most surprised. Getting true thatI I couldn’t have done it without Oni-chan, but honestly, I never thought I could achieve the goal… for a long time.” (Aya)

“For a long time?” (Haruto)

“Yeah. I haven’t told anyone this, but recently, I’ve been struggling a bit lately. Both my channel subscribers and viewers have remained stagnant for a while now.” (Aya)

“Oh, I see. I never thought of it that way at all.” (Haruto)

Some might argue, “As long as it’s not going down, it’s fine,” but the motivation for every content creator is always, “I want to become more famous!”

“I tried my best to hide it. It’s a bit discouraging to show it with my kind of character, you know?” (Aya)

“I totally understand. With that kind of happy-go-lucky character, it might be awkward to show it. Besides, if someone with over 300,000 subscribers talks about such things, it might piss off other content creators. The situation doesn’t resonate with everyone, after all.” (Haruto)

“Hehe~ As expected of you. You know exactly what I’m talking about.” (Aya)

“We’re working on the same field, so I can understand it to some extent.” (Haruto)

Despite having different numbers of subscribers, they share a lot of common ground because they’re in the work in the same industry.

“This is actually why I decided to shift from just streaming to posting videos. I thought relying only on streaming would be tough, so I wanted to establish another pillar.” (Aya)

“…” (Haruto)

“In that sense, finally achieving my goal felt really rewarding.” (Aya)

She wasn’t a famous streamer for nothing. Despite being young, she thinks and acts carefully without becoming complacent.

“I owe a lot to Oni-chan. It was only after getting involved with him that I started to grow again.” (Aya)

“I’m glad that I could help.” (Haruto)

(I didn’t know about the stagnation issue though…)

“Hey, Haruto-san, do you have any troubles or anything? I’d like to repay you if there’s something I can do.” (Aya)

“As a matter of fact, I do.” (Haruto)

“Really!?” (Aya)

Just as she was eager to hear more…

“Oh, umm! Sorry! It’s not that I’m happy you have troubles or anything!!” (Aya)

“Haha, don’t worry, I didn’t think of it like that.” (Haruto)

She frantically waves her hands, clearly in a state of panic.

“…I’ve been thinking about consulting with Shirayuki-san about something for a while now. There’s hardly anyone I can talk to openly about streaming matters, so you’re the only one.” (Haruto)

“I’ll do my best to help you, so fire away!” (Aya)

“Thank you. That’s reassuring.” (Haruto)

Aya clenches her fist, showing determination. It’s a bit embarrassing to consult with someone younger, but when it comes to this matter, there’s no one more reliable than her.

“So what I want to ask is—” (Haruto)

“Yeah?” (Aya)

“Lately, I’ve been having trouble thinking about the direction my channel should be taking…” (Haruto)

“In other words, whether to keep that toxic persona or change to a more natural personality, right?” (Aya)

“Exactly.” (Haruto)

Knowing the situation makes her the perfect person to consult with. With just a brief explanation, she grasps the situation accurately.

“My current number of subscribers is around 180,000… The fact that my channel is close to doubling in size¹ ever since the incident makes me think a lot about what I should be doing in the future. Especially because the growth has been so rapid.” (Haruto)

“Are you thinking of graduating from the toxic content around your 200,000 subscribers milestone?” (Aya)

“Something like that… Maybe. Lately, I’m not sure what kind of character my viewers want.” (Haruto)

What has been built up over more than a year can be caught up to in just a month. While it’s a situation that a content creator would normally be happy about, it also introduces uncertainty about the direction of the channel.

“If I were in Haruto-san’s position, I’m sure I’d have the same worries. The growth is extraordinary, after all.” (Aya)

“…Ah, haha. Yeah, you’re right.” (Haruto)

“As a third party, I can offer my perspective on things. But it’s up to you to make the decision.” (Aya)

With such a considerate line of words, she starts speaking in a calm and relaxed tone.

“Firstly, what Oni-chan has built up so far is by no means wasted. If you hadn’t built up that toxic persona of yours, the current results wouldn’t have been possible, right?” (Aya)

“Yeah.” (Haruto)

“So, all the hard work you’ve put in so far hasn’t been wasted.” (Aya)

“… ” (Haruto)

Her words seemed to penetrate right through his heart.

Deep down, he felt uncomfortable that the various struggles he went through in the past to reach 100,000 subscribers were easily overtaken in such a short amount of time.

It went from:

—(There’s no way I can reach 100,000 subscribers.)

To:

—(If I can reach 200,000 subscribers this easily, what was the point of all the effort I’ve put in until now.)

“Oh, I see… I should have thought about it that way.” (Haruto)

He understands that this was the source of his troubles. His perspective had been narrow.

It was all about his own perception being misguided.

“…Actually, I’ve also had the same thoughts when I first started.” (Aya)

“R-really?” (Haruto)

“Yeah. I was working hard but my channel wasn’t growing much, and I even considered retiring. Then, I coincidentally matched up with a famous streamer and saw an unprecedented amount of growth… It made me happy, but I couldn’t help but wonder what all my previous efforts were for.” (Aya)

“…” (Haruto)

“But if I think about it, without putting in all that effort, the people who watched me might not have become fans. When I started thinking that way, it became much easier to cope.” (Aya)

A shy, small smile appeared on her face. It was an expression that lightened her heart.

“Ah, to get back on topic, I think you should continue with your current character as it is. If you were to change it now, you might only retain about half of the number of fans that you have since that is what they signed up for. You could end up going through a period of stagnation similar to mine. Moreover, the unique charm that only you have now might disappear, right? Teasing the viewers and being teased by them—that’s what suits you the best.” (Aya)

Being able to speak so accurately about someone else’s situation suggests she has thoroughly analyzed strengths, selling points, and elements that resonate with viewers.

Is she really 18? It was a moment where I couldn’t find words to respond.

---

Thanks for reading!

This reminds me of when Fortnite blew up and every YouTuber switched to playing that because it was easier to grow. I mean, it was a hot trend so it was expected, but seeing my favourite YouTuber ditch their previous game for Fortnite makes me have mixed feelings.

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1. He used to have around 100,000 subs before the incident

“So, this is the current fashion trend, huh…? I wonder if this would suit Yuu.” (Haruto)

Today, as usual, Haruto is working at the book cafe and he is currently on his 7 PM break.

While muttering to himself and flipping through women’s magazines, Haruto uses his smartphone to research on the latest fashion trends.

Of course, there’s a reason for this. It’s to bring up topics like, “I found this outfit, what do you think? Want to go look for clothes together next time?” with his sister.

Even though Yuno works part-time twice a week, she allocates all her earnings into her savings account.

No matter what Haruto says, she only buys the bare essentials and hesitates to indulge in fashion, despite being interested in it.

“I’d be happy she could indulge in it for a bit… I’ll figure out the money situation somehow.” (Haruto)

The older brother’s true desire is for his sister to live a comfortable life, so he occasionally becomes pushy.

“Oh, this one looks really good!” (Haruto)

As he imagines Yuno wearing the outfit, his expression unconsciously softens.

While he was being immersed in his own world, 10 minutes or 20 minutes quickly past.

“Hmmmmm. Are you interested in this black dress?” (?)

A voice comes from the side.

“I’m thinking about this one too, but it shows a bit too much skin… I know it’s almost summer, so it can’t be helped.” (Haruto)

“Um, could it be for your girlfriend?” (?)

“I don’t have a girlfriend. I just thought I’d like to buy it for my sister.” (Haruto)

“I see! I see! As usual, you’re the same as ever, Oni-chan. Hehe~” (?)

“…Huh?” (Haruto)

After being called ‘Oni-chan’, he finally notices the situation he is in.

Blinking rapidly, he turns his head to look at the person next to him—

“Cold!” (Haruto)

“Hehe, good evening~” (Aya)

“Shirayuki-san!?” (Haruto)

It was Aya, with a grin on her face, pressing a chilled matcha latte against his neck. It was the first time she had done something like this.

“Um, you seem to be in a good mood?” (Haruto)

“Yeah! I got some good information, so I’m in a great mood! I’m glad I came today!” (Aya)

“Oh, really…” (Haruto)

“Is Haruto-san on break now?” (Aya)

“Yeah, for about 15 more minutes. Oh, sorry for not noticing you earlier. Please, have a seat.” (Haruto)

“Is that really okay? Won’t I be getting in the way of your break?” (Aya)

“Haha, quite the opposite. I was actually hoping for some company since I was bored.” (Haruto)

“Then, I’ll take you up on that offer!” (Aya)

“Please, go ahead.” (Haruto)

With a cheerful shout, Aya sits down next to him, placing the matcha latte on the table and settling down while facing him.

“By the way, it’s rare for Shirayuki-san to come on a weekend. You usually visit after your classes on weekdays, right?” (Haruto)

“I just wanted to see Haruto-san.” (Aya)

“R-Really?” (Haruto)

Dangerous. He almost gets fooled by her sincere tone. If he had taken it seriously, he would have been teased.

“Well, you see, since I finished my work earlier than usual, I decided to treat myself. Although, I might still have some editing work to do later.” (Aya)

“Oh, I see. Did you enjoy your work?” (Haruto)

“Of course! It was fun, but it’s more tiring than usual. After all, the comments today were different from the norm .” (Aya)

“Huh? You mean there were more negative comments?” (Haruto)

“Not really, but for some reason, most of the comments were talking about the same person. Dealing with that was quite a challenge.” (Aya)

“T-That’s, could it be…” (Haruto)

Even though the way she phrased it was vague, he has his suspicions.

He wishes he was wrong. As he tilts his head, hoping that he was mistaken, more details are revealed.

“Someone named ‘Oni-something’ was praising me.” (Aya)

“…” (Haruto)

“He also said some pretty harsh things.” (Aya)

“Oh, no… That’s…” (Haruto)

“He also mentioned something about using me as a stepping stone.” (Aya)

“Oh, haha… Is that so…” (Haruto)

“That’s how it is~” (Aya)

Even though she phrases it in a way that avoids directly revealing the person’s identity, her expression screams, “Oi, you! I’m talking about you!”

“It seems that that person also got spanked by his sister with a shoe.” (Aya)

“Hu-huh… They must have done something really bad for that to happen…” (Haruto)

It’s all information one wouldn’t know unless they watched his stream yesterday. And clearly, Aya knows about yesterday’s stream.

“I never thought Ayaya-san would watch my channel… Wait, could it be that a viewer snitched on me…?” (Haruto)

Looking back, he left a lot of negative comments about her during the stream.

Saying that Ayaya, a popular streamer with over 300,000 subscribers, has no cute qualities, or claiming that nothing about her is likable will certainly not sit well with some viewers.

