Chapter 45

R̈e​a​d​ ̈​on ̂​Кɑ​t‍​&R;eаdiｎg​&C;af&e;

D-DAY (2)

“Okay, next up—time to reveal the new unit!”
—New unit reveal?
—Is Tonari finally doing an original song together?
—Let’s just go full girls’ band at this point LOL
—So Toya’s officially on guitar then? 草
—GIRLS BAND! GIRLS BAND! GIRLS BAND!

The chat was clearly hoping for a music unit.
But the unit being revealed today wasn’t that.

If my health had been better, maybe a music unit would’ve been possible.
But thanks to everyone’s consideration, the unit had been designed in a way that I could still participate fully.

In a sense, it was centered around the kind of content I focused on when I was still Han Yeoreum.

“Introducing… V-Spe Gamers! Papapam!”

[V-Spe Gamers]
—Huh.
—Gamers?
—Well, I guess they do stream a lot of games LOL
—If it means they play games together, I’m down.
—Honestly, if this gives them more reasons to stream together, I’m happy.
—So when are we seeing the new member? 草
—Kinda feels like it’s finally Totomo-chan’s time to appear ww
—Who even is Totomo-chan?
—Totomo-chan?

These people were throwing around names like everyone should know them…

Sure, if you followed all the V-Spe members, you’d probably know.
But if you only watched Inari or Nagisa, there was a good chance you’d never heard of Totomo-chan before.

…That said, were people really this sure the debuting member was me?

Well, I had appeared on Toya’s stream already, so I guess it couldn’t be helped.

“Gamers is kind of like a gaming club where we all get together and play—yeah, like that!”

“PvP games would be nice. That way, I can crush Toya’s ego.”

“Hah? Like I’d lose to you, you lewd fox!”

“But is that really up to you?”

The moment they started explaining the unit’s purpose, the two of them were already bickering.

Nagisa, watching them from the side, just smiled like she expected it all.

I’d been feeling a little nervous before, but… watching those two, it just melted away.
It was just like always. No pressure.

“Hey, hey. You two need to behave, okay? What if the new member sees you like this and runs away?”

“Oh, right…”

“Fine, we’ll call a temporary truce.”

…Guess it’s my turn.

Since I hadn’t turned my avatar on yet, I could move around freely without showing up on screen.

Once Toya and Inari sat down again, I slowly stood up and crept toward the couch where the three of them were seated.

Then I crouched behind the couch—like I’d been there the whole time—and picked up the nearby game controller.

All set.

…I’m debuting.

Finally.

—

—New member?!
—It’s happening!! wwwwww
—No way they’d end the stream with just outfit reveals and a unit announcement LOL
—This is what we’re here for wwww
—So who is it? Not here yet?
—New member! New member! New menace!

“Actually, the new member? They’ve been here from the start~”
Toya turned around and looked behind the couch.

Wait, from the start?

“Natsu. It’s your turn now, okay? Time to introduce yourself to the viewers.”

“…Hang on, I just need to finish this.”
“Natsu?”
“J-just a second!”

—That voice sounds familiar LOL
—Wait, are they behind the couch right now?
—Are they lying down back there? 草
—Are they playing a game right now? lol
—Well, it is V-Spe Gamers, I guess
—So what, did they bring in a pro gamer or something? 草
—Show yourself!
—Cute voice though.

The comments started flying as my small voice echoed through the stream.

Some of the listeners picked up on it right away.
They’d heard this voice before—on Toya’s stream.

As the long-anticipated moment approached, the excitement among Toya’s fans—aka the Totomo-people—kept rising.

Then, finally—

“Come on, Natsu. You can’t just sit there gaming forever. Everyone’s waiting to see you, you know?”

“Uwah…”

Toya climbed up onto the couch and leaned over the back—then lifted something up.

A girl with snow-white hair. Wide, red eyes blinking in surprise.
A headset perched on her head.

