TGS – Vol 1 Chapter 3 Part 2 – Reunion with the Tough Guy

“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.