In hindsight, he feels there could have been a better way to express his thoughts.

“Um, in my defense, those weren’t my true feelings. Especially the part about the insults… Shirayuki-san probably understands, but it would be bad if the viewers speculate that I see you as a member of the opposite sex.” (Haruto)

“You say that, but what if it that was actually your true feelings?” (Aya)

“No no, absolutely not!” (Haruto)

“Hehe, you’re kinda cute when you’re flustered.” (Aya)

“…S-Stop messing with me.” (Haruto)

She smirks as she narrows her eyes, holding a straw in her mouth.

He only just realized that he was being teased.

“By the way… did you watch the actual stream? Or did someone tell you about it?” (Haruto)

She scratches her cheek, avoiding eye contact.

“I received intel from my fans, so I did my own research afterwards.” (Aya)

“Oh, I see. I’m sorry for causing any trouble. I’ll try to keep myself in check next time.” (Haruto)

“Don’t worry about it. If anything, I’d like you to talk about us more. Thanks to Haruto-san, I had double the number of viewers today.” (Aya)

“Twice the usual? So, around 10,000 people?” (Haruto)

“Hehehe~ That’s right! I never thought I’d surpass my goal like this.” (Aya)

With a triumphant smile, she shifts to a softer expression.

Ayaya usually gathers around 10,000 viewers during collaborations or tournaments. Judging from her tone, it seems that she had set a specific goal in mind for solo streams.

“No, no, it’s not because of me. Being able to retain 10,000 viewers is a testament to Shirayuki-san’s skill. You should be more proud of yourself.” (Haruto)

“Ahaha, Haruto-san is really kind.” (Aya)

“I’m just stating the obvious. Oh, how about the haters? With more viewers, there might be more of them.” (Haruto)

“See, you’re kind after all.” (Aya)

“Huh?” (Haruto)

“Don’t ‘Huh’ me! Coming from the person who was stating the obvious, you should be more self-aware. You’re worried about me, aren’t you?” (Aya)

“Well, it’s natural, right? We’re friends, and we share a common secret.” (Haruto)

“……With that kind of personality, why did you choose to base your channel on being toxic? Haruto-san, now that I think about it, it really doesn’t suit you, you know?” (Aya)

“Ahaha, my sister told me the same thing.” (Haruto)

When Yuuno first found out about his online persona, it was quite a tough situation.

She wanted to have an “important discussion” during dinner, and with a serious expression and intense look of concern, she said, “Are you okay, onii-chan? Please tell me what happened.”

Even when he tried to explain that it was a misunderstanding, she didn’t believe him at all, and they spent over an hour discussing it.

“But I’m really grateful that she understands. Since my voice sometimes echoed throughout the house, it wouldn’t be strange for her to hear that and start disliking me. Well… I don’t deny that I’m doing some questionable things to gain viewers.” (Haruto)

“Hehe, well, if your sister is on your side, then there is nothing to worry about.” (Aya)

“Well, I guess so?” (Haruto)

As the conversation comes to an end, he checks the clock and realizes there are less than three minutes left until the end of the break.

“Well then, I should get back to work soon.” (Haruto)

“Okay. Since I plan to stay until the end, want to go home together?” (Aya)

“Of course.” (Haruto)

To be honest, he was genuinely happy with this offer.

Not only because he enjoyed spending time together, but also because, as fellow content creators, there were things he wanted to discuss with her.

---

Thanks for reading!

I mean, I would also get concerned if a supposed saint starts trash-talking and acts toxic behind my back. A part of me feels like Yuno does watch his streams. She should at least be curious enough to look it up right?

I just picked up a dropped series called: 

“Isn’t It Okay If I’m A Neet And I’m Taken Care Of By A Cute Guild Master?”

It was a novel that I remember seeing a long time ago but was dropped relatively quickly. I wanted to know where the story was heading so I picked it up. As you know, I prefer more laid-back novels and this one doesn’t seem too drama-heavy considering the fluffy illustration, but I could have just gotten baited lol.

P.S. I created a list on NU on all the work I’m translating. I also gave some of my own thoughts about the series I’m translating, so if you’re interested, here it is:

https://www.novelupdates.com/viewlist/83021/

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1. None

[Aya’s PoV]

The morning after such a stream.

“Huh!?” (Aya)

Shirayuki Aya, with her pajamas on and bed hair sticking up, looked wide-eyed at her smartphone after stopping the alarm.

The drowsiness disappeared in an instant, and she made a noise reminiscent of a squashed frog.

“W-What’s going on, wait, what is this!?” (Aya)

In front of her was an overwhelming number of notifications from Twitto.

She had seen this notification count several times before after collaborating with famous streamers or achieving good results in tournaments.

However, this time, nothing noteworthy had happened. This caused her to become uneasy.

“I-Is it… trending…!? M-Maybe that teammate spread it after all!?” (Aya)

The only controversial thing yesterday was when she played games with Oni-chan in private.

…But it wasn’t even supposed to happen in the first place.

She just wanted to play with Haruto who coincidentally turned out to be Oni-chan.

If she were a normal streamer, there’s room to wiggle her way out of the situation given the circumstances but the challenging aspect of being in the VTuber industry is that things don’t end that easily.

Her channel, which has garnered over 80% male viewership, tends to spark wide controversy with even a hint of a male presence.

“Uuwww… I really didn’t mean for that to happen…” (Aya)

For Aya, who earns her living and education expenses through streaming, getting involved in controversies is the most frightening thing.

She wants to just forget everything that happened right away—such feelings overwhelm her, but as a streamer, she must fulfill her responsibilities.

“W-Well, first, I need to check the contents…” (Aya)

With trembling fingers, Aya brought her hand closer to the screen, closed her eyes, and tapped on the notification bar. Slowly, she opened her eyes.

“Huh.” (Aya)

And at that moment, upon seeing the screen, she realized that all her previous anxieties were unfounded.

Twitto Post: [Ayaya is the best after all! Please continue doing your best!]

Twitto Post: [I’ll keep supporting you! Woo-hoo!]

Twitto Post: [As expected of my Ayaya!!]

Twitto Post: [I’ll support you even more!]

“Ha…?” (Aya)

She rubbed her eyes in disbelief at the unexpected words of praise and double-checks, making sure it was not a hallucination.

The notification bar is lined with compliments.

“W-What’s going on…?” (Aya)

It’s natural to be unable to keep up with the situation.

Without doing anything, somehow her reputation has gone up.

To find out more about the details, she dug a little deeper into the notifications…

Twitto Post: [Yesterday, Oni-chan praised Ayaya in his stream! Here’s the URL!]

Finally, she found the cause.

“Huh!? O-Oni-chan praised me…!? During his stream!?” (Aya)

It’s unprecedented for the toxic Oni-chan to compliment a streamer.

Aya reflexively clicked on the sent URL which redirected her to a video on MouTube and she quickly scrolled through the comments.

At the top of the comment section was a list of notable timestamps of the stream posted by a viewer.

04:27 Oni-chan’s Q&A session.

07:13 Interaction with imouto-chan.

09:10 Oni-chan gets upset.

12:49 Complimenting Ayaya 1.

14:10 Complimenting Ayaya 2.

17:41 Interacting with Ayaya 1.

18:20 Interacting with Ayaya 2.

There are many intriguing details, but what catches her attention the most were those related to herself.

Gulping nervously, she pressed the timestamp 12:49, and immediately, Oni-chan’s voice could be heard.

“(…Honestly, there’s nothing to criticize her about. Even from a streamer’s perspective, I can only think that she’s amazing.)” (Oni-chan)

“!?” (Aya)

“(Her channel has, what, 300,000 subscribers…? Oh, it’s around 350,000 now. In this industry, power dynamics are often determined by subscriber count, and even with a huge difference between us, she never looked down on me. She treated me politely, even when dealing with someone like me. She’s seriously amazing. That’s why she has so many fans, and I hope she continues to grow. It would be strange if she didn’t.)” (Oni-chan)

Then, perhaps after reading viewer comments, a panicked voice could be heard.

“(Well, well, I’m going to be using her as a stepping stone and reap the benefits, so you better be prepared, folks.)” (Oni-chan)

“M-Mouuu… What’s he saying…” (Aya)

Unable to hold back her retort, her cheeks flushed, she presses ‘Complimenting Ayaya 2’ at 14:10.

“(I’d like you to tell us what you find amazing about Ayaya-san from a streamer’s perspective…? Well, it’s probably the effort she put into entertaining her viewers. During her streams, she’s always doing something for them, right? Even though her channel has grown quite big, she still values each of her viewers. Unlike me.)” (Oni-chan)

“Oni-chan is paying attention to that extent… Even though, he himself also cares about his viewers…” (Aya)

Next, she presses 17:41.

“Um, could you tell us the cute parts of Ayaya…? Well, sorry. I can’t find anything cute about her. I don’t think about that kind of stuff during games, and I did have my work mode switch turned on when talking to her.” (Oni-chan)

“…” (Aya)

Finally, 18:20.

“What do you like about Ayaya? Wow, seriously, don’t think I’ll answer anything just because you pay. I can’t think of anything I like about her. Our connection isn’t as deep as you guys might think.” (Oni-chan)

“…” (Aya)

In these two responses, Oni-chan’s persona is on full display.

Many viewers are commenting things like, “No way!?” “Too harsh lol” “Is he serious?” “Oh no, that’s not good”, but… Aya was different.

With narrowed eyes, she wore a joyful expression.

“Thank you, Haruto-san…” (Aya)

She was grateful for the way he handled the situation. As a fellow streamer, she understands.

Regarding the last two questions, the viewers are not looking at their relationship as streamers but rather, their relationship as the opposite sex.

If Oni-chan had answered these questions with “She’s cute” or “I like a lot of things about her”, rumors would naturally start circulating.

Oni-chan is trying to appeal to Ayaya.

Oni-chan has his sights set on Ayaya.

Could they be dating?

Once such rumors spread, Ayaya’s male fans would resent Oni-chan. They would dislike him. Conflicts among viewers would arise. Collaboration would become difficult. They would have to keep their distance to continue their streaming activities.

The environment surrounding them would sour.

The reason both streamers are acknowledged by each other’s viewers is the assumption that “they don’t see each other as the opposite sex but just as streaming colleagues.”

Oni-chan has been careful to maintain that boundary to keep the situation at bay.

“Really, Oni-chan… If you protect me so much, I might start thinking about various things…” (Aya)

He drew a clear line to protect her.

He praised her despite having a toxic persona.

He prepared for the backlash that might occur from talking bad about her².

Maybe it’s the warmth from the morning sun hitting her body, but her chest feels pleasantly warm.

Her heart was also pounding quicker.

