Chapter 167

Ȓｅａđ​ ​ｏｎ ǨаṫȒ​ė​ɑ​ⅾіṅ​ɡＣ​αſε

## LIVE ON. (2)

“Then I’ll see you in a bit, Toya.”
“See you in a bit, Yeoreum.”

I wanted to go on stage with Yeoreum, but realizing it was still impossible, I responded with a smile.
There was plenty of time, and during all that time, we would be together, so someday we would surely have our chance to stand on stage together.
I moved through the doorway, leaving behind Yeoreum who was waving from the chair in the waiting room with a large screen hanging.
Normally, I would feel anxious leaving Yeoreum alone, but not today.
This was a waiting room prepared for Yeoreum as well as for the people appearing in today’s live.

“Yahoo~ So, are you mentally prepared? Prayers to the gods all done?”
“…What’s with that line straight out of an anime.”
“Ding-dong-dang! That’s right, it is a line from an anime!”

With a cheer of “Waa~” and applause, Inari was really excited.
Would it be a lie to say that Inari seems more excited than me, even though I’m the one performing?
I shook my head looking at Inari who was sticking close beside me as we walked down the corridor.

“Aren’t you going to hit 1 million subscribers soon too?”
“Well, yeah? But that’s that, and this is this, you know what I mean?”
“…What’s that supposed to mean.”
“Since the protagonist is nervous, I need to stay calm!”

I envy that calmness.
Surprisingly, Inari might be the most stage-ready among us, judging by her usual expression.
Hey, you know you’re going on stage today too, right?

“Come on, Nat-chan will be watching, so don’t be too nervous!”
“…Urgh.”
“What’s with that reaction?! And here I was worried about you!”
“…My stomach feels bad when Inari worries about Toya. Maybe the stupid fox would be most helpful by just staying quiet.”
“Pfft… Fine, have it your way. I get the feeling!”

On or off stage, I was always Toya, but Toya off stage and Toya on stage felt a little different.
Toya on stage was more like… that time back thenㅡwhen I was working as an unknown singer.
That “on stage” meant when I was streaming.
The reason I referred to myself in the third person.
It was about longing for that past self I couldn’t return to, while also indicating that my past self and current self were different.

‘Am I still an unknown singer now, or am I Yatogami Toya?’
The unknown singer who only wished to get on stage finally, today, gets on stage under their own name.
Am I now the same unknown singer from back thenㅡNagakawa Momiji, or am I Yatogami Toya?
The answer was already determined.

That past me is dead. Already gone.
The person called Nagakawa Momiji no longer existed in this world, and only Yatogami Toya was here now.

“…I’ll do my best.”

I had long ago abandoned any obsessive need to do perfectly.
Now I just want to try my hardest.
With all my might, I wanted to convey the sincerity that was tucked away in my heart.
The stage I would stand on today was a stage bearing my name, but at the same time, it was also a stage for Yeoreum.

“It’s all for you.”
Hoping that someday we could stand on the same stage together.

***

[Toya’s live is starting wwwwww]
[(Toya Live ON.JPG) I bought a bunch of Toya merchandise for this day wwww (Toya Merchandise Collection.JPG) This really makes me feel like a Totomo 草]
ㄴ[You even have all the limited edition merch ww]
ㄴ[ㄴYou even have the badge commemorating Toya’s 10,000 subscribers…]
ㄴ[At this point, can’t we call this true love? 草]
ㄴ[ㄴBut Toya already has a partner ww]
ㄴ[ㄴI think Toya’s affection for Nat-chan is greater than all these goods combined wwww]
ㄴ[ㄴDon’t bring a world champion to a kids’ fight 草]
ㄴ[I’m jealous of the Toya merch…]
ㄴ[I didn’t know there was someone exactly like me ww]
ㄴ[ㄴIs this a gathering of people who recognized Toya’s potential… 草]
ㄴ[ㄴToya had potential from the beginning.]
ㄴ[ㄴNo way wwww]