Toya’s arms were tucked under the girl’s armpits, lifting her up like a doll.
Her legs kicked a little in the air—far from touching the floor.

If “minimal” could be visualized, it would look like this.

The way Toya held her up—like that one scene from The Lion King—made the comment section fall completely silent.

“Natsu. Time to introduce yourself.”
“C-could you put me down first…”

—Wow.
—SO CUTE!!!
—Wait, is that really her size?? Is she like… an actual kid or something?
—We couldn’t see her on Toya’s stream, but she’s TINY lol
—She’s cute and tiny. Cute because she’s tiny.
—So she was hiding behind the couch playing games the whole time?!
—wwww
—草
—草

Pouting adorably at Toya, I was finally set down gently.

The moment my feet touched the floor—and the viewers saw the huge height difference between me and Toya—the chat exploded.

They’d expected the stream to end with just outfits and a new unit, but then this—a brand new member who was small, cute, and completely unexpected.

Unlike the other three, I was wearing something entirely different, which only made me stand out more.

“H-Hello… I’m Ichinose Natsu, member of V-Spe Gamers.”

—TOO CUTE
—She bowed like a little kid doing a “belly button bow” lol
—Wait, she’s Toya’s age with that look?! 草
—Seriously??? www
—Totomo-chan finally achieved her dream… congrats!
—Hey! It’s not Totomo-chan anymore—it’s Natsu-chan! 草
—Congrats on debut, Natsu-chan!
—I’m sorry Toya, I’m switching my oshi to Natsu ww

I held my game controller tight and gave a deep bow.
That gesture—and how I looked like I couldn’t let go of the controller—tugged at everyone’s hearts.

They’d seen small VTubers before, but never this small.
And my voice matched perfectly with the visual.

Soft and uncertain at first, but filled with warmth and excitement—it was enough to win the viewers over instantly.

Even comments like “I’m switching from Toya to Natsu!” started showing up.

“Wha—wait! You don’t have to drop Toya, okay?! Just oshi both of us!”

Toya’s exasperated wail—echoing from a swarm of traitorous “Totomo-people”—was a whole saga of its own.

—

[V-Spe Gamers new member debut.]
[(Ichinose Natsu reveal clip.MVI)
From now on, I declare Ichinose Natsu my oshi.]

ㄴ [She just debuted and you’re already calling her your oshi? LOL]
ㄴ [INFO: Natsu was Totomo-chan all along, already basically debuted.]
ㄴ [So it’s not a new oshi—it’s just Totomo-chan with a new name!]
ㄴ [Makes sense now that you put it that way lol]
ㄴ [Still can’t believe V-Spe moved this fast. Didn’t expect Totomo-chan to debut so soon.]
ㄴ [It was already happening. That’s why they didn’t hide her on Toya’s streams.]
ㄴ [As soon as she started showing up, she was basically staff lol]
ㄴ [She’s so tiny. Smaller than my cousin fr]
ㄴ [NUOOOOOOON lol]
ㄴ [(Inari pedo-smite emote)]
ㄴ [(Inari kid-lover alert emote)]
ㄴ [Get out, you.]
ㄴ [But seriously, she’s way too cute. I’d watch her even on cuteness alone.]
ㄴ [One of those VTubers that make you smile just by existing.]

[Toya and Natsu height difference.]
[(Photo of Toya and Natsu side by side.JPG)
Natsu’s head barely reaches Toya’s waist.]

ㄴ [No trickery. No illusion. Just plain tiny lol]
ㄴ [We did get a sense of it when she first showed up lol]
ㄴ [If Toya could lift her with one hand, you knew she was small.]
ㄴ [Unless Toya’s secretly ripped and could lift someone her own height?]
ㄴ [LOL]
ㄴ [Is she really an adult?? Is this some kind of dwarfism thing?]
ㄴ [She’s Toya’s age ㅇㅇ]
ㄴ [Now it all makes sense why Toya was always trying to keep her close and calling her cute nonstop lol]

Fables