“Seriously, I’m being too easy…! He said some terrible things about using me as a stepping stone, right? Yeah!” (Aya)

She slaps both cheeks to change her mood.

In this room, the only sound is Oni-chan’s voice playing on the screen.

“Haa… I have to be careful not to let anyone know that I’ve started to miss Haruto-san…” (Aya)

Looking up at the ceiling, Aya mutters, letting out a slightly feverish voice.

---

Thanks for reading!

Ok so at the beginning of the chapter, author actually specified that Aya received the info through mutual followers’ DM, but I replaced those parts with just ‘overwhelming number of notifications’…

I mean, from my knowledge, VTubers generally don’t follow their fans on Twitter right? It also kinda contradicts her later point of angering her fanbase with a hint of male presence. We all saw how the internet initially responded to Rushia when it came out that she DMed a male.

I still have the original unedited version of that part if you guys are adamant that I should have kept it as it is or something.

---

1. DM stands for Direct Message on Twitter
2. I think this is referring to the stepping stone part.

“Huh?” (Oni-chan)

Seeing this reaction, Oni-chan quickly raised his voice.

“Shut up, all of you. I admit that it was my fault. I’m damn well reflecting on it, you idiots.” (Oni-chan)

Comments: [This guy’s losing it lmao]

Comments: [Did we offend you lol]

Comments: [He’s taken more damage from this than I thought.]

Comments: [It’s hilarious just picturing Oni-chan getting spanked by his sister]

While venting his frustration, Oni-chan continues shooting bots, and true to his status as a top-tier (Predator) player, his accuracy remains impressive.

As he keeps the viewers entertained with the gameplay, he glances at the next set of comments.

“Do you really love imouto-chan?”, from a 5000 yen superchat.

“… Uh, hey, how about asking something else…? Answering that isn’t worth 5000 yen.” (Oni-chan)

Comments: [They’re just waiting to clip this lol]

Comments: [Come on, answer already!]

Comments: [Well, you said you’d answer as long as it doesn’t reveal personal info, so it can’t be helped]

Comments: [You’re gonna answer, right!?]

“*Sigh*…” (Oni-chan)

The comments section buzzes with excitement. Oni-chan stops shooting bots, scratches his head, and reluctantly answers.

“… Well, I love her more than chocolate. Seriously, though, my room isn’t soundproof, so please stop with these kinds of questions. I’m begging you, seriously.” (Oni-chan)

Comments: [What’s your standard for chocolate lol]

Comments: [Saying that will just make your sister tease you…]

Comments: [I wonder if imouto-san is watching this stream]

Comments: [It’s Oni-chan’s fault for not putting more restrictions on the questions lol]

The viewers are right.

It’s Oni-chan’s fault for not being restrictive. As a result, the teasing about his sister naturally continues.

“Well then, what do you like about your sister?”, from a 7000 yen superchat.

“No, seriously, another one of these?” (Oni-chan)

He doesn’t want to pick up comments like these, but since he’s receiving money, it’s unavoidable. To overcome the embarrassment, he has no choice but to answer.

“Well, um, the things I like about her…? She’s kind, good at cooking, gives her all in everything she does, and she treasures anything I give her… And, well… Okay, that’s enough!” (Oni-chan)

By taking on the role of the head of the household in place of their parents. It’s inevitable that he takes a more parental perspective in such a situation.

“By the way, isn’t everyone like this? Those with siblings?” (Oni-chan)

Comments: [Nononono]

Comments: [Just from this, you can tell imouto-chan is a good person]

Comments: [Is this guy really trying to provoke us lol]

Comments: [Truly lives up to his name of ‘Oimo_daisuki’ lol]

“Let’s change the topic already. Next is… Oh, again with the sister talk! It’s my stream, so can’t you show a bit more interest in me?” (Oni-chan)

Worrying about whether the audience would get tired of the same topic was unfounded. For some reason, the number of viewers kept increasing, and the number of likes was also increasing just as much.

After a while, the continuous talk about his sister came to an end. The next question was a bigger one, with a five-figure superchat: a 12,000 yen question about Ayaya, with whom he collaborated earlier. 

Superchat (12 000 yen): [You were collaborating with Ayaya the other day, but what’s she like off-stream?]

“It’s not about me again! Seriously, I want to ask you guys: Do other streamers answer questions like this about other streamers?” (Oni-chan)

Not being the type to collaborate with others, he couldn’t quite grasp the situation. Truth be told, he didn’t want to answer.

Oni-chan is a character who was universally disliked. As such, he tries to not drag down other streamers and doesn’t usually talk about them.

Comments: [Some people answer, and some don’t]

Comments: [Oh, since Oni-chan hasn’t collaborated with anyone before, he might not know about that]

Comments: [I’m curious about this as much as about imouto-chan.]

Indeed, some streamers include a disclaimer during their broadcasts, advising against mentioning other streamers’ names to avoid trouble. However, Oni-chan is not one of them.

He had never been involved with anyone before, so there was no reason for him to include such a disclaimer.

(If I stay silent, it might lead to some bad speculations… I can’t cause trouble for Ayaya-san either…)

If viewers start to think that staying silent means something is wrong and that off-stream Ayaya has a bad attitude, it would lead to a difficult situation.

While he wants to avoid praising others during his own stream, this is his mistake for not putting up a notice.

The best thing to do is to honestly express what he thinks.

“Well, um… since I received money for it, I’ll say a little, but… honestly, there’s nothing to criticize her about. Even from a streamer’s perspective, I can only think that she’s amazing.” (Oni-chan)

Comments: [Eh, is this really oni-chan?]

Comments: [His tone suddenly changed lol]

Comments: [The gentle onii-chan voice came out]

Comments: [This Q&A time is more entertaining than any other streamer’s lol]

At that moment, Oni-chan wasn’t looking at the comments. He was recalling the details while gazing at the ceiling.

“Her channel has, what, 300,000 subscribers…? Oh, it’s around 350,000 now. In this industry, power dynamics are often determined by subscriber count, and even with a huge difference between us, she never looked down on me. She treated me politely, even when dealing with someone like me. She’s seriously amazing. That’s why she has so many fans, and I hope she continues to grow. It would be strange if she didn’t.” (Oni-chan)

Comments: [You’re praising her like crazy! Do you, like, have feelings for her or something!?]

Comments: [Ayaya’s favorability is skyrocketing, lol]

Comments: [I’m gonna subscribe to her channel too!]

Comments: [Oi oi. Your character is falling apart, you know]

“…Ah, I didn’t answer that question yet. Ayaya is the same on and off stream. Just as she is.” (Oni-chan)

Comments: [That was worth the 12,000 yen!]

Comments: [As expected of my Ayaya!]

Comments: [It would be nice if Oni-chan got this much appreciation too!]

Comments: [Seriously, your character is falling apart lol]

After expressing his thoughts and returning his gaze to the PC, Oni-chan finally realizes the current situation.

Consciously clearing his throat, he resumes shooting the bots.

“Well, well, I’m going to be using her as a stepping stone and reap the benefits, so you better be prepared, folks.” (Oni-chan)

Comments: [LOL]

Comments: [There’s no point in covering it up now LMAO]

Comments: [This part is definitely going to be clipped too…]

Comments: [You need to prepare more scripts!]

On that day, with just this Q&A session, Oni-chan received his highest number of superchats ever, and he continued to showcase excellent gameplay in the ranked matches.

---

Thanks for reading!

Did Ayaya’s sub count increase by 50k during this short time period? Both of their channels sure are growing fast.

Speaking of Ayaya, next part is Ayaya’s PoV which should be fun.

---

1. None

“Now then…” (Haruto)

After Yuno’s sermon and finishing the meal she had prepared, Haruto let out a voice as if switching his own mental state.

“Onii-chan, are you going to be streaming today?” (Yuno)

“Yeah. I absolutely have to livestream today because…” (Haruto)

He messed up again. The meaning behind the username of his smurf account was exposed, and the account was getting harassed by the people who found out.

While it might be an option to wait until the incident settles down before streaming, delaying the explanation will only make things more difficult in the future. Furthermore, not streaming will only negatively impact his finances. Similar to the first streaming incident, there’s no choice but to tackle the problem head-on.

“Could it be… you’re running out of money?” (Yuno)

“No, no, it’s not that! It’s for personal reasons… Oh, well. There are just times when I feel an uncontrollable urge to stream, you know?” (Haruto)

He couldn’t honestly admit it.

With a nervous sweat, he managed to gloss over the situation.

“Hmm. Is it not okay to stream after taking a bath? It’s better to go to bed right after the stream, right? You just finished your part-time job, after all.” (Yuno)

“Thanks for worrying. But I’ve already scheduled the livestream, and tomorrow’s work starts later than usual, so it’s fine.” (Haruto)

“I see. That makes me a bit relieved.” (Yuno)

“Oh, but I’m sorry if you can hear me make some weird noises.” (Haruto)

“Weird noises… like the script stuff?” (Yuno)

“Uh, well… something like that.” (Haruto)

As he rested his chin on his hand, Haruto felt Yuno’s sharp gaze on him. It seemed like she saw through everything.

“Onii-chan, if it’s okay with you, how about turning your gaming room into a soundproof room…? I’m not exactly bothered by it, but it would make it easier for you to work without worrying, right?” (Yuno)

“I won’t deny that, but if it’s about that, it usually costs around 500,000 yen or more.” (Haruto)

“Eh, it’s that expensive!? That’s so much… If I look hard enough, maybe I can find a decent one for around 300,000 yen…” (Yuno)

When Haruto heard Yuno mentioned the exquisite price with a difficult expression, it triggered his Onii-chan senses.

“Stop. Are you thinking about buying me a soundproof room, Yuu?” (Haruto)

“Yeah. Right now, I have around that much in savings.” (Yuno)

“No, no, that’s absolutely not okay. I’ll be angry if you spend such a large sum of money for my sake. Since you’re still in high school, you should rely on me more. I have a certain image to uphold as your big brother.” (Yuno)

Just this time, Haruto changed his gentle expression to a serious one.

“When the time comes, I’ll be the one to buy it. I’ll make sure it’s set up before your entrance exams.” (Haruto)

“…I understand. Then, for now, I’ll rely on onii-chan. I don’t want to get scolded.” (Yuno)

“A wise decision. But you hardly rely on me at all.” (Haruto)

“That’s not true.” (Yuno)

“Really?” (Haruto)

“Onii-chan, you just haven’t noticed.” (Yuno)

“I-if you say it like that… I’ll believe you.” (Haruto)

Respecting each other and supporting one another in their daily lives, the two of them naturally matured in their way of thinking.

The tense atmosphere around them quickly softened.

