Chapter 116

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**Cyber Girl Natsu. (7)**

One of the most important truths I’ve learned in life is this: never give someone a reason to hold a grudge against you.

Big or small, grudges have a way of sneaking up behind you and stabbing you in the back someday.

Why am I suddenly talking like this?

Because I was currently being stabbed in the back—in real time.

By _Inari_, of all people!

“Cyber Girl Natsu… She’s really cute~”

“Right? And look, you can see the viewers’ reactions next to it too.”

“Hm… everyone seems to be having fun.”

“Well, of course they are. It’s only natural to feel happy when you see something cute.”

Apparently offended by what I’d said, Inari suddenly decided to _prove_ her point by playing one of my stream archives for her mom.

And I couldn’t even protest—after all, I _had_ said it.

Yeah. This was karma. My own doing.

Besides, we were going to stream together anyway, so everything would be revealed soon enough. Whatever.

Even though it was embarrassing to have my streams shown to someone else, I didn’t think I’d ever done anything particularly shameful on them.

“So, you do the same kind of work as Natsu-chan?”

“I _told_ you! You always acted like I was just lazing around at home all day!”

“Oh, weren’t you, though?”

“I _wasn’t_, okay?!”

What a scene.

I did my best to stifle a laugh as Inari’s mom hit her with a barrage of words.

Clearly, her mom’s trust in her was… on thin ice.

If we hadn’t come here to _show_ all this, the misunderstanding might’ve never been cleared up.

At least that part worked out—
…but that wasn’t the issue right now.

“Wait, if we’re showing streams, wouldn’t it make more sense to show _your_ stream, Inari?”

“…”

“Oh, right! If you’re doing the same kind of thing, there must be some footage of your streams too, right?”

“…Ah.”

Inari’s expression turned into the exact face of someone who just bit into an unripe persimmon.

I mean, you’re going to show them a live stream tomorrow anyway—what’s the big deal?

As I glanced between her mom’s curious gaze and Inari’s squirming posture, I poked her in the side with my finger.

Come on, Inari. You signed up for this—no backing out now.

“I-I’ll just show you tomorrow! Live! Yeah, ugh… it’s really embarrassing now that I think about it…”

“You? Embarrassed?”

“Of course I am! I’m human too, you know?!”

Inari’s face was completely red at this point.

Wow. She’s actually blushing.

So even someone like Inari, who seems shameless to her core, still gets shy in front of her mom.

…Now I kind of feel bad, like I bullied her or something.

“W-Well, anyway! I’ll just show it tomorrow, okay?!”

“Should I be excited?”

“M-Maybe… best not to get your hopes up…”

“Yeah, especially since you’re _way_ less cute than Natsu-chan.”

“Why did you have to say _way_ less cute?! I _do_ get called cute by my viewers, you know?!”

…Not really, right? Or… maybe?

To be fair, whenever Inari collabs with others, the audience always seems to say, _“Sorry about our Inari.”_

But hey, maybe when she streams solo, she gets more compliments. Who knows.

I support you, Inari. So good luck!

“What’s with that face?!”

“Just thinking… maybe ‘cute’ isn’t the best word for you.”

“Even a hedgehog thinks its baby is cute!”

“But _are_ you cute? One thing’s for sure—you’re definitely not.”

“Moooom!!”

Watching the two of them wrestle like that, I couldn’t help but feel a little envious.

So _this_ is what a normal mother-daughter relationship looks like.

It was kind of childish, kind of sweet. A little ticklish in the heart.

It felt like something was poking at my chest.

_I miss Toya…_

And Koyuki, too.

With that thought, I decided to invite Koyuki over so the three of us could sleep together tonight.

As soon as I sent the message, Koyuki replied with an “OK” emoji.

A small smile tugged at my lips.
Looks like she understood how I felt.

“Oh, right! Natsu-chan, stay for dinner, okay? I got sushi since I heard Inari’s friend was coming. Do you like sushi?”

“Sushi?! Seriously? When _I_ say I want sushi, you never listen!”

“Well, that’s because _you_ want sushi _every day_. You’re always singing about sushi-sushi-sushi…”

“Maybe if you gave me sushi even once, I wouldn’t keep asking!”

Sushi, huh… I love sushi.

