Chapter 217

Rea​&d; өn &K;atＲｅa​ｄingCafe​

Once Again(6)

“Mmm…”

The house was quiet.
Being alone in an empty space was pretty boring.
No—more than boring, it was lonely.

‘…Maybe I should go see Koyuki?’

But the moment I rose from my seat with that thought, I realized the feeling I always had of Koyuki’s presence was gone.

Ah—she’s asleep.
She must have pulled an all-nighter making that thing, so she’s sleeping like a log.

“I wonder where Toya is…”

I could have found out right away by calling, but that would have been the same as cheating between Toya and me.
When you play hide-and-seek, the seeker doesn’t ask the hider where they are.

So, in other words—

“She’s probably at the office.”

I couldn’t say I knew Toya’s every move, but I could generally guess where she’d gone.
There was only one situation where she left me home alone: when she went to meet the President.

‘Must be business.’

That was the first thing that came to mind.
But if she’d stepped out for work, she would have told me—so…

—Yeah, it’s because of me.

Well, after I sobbed like that on stream, of course she did.

“The CEO must’ve called her in… probably?”

I let out a sigh, then started putting on my clothes.
I couldn’t leave my own story being told without me.

…To be honest, the much bigger reason was that I just didn’t want to stay home alone.
I’m coming to see you now, so sit tight and wait, Toya!
***

“So, what do you think—will she be all right?”

“Yes, well… I guess she’ll be fine.”

“Not convinced yourself?”

The President’s words made me sigh reflexively.

I’d been confident I knew nearly everything about Natsu, but this time was different.
It felt wrong to ask her directly.
In a way, I was the culprit who’d made Natsu cry, so my guilt kept me from prying.

“How strange. The ever-confident Toya looks so gloomy.”

“…Please don’t tease me.”

Hmph—I turned my head away.
The CEO had a habit of talking lightly about hard problems.
I’d come all the way for advice, and this flippant attitude wasn’t helping.
What I needed fixed was the situation, not my mood.

“Asking the person herself is always the surest way, Toya.”

“I don’t think I can do that…”

“You can, you’re just scared—right?”

Poke—his single line stabbed straight into my heart.

Exactly. Like he said, I could ask Natsu directly.

“Are you okay?” … “You don’t hate me now, right?” … “About that stream—” No, that’s not it.

The more I thought, the more meaningless the thoughts became.

‘Besides, if it’s Natsu, she’ll definitely say she’s okay.’

I knew better than anyone how kind she was.
No matter what I asked, she’d say she was fine—whether or not it was true.

“Have faith in Natsu. She’s strong enough to get through this.”

“And if she isn’t?”

“…Hm?”

“What if she’s afraid of standing on stage?”

Some called those tears tears of joy—but what if they weren’t?
Once the anxiety surfaced, it spawned more and more worries, tail after tail, because she had disappeared once before.

“If that were the case, she couldn’t have sung.”

“Ah.”

“I’m not a therapist, so I can’t give a perfect answer—but that girl honestly wants to be on stage.”

The CEO lifted the corner of his mouth.
I started to ask how she could be so sure, but the certainty in her eyes left me speechless.
It wasn’t simply “I trust my company’s talent.”

“By the way, what are you watching?”

“Natsu’s stream.”

“What!?”

Natsu’s stream? Y-you mean the VOD? Maybe she was analyzing the crying scene to guess Natsu’s feelings?

“She went live early today.”

“Wh-why didn’t you tell me sooner!!”

So that’s why his eyes were sparkling with mischief!

Keeping my phone on silent had been my downfall.
Tch—because I was in this meeting with the CEO, I missed Natsu’s stream?

♪~

…

As soon as the stream popped up, there was Natsu, singing with a blissful expression.

I’ve never seen that face before.

It seemed her emotions had settled thanks to her tears yesterday.
As if declaring she’d enjoy everything with nothing holding her back, she sang.

Yes—that’s right. That was what made Natsu so enchanting.

“I’m not that good at singing. I just sing because it’s fun.”

Even if it wasn’t perfect, her confidence made the stage shine.
It was a tiny live show of its own: there were viewers, and a space just for the singer.

