Chapter 132

Ȓ​εαｄ өɴ​ ǨаｔＲ​ｅα​ｄίｎǵḈɑϝė

**Nozomi-san. (3)**

“Let’s see, let’s see~”

“Hyah?!”

Toya’s reaching hands were anything but ordinary.

Wait, wait a sec—this is…

Ugh, what is she, Inari!?

True to her status as a muscle-loving maniac, Toya pounced the moment she noticed the slightest sign that my body had developed even a bit of muscle.

Even if I tried to run, she was already within arm’s reach—escape was impossible.

And the moment I thought that, I was caught in an iron grip and poked and prodded all over.

“Ohhh, you’ve really been working hard, Natsu.”

“R-right? I worked super hard!”

I honestly didn’t think it was that noticeable…

But I guess Toya saw it differently.

Well, considering she touches my body more than I do… Yeah.

…That sounds super weird when I say it out loud, doesn’t it?

—

-wwwwww
-Can you really tell just by touching? lol
-Natchan’s delicious scream, thanks for the meal.
-I can smell Inari all over Toya today.
-They really are alike… Guess Toya’s part of the Inari tribe too.
-Natchan, you might wanna run now lol

—

“Hey Toya… Isn’t this a bit much?”

“Hey now, you can’t skip proper verification, you know?”

Nope. She’s beyond reasoning now!

Maybe it was the excitement from our long-awaited collab stream, but Toya had completely thrown self-control out the window.

She was just doing whatever her heart desired now.

Her fingers pressed into my arms firmly, sending strange little tingles up my spine.

It’s not ticklish… but it _is_ ticklish!

“Kyaaaa…?!”

“You used to be all soft and squishy, but now you’re a little firmer. I’m telling you, toned and healthy is always better than just skin and bones.”

“W-why are you evaluating me like a piece of produce?!”

—

-Toya’s being a perv.
-Natchan should seriously start running.
-What a way to ruin a rare collab stream…
-I wanna touch Natchan too.
-Is Toya the _only_ one allowed to touch her? lol

—

Actually, there _is_ one other person I’d trust with that…

As I absentmindedly thought of Koyuki, Toya turned my face toward her and locked eyes with me.

With an unusually sharp look in her gaze.

“…Natsu, who were you thinking about just now? You can’t be thinking of someone else with Toya right in front of you, okay?”

“Wha…?!”

Just a minute ago, she had Inari vibes, but now she was giving off something different.

This was that soft yandere feel you only see in manga.

I shook my head hard, trying to deny it, and Toya, still full of suspicion, finally stepped back a little.

Whew. Thank you. Honestly, having her nose practically touch mine was getting a bit much…

—

-Feels like Natchan’s gonna get locked up at this rate lol
-But seriously, is it even possible to work out that hard _alone_?
-Whenever I work out solo, I just quit the moment it gets hard lol
-Natchan, are you working out with someone else?
-It’s definitely not Toya lol
-I mean, she looks _way_ too exhausted to be training herself…

—

“…Natsu? You weren’t working out alone?”

“Ah.”

Did I never actually say that?

I flinched at the sudden chill in Toya’s voice.

Guess I should be relieved I didn’t hiccup from the shock.

I awkwardly averted my eyes, only for her to grab my wrist, as if to say _don’t you dare look away._

“Umm… Look, you know how I’m not really into exercise, right? I need someone to push me to actually do it, so… yeah.”

“If it’s about working out, Toya could’ve helped you. Even if it’s Natsu, if it’s Toya, I _can_ be pushy too.”

“But you were busy preparing for your live show, right? I didn’t want to take time away from that.”

—

-Oh boy…
-Natchan, don’t tell me the person you’re training with is a _guy_ or something??
-This is literally a doujin plot wwww
-No way, right?
-Still, it’s true—nobody works themselves to exhaustion alone unless they’re a masochist…

—

“…Natsu?”

But there’s always a lower floor to rock bottom.

I guess it makes sense—if I said I’d worked myself to the brink _alone_, anyone would find it hard to believe.

Should I make an excuse…? But do I even need to?

Toya and the listeners—so long as it’s not a guy, that’s what matters, right?

“A girl! It’s a girl, I swear! Totally! Not a guy, okay?!”

“…Not a guy, huh. That’s… good. Or is it? Actually, maybe a _girl_ is even more dangerous.”

