Chapter 86

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**Let’s Try to Keep It Quiet During Stream Observations. (1)**

It had been a few days since Koyuki’s family moved in next door.

The conflict—or rather, not-quite-conflict—between Koyuki and Ragu-sensei ended with Koyuki forgiving her.

Well… to be more accurate, I said it was fine, and Koyuki just let it go.

If I’d said it _wasn’t_ okay, it probably would’ve dragged on longer.

“Koyuki.”

“Yeah, Yeoreum?”

“Won’t Ragu-sensei worry?”

“Ahh, it’s fine. She’s not worried.”

How can she be so sure…?

I shook my head, watching Koyuki hammer away at the keyboard.

She started coming over three days ago.

At first, she was hesitant and shy, but now she just shows up like it’s her own place.

Of course, Toya was so happy about her visits that she even prepared bedding and told Koyuki to sleep over.

‘Not that I minded either, but still…’

And it wasn’t like she was coming over without reason.

Apparently, twins being near each other boosts their immune systems.

The doctor said it was a medically verified effect—but it applied mainly to newborns or toddlers, so I was a bit skeptical.

We’re both well into adulthood now… is it still supposed to work?

Not that I was complaining.

“Oh, right. Yeoreum, come here.”

“? What for?”

“A hug full of love~”

“Ugh.”

If there _was_ one small complaint… it was that Koyuki was _way_ too into physical affection.

I thought Toya was pretty hands-on, but Koyuki took it to the next level.

When we first met, she seemed quiet and reserved—who would’ve guessed she’d be this forward?

She wrapped her arms around my waist and hugged me tightly, flustering me completely.

Everyone around me has such messed-up sense of personal space…

“…You’re really forward, Koyuki.”

“And you’re really reserved, Yeoreum.”

Well… true, I guess?

We looked the same, but there were a lot of subtle differences between us.

If I had to guess, those differences probably came from the environments we grew up in.

Like, I grew up in an orphanage until adulthood, while Koyuki was adopted as a baby—so young she doesn’t even remember it.

People who are big on physical affection are often those who grew up being loved, right? Koyuki must’ve been showered with love from her adoptive parents.

“Oh, right. Isn’t it almost time for your stream? Sorry.”

“It’s fine. It’s fun watching from the side.”

Playing games was fun, but so was watching.

Watching Koyuki happily type away at my computer was kind of fascinating.

Made me think—_is this how Toya feels watching me play?_

And if I had to describe it… hmm… _really cute?_

“Yeoreum, can I watch while you stream?”

“I don’t mind.”

“Yay! I’ve always wanted to see how a VTuber streams~”

Observation was fine, as long as she didn’t make noise.

Actually, even if she _did_ make noise, with how identical our voices were, no one would probably notice anyway.

As I ruffled Koyuki’s hair while she looked at me with sparkling eyes, she made her usual pouty face.

Funny how she loves skinship but doesn’t like being petted on the head.

“Excuse me, we’re _twins_, you know? Treating me like a kid that blatantly isn’t very respectful.”

“Then you can pet my head too. Here.”

“…You’re oddly assertive in weird ways, Yeoreum.”

“So? Gonna pet me or not?”

“…”

Twins generally get along best when treated equally, right?

I pet her head, she got petted—now it’s my turn to be on the receiving end, and her turn to do the petting.

When I asked again, she silently reached out her hand—her movements were so childlike, it made her seem even cuter than usual.

Even though we looked exactly the same… hmm…

Ruffle, ruffle—

“Maybe it’s because we use different shampoos? Your hair feels kinda different from mine.”

“Is it that different? Seems the same to me.”

“Nope, definitely different. Yours is… softer, somehow—”

_Click._

“Eep?!”

“…Toya? Ragu-sensei?”

Oh yeah, there was one more thing.

Since Koyuki started coming over more often, Toya and Ragu-sensei’s behavior started to change.

At first, they chatted with us often and didn’t seem to mind us being together.

