Ch. 169 MtF – Chapter 169
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 169
## LIVE ON. (4)
—
**Haa, haa, whew—**
My heart was pounding.
After running and running, giving it my all, my body was screaming at me to stop.
_You can stop now. You did your best. Just making it this far is enough._
I’ve been singing and dancing alone for nearly an hour—surely, that’s more than enough?
“Heuuu…”
…No. Not yet.
I can still do more.
Even though I can’t see their faces, all these people gathered here for me—they’re still cheering with all their might.
The stage I dreamed of.
Even if it’s virtual and not physical—
**[Toya-chan, you can do it! Fighting!!!!]**
“…Ah.”
—_This_ is reality.
Cheers from all directions. A performance flowing smoothly like water.
I’m here. I _can_ keep singing.
I _can_ keep dancing…!
“Everyone…! Are you having fun?!”
—Totally!!!!
—You’re amazing, Toya!
—So cool, Toya-chan!!
I took a deep breath.
My heartbeat was faster than ever, but my hands weren’t trembling as much anymore.
I was having fun.
Just a moment ago, I’d been nervous, but now I felt completely fine.
“Then I’ll sing with joy! So everyone, listen carefully…!!”
I stumbled over my words a little, but maybe because of the stage’s energy, no one seemed to notice my slip-up.
Not even me.
“Then the next song I’ll sing is—**‘Starlight!’**”
Maybe a song that had been forgotten.
Maybe a song I sang on some stage long ago.
A song I thought I’d never sing again, written by the me who once dreamed of being a singer.
A song filled with the starlight I longed for, from the time when I wanted to become a star.
That song—_my dream_—was now taking its first step on the greatest stage of my life.
—
**[Toya’s stage is insane right now ㄷㄷ]**
**[(Toya singing ‘Starlight’.MVI)]
She’s never sung this before—wait, is it an original song??**
ㄴ[It doesn’t show up in search, so I think it is an original.]
ㄴ[She’s _really_ singing it well ㄷㄷ]
ㄴ[Hasn’t she been singing solo for almost an hour now? LOL]
ㄴ[ㄴAs expected, Toya the Stamina Queen]
ㄴ[ㄴSounds like a title from some mystical priest-slaying anime.]
ㄴ[Best performance so far, maybe?]
ㄴ[ㄴWarm-up type VTuber ㄷㄷ]
ㄴ[ㄴSo the more Toya sings, the better she gets?]
ㄴ[ㄴHow good is the _last_ song gonna be, then? LOL]
ㄴ[Fact: Toya is #1 among singing VTubers LOL]
ㄴ[ㄴCome back after surpassing Kuro-chan’s “Delicious Spell” ㅇㅇ]
ㄴ[ㄴOkay, that one _is_ iconic…]
ㄴ[ㄴ(Kuro-chan’s “Oishikunare Moe Moe Kyun” emote)]
ㄴ[ㄴ(Inari losing? emote)]
ㄴ[ㄴ(Toya wins emote)]
—
“…She sings really well.”
“…Yeah, she does.”
Up until now, we’d clapped and cheered along with every song—but this one was different.
We couldn’t.
Was it because Toya’s talent was overwhelming?
That was part of it.
But there was a deeper reason.
The song Toya just sang, _‘Starlight.’_
Even I had never heard it before.
‘It’s silly to think this, but… before releasing original songs, Toya usually let me hear them at least once…’
Did she hide it to surprise me?
No, that can’t be it.
The lyrics of this song were unlike anything she’d sung before—no, _very_ different.
How should I put it…? The lyrics felt more like something from a _real person’s_ life than from a VTuber’s.
If I’m right…
“Is she gonna redebut as a virtual idol or something? If it’s Toya, she could easily land in the Top 10 on music charts!”
“…Yeah, maybe.”
“Geez, Nacchan, have you become a doll that can only say ‘Yeah, maybe’? Even if the person you like is showing you something amazing, you shouldn’t just brush off other people’s words like that!”
“…Yeah, maybe.”
“Aaaugh, seriously!”
I don’t know if it was because I was overwhelmed with thoughts or just in shock—but I couldn’t speak properly.
Miko-san, I’m sorry. But right now, I don’t have the bandwidth to answer your questions.
It might sound like a lame excuse, but… it’s just the truth.
…I’ll apologize properly later, when I can think straight.
**[Okay! Time for a guest switch! While today’s star takes a quick water break, our guest to light up the stage is—]**
“But still, I don’t think _my girl_ is going to fall behind.”