“Oh, well then, it’s about time, so I’ll go prepare for the livestream. You have school again tomorrow, so make sure to go to bed early, Yuu.” (Haruto)

“I know. And you don’t have to wake up early to see me off.” (Yuno)

“Even if you say that, I just naturally wake up.” (Haruto)

“Could it be that I was too loud in the morning…?” (Yuno)

“W-Wait, that’s not true! It’s the alarm clock—” (Haruto)

In a rush to dispel the misunderstanding, he quickly realized he had fallen into a trap.

Yuno was there, smirking with a satisfied expression, having successfully teased him.

“U-Ugh, using those words is unfair…” (Haruto)

“It’s because onii-chan isn’t honest. I know you set an alarm, and I know you sleep with the curtains open to let the morning sun in.” (Yuno)

“…You could have just said that earlier.” (Haruto)

The outcome was clear.

“Well then, I’m going to bed soon. I don’t want to disturb onii-chan.” (Yuno)

“I don’t really consider you a disturbance.” (Haruto)

“Hmm.” (Yuno)

“Well then, good night, Yuu. Let’s do our best tomorrow too.” (Haruto)

“Yeah. Good night, onii-chan. Sorry for going to bed before you again.” (Yuno)

“I’ll be making a bit of noise later, so don’t mind me~” (Haruto)

“Hehe, honestly…” (Yuno)

Due to her strong sense of responsibility, it’s probably difficult for her to go to bed early every time.

Responding with a joke to Yuno in this manner is the right approach.

Having witnessed his sister’s smiling face, Haruto turned off the lights in the living room and moved to the gaming room with a drink in hand.

“Phew…”  (Haruto)

The livestream was scheduled for 11:30 PM. There were less than 15 minutes left. While sitting in his gaming chair, he quickly started up the PC.

“I’ll definitely get teased today… And there are already 2000 viewers waiting…” (Haruto)

Ever since the streaming accident, the accidental collaboration with Ayaya, who has over 300,000 subscribers, the recent numerous trending topics, and the (generally positive) controversies, the topics surrounding him seem endless.

Even though it’s late at night, it’s not surprising to see unprecedented numbers.

“Ugh, I’m getting nervous…” (Haruto)

As Haruto tries to pass the time, he starts reading the comments from the viewers in the waiting room.

Comments: [Is Oimo_daisuki-chan not here yet LOL]

Comments: [Hurry up and start the streammm!]

Comments: [Bring out imouto-chan!]

Comments: [This guy’s mental strength to stream even after being exposed today is like a diamond.]

“If only I was as strong as a diamond…” (Haruto)

From here on, he changed his tone to his “oni-chan” persona, and spent the rest of the remaining time meaningfully by going through his script.

And then, 11:30 PM arrives.

“Phew… *cough*” (Haruto)

Taking a deep breath and clearing his throat, Haruto started the livestream.

“Hey. Sorry to keep you waiting, everyone.” 

As he delivered his opening line and switched to the ABEX screen, comments started flooding in.

Comments: [It’s hereeeee!]

Comments: [Been waiting!]

Comments: [Good evening!]

Comments: [Was looking forward to this!]

Ever since the streaming incident, hate comments rarely appeared. The majority of the comments were genuinely positive.

“There are already 2500 people watching? Seriously… You guys have way too much free time; it’s a bit off-putting. Go to bed already.” (Oni-chan)

Comments: [Shut up, siscon]

Comments: [I’m done with work just like oni-chan!]

Comments: [Did you enjoy your imouto-chan’s cooking?]

Comments: [Actually, if we go to sleep, won’t you be in trouble lol]

Banter between the streamer and viewers ensued. Since there were a higher number of viewers, there were more comments, but this was a regular occurrence at this point.

A slight change in the routine wasn’t a big problem. In fact, it was even welcomed because it meant endless topics for discussion.

“Well, well, let me announce today’s schedule. It’s late at night, so… it’s going to be about a 2-hour stream. The first 20 minutes will be shooting bots while doing a Q&A. After that, we’ll have about 1 hour and 40 minutes of ranked matches.” (Oni-chan)

Bot shooting refers to the target practice game mode.

Since it’s just a light warm-up before the actual games, he can answer questions while preparing.

Comments: [Make sure not to wake up your little sister!]

Comments: [You don’t have to get too rowdy!]

Comments: [Take care of your family!]

Comments: [Do it at your own pace]

“…” (Oni-chan)

Those were the comments that came in response to today’s schedule.

The sentiment of “Since you have a little sister, I’ll allow this much!” comes through in the comments.

“…Um, *cough*. As always, I’ll prioritize answering superchats, but feel free to drop your comments in chat anyways as I’ll be reading that too.” (Oni-chan)

If he showed his nervousness, he would be teased even more. He couldn’t afford to let his emotions be shaken.

After the usual introduction, Oni-chan, now in the bot-shooting room, picked up his favorite weapon, the R-301, and began answering questions while shooting targets.

With this, a lot of comments started pouring in.

The first one Oni-chan read was a 1000-yen superchat.

“Um, I’m a first-time viewer. Oh, a newcomer, welcome! So… To what extent will you answer the question…? Well, it’s along the same lines as other streamers. Naturally, questions that could lead to revealing personal information are a big no-no. So, please refrain from asking those questions as it’s just throwing money down the drain.” (Oni-chan)

He understands the challenges and importance of earning money. He doesn’t want to engage in actions where he receives money without answering questions.

It seems this sentiment resonated with the viewers.

Comments: [Now that I think about it, there’s kindness showing here and there…]

Comments: [I envy imouto-san for having such a big brother!]

Comments: [I wonder if imouto-chan is a brocon…?]

Comments: [If she knew about the username of the smurf account, he’d definitely be called creepy lol]

The tone is rough, but his words show consideration for the viewers.

Unintentionally, Oni-chan has taken on a tsundere attribute.

While continuing the bot shooting, Oni-chan proceeds with the Q&A session with a 2500 yen superchat. “Tell us about some of the recent interactions you’ve had with imouto-chan!”

“Well… I don’t know who is this sister you’re talking about, but let’s just say that I got scolded and spanked with a slipper.” (Oni-chan)

Comments: [With a slipper lol]

Comments: [What stupid thing did you do to deserve that]

Comments: [You sound kinda down.]

Comments: [Well, if you get scolded by your beloved imouto, of course you would feel down lmao]

Ever since the streaming incident where his sister’s voice was heard, her fanbase has been steadily growing for some reason¹.

The comments asking “Why were you scolded?” flooded in, and he quickly shared the details.

“The reason I got scolded… well, it’s totally my fault. I didn’t let her know that I’d be reaching home late. She got worried, so she spanked me.” (Oni-chan)

Comments: [You jerk!]

Comments: [You’re the worst!]

Comments: [Apologize by cutting your belly open!]

Comments: [Don’t make your imouto worry!]

As soon as he explained, a barrage of harsh comments came out. There were no viewers siding with Oni-chan; instead, the merciless comments continued.

---

Thanks for reading!

I wonder if Yuno can be considered a brocon? Well, there’s still that whole Suzuha thing so maybe we’ll find out soon.

---

1. Honestly, this could be referring to either MC’s fanbase or his sister’s fanbase idk.

The current time is 8:50 PM, 10 minutes before Haruto’s part-time job ends.

“Y-Yahoo…?” (Aya)

“Good evening, Shirayuki-san.” (Haruto)

Having probably gone shopping somewhere, Aya speaks in a quiet tone to Haruto while holding a stylish paper bag,

“…You know, I don’t really know how to respond if you act this embarrassed.” (Haruto)

“I’m trying my best, okay?! Just don’t bring up that topic anymore!” (Aya)

“Ahaha. Sorry.” (Haruto)

He hasn’t forgotten. No, it’s impossible to forget.

The love consultation and the fact that she is interested in him.

Aya probably can’t forget about it either which leads to the current strange relationship.

“Um, so, do you want to order something to drink for now?” (Haruto)

“Uh, yeah. Then… a large almond latte ice, please.” (Aya)

“Understood.” (Haruto)

“Oh, and also the latte art and message…” (Aya)

“Um… if you don’t act as aggressive as usual, it’ll make me conscious of the situation again…” (Haruto)

“B-but it’s impossible not to be conscious of it in the first place…!! Just put up with it!!” (Aya)

“Even if you say that…” (Haruto)

Perhaps because of her fair skin, her blushing face stands out quite prominently.

Nevertheless, she seems to be making an effort to maintain the usual atmosphere.

Responding with a wry smile, Haruto begins preparing the order.

First, he focuses on the requested latte art and message.

While enduring the embarrassing atmosphere, he writes down a message with his trembling hands.

[Good job on your steam (haishi) today! Fight on!!]

To ensure confidentiality, he refrained from specifically writing down the word, “streaming (haishin)”. Next, the latte art.

While imagining an image of a hamster he found online, he diligently starts drawing.

…In the end, two of the teeths became too long, resulting in a somewhat strange face, but at least it can be passed off as a mouse.

Now, all that’s left is to make the almond latte.

“Ah, Shirayuki-san. I forgot to mention, but you don’t need to worry about money this time. Since you came all the way here at this hour, let me treat you.” (Haruto)

“No, don’t worry about it. You have a sister, right, Haruto-san? You should use that money for her sake.” (Aya)

“Hmm? That’s weird, I can’t hear anything all of a sudden.” (Haruto)

“Wow, that’s some terrible acting…” (Aya)

“What are you talking about?” (Haruto)

While playing dumb till the end, Haruto enters the price for the almond latte and adds it as his own order.

With this, she shouldn’t feel uneasy about drinking it.

As the total amount of 1,020 yen appeared on the cash register, he recorded the amount and closed the register.

All that’s left is to settle the bill at the end of the shift. Of course, he already had the approval from his manager to do stuff like this.

“Well then, I’ll go and quickly finish up your order, so please wait a bit more.” (Haruto)

“Y-yeah. Thank you, Haruto-san.” (Aya)

“You’re welcome. Also, sorry for being a bit forceful.” (Haruto)

“Mouu… Only Haruto-san would do something like this.” (Aya)

“That’s not true. You’re exaggerating” (Haruto)

With that response, he quickly moves away from the register to start preparing the drinks.

“…Haruto-san must be really popular with girls…” (Aya)

“Huh? Did you say something?” (Haruto)

“N-Nothing!!” (Aya)

“Is that so? Let me know if anything is bothering you.” (Haruto)

The moment Aya heard his response, she couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed.

After serving a few more customers, the time finally hit 9:00 PM, the end of Haruto’s part-time shift.

