The setting remained unchanged, within the same living room.
“Mattaku, you should have told me that you haven’t eaten before coming, Ayacchi. I’ll go whip up something for you right away.” (Rina)
Standing in the neat and tidy open kitchen was Rina, who was rhythmically handling a knife.
And peeking out from the back of the sofa was Aya, who responded with a pleasant smile.
“I appreciate you trying to help clear all my baked food, but filling your stomach with just those is tough, isn’t it?” (Rina)
“Um, well… I just wanted to respond to Rina-san’s SOS as much as possible…” (Aya)
“It’s nice of you to say that.” (Rina)
Rina continued to skillfully move her hands while brightening her voice.
“Well, we’re teammates so feel free to rely on me more, okay? That way, I can talk about it during my stream.” (Rina)
“By the way, every time Rina-san does that, I get messages like ‘It’s unfair that you get homemade food!’ or ‘I wish I was in that position!’!” (Aya)
“Hehe, well, it’s a kind of trade-off, but feel free to also bring up my topics during your streams anytime.” (Rina)
“Thank you!” (Aya)
With a four-year age gap between them, as both a teammate and senpai, Rina plays a big-sister-like role to Aya.
“I’ve been wondering for a while now, but Rina-san is really talented. You can stream and cook by yourself. Meanwhile, I just buy ready-to-eat food from the supermarket or use Uber Eats for my meals.” (Aya)
“Actually, I think that’s the most reasonable lifestyle for you, Ayacchi. You’re attending university and streaming at the same time, so you don’t really have time to cook, right?” (Rina)
“Yeah… but…” (Aya)
“Well, I understand that you want to be able to treat someone to your homemade meals, especially when you’re interested in him.” (Rina)
“…!” (Aya)
The moment these words were thrown at her, Aya’s eyes widened and she withdrew her face from the sofa.
“Oh, right. Putting that aside…” (Rina)
“Y-Yeah?” (Aya)
Feeling like the conversation had returned to a safe topic, Aya once again popped her neatly arranged face back into view.
“When you first interacted with Oni-chan, didn’t you get a message from Chiyo-san? Our team has sponsors, so there’s this concern about public perception, right?” (Rina)
Given that Aya was still interacting with Oni-chan, it goes without saying that their interaction wasn’t really seen as a problem. However, for Rina, who wanted Oni-chan to participate in the streamer tournament, she wanted to know the owner’s intentions and how to handle the situation.
“Well, actually, right after I matched with Oni-chan for the first time, I immediately contacted the owner. Even though it was just a coincidence, some people might misunderstand and think otherwise.” (Aya)
“Oh, that’s smart risk management. What did she say?” (Rina)
“I got a reassuring reply. ‘No matter what happens, I’ll protect you, so feel free to keep doing what you’re doing.’ She also said ‘I’m expecting great things from you, just like from Rina-san.'” (Aya)
“Eh, seriously!?” (Rina)
“Yeah!” (Aya)
At this moment, Rina’s hands stopped while cooking.
Even if she never heard it herself, being complimented by the owner, whom she’s indebted to, made her happy.
Moreover, this reminded her of the owner’s consistent stance on protecting the members while letting them grow. This made her feel grateful to be part of the team.
“By the way, I’ve been exchanging emails with Oni-chan for a while now, and we’ve even become mutual followers on social media. After every match we played, I would also receive a very polite message saying, ‘I was just playing my character!’ It reminded me of how nice of a person he was.” (Aya)
“I see.” (Rina)
With a smirk, Rina resumed moving her hands.
Aya is being Aya, while Chiya, the owner, is responding in a way that’s typical of herself.
It’s probably because they trust each other that they’re able to handle things this way.
Also, thanks to Chiya not restricting contact with Oni-chan, Aya was able to maintain her relationship with him, which in turn, helped to grow both of their channels.
This also has the side effect of spreading awareness of their team as a whole.
Currently, Aya, who belongs to Axcis Crown, is the only one deeply involved with Oni-chan, who’s growing at an extremely fast pace.
