Chapter 98

Ｒε​ａd &o;​&n;​ ‍Ｋａt́Re&a;d​i​&n;&g;​Ćａfe

—
Ichinose Natsu, speaking… (5)

**“By the way, Yeoreum, how are you planning to stream while you’re here?”**
**“…It’ll work out somehow?”**

Now that I think about it… yeah, that’s a good point.

I blinked in surprise at Koyuki’s question, and she let out a soft giggle.

**“Like… maybe just go home only when it’s time to stream or something…”**
**“Do you even know the house password?”**
**“Of course I—”**

Wait, what was it again? Toya told me once a while back, but I couldn’t recall it _at all_.

Huh? I _definitely_ knew it…

Since I always went in and out with Toya, I never really had to input the code myself.

Guess I really forgot. Toya was always the one pressing the numbers anyway.

**“You don’t have to worry too much about streaming. I can lend you my computer if that’s all.”**
**“Minori!”**
**“…Seriously, I told you not to jump around just because you’re feeling better…”**

Koyuki suddenly jumped onto Ragu-sensei, surprising them as they shook their head with a smile.

It kind of felt like a small animal cub pouncing on someone.

Even I’d be startled if Koyuki came running at me like that.

Anyway, that wasn’t the point right now—

**“You really don’t have to go that far for me…”**
**“It’s fine. I barely use it anyway. Other than drawing sometimes, you can use it as much as you want, Ichinose-san.”**
**“Um… okay, thank you…”**

They said I could use it, but from the tone and atmosphere, it felt more like they _wanted_ me to stream here.

Well… as long as I’m not being a burden, it should be fine.

It’s not like I’m picky with equipment, and I could just use Koyuki’s spare keyboard and mouse.

Actually, come to think of it… maybe I really _can_ stream just fine from here.

**“Then… I’ll gladly take you up on that…?”**
**“No need to thank me. It’s only natural to do this for you, Ichinose-san.”**
**“Geez, you’re making Yeoreum uncomfortable, dummy Minori!”**

Ever since Koyuki’s surgery was a success, Ragu-sensei had been treating me like a lifesaver.

Even if it hadn’t been me, anyone else in the same situation probably would’ve made the same choice.

So in that sense, it wasn’t some heroic action or anything.

And really, Koyuki getting healthy was good for my own health too.

**“Still… it might be kind of fun if Yeoreum streams from our house.”**
**“Wouldn’t it be the same as usual?”**
**“No way, seeing it in person is totally different from just watching it on screen!”**

…You want to watch me _live_ while I stream?

Toya made sense—she’s a fellow VTuber and we’ve been living together, but Koyuki was a bit trickier.

It’s not that I _don’t_ want her to, it’s just… what if she’s disappointed?

I mean, I’m not _completely_ different on stream, but there _is_ a gap between on-stream me and regular me.

She’s probably seen me on Toya’s streams plenty of times.

But in person? We’ve only known each other for _less_ than a year.

Neither of us knows everything about the other yet.

**‘Kind of ironic, considering I ran away _here_, huh, Han Yeoreum?’**

I sighed quietly to myself.

Well, I’ll probably get used to it over time.

Even though we hadn’t known each other long, I already felt close to her. But to become real family? That takes time.

So maybe staying with Koyuki wasn’t such a bad choice after all.

**“Oh right! There’s something I want to show you, Yeoreum.”**
**“Something you want to show me? Like what?”**

She looked like something popped into her head, and I tilted my head curiously.

Maybe it was a new game release? She liked games too, after all.

It felt like a silly guess, but based on the way she was smiling, I probably wasn’t too far off.

Well, whatever it was—I was kind of looking forward to it.

Come to think of it, I’d never actually _played_ a game with Koyuki before.

I always played during streams, so I never had the chance.

**“Here, take a look.”**
**“…Huh?”**
**“They’re my childhood photos.”**

Not what I expected.

Koyuki pulled out a big photo album—completely filled with pictures of her as a little girl.

The smile on her face as she flipped to the first page was the kind only a child truly loved could wear.

I mean, I _was_ loved growing up too, in a way…

**‘But calling it “parental love” would be a stretch…’**

I never had parents, so I wouldn’t know. And whatever I felt toward the director of the orphanage didn’t feel like the kind of affection one would have for their parents.

As a kid, I might’ve confused the two. But as I got older, I understood.

Especially after seeing my classmates with their families at elementary school graduation—I couldn’t _not_ notice the difference.

What I felt wasn’t what those kids felt.

**“Don’t these kind of feel like _your_ baby pictures, too, Yeoreum? Since we look the same and all.”**
**“…Yeah.”**

If I had been born a girl from the start—and raised in a normal family—maybe I’d have had a childhood photo album like this too.

