Ch. 112 MtF – Chapter 112
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 112
**Cyber Girl Natsu. (3)**
Maybe it was the impact of the first video uploaded to YouTube, but after that, more and more original songs and covers using my voice source started popping up.
The situation was growing way bigger than I’d ever anticipated, and while I felt overwhelmed, the CEO’s reassurance helped me calm down… for a moment.
Then suddenly, not just Japanese videos, but a flood of Korean videos started appearing too.
And not just any songs—they were songs I’d sung back when I was Han Yeoreum!
“What should I do…?”
My contract with Straight was long over.
In that situation, if AI videos using Ichinose Natsu’s voice started covering Han Yeoreum’s original songs—
Ugh. No matter how I look at it, I think I have to say something about it…
The fact that I used to be Han Yeoreum was already publicly known, which made everything feel even more complicated.
I didn’t want to trouble the CEO of Straight anymore either.
“Maybe I should post an announcement first…?”
But… what should I even say?
There’s a big difference between people knowing Ichinose Natsu used to be Han Yeoreum and me personally talking about Han Yeoreum again.
I guess it’s what they call “adult circumstances.”
Anyway, I was stuck agonizing over what to do when suddenly I remembered something.
The CEO had Straight’s CEO’s contact information.
‘Just sitting here worrying won’t change anything. I’ll reach out directly and explain myself.’
Honestly, the idea of contacting the Straight CEO made me hesitate.
It wasn’t a bad breakup, and I didn’t have any ill feelings, but… well, they probably went through a lot because of me.
Even so, just staying silent didn’t feel right either.
Yeah. I’ll start by apologizing, and then we’ll see.
That should be good enough.
“CEO, um… could I possibly get Straight’s CEO’s number?”
“You want to contact them directly? Actually, I already reached out to Straight about the recent matter…”
“Ah, it’s just… I felt it would be better if I talked to them at least once myself.”
“I see…”
So, when Toya came to the company for a lesson, I went to the CEO’s office alone and asked for the number.
The CEO had apparently already contacted Straight about the Han Yeoreum-related content, but since it was _Straight_, I wanted to speak to them myself.
Or rather, it felt more like… nostalgia.
Nostalgia for the people connected to my past self—Han Yeoreum.
I’d thought I had completely severed those connections, but… human relationships don’t fade away that easily, do they?
“In that case, I’ll be happy to share it.”
“…Thank you.”
“And don’t worry too much. They said they’d be reviewing it positively.”
I knew what “reviewing it positively” usually meant when said by a company, but when our CEO said it, it felt like it had a different, warmer meaning.
Maybe… I’m the worst one here.
Straight had to cancel all their planned concerts this year because of me. I assumed they must have a bad impression of me.
But then, with what was said before, and now hearing they’re “reviewing positively”…
They were being way too kind to someone who, for all intents and purposes, was the one who ruined their year.
To Straight, Han Yeoreum must be like a major criminal.
“Well then, see you next time, Yeoreum.”
With a final “Take care,” I left the office—now with Straight’s CEO’s number saved on my phone.
You might wonder, “How could you not have the number of your former workplace?”
But my old phone had its screen completely shattered, and I’d been using a new one ever since.
My contacts were reset, and now all I had were the numbers of Toya, my V-Spe colleagues, and Grandma.
Well, now I could add Straight’s CEO to the list.
“…I should probably just call right away, huh?”
Just having the number didn’t mean I could call easily.
Sure, I lacked confidence, but more than that, I didn’t even know what I’d say.
Should I apologize? Say something like “I’m sorry my fans infringed on copyrights”?
No, that sounds way too business-like. Well, I guess it _is_ business, but still—ugh!
So many thoughts swirled in my head that I couldn’t move.
“Huh? Nacchan! Fancy seeing you here~”
“Inari? What are you doing here—”
“Hey now, I _am_ a V-Spe employee, you know? A first-gen member, even?! Asking what I’m doing here hurts a little…”
I mean… I just never thought of Inari as the kind of person who’d come to the office.
I was used to seeing her at home, so meeting her here felt a bit surreal.
Her outfit, the employee badge around her neck—it all made her look like a newly hired intern or something.
Actually, it’s pretty different from what she usually wears.
“Do you always dress like that when you come in?”
“Oh, this? Um… let’s just say there are some circumstances, ahaha!”
“Anyway, it looks good on you, Inari.”
Her normally loose hair was tied neatly into a single ponytail—it made her look like someone heading to a job interview.
Still, seeing a familiar face at the office lifted my spirits a bit.
The swirling thoughts in my head started to settle.
As I took a deep breath and stepped forward, Inari reached her hand out to me.
“I’m not going to hold your hand, you know.”
“Eh, seriously? I thought you looked troubled, so I was going to comfort you~”
“For someone saying that, your face doesn’t exactly look carefree either.”
“…”
“…”
Yeah.
Maybe it felt nice running into each other here because we both had something on our minds.
Both Inari and I wore the kind of expressions that said we were wrestling with something.
In that case, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to talk about it for a bit—just us two troubled people.
“Oh, by the way, I saw that video on YouTube. You were amazing at singing!”
“Well, I didn’t _really_ sing it myself.”
“Still, it means you’ve got that kind of potential, right? Ahh, I hope the day comes when Nacchan can sing again~”
“So? What brings you to the office, Inari?”
I wasn’t one for beating around the bush, so I got straight to the point.
Honestly, suits don’t really suit Inari.
I mean, she _looks_ good in them, but the image of “Inari” and “formalwear” just don’t match.
The Inari I know is more suited to wearing whatever she wants, however she wants.
“…I mean, I’d like to say it’s just a mood thing.”
“Did something happen?”
“Ah… my parents want me to get a real job. They nag me every day. So the other day, I blurted out that I was going to an interview—”
“And instead of actually going to one, you just put on a suit and came to the office?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
Honestly, I wasn’t the best person to give advice on this.
I didn’t have parents.
There was never anyone to tell me what job to get or who to become.
So in a way, you could say I was one of those people who _envied_ that kind of involvement.
Sometimes, I used to wonder how nice it would be to have someone like that in my life.
“But technically, haven’t you already been hired?”
“My parents just don’t believe it. They say I’m just holed up in my room on the computer all day!”
“Well, I mean… you _were_ hired, but you’re not exactly working _in_ the company.”
It was a trickier issue than I thought.
I gave a sheepish smile as Inari vented like she was unloading years’ worth of stress.
From an outsider’s perspective, I could see why it might look that way.
In any case, her complaints continued on and on.
I originally meant to talk about my own stuff, but it seemed like this was going to be _all_ about Inari.
Not that I minded.
“Then how about having your parents appear on your stream? Or if that’s too much, maybe let them observe behind the scenes?”
“T-There’s no way I could do something that embarrassing!”
“Well, I mean… your streams _are_ a little hard to show other people.”
“Hey!! What’s that supposed to mean?!”
As Inari shouted in protest, I casually looked away.
Honestly, if your streams are too embarrassing to show people, that’s kinda on you.
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