Now That I Have Become a Woman, I Am a Vtuber - Chapter 97

“Yes, I’m Suhyun.”

Tenshi-san, the internet friend I was meeting for the first time, had a delicate and sweet voice and looked small and cute, fitting that image perfectly.

“Heek-.”

Seeing her cover her mouth in disbelief after that reaction, she seemed just the same as her online self. With a light smile, I gestured toward the station exit, finding her lively gestures different from when we talked on the phone.

“Shall we go out? Show me around the area.”

“Oh, umm… Hai!”

So, with a slightly stiff Tenshi-san, we left the station and began walking around Japan. Although we met to discuss the song, we decided to have some fun first.

Since she said she had planned the entire course, is it okay to expect something special? As we continued walking with that thought in mind, the slightly tense Tenshi-san asked nervously.

“We… we’re going to a cafe, is that okay!?”

“A cafe sounds good.”

“Th-then, let’s go!”

Following her lead, we arrived at a place that looked a bit different from the cafes I knew. Sure, there was a pink heart sign, but above it was also a large group photo of girls in maid outfits.

“Ta-da! A maid cafe!”

… It seemed like Tenshi-san had prepared this as a surprise stop, but she looked so nervous that I didn’t know how to react.

“Wow, uh, wow.”

Seeing my awkward response, Tenshi-san looked slightly disappointed but led me inside, mentioning she had already made a reservation. …I feel a bit guilty. I’m not exactly great at giving big reactions. I usually prefer receiving rather than doing something.

Am I being too selfish?

Anyway, once inside, the maid cafe was certainly a new experience. In my life, I’d never really had the chance to see women in maid outfits. And having cute maids come out in groups to guide us was certainly a nice touch. The interior was also well-decorated and tidy.

As we sat in our reserved seats, a maid in uniform approached with the menu. Since my basic Japanese was lacking, Tenshi-san took over the ordering, relaying my choices. Once the order was done and the maid left, it was just me and Tenshi-san at the table.

Hmm… What should we talk about?

Even if I wanted to act naturally, her nervousness was rubbing off on me.

“Um, ano…”

Then, Tenshi-san, who had been glancing around nervously, finally spoke.

“Uh… Suhyun, were you… an idol, by any chance?”

“…What?”

She probably wasn’t referring to my work as a VTuber, so did she mean an actual idol?

“No way. I went to college.”

“Eh, really?”

“Yeah, I was studying design when I tried out for a VTuber audition and decided to go with that instead.”

“Ehh?”

Did she really think I was an idol? Well, I guess it’s not that unreasonable of a misunderstanding.

“You… you look even prettier than the K-pop idols I’ve seen… even more than that….”

It’s a bit overwhelming to be looked at with those kinds of eyes, but I’m used to it.

“I know. It’s not just a little bit pretty, right?”

I can relate; I was shocked myself when I first looked in the mirror. Anyone meeting me for the first time probably feels something similar. The only difference is whether they show it, like Tenshi-san, or not.

“Yes, that’s right…! Did you see how surprised the maids were earlier?”

“I did. They were definitely staring, weren’t they?”

Even though they kept up their professional demeanor, I noticed them sneaking glances at me too. But I didn’t mind; I would have probably stared too if I were in their position.

“Are you going to keep complimenting me, though? Tenshi-san, you’re cute too.”

“Eh—eh? But compared to Suhyun….”

She seems bright on the outside, but is her self-esteem lower than I thought? Or maybe she’s just being modest.

“Looks are endless if you compare them relatively. It’s better to see things subjectively.”

I said this to gently encourage her not to put herself down in front of me, though I wondered if she understood what I meant. Sometimes, her Korean is so good that I feel like she gets everything, but some words might still be tricky….

“Uh, oh—yes! Thank you!”

Judging by her expression, she seemed to have understood, which was a relief. In that slightly relaxed atmosphere, we continued our conversation.

“Are there really that many Koreans here?”

Since I was in Japan, I shared some of my observations from walking around yesterday, and Tenshi-san looked a bit surprised when I mentioned the number of Koreans.

“Yes, maybe because it’s a tourist area, but I saw one almost every three steps!”

“Eh—I don’t go to those areas much, but it does seem like Korean people visit Japan often!”

Well, Japan does feel like an easy overseas trip—no visa, close distance, and quite familiar, especially if you’ve watched anime. There are probably way more Koreans visiting Japan than Japanese visiting Korea.

“That’s why I’m looking forward to today. It’s a course introduced by a local, after all!”

“Eek—don’t put pressure on me! I only half-seriously planned it.”

“Really? Even so, I’m enjoying it.”

As I said that, I looked over to see a maid approaching with a tray of drinks from afar. When would I ever get to see this kind of thing again? If I’d come when I was a guy full of energy, my excitement might have been through the roof… or maybe I’d be so shy that I’d barely manage to look around.

Anyway, the drinks that arrived looked… kind of cute. The strawberry drink had a lot of pink cream piled on top; it was seriously sweet.