“Man, I’m still surprised. To think that Shirayuki-san is actually Ayaya-san…” (Haruto)

“Same here. I feel that it’s too much of a coincidence.” (Aya)

Aya and Haruto sat on a bench in a nearby park, chatting away while they sipped on their drinks.

“I’ve been wondering for a while now, but have you ever felt that I was Ayaya? After all, the name ‘Ayaya’ even has my real name inside.” (Aya)

“I did think your voice and personality were similar, but that’s about it. I never imagined Ayaya-san was a university student, and I also thought that she lived in a different region because of her dialect.” (Haruto)

“Ah, I see. That makes sense.” (Aya)

Although there were similarities, it wasn’t enough to make a definitive judgment.

“But, maybe our thoughts were actually quite similar. I never thought that Oni-chan was such a young person. Are you in your 20s?” (Aya)

“I’m exactly 20.” (Haruto)

“Eh… What!? So we’re only two years apart!?” (Aya)

“Well, technically, yeah.” (Haruto)

“Why do you look so mature at this age? I’m jealous.” (Aya)

Does she have a longing for being ‘mature’? Aya peers into his face with a serious expression as if seeking advice.

As her beautiful face gets closer, Haruto subtly distances himself and gives his thoughts.

“If I had to say, maybe it’s the family environment. You probably already know from the streaming incident, but I’ve wanted to be like a parent to my little sister.” (Haruto)

“Ah… Actually, let’s not talk about that anymore!” (Aya)

“Haha, it’s okay now. I’m not dwelling on it anymore. Thanks for being considerate.” (Haruto)

“I-Is that so?” (Aya)

“Of course. By the way, Shirayuki-san, do you live alone?” (Haruto)

“Yeah! I moved here by myself to attend university.” (Aya)

“Is it tough living alone?” (Haruto)

“Honestly, it’s quite tough. Well, thanks to this experience, I’ve come to appreciate how much my parents were taking care of me.” (Aya)

“Same here. Earning money for living expenses, cooking, doing housework – it’s really amazing how much was happening behind the scenes. It’s not something that can be easily pulled off.” (Haruto)

“I know right? And even when they’re tired, they rarely show it, don’t they?” (Aya)

“Yeah, that’s definitely true.” (Haruto)

Haruto who lost both parents, and Aya who moved away from her parents to attend university, have completely different backgrounds. However, they share the same sentiments.

For a while, they discuss how great and admirable their parents are, and on top of some casual conversations, 50 minutes have passed.

“All right, it’s already getting late. Let’s save this conversation for another day. Shall we get to the main topic now?” (Haruto)

“A-Ah, that’s right!” (Aya)

Not wanting to let someone who is living alone go back late, he prompts her on the main topic of discussion, and she readily nods.

“So, what did you want to talk about today? If you wanted to talk about today’s incident, it seems to have already been resolved relatively smoothly.” (Haruto)

“Mmmnn!” (Aya)

“Huh?” (Haruto)

Looking at her making onomatopoeic¹ sounds, he sees her large eyes narrowing into a glare.

“Haruto-san, you’ve been facing a lot of controversies lately, haven’t you?” (Aya)

“It’s a positive kind of controversy, so you don’t have to worry too much about it. It’s not affecting me, and if anything, it’s helping.” (Haruto)

“But it’s negatively affecting Oni-chan, isn’t it?” (Aya)

“…” (Haruto)

“I know that you’re also looking out for me.” (Aya)

As if she had anticipated everything, she hands over the stylish paper bag that she had placed on her thigh.

“So, Haruto-san, please take this as a token of my gratitude. It might not be enough for all that you’ve done for me though…” (Aya)

“Th-This is the thank-you gift? What’s all this?” (Haruto)

“Well, macarons, cookies, and baumkuchen²! I also included some for your sister.” (Aya)

“No, I can’t accept something so expensive… Rather, I should be the one apologizing for getting you involved in this situation.” (Haruto)

Though she doesn’t mention it, it’s likely worth around 10,000 yen. It’s a product from a famous brand that anyone would have heard of at least once.

While he naturally wants to share it with his younger sister Yuno, he can’t show greediness towards someone younger.

“Well, I just did what anyone would do, so there’s no need for thanks…” (Haruto)

“No, that’s not true.” (Aya)

As she argues, a breeze sweeps through the night.

“Haruto-san, you’re trying to use the money you earn from streaming to support your sister’s education, right? Yet, you’re also trying to protect me… That’s not something anyone can do.” (Aya)

“Well, considering Oni-chan’s streaming style, there’s plenty of potential for a comeback. Even if I can’t stream, I can somehow make a living if I work hard. It’s not a big deal, really.” (Haruto)

While there’s some embarrassment in his response, he genuinely means what he says.

“Hehe~ So you don’t deny you’re trying to protect both your sister and me?” (Aya)

“…” (Haruto)

“Haruto-san, did you try to protect me because you thought I was living off my streaming money and using it for university? Were you worried that if I couldn’t pay for the expenses, I might have to drop out…?” (Aya)

“Uh…” (Haruto)

“I knew it.” (Aya)

Whether she heard the suppressed sound of his *gulp* or read it from his expression, she smiled and continued. 

“I don’t know anything about your sister, but I’m sure she likes you too.” (Aya)

“W-wait. Why is it in Shirayuki-san’s mind that I am someone who likes his sister…!? It’s not like I…” (Haruto)

“Your username says ‘I love my little sister (oimo_daisukiyo)’ though?” (Aya)

“Well, that’s like saying ‘daisukiyo‘ in real life… It’s more like a joking expression.” (Haruto)

“Oh, really?” (Aya)

“Don’t look at me like that…” (Haruto)

With an overflowing grin, Aya enjoyed his reaction, and he instinctively averts his gaze.

“Hehe, I guess I’ll stop teasing you for now.” (Aya)

With a merciful tone, Aya stops teasing him.

Glancing at him from the side, she changes her tone once again.

“Hey, Haruto-san.” (Aya)

“W-What is it?” (Haruto)

“I was really happy about what you did for me. Haruto-san, you’re really amazing, after all.” (Aya)

“…” (Haruto)

“So, I’ve decided to learn from you, Haruto-san. I want to become someone who can protect others when needed. I owe you a debt, and ideally, I hope to be able to protect you in return.” (Aya)

“…” (Haruto)

“…………” (Aya)

“…………” (Haruto)

Not knowing how to respond, Haruto remained silent.

Perhaps due to the atmosphere, as time passes, Aya’s body starts to tremble, and her face turns bright red. She makes large gestures and lets out a bunch of “Awawa!!” rapidly.

“Uh, um, p-please don’t misunderstand!! Th-this is not a confession or anything! This is just what I genuinely thought! If we were to go out with each other, I would have to meet your sister first!! It’s better to have her permission… right!?” (Aya)

“Ahaha… I don’t think you need permission, but having it might be better.” (Haruto)

“Y-yeah! That’s right!” (Aya)

“…” (Haruto)

“…” (Aya)

The conversation came to an abrupt pause.

Both of them might be feeling embarrassed by the conversation reminiscent of an actual couple.

The atmosphere is awkward and somewhat uncomfortable.

“W-Well…! Since we finished this important conversation, I think it’s about time for me to head home!!” (Aya)

“Would you like me to walk you home?” (Haruto)

“Y-yeah! I-if you’re that kind to me… I might be in trouble.” (Aya)

“Huh?” (Haruto)

“Haha, just kidding! Just kidding!” (Aya)

While scratching her cheek and wearing a wry smile, Aya stands up energetically as if to hide her face.

“Well then, see you later, Haruto-san! Thank you so much for today.” (Aya)

“Likewise. Be careful on your way home, it’s getting dark.” (Haruto)

“Okay!” (Aya)

Their parting was sudden.

Aya runs to the entrance of the park, then turns around, waving energetically.

“Haruto-san, be careful on your way home too!” (Aya)

“Got it!” (Haruto)

“Alright then, bye!” (Aya)

Her face, seen from a distance, somehow seemed to be tinged with red, perhaps just a trick of the light.

*

“I’m home~! …Ah.” (Haruto)

Returning home after parting with Aya, Haruto opens the front door with his usual cheerful voice. However, what unfolds before him is a scene that makes his body shrink in an instant.

Whether it was the sound of his footsteps or a premonition of his return, Yuno, with both hands on her hips, was standing right in front of the entrance.

“Welcome back, stupid (baka) onii-chan.” (Yuno)

“Y-Yes.” (Haruto)

A commanding voice. A commanding posture. And it feels like a shadow is cast over the upper half of her face.

“Work today was supposed to end early, at 9 PM, right?” (Yuno)

“Y-yes. That’s correct.” (Haruto)

“What time is it now?” (Yuno)

“Uh, it’s 10:30 PM…” (Haruto)

“How long does it take to travel from home to work?” (Yuno)

“Just under 20 minutes…” (Haruto)

“That’s right. But today, you’re an hour later than the time you told me this morning. I always tell you to let me know if you’re going to be late, right~?” (Yuno)

The ‘right~?’ at the end. It’s something Yuno always does when she’s angry.

“I always cook at a specific time so that you can have a freshly cooked meal by the time you get back, onii-chan.” (Yuno)

“I’m really sorry… Some stuff happened…” (Haruto)

“Haa. Don’t make me worry like that… I even sent you a text.” (Yuno)

Getting scolded by his high school younger sister. It’s a scene he wouldn’t want anyone else to see.

If a third party were to witness this, they might get the impression that she’s being overly protective, but in reality, they are each other’s only family.

It’s something they understand from the pain of losing someone dear.

“If you don’t give me a proper explanation, I’ll keep lecturing you for another 5 minutes. You’re the type who won’t get it unless I say it multiple times.” (Yuno)

“Um, well, actually, I got caught up talking with a regular customer!” (Haruto)

“That’s not an explanation, that sounds like an excuse. Whatever. Where’s my slipper…” (Yuno)

“W-wait a minute! Before that, this! I got a gift for you!” (Haruto)

Sensing the imminent danger of being spanked, Haruto quickly realizes the dire situation, and in a panic, shows the paper bag he was holding, successfully diverting the conversation.

“A gift?” (Yuno)

“It’s a continuation of my explanation. I got praised by a customer, and it kind of led to them giving me this…? Sorry, I got carried away talking with them. Inside is your favorite Western-style sweets.” (Haruto)

“Huh!?” (Yuno)

Yuno, who received the paper bag with both hands, begins rummaging through it while peeking inside, confirming its contents.

When she raises her face again, her eyes are sparkling like jewels.

This wasn’t just about receiving her favorite treats but also about hearing that her family had been praised.