“If that’s Chiyo-san’s stance, it might come down to the management’s decision… Perhaps the management is curious about how far Oni-chan will push the boundaries, so if we understand that, it might really work out.” (Rina)
“Rina-san is really serious about getting Oni-chan to participate in the tournament…” (Aya)
“Of course. And, since it’ll be Oni-chan’s first tournament, he’ll get a lot of attention from viewers and other streamers, right? His inexperience might be on full display.” (Rina)
“… ” (Aya)
At this question, Aya, with a puffy thought bubble floating above her head, seems to have no trouble imagining the situation, especially since she knows Oni-chan’s real identity as Haruto.
She can easily picture his high-pitched voice, his nervous fidgeting with the mouse cursor, and even his tendency to drink a lot from nervousness and make frequent trips to the bathroom.
“Hehe, that could be a bit of a problem…” (Aya)
“A problem?” (Rina)
She utters these words with a hint of agreement.
“Well, if Oni-chan becomes even more popular, it might be really hard to schedule collaborations with him in the future…” (Aya)
“Oh, don’t worry about that! It’ll be fine!” (Rina)
“Huh?” (Aya)
Seeing Aya let out a dumbfounded sound, Rina responded in her usual excitement.
“If it comes down to that, I’ll collaborate in your place!” (Rina)
“Why?!” (Aya)
“Nihihi.” (Rina)
Naturally, Aya exploded with an outburst of retort.
After finishing Rina’s homemade food and chatting for about two hours, and…
“Rina-san, thank you so much for today! Thanks for sending me off!” (Aya)
“Oh, don’t worry about it! You can come over anytime. Even if it’s just to eat, you’re always welcome here.” (Rina)
“Yeah! Then, I’ll continue to rely on you!” (Aya)
“Sure!” (Rina)
This exchange takes place in front of Aya’s apartment building entrance, where she lives alone.
“Ayacchi, are you going to stream now?” (Rina)
“Yeah! I’m gonna stream like crazy!” (Aya)
“You seem unusually fired up.” (Rina)
The risks of such exposure have been extensively explained by the agency.
“That’s right! After eating Rina-san’s cooking, I feel even more empowered!” (Aya)
“Got it. Well, in that case, let’s not waste energy here—” (Rina)
“—Huh? I’m not that weak!” (Aya)
“Nihihi, well, in that case, I won’t forgive you if you throw the game later. Just kidding~” (Rina)
With a smirk and a wink, Rina skillfully deflects the conversation, acknowledging Aya’s response while gently redirecting it.
“Well then, Ayacchi. Good luck with your work.” (Rina)
She probably wanted to stream as soon as possible.
Without waiting for a response, she waves goodbye.
“—Oh, bye! Take care on your way back, Rina-san!” (Aya)
“Yep! Thanks!” (Rina)
Responding firmly to Aya’s last words, Rina continues to wave as they part ways.
She lifts her black mask and adjusts her cap, then heads home.
“Fuu. This is still inconvenient, huh… Celebrities must have it even worse.” (Rina)
She murmurs to herself with a wry smile, walking alone.
A professional gamer whose name is known to anyone who’s played ABEX, and whose prowess with support characters is frequently discussed among players of the game.
Affiliated with the major gaming team Axcis Crown, is “Ac_RiNa.”
Not only is she talented at the game, but her streaming style, usually with a face cam, consistently draws an average viewer count of five digits.
Because of her large fanbase, Rina hides her appearance when she goes out.
(…Well, my current lifestyle happened because I showed my face, so I can’t really regret it.)
After graduating high school, Rina entered the world of streaming while working a job.
At first, nobody watched, but ever so gradually, Rina started gaining viewers and was able to build momentum after switching her streaming style to include a face cam.
As a result, she was eventually able to focus on streaming full-time.
(If I showed my past self the current number of subscribers I have, she’d be so surprised… Hehe.)
Feeling somewhat nostalgic about those days, Rina continued walking, but then, she suddenly stopped.
