Chapter 179: Sleeping Under the Same Blanket with a Friend for the First Time!

R̀ẽ​ád̈ ̃óń ̃K̈à​t́R̃ẽ​ád̀ïǹǵĈâf̈è

Ugh, I ended up crying again today.

I really swore I wouldn’t cry today of all days.

I’m so embarrassed. I want to hide somewhere.

This is all because of those evil developers who stitched Chapter 2 together.

If it had just been Chapter 1, it would’ve ended smoothly.

But they had to go and include Chapter 2 too…

And right when you think it’s over, that boss comes charging at you so terrifyingly—who wouldn’t be startled?

“Lulu, feeling a bit calmer now?”

“Y-yeah. Sorry… Sorry, cherries.”

“Aw, no. If anything, it’s mine and the cherries’ fault for pushing you into it.”

• ?
• Us?
• No, you were the one who made her do it…
• The cherries are innocent…

Innocent? What’s so innocent about you, you troublemaking cherries?

Okay, fine, it was Yuna who made me do it.

But who was it that egged her on, chanting, “Horror game! Horror game!” like it was some grand idea?

“Anyway, since the horror game’s over, let’s just chat for a bit before ending the stream. Lulu, you’re probably too drained to keep going, right?”

“Yeah, that sounds good.”

• Ooooh
• And she’s not slacking off right away lol
• That’s more than enough fr lol
• Today’s stream was packed, huh

With the tears dried and emotions settled, we slowly got ready to end the stream while chatting briefly.

Now that I think about it, Yuna and I have never done a collab stream with just the two of us.

The first—and last—time I did something like this was with Linne, or rather, Verdia.

So this time, just the two of us reading chat and talking felt surprisingly fresh.

[‘HGWealth’ donated 21,000 won!]

• What were your first impressions of each other? You two are polar opposites, so I’m curious.

“First impressions? Hmm, well. Lulu, what about you?”

“For me, it wasn’t exactly overwhelming, but it was a little flustering. Yukiko just came up to me like, ‘We’re friends, right? Drop the formalities!’ like there was no distance at all.”

In a way, realizing we were the same age might’ve been like a mind blowing moment.

But honestly, since Yuna’s the only one in Blue LUV I speak casually to, the cherries probably already knew we were the same age, so I didn’t worry too much.

Even the CEO admitted it was her mistake for not clarifying earlier.

She said it’s too late to fix now, so just don’t think too much about it.

“Ehehe, yeah, that’s how it was.”

• LMAOOOO
• I can imagine it, that’s hilarious
• Shy axolotl vs. ultra-extrovert ice queen
• Yukiko’s personality IRL is exactly like her streaming persona, huh

Yep, exactly the same.

Honestly, everyone else has some differences between their on- and off-stream selves, but Yuna is literally the same.

That’s why, when I first met her as Yuna instead of Yukiko, it felt the least jarring.

How do I put it?

It was like Yukiko had descended into the real world—just without the avatar.

“For me, it was kinda fascinating. Lulu’s pretty relaxed on stream, but IRL, she’s even more timid. Especially when we first met—she was so shy.”

“W-was I really that bad?”

“You were! It got to the point where, during a group chat, our CEO had to go, ‘Lulu, it’s okay, just say anything.’”

“O-oh yeah… That happened.”

• More timid than on stream? Damn.
• She’s already a shy axolotl on stream lol
• A shy axolotl who somehow beats up cherries mercilessly…
• Why are you only strict with us?!

Shut up, shut up.

You guys are always teasing me and pulling evil pranks like it’s nothing.

Of course I had to toughen up.

You made this monster, hmph.

“So honestly, at first, I wondered, ‘Can she even handle streaming?’ But that thought got shattered during our practice stream.”

“Practice stream?”

“Yeah. Remember when the CEO made us do test runs in order? I went first, and Lulu played the viewer.”

“Oh…!”

Right, right. That happened.

But was there anything special about that day?

I thought it was just a normal practice session.

“What’s so funny is that I started the stream, said hello, and then Lulu just—went wild.”

“W-wild…?!”

W-was I that bad?

I just typed normally in chat…!

“No, like, if you’re playing the viewer, you’re supposed to keep it chill, right? But out of nowhere, Lulu wrote this huge paragraph like, ‘Yukiko, you’re so cute!’ and just showered me with embarrassing praise.”

“The CEO was watching from the other room, and she got so startled she slammed the door open, rushed in, and scolded Lulu with a ‘Lulu!’”

• OMG LMAOOOO
• AHAHAHAHAHAHA
• The evil seeds were planted that day lol
• Suspiciously dedicated to simping for members…
• This is too funny

Ugh, but I couldn’t help it!

It was my first time seeing Yukiko in so long.

And since it was her debut stream, I had so much I wanted to say—compliments and all.

And I was holding back…

“Anyway, ever since then, watching Lulu has been fascinating. I love the members too, but seeing someone prioritize them over herself like that—I was like, ‘How is that even possible?’”

“Ehehe…”

• Fr lol
• It’s seriously impressive
• I couldn’t do it
• Lulu is built different

Hearing praise directly made me a little shy.

Without thinking, I scratched my cheek and looked away.

But the fact that Yuna said all this meant my love for the members was getting through, and that made me really happy.

“So when I look at Lulu, I see a friend who’s also a mentor I learn a lot from.”