Next up, we ordered the classic omurice…

“Oishikunare~”

The maid cheerfully said as she drizzled ketchup over the dish, reminding me of scenes from anime stored in the memories of the female Kim Suhyun.

…Am I supposed to do that too?

No way, right? There are quite a few people around; did everyone here really go along with it?

But then…

“Oishikunare~ onegaishimasu!”

Tenshi-san, sitting in front of me, followed along without any hesitation.

Hmm, it was cute, but… if she does it first, then it’s obviously my turn next.

The maid, ready to drizzle ketchup over my omurice, looked me straight in the eyes.

…Am I really supposed to do this? Couldn’t Tenshi-san just do it one more time for me?

As I hesitated, Tenshi-san, unable to stand it any longer, stepped up.

“Come on, Suhyun! You just say, ‘Oishikunare~ onegaishimasu!’ like that!”

“But, uh…”

I get that you’re excited, Tenshi-san, but aren’t you aware of our surroundings?

Even with my striking looks, raising her voice like that only drew more attention from the crowd. Not to mention, as the “cool beauty” type, it felt out of character for me to do something like this.

I could sense the growing anticipation in the eyes of those around me, wondering if I would actually go through with it.

Was this Tenshi-san’s plan all along? Maybe she brought me here precisely for this reaction.

Even though my eyes were closed, I could still feel the weight of their gazes pressing down on my shoulders. There was no escaping this situation without killing the mood.

Well, I’m an actress with a packed schedule, albeit in small roles. If I can’t pull off something like this, what can I manage?

Resolving myself, I plastered on a shameless expression and finally went for it.

Sigh, the embarrassment would just be mine to bear.

***

“Suhyun! That was so kawaii!”

As soon as we left the maid cafe, Tenshi-san, practically bouncing with excitement, eagerly shared her review.

…Well, if she enjoyed it, I guess it’s all good.

Even after that bizarre “deliciousness spell,” my ordeal wasn’t over. Maybe the maids found it fascinating that I’d actually done it, or maybe they wanted to see more, but they kept asking me to try different things. Since I’d already done it once, I decided to give in and did whatever they asked.

“Here, look at this!”

Tenshi-san, fully immersed in the experience, took several photos and videos to keep as memories, proudly showing them to me.

“…You’d better not show those to anyone else.”

“I’ll keep them just for me!”

Well… she didn’t seem like someone who’d leak anything. Looking back on everything I went through, maybe it wasn’t that bad.

…Probably.

“So, where to next?”

“Um… let’s go to karaoke!”

Karaoke? Sounds great. Now that I think about it, it’s been a while since I last went.

“Sounds good.”

I was a bit curious about Japanese karaoke, wondering if it’d be different from what I was used to.

“This way!”

The karaoke place we arrived at, after only a short walk, didn’t look that different from those in Korea. The interesting part was that the karaoke machine had options in Korean, making it easy to search for Korean songs.

In the karaoke room, I excitedly showcased my singing skills. With the voice my parents gave me, refined by my vocal teacher, and polished by composer Kang Woo-hyun, I showed Tenshi-san what Kim Suhyun could do. She was visibly shocked, sitting across from me.

“Why are you so good??”

“It’s the result of hard work.”

“Hee- That’s awesome!”

Tenshi-san also sang, choosing cute songs that matched her voice. Honestly, it was way more enjoyable than the maid cafe, maybe because my ears were enjoying it.

After spending quite a bit of time in the karaoke room, we stepped outside. However, maybe the room’s soundproofing was just that good?

Sssshhh-.

The once-clear sky had turned into a heavy downpour, and I only realized it when we exited the karaoke place.

“Eeeek!”

From Tenshi-san’s reaction, it seemed the rain wasn’t part of the forecast. Could it be a sudden shower? It was pouring heavily.

Looking around, I saw a few people standing under buildings, just as taken aback as we were. Hmm… What should we do?

“Eh… eto….”

Looking over, I saw Tenshi-san looking downcast. It made sense; she’d planned everything carefully, and now her plans were being washed away by unexpected weather. But we couldn’t just stand here all day, so we needed an umbrella….

Scanning the surroundings, I noticed a convenience store diagonally across the street. Japanese convenience stores probably sell umbrellas, right?

“Do convenience stores sell umbrellas?” I asked Tenshi-san.

“Umbrellas? Yeah, they do….”

“Wait here.”

The rain was coming down hard, but the store was close enough that I could probably make it if I dashed over.

“Huh? You’re going to run over? You’ll get soaked!”

“It’s fine.”

Even if I get a little wet, I can just dry off with a towel or tissues. Besides, how cool would it be to run over and grab an umbrella in this situation? It’d be a nice gesture to cheer up my slightly downcast friend.

Once I’d made up my mind, I took off at a sprint.

“Suhyun?!”

Leaving Tenshi-san’s startled voice behind, I ran at full speed like I was back in a school sports day.

Thud!

Only to trip and fall flat on my face.

“Suhyun??”