NOVEL NEXT Chapter 39
“Just say it, it was a pretty normal thank-you message, you know…?”
“Do you really think so?”
Under the pressure of Koga’s furrowed brow, I checked Miscode’s DM once more.
[Izumi Kainoh: Thank you so much for everything till now, Koga.]
“Hmm.”
…What’s the problem exactly?
As I sent a questioning glance, Koga let out a long sigh and spoke.
“Why did you have to say ’till now’? It feels like we’re not going to see each other again.”
“…Huh?”
I guess it does give off that vibe…
In such situations, there’s a good method.
You just have to think in reverse.
For example, if Koga suddenly sent me a DM like this:
[Suzuha Koga: Thank you so much for being my friend till now.]
How would I feel?
“…Gasp.”
It really feels like we’re never going to meet again, huh?
Conversations with people are this deep, huh?
“Do you get it now?”
“Yes, um, I-I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean it that way…”
“If that’s the case, it’s fine. Haah, seriously…”
“…Um, K-Koga?”
“I-I’m serious…”
Before I knew it, droplets were falling from Koga’s pitch-black eyes.
Koga was crying because of me.
“Ugh, seriously. Making people worry, sob….”
“K-Koga? Um, I-I’m sorry. Please, don’t cry. I’m really sorry…”
“I-I knew it already. Huh. After collaborating with Hikari-senpai, that time when Yeo-sang exploded… I-I knew everything, including you ego-surfing all that…”
“S-Sorry…”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were having a hard time? Is it because you can’t trust me since I’m short…? I-I thought… I-I was worried I’d think badly of you…”
As Koga said this, her face buried into my shoulder, slowly soaking my pajamas with her tears.
“Why don’t you lean on me when it’s hard…? We’re friends…”
“I’m sorry.”
I know it’s too late to apologize.
But just because it’s late doesn’t mean I shouldn’t say it.
“I’m sorry… I promised you, Koga… that we’d reduce negative thoughts… but I kept feeling scared with only bad thoughts… I was too scared to say anything, thinking you’d be disappointed if you heard… I’m sorry…”
Tears are flowing.
Because I feel pathetic. Because I feel foolish.
If I had just told the truth from the start, it would definitely have been better.
“I’m truly sorry…”
“Next time when something like this happens, make sure to tell me, okay? I’ll help you as much as I can. I’m always on your side…”
“Yes…”
It took about 10 more minutes for Koga’s and my tears to stop.
★
“Then I’ll head back.”
“Huh? Um, you should, um, get some sleep…”
“It’s fine. I brought the car on purpose. I have plans tomorrow.”
“That’s true, but…”
Thinking about Koga coming out here in the middle of the night because of my DM makes me feel guilty…
As if reading my thoughts, Koga chuckled and raised her arms.
“You’re still a student, right? I think it’s okay to lean on the adults around you a bit more.”
Then she gently, softly patted my head.
Since I’m taller, I was looking down at Koga, but her touch felt nice.
“Hehe…”
“Haah… You really are a handful.”
Coming from someone with that height, it holds no credibility.
Especially since I cried on the shoulder of the person who’s “a handful.”
“…Did you think something weird again?”
“Ah, no….”
“…Pfft.”
“Hehe…”
After wrapping up our familiar banter, we naturally burst into laughter.
“Now I really have to go. I’ll contact you tomorrow, so please answer.”
“Yes. Ple- please take care.”
“Because the Izutomos are super worried, make sure to turn on the stream tomorrow.”
“I’ll definitely do that…”
“And Izumi!”
“Eek?!”
Koga suddenly grabbed my cheek and forcibly turned my gaze.
At the end of that, were the red marks around my eyes from crying and Koga’s pitch-black eyes.
“At least when saying goodbye to friends, look each other in the eyes! Got it?”
As our gazes met, my head spun for an instant, and my breath quickened.
“Haah, hee… ugh…”
It started to feel like I wanted to run to the bathroom, my stomach churning.
But at the end of it all, Koga’s eyes were gentle and steady.
“Got it?”
“Ah, um, ugh… Yes, yes. Um, take care….”
I was able to say goodbye to Koga.
“Okay. I’ll see you.”
“Whew…”
With those last words, Koga left our house, and at that moment I sank onto the floor.
How long had it been since I looked someone in the eye and had a proper conversation like this?
Judging by how I can’t even remember, it must have been ages ago.
Doing something unfamiliar made my insides and head still churn.
But, it didn’t feel bad.
“Ugh…”
I- I really need to go to the bathroom now…
★
[Izumi Kainoh☆Star’s Flow @KainoIzumi · 13 minutes ago]
I’m really sorry for being silent for a week! I’ll be streaming today at 5 PM, so please wait for me!
If you have any questions, send them to my Macaron!
#Star’s Flow 2nd Generation #Kaino Izumi
[Thread 100 discussing the VTuber, Kaino Izumi]
…
29. Finally, Mei’s back!
30. Seriously why was there no word at all?
31. Honestly, there were too many crossing the line.
32. Given her already low self-esteem, it’s only natural to retreat if Yeo-sang became that intense.
33. It wasn’t even about Yeo-sang originally.
34. That’s how it is with those anti threads.
[Virtual YouTuber Minor Gallery]
[Title: Mei is finally back!]
