From VTuber♂ to VTuber♀ - Chapter 202

Return to Square One (1)

“Huuuuu‑ng—”

“Good job, Yeoreum.”

“I don’t know if I’d call it a job, really…”

Vacation’s over.
Back in Japan—well, you could say back. Anyway.
Maybe it was the first flight in a while, but every joint in my body ached.
Physically, that was that; as for my feelings… well—yeah. Those too.

“Yeeeoreuum…!”

“Eh—Koyuki?!”

No sooner had we entered the arrivals hall than Koyuki appeared to meet us, and my eyes went wide.
I’d honestly expected her to be holed up in her room!
While I stared at this rare creature, she dove straight into my arms.

“I had such a hard tiiiime… sniffle…”

“W‑Why…?”

“Look over there!”

I followed her pointing finger—and saw Nozomi waving at me.
Huh? Why are Nozomi and Koyuki together?
I looked back and forth; Nozomi started walking toward us while Koyuki trembled.
…What on earth had happened?

“E‑Exercise is the wooorst… N‑No more…”

“Wait, you made Koyuki exercise?”

“Yes. She was loafing at home, so I put her through a routine.”

Here’s what went down:
While I was away, Nozomi had come to clean the house I share with Toya.
The moment she stepped inside she found Koyuki lounging around.
At first she mistook her for me—she’s even thinner than I am—but once she realized it was Koyuki, she basically kidnapped her…
…and spent the whole time coaching her workout.

“…You must’ve suffered, Koyuki.”

“It was awful—awful, I almost died…”

“There there—you did your best.”

I ruffled her hair and she nuzzled into my chest.
Though I’m sure exercise wasn’t the only reason; she could just admit she felt lonely.

“You ditched me and went off with Toya, so you have to hang out with me for a while, okay?”

“Sure, as much as you want.”
I loved spending time with Koyuki too.

“Welcome back.”

“Mm… yeah, I guess.”

“She didn’t bother you, did she?”

Nozomi’s suspicious stare turned toward Toya—big‑sis mode activated.
Even as her sister, she was brimming with doubt.
But really, nothing weird happened.

“…If you say so, I’ll let it slide. If she tries anything, just tell me.”

“I don’t think Toya would, but… okay.”
Nozomi nodded, satisfied.

Hard to believe the trip’s already over.
Five days of vacation felt more like five seconds—almost like all we did was fly twice.

…All right, Yeoreum.

But it wasn’t as if nothing had changed.
I’d sorted out lingering feelings—said my farewells.
Refusing my ex‑manager had left a mark, but I knew it was the best ending: the more lingering attachments we kept, the more we’d both suffer.

“So where’s Ragu‑sensei? Didn’t come along?”

“No idea—that idiot.”

“You fought? Look, if it’s your fault, just admit it and apologize first.”

“I did not fight—why are you instantly sure it’s my fault?!”

Because I can read your mind, maybe?
Even if I didn’t know the details, I could see Koyuki felt guilty towards Ragu‑sensei—
Probably because Sensei’s swamped with work and can’t play with her.
That explained why Koyuki came to our place so often.

“Come on, let’s head home first. Talk to Sensei properly later.”

“…Okay.”

I patted her back and reached for Toya’s hand.
First things first—time to let my listeners know we’d made it back safe.
Live Stream

“Kon‑Natsu~ Hello, this is Ichinose Natsu from V‑Spe Gamers!”

—Kon‑Natsu!
—Kon‑Natsu~
—Finally back, Nat‑chan wwww
—How was the trip?
—Missed you, Nat‑chan 草
—She’s really live!!!

“It’s been a while—nice to see everyone. We did do a voice‑only stream on the trip, though.”
Since no avatar appeared on screen then, it probably felt like we’d been gone longer. That voice stream was more like calling home.
Definitely fewer viewers that time, but those who tuned in were super hyped.

[¥1000 Super Chat]
—So what did you do on vacation?

“Honestly, we spent the most time at the hotel… but I did meet some acquaintances.”

—Acquaintances?
—Nat‑chan’s got friends in Korea?
—She probably knows more people there than in Japan wwww
—Someone’s clearly new here 草
—Did you have fun?

“It was fun. I bought a ton of souvenirs—although Toya bought way more. I thought I’d die carrying it all, ahaha.”
Most came from the sub‑culture fest, but even snacks alone overflowed our suitcase. Our drawers are stuffed with Korean treats now.
I told Toya not to buy my favorites since I eat them all the time—she ignored me, of course.

—Right, it was abroad for Toya…
—Toya must’ve enjoyed it even more lol
—Both Nat‑chan and Toya were gone, we suffered…
—Glad you rested well 草
—Five straight days away was rough on us too (笑)

“I’m not planning to disappear again anytime soon—I’ve got tons of ideas I want to try.”
Talking with Manager‑nim brought back so many memories of my Han Yeoreum days; I couldn’t stop smiling.
I wanted to revisit the things that made those times so fun.

“So, today’s stream is… a singing one.”

—Singing?
—UTAWAKU!
—Straight to UTAWAKU after vacation ww
—As long as you don’t overdo it, we’ll love it, Nat‑chan!
—Nat‑chan singing! x4
—You’ll sing ‘Little Devil Revolution,’ right?

“I’ll… think about Little Devil Revolution.”
Haven’t even told Toya—springing it on her might be rude.
Honestly it’s a well‑made song—Toya associates it with bad memories but I still think it’s cute, especially since it was the first Toya sang.

[¥1000 Super Chat]
—Then how about ‘Enough to Melt’?

“…I’m not skilled enough to belt that kind of high note.”
Even as Han Yeoreum I avoided songs that required screaming high.
I was never good at them, and my tone wasn’t clean.
Now with less lung capacity, it’d be impossible.

—Eeeh.
—But the effort is what we love.
—Watching Nat‑chan strain for high notes would be adorable ww
—Nat‑chan’s always been a hard‑worker; just practice and nail it later?
—wwww

“…”
I don’t want to show a terrible performance—but if the listeners want it once, maybe that’s okay?
Heart pounding, I took a slow breath.
Familiar feeling: when I’d practice until a song sounded passable and got showered with praise.

“I’ll sing it. Just… don’t roast me too hard if it’s bad, okay? I’ll keep working till I improve.”

—Even if you sing poorly, we’ll enjoy it!
—Nat‑chan’s voice alone is great, so no problem.
—Feels nostalgically familiar ww
—‘Keep working till you improve’ = you’ll sing Enough to Melt every stream, right?
—Today is the day I ascend…

Yeah, I’m not backing out now.
Goal for today: sing Enough to Melt well enough.
I cleared my throat, cued the karaoke track—
Please let this go okay…

—

[Nat‑chan sings Enough to Melt]
Clip: Nat‑chan belting the song
“The high notes are disastrous wwww”

ㄴBut she’s cute, so it’s fine
ㄴDefinitely not a high‑note queen
ㄴFor a first try it’s passable lol
ㄴYou’re wearing Nat‑glasses wwww
ㄴShe’s cute = acceptable
ㄴIsn’t it too much right after vacation?
ㄴNat‑chan’s diligent!
ㄴToo diligent, maybe ww
ㄴShe kept singing to the end—respect
ㄴShe’s already starting a second take wwww
ㄴHonestly better than the first…?
ㄴYou’re way too biased lol