But now, whenever Koyuki and I are close, they take ridiculous amounts of photos with dopey smiles on their faces.

Like doting parents snapping pics of their kids playing.

“Seriously, you two are just _too_ cute.”

“Right? Ugh, my heart can’t take it.”

“It’s so hard to tell which one is Koyuki and which one is Yeoreum. You’re both adorable.”

Ugh… so embarrassing…

As they showed each other the pictures and giggled, I glanced to my side.

Koyuki was making the exact same face as me.

A kind of _“these idiots, I swear”_ face.

“…What are we supposed to do with those dummies?”

“…Exactly.”

I nodded in agreement.

Who knows how long it would take for their obsessive doting to wear off?

—

“KonNatsu~ This is Ichinose Natsu from V-Spe Gamers!”

– KonNatsu~

– KonNatsu~

– Seeing Nacchan every day makes me feel better somehow ww

– Let’s keep it this way forever, Nacchan!

– Don’t get sick again and live forever lol

Maybe because I’d taken a long break from streaming, my listeners had become unusually gentle.

Well, they were always nice—but now they seemed genuinely concerned about my health.

Almost like… Toya?

If I even _seemed_ like I was pushing myself too hard, they’d scold me. Honestly, it was like having parents watch my stream with all the nagging.

“Today, like always, I’ll be playing a gam—”

[1000¥ donation]

– Skip the game, just talk about your day wwww

– So, are you gonna tell us what you did with Toya today or not?

– Game’s fine, but tell us what you did first!

– Honestly Nacchan, you get so quiet during games, it’s a bit sad.

– We just wanna hear your voice. Maybe start with some chatting, yeah? ww

…Am I supposed to talk more while gaming now?

I mean, I’m in _Gamers_, but weirdly, my chat streams were way more popular.

Like—gameplay is my specialty, you know? This is what I _do_!

Also, most of my daily life with Toya overlapped—there weren’t that many new things to say.

People don’t have exciting stuff happen _every day_.

But still, the fact that they preferred those mundane stories probably meant one thing—they just wanted to hear my voice.

“Ah, then maybe I’ll talk about this—so, um, recently we got a new neighbor…”

– A neighbor? What kind?

– Is it a guy?

– Most guys are wolves, so be careful around him, Nacchan.

– Most girls are foxes, so be careful too, Nacchan.

– Honestly, maybe it’s best if you only hang out with Toya?

– How about you just stay indoors for a while? lol

That neighbor is… actually my twin.

I swallowed the words that had reached my throat and gently shifted the topic.

Better to talk about someone _with_ them present than behind their back.

And judging from the vibe, everyone was really curious about what I’d say next.

“She’s a super cute girl.”

– As cute as Nacchan?

– Cuter than Nacchan?

– Or even _more_ than Nacchan?

“Um, well…”

I wasn’t sure what they expected me to say, but no answer felt safe.

Considering the person in question was Koyuki, _any_ answer would feel disrespectful.

Hmm… unless I said we were equals, since we’re twins? That might actually work better than digging myself deeper.

“She’s a beautiful girl on the same level as me.”

– A beautiful girl?

– Did Nacchan just call herself a beautiful girl? wwww

– The narcissism is real, Nacchan…

– I guess it’s confirmed. Nacchan is a beauty lol

– I always knew Nacchan was a cutie ww

“Ah—no, I didn’t mean it like _that_! I-I just meant she’s _that_ cute, that’s all!”

Koyuki is a beauty. And we look exactly the same.

Trying to combine those two facts made me blurt out “a beautiful girl on the same level as me,” which—yeah, that came out _way_ wrong.

Now I sound like a total narcissist!

But the real issue wasn’t whether I came off as vain or not.

“Phff…”

It was the fact that Koyuki, quietly observing from behind me, was starting to lose it.

Hey… you’re not gonna laugh out loud, right? Please say no. Please.

“Ahahahahahaha!!!”

“…Ah.”

She laughed.