I Was Possessed By An Unknown Manga

The Class President’s house was in Suginami Ward.

It was a neighborhood about 40 minutes by train from Minato Ward, where the school was located.

At the request of our homeroom teacher, Matsuda, I visited Suginami Ward today to bring her class handouts, as she was absent from school. I took a look around the neighborhood I rarely come to.

“It’s not that different from Setagaya.”

In truth, there wasn’t much variety in residential areas when you strayed from the bustling downtown spots.

Usually, Ogikubo is known as the go-to spot in Suginami, with its large shopping centers and a Don Quijote—a lively place where young students can hang out with friends.

For otakus, Suginami brings to mind the fact that many famous anime studios are clustered here. Perhaps because of this, there’s even an anime museum near Ogikubo.

Walking through the densely packed residential area on a gentle hillside, exchanging messages with the Class President on LINE, I finally stopped in front of a house.

‘Has it been almost a year since I last came here?’

I sent the Class President a message that I had arrived and then pressed the doorbell next to the front door.

Ding-dong!

“Yes~!”

A cute voice answered from beyond the door, one very different from the Class President’s.

Click!

The door soon opened, and out came two kids who looked a lot like her.

“Onii-chan!”

“Onii-chan!”

“Hello.”

I crouched down to meet the eye level of the two elementary-school-aged kids at the front door. But with my height, I still couldn’t quite manage to match their gaze.

“Where’s Ayase?”

“She’s lying in bed!”

“Come on in, onii-chan!”

Each kid grabbed one of my arms and tugged eagerly, pulling me inside the house.

Unable to refuse their excited invitation, I followed them in and soon spotted the Class President coming down from the second floor.

Cough, cough. “You’re here?”

“Are you feeling any better?”

“More or less.”

Despite what she said, her complexion looked pale. She glanced at her two siblings clinging to my arms and spoke with a softened expression.

“Don’t bother him too much just because it’s been a while since he last came.”

“We’re not!”

“Ryu onii-chan likes us too!”

“Yes, yes, I like you both too.”

I humored the two kids and asked the Class President.

“Have you had dinner? I stopped by the market just in case.”

When I showed her the groceries I brought, she frowned as if she couldn’t believe it.

“You could’ve just dropped off the handouts and left.”

“A friend is sick, so making dinner isn’t a big deal. And I can cook for your siblings too. Right?”

As I looked at the two kids holding my hands, they nodded in agreement, probably recalling how much they enjoyed my cooking.

“Right! Friends do that for each other!”

“Onii-chan! Make me fried rice!”

“…You two.”

When the Class President gave them a stern look, the two kids quickly hid behind my back.

Seeing this, she shook her head as if she couldn’t help but smile, coughing lightly while wearing a white mask.

“Come up to my room. Since you’re a guest, I’ll at least serve you some tea.”

“Alright, excuse me.”

I said that and then gently spoke to Ayase’s two siblings, who were still holding onto my pants.

“I’ll talk to Ayase and come down soon to make dinner. Will you two play by yourselves for a bit?”

Understanding the situation, the two kids immediately let go of my pants.

“Okay! Got it!”

“But come down soon, okay?”

I patted the heads of the two admirable kids and then followed the Class President up to the second floor.

---

At school, the Class President had the image of a model student.

She wore large round glasses, had neatly braided pigtails, and even sported a 2:8 side part—practically a rare hairstyle these days.

But I knew her real identity.

Back in our first year, through an “accidental encounter,” I learned that the image she presented at school was entirely fake.

Click!

“Come in.”

When the firmly closed door opened and I followed her into the room, I couldn’t help but be impressed.

“Wow. It hasn’t changed at all.”

When you think of a model student’s room, you usually imagine a simple setup with a bed, a desk, and a bookshelf filled with their favorite books.

Or you might expect a room full of pink with a surprising charm, considering she’s a girl in her prime.

But her room was clearly different from both of those cases.

The windows were firmly shut, the blinds were fully drawn, and the room had soundproof walls made of expensive acoustic materials.

During her streams, the two computers in the room would be blazing with LED lights, but today, they were off, welcoming me instead.

