Chapter 2: Midnight Snack before the storm

Crunch… crunch, crunch.

Bang! Juices burst forth, dripping from the corners of my mouth.

A situation where thick juices run down a white jawline, a sight that might draw a sneer or two.

Despite this, silence fills the space between us.

It all started when I teared up at his (real) Gochoo Basasak joke.

“Hey. Sniff. That’s too much…! I didn’t poof…! I swoosh and disappeared!”

…Ugh. Embarrassing.

I briefly touched my lips to the beer and pulled away.

It would have been nice if the remaining foam was large enough to cover my flushed cheeks.

“…That joke was a bit much.”

Kyuseok, finally noticing my discomfort, chuckled and put some Gochoo Basasak on my plate. He usually didn’t care about these things when we ate chicken together, so seeing him unconsciously treat me like a girl was a little annoying.

“Yeah. I’ll buy it since I’m sorry.”

And that good-natured smile.

He’s the kind of guy you can’t help but forgive. Kind, innocent, and funny.

But ‘Gochoo Basasak’… such a crude joke.

How could he say that with a smile, right in front of someone who actually poofed… I never even got to use it. F*ck…

Crunch.

The chicken he bought is so delicious that it makes me even angrier. Nothing is clear, but seeing as I’m not getting any sentimental feelings while eating chicken even though I’ve become a girl, it’s clear that those vegans were all just full of it. I’ll have to let all those female-identifying people I fought with online know later.

Kyuseok spoke, watching me wipe away the dripping juices.

That greasy, sly smile fueled my irritation.

“Is it good?”

Glare-.

Even while eating the chicken, my anger didn’t subside, so I glared at him. Because girls would giggle even at jokes like that, he tended to make jokes that weren’t even funny to men.

Even if I was happily munching away, they would have giggled and replied with something like “Yeah, it’s yummy.” Seeing as I’ve actually witnessed that before, it makes me even angrier.

But I’m not your average girl.

I raised my middle finger, not with the hand holding the fork, and replied.

“It’s delicious, you bastard.”

The chicken was innocent. Even though I had changed, chicken was still undeniably delicious. Kyuseok smiled and put a few more pieces on my plate.

“That’s good.”

Why is he suddenly being all considerate? Don’t give me that ‘I’ve always been like this’ look.

…Ugh. Why do I want to hit him so badly? My fists and elbows are itching.

And for a while, we just ate chicken. It was my fault that the meal, which would have been finished long ago if I had my old body, was taking so long because I had to nibble with my smaller mouth.

…If I had my old body, this meal would have been over long ago.

As the meal was nearing its end, a thought suddenly occurred to me, and I looked at Kyuseok.

With my blue eyes now more sensitive to color and light, I could see Kyuseok’s expression.

As expected, his eyes are flickering a bit more than usual. Even an ex-friend gets a little flustered with a body like this.

Hmm, I see. He’s lusting after his ex-friend just because her appearance changed a bit…

I put on a ‘victorious expression’ once again and asked Kyuseok.

Smirk-

I leaned towards Kyuseok, subtly pushing my chest together.

My rather ample breasts gathered nicely in the center.

“So, what do you think? Of this body?”

Kyuseok pretended not to know, but quickly scanned my body up and down.

It wouldn’t work on me, since he’s clearly done more dirty things than I have, despite pretending to be innocent.

Kyuseok answered, trying to hide his slightly reddened ears and averting his gaze.

“What do I think… Shouldn’t you go to the hospital or something?”

“Who cares about that? There’s a perfect pretty girl right in front of you.”

I stretched out my slender legs and nudged his thigh. Something bad would happen if he didn’t give me his honest opinion. I planted that thought in Kyuseok’s mind.

As my foot slowly crept up his body, Kyuseok answered in a panic.

“You’re pretty! You’re incredibly pretty, but. Somehow… You look familiar.”

“Huh? From where?”

“That…the bus window.”

“…Huh? The bus window?”

That was an unexpected place. Was there a Vtuber event going on outside the bus window? If so, it would make a little sense…

“Hanalive? They said she belonged to a place like that. The guy sitting by the bus window kept muttering about it.”

It was real… It was real…

Looking at Kyuseok’s haggard expression as he muttered, I remembered.

“Aha. Hanalive.”

Even I, with my minimal knowledge of Vtubers, know about Hanalive. The industry’s top company, holding thirty percent of the Vtuber market.

Their welfare, support, and equipment are far superior to other companies, so I heard the competition rate is 30,000 to 1 when they recruit.

If you succeed in joining them, you’re guaranteed hundreds of thousands of subscribers, it’s an open path to success. There was some talk about it around me, but none of the illustrators I know have ever participated in a project for a Hanalive Vtuber.