“You got praised at work, onii-chan!?” (Yuno)

“W-well, (not exactly about work but) something like that.” (Haruto)

“Why didn’t you say that sooner! If that’s the reason, I’ll forgive you.” (Yuno)

“Alright!” (Haruto)

Being scolded by Yuno is the hardest thing to bear. Haruto raises a joyful voice in the heat of the moment, but he inadvertently dug himself into a hole.

“‘Alright’? Onii-chan, you don’t seem to be reflecting on yourself. I didn’t say you didn’t need to think about what you’ve done.” (Yuno)

“N-no… I’m really, truly reflecting.” (Haruto)

“Looks like I still have to lecture you.” (Yuno)

“… I’m really really sorry.” (Haruto)

And so, the lecture begins… and just once, his butt was smacked with a slipper.

In the end, Yuno writes the words “Don’t forget to inform” on the back of his hand with a permanent marker.

---

“Uh, um, p-please don’t misunderstand!! Th-this is not a confession or anything! This is just what I genuinely thought! If we were to go out with each other, I would have to meet your sister first!! It’s better to have her permission… right!?”

---

Thanks for reading!

Aww, MC and Aya were so sweet to each other. Man, the two of you should just date already. 

MC suffering from celebrating too early. Always celebrate out of sight.

No chapter tmr, need more sleep xd

This is random but yesterday my parents came and cleaned my air-conditioner, and for some reason, the temperature reset back to 18^oC. Somehow, I failed to notice the change and slept under that temperature for the entire night (normal was 25^oC), thinking “Man, cleaning it sure made a difference”. My air-conditioner leaked today.

---

1. Basically, she’s making onomatopoeia noises. Idk how to explain, but some examples of it are “Bang”, “Beep”, “Meow” and I guess “Nyaa~”.
2. Baumkuchen is a traditional German butter cake. It’s a popular desert in Japan.

---

TL: If your confused, in the previous chapter, the teammate mentioned that he would only spread stuff as his fan, so he left out all the Ayaya stuff. Maybe I should have changed the wording to make that clearer.

---

A few hours later.

An edited video is posted on social media.

【Encounter with Oni-chan in a casual game! Oni-chan’s secrets exposed (with voice)!】

With a clickbaity kind of title that catches the eye.

*

“(H-hey… How did you know that this is my smurf account…? I haven’t posted anything about this account during my streams, right?)” (Oni-chan)

“(It was more than a year ago, but there was one time where I’ve seen it! Do you remember that there was a time when you did a 1v1 challenge?)” (Teammate)

“(Huh? W-Was that so…? I think that was the first time I’ve used this account… I never thought anyone would remember it. After all, it was more than a year ago, before my channel really started to take off.)” (Oni-chan)

“(That’s because I’ve been watching you ever since you had around 100 subscribers!)” (Teammate)

“(A-All the way back then!? Well, thank you, really. It makes me happy to hear that.)” (Oni-chan)

*

From a moment of gratitude to the viewers—

*

“(Hey, so, I am indeed Oni-chan, but could you type in the chat something like ‘Oops, it was just a misunderstanding!’ or ‘Never mind, I was wrong!’? I’m in a party with another teammate, and I don’t want them to know that I use this account. Oh, and their in-game voice chat volume has been turned off, so you don’t need to worry about them listening in to this conversation.)” (Oni-chan)

“(Is there something in this account that you didn’t want them to know about?)” (Teammate)

“(Well… Don’t tell anyone about this, okay? This account… the username has the words, ‘sweet potatoes (o imo)’, which is a play on the word, ‘little sister (o imouto)’.)” (Oni-chan)

“(Eh!? Was it meant to be interpreted that way!? So you really are a siscon!)” (Teammate)

“(Sh-shut up. What’s wrong with that?)” (Oni-chan)

*

—To Oni-chan’s secret story, thinking that it had to be mentioned in order to get his teammate’s cooperation.

*

“(W-Well, anyways, because of this, please help me!! Okay!?)” (Haruto)

*

—To the content of his plea.

To avoid complete identification, only the ‘yo‘ in ‘Oimo_daisukiyo‘ was censored.

As a result, the meaning conveyed in the username was slightly altered from a joking kind of “I love her (daisukiyo)?” to a sincere kind of “I love her (daisuki)!”¹

Whether it was intentional or coincidental, only the editor knows.

Furthermore, at the end of this video, one of Oni-chan’s famous line was inserted with an echoed voice.

It was a statement he made from the past, and even Oni-chan couldn’t remember when he said this.

“I’m impervious to any attacks from haters. I’m prepared for any kind of criticism I will receive.” (Oni-chan)

This new video about Oni-chan stirred up the already ongoing discussions about him in the ABEX community.

Social media users swarm to it like piranhas.

Comment: [Should we just rename this to [Oni-chan’s Family Love Channel] lol]

Comment: [The editing is too good!]

Comment: [The name of his smurf account is just too embarrassing lol.]

Comment: [I want to see his sister’s reaction when she finds out the meaning behind this username!]

It seems like Oni-chan’s statement has sparked lively reactions and discussions among social media users.

The response was overwhelming, with over 10,000 likes in less than 30 minutes.

The victim (oni-chan) himself only noticed it during his break at work which was some time after playing with Aya.

“W-What the… What is this? No, seriously, this is messed up… I told them to keep it a secret.” (Haruto)

How many times has this happened already…

While seeing the flood of notifications arriving from Twitto and watching the edited video, he slumped in his chair.

“Why on earth was that person recording during that time… And they just so happen to be able to edit videos… Haa.” (Haruto)

In today’s convenient world, it only takes a push of a button to start recording. Perhaps they started recording right after finding out to celebrate the occasion.

“Ugh… what the hell, seriously. Everything I’ve been doing lately is backfiring… That guy really went and only spread stuff about me… Ugh, this is the worst. It’s even trending in the entertainment scene… Everyone’s going to see this, aren’t they…” (Haruto)

In the evening, what was trending on Twitto were the two characters, ‘o imo‘ (little sister). Those two characters are more than enough to catch the attention of people.

Meanwhile, notifications keep piling up.

With a tap on the notification, real-time comments from viewers turn the streamer into a live toy.

Comment: [Hey, siscon! How’s it going!? You’ve been exposed!]

“I’m not okay…” (Haruto)

Comment: [Oni-chan! Is your sister cute!?]

“Isn’t that obvious?” (Haruto)

Comment: [Do you like your little sister!? Or do you love her!? Which is it!?]

“Shut up…” (Haruto)

Comment: [How about renaming your channel to [Siscon Oni] from now on?]

“You’re annoying…” (Haruto)

Oni-chan isn’t great at comebacks, but in this situation, his words come out effortlessly.

“Haa. Why did this have to happen…? Seriously, why did this have to happen…? I’d prefer another streaming incident over whatever is happening at this point.” (Haruto)

The consequences of the first streaming incident he caused were that his fake persona was exposed.

However, this time’s accident exposed his love for his little sister. It’s unbearable.

And the editing of the video makes things worse.

—”Well… Don’t tell anyone about this, okay? This account… the username has the words, ‘sweet potatoes (o imo)’, which is a play on the word, ‘little sister (o imouto).”

—”I’m impervious to any attacks from haters. I’m prepared for any kind of criticism I will receive.”

The transition from these two lines resulted in a mocking kind of tone as if encouraging viewers to purposely tease him about the revelation. The emphasis on the echo in the last line makes it sound like a challenge as if saying, “If you don’t believe me, try me!”

“That person should use that quick-witted editing skill for something else… It’s really a waste, no matter how you look at it…” (Haruto)

As a result, the majority of users who watched the video think:

(Challenge accepted! I won’t hold back!!)

“Haa. I feel so embarrassed, I could die…” (Haruto)

Covering his face with both hands and rubbing his temples to distract himself, Oni-chan let out a sigh. At that moment, when his head felt like it might catch fire from the heat, he received a notification.

“(Haruto-san, what time do you finish work today?)” (Aya)

It was a message on LAIN from Aya, whom he had exchanged contact information with on the day they made plans to play ABEX.

While wondering if she timed the message during his break, he opened the LAIN app and replied.

“(I’m planning to finish early today, around 9 PM. Do you need something?)” (Haruto)

“(Yeah. I was thinking if I could have a bit of your time after you finish work, Haruto-san.)” (Aya)

This unusual and unexpected request surprised him.

“(That’s fine.)” (Haruto)

“(Really!? I’ll make sure to be at the shop by 9 PM then, thank you!)” (Aya)

“(Huh? Don’t you have to attend classes tomorrow, Shirayuki-san? Shouldn’t you be preparing for that? And also, there’s no need for you to go out of your way to do this. We can just do it through LAIN.)” (Haruto)

“(No, it’s fine. Besides, I want to properly talk about today’s events, so I’d prefer to talk face-to-face. And also, I want to thank you.)” (Aya)

“(Thank me? For what?)” (Haruto)

“(Haruto-san, you’ve shouldered everything for me this time, haven’t you?)” (Aya)

“(What are you talking about?)” (Haruto)

“(You’re really kind, you know?)” (Aya)

“(Even if you say that, I have no idea what you’re talking about.)” (Haruto)

“(Hmm. Well then, I’ll explain until you understand.)” (Aya)

“(Oh, no, please don’t. I’m begging you.)” (Haruto)

“(Hehe, okay. Well then, do your best with the rest of your work, Haruto-san. I have to go and start my stream now.)” (Aya)

“(Thank you. In that case, I might watch it until my break is over.)” (Haruto)

“(Ehhh, um, sure. Just try not to pay too much attention to me; it feels weird.)” (Aya)

“(Ahaha, what does that mean.)” (Haruto)

While inserting a tsukkomi² at the end, they wrapped up their conversation.

Thus, he spends the rest of his break time peeking into Ayaya’s stream, making the most of his time off.

And also, he decided to overlook the part where Ayaya bit her tongue at the start of the stream.

---

Thanks for reading!

Keep in mind that our MC here didn’t deny that his a siscon, but I guess that’s already pretty obvious at this point.

I kinda fell asleep and woke up late so I wasn’t planning on releasing a chapter today, but I somehow pulled through yay.

---

1. The “Oimo” in “Oimo_daisukiyo” refers to little sister instead of sweet potatoes, so it can be misinterpreted as MC having siscon tendancies.
2. Honestly, I put footnote for this so many times, but I still don’t understand how to explain this. It’s like a silly retort, I guess.

“W-Wait! You don’t need to ask that!” (Haruto)

It was natural for a panicked voice to escape.

If he didn’t stop the discussion between their teammate and Aya, the situation might get out of hand.

And to make matters worse, it was being exposed to Aya, a regular at the cafe…

In a state of panic, the only thought that crossed his mind was how to interfere and prevent them from talking to each other.

