Chapter 107

Ｒｅαd̈ o​n& ;Ｋ​at&R;ｅa&d;in‍g̀&C;af​e‍

**Good News and Bad News (5)**

“Hm~ Hmhm~ Hmhmhm~♪”

“You’ve been in a good mood lately.”

“Well… yeah, kinda? I’ve been hearing Toya sing so much lately that I can’t help but hum along…”

Koyuki, who’d stopped by with a newly released game console, tilted her head curiously as she saw me humming.

Now that I thought about it, I _was_ humming one of Toya’s songs.

After hearing it all day long, I’d pretty much memorized it by now.

Hmm… if I could sing, I’d love to try it myself.

“Did you always like singing, Yeoreum?”

“Well… kinda? But I actually prefer listening, to be honest.”

“I see…”

Koyuki let out a dramatic sigh and slumped over, letting the game console dangle from her hands. I couldn’t help but giggle at the sight.

It was this cozy kind of peace—just being with her made me feel at ease.

Okay, not _just_ feel—she _actually_ made me calmer.

When she wordlessly reached out her hand toward me, I leaned in, and she gently started patting my head.

…I’m not a pet that automatically gets petted just because you raise your hand, okay?

“By the way, what brings you over by yourself today? Don’t you usually come with Ragu-sensei?”

“Oh, Minori had work, so I came alone. I mean, we live next door, so it’s not a big deal.”

Unlike me—who tags along with Toya everywhere—Koyuki much preferred staying home.

Apparently, Ragu-sensei rarely left the house either, staying in to match Koyuki’s lifestyle.

If she left Koyuki behind, then it must’ve been something important.

When I asked why she didn’t go with her, she simply said, “Didn’t feel the need to. I can just spend time with you instead.”

“Anyway. I’m glad you came, Koyuki. I was just thinking I could use an extra pair of hands.”

“Now that you mention it, I don’t see Toya anywhere.”

“She’s asleep. In the bedroom.”

After all the physical activity, rest was absolutely necessary for the human body.

Toya had been going nonstop for almost a month, running back and forth to the company every day to rehearse. Now she was finally getting some well-deserved sleep.

Usually, she’d stay up later than me and still wake up earlier just to take care of me… but sometimes she _had_ to rest too.

“Oh, so I guess I’m Yeoreum’s guardian for the day?”

“Well, more like _we_ are Toya’s guardians today.”

Our role was to look after Toya while she was asleep… at least, in theory.

In practice, we were lounging around in the living room instead of by her side—but hey, you shouldn’t disturb someone who’s resting, right?

Having successfully rationalized that, I accepted the game console Koyuki handed me.

Ooh, that brand-new glossy feel…!

“Games these days are so forgiving with saves and loads.”

“Right? Easier games attract more people.”

“Back in the day, save points were rare and sacred!”

“We used to do no-save challenge runs all the time, yeah.”

The buttons and controls all had that familiar old-school feel.

It gave me such a nostalgic pang. I remembered really, _really_ wanting one of these consoles as a kid…

But with no money, and no parents to buy me one, it had felt as distant as a star in the sky.

So I collected bottle caps. There was a promotion back then—save enough soda caps and enter a raffle to win a console.

I’d been lucky and actually won.

‘They didn’t include a game cartridge, though, so I had to collect bottles for _months_ to afford one…’

Looking back, it was a fond memory. That little machine carried my whole childhood—and brought me so much joy.

Maybe that was when my bond with gaming truly began.

Then again, looking at Koyuki, maybe liking games was just something that came naturally to us both.

Anyway, while we were busy playing—

“Yeoreum, do you want to do a live someday? Or… I mean, it doesn’t have to be a full-on concert or anything.”

“…It’s not really about _wanting_ to. The environment just doesn’t allow for it.”

Live shows—or singing in general—weren’t something I could decide just by wanting to.

My body simply wasn’t in a condition where I could.

It wasn’t an excuse or a complaint. Just cold, hard reality.

Because it was truly impossible, I didn’t really feel disappointed.

I just… well…

“Just listening is enough for me. At least my ears are still working, right…?”

“…”

Being positive had always been one of my specialties.

Can’t sing? Eh, I was never _that_ good anyway. As long as I can listen, it’s fine.

Of course, if someone asked whether it really didn’t bother me—I’d say “not at all” with a straight face.

But if it truly didn’t bother me, I wouldn’t need to make excuses, right?

