Chapter 52

R̃ead oｎ Ka&t;Ｒè&a;ⅾ​&i;nｇḈä&f;​ｅ

Keyboard and Mouse. (1)

After receiving an apology—or something like one—from Toya,
if you asked me what the most important thing was right now, I’d say it was the keyboard and mouse.
Until now, I only used my computer to move around the Ichinose Natsu avatar on screen,
so I didn’t really notice how important the keyboard and mouse were…
I shook my head, thinking back on all the discomfort from yesterday.

“Toya, there’s somewhere I want to go. Would you come with me?”
“Huh? Is this… maybe… a date invitation?”
“….”
“Just kidding~ Just kidding~ Oh, but it would’ve been nice if it was a date~”

Toya’s always had this kind of tone, even before I confessed I was a hopeless romantic.
But now that she knew, it felt so much weirder hearing it.
Like she was teasing me. Well, she was teasing me—but it felt even more frustrating now.
Not enough to actually get mad, though.
It was less true anger and more the kind of flustered reaction you get from a mischievous anime girl.

“Still, I’m happy enough just because Yeoreum asked me to come along!”
“…Yeah.”
“It’s because of the keyboard and mouse, right?”

As expected—her instincts were spot on.
If she didn’t have this level of perception, there’s no way she could’ve found me here in Korea.
Toya fiddled with my hand, mumbling something about whether they even made keyboards and mice this small.
I sighed and stared at her.
Honestly, anyone would think she was Korean.
Isn’t this kind of casual same-gender skinship basically a Korean high school girl thing?

“Alright then, let’s get ready! I’ll help you wash up.”
“Thanks as always, Toya.”
“Mhm, I like doing it, so there’s no need to thank me.”

At first, I insisted I could wash myself.
But with this tiny body, it was just too difficult.
So now, I didn’t resist anymore. I just thanked her instead.
Toya said it was fine, that she liked doing it—but still, grateful is grateful.

She picked me up and brought me to the bathroom, where she carefully washed my face.
She really was like a proper caretaker.
…Which was mildly upsetting, since the one being cared for was me.

“Alright, time for sunscreen.”
“…I can do sunscreen by myself.”
“Hehe, it’ll take forever with those tiny hands, you know? But if I do it, it’ll be done in a flash.”
“You think so?”
“Yup!”

I tried to refuse, since applying sunscreen wasn’t that hard.
But after what she said, I hesitated.
It would take a while with these tiny hands.
As I blankly stared at my pale, small palms, Toya playfully shook the sunscreen bottle in front of me.

Honestly, I probably could’ve done it fast enough myself… but…

“Squeeze~ There we go, come here~”

Before I could say anything else, Toya had already squeezed the sunscreen out.
So I had no choice but to shuffle over to her.

She looked so ridiculously happy as I approached.
I glanced at her hands and tightly shut my eyes.
Getting sunscreen in your eyes hurts, after all.

“Hehehehehe…”
“…?”
Pat, pat, rub, rub—

What followed was an extremely thorough application.
I mean, is it really necessary to go that hard with sunscreen?!
Toya was going all out like she was polishing a gemstone or something.

Uh, Toya? I think you’ve covered everything already? You can stop now? Hello?
I shouted in my head, but of course, it didn’t reach her.

“Yeoreum’s cheeks are so soft…”
“Ugh…”
“Ah! Sorry! Did I do it too much? Ah… they’re kinda red now…”

Only after I finally let out a sound did her hands retreat.
If I had waited even a little longer, she probably wouldn’t have stopped until my cheeks peeled off.

It felt like I had held a hot pack to my face for ten minutes.
Really, how much did she touch me?

“Well, it’s not that noticeable, so maybe it’s okay?”
“It’s not okay.”

Toya clapped her hands and smiled, and I hit her with a full-on tsukkomi.
Ugh, and we hadn’t even left the house yet and I was already exhausted.
I sighed, and Toya just laughed again.

At least she knew she went too far, so I’ll let it slide this time.
…Though I seem to be letting a lot slide lately. Probably just my imagination.

