Chapter 123: Where There Are Meetings, There Are Also Goodbyes!

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When I opened my eyes, the clock was pointing to around 9 o’clock. Linne-chan had already woken up earlier than me and finished her shower, so I hurriedly took a shower too and went downstairs to have breakfast with her.

【Da-jeong, good morning.】

【Good morning.】

【Y-yeah. Good morning to you too… Eh?】

In the dining area, Charlotte-chan and Shuri-chan were also there. I was about to wave happily when I noticed something and my eyes widened. Standing next to Shuri-chan was a girl slightly taller than me.

【Hoho, your real name is Jeong Da-jeong, right? It’s my first time meeting you in the real world.】

【Y-yes…?!】

She was about the same height as Yuna, maybe a bit taller. With her dark blue hair reminiscent of Ra-hee unnie’s avatar, Lucretia, and an eyepatch with a hexagram drawn on it, she greeted me with a dark smile, like a villain from a novel.

Wait a minute.

This way of speaking and her voice… I’ve heard it somewhere before. Could it be…?

【B-by any chance… Bea-chan?】

【Don’t call me Bea-chan! Call me Beatrice! Or at least use my real name!】

When I cautiously mentioned her name—or rather, her VTuber alias—she got angry, puffing out her cheeks as if steam was about to come out of her. Beatrice, or rather, Lily.

【S-sorry. I remember… it was Lily, right?】

Since I couldn’t call her by her avatar name in real life, I tilted my head, recalling the real name Charlotte-chan had mentioned yesterday. Lily, looking somewhat uncomfortable, snorted and crossed her arms.

【Hmph, so you already know my real name. It seems my servants have been blabbering too much… Ouch!】

【Lily, stop talking nonsense and greet her properly. That’s manners, isn’t it?】

Just as she was about to speak in her usual high-handed tone, Shuri-chan gave her a light knock on the head, silencing her. The sound was quite loud… I hope it didn’t hurt.

【A-alright, stop hitting me! You always act before thinking, that’s your problem!】

【You’re the only one who makes me act before thinking, you chuunibyou.】

【Y-you! How dare you slander me like that…!】

Hmm, I’m not sure what’s going on, but it feels like pure chaos.

What shocked me the most was Lily’s behavior. I’ve heard fans jokingly say, “Beatrice probably acts like that in real life too,” but to think it was true…

【Ugh… Anyway, as the ruler of the night, I shall greet you once more with proper respect. I am Beatrice Trimenia. In the real world, I go by Lily Snow.】

【You used to say your real name was your true name, but I see your setting has changed.】

【S-shut up! Be quiet! Can’t you see I’m in the middle of greeting her?】

【You changed your first-person pronoun in three seconds.】

Wow…

Shuri-chan, you seemed so gentle yesterday, but you’re really ruthless in front of Lily. It feels like they’re real sisters.

【U-uh, nice to meet you, Miss Snow. I’m Jeong Da-jeong. I’m currently active under the name Lulu.】

While the other members called me by my name from the start, I was careful with Lily—or rather, Miss Snow—worried I might offend her. When I cautiously mentioned her surname, she looked somewhat satisfied.

【Miss Da-jeong, you’re quite well-mannered. I like you. I’ll allow you to call me by my real name.】

【R-really? Thank you. Then, Lily-chan…】

【That’s enough. Just call me casually like the others. I’m not the type to stand on ceremony in the real world.】

Ugh, okay.

Honestly, it’s a bit hard to interpret, but I get that she’s giving me her approval and allowing me to call her by her name. I guess that means I made a good first impression?

【By the way, I’ve heard a lot about you. Especially from that crow girl who keeps mentioning you whenever she gets the chance.】

【C-crow girl?】

Ah, is she talking about Linne-chan? Verdia’s concept is that she’s the master of crows, so… I didn’t expect her to bring RP into real life, so I was momentarily stunned.

After exchanging greetings, we each took our food and brought it to the table. Lily-chan, sitting across from me, scanned me with sharp eyes and then smirked.

【Hmm, you seem quite promising. It’s been 200 years since I last saw someone with the aura of a king like me.】

【You said that three months ago when you went to Japan. What’s with the 200 years?】

【Y-you, shut your mouth! You’re getting in the way!】

As Shuri-chan continued to interrupt, Lily-chan flailed about but then cleared her throat and continued.

【But it seems you haven’t hatched from your egg yet. That’s a bit disappointing.】

【U-uh, Lily-chan. What do you mean by the aura of a king or hatching from an egg…?】

【Exactly what I said. You have the potential to rise to a level similar to mine. There was someone like that in Japan too. Her name was Himeka, I think.】

【H-Himeka, you mean that Himeka-chan?】

Akehoshi Himeka.

She’s arguably the top VTuber in Japan right now. Like Lily-chan, she’s close to 2 million subscribers and is one of the most popular VTubers in the world.

So Lily-chan thinks I have the same potential as Himeka-chan?

No way, no way, no way!

