Chapter 9: Abduction

“I’m full.”

Even after that mysterious warning appeared, Shia continued streaming as if nothing had happened. 

Then, out of nowhere, she began rubbing her belly and muttered in a sullen voice.

“I ate too much. I feel like I’m gonna burst.”

-ohoho

-Damn, that’s kinda lewd

-Heheheh

As she scratched her belly, her avatar on the monitor mirrored the exact motion.

Seeing that, I could finally confirm my suspicions.

I mean, sure, I did model the inside of the clothes just in case, but I never programmed her to scratch her belly like that.

Expressions I didn’t create. 

Movements I never added. 

Features that were never implemented. 

Somehow, her avatar was responding in real time—directly reflecting Shia’s actions in the real world.

Of course, it was all perfectly synced with what Shia was doing in reality.

“Hmm… but for how full I am, I didn’t make that much money.”

-Wait what?

-Are we just cash cows to her??

-It’s because the donation unit price is too low

-Let’s raise it a bit next time

-NOPE it’s perfect the way it is

-Maybe just a little more?

“Sadly, that’s it for today’s stream. I’m too full to continue. I’ll turn the stream back on when I get hungry again.”

-Byeeeeee

-Noooo

-You’ll stream again tomorrow, right?

As I stayed lost in thought, Shia finally wrapped up her first official stream.

“Oh, and by the way, we’re accepting fandom name submissions, so please—”

“The stream’s already off.”

“Ah, really?”

Watching her from the side, she still felt a bit unstable… but I had to admit, she was starting to seem like a proper VTuber.

That said, there was one major problem: those ominous warning messages we got earlier.

“…Human, what were those annoying red letters from earlier?”

“Hmm, I’m not exactly sure either…”

A ‘dimensional agreement violation’? 

I didn’t know the details, but I could take a decent guess.

“What exactly were you talking about right before the warning popped up?”

“Hmm… I think I said something about how, if those VTubers in the video were actually real gods from another dimension, wouldn’t that be wild?”

“…I see.”

I might not know how this whole industry works, but there must be a reason why the secret that “VTuber lore is real” has been so thoroughly kept under wraps all this time.

“From now on, I think it’d be best if you didn’t talk about VTuber lore during streams.”

“…What?”

“If you mention it, the platforms might penalize you. Seems like they take that kind of thing very seriously…”

If that’s the rule, we should follow it—for now, at least. 

Getting suspended would be a disaster for both me and Shia.

“…Hmm.”

The problem was whether she’d actually listen to me.

Especially with that dumb grin on her face right now, I wasn’t feeling confident.

“I hate being forced to do things.”

“…Excuse me?”

“It’s not just that it’s unpleasant. I don’t even understand why people would do that to each other.”

Listening to her speak made my head throb a little.

“If your stream gets suspended, you’re the one who loses out, Shia.”

“…True.”

“And so do I. I’ve staked everything on this project.”

Still, I doubt she’ll completely ignore me. 

She needs to regularly gather energy while she’s stuck in this dimension anyway.

Sure, technically she could replenish her power by consuming living creatures whole… but streaming as a virtual personality is way more efficient—not to mention a lot less horrifying.

“…Alright. But on one condition.”

“What now? Fine, let’s hear it first.”

Then, all of a sudden, she dragged her chair closer to me and started making a proposal.

Judging by the look on her face, it didn’t seem like she was about to ask for anything too serious… but still, how’d she go from streaming to feeling like she belonged in the WWE?

“I want to go for a walk.”

I blinked wide at the unexpected request.

“Ever since I crossed over into this world, I’ve been stuck in this tiny room the whole time.”

“……”

“I want to go outside… see what Earth looks like with my own eyes. Hehe.”

Well, considering her situation, it made sense. 

And it wasn’t really something I couldn’t let her do.

“…You’re not allowed to eat anything. Got it?”

She still lacked some basic human common sense, but as long as I stuck by her side and guided her, it should be fine… right?

“C-Can I eat stray cats?”

“No.”

“Bugs?”

“Do you really wanna go there?”

“…Hmph.”

One thing was clear—I absolutely had to stop her from hunting animals in public.

If anyone ever saw her doing that, I couldn’t even begin to imagine the fallout.

