Ch. 157 MtF – Chapter 157
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 157
**A Voice Just for You. (2)**
As usual, I’d just finished another intense round of singing practice. I left the recording booth and was heading toward where Toya was waiting when—
“…Huh.”
Something felt off.
Like something had _clicked_ into place all of a sudden.
I turned my head, trying to find the source of the feeling—but there was nothing there.
Weird. It was _so_ familiar, though.
Tilting my head, I stared down the hallway for a while before slowly walking forward.
And then—
“Mm?”
“Oh! It’s Yeoreum!”
“…Koyuki?”
The moment I turned the corner, a familiar face came into view, and my eyes widened in shock.
Wait, what? Why is _Koyuki_ here?
I’d thought there was no way I’d ever run into her at the company building—but the strange feeling I just had… it made sense now. It was because Koyuki had been nearby.
What are we, magnets or something? How do I always sense her presence?
No, that wasn’t the point right now.
“What are you doing here, Koyuki?”
“I came to see you, of course~ …Just kidding. I came with Minori!”
“Ragu-sensei?”
If she came with Ragu-sensei, then where _was_ Ragu-sensei?
Koyuki just giggled mischievously at my question.
So she definitely _did_ come with Ragu-sensei, but got bored staying in one place and slipped out to explore on her own.
Am I right? That’s totally what happened, isn’t it?
“Gasp! Yeoreum, reading someone’s thoughts like that is rude!”
“…You don’t even _pretend_ to listen when I’m talking.”
“But I _like_ it when you’re the one being rude~”
Koyuki clung to me as she said that, and I caught the faint scent of shampoo different from my own.
Hmm, that was probably the same scent Ragu-sensei used.
Just like my hair smelled like Toya’s, Koyuki’s probably carried the scent of whoever she lived with too.
We may look identical, but it’s the little details that set us apart.
Though anyone who really knew us probably wouldn’t even need scent cues to tell us apart.
“Don’t tell Minori I snuck out, okay? Please?”
“Is that even something worth keeping secret…”
“Come on~! I just wanna look around the VTuber company a bit! Let me tag along, just a little bit?”
“I mean, it’s not really up to me, you know?”
Koyuki might be my twin, but that didn’t mean I could show her everything in the company.
Even if we were practically treated as the same person, the fact remained—Koyuki wasn’t a part of V-Spe.
…Ugh, did that sound too harsh?
Anyway, I couldn’t just let her wander around alone.
“Then you can be my tour guide!”
“…Huh?”
“You said I can’t wander around alone, right? But you didn’t say anything about us walking together~!”
“How does that logic even work…”
Even when told no, she was going to stick with me no matter what.
And no matter how much I exercised, I wasn’t strong enough to just _yoink_ off a clinging Koyuki like some pro wrestler.
I mean, I didn’t really have “strength” muscles, more like “survival” muscles.
Besides, if I pulled too hard, I might actually hurt her. That’s why I didn’t resist too much.
“But what’s with the sudden interest in the company? Don’t you usually prefer staying in your room?”
“…Why does that sound so passive-aggressive?”
“I mean, _you_ said it. You told me yourself you love being in your room.”
“Yeah, but it hits different when _someone else_ says it, you know?! I wanna go outside too sometimes!”
The sincerity in Koyuki’s eyes was almost touching.
I really thought the only time she left the house was for a new game release or something.
Even this outing was only because she followed Ragu-sensei.
“Alright. Then how about I show you what I’ve been up to lately?”
“Ooh, yay! Let’s go!”
I couldn’t just let her wander free, so I decided to keep her occupied.
It wasn’t really a big secret that I’d been practicing for Toya’s live show.
Of course, it’s not like she didn’t already _know_.
I mean, Koyuki could basically read my mind—she didn’t even have to try that hard to figure it out.
“Come on then, Koyuki. Follow me.”
“Hold my hand! Holding hands is a must when you walk together!”
“…Fine.”
Both of us had bodies fragile enough that one bad fall could be serious, so we always held hands when walking together.
