Chapter 166

R‌e‌ad ​o​n ‌K​a​t‍R​e‌a‌d‍i‌​n‍g‍Ca​f‍e‍

## LIVE ON. (1)

Finally tomorrow. Or rather, at last.
Toya’s long-awaited live performance had already approached just around the corner.
I was definitely nervous until yesterday, but now that it’s the day before, I don’t feel nervous at all.
If anything, I was worried about Toya.
“Toya, are you okay?”
“Huh? I’m fine? Hmm, Yeoreum. Are you worried that I might be nervous?”
“Well, not really…”
Her expression was the same as usual, but I could tell.
Toya, you’re really nervous.
I couldn’t tell at first glance, but looking carefully, Toya’s hands were trembling slightly.
Anyone could see she was nervous.
That Toya being nervous, it’s hard to believe.
“Don’t worry, you’ll be able to do well.”
“I believe in you, Toya.”
Despite my encouragement, Toya’s expression showed no signs of improving.
I wonder if there’s something bothering her.
It seemed like she had concerns other than confidence issues.
“Toya, you can tell me. I can keep a secret.”
“Hmm, then most of Yeoreum’s body weight must be from the weight of this mouth?”
“That could be the case.”
“Pfft, what’s that supposed to mean!”
Toya poked my lips with chopsticks and started laughing at my casual response.
It was a joke that came out reflexively, but it seemed to have resonated with Toya more than I expected.
Anyway, Toya, who had been laughing continuously, stopped laughing after some time had passed.
“Yeoreum.”
“Yes, Toya.”
“Can I do well?”
The first weak words that came from Toya’s mouth.
There was a slight anxiety in Toya’s voice as she said that.
“I’ve been on stage several times before becoming a VTuber, but this is my first time on such a big stage. Of course, it’s a virtual stage, but—for VTubers, virtual stages are also ‘real,’ so I can’t help but be nervous.”
“I see.”
“It’s kind of unsightly, isn’t it? Considering how I act full of confidence every day.”
“Not at all. Everyone has moments when they get nervous, right?”
In fact, some people perform better when they’re nervous.
For example, me.
I tend to get very nervous, but surprisingly, things seem to go better whenever I’m nervous.
Of course, there have been times when I’ve made mistakes from being too nervous, but anyway.
“You can do it, Toya. Since I’m cheering for you, how could you not do well? If it’s hard to believe in yourself, then believe in me who believes in you, or something. Ahaha…”
“That’s right. Since Yeoreum is cheering for me, I can’t mess up on stage!”
“Whoa?!”
I was startled when Toya suddenly rushed at me like hugging a stuffed animal, but I smiled at the affection contained in that action.
I really like this.
Even days like this that pass by, even jokes that seem to flow away as if they’re nothing.
Didn’t they say that when you meet a good person, every day becomes a good moment?
I think for me, the best person is probably Toya.
“When I’m with Yeoreum, I feel like I’ve become a special person, and that makes me happy.”
“…Me too.”
“…I see.”
A moment of silence as we felt each other’s body heat.
But this silence wasn’t awkward; it was filled with happiness.
A relationship where you can feel reassured even without any conversation.
How could such a relationship be defined?
Friends?
If not that, then family, perhaps.

***

[I worked on Nat-chan’s audio.]
[(‘I Want to Stay with You Forever.’ A song titled MVI)
A person who had commissioned me several times before commissioned me again, so I worked on it again.
This work was created using Ichinose Natsu’s voice pack and was produced with Ichinose Natsu’s permission.]
ㄴ[Isn’t this person the one who makes songs for VTubers?]
ㄴ[They used to make Vocaloid songs on NicoNico, but now they make songs for VTubers lol]
ㄴ[ㄴBut if it’s Natsu’s voice pack, isn’t it just Vocaloid?]
ㄴ[ㄴThe host could sing it themselves lol]
ㄴ[ㄴCould Natsu even sing? lol]
ㄴ[ㄴBut didn’t the host originally have plans for a solo live?]
ㄴ[ㄴThat was before the body change, and now it’s impossible because of poor physical condition.]
ㄴ[ㄴSince you couldn’t do it then, do it now, Hanyeoreum…]
ㄴ[By the way, the song is really good.]
ㄴ[I wish Natsu would sing it herself.]
ㄴ[Professionals are different lol]
ㄴ[As expected from a former Vocaloid expert, the voice pack utilization is really tasty wow]
ㄴ[How did they implement the breathing sounds?]
ㄴ[I don’t know who commissioned this, but thank you, thank you, thank you…]

***

“Is it today?”
“Yes, it’s today.”
“Ehe, it’s Toya’s live today, but you look more nervous than Toya, Yeoreum?”
“…I don’t know.”
“Shall I guess why?”
Koyuki’s expression had changed mischievously, like an 8-year-old boy teasing a girl he likes.
Anyone could see she was planning to tease me.
I had a pretty good idea of what she was going to tease me about.
“You’re thinking of going to Toya’s live.”
“Wh-what! Wasn’t the standard procedure here for me to speak first, and then for Yeoreum to get excited and say ‘No, I’m not!’?”
“I said it first because I thought you might say that.”