“And I’ve always wanted to be as lively and full of energy as Yukiko.”

“Really?! I’m touched, Lulu…!”

“Hehe, me too.”

Hug—

Wrapping my arms around Yuna as she lunged at me, I felt warmth spread through my chest.

In that cozy atmosphere, we got ready to end the stream…

“Alright, let’s head to bed like this!”

“Huh? B-bed?!”

“Lulu, you can’t sleep alone after a horror game, right? Today, I’ll specially sleep with you!”

“W-wait! Yukiko…?!”

• Gasp
• What
• Oh my god…
• This is too much…
• Squeeze her! Squeeze her hard!

…Forget about ending the stream properly—Yuna suddenly scooped me up and carried me to bed, leaving us scrambling to wrap things up.

(And it’s a secret that Yuna, while carrying me, fretted over how light I was, saying, “Lulu, aren’t you too light? How is this even possible?”)

***************

After showering, Yuna and I laid out bedding in the living room and settled in side by side.

Sure, my room has a bed, but we decided to save that for another time.

Tonight, we wanted to recreate that “school trip” vibe—even though I’ve never been on one, so I’m not entirely sure what it’s supposed to feel like.

“Sorry for pushing you today, Da-jeong. You were really scared, huh?”

Maybe sleep wasn’t coming easily for her either.

Yuna lay with her head tilted toward mine, staring at the ceiling as she spoke.

Her voice, soft in the night air, was so soothing to listen to.

“Mm, it’s okay. Being together made it less scary.”

“Liar. You were crying so hard at the end.”

“Ugh… T-that was just because I got too startled!”

“Hehe, okay, okay. I won’t tease you.”

Pat, pat—

As if apologizing for bringing up my embarrassing moment again, Yuna ruffled my hair noisily, grinning mischievously.

It’s weird—we’re the same age, but I somehow feel like the little sister here.

Not that I mind, though.

“A-anyway, thanks for sleeping with me, Yuna. I was actually worried about tonight after the horror game…”

“Pfft, what’s there to thank between friends?”

“F-friends… Yeah… Hehe.”

Now that I think about it, Yuna’s the only same-age friend I’ve ever had.

Hearing the word “friend” makes my heart flutter in a strange way.

Sure, it started as a business relationship, but…

As I grew closer to the members—and to Yuna—especially after collab streams, I started opening up more.

Now, I think we’ve become true best friends.

Though, Yuna has so many friends…

She might see me as just “Friend #1” rather than a best—Ow?!

“Y-Yuna! Why’d you hit me all of a sudden…?”

“You were thinking something bad, weren’t you?”

“Out of nowhere…?!”

“Yep. Da-jeong, your eyes get all scrunched like this when you’re having bad thoughts. Didn’t you know?”

She pulled her eyelids down into slits and twisted her mouth into a dumb triangle, mimicking my expression.

D-did I really look like that?!

More importantly, the lights are off—how did she even see that?

Yuna’s perceptiveness is terrifying.

“I-I wasn’t thinking anything bad! It’s just… You’re my first friend, but you have so many…”

“You thought you weren’t special to me?”

“W-well… A little…?”

“That is a bad thought! Get over here!”

“Eeek?! S-sorryyy…!”

I tried to explain, but Yuna only found it more offensive and lunged at me.

The blankets went flying as we wrestled—well, I got wrecked, but still.

Turns out, Yuna’s way stronger than she looks.

“Da-jeong, you know what?”

“W-what…?”

After calming down a bit, Yuna suddenly spoke up like she’d dropped a riddle.

“This is my first time sleeping with a friend like this. I’ve stayed over at friends’ places, but we always used separate blankets.”

“Huh? R-really…?!”

“Yep.”

That was… surprising.

Don’t girls usually share blankets when they sleep over at close friends’ houses?

At least, that’s what I’ve heard.

But Yuna, the ultimate social butterfly, has never done that?

Blinking in disbelief, I watched as Yuna smiled faintly and continued.

“I make friends easily, but… there’s always this last ‘defense line’ in my heart, you know?”

“Defense line?”

“Yeah. So letting someone cross that line feels awkward. Maybe people could sense that.”

“I see…”

In other words, sharing a blanket with someone is a big deal for Yuna.

It means she’s ready to bare everything in front of them.

And the fact that I’m the first person she’s done that with?

That’s… kind of amazing.

“So Da-jeong, you’re incredibly precious to me. My best friend. Not just ‘Friend #1’—Jeong Da-jeong. Got it?”

“Y-yeah.”

Her words, clarifying where I stand in her world, left me quietly moved.

Oh.

I’m really special to Yuna too.

Of course, she’s my friend, so it’s natural she’d be precious to me.

But Yuna has so many friends—yet out of all of them, I’m the one who’s special?

That makes me so happy it feels almost magical.

Hug—

“Hehe, thanks, Yuna. You’re my best friend too.”

“…Ugh, I can’t take it!”

Overcome with joy, I hugged her and grinned like an idiot.

Yuna immediately spread her arms and practically tackled me into an embrace.

A startled “Eeek!” slipped out, but soon we were tangled up, laughing like kids.

Maybe this is what Yuna meant by a ‘school trip’ vibe.

Even though I’ve never been on one…

Yeah.

This definitely feels like happiness.

That’s what I thought, lying there in the dark.