Though now that I think about it… two injury-prone people walking hand in hand is kinda funny.
Still, it felt like our balance matched perfectly whenever we did.
So I held her hand, and we made our way back to the place I’d just come from.
“This is the recording studio. It’s where I’ve been spending most of my time lately.”
“Ooooh… looks super professional. And I’m guessing it’s for practicing your songs for Toya, right?”
“…I don’t like perceptive twins.”
“It was _super_ obvious, you know? And didn’t you bring me here _to_ tell me?”
She wasn’t wrong. But still, couldn’t she have waited for _me_ to say it?
I puffed out my cheeks a little in protest, and Koyuki gripped my hand tightly in apology.
Fine, I’ll let you off—_again_.
Not that this was the first time or anything.
“Hmm, then let’s see how good you’ve gotten at singing. It feels like just yesterday you were singing kiddie songs like ‘Round and Round Little Nose~’ in front of me.”
“When even was that?! I’m a _completely_ different person now!”
“Whoa, I’ve never seen this feisty side of you before, Yeoreum.”
Okay, maybe that _was_ a bit of a prideful reaction?
It wasn’t even an insulting comment, and I still kind of snapped…
Seeing Koyuki’s round eyes go wide in surprise, I quickly apologized.
“Sorry, Koyuki. I overreacted…”
“Hm. Then to make up for it, should I play the tambourine?”
“Don’t overdo it.”
“Ugh, seriously! I’m the one who lives with Minori—so why do _you_ sound more like her? It’s just a tambourine! It’s not gonna wear me out or anything!”
She grumbled and whined, but honestly, it was only natural that both Ragu-sensei and I worried about her.
First impressions matter, and when I first met Koyuki, she looked like a delicate, sickly little girl who might shatter at any moment.
Like a firefly burning its last light.
She’d even gone through major surgery before, so of course I’d be concerned.
Someone who’s had surgery once is more likely to need it again…
“I just want to be able to see you for a long time, Koyuki. Don’t take it the wrong way.”
“Well… fine! But only _if_ you sing well! If you don’t, I won’t forgive you!”
“Um… I don’t even know what counts as ‘singing well’ in your book—”
“Ugh, just start already! Start, start! Music, cue!”
Koyuki was clearly dying to hear me sing.
I never thought she’d be _this_ excited.
She sat down on the sofa and started bouncing her legs like a little kid, and I couldn’t help but smile and shake my head.
She really was hopeless in the most lovable way.
If I dragged this out any longer, she’d definitely throw a fit—so I should probably just get started.
“Ahem, ahem…”
_Why am I so nervous over this…?_
In a way, this was probably my first time performing a rehearsal in front of someone else.
Nozomi didn’t count—she was my music teacher.
That made Koyuki the first _audience member_ to hear me sing.
“I’m starting, okay?”
“Don’t be nervous. You got this!”
Just as I said I’d begin, Koyuki suddenly stopped pushing me and started cheering me on like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Come on—if you were gonna cheer, couldn’t you have just done that from the beginning?
Still, hearing her voice seemed to wash away all the tension I’d been holding in.
Alright. Just do it like you did during practice, Han Yeoreum.
“Walking down the street, always alone… These days wear me down…”
No regrets. Give it your all.
—
**✓ Yatogami Toya**
**To everyone in V-Spe, and all the Totomo fans—KonTomo~
Toya’s 1 million subscriber celebration live starts soon! Are you all ready to enjoy the show?**
**[Over 10,000 shares]
[Over 30,000 likes]**
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**[Over 10,000 comments]**
↳ [Finally, it’s time for the live wwww]
↳ [I’ve been waiting _forever_ for this day 草]
↳ [Glad I managed to get a ticket!]
↳ [They’re calling it the 1 million sub live, but isn’t she way past that already? lol]
↳ [Toya-chan, I’ve been loving your singing lately!]
↳ [Go Toya, go!]
↳ [I wonder what it’ll be like seeing her sing live on stage…]
↳ [↳ It’s gonna be amazing for sure wwww]
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**D – 10**
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