In a way, I was lucky not to have any childhood pictures.

I slowly nodded as I stared at a photo of a young girl with white hair beaming brightly.

She looked so much like me it was almost scary.

The resemblance was so uncanny—undeniably twin-like.

—

**[I drew what Natsu might’ve looked like “as a guy.”]**

**[(A drawing of Natsu with black hair and black eyes.JPG)]
Thought this might be what she looked like, so I sketched it out…**

ㄴ[It’s just “Black Natsu.”]
ㄴ[Dark Natsu LOL]
ㄴ[Usually, you imagine how someone might look based on their voice—but with Natsu, you just _see_ Natsu.]
ㄴ[Her model is so strong that I can’t imagine her any other way.]
ㄴ[So Toya lives with this hyper-cyan pill then?]
ㄴ[That’s _why_ she lives with her—she’s the blue pill LOL]
ㄴ[True tho…]
ㄴ[(Natsu Blue Pill Emote)]
ㄴ[But “Dark Natsu” really looks super blue…]
ㄴ[If she looked like this, I’d still be down.]
ㄴ[Pedopedo alert…]
ㄴ[(Inari Pedo Extermination Punch Emote)]
ㄴ[White hair and red eyes makes her look like an anime character, but give her familiar colors and she suddenly looks _dangerous_ ;;]
ㄴ[There’s a rumor that mentioning “Blue Pill Natsu” gets you sued. I love that story.]
ㄴ[(Natsu National Treasure of Korea Emote)]

—

**[New Ichinose Natsu emotes released!]**

**[(Natsu: “So you saw me as Han Yeoreum, huh?” Emote)
(Natsu: “I’ll stand at the top of V-Spe.” Emote)
(Natsu: “Yeah, I’m Han Yeoreum. So what?” Emote)
(Natsu: “Time to eliminate you.” Emote)
(Natsu: “Not a pedo.” Emote)
(Natsu: “Not illegal—perfectly legal.” Emote)
(Natsu: “I’ll sue the Joseon people.” Emote)
(Natsu: “Cookie thief.” Emote)
(Natsu: “Destroying the Perorist.” Emote)]
Please enjoy using them!**

ㄴ[The emote factory’s finally back LOL]
ㄴ[As soon as Natsu was confirmed to be Han Yeoreum, the emote makers went to work LOL]
ㄴ[(Natsu: “Yeah, I’m Han Yeoreum. So what?” Emote)]
ㄴ[(Natsu: “Time to eliminate you.” Emote)]
ㄴ[Sniff… I feel something stirring.]
ㄴ[(Natsu: “I’ll sue the Joseon people.” Emote)]
ㄴ[(Natsu: “Not illegal—perfectly legal.” Emote)]
ㄴ[(Natsu: “Destroying the Perorist.” Emote)]
ㄴ[V-Spe really scored by recruiting Natsu LOL]
ㄴ[She basically took over all the pie Han Yeoreum used to hold.]
ㄴ[Though to be fair, the Korean male VTuber scene wasn’t that big.]
ㄴ[The New Star of V-Spe: Natsu]
ㄴ[(Natsu: “I’ll stand at the top of V-Spe.” Emote)]

—

**[Ichinose Natsu (Han Yeoreum) Gallery Warning (※READ)**

**“Ichinose Natsu’s nationality is South Korean. Please refrain from inappropriate or sexual comments.
If a lawsuit (a real one) shows up at your doorstep, consider checking the temperature of the Han River. Thank you.”**

ㄴ[Then who’s going to accept my lewd jokes now…]
ㄴ[(Inari Pedo Extermination Punch Emote)]
ㄴ[(Natsu: “I’ll sue the Joseon people.” Emote)]
ㄴ[The worst part is that Natsu’s the channel owner, so lewd jokes might _actually_ get you sued…]
ㄴ[Damn, Han Yeoreum really did become a proper Korean woman!]
ㄴ[(Natsu: “So you saw me as Han Yeoreum, huh?” Emote)]
ㄴ[But even though they’re twins, will she still sue you for sexual harassment? Wasn’t she originally a guy?]
ㄴ[Saying lewd stuff to a guy can still get you sued, dude;;]
ㄴ[(Inari: “That’s weird…” Emote)]
ㄴ[Wait, are you saying Natsu is a _guy_ right now?!]
ㄴ[That’s GAY bro…]
ㄴ[Thinking of Han Yeoreum when you see Natsu? GAY GAY memo…]
ㄴ[(Han Yeoreum: “Not human.” Emote)]

—

Fables