“…” (Rina)
At that moment, what she remembered was an advertisement she had seen on Twitto this morning.
It was a promotion for the limited-time release of the “GOROGORO Peach Frappuccino” starting today at the café.
As a peach lover, this advertisement caught her eye, so she immediately pressed the like button and checked out the details of the product. It was something she wanted to try.
“Wow… I should have remembered this sooner. If I had, I could have gone with Ayacchi…” (Rina)
She mumbled, raising one eyebrow while scratching her head under her cap.
Aya had already declared that she was going to go streaming and with her genuinely straightforward nature, she was probably in the middle of her preparations.
Inviting her now would undoubtedly be rude.
(Well… on the bright side, the café is nearby, and there shouldn’t be many people at this time.)
Rina didn’t often go to cafés, so going alone made her feel a bit uneasy, but she had already set her eyes on the Peach Frappuccino.
“Alright, let’s go.” (Rina)
Without further ado, she spun halfway around and started walking towards a book café.
(This might be a little indulgent, but… I’ll work hard on tonight’s stream to make up for it.)
Rina, who usually enjoyed pleasing acquaintances, friends, and viewers more than indulging herself, often spent her money on the former.
For this reason, her first thought was, “I’ll make sure to share my thoughts on the drink during the stream.”
This was a mindset she always had and such awareness has helped her build a large fanbase.
About ten minutes of walking later, Rina arrives at the café she was looking for.
As expected for the time of day, the interior of the café was empty, just as she had predicted.
(Alright, this works out.)
Adjusting her hat once again, Rina enters the café, eyeing the poster advertising the Peach Frappuccino.
“Welc…come…!” (?)
(Hmm?)
She immediately hears a friendly greeting from the staff behind the counter.
(That was… a weirdly long greeting… Did something happen? I don’t think I’ve been recognized, but…)
For a moment, a bad feeling creeps in, but she’s confident in her disguise. There must be another reason for the hesitation.
After all, Rina has only been recognized once before, and that was at the ABEX LEGENDS Pop-up Store, a shop related to ABEX.
With her own experiences and her disguise, she can’t afford to be overly self-conscious all the time.
(Now that I think about it, stylish places like this always seem to have good-looking staff… They practically scream ‘taken’ or something.)
With these thoughts in mind, Rina straightens up and approaches the staff at the counter with a friendly smile.
“Good afternoon!” (?)
“Uh, um, good afternoon~” (Rina)
(He’s so friendly… and he’s smiling like crazy. Aya would totally be into this type, huh? Well, he must be a popular staff member.)
The staff, who wearing a name tag that reads “Haruto”, is beaming with such a sparkling smile that it seems like something good must have happened to him. The manager definitely put him at the register to attract more customers.
“Will you be dining in or taking out?” (Haruto)
“Oh, takeout.” (Rina)
“Got it! When you’re ready to order, please let me know.” (Haruto)
“Um… I’ll have the GOROGORO Peach Frappuccino in regular size.” (Rina)
“The regular size Peach Frappuccino, got it! Would you like any specific customizations?” (Haruto)
“Ah… uhh… I’m not really familiar with that kind of stuff. Do you have any recommendations, onii-san?” (Rina)
(If I’m going to buy it, I want to enjoy it to the fullest. It costs 700 yen, after all.)
Even when indulging, Rina doesn’t want to waste a single yen.
Despite earning a significant income from her streaming career, Rina’s mindset hasn’t changed from her past when it comes to things like this.
TL Notes:
Thanks for reading!
Yep, she’s a regular face-cam streamer and not a VTuber. I think this is the first time they confirmed it.
I’m not entirely sure of the structure of a competitive team, but I guess Chiyo is the leader, and there’s another management entity somewhere above her…?
I was busy playing Star Rails v2.2 and I can safely say that I have no idea what is happening in the story. Like 3 people supposedly died, but no one actually died? Maybe I should stop skipping through the text.
On the bright side I got Robin so yay!
Congrats on Robin, I lost my 50/50