Natsu was the very person who enjoyed singing enough to see that sort of illusion.

Of course she enjoyed herself before today’s stream too, but…

This was almost like the old days—when she streamed under the name Han-Yeoreum.

Even the songs were her original Han-Yeoreum tracks.

“Well? Still think she’s scared of the stage—”

“Shh. I’m watching.”

“But she’s not singing right now—”

“Don’t talk over Natsu’s voice!”

Why didn’t I bring my earphones…! Tsk, tsk, tsk!
Some might blame Natsu for going live early, but an oshi’s stream belongs to the ones prepared to watch.
I never dreamed she’d start so far ahead of schedule.

But it was fine—she always keeps the VODs!

Though I’ll watch the live as a live, of course.

The President had vanished from my consciousness.
I focused every sense on Natsu’s voice, her singing, her laughter.
Judging by his silence, the President was just as absorbed.

[Then, that’s all for today. See you next time!]

“Natsukare…” [TN: “Good job today, Natsu.” A pun on “otsukare.”]

Why does happy time fly so quickly?
When I came to my senses, more than an hour had passed.

Ugh—so short.

It’s too short, so I’ll watch it again at home.

“Well? Still feel the same?”

“You never know.”

“Then watch from the start. She answered all your worries right at the beginning.”

“…Huh?”

What is he talking about?
More than that, is he calmly replaying the VOD already?

A madman was in front of me—re-watching the stream from the start the instant it ended.

…No way.

But—incredibly—dark circles hung under the President’s eyes, the look of someone who hadn’t slept for days because of brutal workloads.
Yet the eyes fixed on the screen were shining bright, like someone gazing at what they love most.
***

[Why the “Toya & Natsu Feud” Is Nonsense]

(Toya–Natsu Collab Ratio.JPG)
These two stream together so much they could just merge into one channel; what “feud” are you on about? lolol
If anything, call it the seven-year itch. They’re practically common-law spouses, so feud my foot lol

└[Common-law spouses, lololol]
└└[They even share a room—if that isn’t common-law, what is?]
└└└[Wait, really? They do share a room?]
└└└└[Toya says it all the time—“Today’s Natsu was the perfect armful to sleep with,” stuff like that.]
└└└└└[That was real?]
└└└└└└[Why would she lie? lol]
└└└└└└└[If I lived with my oshi, I’d totally hug her to sleep every night too lol]
└└└└└└└└[Pedo, pedo…]
└└└└└└└└(Inari pedo emote)
└[Hard to imagine Toya and the oshi fighting.]
└└[Whoever’s fault, you know the oshi would bawl and beg first;;]
└└└[Toya might be the one to apologize lol]
└└└└[What are you on? If they fell out, the oshi would be like a lost kid with no home lol]
└└└└└[Ah.]
└└└└└└[lololol]

[Real Reason the Toya-Natsu Feud Is Confirmed]

(List of viewers who always watch Natsu’s solo streams.JPG)
There are a few folks who only watch Natsu when she’s not collabing with Toya.
One of them didn’t show up to today’s stream.
Circumstantial evidence points to Toya, ㅇㅇ
Of course it’s speculation, so don’t take it as gospel.

└[You’re insane lolol]
└└[Did you seriously list every nickname watching the oshi’s stream? Really?]
└└└[Dude’s out of his mind lolol]
└└└└[I thought I had the most free time, but this guy’s time Bill Gates…]
└└└└└[Natsu’s lucky. A time billionaire even watches her streams ㄷㄷ]
└[So where’s the proof that person is Toya?]
└└[He said it’s speculation. Treat it like WWE, ㅇㅇ] [TN: “Watch like pro-wrestling”—i.e., as scripted drama.]
└└└[It would be funny if it’s really Toya lol]
└└└└[Wouldn’t be funny at all—would mean the feud is real;]
└└└└└[Ah, true.]
└└└└└└[lolololol]
└[Maybe she just had work and couldn’t watch?]
└[I came in halfway; stop the baseless witch-hunt.]
└└[For real lolol]
└└└[Why is this happening lol]
└└└└[So is that person actually Toya?]
└└└└└[Nobody knows.]

Fables