I instinctively read what Koyuki was going to say and preempted her.
It didn’t take long for Koyuki’s face, which had been smiling in anticipation of seeing my surprised face, to fill with disappointment.
Sorry, Koyuki, but I also couldn’t resist seeing your sulky face.
When I pressed my index finger on Koyuki’s cheek, which was puffed up like a hamster’s, a deflating sound echoed.
“Yukitoki-san.”
“Huet…”
“If you make it that obvious, you’ll really get caught?”
“H-how did you know!? No, was it really that obvious?!”
“It was hard pretending not to know in front of Toya?”
It wasn’t a certainty, but I did have some suspicions.
I thought it was strange that she only talked about her younger sister on days when Koyuki and I met.
The content was also similar, making it all the more suspicious.
So I probed to see if my suspicions were right, and I can’t believe they actually were.
“I-I thought I could hide it for at least a year!”
“Eh, didn’t you do it on purpose so I would notice?”
“No, I didn’t! Tch, why do you think I debuted without telling anyone on purpose?!”
With a cry of “Stupid, stupid, stupid!” Koyuki was patting my shoulders.
Sorry, sorry! But, Koyuki, you were going to tease me first, right?
There should be a day when I tease you first, at least once!
With that excuse, I grabbed Koyuki’s wrist firmly, and she pouted her lips.
“What’s with this lip? What are you dissatisfied with, Koyuki?”
“I don’t know!”
“Geez, you’re such a child, a child.”
“I’m not a child! And if I’m a child, don’t you know that Yeoreum is a child too?”
“Ah, when I said adult, I didn’t mean it in a physical sense—”
“Hey!!”
I widened my eyes as I looked at Koyuki, who was quite upset, but then burst into laughter with a “Pfft” because it wasn’t such a bad feeling.
Koyuki yelled at me! Ahahahaha!
If someone else saw this, they might think I was an idiot, but I didn’t dislike this situation at all.
I actually liked it, maybe even more.
“…I-I’m sorry for yelling.”
“If anything, I should be the one apologizing. It means I teased Koyuki badly enough to make her yell.”
“…Actually, I didn’t want you to find out because, um, I was planning to surprise you later.”
“Like approaching by pretending it was coincidental, and after becoming somewhat close, doing a surprise with an offline collab?”
“H-how did you know?!”
“Well, that’s because I’m Koyuki’s twin?”
Just as Koyuki could read my thoughts, I could also read Koyuki’s thoughts.
By the way, I wonder when I’ll be able to see Koyuki this flustered again.
She’s not someone who would ever show this side of herself normally.
“…That’s unfair. Since it’s come to this, I’m going to tell Toya everything.”
“You can’t do that!”
“I mean about how the person who commissioned ‘I Want to Stay with You Forever’ was Yeoreum!”
“You can’t do that either!”
Now it was my turn to grab Koyuki’s trouser leg.
How did she even know that?! I wanted to ask, but since the person who made the song was someone I had commissioned a few times when I was Hanyeoreum, she could have easily inferred it.
Of course, I did it thinking it wouldn’t matter if it was discovered, but I never dreamed that Koyuki would notice this fact.
If it was from the Hanyeoreum days, it would have been when I had no connection with Koyuki at all.
“Well, fine. Since it’s Yeoreum, I’ll let it slide just this once.”
“Thank you, Koyuki.”
“But in return.”
“…Yes?”
“In return, you have to show an impressive performance on stage?”
I smiled back at Koyuki, who was grinning.
Of course, who’s cheering for whom here?
She was saying that since she couldn’t sing well herself, I should sing freely on her behalf instead.
I see.
Unlike me, who could sing to some extent now because I sang when I was Hanyeoreum, Koyuki had never sung a song all the way through even once from birth until now.
Even if she had sung, it would only be children’s songs.
“It’s not alone, but together, Koyuki.”
“…”
“Twins are treated as the same person, right?”
“…That’s right.”
A small smile formed on Koyuki’s lips as she heard my words.
It was the most beautiful smile I had ever seen.

Fables