From VTuber♂ to VTuber♀ - Chapter 136

**Nozomi-san. (7)**

A heartfelt exchange between sisters, revealing their true feelings, was a pretty moving scene.

The _one_ problem?

I was the one grilling the meat.

Already struggling with my small height, I had to half-stand on the chair to reach the grill. And with tiny hands, tongs and scissors weren’t exactly easy to handle either.

Still, I told myself—it’s okay. I can handle it. I’ve overcome tougher things before, haven’t I?

Hang in there, Han Yeoreum. Be strong, Han Yeoreum!

> “Hey, look at that kid.”

> “They’ve got a child grilling meat while the adults just sit around chatting?”

> “Tsk tsk tsk, the world’s going to hell…”

…So much for resolve. It didn’t take long for it to break.

The whispers from people around us were _not_ comforting.

I mean, I _get_ it—from an outsider’s perspective, that’s probably how it looked. A little kid grilling meat while the “guardians” sat and talked deeply.

But that’s not what was going on!

_‘If this keeps up, Toya and Nozomi’s reputations are going to die a social death…!’_

Despite my determination, my appearance did me no favors, and the misunderstanding just got worse.

Not that I could exactly _explain_ the situation to them—saying anything would only draw more attention.

The quietest way to fix this was to have one of them take over grilling, but…

How could I _interrupt_ such a deep conversation?

More than anything, letting them talk, even if it meant sacrificing myself, seemed way more important.

> “So? You get what I was trying to say now?”

> “Hmph. As if I care what you think.”

They’re bickering again, but hey—that’s practically peak sibling bonding.

I just need to hold on a bit longer. Just a bit more!

I’d tried to quietly listen in, but I’d gotten so caught up in grilling that I hadn’t followed most of the conversation.

I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I did want to understand Toya’s side of things—and Nozomi’s too.

But now…

> “Ah—”

…this is bad.

> “Are you okay?!”

The sizzling grill was suddenly right in front of my face.

If I’d hit that, it wouldn’t have ended with just a burn.

Thankfully, both of them caught me just in time and pulled me back. If they had been even a second slower…

Ugh. My heart.

It happened so fast, my heart was pounding in my ears.

_‘And now everyone’s staring…!’_

This was not how I intended things to go.

If I’d just been more careful…

Smoke had gotten in my eyes, I blinked, and my foot slipped. I had no idea it would go that far.

I let out a slow breath, remembering how close that hot grill got. Just _thinking_ about it made my skin crawl.

> “Yeoreum, are you okay?”

> “Y-Yeah…”

Even though my heart was calming down, the exhaustion hit like a truck.

I slumped down in my seat, limbs limp, as Nozomi quietly wiped my arm with a handkerchief.

…Thanks, really. But it would’ve been nice if that attention had come _sooner_.

At least I didn’t hiccup.

No, maybe I was so shocked the hiccup just vanished on its own.

> “…Let’s go home. Everyone’s staring too much.”

> “Ah, yeah. Let’s. So, what about you?”

> “Me?”

Nozomi blinked at Toya’s question.

Guess she didn’t expect Toya to ask that.

Still, being sisters, she understood what Toya meant right away.

_‘Looks like my efforts weren’t wasted after all.’_

Watching the two of them—still a bit awkward, but no longer hostile—I smiled to myself.

I never imagined things would improve _this much_ in just a lunch.

Ugh, my hands are greasy. I should wash them thoroughly when I get home.

Why am I this tired from doing so little?

It’s just lunch, but my eyelids were already getting heavy.

I guess grilling _is_ hard labor.

> “Yeoreum, tired?”

> “Mmhmm…”

> “So, what’s your decision? Hurry up and say it.”

> “…”

Nozomi’s face showed real hesitation.

But that was a good thing—it meant she was actually _thinking_ about it.

Maybe they hadn’t become besties in a day, but it looked like some of the tension between them had eased.

If that little accident hadn’t happened, maybe they could’ve gotten even closer today.

As I blamed myself for slipping, I smiled again watching them look at each other.

> “…I’ll go. But only because I want to see how well you’re really living after leaving home—don’t get the wrong idea! If your place is a mess, I’m taking Ichinose-san with me, so you better be ready!”

> “…”

Nozomi pointed dramatically, and Toya raised one corner of her mouth in a smirk, like she was daring her to try.

With that little spark reignited, all my drowsiness vanished.

Seriously… they’re not kids. Why are they like this?

—

**[Live Thread – Witnessed Real-Time Child Abuse at a Yakiniku Restaurant wwwww]**

> [(Video of a small white-haired, red-eyed girl diligently grilling meat)

Meanwhile, two women next to her are having a serious conversation while the kid keeps grilling lol

The real issue? That kid’s doing _all_ the grilling www]

– That kid grills like a pro though.

– Holding scissors and tongs bigger than her face?? Maybe she’s a grilling genius ww

– But seriously, who lets a kid sit that close to the grill? It’s dangerous.

– What could they possibly be talking about that’s more important than stopping a kid from burning herself?

– Probably weren’t planning on stopping her in the first place.

– Most cases of child neglect don’t have a logical reason.

– Yeah, no way a responsible adult would let this happen ww

– Her hair and eye color are so unique, I couldn’t stop looking.

– Same here wwww

– She grills so well I started wondering, “Wait, is this really abuse?” 草

– Maybe they _know_ she’s good at it, so they let her grill (笑)

– Could be a maid robot developed by the Japanese government.

– Your delusions are getting out of hand wwwww

> [The grilled meat girl nearly got seriously hurt…]

> [She slipped while grilling and almost fell onto the hotplate, but the two women caught her just in time.]

– That’s actually terrifying.

– At least it shows they care about her safety…?

– If they _really_ cared, they wouldn’t have let her near the grill in the first place.

– True.

– But maybe they just didn’t expect the situation to go that far…

– Something about that kid feels super familiar.

– Her design feels like she walked out of an anime ww

– She doesn’t even feel real. Like, how is this scene _real_ life? 草

– If I had a daughter like that, I’d be the one grilling.

– Of course you would wwww

– You should be grilling no matter what, daughter or not www

> [Hey, doesn’t that yakiniku girl look a _lot_ like Nacchan?]

> [(Side-by-side comparison of Nacchan and the yakiniku girl.JPG)

The more I think about it, the more it _has_ to be her wwwww]

– That’s definitely Nacchan!

– If yakiniku girl is Nacchan, then this wasn’t abuse at all ww

– Yeah, Nacchan’s an adult after all wwww

– Then who’s with her? Toya? Inari?

– Doesn’t really feel like Toya was there…

– Yeah, Toya wouldn’t _let_ Nacchan near the grill in the first place ww

– She’d probably bar her from the kitchen entirely 草

– If that really _is_ Nacchan, who were the others? New friends from Japan?

– Does she _need_ more friends when she has Toya?

– That’s one way to look at it wwwww

– With millions of Totomos, who needs more? 草

– Nacchan doesn’t even _try_ to hide that it’s her www

– Anyone can tell it’s her wwww