“U-Um, Shirayuki-san. I’ll mute Diacord for a moment. Also, set the in-game voice chat volume to zero, okay?!” (Haruto)

“……Y-yeah.” (Aya)

“Um, sorry… I’ll be right back!” (Haruto)

With this setup, even if Haruto tried to communicate with their teammate, Aya would not be able to hear it.

Despite the relief he felt after taking control of the situation, Aya was well aware of his true intentions.

While ignoring his instructions, she quickly went back into her in-game settings tab and raised the voice chat volume from 0 to 50.

Of course, Haruto did not know that she had changed her settings to allow her to hear the conversation, so he proceeded to address the teammate.

“(H-hey… How did you know that this is my smurf account…? I haven’t posted anything about this account during my streams, right?)” (Haruto)

He deliberately changed his tone and expression, revealing himself as Oni-chan.

“(It was more than a year ago, but there was one time where I’ve seen it! Do you remember that there was a time when you did a 1v1 challenge?)” (Teammate)

“(Huh? W-Was that so…? I think that was the first time I’ve used this account… I didn’t think that anyone would remember it. After all, it was more than a year ago, before my channel really started to take off.)” (Haruto)

“(That’s because I’ve been watching you ever since you had around 100 subscribers!)” (Teammate)

“(A-All the way back then!? Well, thank you, really. It makes me happy to hear that.)” (Haruto)

“(U-um. I have a favor to ask of you.)” (Haruto)

Seeing an opportunity, he quickly brought up the main topic of discussion.

“(Hey, so, I am indeed Oni-chan, but could you type in the chat something like ‘Oops, it was just a misunderstanding!’ or ‘Never mind, I was wrong!’? I’m in a party with another teammate, and I don’t want them to know that I use this account. Oh, and their in-game voice chat volume has been turned off, so you don’t need to worry about them listening in to this conversation.)” (Haruto)

“(Is there something in this account that you didn’t want them to know about?)” (Teammate)

“(Well… Don’t tell anyone about this, okay? This account… the username has the words, ‘sweet potatoes (o imo)’, which is a play on the word, ‘little sister (o imouto)’.)” (Haruto)

“(Eh!? Was it meant to be interpreted that way!? So you really are a siscon!)” (Teammate)

“(Sh-shut up. What’s wrong with that?)” (Haruto)

To get his cooperation quickly, Haruto provided an incentive in the form of the secret of his username.

“(W-Well, anyways, because of this, please help me!! Okay!?)” (Haruto)

“(Okay!)” (Teammate)

“(All right!)” (Haruto)

Perhaps because it was from a genuine fan, Haruto felt relieved by their response. However, this was short-lived. At that moment, a familiar voice entered their voice chat.

“(W-What are you talking about…? More importantly! Oni-chan was the real deal, huh?!!)” (Aya)

“(Huh? W-what…? Hey, you’re not supposed to come out! I told you to mute the voice chat, right?)” (Haruto)

“(Even if the voice chat is muted, the voice-to-text is still visible¹ in chat so it’s pointless, you know?)” (Aya)

“(Ah…)” (Haruto)

While Haruto was panicking earlier, he had completely forgotten about that feature in the game. His face turned pale in an instant, and he began to break out in a cold sweat, but he wasn’t ready to give up just yet.

“(No, if it’s just the chat, I might still be able to bluff my way through…?)” (Haruto)

“(No, you can’t bluff your way through!)” (Aya)

“(You don’t know that!)” (Haruto)

“(There’s no way you can lie your way out of this!)” (Aya)

“(No, no, no, there might be a chance…)” (Haruto)

“(Absolutely not! I’ll not be fooled! Besides, I have already heard everything!)” (Aya)

Aya emotionally fired back in her strong dialect.

But, considering the circumstances, it couldn’t be helped…

After all, she had sought relationship advice from someone she thought was Oni-chan.

—(“Well, you know! She’s into a café staff, someone mature and kind!”)

—(“That onii-san boldly confronted them and stood up for her! How cool is that!?”)

—(“And besides, he pays a lot of attention to her! He earnestly draws latte art for her, write messages that make her happy, and was very caring! Isn’t he great!?”)

She even went as far as to reveal embarrassing details to him.

Amidst the panic, her genuine emotions surfaced. Because of that, their teammate couldn’t help but notice something was off.

“Huh? Um, is the person you’re teamed up with Ayaya, the pro gamer?” (Teammate)

“!?” (Aya)

A sharp line was heard.

“Oh… you think so too, huh? Her voice and dialect are exactly the same, ain’t it?” (Haruto)

“W-What are you both saying!? I’m not Ayaya…” (Aya)

Suddenly, the situation turned into a 2v1 against her.

“Well, if I’m teaming up with Oni-chan, my account should be in the Predator rank, right?²” (Aya)

“Even if you try to change the way you talk, it would just make it even more suspicious.” (Haruto)

“Then how else could I have covered it up!? There’s no other way!” (Aya)

“Maybe try imitating Ayaya and saying something like ‘Ayaya desu~‘.” (Haruto)

“That definitely won’t work!” (Aya)

“They say that even celebrities can go unnoticed if they act confidently without disguising themselves.” (Haruto)

In the midst of their heated exchange, the random teammate interjected with some sound advice.

“You know, I was thinking that maybe you two should stop trying to mislead each other.” (Teammate)

“Ah…” (Haruto & Aya)

Correct. With the cat out of the bag, there was no point in arguing. The two of them gradually fell silent.

With this, the fourth match started with a toll on their concentration and mental state…

Oni-chan: 138 damage, 0 kills, 0 assists, 0 knockdowns.

Ayaya: 98 damage, 0 kills, 0 assists, 0 knockdowns.

In all the previous matches, the duo had defeated around 15 enemies, but in this particular match, they couldn’t eliminate a single opponent, making them deadweight. After losing the game and apologizing to their teammate, the two returned to the lobby…

“…” (Haruto)

“…”  (Aya)

Silence enveloped them and it wasn’t just because they threw that last game.

“Um, Oni-chan?” (Aya)

“W-What is it, Ayaya-san? I mean, Shirayuki-san.” (Haruto)

Yes, now that they knew each other’s true identities…

“S-So… how are you feeling right now?” (Aya)

“Eh? Even if you ask me that, I’m still struggling to keep up with the situation… I mean, the fact that two streamers coincidentally met in real life… Well, I did have my suspicions that you were Ayaya.” (Haruto)

“No, not that. Something else…” (Aya)

“Something else?” (Haruto)

“Don’t you remember what I consulted you about? If you’ve forgotten, it’s okay…” (Aya)

“That thing about your friend… which is actually your own story?” (Haruto)

“?! Mooouuuu~! You definitely figured out everything!!” (Aya)

With this response, her emotions exploded in an instant.

“Well, the information matches what I know, so…” (Haruto)

“Uwahhhhhh~! I don’t want to hear it anymore! I’ll get mad if you keep saying it!!” (Aya)

“Ahaha…” (Haruto)

Ayaya’s voice, filled with such agony, was something no one had ever heard before. It was a first for Haruto.

“Ahhh mouuu~!, it’s over… My life is over… Why is it that the one person I consulted about my love troubles turned out to be Haruto-san…! S-So, um, everything is exposed, right!?” (Aya)

“…” (Haruto)

A silent confirmation was given.

“Mmmnnn~! Haa… My face is so red. I don’t think I can face Haruto-san anymore…” (Aya)

In a feeble, trembling voice, she lets out her feelings. However, she quickly changes the subject as if to cover up her embarrassment.

“By the way, why is Oni-chan working at a cafe? With the number of subscribers and views Oni-chan has, you should be able to make a living from ad revenue, right?” (Aya)

“W-well, that’s true, but… My streams mainly rely on toxic persona, so it wouldn’t be surprising if I get demonetized. In fact, I’ve already been warned by the management…” (Haruto)

“Eh!?” (Aya)

If one’s livelihood depends on a single stream, all ad revenue might be lost when it gets demonetized.

If something like that were to happen, it would cause problems for Yuno. Even though he wanted to send her to university, it could end up hindering her studies if she became too persistent in helping.

To prevent that, he has that as a backup plan—a second pillar.

“But, you know, these kinds of coincidences really do happen, huh…? It’s surprising that Ayaya-san is only a first-year university student.” (Haruto)

“Nee… Let me tell you this first!” (Aya)

“Hmm?” (Haruto)

“U-Um… it’s not like I like Haruto-san or anything, okay!? Just as I mentioned before, I’m just interested in you!! Understand!?” (Aya)

“Ahaha. I get it. That’s why I’m so calm about it.” (Haruto)

Even though he reassures her with his usual tone, his face is flushed. While scratching his cheek, he desperately tries to hide his embarrassment.

“I-In that case… yeah. Also, keep this a secret, okay!? If this gets out to someone, uh, it might indirectly reveal that Ayaya and Oni-chan is… you know.” (Aya)

“I know.” (Haruto)

“T-thank you…” (Aya)

And with her expression of gratitude, she changes to a more serious tone.

“Um… Oni-chan. I want to change the subject, but there’s a possibility of us facing backlash, right?” (Aya)

“Yeah… I was thinking about that too.” (Haruto)

Both of them are familiar with the streaming industry so they share the same concerns.

“To be honest, we should be prepared… Depending on what that teammate does. If it gets out that Oni-chan and Ayaya-san have a close enough relationship to meet in real life, Ayaya-san’s fans, especially the males, might get upset…” (Haruto)

In this industry, ‘people’ build fan bases. If their relationship is misunderstood as romantic, viewers might turn away, becoming antagonistic and become hostile. Even if they reveal the whole process leading up to this situation, it’s unlikely that anyone will believe it.

“But, Shirayuki-san, you don’t have to worry. I’ll take care of it. To be honest, I can just say that I threatened and forced you into this.” (Haruto)

“Eh, you can’t do that!” (Aya)

“This whole situation is my fault. If I had remembered that I used this account before during a stream, it wouldn’t have been exposed in the first place.” (Haruto)

“But that’s not true! It’s because I talked openly…” (Aya)

“Shirayuki-san, you just got caught in the crossfire.” (Haruto)

If it’s oni-chan, it’s no big deal if there’s some backlash. While many viewers might leave, the damage won’t be as severe as compared to if Ayaya-san gets caught.

It was at that moment when he showed his determination to take responsibility and protect her—

A private message arrived in [Oimo_daisukiyo]’s account:

Private Message: [I’m the teammate from earlier, thank you so much for today! Even though the game ended pretty quickly, it was an honor to play together with you!]

This was what was written in the message, following the title:

Private Message: [Onto the main topic. Given the recent trouble you both had, rest assured that I have no intention of spreading this anywhere. The only things I spread are related to you, as your fan lol. Well then, I look forward to your future activities! As the seasons change, take good care of your health!]