[I brought the guest list for Toya’s live today!]
[(List of VTubers Resting on Toya’s Live Day.JPG) So there’s a chance that Nagisa, Inari, Miko, Celine, Shiro, and Raraku will appear…]
ㄴ[That’s more than I expected?]
ㄴ[Where do you even get this information from…]
ㄴ[ㄴYou can know this if you monitor about 20 VTubers.]
ㄴ[ㄴIs that even possible wwwwww]
ㄴ[ㄴThis guy is literally living the perfect VTuber fan life 草]
ㄴ[ㄴI want to live like this too… It’s really an amazing life.]
ㄴ[By the way, Miko is one thing, but if Shiro-chan appears too, isn’t this on par with a V-Live collab? wwww]
ㄴ[ㄴIf Celine and Raraku show up too, it’s a V-Star collab (笑)]
ㄴ[ㄴIf everyone shows up, is it like a three-way battle? wwww]

[Toya’s live is starting.]
[(Toya Live Start Intro.MVI) I never thought that Toya would grow to be this excellent… Really impressive, impressive. At first, her voice sounded like a zombie’s last breath, but it gradually stabilized and turned into an amazing voice. Honestly, I thought her voice was really good from her second month after debut, but she seemed to lack confidence and hardly spoke, being intimidated, so it was a bit hard to erase that first impression. If she hadn’t met Yeoreum-san, would Toya have graduated by now?]
ㄴ[That’s way too deep, hey…]
ㄴ[It’s true that Toya’s voice was a complete mess at first ww]
ㄴ[Thinking about it now, Toya’s first broadcast is also a memory wwww]
ㄴ[Come to think of it, how did she manage to endure even after suffering from vocal nodules right before her debut.]
ㄴ[ㄴToya who endured and overcame until the end is really amazing.]
ㄴ[ㄴWith Toya’s mental strength, she could probably be a VTuber until she dies 草]
ㄴ[Thank you Nat-chan for bringing up Toya…]
ㄴ[ㄴJust for today, I’ll call you Yeoreum-san!]
ㄴ[ㄴThank you, Yeoreum-san!]
ㄴ[ㄴYou must be happy!]
ㄴ[ㄴBecause Tonatsu is the most orthodox coupling ww]
ㄴ[I like Toya’s husky voice.]
ㄴ[ㄴAnd it’s even better because she sings well with that voice.]
ㄴ[ㄴI never thought she would eventually do a live performance wwww]

***

An empty waiting room.
Having not been alone since I started living with Toya, it felt a bit lonely.
By the way, are the performers for today’s live coming here now?
So far, I only knew about Nagisa, Inari, and Miko-san.
So first would beㅡ

“Hello, Natsu.”
“Nagisa!”
“It feels like it’s been a really long time since we last met.”

Long time… is it?
We didn’t talk about it, but I met with Nagisa quite often, though not as much as with Inari.
After all, we were both from V-Space.
If I did everyday-feeling collabs with Toya and gaming-related collabs with Inari, then with Nagisa, it was more educational-type collabs.
Anyway, I was quite relieved that the first person to enter the waiting room was someone I knew.

“I’m glad the first person is Nagisa…”
“I’m also glad that the first person I’m meeting is Natsu.”

As expected, her speech is so ladylike.
But since her voice was soft and not overbearing, just listening to it made me feel comfortable.
It’s like listening to a lullaby.
Not that it made me sleepy or anythingㅡ
Ah, that’s right.
It’s a voice that relieves tension just by listening to it.

“You’re hosting the second part, right Nagisa?”
“Yes, if Inari’s role is to liven things up in the first part, my role is more to lull everyone to sleep in the second part.”

Inari would probably remain unfazed no matter what she heard, but it seemed like she had a bit of a complex about her own voice.
After all, Nagisa’s broadcast time was in the evening, and people watching Nagisa’s broadcastsㅡor more accurately, listening to themㅡwas largely because Nagisa’s voice was perfect for falling asleep.
In negative terms, a voice that makes you nod off.
In positive terms, a soft voice that soothes the mind.

“Well, Nagisa has an amazing voice. Just listening to it relieves tension, you know?”
“Oh my, were you nervous?”
“I guess I was.”

The hands I had reflexively been clenching loosened, and a bit of color began to return to my pale skin.
How nervous must I have been to be clenching my hands this tightly?
When I turned my head while massaging my slightly numb hand, I saw Nagisa’s face wearing an extremely kind expression.
Nagisa always has that expression when looking at me… even though we’re the same age.

“Did you know? Physical contact is also quite effective in relieving tension.”
“Whoa…”

With those words, Nagisa patted my head.
…But this feels like patting filled with desire, no matter how I think about it.

Fables