From VTuber♂ to VTuber♀ - Chapter 196

Vacation. (4)

“…”

“…Aren’t there too many people?”

After spending a day at the hotel, these were the first words that burst out as soon as I saw the entrance to the sub‑culture festival venue.
…Why are there so many people? Wasn’t it never this crowded before?

“Please keep your place in line and enter slowly! No pushing from the back!”

“…Should we just go back?”

“C’mon, we came all the way here—why bail now?”

Toya gripped my hand as though she’d never let go.
Toya gets stronger the bigger the crowd, but I’m the type that grows weaker the more people there are.
No matter where I looked, it was people, people, people.
Reflexively, I had no choice but to lower my head.

“Welcome~ How many in your party?”

“Two adults.”

“Two… adults?”

“Yes.”

One small person beside one tall person.
Maybe because Toya’s taller than average, I looked even smaller by contrast.
The clerk gave me that unhappy look—probably worried about a kid entering the adult zone.

“…I’m sorry, but could I see your ID?”

“Ah, sure.”

A perfectly reasonable suspicion.
I’d have doubted me too if someone who looked like me claimed they were an adult.
I fished my ID out of my bag and handed it to the staffer. Here you go.

“So, your name is…”

“….”

“…Everything checks out. Thank you, enjoy your day.”

Didn’t you just try to say something?
The staff member glanced back and forth between my ID and my face, opened her mouth, then shut it again—caught somewhere between flustered and moved.
Seeing that expression, a fact hit me.

‘…There’s no way they wouldn’t notice.’

Those three Hangul letters “한여름 (Han Yeo-reum)” printed on the ID.
And the photo of the white‑haired, red‑eyed girl.
It basically screamed “I’m Yeo-reum, also known as Ichinose Natsu!” to anyone who looked.
Even if I hid behind a cap and sunglasses, you can’t hide an ID photo.

“U‑um… I’d appreciate it if you kept this a secret.”

“Understood. Have a great time~”

She pretended it was nothing, but her voice couldn’t fully hide its excitement.
…She won’t tell anyone, right? Right?
After I glanced back a few times our eyes met; the staffer waved and clenched her fist in a “Fighting!” pose—asking me to trust her.
Okay—trust, Yeoreum. What else can you do?

“Let’s start over there, Yeoreum.”

“Over there…?”

Toya pointed straight at the game booths.
Figures—Toya’s a hardcore gamer.
We might look like big‑sister‑and‑little‑sister, but in truth we’re both real gamers.
Marching in confidently, what came into view was—

“…Toya?”

“…Yeoreum shouldn’t look. Bad for you, bad.”

“Bad how—”

Toya suddenly covered my eyes, so I stopped in place.
Sorry, but I was looking dead ahead; too late not to see it.
Being treated like a kid wasn’t new; the only annoying part was losing my vision.

“I’ve seen it already, so would you move your hand?”

“But still…”

“What do you mean, ‘but still’?”

I tapped the back of her hand and she reluctantly lowered it.
Well, thanks for worrying anyway.
I squeezed the hand that had dropped and she smiled, satisfied.

Sigh. Getting flustered over nothing special…
‘…Or is it reasonable to fluster?’

A life‑size standee of a character wearing the skimpiest outfit.
I lowered my head, my eyes wandering to those unrealistically oversized… assets.
Nothing blocks the view—my line of sight is wiiide open.

“I like little‑sized Yeoreum better.”

“…That’s not the point, okay?”

I slapped the hand holding mine.
I said I wanted to be taller, not that I wanted a bigger chest, got it?
Snorting, I strode straight into the booth.

“Come try it out~ Free demo~”

“….”
“….”

In the middle of the fake‑turf floor sat a single oil drum.
Not just any drum—a drum with a human‑shaped bullseye target attached, like an FPS training range.
Lined up beside it were rows of plastic K2 rifles.
Just seeing it made goosebumps prickle up my arms.
Unease climbing my spine—my brain screamed it didn’t want to accept what my eyes were seeing.

“Yeoreum, you okay? Why are you trembling?”

“…No, it’s nothing.”

This has nothing to do with me anymore.
Even if they paid me, no—paid me extra—I would never want to try that demo.
Of course, that’s because I’m an experienced person.
For someone who isn’t experienced—

“I don’t know what the demo is, but shall we give it a shot?”

“…I wouldn’t recommend it.”

“Why, is it weird? Like that stuff at the entrance?”

“It’s not like that…”

Definitely nothing lewd or embarrassing.
Just annoying—and maybe hard on the body.
…And seriously, who thought this was a good idea for a “demo booth”?

“Let’s just go, To— ahem, Momiji. Nobody’s here; clearly an unpopular booth.”

“Heeey…”

Toya let out a mysterious little whistle.
If we stayed she’d surely insist on trying, so I yanked her hand with all my strength.
Let’s go, let’s go—we have zero, absolutely zero time to waste on this!