“…Your girl?”
“Yup, my girl.”
Miko-san pointed at the screen as the silhouette behind the curtain slowly grew larger.
At first, I thought she meant the _black one_, but seeing the growing size of the shadow, I instinctively realized it was the _white one._
Still, I never imagined the _white one_ would appear in Toya’s live…
**[It’s Shiro-chan from V-LIVE! Give her a round of applause! Waah!!]**
—Eh, seriously?
—She’s actually appearing? wwwww
—I thought she was off today! I assumed she went on a date with Kuro-chan, but she’s guesting on Toya’s live? lololol
—Shiro-chan! Shiro-chan! Shiro-chan! Shiro-chan!
—Shiro-chan! Sing your “Delicious Spell”!
—草 (lol)
Even as a virtual avatar, her cold expression was clearly visible.
It wasn’t stiffness from nerves—it was just _who she was._
If not for the slightly furrowed brows, you might doubt she had any expression at all.
Honestly, she looked so emotionless it could almost seem like she was angry.
“She’s probably mad because someone shouted ‘sing the Delicious Spell.’”
“…You can read her expression?”
“Of course~ I’ve lived with our adorable Shiro-chan for years!”
“Adorable…?”
“Ah, maybe ‘adorable’ isn’t the word? Anyway!”
I don’t know _where_ she was seeing “adorable” in that ice-princess look, but I nodded along.
Well… everyone has different standards for what’s cute.
Still, calling someone like _that_ cute instead of beautiful or cool? That felt… almost insulting.
“She’s super pretty.”
“You’ll think so even more if you see her in person! Shiro-chan’s gorgeous~”
“Toya’s really beautiful in person, too.”
“Whoa, is this a beauty showdown now?”
“Not really, but—”
…The background music is starting, though?
As much as I enjoyed chatting with Miko-san, now was the time to focus on the stage.
—
**[Shiro-chan shows up wwww]**
**[(Shiro-chan’s surprise appearance at Toya-chan’s live.MVI)]
Thought she had the day off to go on a date with Kuro-chan, but here she is guesting in Toya-chan’s live lolol**
ㄴ[Does this mean Kuro-chan might appear too??]
ㄴ[ㄴCould happen lol]
ㄴ[Anyway, Shiro-chan is an _amazing_ singer as always…]
ㄴ[ㄴIt’s turned into a full-blown singing battle now 草]
ㄴ[ㄴEh, they’re both amazing singers, so no complaints.]
ㄴ[ㄴWish she’d sing a few more songs, but I guess it’ll just be one.]
ㄴ[ㄴProbably. But I’m satisfied just seeing her lol]
ㄴ[Shiro-chan is cute today too~]
ㄴ[Speaking of which, in terms of singing, wouldn’t Toya-chan be Shiro-chan’s junior?]
ㄴ[ㄴWhen you put it like that, yeah lolol]
—
“Hmmm, so? Isn’t she amazing? Super cool? Impressive?”
“Yes… But you’re bragging like _you_ sang it, Miko-san.”
“Eeek, that sounds like something Rinko would say, Nacchan…”
“Wait—why am I suddenly _Nacchan_ now?!”
She said it so naturally that I almost mistook her for Inari.
Not that I really minded the nickname, but I was curious about the sudden change.
“Hmm… When I saw you smiling and clapping so brightly, I instinctively thought, ‘If I don’t call her Nacchan, it’ll feel like I’m committing a sin!’ or something like that!”
…This person is way more chaotic than I expected.
I looked at her with narrowed eyes and let out a sigh as she laughed, “Ahaha~”
“Hehe, wait, are you mad I called you Nacchan? Are you?”
“No, not really…”
Maybe because I’d been watching the performance while holding my breath, I was a bit low on oxygen.
How intensely was I concentrating?
While Inari filled the brief lull in the show with light chatter, I finally got a moment to breathe.
Such a perfectly timed intermission.
After chugging the water Miko-san handed me, I finally felt like I could live again.
‘Ugh, I wasn’t even on stage, so why am I this exhausted?’
And if I’m like this just from watching, what will it be like when I’m _on_ the stage?
I unclenched my hands, and saw the sheen of cold sweat on my palms.
_Can I really do this?_
‘…No.’
It’s too late to be asking _that_ now, Han Yeoreum.
The question now isn’t _“Can I do it?”_
It’s _“How can I do it better?”_
—
Let me know if you’d like the next part too!
Fables
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