Chapter 112: But it must be incredibly embarassing for the person involved to have to sit on a chair like that…

“Th-that’s why I ended up joining the sports festival cheer squad….”

[With your personality, Izumi? Is that really okay? And more than that, being in the cheer squad means practice time…]

“A-ah, i-it’s fine. They said I don’t have to participate in practice, and on the day itself, I can just sit in the back…. Basically, I’m more like a ghost member.”

[Haa… Well, that’s a relief. You’ve been the busiest among us lately, Izumi.]

That was true. Just as Koga mentioned, I had been incredibly busy recently.

The fact that I was talking to Koga on the phone now was the first time in almost a week.

That’s also why I immediately joined the cheer squad when they said I could go straight home after class as usual.

[Anyway, like I mentioned before, I’ll contact you via Misscord in the middle, so just answer when I call.]

“Y-yes, understood…!”

Before I knew it, the second-gen Starsflow members had all completed their 3D debut broadcasts.

But that didn’t mean our schedules were over.

Especially for Koga and me, there was still so much left to do that we barely had time to contact each other since the last group call.

Even though our manager and the Starsflow members suggested taking a break from broadcasting, I decided to endure it because my fans loved me too much to let them down.

Do they even know how hard I’m working for them?

Right now, I’m rushing around for work as soon as school ends, then heading home to shower, eat dinner, and immediately start streaming…

Honestly, I wish I could clone myself.

But even so, I’ve been able to keep going because I learned from the 3D debut broadcasts that hard work pays off.

“I-I’m really sorry I couldn’t participate as a guest….”

[Hey, we agreed not to apologize about this, didn’t we? You’re already ridiculously busy, so it’d be selfish of me to drag you into my stuff.]

“Th-thank you….”

Sometimes, I wonder if Koga is secretly a reincarnator like me.

I mean, I might have the mental age of someone in their 40s, but talking to Koga makes me feel like I’m the childish one.

Wait a second. Maybe that just means I’m living youthfully?

Could it be that I’m a modern, trendy middle-aged man who keeps up with the times?

[I honestly don’t understand what goes on in your head sometimes, Izumi….]

“Eep….”

Telling her that trying to read my thoughts is weird in itself… Well, I was too scared to say that.

[How was my performance just now? Do you think I deserve some praise?]

On stage, a pure white angel smiled brightly and waved her hand, while in the audience, light green penlights glimmered alongside fan signs.

Everyone watching her shouted in unison.

They promised they would always support her.

[Thank you so much, everyone! I know full well that it’s because of you, Soramates, that I can stand on this stage!]

The angel’s trembling voice echoed in my ears.

I knew it wasn’t an act.

She genuinely loved the electrifying thrill that came from standing on stage, the kind of passion that could only be felt in those moments.

Didn’t she tell me that directly not too long ago?

[Now, before we move on to the next stage… Let’s take a moment for a special guest call!]

Finally, those words came from her mouth.

My heart started racing, and my stomach churned.

Sure, it wasn’t as nerve-wracking as actually appearing on stage, but just the thought of being part of someone’s special stage was enough to make me tense.

[And that guest is…!]

At that moment, the broadcast played the sound of a call connecting, and, as expected, the familiar Misscord ringtone echoed from my computer as well.

“Huuuuh….”

I took a deep breath and checked the title of the ongoing broadcast one last time.

[【Koga Suzuha Birthday Party】 Thank you, everyone! Birthday Live! #KogaSuzuha #StarsFlow2ndGen]

I absolutely, positively could not mess this up.

With that resolve firmly in place, I quietly clicked the accept call button.

[As many of you guessed, it’s Izumi!]

“K-K-K-Konzu-mi…! A member of StarsFlow, dreaming of a world where everyone can smile… the mood maker… Kaino I-Izumi!”

-The Sea of White has arrived!
-Aren’t they going to do a duet together?

[Like I said before, Izumi has been super busy lately, so that’s not possible. If you were hoping for it, I’m really sorry!]

Koga’s words weren’t a lie.

Even I had just gotten home about 30 minutes ago and started watching the broadcast.

“A-a-anyway, h-happy birthday, Koga…!”