“Shirayuki-san…” (Haruto)

“Yeah?” (Aya)

“It seems like we’re in the clear regarding the backlash.” (Haruto)

“Huh!?” (Aya)

And thus, he relayed the contents of this message, carefully selecting the line:

‘If there’s anything I might spread, it’s only related to you as your fan lol.’

A sense of relief washed over them in perfect timing.

---

Thanks for reading!

That one random teammate was so chill about everything lol. This is the kind of fan that you’re lucky to have.

The translation was so scuffed for this chapter, but it’s already late at night, so this is the best I could do xd

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1. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think Apex has a voice to text feature, so something like a transcript for VCs.
2. She ditched her dialect for this one I guess? I don’t know much about dialect, but that’s what the next line suggest.

And thus, the promised day arrived.

“Waa~ This feels kinda strange, doesn’t it!” (Aya)

“Ahaha, I know right? I never thought that there would be a day where I’d play games with a customer.” (Haruto)

Haruto and Aya were talking to each other through the app, Diacord¹.

“Wait, is this Haruto-san’s account? [Oimo_daisukiyo]², ahaha~!” (Aya)

“I knew you’d say that!” (Haruto)

“So, you like sweet potatoes (oimo)?” (Aya)

“Well, not particularly, but… it just sounded like a nice name, you know?” (Haruto)

“If someone got hit by this ID, they’d be irritating.” (Aya)

“Irritating? Like a sudden desire to eat sweet potatoes…?” (Haruto)

“Huh? Hahaha.” (Aya)

Laughter erupted.

“Of course not! Irritating as in getting angry!” (Aya)

“Oh, I see! Well, if you think about it, with this name… yeah, it could be a bit provoking.” (Haruto)

“Oh, speaking of provoking, Haruto-san, have you heard of the ABEX streamer, Oni-chan?” (Aya)

“Oh, uh… that, you mean the streamer who’s infamous for always provoking others?” (Haruto)

When suddenly asked, Haruto’s heart raced, but he managed to respond calmly.

“Yeah! Well… he’s actually a pretty kind person, you know. Have you ever been told that you sound just like Oni-chan? Especially over the mic, it feels that way.” (Aya)

“R-really? That’s the first time someone told me that.” (Haruto)

(It’s okay, calm down… It’s just a practice account, so there’s no way she’d find out…)

With such composure, there was no need to panic

“Well, if you’re going to say that, then Shirayuki-san also sounds kind of similar to the Vtuber, Ayaya-san, you know? The dialect is similar too.” (Haruto)

“Huh…!? That’s just because we have the same dialect! Haruto-san, you sound pretty much like Oni-chan.” (Aya)

“Oh, ahaha…” (Haruto)

The conversation repeated itself. If he were to respond again, they would likely spiral into another loop.

However, it genuinely pleased Haruto that someone like Aya knew about Oni-chan.

“Well, it’s probably just our imagination, so let’s not worry about it.” (Haruto)

“Y-yeah! We’re both in the Platinum rank after all!” (Aya)

“That’s right.” (Haruto)

This was a topic he didn’t want to delve into. Whether Aya was reading the atmosphere or simply going along with it, her cooperation was appreciated.

“Oh, so should we go for ranked or casual? And should we do duo or trio?” (Haruto)

“Hmm. I think the chaos is fun, so let’s go for casual and form a trio. The third teammate can be a random.” (Aya)

“Got it! Let’s get started then!” (Haruto)

“Okay~” (Aya)

With both of them ready, they started finding a match.

As it was a highly popular game, they were able to find a solo teammate relatively quickly, and once they formed a three-person team, they moved to the character selection screen.

“By the way, Shirayuki-san, what’s your main?” (Haruto)

“I’ll use… Gibraltar!” (Aya)

“Alright, then I’ll go with Octane.” (Haruto)

“Hmm, interesting. Oni-chan also uses Octane.” (Aya)

“Uh, well… Octane is a popular character, so…” (Haruto)

While making excuses, he screamed internally.

(What am I doing…!)

Being told he’s similar to Oni-chan and then choosing Oni-chan’s main would naturally lead to him being suspicious.

He managed to pull off a strained smile and came up with a quick excuse.

“W-Well… let’s do our best.” (Haruto)

“Un~!” (Aya)

On the screen, the countdown for the game began, and the player-filled aircraft traversed the expansive map.

During this time, they had to make the important decision on where to land.

“Oh, our teammate marked a popular area! Pretty aggressive from the get-go.” (Aya)

“Haha, looks like it’s going to be an intense fight right from the start…” (Haruto)

This was a casual match which didn’t affect their rank so there was no problem taking such risks.

Following the teammate’s marked location, they descended simultaneously into the central area of the map.

During this descent, they scanned for enemies heading to the same location, assessing how many parties they might be fighting against.

“—Two parties, huh?” (Haruto)

“—Two parties, eh?” (Aya)

“…” (Haruto)

“…” (Aya)

For that brief moment, they both were thinking about the same thing.

“We were thinking the same thing, weren’t we?” (Haruto)

“Y-yeah! What a coincidence…” (Aya)

Her laughter, accompanied by an unsteady voice, seemed to reveal a sense of nervousness.

∮

[Aya’s PoV – On the day before Haruto and Aya played together]

“Hehe, tomorrow I’ll be playing games with Haruto-san. Yay~ (yatta~)!” (Aya)

Under the dimmed lights, Aya slipped into bed, wearing a bright smile. She kicked her legs excitedly and buried her face in the pillow.

Of course, she was looking forward to playing with Haruto, but what excited her even more was the fact that she received praise from someone she admired.

He was a Platinum-ranked player, a whole three ranks below her, who had reached the Predator rank. This meant there was little chance she would be a burden, and on the contrary, there was a high chance that he would praise her if she could show off her skills.

– (You’re really good~!)
– (You’re so reliable!)
– (How are you so good!?)

She had imagined hearing such praises. She believed she could impress him, and perhaps, by playing more together, they could get closer!

“H-how should I respond if he praises me? I’d probably get too happy and my words won’t come out at all… and if I end up saying something weird… yeah, that’s not good.” (Aya)

Just the thought of that made her chest hurt.

Aya squeezed her pillow, trying to motivate herself. She fidgeted, grabbed her phone, and lay on her back, staring at the ceiling.

“Um, let’s see…” (Aya)

In the dimly lit room, she turned on her phone and opened a memo, swiftly typing away. She was writing down lines of script just like Oni-chan would.

“Hehe, I’m going to be praised a lot. Maybe I’ll even get to use up all the replies I thought of.” (Aya)

No one would have expected Aya to be doing something like this. In reality, this was the first time she had done something like this. In other words, she really didn’t want him to think that she was weird.

“Nnn~! I wish tomorrow would come sooner. I really want to be praised a lot… also, I want to get closer to him…” (Aya)

She stretched, letting her overflowing excitement fill the room.

She indulged in elaborate fantasies, but things didn’t unfold exactly as she had imagined.

∮

The first casual game:

Haruto: 2870 damage, 6 kills, 2 assists, 9 knockdowns.
Aya: 3210 damage, 8 kills, 3 assists, 11 knockdowns.

Together, they eliminated around 5 squads.
Team ranking: 1st.

The second casual game:

Haruto: 2343 damage, 7 kills, 1 assist, 8 knockdowns.
Aya: 2255 damage, 6 kills, 3 assists, 8 knockdowns.

Together, they eliminated around 4 squads.
Team ranking: 1st.

Third casual match:

Haruto: 3171 damage, 9 kills, 4 assists, 9 knockdowns.
Aya: 2828 damage, 8 kills, 4 assists, 6 knockdowns.

Together, they eliminated around 7 squads.
Team ranking: 1st.

Three consecutive victories.

After the first match, there were exchanges like ‘That was lucky!’ ‘Feeling a bit good today!’ ‘You’re good!’ flying around.

Similar conversations continued after the second match.

However, after the third match, that kind of conversation disappeared.

The performance metrics such as damage dealt and kills were suspicious, but it wasn’t just that. Their speed in providing cover, predicting safe zones, the speed at which they eliminated enemies, and their overall strategy—all of these factors highlighted that both of them possessed a ‘similar level of skill’.

“Haruto-san, that’s definitely a smurf³ account! You’re way too good! What’s the rank on your main account!?” (Aya)

“Well, even if you say that, Shirayuki-san, you…” (Haruto)

“I’ve been watching Haruto-san’s movements closely, but aren’t you actually at the top-level?” (Aya)

“H-How do you know? Is Shirayuki-san saying that because she has reached Predator rank before… or something?” (Haruto)

“I-I’ve watched videos of top players before!” (Aya)

No matter what excuses they made, it was clear that they had a skill level not far from top players.

At this point, the question lingering in their minds was about their main accounts… and with these suspicions, they entered the fourth match.

—But then tragedy struck.

Chat (Teammate): [Wait? Is this for real!?]

A random teammate in the solo queue suddenly entered this message into the chat.

“…” (Haruto)

“…” (Aya)

The two of them, having seen the chat, fell into silence. Cold sweat started to bead on their foreheads.

These were words not casually thrown around to ordinary players. These were words reserved for streamers or content creators…

And the target of this chat became evident with the next set of words.

Chat (Teammate): [That’s Oni-chan’s smurf account, right?]

“Ahaha. I-I think our teammate is misunderstanding something…” (Haruto)

Haruto immediately tried to address what was typed in chat but…

“…” (Aya)

“I-I wonder what’s our teammate saying? R-right, Shirayuki-san?” (Haruto)

“…” (Aya)

While Haruto was asking, Aya remained silent.

In her silence, she started typing in chat to the other teammate.

Chat (Aya): [Why do you think that?]

---

Under the dimmed lights, Aya slipped into bed, wearing a bright smile. She kicked her legs excitedly and buried her face in the pillow.

---

Thanks for reading!

Got a bit lazy during the weekend so there were no chapters~

I was thinking about just leaving it at the tragedy-struck part, but that would be too evil won’t it? Either way, there’s absolutely no way he’s gonna be dodging this one… right? 

The title of the chapter might have been translated wrongly cause it doesn’t make sense, but idk, it might change as I continue translating the chapter.

I was just looking through some old novels I had in my library to see if there was something I could pick up, and omg I found this.

I’m Not Going to Do Something Like Break off Our Engagement

I’m not sure how many of you read this, but I rmb liking it. Chapters are long, but updates took forever. I wonder if I should pick this up.

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1. Author’s version of Discord.
2. Oimo_daisukiyo translates to I like sweet potatoes.
3. I completely forgot this word existed. Smurf account is basically secondary account, or sub-account.