“Okay! It’s still chilly out—let’s get your coat on, or you’ll catch a cold.”
“Okay.”
“Arms up!”
“…Arms.”

I wasn’t sure if this was a conversation between friends or a mom and her toddler.
When Toya got excited, it was better to just go with the flow.
I stretched out my arms and she slipped the coat onto me with practiced ease.

She must’ve had a little sibling or something, right? She was too good at this.
…Now that I think of it, I don’t know anything about Toya’s family.

As she proudly smiled after zipping me up, I quietly reached out and took her fingers.
Let’s go.

My hands were so tiny, I could barely grip her index and middle finger together.
How could I possibly call myself an adult like this…

“Ah! Yeoreum grabbed my hand!”
“….”
“Wow~ That’s a big step for someone like Yeoreum!”

“Someone like me,” huh?
I narrowed my eyes at her, but she just shook her head like it was nothing.

Don’t look at me like I’m too cute to exist!

Feeling flustered, I tugged on her hand.
Let’s go. I’m not the kind of person who just sits there and accepts being called bad at games!

“Alright, alright. I’m coming.”
“Hmph.”

I knew full well she was matching my pace, not the other way around…
But it still felt good to pretend I was the one pulling her along.

Anyway, it took longer than expected, but it was finally time.
Time to go find the keyboard and mouse that’ll be my new partners!

…Though Toya was the one actually leading the way.

“Let’s go, Toya.”
“Yeah, Yeoreum.”

My hands were a little slick from the sunscreen,
but it was warm enough to feel each other’s presence.

As I stepped past the front door and looked back,
our eyes met.

From the moment we met until now,
Toya had always looked only at me.

It was probably out of worry.
But still…

Someday, I want to get better.
So Toya doesn’t have to worry anymore.
That’s what I promised myself.

—

[From now on, this gallery belongs to Ichinose Natsu.]
[Anyone got a problem?]
ㄴ[Who the hell is Ichinose Natsu, you weebs lol]
ㄴ[You don’t know the Japanese VTuber Ichinose Natsu? Outdated boomer much? lol]
ㄴ[Get out of the Han Yeoreum gallery lol]
ㄴ[Your leader’s been gone forever, just move on and leave.]
ㄴ[Real talk, Yeoreum’s not coming back. Move on already lol]
ㄴ[Our streamer’s gonna return someday. Just wait.]
ㄴ[Even if there’s no news, it’s no excuse to let a Japanese VTuber take over.]
ㄴ[Ban anyone who mentions Ichinose Natsu. For real.]
ㄴ[ㄴIchinose Natsu is Han Yeoreum. Don’t like it? Bring your boy back.]
ㄴ[ㄴMods do the banning, not the streamer. I’m reporting this btw.]

[Please show some love to Ichinose Natsu too.]
[I was once a loyal Yeoreum fan, but watching the current state of this gallery… it breaks my heart.
What crime has Ichinose Natsu committed? Did she kill someone?
She only came to breathe life into this dying gallery.
And did you know her name, “Ichinose Natsu,” actually contains “Yeoreum”?
It’s basically fate. Let’s all thrive together.]

ㄴ[What kind of nonsense is this? Just make a new gallery lol]
ㄴ[Respect.]
ㄴ[ㄴRespect my ass lol]
ㄴ[ㄴAlt account for sure lol]
ㄴ[ㄴJust go to the VTuber gallery. Don’t set fire to the funeral hall.]
ㄴ[ㄴIt’s not fire, it’s a revival party!]
ㄴ[ㄴOur leader isn’t dead… still alive…]
ㄴ[Also, Ichinose Natsu <— kinda cute ngl]
ㄴ[ㄴTraitor.]
ㄴ[ㄴYou’re the new Ito Hirobumi huh lol]
ㄴ[This gallery’s falling apart and the streamer’s still silent…]
ㄴ[ㄴ(Han Yeoreum voice: “Yo, bro~” emoji)]

Fables