The Class President, who had pushed aside the large, cumbersome stream microphone, brushed her messy hair back over her shoulder and asked,

“So, what would you like to drink?”

Ayase Satsuki.

A 17-year-old high school girl.

At school, she played the role of a model student, but in reality, she was Minazuki Luna, a popular VTuber who was thriving online.

---

A VTuber.

To be precise, it’s short for “virtual YouTuber.”

The concept is fairly new in the otaku industry and has only recently started trending, but Minazuki Luna was an early entrant in the market, so popular that she’d built up a massive fanbase, ranking among the top VTubers.

She had 510,000 subscribers.

Considering that internet personalities start out-earning regular office workers at around 100,000 subscribers, this was an impressive number.

I only discovered her identity by accident. My trend-savvy friend Satoru recommended her highlight clips, and while watching, I noticed that her voice when she got frustrated during games sounded a lot like Satsuki’s. Out of curiosity, I asked if Minazuki Luna was really her, and she, misunderstanding my intent, reached out to me discreetly to ask if I’d keep her secret. From there, we got closer.

In a less wholesome story, this could have quickly turned into something else, but this is a healthy love comedy setting.

“Thanks, I’ll enjoy this.”

I took the soda Satsuki got from the mini-fridge in her room and sat down on the floor.

In contrast, she sat in the large gaming chair she uses for her streams, still frowning as if her head hurt, and asked,

“So, what brings you here today?”

“I told you earlier on messenger. Matsuda asked me to bring today’s class printouts.”

“…Oh, right.”

Satsuki nodded as if she had just remembered, then took the handouts I pulled from my bag and tossed them onto her desk.

“But why didn’t you call the school?”

“I wasn’t in the right state of mind. Mom and my siblings left early in the morning, and I’ve been lying in bed because I’m sick. Honestly, I’m barely able to stay up right now.”

She said this as she touched her flushed face with her palm.

“If it’s tough, why don’t you lie down on the bed?”

“I can’t do that when a guest is here. I’ll lie down after you leave.”

She refused my suggestion firmly.

“Anyway, I feel terrible right now. I had to cancel my stream unexpectedly, causing trouble for my agency.”

Even while sick, she worried about her streams—a true professional.

Well, since she did it to cover her and her siblings’ school fees, it made sense she’d be pretty dedicated.

Listening to her grumbling, I stood up.

“Then I’ll go down and prepare dinner, so at least lie down for a bit. You don’t look well right now.”

When I gestured towards the bed, Satsuki hesitated before letting out a small sigh and said,

“…Thanks. I appreciate it.”

“Between friends, this is nothing.”

“Friends… right.”

Muttering my words back, she got up from her gaming chair and quietly slipped into bed.

I took a wet towel from the basin by the bed, placed it on her forehead, and said,

“Rest up. I’ll come get you when dinner’s ready.”

She must still be feeling pretty weak from her fever.

I waited until I heard her peaceful breathing, then turned off the light, quietly closed the door, and went back downstairs.

---

Onii-chan! Are you making dinner now?!“

“Yep. Do you have any requests?”

“Then I want hamburger steak!”

“Hamburger steak? I wonder if we have the ingredients.”

The ingredients I’d brought were basic: green onions, carrots, and an onion.

Classic vegetable porridge materials. Making hamburger steak with these would require something akin to creating something out of nothing.

Opening the fridge just in case, I found it nearly empty, save for some eggs and a can of mackerel.

If there’d been even a single packet of instant hamburger steak, maybe it would’ve worked, but there was nothing.

Just as I was about to tell Satsuki’s sibling that it wouldn’t work due to the lack of ingredients, a cooking manga suddenly came to mind.

‘Maybe?’

I quickly pulled out my phone and searched.

Then I compared the recipe I found online with the ingredients currently in the kitchen.

‘With this, I can do it.’

Gaining confidence, I spoke to Satsuki’s younger brother, who was looking up at me with sparkling eyes.

“Just wait a bit. I’ll make something delicious.”

What I pulled out of the fridge was a can of mackerel, something commonly found in homes.