“It’s an honor to be compared to a Hanalive character. Unless you’re a top illustrator in the industry, you can’t even get in touch with them.”

“Is it that serious?”

“More than that.”

Nod, nod.

It was a nod that came from the bottom of my heart.

A virtual avatar can be more important than the person inside, in a way.

A YouTube thumbnail can’t capture everything about a person’s voice and personality.

The first impression people have is the Vtuber’s avatar.

If the avatar is pretty, you’re halfway to success.

“Thanks to that, the pay is astronomical. It’s both the entry barrier for Vtubers and the wall they have to overcome…”

Come to think of it, there was someone. The one who sent me a video of their voice and personality, asking me to create their avatar…

The one who exuded pretty girl energy despite wearing a mask and covering their whole body in oversized clothes…

‘Hellooo…! Artist White Palette! I’m Hanasaki Yui!’

Snap!

I snapped my fingers, and my expression changed to expression number 3, the beautiful girl with stars in her eyes, having realized something.

I remembered. Right, there was one commission left.

“Oh right. Hanasaki Yui. That girl.”

I need to make it. It’s been five months, I wonder if she’s still waiting.

She probably went to someone else, right? I did say it would take five months, but since it’s about getting a job, she can’t wait five months.

…That’s a shame.

That girl seemed like she would make it big.

Among the few commissions I get, she was the type of person I really wanted to work with.

Her broken Korean, using a translator, was cute, and above all, she had a unique voice that would definitely work in the Vtuber world, where a good voice alone isn’t enough.

Bright, energetic, and unique… How should I put it?

I can only describe it as cute. Cute.

I definitely need to contact her.

“Those eyes… Those are working eyes. Should I leave?”

Kyuseok, seeing my suddenly fired-up eyes, said with a smile.

He’d gotten better at reading the room, as expected of someone who’d been kicked out several times.

“You can stay. But I’d appreciate it if you left.”

Kyuseok, understanding my intentions, chuckled and stood up, taking the chicken bag and trash.

Then, holding several garbage bags in one hand and slinging them over his shoulder, he said.

“Yeah. I’ll wait at the cafe in front. Give me a call when you’re done.”

Kyuseok gracefully disappeared with my garbage bags without a second thought. He had never looked so radiant.

Expression number 9. A satisfied, crescent-shaped smile and shining eyes.

“You’re the best! Kim Kyuseok!”

“I know.”

[WhitePalette: Ms. Hanasaki Yui? Would you be available for a call?]

“Ah. She replied.”

Yui, who had been rolling around in bed, suddenly came to her senses at the message she had been waiting for five months. If you ask why her nickname and real name haven’t changed, it’s because of Yui’s severe lack of security awareness.

Her YouTube nickname is her real name.

Her name as a Vtuber, her name recorded on the viewer list, it’s all Hanasaki Yui.

Wouldn’t it be harder to be doxxed if your stage name is your real name? This was the disastrous result of her naive thinking.

Fortunately, she doesn’t use SNS at all, and she’s never posted anything online until now, when she’s decided to become a Vtuber.

At this point, you might be wondering, ‘Wait, is Hanasaki Yui not a pretty girl?’

“Heehee… White Palette-san. So kind…”

She hugged her phone with a silly grin. Her smile contained such pure happiness that it resembled a child’s. A smile that would make anyone feel good.

Her brown hair was disheveled from rolling around in bed, and her half-closed black eyes looked drowsy, but… pretty.

“…I still have some money left, right?”

The money she saved up from her allowance from her parents (a considerable portion of which came from her part-time job at a convenience store).

Like everyone who dreams of becoming a Vtuber, she was also a pretty girl. Though she didn’t have many friends.

It’s not that she didn’t have the opportunity to make friends. Although she suppressed her unique voice as much as possible so it wasn’t noticeable, her appearance couldn’t be hidden.

Because of that, you could say she had overflowing opportunities compared to ordinary people.

But…

‘Hanasaki, do you have Line?’

‘No, I don’t.’

‘Hanasaki! Do you want to go to Shibuya with me after school today?’

‘Why would I? I think studying would be more helpful. Classmate. That would be much better than always shouting about wanting to go to Keio University. Whenever you have free time, you go to Shibuya to buy cosmetics, don’t you? Do you even know the scope of this exam?’

Her unintentional, purely factual statements tended to provoke bullying rather than friendship.

Especially since Yui always topped the class in academics.

Even if there was no direct violence. It was really hard when she had to deal with spoiled milk and all sorts of gossip.

[Hanasaki Yui: Your art was recommended to someone like me! It was amazing that art appeared to me, someone who only studies, and it was your work, White Palette-nim!]

The moment she saw the eyes in White Palette’s drawing, she unconsciously clutched her chest. Her heart pounded, and her breath quickened. It was a picture that gave her the feeling of love at first sight.

