NOVEL NEXT Chapter 294
The jelly killer group’s collaboration was enjoyable.
[Huh? Did Izumi become two?!]
[Who is that?!!!]
“I-I’m the real one! The jelly going to the left right now!”
[They’re both going left?!]
Puhuhup!
[Huh? That was Hikari’s laugh just now?]
Kurokami-senpai got caught by the magician and turned into me.
[…so the conclusion is that the killer is Hinachi!]
[That’s… really logical, Natsune!]
[I really am a citizen, okay?! If I die, the game ends, so please stop! The killer is Yukari!!!]
Akakat! If Hinachi, you’re a citizen, then you can just vote to expel me next round!
[If I die, the game ends, you know?!]
[Vote: Hinachi – 4 votes | Yukari – 1 vote]
[Result: Hinachi – Expelled]
[Killer Win: Tsubaki | Yukari | Nekoto | Tsukasa]
[Huh?]
[Natsune?]
[Since Hikari agreed, it’s not just because of Natsune!!!]
[I have no retort to that, but…! Hiding one’s allies to help the enemy win! Isn’t this the great villain’s stance?]
Akakakak!
“Ahhhh…! I’ve said it a million times that I’m definitely not Amatsuka-senpai!”
[It can’t be helped, Izumi. Because they won’t listen to us….]
Thanks to Natsune’s off-side deduction, I was able to lose a game I could have won.
But all of that, really, was enjoyable.
“So, everyone… let’s meet later.”
-Bye, Izumi!
And so ended the group collaboration broadcast.
Time had already become 7:30 PM.
There were about 4 hours and 30 minutes left.
Honestly, it’s better to sleep for stamina than to do anything else.
Even Aki, the endurance broadcast expert, said so.
“Huah….”
Lying on the bed and closing my eyes, various thoughts flickered through my mind, but I didn’t pay them any mind.
Because it wasn’t over yet.
So let’s leave those feelings for later.
Eventually, I… fell into a comfortable sleep.
★
[【Izumi 24/7】Izumi 24/7! Are you all ready to enjoy together?! #Star’s Flow#Izumi Kainoh]
“E-everyone, Konzu-mi~! From Star’s Flow…. I’m the atmosphere maker dreaming of a world where everyone can be happy! I’m Izumi Kainoh!
-Hai, Izumi!
-I haven’t heard that greeting in a while.
-First time since Starfest.
-Did you rest well?
“Yeah. I-I slept well for now…!”
March 7th, Friday, had begun.
And the time was midnight. In other words, it was now 12 AM.
So, March 7th had just started.
-A project filled with unease.
-If it’s Mei-chan, she’ll definitely be asleep.
“Hey! Don’t say ominous things, just, uh, cheer for me!”
The reason for starting the broadcast at this hour was for a 24-hour broadcast.
The name of the project was ‘Izumi 24/7’.
From 12 AM on March 7th to 12 AM on March 8th.
In essence, it was the ultimate project to spend every moment of a day with Izutomo…!
Ideally, I wanted to do it on Saturday when everyone’s resting, and the Izutomos lamented that it was Friday, but this was simply how it was.
I just hope you see it as the last resort.
…But when I think about it again, just taking off work would solve it, right?
If I took Friday off, that means I could rest until Saturday.
Yeah. So that’s why I’m not in the wrong.
-So what exactly are you going to do?
-I hope you’ll show the schedule.
Anyway, before the broadcast officially began, several Izutomos asked me about today’s plan.
Well.
In a broadcast like this, various events are prepared.
From ordinary chit-chat to Dotsumachi and games….
In essence, it means preparing enough so that fans won’t get bored no matter how long they watch.
And until now, I hadn’t told the Izutomos anything other than that I’d be doing a 24-hour broadcast.
“Ah, I- I have nothing planned. Hehe….”
Because I honestly didn’t prepare anything at all.
You see?
The reason I planned ‘Izumi 24/7’ was simply that I wanted to spend the last day… so to speak, with the Izutomos.
“I just wanted to say that chatting with you for 24 hours sounds fun…. Yeah, that’s it….”
How’s that? Touching, right?
You’re getting so emotional that you want to keep watching the broadcast, right?
-I’m going to sleep now.
-I’ve unsubscribed from the channel.
-I’m going to oshihen.
“Whaaaat?! W-why? I thought everyone would, um, like this, though…?!”
-I really liked it, Izumi…!
-Thanks, Izumi. Well then, bye.
“Wait?! Don’t call me Izumi…. Just, just call me Mei-chan as usual! Calling me Izumi really makes it feel sincere or something….”
-Showing such a weak side is unfair.
-Mei-chan, you’re scary…!
-You have a perfect grasp on the hearts of Izutomos.
-Now I can’t help but watch…
Fortunately, it seemed my sincere persuasion got through to the Izutomos.
But really, isn’t it too much?
Even until the end, these guys never change, huh.
…Well, I’m actually thankful for that.
Still, an opportunity to chat for 24 hours with your favorite is rare.
I mean, I would really be happy just chatting with Natsune for 24 hours, right?
“Well… then should I, um, do a Dotsumachi after all?”
-Eh?
-Everyone is definitely asleep, right? Haha.
-At this hour?
