Chapter 101

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**Mama (Fake) and Me. (3)**

“Hi-hiiiiyaaaah!”

– wwww

– That scream is adorable ww

– Nacchan suddenly shot up on the screen lol

– Don’t tell me she really got lifted? wwww

– Ah, _so this_ is how this stream is going, huh wwww

– That scream is so weak it’s hilarious 草

– 草

Caught off guard, a weak scream escaped my lips.

R-Ragu-sensei! I don’t mind being lifted, but you could’ve at least warned me first!

Just thinking about that ridiculous scream made me feel embarrassed.

Ugh, my face is heating up.

I fanned myself with my hand and let out a small sigh. Ragu-sensei gently placed me back onto the chair.

“Ichinose-san, you’re really light. I could probably lift three of you at once.”

“A-Are your hands okay?”

“Someone your size? I could lift you with one hand.”

– wwww

– Come to think of it, didn’t she say she was super light now?

– I remember her saying she used to weigh 64kg 草

– And now she’s down to like 30% of that, right?

– What kind of diet did you even do, Nacchan wwww

– If Ragu-sensei can lift her with one hand, then…

– I wanna try lifting Nacchan with one hand too. Seems like a good workout.

No meme-comments! Some people might be watching this without knowing I used to be Han Yeoreum!

Also—why do you all remember my _old_ weight so clearly?!

I glared at the comment section, and the moment the viewers sensed it, they began flooding the chat with 草.

Anyway, I haven’t had a proper chance to explain everything yet, so for now, I’ll let it slide. But from now on, I’ll only accept comments that stay within reasonable lines, okay?

**[¥1000]**
_Ragu-sensei, could you pat Nacchan on the head and say “Don’t get sick, okay? There, there~”?_

“…That feels like a pretty high hurdle, doesn’t it?”

Ragu-sensei wasn’t really the type for that kind of thing…

I thought I’d be the only one suffering today, but now they’re dragging Ragu-sensei into this too?!

I mean, I’ll keep streaming, so it’s not the end of the world for me. But Ragu-sensei is just a regular person!

I glanced nervously at her, and Ragu-sensei turned toward me.

“Y-You don’t have to force yourself to—”

“I’m fine with it.”

– Ragu-sensei says she’s fine, Nacchan wwww

– Maybe Nacchan is the one who’s shy about it 草

– Isn’t Nacchan used to being patted though? She’s said she gets patted all the time ww

– Getting patted and getting _embarrassed_ about it are two different things ww

– wwww

But if she says she’s fine with it, then… fine.

Maybe because Toya pats me so often, I wasn’t even fazed when Ragu-sensei’s hand approached my head.

Most people might flinch or tense up, but me? I didn’t feel a thing.

“Don’t get sick, okay? There, there~”

“_Cough_…”

“Oh, are you coughing right after I told you not to get sick, Ichinose-san?”

“_Cough, cough!!_”

Okay, so the head pats weren’t the issue.

It was… _how_ Ragu-sensei said it—it hit my heart too hard.

I mean, if she had said something like, “Take care of yourself, Ichinose-san,” in her usual calm tone, I’d have been fine.

But she actually _said_ that “Don’t get sick, okay? There, there~” line…!

– Nacchan looks totally flustered wwwww

– Wait, isn’t coughing kind of bad?

– Did we go too far this time…

– She was fine after the lift, so I thought she’d be fine for sure.

– Nacchan, you okay?

– Are you sure you’re okay?

“I-I’m okay…”

In the past, I might’ve been rolling on the floor hacking up a lung.

But now, I’m a newly reborn Han Yeoreum, thank you very much!

Sure, my body’s still a bit weak, but I’m not about to die from just a few coughs anymore.

Honestly, I still didn’t totally trust the doctors, but—being around Koyuki more really _did_ seem to be improving my health.

Same went for Koyuki, too. Compared to when I first met her, she looked way healthier now.

_…Honestly, I think she might be even healthier than me now._

Back when we first met, Koyuki seemed like a mirage that might disappear any moment. But now? She was a total little rascal.

