Chapter 31: When a crisis comes , let’s train…

[Kurokami Hikari: What? It’s not like that!]

I didn’t have the courage to shout that out.

[Kaino Izumi: Um, Kurokami-senpai, do we really have to collaborate?]

It goes without saying that the person I was DMing as Miss Code was Kurokami-senpai. Kurokami-senpai’s

declaration of a challenge was essentially the same as an announcement of our collaboration.

And during yesterday’s broadcast, Kurokami-senpai had challenged me, resulting in a DM exchange with a senior I

had never even spoken to.

[Kurokami Hikari: Of course we do! Ever since yesterday, there has been a surge in opinions across various communities expressing anticipation for our collaboration.]

I couldn’t argue with that statement.

[Anticipating collaboration between the lady and Mei-chan #KurokamiHikari #KainoIzumi #Hikazumi]

[What will happen with the collaboration of two prideful RP amateurs? #Hikazumi]

[Hurry up and set a schedule and announce it, Starfl! #KurokamiHikari #KainoIzumi #Hikazumi]

If I immediately turned on the Nator and searched for Kaino Izumi or Kurokami Hikari, I would find the hashtag ‘#Hikazumi’ already created and trending.

Kurokami-senpai’s statements had already been turned into clips circulating throughout the entire community.

But this was a situation where I was being forced into a collaboration without any say in the matter.

[Kaino Izumi: Isn’t this a bit harsh on me right now…?]

Isn’t it okay to protest a little?

[Kurokami Hikari: In the first place, it was you, Kaino, who brought up my RP!]

[Kaino Izumi: …I’m sorry.]

I didn’t expect to end up with nothing after making such a pointless complaint. Is this the majesty of a senpai?

[Kurokami Hikari: In fact, after your comment, there were already discussions about our collaboration popping up in the community. So, it was a collaboration we were bound to do eventually anyway.]

I definitely saw a few posts about that after the broadcast ended when I googled myself. But I thought that the

unexpected yuri declaration I made was the bigger topic and that the collaboration discussions would be buried

under it, so it was just a matter of time until it came up again.

[Kurokami Hikari: I’ve already informed the company, so a schedule will be set up soon. In the meantime, let’s think of some content together.]

[Kaino Izumi: Understood….]

Since the company has already been notified, I had no choices left.

I hate this world.

★
“Ho, could this be what they call the butterfly effect?”

[Kojou: It’s probably just reaping what you sow.]

“Hmm.”

Kojou gave the same answer as my manager. I knew it was a form of reaping what I had sown, but I asked that

question believing that Kojou would take my side, especially since Kojou had seemed much kinder after our offline

collaboration.

Instead, I had to have a call like this at least once a day now. Thanks to that, my communication skills improved to

the point where I barely stuttered on broadcasts, but still, I felt just as tense when speaking directly on the phone.

Could I really change…?

Isn’t it better to live as the king of outcasts?

Pursuing solitude feels kind of cool.

[Stop with the strange thoughts. So what do you want help with?]

Now that Kojou was reading my thoughts without any difficulty, it scared me a bit, but I had to answer the question first.

But what if this thought was being read too?

“Well, shouldn’t I start by figuring out what to be cautious about when collaborating with senpai?”

[Things to be cautious about when collaborating with senpai?]

Right now, my collaboration experience included one group collaboration with the second-generation students, two

collaborations with Kojou, and one offline collaboration with Kojou, totaling four. But I had to keep in mind that all

my partners were fellow students.

Until now, I had made mistakes, but those happened among peers, so I could laugh them off to some extent. But

making mistakes while collaborating with a senpai…

No matter how I think about it, at that moment, it was a 100% massive embarrassment.

[Hmm. But Izumi, I’ve been in every collaboration you’ve done so far, haven’t I?]
“Y-yes?”

I had thought about collaborating with the other peers, but I hadn’t even made a proposal yet. But a collaboration

proposal from a peer I hadn’t even spoken to properly would definitely be viewed negatively…

Is my only hope really Kojou Mama?

Wah! I’m baby Izumi. Kojou Mama, help me…

[Alright. How about this? When collaborating with Hikari-senpai, I’ll join in too. I have experience collaborating with Kurokami-senpai, so it should be easier to coordinate, right? I can help during the broadcast as well.]

“Uh…”

I felt like that wasn’t a bad idea. Kojou had experience collaborating with senpai and knew me better than any other peer.

But…

“I still think it should just be the two of us, senpai and me.”

I felt that involving Kojou in this collaboration wasn’t a good idea.