That’s way too much of an overestimation!

【Hmph, it seems you don’t trust the insight of my demonic eyes.】

【N-no, it’s not that I don’t trust Lily-chan… but isn’t that a bit unrealistic…?】

As if she could read my mind, Lily-chan’s eyebrows twitched in discomfort. Startled, I quickly denied it while fidgeting with my hands.

Surprisingly, the other members came to Lily-chan’s defense.

【Of course, it’s natural for Da-jeong to doubt it but surprisingly, despite being a chuunibyou, Lily has an incredible eye for talent.】

【That’s right, despite being a chuunibyou, her judgment is more accurate than anyone else’s.】

【Actually, all the VTubers Lily said would make it big ended up succeeding. Her eye for talent is trustworthy, even if she is a chuunibyou.】

【Y-you guys! Don’t act like you’re defending me while subtly insulting me!】

Hmm, I think so too.

At this point, it feels less like they’re defending her and more like they’re using her as a shield.

【Hmph! Anyway, the power of my demonic eyes has been proven by my servants, so no further explanation is needed. Whether you believe it or not is up to you.】

【U-uh, thank you, Lily-chan. I’m really touched that you’d say that… Lily-chan is really kind, isn’t she?】

【K-kind? Such a word doesn’t suit the ruler of the night… Kukuku.】

Huh?

For some reason, it felt like Lily-chan’s face turned red just now. Is she perhaps weak to compliments?

【Lily-chan, are you embarrassed by compliments?】

【N-no, I’m not embarrassed! The ruler of the night would never be embarrassed by something like a compliment…】

【Hehe, I think that side of Lily-chan is cute too.】

【D-don’t call me cute! How vulgar!】

Ugh, that’s too harsh. Calling me vulgar…

But I guess this is Lily-chan’s way of showing friendliness?

I think we’ve gotten close enough to consider each other friends.

【Lily-chan, do you want to exchange contact info later? I’d like to get closer to you.】

【Hmph, you’re always trying to climb up, aren’t you? Well, fine. It’s not a bad way to pass the time.】

It seems my guess was right, as Lily-chan even exchanged contact info with me and happily chatted with me until I had to leave the hotel.

After finishing breakfast, I said goodbye to everyone and prepared to head home, leaving behind a bit of regret.

When I announced that I was leaving, the Prism Company members came out to see me off at the hotel entrance.

【Ugh… waking me up like this…】

Lily-chan, who had gone to her room to sleep right after eating, came out looking disheveled, still rubbing her eyes. It seemed like one of the members had forcibly dragged her out. I felt a bit guilty.

【Da-jeong, are you sure you’ll be okay going alone? I can ask the manager to take you home.】

【Yeah, it’s fine. I can just take the subway.】

Linne-chan looked worried, but I waved her off with a smile.

Even though it’s a bit far from home, I can just transfer subways, so it’s not a problem. It’s better than troubling someone else.

【Daaa-jeongggg…! Let’s meet again soon, okay?】

【Ugh…!】

While Linne-chan waved lightly, Charlotte-chan hugged me tightly, almost as if we were parting like a separated family, with tears in her eyes.

I guess that means we’ve gotten close, right?

But Charlotte-chan, I might die from this. The pressure is almost on par with Ra-hee unnie.

【Let me know if you ever come to visit. I’ll come pick you up with the members.】

【U-uh, I’m not sure if I’ll ever have a reason to go to the US…】

From what I’ve heard, the Prism Company members are currently living together in the US, so I nodded at Shuri-chan’s words but couldn’t give a definite answer. The US feels like a world too far away for me.

【Lily-chan, take care. Thanks for the fun conversation today.】

【Hmph, just go already. People might think we’re really close.】

I said goodbye to Lily-chan too, but she just crossed her arms, snorted, and waved her hand as if shooing me away.

Ugh.

I thought we had gotten pretty close, but it seems Lily-chan doesn’t think so at all.

【S-sorry. I thought we had gotten close… I guess I was too friendly.】

【D-don’t look so down! You’re making it seem like I bullied you!】

When I apologized with my head down, Lily-chan frantically waved her hands.

【Ahem! W-well… it was a rather enjoyable conversation. I hope we meet again.】

【Hehe… yeah! I really want to meet Lily-chan again too!】

【…I’ve never met someone so pure in my life. Even the ruler of the night is being purified by you.】

I think Lily-chan muttered something at the end, but it didn’t seem too important.

【Well, I’ll really get going now! If you ever come to Korea again, let me know! I’ll come meet you with the members!】

【Yeah, we’d like to meet the other Blue LUV members too.】

【Take care, Da-jeong. It was really fun thanks to you.】

【Let me know if you ever want to collab!】

【Be careful on your way back.】

After saying my final goodbyes to the Prism Company members, I headed to the subway station near the hotel.

It was the first time I’d spent so much time with people outside our group, but it was incredibly fun.

When I get back, I’ll have to tell the members and the Cherries all about the wonderful time I had.

LegoMyEggo