[Posted by: I Love Mei]
I waited an entire week without any news, but I’m so glad she’s back…
[Upvote: 75 / Downvote: 3]
ㅇㅇ: The king of Yeo-sang returns…
└I Love Mei: Don’t slander our Mei, you jerk!
Maker: Seriously worried, but so relieved now.
Oya-bun
: Congrats to the Izutomos!
-Comment deleted by the author.
Hikaring: I hope she collaborates with the Young Lady again.
…
SuzuIzumi: Suzuha probably helped a lot, right?
└IMT: Wow, you’re catching on quickly here.
I’m a Raccoon, damn it
: Oh.
★
[Hey everyone, it’s been a while #KainoIzumi #Star’sFlow #ComebackStream #Chatting]
-─(≧▽≦)>Zumi Zumi!
-─(≧▽≦)>Zumi Zumi!
“Hehe. I-I’m really okay.”
Still, Koga let out a sigh as if she was worried about me.
I’m not a complete child, and it’d be nice if she’d ease her worries a bit.
[To me, you are still a complete child.]
“Ah, yes…”
I’m starting to get genuinely scared of Koga’s mind-reading… what to do…
But, since she’s a precious friend, I guess I have to pretend I didn’t notice?
[Well, either way, you said you’re fine, so I’ll slowly end this call. Let’s talk again after the stream.]
“Yes!”
With a ding
sound effect, the call with Koga ended.The real-time waiting count was 4,000.
The average waiting count for my streams had been around 2,000, so it’s double.
And we all know the reason behind that without saying.
“Phew…”
Before I knew it, the computer clock pointed to 4:59 PM.
And with each second that passed, the sound of my heartbeats grew louder.
[Please graduate quickly]
[Why is she even streaming? It’s a nuisance for the algorithm.]
Habits don’t change easily, it seems, as unwanted thoughts kept flashing through my mind.
But.
“It’s okay…”
[Holding my breath until Mei’s stream.]
[I hope she returns quickly.]
There are viewers waiting for me.
[Aah? If you’re their butler, stop with the nonsense! That day, thanks to Izumi, I had a really good time!]
I have senpai who helps me.
“I’ll always be on your side…”
“You’re still a student, right? I think it’s fine to lean on the adults around you a bit more.”
I have friends who cherish me.
Above all.
“I’ll always be shining in front of you so you can see and follow along. I’ll be shining bright up front! I am your idol!”
“So next time, we’ll stand on this stage together. Got it? It’s a promise!”
Someone I look up to is watching me.
So…
“KonZurumi! From Star’s Flow, the mood maker who dreams of a world where everyone can smile! I’m Kaino Izumi!”
-Here it comes!!!
-HaiZumi!
-HaiZumi!
=Maker JP¥ 50,000: She’s finally back!
=Type Maker JP¥ 50,000: I’ve been waiting!
=IMT JP¥ 50,000: Let’s have a red hyperchat for the comeback celebration!
Now, I won’t run away.
★
“Um, so, I think Izutomos have a lot of questions…”
-It’s like she’s back to normal in an instant.
-That’s the nature of this stream…
Shut up.
I’ve decided not to run away, but that doesn’t mean I’ve decided to change…
People’s personalities don’t change in just a week, after all.
[In my opinion, I don’t think there’s a need to change anything.]
Above all, Koga said something like that last time.
So, I’m not bad.
-Also, I’m relieved that Mei hasn’t changed.
Right. That’s right. Familiarity is what’s better.
“So, um, since I asked you to put your questions on Macaron, let’s see….”
As I said that, I pulled up the Macaron screen.
Normally, I would’ve checked beforehand for any potentially problematic messages I’d need to delete, but today, I didn’t feel the need to.
And what I first saw on the Macaron was.
[HaiZumi!]
[Did you see Natsune’s 1st anniversary 3D live?]
[I thought for sure Mei would do a simultaneous viewing, so I’m a bit disappointed she didn’t.]
An unarguable, striking comment shot through.
“S-Sorry… I had personal matters…”
-So did you see Natsune’s live?
-There’s no way you didn’t…
“I did! I watched the whole thing live, and even rewatched it twice!”
There’s no way I would miss such an awesome live!
I even got a direct request from Natsune, for crying out loud.
-That live was really good!
-The song and the mid-stream MC part were great too.
“Right? And the outfits! The outfits were absolutely beautiful! They matched perfectly with the new song, don’t you think? I honestly almost cried a little while watching…”
-Mei has really not changed a bit since the first time…
“Eh? What do you mean?”
-It’s nothing.
…That feels kind of off.
But well, what’s important now is talking about Natsune’s live, so I’ll let it go.
“Especially that stocking really caught my eye; how can anyone miss it? They purposely gave it a contrasting feel to the ‘Starry Night.’ And that red ribbon around the waist, while it may seem trivial, it hides the key point…”
-People really do not change easily, huh?
…What are you talking about?