Give me back the original Koyuki! I mean, has her image not changed _a lot_?

The way she keeps teasing Ragu-sensei, and how she gets into little bits of trouble while running around…

Not that I dislike it, of course. No matter what kind of person Koyuki is, I know I’d love her all the same.

“Ahem. The kid I knew would always squirm away when I tried to pat their head. It’s kind of fascinating.”

“Really?”

“Mm-hm. That kid always preferred _patting_ others rather than being patted.”

– Her voice sounds kind of wistful.

– Is she talking about someone she can’t see anymore?

– Sounds more like a mom worn out from parenting wwww

– If they dodge head pats like that, they probably weren’t a quiet kid 草

– This is giving off big mom energy ww

Though for what it’s worth, when I helped brush Koyuki’s hair, she was totally still…

I rubbed my hand, remembering the feeling of brushing her soft hair.

…Can I brag about that later?

I pushed that thought away for now and focused back on the stream.

**[¥1000]**
_Could Ragu-sensei do a lap pillow and pat Nacchan’s head while at it?_

“Ichinose-san?”

“U-Um, I feel like… lying down during a stream kind of feels like I’d be slacking off…”

Streaming is both a way of life _and_ a job, so lying down mid-work just doesn’t sit right with me.

So, lap pillow: pass.

As for the head pat—we _already_ did that, so that’s a pass too.

Sorry, folks! Gonna skip to the next one~

Wait…

_Shuff, shuff—_

“…Ragu-sensei?”

“There aren’t many chances to do this, so it’s best to take advantage of them when they come, right?”

– Ragu-sensei really loves head-patting wwww

– Nacchan’s flustered face is so cute.

– Guess no lap pillow then…

– Bit of a shame, but this is still pretty satisfying ww

– You can really feel that Ragu-sensei just wants to pat someone like crazy 草

Is that it?

I mean, I _do_ look exactly like Koyuki, so maybe patting me felt like some kind of emotional substitute.

If that’s the case, maybe letting her do what she wants isn’t a bad idea.

Feeling the warm pressure of her hand atop my head, I slowly blinked.

“U-Um, if you pat my head too long, I might get a little sleepy…”

“Oh, then I guess I’ll stop here.”

– Getting sleepy from too many head pats—too cute wwww

– I could totally make Nacchan sleepy all day… 草

– Ragu-sensei sounded _way_ too satisfied there ww

– Nacchan should be thanking us. Thanks to us, she got closer to Ragu-sensei!

I mean, we _were_ already close though?

Anyway, the rest of the suggestions after that were pretty tame.

I honestly thought there’d be at least one that crossed the line, but—

Stuff like “Please tell Nacchan thank you for returning to streaming,” or “Gently pinch Nacchan’s cheek and say ‘don’t get sick’”…

Why does it feel like they’re just making Ragu-sensei do the stuff they _want_ to do?

I mean, sure, it’s not like they actually lifted me or patted my head or pinched my cheek, but still.

“Oh wow, it’s already this late.”

“Yeah. Time really flew while doing all that with you, Ichinose-san.”

“…‘All that,’ you say.”

– That wording sounds a bit sus wwww

– I mean, she really _did_ touch all over Nacchan ww

– Isn’t this enough to get Ragu-sensei arrested?

– Let’s just call it wholesome family bonding, okay? 草

“If you keep making weird comments about Ragu-sensei, I _will_ start banning people.”

Some of the comments were getting a bit too spicy, so I gave them a firm warning.

Not that it mattered much, since the stream was ending soon anyway.

“Oh, right. I’m an illustrator—I should probably draw something before I go.”

“Ah, n-no! Just having you on was more than enough!”

“It’s fine. Besides, this kind of thing is best when inspiration strikes, right?”

“…If you say so.”

Ragu-sensei smiled gently and picked up her pen with her left hand.

About 30 minutes later, what was once a blank canvas had transformed—

Into a finished picture of me, Koyuki, Ragu-sensei, and Toya.

All of us smiling together—

Yes. Just like a real family photo.