—

-lol
-True, from Toya’s perspective, a girl might actually be worse lol
-Natchan, you’re already caught in the net—no escape now
-Should’ve just said you trained alone lmao
-Rip Natchan. You’re in for more pain now ww
-Still, thank goodness it’s not a guy

—

Is that really the issue? Isn’t this just Toya being grumpy because _she’s_ not the one helping me?

She probably has this mindset where if there’s anything she _can_ do with me, she _should_ be doing it with me.

Not that I disliked that—spending more time with Toya was something I liked too.

“Well, guess there’s no choice. From now on, Toya’s gonna work out with you. That okay?”

“Please, no…”

I blurted that out on instinct.

It’s already hard enough just surviving Nozomi-san’s training—now _Toya_ wants to join in too?

Ugh, even imagining it makes me dizzy.

If I have to exercise with _both_ of them, I’ll probably end up bedridden.

Honestly, even just _Toya_ is more than enough to break me.

“If that’s too much, then at least tell me who’s been training you. I think I deserve to know _that_ much.”

“Well… about that… I’d need to get their permission first.”

“…Fine. Just let them know that if they ever want to meet, they can contact me.”

We couldn’t get too deep into it on stream, but I agreed to pass Toya’s message along to Nozomi-san.

Toya and Nozomi meeting, huh…

Actually, that might be a pretty good combo?

—

**[Today’s Totonatsu]**

[(Toya poking Natsu’s arms and legs, commenting on her muscles.MVI)

(Natsu screaming and running away.MVI)

Drama who? They’re basically snuggling at the North Pole LOL]

ㄴ[Natsu’s been training so hard she almost died lmao]
ㄴ_Natsu, working out?_
ㄴ[Probably doing her best not to end up hospitalized again…]
ㄴ[Looks like she didn’t work out today. She’s fine.]
ㄴ[Yeah, she said she’s taking a rest day today LOL]
ㄴ[I feel like we’re actually gonna hear her sing again soon.]
ㄴ[But doesn’t she have asthma? Can she even sing again?;;]
ㄴ[She might not be cured, but she can get better. That’s why she’s exercising.]
ㄴ[Totonatsu must be protected at all costs.]
ㄴ[They’ve always been an S-tier pairing.]
ㄴ[Seeing them this happy just makes me smile too lol]
ㄴ[Toya definitely shines the brightest when she’s with Natsu.]
ㄴ[(Toya pure love KON)]
ㄴ[(Natsu pure love KON)]

—

**[Toya being way too familiar]**

[(Toya poking all over Natsu and making comments.MVI)

Isn’t this basically _that one streamer_? LOL]

ㄴ_Toya, Toya, Toya…_
ㄴ[Honestly, if it weren’t Natsu, she’d have been sued LOL]
ㄴ[She literally said “Natsu’s arms are super soft now.” (Real quote)]
ㄴ[“Super soft”? What is she, a rib?]
ㄴ[I mean, she _does_ have skin on bones, so maybe she _is_ a rib?]
ㄴ[Natsu’s embarrassed by Toya…]
ㄴ[Is it just me, or is Toya slowly turning into Inari? lol]
ㄴ[Not your imagination. It’s real.]
ㄴ[Inari: Criminally Obsessed Gym Freak]
ㄴ[Hey! She’s an _adult_, okay?]
ㄴ[And she’s Korean, too, so be careful what you say. Remember when she said hi to the Hanyeoreum gallery? She’s 100% lurking there, so watch yourself lol]
ㄴ[(Natsu, I’ll sue the Joseon KON)]
ㄴ[(Natsu, I’ll sue the Joseon KON)]

—

**[Toya: From now on, I’ll work out with Natsu too.]**
**[Natsu: Please, have mercy.]**

LOL

ㄴ[That was such a raw, heartfelt plea LOL]
ㄴ[Is this the first time Natsu’s ever looked that horrified at something Toya said?]
ㄴ[lmaooooo]
ㄴ[Anyone caught in her fitness grasp won’t survive lol]
ㄴ[Didn’t Inari try going to the gym with Toya once and bailed instantly? LOL]
ㄴ[Yeah, she _ran_. Like, literally.]
ㄴ[If even Inari fled, Natsu should probably just nope out now too lol]
ㄴ[Then again, maybe Toya would go easy on Natsu?]
ㄴ[Nope. Toya’s too serious about fitness—no mercy.]
ㄴ[Toya might just use Natsu as a dumbbell or something lol]
ㄴ[V-Spe’s number one musclehead, no doubt]
ㄴ[Toya is just way too intense for our little shut-in streamer…]

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