“The collaboration with Kurokami-senpai, initiated by the challenge, has never been a group collaboration, and if Kojou participates in this situation, it might actually lead to an even bigger embarrassment.”

I could tell without trying that the moment Kojou joined this collaboration…

[Clearly, Kaino asked Suzuhachan to join because she felt burdened going solo.]

[How long will she keep relying on others and being a nuisance?]

[I hope she stops acting like a newbie now that she’s building her career.]

[She’s the one who caused this, and it was senpai who suggested the collaboration, so is this really okay?]

[Suzuhachi being too accommodating is a problem too. Even if she’s the eldest among the second-generation students, if she keeps accommodating too much, she won’t be able to do anything by herself.]

[A freeloading, talentless VTuber ᄏᄏᄏᄏ]

Such sentiments would undoubtedly explode all over the place.

I can predict this without even trying. You could bet on it. My brain, having lived nearly half my life in internet

communities, simulates this perfectly.

“And most importantly, I can’t always collaborate with Kojou, and I shouldn’t be a burden to her every time this happens.”

Even if a pure beginner starts playing a game, they can’t rely on oil for their entire life. Likewise, I can’t always

depend on Kojou’s help.

Ultimately, the reason I’m broadcasting is to improve this incredibly embarrassing communication skill. And if I can

recover my self-esteem while doing that, even better.

But if I keep relying solely on Kojou, achieving that will be very difficult.

[…You don’t have to think of it as being a burden.]

“…Huh?”

[You don’t have to see it as being a burden! We’re friends!]

“Uh, well, I heard that…”

I’m not a dense protagonist from a romantic comedy, and I could definitely hear her whispering. The reason I

questioned it was that I wondered if it was necessary to click my tongue while saying something nice…

[Ah~. It’s nothing. I just said it anyway. It doesn’t make sense to bring a peer into a proposal made by senpai.]

Why does it feel like Kojou is a bit angry?

Even though her voice sounds cheerful, the atmosphere feels chillingly cold.

Why? Let’s think about it. To summarize, it’s a level 5 problem: “What could be the reason for Kojou’s current bad mood?”

Based on my combined 40 years of life experience…

• I have no idea.
  If I had known that, I would have had more friends…
  Well, a 24-year-old like Kojou wouldn’t have thoughts typical of an elementary school student, like “I’m annoyed because my friend is playing with someone else.”
  It’s probably my misunderstanding, right?
  After all, in my 40 years of life, I’ve only had two friends total, so I wouldn’t have the intuition to read someone else’s feelings.[Then I’ll send you a separate DM with some points to be careful about while collaborating with senpai. Is there anything else I can help with?]
  “Hmm. Let’s see… D-daily calls?”
  [But we’re already talking for 20 minutes every day, aren’t we?]
  …241.
  “Ah… Then, could you point out my issues during these calls?”Of course, even if she points out my issues right away, it doesn’t mean I can fix them immediately. But knowing whether I’m aware of my problems or not is a significant difference. At least I could be cautious.
  [Pointing out issues, huh? That’s definitely a good idea. Can we start right now?]
  “…Huh? Ah, no. I mean, can’t we start from tomorrow?”

  Since I don’t have a collaboration schedule with Kurokami-senpai yet, I thought I’d have at least a week of grace period, so is it necessary to start right now?
  [The most noticeable thing is definitely the stuttering, right?]

  But Kojou ignored my words and continued talking.
  “W-well, that’s a bit unavoidable…”
  [It’s not a matter of whether it’s unavoidable or not, right? I think the most important thing is to be aware of the problem. When I think about it, the stuttering stands out the most. In my case, it felt like you were forcing yourself to endure what you disliked. Have you ever actually thought that way?]

  I definitely remember thinking while looking at my classmates, “Is it really necessary to talk that much?”
  “B-but the stuttering is for a reason…”
  [That’s the second issue. You tend to focus on unimportant details. What I wanted to say is, ‘I’ve felt that way when I saw you stutter.’ Whether you think that way or not isn’t that important. It doesn’t matter if that’s not the reason for your stuttering. But you tend to fixate on those details in such situations.]
  “Sorry…”
  [No need to apologize. I don’t think it’s something you have to fix, but since you asked me to talk about it, I’m doing it.]
  “B-but I didn’t mean for you to say it right now…”
  [Ah, and I think you should also work on your overly negative attitude a bit. Other differences can be overlooked, but a negative attitude doesn’t look good to those around you. There’s no need to think excessively positively. Even if you have negative thoughts, just don’t bring them up.]

  I was finally released after being scolded for over two hours instead of the usual 20 minutes.
  “Y-yes… I’ll try to fix it…”
  So she was angry, wasn’t she?