“Hmm… Not sure if this’ll help, but maybe you could sing something simple? Like a kids’ song?”

“A kids’ song?”

“Yeah. They’re short and not too high-pitched. I used to sing one when I was little—it didn’t bother my asthma back then.”

“When you were little…”

“Well, that was before my asthma got really bad, so maybe that’s why.”

Koyuki shrugged, showing no real regret.

It was little moments like this that reminded me how different we were.

Maybe it was because we grew up in different environments.

“Okay, I’ll sing it just once—so listen carefully and try to follow along, okay?”

“Yeah. I’ll focus.”

“Ugh, why am I nervous now… You’re the only one listening, but still! The only people who’ve heard me sing before are my mom and dad…!”

And I was, like, five back then!

Her cheeks flushed a little as she rambled, and I couldn’t help but giggle.

She gave a fake cough to shake off the embarrassment.

When I tried to encourage her with a little applause, she covered her face, blushing even harder—it was _adorable._

“Okay, just a quick one! Ahem… ♪ Donguri korokoro, dongburiko~♪”

It was just a simple tune, but of course, Koyuki sang it _perfectly._

Easy to follow along, too.

I didn’t sing for long, but even that little bit warmed my heart.

—

**[Natsu <— So are you ever doing a live or what?]**

[Han Yeoreum used to sing all the time. Why so distant now?]

ㄴ[Because she’s sick.]

ㄴ[ㄴAsthma means you _can’t_ sing?]

ㄴ[ㄴIt’s serious enough that she can’t, yes.]

ㄴ[Calling her “distant” is kind of unfair…]

ㄴ[Honestly, she’s pitiful. Didn’t she spend most of her debut in the hospital?]

ㄴ[ㄴYeah. Even when she was doing voice-only streams, she was _hospitalized_ and people didn’t even realize.]

ㄴ[ㄴHow did Han Yeoreum go from “nobody worried about her health” to full-on “sickly anime girl”?;;]

ㄴ[Didn’t Han Yeoreum used to sing quite a lot?]

ㄴ[ㄴShe did say she preferred listening, but she _did_ like singing.]

ㄴ[ㄴJudging from her reactions, she clearly enjoys it too lol]

[Maybe she has a trauma about lives now?]

[(Screenshot of Han Yeoreum’s concert promo posts.JPG)
(Screenshot of her contract termination with Straight.JPG)]

She was promoting a concert at the start of the year. Then after her body changed, the whole thing got scrapped and she left Straight. If _that_ didn’t leave her with trauma, I’d be shocked.

ㄴ[Inari and Nagisa haven’t done lives either though lol]

ㄴ[Yeah but Toya’s the first V-Spe member to actually do one.]

ㄴ[Lives cost _money_, you know. Why blame her for not doing one?]

ㄴ[ㄴIf it’s expensive, then Straight probably wanted to murder her after the contract fallout lol]

ㄴ[ㄴHonestly, they might’ve. That it only ended in contract termination is _lucky_]

ㄴ[ㄴ(“Natsu, sorry for being sick” emoji)]

ㄴ[ㄴDoes her body change count as a health issue?]

ㄴ[I mean… if I went through all that, I’d probably develop a trauma too.]

ㄴ[ㄴShe announced a concert, then got gender-swapped, got kicked out of her company, and basically retired from VTubing.]

ㄴ[ㄴKinda tragic, when you lay it all out like that…]

[Mod seriously rocks the tambourine lol]

[(Meme video of Natsu’s tambourine playing remix.MVI)]

Honestly, she could enter an international tambourine competition.

ㄴ[How do people even make this stuff lol]

ㄴ[ㄴHard work, time, and maybe a bit of AI?]

ㄴ[ㄴHow is that all it takes LOL]

ㄴ[Did you make this yourself? ㄷ]

ㄴ[ㄴYeah.]

ㄴ[ㄴStill can’t believe people make things like this…]

ㄴ[Mod really is tambourine pro-tier;;]

ㄴ[She’s now the official tambourine lead for Toya’s karaoke streams.]

ㄴ[ㄴYou guys are being too harsh LOL]

ㄴ[ㄴBut seriously, she _does_ keep rhythm really well.]

ㄴ[Watching everyone praise her tambourine playing gives me flashbacks to my aunt praising my 4-year-old niece for clapping on beat…]

ㄴ[ㄴLOL]