When I was little, I couldn’t eat raw fish at all. But over time, I got used to it, and eventually, it became one of my favorite foods.

Toya even took me to a sushi place after I came to Japan.

Anyway, I gave Inari’s mom a small nod of appreciation while Inari pouted in the background.

“Oh, eat as much as you like. My daughter’s already all grown up—she doesn’t need that much anymore.”

“Nacchan’s already grown up too, you know?!”

“Just ignore her. Let’s go, Natsu-chan.”

“Thank you, Ma’am.”

Honestly…
They were such a lovely family.

So lovely it almost made me jealous.

—

“So, did you have fun today?”

“Yeah, way more fun than I expected.”

“What was Inari’s mom like?”

What was she like…?

Saying “just like Inari” would be rude.

Sure, she _was_ very similar… but there was something distinctly different too.

How should I put it… maybe “experience”?

If Inari feels sharp and spiky, her mom feels soft and rounded.

“She was like a calm, prank-free version of Inari.”

“…That’s cheating.”

“Right~?”

Toya laughed with me as I shared my impressions.

A calm Inari who doesn’t prank people—total fantasy.

Ah… so _that’s_ how she got married.

If Inari were more like her mom—less chaotic, more composed—maybe she’d be married by now too.

Not that she seems to have a boyfriend or anything right now.

But I can already hear her response if I asked: _“VTubers having lovers is a crime!”_

“I want to meet her too!”

“Should I ask? If it’s okay for you to come watch tomorrow’s stream?”

“Hmm… no, I’ll just watch it separately. I’ll meet her some other time.”

Yeah, barging in uninvited wouldn’t be polite.

_Ding dong—_

“Oh, that must be Koyuki.”

As we were chatting about my day at Inari’s house, the doorbell rang.

Originally, Koyuki was going to come early and hang out, but she ended up playing a game with Ragu-sensei and came late.

Well, tonight’s plan was for the three of us—me, Toya, and Koyuki—to sleep together anyway.

After a long, emotional day, what I really wanted was to snuggle close to the two people I cared about most.

“Koyuki, you’re here?”

“Yeah, Yeoreum. So, is tonight a pajama party?”

“Mm… calling it that might be a stretch. We’re just going to sleep.”

“What’s wrong with just sleeping together? Sounds good to me.”

“…True.”

Honestly, asking someone to just come over and sleep could’ve been seen as troublesome.

But Koyuki just smiled with genuine joy.

When she reached out her hand, I took it and headed to my room.

Toya, who was lying on the bed, popped up and waddled over to us…

…and pulled us both into a huge hug.

Before I knew it, Koyuki and I were both dangling in Toya’s arms, staring up at the ceiling.

We met each other’s eyes and burst out laughing.

Seriously, being around Toya—there’s never a dull moment.

“Hi, Toya.”

“Hi, Koyuki-chan~ You’re super cute today too~”

“You should be saying that to Yeoreum~
Well, if you’re saying I’m cute, then it’s basically the same as saying she is too.”

“Of course! Yeoreum’s even cuter~”

With that, Toya started planting kisses on my cheeks.

Should I take this as being treated like a child? Or just affectionate teasing between close friends?

As her lips repeatedly pressed against my cheek, I closed my eyes—and then she started rubbing her cheek against mine, too.

Koyuki, watching the whole thing, gave us a look of pure winter.

Like someone being forced to watch a cheesy couple in public.

“So, Yeoreum… why’d you invite me over today?”

“Ah, that’s…”

Toya tilted her head, curious too.

Yeah… Koyuki’s come over before and ended up staying the night, but I’ve never _called_ her just to sleep.

Still, I couldn’t quite bring myself to say the real reason.

Like, “I got lonely watching Inari and her mom,”
that just sounded way too sappy. I’d get teased for sure.

“…I just missed you, Koyuki.”

“Aha, seriously?”

“Haha… was it too lame of a reason?”

As I scratched my cheek awkwardly, Koyuki burst into giggles.

Maybe she was a little disappointed.
But it was the truth.

I always miss Koyuki.
But today—
today, I missed her _especially_.

“We’re family, remember?”

“…Ah.”

As I gazed at Koyuki’s picture-perfect smile, I thought:

—Yeah. I’m really glad I called her over.