.

.

.

“So, how’s it going? Working out?”

“No, it’s not that—no…”

I’m not sure how it came to this, but…
Her stance was sloppy—probably because she had no experience.
Yet bigger than Toya’s form was the growing crowd gathering around us.
Toya is a beauty—and a foreigner—so her just playing this “PRI” at a game booth naturally drew even more attention.

‘I wanna stay invisible—really, really invisible…!’

So stifling!
For some reason I felt I had to show a proper demonstration!
My fingers itched; old PTSD mixed with the nagging inner drill sergeant—
Grrr… Hold it in, Yeoreum. You don’t have to back‑seat this…!

“I’ll show you myself—just one last round and we’re out, deal?”

“Eh, you, Yeoreum?”

Toya looked at me like, “Can you really do it?”
Hey now, I’ve done this to death during weapons training, okay?
Gimme that.

The K2 felt a bit heavy, but being a plastic mock‑up it was still manageable.
The size might stop me from a perfect posture, but whatever.

“Look, you do it like this, like this.”

“Woooow… So cute!!”

“Ugh…”

Could you not call me cute where everyone can hear?
Somehow even more people gathered than when Toya was shooting.
After the demo a bunch of them grabbed me for photos…
Toya, meanwhile, laughed her head off at my discomfort.

Fine—if Toya’s happy, that’s all that matters.
…Yeah. That’s enough.

[Military‑trained grade‑school girl spotted at Sub‑Fest LOL]

[(Pic) “Mil‑trained grade‑schooler doing PRI.JPG”
Looks like she came with a guardian; maybe she got frustrated watching the guardian suck and did it herself LOL
But she was crazy good—everyone watching was stunned LOL]

ㄴ[Baker‑boy cap + sunglasses = hella swank LOL]
ㄴ[ㄴStraight up hip‑hop vibe.]
ㄴ[Pose is better than most otaku dudes LOL]
ㄴ[ㄴNo way anyone from Mil‑Gall would have worse form than conscripted grunts LOL]
ㄴ[ㄴHey, even public‑service guys went through boot camp.]
ㄴ[Who is she? Famous?]
ㄴ[ㄴShe will be famous after today ㅇㅇ]
ㄴ[ㄴI said, who the hell is she]
ㄴ[ㄴHow should I know LOL]
ㄴ[Oh‑some hot]
ㄴ[ㄴYou freak;;]
ㄴ[ㄴ(Just die emoji)]
ㄴ[ㄴGo straight to hell LOL]

[Took a pic with the mil‑trained grade‑schooler LOL]

[(Pic) “Photo with mil‑trained grade‑schooler.JPG”
Asked if I could take a pic—she said yes.
So cute I wanted to nom‑nom her LOL
If her guardian wasn’t there I’d have taken her home to raise her—damn…]

ㄴ[Gross otaku… huh?]
ㄴ[WTF why is it a girl;;]
ㄴ[Judging by that text she sounds like someone cops see a lot—why is it a girl LOL]
ㄴ[Why not a boy? Disappointing…]
ㄴ[ㄴDamn LOL]
ㄴ[ㄴGay gay…]
ㄴ[ㄴYou can be disappointed she’s not male, chill LOL]
ㄴ[ㄴ“Big bro, you’re so cool~ (jiggle)”]
ㄴ[ㄴDude stfu LOL]
ㄴ[Fact: the poster might not even be a girl…]
ㄴ[ㄴI am a girl. Can prove.]
ㄴ[ㄴProof fast—before the post vanishes ㅇㅇ]
ㄴ[ㄴStop begging for pics;;]

[Isn’t that mil‑trained grade‑schooler Yeoreum?]

[(Pic) Zoom of the mil‑trained grade‑schooler.JPG
Look closely—the hair’s white and the eyes are red, right?]

ㄴ[Holy crap, it is LOL]
ㄴ[Why like this LOL]
ㄴ[No way, must be cosplay or something;;]
ㄴ[ㄴWho cosplays in regular street clothes LOL]
ㄴ[ㄴMaybe there’s something under the clothes.]
ㄴ[ㄴSomething sexy under? Now that makes me drool LOL]
ㄴ[ㄴYou’re sick;;]
ㄴ[ㄴ(Here, wear this silver bracelet emoji)]
ㄴ[So what, her guardian is Yatogami Toya then? LOL]
ㄴ[ㄴCould be, right?]
ㄴ[ㄴGuardian looked like an ice‑cold beauty? Toya is an ice‑cold beauty… huff…]
ㄴ[ㄴ(Toya definitely a beauty emoji)]
ㄴ[ㄴ(Toya sexy Vtuber emoji)]
ㄴ[ㄴ(Inari screaming emoji)]
ㄴ[No way it’s really her LOL]