“No, no. There’s absolutely no way everyone is sleeping right now…. A VTuber that sleeps at this hour? You can’t say that’s a rare species either, can you?”
It’s barely just 12:10 AM.
There’s no doubt a VTuber would not be sleeping at this hour.
…Though I can’t say for sure.
-Maying always goes to sleep at 11 PM isn’t exactly persuasive coming from you.
-That’s not convincing at all when you say it, Mei-chan.
…It’s true that my argument loses its strength when I say it.
But the fact that there are hardly any VTubers sleeping at this hour is still undeniable, right?
So I’m sure plenty will show up.
★
I used to think that way.
The current time is 2:19 AM.
Approximately two hours of Dotsumachi had passed, and the number of participants remained 0.
…Huh?
Isn’t something wrong here?
Of course, I didn’t announce that I was going to do Dotsumachi nor did I send out any invitations…
But I still thought at least one person would come.
-Do you not have any friends, Mei-chan…?
“I-I do, okay? I have loads of friends…!”
-But 0 participants in Dotsumachi for two hours…
“It’s because it’s late at night, okay….”
-You said earlier that late nights were never a problem.
“…I don’t know! But you, you guys are my friends too, right? You’re all Izutomo…”
Which means… I have over 500,000 friends waiting for me…!
Yes~. Even if you try to mess with me, this is still my victory~. Izutomos, you all lost~.
-We… were friends, weren’t we?
“Hey! Don’t suddenly make such an uneasy reaction! We are friends, right? Right…?”
I feel like the number of subscribers suddenly dropped.
Surely that’s just my imagination….
-What if no one shows up until morning?
“…Just imagining that makes me want to cry.”
That’s not a lie.
I know I’d genuinely be in tears.
You know?
I’ve realized something while broadcasting for these two hours….
Everyone says I’ve improved my communication skills since before, but in the end, I’m still not someone who talks a lot.
Even when talking with the members, I’m usually the one listening.
Simply put… yeah. I’m tired.
I know someone might say I’ve only been doing this for two hours, but it can’t be helped.
I’m more confident when I’m playing alone, not when I’m just talking nonstop.
Of course, it’s not like I’m truly alone because the Izutomos are there, but in the end, I’m the one doing all the talking.
So please, someone hurry up and come over to play with these guys instead of me….
★
And time moved on to 3 AM.
Participants in Dotsumachi still remain 0.
-Is this really okay?
-I only see a future of Mei-chan crying.
With how the Izutomos reacted, it’s becoming rather seriously dangerous….
Ding!
[Hello everyone….]
“Wah?!”
I’m saved!
[Toka Yukino]
“Toka Mama…!”
My savior was Aunt Shia.
“Thank you so much….”
I’m so relieved….
[Sorry. I wanted to come right away, but my work just finished….]
“Oh, no. Just coming like this makes me really happy…!”
That was my truly heartfelt sincerity.
If no one had come within 30 minutes, I, 100% would have cried.
[I’m glad to hear you say that… Izumi.]
“Y-yes?”
[I’ll probably say this again tomorrow, but… congratulations on your graduation. Although there are feelings of sadness, whatever choice you make from now, Mama will genuinely support you.]
‘What Mina wants to do, what she finds regrettable about what she’s doing now…. It’s okay to think it through slowly from the beginning.’
And with those words, memories of what Aunt Shia had told me before came rushing back.
I never took my time to think. I didn’t consider it step by step from the beginning.
The conclusion I reached was sudden and impulsive.
Surely… still, Aunt Shia must be saying she’ll support me.
Just like Mom had supported Aunt Shia back then.
“…Thank you!”
[Yes! Ah, I’m sorry everyone. I made the atmosphere gloomy from the start. So, let’s switch to a brighter topic. Izumi, do you have anything you’d like to ask Mama?]
“…I do.”
I had something.
There was something I wanted to ask Aunt Shia….
No. Right now, only Aunt Shia could fulfill this request.
And that is…!
“Please keep the Izutomos entertained for me…. I’ll be resting a bit….”
[…Eh?]
Haha
-?
-Eh?
-The touching atmosphere disappears in an instant.
★
The Izumi 24/7 project had ended up being even more successful than expected.
Fortunately, after Aunt Shia, Senior Namikawa, Suzuha Koga, Aki, and Tsurusaki also joined Dotsumachi.
Thus, the six of us played the ‘If we don’t all agree, it doesn’t end!’ game until 6 AM.
For the question “What’s the most famous carbonated drink?” the answer [Coca-Cola] was a little… but if someone had answered Pepsix, I definitely wouldn’t have forgiven them.
Anyway, after that, we rewatched old broadcasts and enjoyed games like TLQ, Bloody Night, and Mini Game Survival with the Izutomos.
Ultimately, most of the time was chit-chat, which was tiring, and someone mentioned I fell asleep for about 10 minutes in between, but… it was still a truly happy time.
“Goodbye, everyone…!”
-Bye, Izumi!
With that, after finishing the broadcast, I collapsed onto my bed.
Thanks to the 24-hour non-stop broadcast, I was already so exhausted that I could hardly lift a finger.
“Haah….”
Now, all that remains is the graduation live.
The end was already right in front of me.
Feeling my heart race at that fact, I quietly closed my eyes.
Until the very end… I vowed to smile.