“What are you waiting for? Hurry up and turn into a cat.”

“Huh? Can’t I just go out like this?”

“You mean strutting around the streets with black mist pouring out of your body and tentacles flailing everywhere?”

As I hoisted up the backpack I planned to carry her in, I tried to reason with her. 

She pouted and tugged at her own tentacles in response.

“I can pull the tentacles back in, you know.”

“…Still, you really can’t risk being recognized.”

“Hmm…”

“Well, unless you can shapeshift into someone else.”

Her eyes sparkled at that, and she flashed that mischievous grin again.

“I can only shapeshift into beings I’ve consumed at least once.”

“…Of course you can.”

“If that’s what you want, I could always find a secluded alley late at night and, you know… just one person—”

“Nope! Here, take this mask and this hat. You’re sticking right next to me the whole time.”

“There you go, now you’re talking.”

She was way too quick to adapt to this situation, and I hated how smug she looked—but fine.

She’s still my streamer, after all.

Especially now that she racked up over 100,000 subscribers immediately after her first official stream.

“…Wait a second. How were you able to turn into a cat, anyway?”

“Huh?”

“You said earlier that you can only shapeshift into things you’ve consumed.”

As I took the backpack off again and helped her put on the mask and cap, the thought suddenly struck me.

“Hehehe…”

“…Shia?”

“It was delicious.”

Oh no. No way.

“Don’t worry. You’re the most delicious of all.”

And before I could even react to that horrifying statement, she hooked her arm around mine and leaned in to whisper sweetly near my ear by the front door.

“Is it okay if I sneak in a few little bites during our walk?”

“……”

“My energy needs are covered, so you’re just a treat now.”

How the hell did my life end up like this?

***

“Haa… haa…”

Three hours later, after taking Shia out on her very first walk outside.

“Hey human! Look over there!”

“……”

“There’s a rock man’s peepee spraying water! Ehehehe!”

Shia, seated happily on a park bench with a soft-serve ice cream cone in each hand, burst into laughter at the sight of a nearby fountain.

“…I’m losing my mind.”

Of course, unlike her, I wasn’t exactly in a position to enjoy the moment.

After spending the past three hours preventing her from causing a dozen potential incidents and catastrophes, I was completely exhausted.

For example, at a hamburger place near the park, she almost got caught trying to steal someone else’s fries with her tentacle.

Then she got chased out of a playground for watching kids play while grinning like a maniac—people thought she was suspicious (which, to be fair, she was).

She even ignored a red light, claiming she wasn’t human so human rules didn’t apply to her—and nearly got run over by a car.

But the worst part?

Some guy on the street asked if she knew about “the Way,” and she gave him that “gotcha now” look and almost followed him home. 

I had to physically hold her back.

‘I’m so damn drained…’

And to top it all off, while glued to my side, she wrapped herself around me with her tentacles and started sucking my energy like a human juice box.

To other people, we probably looked like a couple walking arm in arm.

To me, it was the surreal experience of being consumed in real time.

“Hey, Shia.”

“……”

“Sorry to bother you, but could you please let go with the tentacles…?”

At this rate, I was going to collapse. 

I turned to the person sitting next to me to ask her to stop draining me—

“…Huh?”

But instead of Shia licking an ice cream cone, I found a woman in a business suit sitting there.

“…Who are you?”

Frozen stiff from my lingering fear of women, I still managed to ask the question with great effort.

“…You’re the owner of the HaruOneCut channel, right?”

Her expression was blank, eyes narrowed into slits. 

She spoke casually—while pointing something at my side.

“You’ll need to come with me.”

“…Hhk.”

It took a few seconds for me to realize what she had pressed to my ribs was a well-maintained handgun.

“S-Shia…”

“If you raise your voice, I cannot guarantee your safety.”

Whoever this woman was, it was pretty clear that asking Shia for help wasn’t an option—especially since she was across the street, happily buying ten more soft-serve cones with my money.

“Don’t worry. Just relax and come quietly. I’ll treat you kindly.”

“…Haha.”

“I promise to avoid using force… as much as possible.”

Man… it’s been a while since I got kidnapped by a woman.

Goddamn it.