[Thank you, Izumi! I’m so happy you could make time for this!]

“It’s your b-birthday, Koga, so there’s no way I’d miss it, hehe….”

I tried to keep the conversation going with this cheerful vibe, but somehow, the chat window started becoming incredibly chaotic.

-Oh, is this what they’re like normally? LOL
-Suzuha seems so natural she hasn’t even noticed.
-SuzuIzu OTP is real!

“Ah…”

It finally hit me.

I wasn’t speaking like I usually did on broadcasts but more like I do during my private calls with Koga.

“U-um, K-Koga! N-next live, let’s definitely sing together…!”

-Oh no, they’ve been caught.
-May-chan really picks up on these things fast.

[…Yeah! That’d be great! I’m looking forward to it!]

“T-then, I’ll get going now! G-good luck with today’s live!”

[Huh? So suddenly? How long was that call? W-wait a second, Izumi?!]

And with that, I quickly ended the call with Koga.

…Afterward, the community was filled with rave reviews about how natural our relationship seemed and how much they wanted to see more of it.

Was that… a good thing?

[Virtual ONtuber Minor Gallery]

[Title: The Most Unintentionally Flirty Moments from Today’s Sea of White Call.txt]

[Author: SuzuIzu]

Suzuha << On stage, she was formally using honorific speech the entire time, but as soon as May-chan joined, she immediately switched to casual speech. Also, Suzuha always uses honorifics with other members.

Izumi << Normally tries to speak casually during broadcasts despite feeling awkward, but in today’s call, she naturally reverted to using honorific speech with Suzuha.

The way they naturally showed their true feelings while talking…

You can tell how comfortable they are with each other.

God, it was so good.

SuzuIzu is REAL…!

[Recommendations: 40 / Dislikes: 3]

oo: Today, the call between these two was way more flirty than any duet stage…

Maker: It looked like May-chan caught on in the middle, LOL.

SuzuIzu: The sudden shift to casual speech and the way Izumi hurriedly ended the call was so obvious, LOL.

LMaker: But Suzuha didn’t even realize until the very end and looked all flustered.

ᄋᄋ: Sometimes Suzuha says the Sea of White is all business, huh?

Loo: No way, that’s definitely not business.

SuzuIzu: Ah, shut up, I’m just saying they could get married as business partners or something.

└OyaBung: Saying it’s business is a long-standing tradition in the VTuber industry.

OyaBung: SuzuIzu OTP is real, haha.

ᄋᄋ: It was nice to see how their usual vibe is this high in yuri intensity too.

ᄋᄋ: This is just… too forced, right?

Loo: Everyone already knows that they use honorifics in normal communication.

Loo: And of course, Suzuha would speak casually behind the scenes.

SuzuIzu: Why are you interfering when I’m imagining things the way I want?

Ndudeokri Online: Lmao, just admit you like it.

Saturday, the day of the sports festival, had finally arrived.

As per Hinoshita-senpai’s advice, I didn’t need to stay at school while everyone else prepared for the event.

Just for one day. The day before, I was briefly called to the science room, but that was only to check my cheerleading outfit for the sports festival, and then I could head straight home.

The dress was a fancy blue, which made movement a bit difficult, but I didn’t mind since I had already told them I was fine sitting alone in the back.

…I was curious, though, how the other seniors or participants would manage to dance in it.

“Haah…”

As I passed through the school gate and looked at the sports field, I saw that, of course, it was more crowded than usual due to the festival, even though it was still early in the morning on the weekend.

Among them, the most striking thing was…

“…A chair?”

In the corner of the sports field was a massive chair.

Or more accurately, a throne?

It was black as the base color, adorned with extravagant decorations, and no matter how I looked at it, it just didn’t belong in a school sports field.

Was this something the school had specially prepared?

Well, I guess. Since the sports festival only happens once a year, I can understand wanting to make it as grand and fun as possible.

But sitting in that chair must be extremely embarrassing for the person who has to.

If it were me, I’d probably pass out halfway through.

But, oh well, it’s none of my business anyway.

I left the grand throne behind and entered the classroom, where I changed into my gym clothes according to the notice posted on the blackboard.

…I just hope the sports festival ends quickly, no matter who wins.