Chapter 67

Я​ėаⅾ ȯո ḰɑţЯеаｄｉɴǵＣ​αſе

**V-Spe Gamers! (5)**

After the coughing had mostly settled, I took a slow breath through the respirator.

Even though we were still technically live on stream, everyone was looking at me with such serious expressions that I couldn’t help but feel…

Really guilty. Like I was causing trouble.

No, not _like_ I was causing trouble—I _was_ causing trouble.

“S-Sorry…”

“You don’t have to apologize. More importantly, are you okay?”

“…I’m okay.”

“Alright, let’s go wash your hands first. Inari, Nagisa—we’ll be stepping out for a bit.”

Since I’d been coughing with both hands over my mouth, my palms were now completely covered in spit.

Might as well wash my respirator while I’m at it.

I forced strength into my legs and managed to stand up.

Of course, standing up didn’t necessarily mean I could walk properly.

“…Sorry. I’ll need your help.”

“Yeah, leave it to me.”

I tried to hide my hands, not wanting to get Toya’s clothes dirty, but she effortlessly scooped me up without a second thought, like she didn’t care about something like that at all.

Honestly, it made me feel more guilty than anything else—she was just so kind.

I never imagined things would end up like this when we all got together just to have a fun collab stream.

_Fwoooosh—_

“Okay, let’s start by washing your hands.”

“Mm…”

“Hey, don’t look so down. If I knew this would happen, I would’ve picked a different game.”

“…”

Toya.

Even though none of this was her fault, she was acting like it was.

Do you even know what goes through my mind when I see you like this?

Turning my head so she couldn’t see my face, I bit my lip.

It reminded me of when I was hospitalized and really sick. She made the same kind of face back then.

What did she say again? Oh, right.

“…If I’d known, I would’ve come to see you sooner.”

Toya probably thought I was too out of it to hear her, but I heard it loud and clear, even in that condition.

I wanted to yell at her to stop saying things like that, but I was too weak then. I couldn’t.

That memory had lingered in a corner of my heart ever since. So this time—I didn’t hold back.

More accurately, I _couldn’t_ hold back.

“Toya… why do you keep apologizing to me all the time?”

“…Yeoreum?”

“The one who should be sorry is me. The one who should be grateful… is also me. So why…?”

My voice slipped out amid the sound of rushing water.

If the room had been quiet, I probably would’ve burst into tears right there, my heart was pounding so hard.

It felt like I was doing something I wasn’t supposed to.

Saying something sharp to Toya—to _me_, that was something I wasn’t allowed to do.

“Every time you say you’re sorry, I feel guilty. And every time you say thank you, it hurts.”

“…”

“It feels like I’m committing a sin.”

Toya had saved me when I was standing on the edge of a cliff.

She wasn’t just _like_ a lifesaver—she _was_ one.

And more than that, she was a precious friend.

“I want to be the one who’s more sorry. I want to be the one who’s more grateful.”

“…Yeoreum.”

Our eyes met in the mirror.

There was a swirl of emotions in Toya’s gaze.

Even though it was just a reflection, I couldn’t hold her gaze for long.

It wasn’t guilt—it was something different. A strange, prickly, ticklish feeling deep in my chest.

“Was that… a confession?”

“Wha—No, it wasn’t!?”

But that moment passed in a flash.

Because Toya’s reply was so completely out of left field.

Sure, if you looked at it one way, maybe it _was_ a confession of sorts—but I knew Toya didn’t mean it that way.

She was clearly referring to _that_ kind of confession.

And the look on her face wasn’t playful—it was shy.

Which only made it even more embarrassing.

‘…Did what I say really sound that weird?’

I was in her arms, but I couldn’t even meet her eyes. What a mess.

Letting out a silent laugh, I sighed inwardly.

Come on, Han Yeoreum, get a grip. Learn to control your breathing so this doesn’t happen again.

I scrubbed at my lips firmly, determined to do better next time.

“…” “…” _Awkward._

Once we’d cleaned up after my coughing fit, neither of us said a word on the way back to the streaming room.

Normally one of us would’ve been chatting, but… well, given what just happened, things felt _really_ awkward.

Whatever. I’d just focus on wrapping up the stream for now and think about the rest later.