This was the reason why Yui, a model student who only knew how to study, devolved, or rather, fell into becoming a shut-in who dreamed of being a Vtuber.

[WhitePalette: …I’m honored. Yui-san. Do you want that image incorporated into your work?]

Yui, excited to be in contact with her idol, stopped typing.

Revealing her weakness, her weak side. In a virtual avatar…?

Yui’s fingernails briefly disappeared into her small mouth. It was a very bad habit she developed when she was bullied.

It became a serious concern.

But not for long.

[Hanasaki Yui: No. I want my virtual avatar to be completely, super energetic and cute. So no one would ever guess that something like that happened.]

[WhitePalette: Okay. Then you want a blonde-haired, green-eyed avatar with the appearance of a slightly mature middle schooler. The outfit is a bit unique. You want an avatar wearing clothes that are a mix of a kimono and a hoodie, right?]

[Hanasaki Yui: Yes! Can I send the money right away?]

[WhitePalette: I’ll send you the rough sketch first, then you can give me half. You can pay the other half when the work is finished. You’re a high school student, right? You might not have much money, so you can pay in installments.]

“Huh?”

Yui momentarily dropped her phone and recoiled. With her back against the wall, she glared at her phone warily.

Nothing changed, but it was an exaggerated reaction typical of someone from Osaka.

She had said she was bullied in high school…! She didn’t even mention dropping out or anything…!

[Hanasaki Yui: How did you know…?]

“Ha. How did I know.”

I was speechless during our conversation.

How did I know? She kept talking as if it happened recently.

Should I call this naive…

“…Should I give her some advice as a fellow dropout senior?”

She probably didn’t drop out for a reason as unique as mine. I wonder if it would be helpful. If that guy hadn’t taught me all those weird self-defense techniques, this wouldn’t have happened.

Thump…

My whole body tingled for a moment.

My heart pounded noticeably faster than before.

Ah. That sound.

The notification I set to a different sound.

I barely managed to grab my phone with trembling hands. It’s him.

(Brother): I’m coming back to Korea soon. Need anything?

(Me): No.

(Brother): Don’t regret it later, tell me now. You have a favorite athlete, right? Want me to get their autograph?

(Me): Even if I liked an athlete, all my fan love would disappear after watching them get beaten up by you.

(Brother): Are you kidding? That’s funny.

Even if I’m serious, he always brushes it off as a joke.

With an inappropriate smile,

“…F*ck.”

Whoosh!

I threw my phone into the corner of the bed. The hand that threw the phone is trembling.

I think I was talking to someone else besides the client. I feel like I’ll say something weird if I talk now.

I shouldn’t even pick up my pen. I’ll grip it too tightly and might scratch my expensive pad.

Ah. I’m depressed. Terribly sad.

Is there anywhere I can relieve my stress…

Suddenly!

“What, the rough sketch still isn’t don…”

“F*cking surprise me.”

“Gasp!”

Thwack.

I struck the suddenly appearing Kyuseok’s face with my elbow in a clean arc.

A refreshing gush of blood from Kyuseok’s nose filled the room.

Splatter….

“Pfft! No, sob… Hey. What the hell?”

Kyuseok, seemingly in pain, touched his reddened nose and came into contact with something viscous and flowing.

He brought his finger before his eyes with a puzzled expression. Blood.

“…You crazy b*tch!”

“Uwahahaha!”

Not a chance, buddy.

Kyuseok, realizing the situation, lunged at me. I quickly moved from corner to corner of the room, zigzagging.

Blood splattered everywhere, dirtying the room I had just cleaned.

The blood from him chasing me at full speed left red marks on my white t-shirt, creating a rather beautiful scene.

…Huh? My t-shirt?

Looking down, I saw several red dots embroidered on my favorite t-shirt.

Like I just coughed up blood…

Ugh.

“Eek! Blood! Blood! It’s dirty, f*ck! Stay still!”

Perhaps disgusted by my genuinely repulsed reaction, Kyuseok ran at me with increased speed.

“You did this, you crazy b*tch!”

In the end, I was caught due to lack of stamina, and Kyuseok and I argued for a long time about who was more at fault.

Was it the crazy guy who said he was going to a cafe but waited for hours at someone else’s doorstep, or was it the crazy b*tch who executed a backspin elbow the moment she saw someone’s face?

The ongoing debate eventually summoned the smartest philosopher, scientist, and artist, Mr. GPT, and Mr. GPT criticized me, saying that violence should not occur under any circumstances.

In the end, I cleaned up the blood. F*cking ChatGPT…

Still, thanks to the fight with him, I quickly forgot about my brother.

It’s still a long, long time before he arrives anyway.

The time I spent laughing and chatting with Kyuseok was before I officially became Yui’s Mama.

It was before I got busy with Yui-related things.