“Nacchan, you okay? You’re not hurting anywhere else, right?”

“Mm… Thanks for worrying about me.”

“Gasp! Nacchan just thanked me…!”

As soon as we returned to the studio, Inari stopped playing her game and rushed over to me.

Then she started fretting over me in her usual chaotic way, and somehow, that messiness helped lighten the mood.

Even Toya, who’d been a bit stiff, relaxed and returned to her usual self. Good.

**- Nacchan, are you okay?

– You were coughing so bad, are you really alright?

– Are you sure you’re okay?**

“Um… I’m really sorry for worrying everyone…!”

I bowed deeply toward the screen.

If it were just a private hangout with friends, I might not have. But this was a stream—with listeners watching.

I felt like not apologizing would be rude.

**[1000¥]

– Shouldn’t Inari be the one apologizing for picking this game? wwww**

“Eh? How is this my fault?! Toya picked the game too, you know?!”

…Well, even the apology ended up wrapped in laughter.

—

**[Today’s V-Spe Gamers Collab Stream]**

**[Toya with the Mask of Sorrow kept chasing Natsu lol]**
↳ [She couldn’t find her way at all, must’ve been her first time lol]
↳ [Honestly, wasn’t that super lucky? The other monsters didn’t show up.]
↳ [Lucky? They both died as soon as the game started.]
↳ [Technically it was just Inari being bad though lol]
↳ [Agreed. The other girl just followed her.]
↳ [We agreed to blame it on “they were just bad” lol]
↳ [Isn’t it gonna turn to night soon?]
↳ [I bet it turns night as soon as she goes outside lol]
↳ [She’s holding a bunch of valuable items too, what a waste.]

**[Natsu really gives off the vibe of a girl supporting her unemployed family…]**
**[(Clip: “This should be enough to last us a few weeks…”)]
A girl picking up junk and saying it’ll keep her family fed for weeks… lol**
↳ [This feels like a documentary on child poverty.]
↳ [She’s so tiny since debut, it just makes me feel sorry for her lol]
↳ [The Toya chasing her was actually the _real_ Toya, right? lol]
↳ [↳ Toya (Formerly Known As)]
↳ [Didn’t Toya play Lethal Company before? Didn’t she know the Mask of Sorrow kills you?]
↳ [She said she did, but maybe not much. They said she picked it together with Inari.]
↳ [Besides, it’d be boring if she knew everything.]
↳ [I already know everything and still find it fun lol]
↳ [Natsu’s just too cute to watch.]

**[Natsu suddenly lost it?]**
**[(Clip: Natsu coughing violently)]
She looks seriously sick…**
↳ [I heard she’s not in the best health, but I didn’t think it was _that_ bad.]
↳ [Toya rushed her out right away.]
↳ [Started with four, and now it’s just two…]
↳ [Wait, is Natsu terminally ill?!]
↳ [↳ If she was, would they really debut her as a VTuber?]
↳ [↳ Don’t freak out, it was just a cough lol]
↳ [↳ That didn’t look like “just a cough.”]
↳ [↳ It’s not terminal, come on lol]
↳ [But why debut someone with health issues in the first place?]
↳ [↳ Must’ve figured the market would love her enough to take the risk.]
↳ [↳ Hm… Maybe it’s worth it?]
↳ [↳ It is. For sure.]

**[Nacchan got sent to command…]**
**[They said they’ll brief her beforehand since sudden surprises trigger coughing?]**
↳ [She was the last one standing but got sent to command duty ‘cause of health issues lol]
↳ [Isn’t farming for items part of the fun?]
↳ [↳ Yeah, but she can’t risk surprises, so it’s tough.]
↳ [I thought Lethal Company was the perfect game for a four-person collab but look what happened…]
↳ [↳ Wasn’t it Toya and Inari who picked the game?]
↳ [↳ At this point, did they pick it just to assassinate Natsu? lol]
↳ [↳ Honestly, if it weren’t for the Mask of Sorrow, it probably wouldn’t have been so bad.]
↳ [↳ Spring Head and the Stalker are in there too though?]
↳ [↳ One thing’s for sure—this is _not_ the kind of game Natsu should be playing lol]

—

Fables