Chapter 78: Stop it! Izumi’s communication stamina is already at 0!

[15-Man Subscriber Special Broadcast] Thank you, everyone! #KaiNoIzumi #StarsFlow]

[Oh-ho-ho-ho! This time, it’s me!]

Next up was none other than Kurokami-senpai, whose voice and manner of speaking I could recognize instantly.

She had mentioned that she would try her best to participate, and I wondered if she was having a hard time, but it

seemed that wasn’t the case.

“Ah, hello, Kurokami-senpai….”

[Yes! It’s Kurokami Hikari, Izumi-chan’s senpai! First of all, congratulations on reaching 150,000 subscribers! That’s

really amazing, right?]

“Hehe….”

Fortunately, Kurokami-senpai wasn’t like Utsumi-chan, Aki-chan, or Koga-chan, who would pull weird pranks….

[Well, I do think it was a little much when I fell asleep during yesterday’s live broadcast.]

Oh, that’s not the case.

-Young lady, you broke the mood so casually, haha.

-This is the true villainous young lady of Starflow.

[Oh-ho-ho-ho! A true villainous young lady would have to make the reality clear to the other party!]

Well, I already knew that those words weren’t sincere.

Immediately after the apology broadcast this morning, I had received a DM from Kurokami-senpai.

[Kurokami Hikari: Don’t worry too much about what happened yesterday.]

[Kurokami Hikari: While the broadcast is important, spending time with family is much more important.]

[Kurokami Hikari: Anyway, congratulations on reaching 150,000, Izumi-chan. Let’s keep working hard together on the broadcast.]

[Kai No Izumi: Thank you so much.]

Seeing the words from the senpai who had said that earlier this morning, it was quite amusing.

It felt like I was watching a new-generation tsundere.

[Still, the words of congratulations aren’t lies, right? Keep working hard to grow!]

“Th-thank you…!”

Hehe. No matter what she says now, I know how kind she really is behind the scenes, right?

If she doesn’t want this secret to be exposed…

[Young lady. It’s not over yet…]

[Screeeech?!]

“Waaaaaah?!”

While lost in these thoughts, a piercing scream that could tear through my ears suddenly rang out.

-What’s going on?

-Was that Izumi-chan’s scream just now?

-My ears hurt.

“S-senpai? Is something wrong?”

There was no need to search for the culprit. I was the one currently in a call with Kurokami-senpai.

However, there was no reply from her.

So, when I checked, I saw that a “Microphone Muted” icon had appeared next to her profile in the Discord.

“Uh, um, huh?”

-So, where did the young lady go?

-Something’s happening in the Mei-chan Dotsumachi, causing a ruckus in several ways, haha.

-Very Mei-chan-esque Dotsumachi.

“Everyone, let’s calm down first. Someone could’ve just called her away for a second, right?”

Right. The most important thing now is to clearly understand the situation and find a solution.

Kurokami-senpai had suddenly muted her mic during the Dotsumachi.

What should I do in this unexpected situation?

Should I wait until she returns and continue with the competition, using my improved communication skills?

“…Ah.”

The time has come for me to unleash my secret weapon—Kai No Izumi’s deadly pun that I couldn’t use back in the Ashen City.

Izutomos loved it so much, and I was sad that I couldn’t use the second and third stages.

“Hmmm, hmmm…. Then, let me kill time with a pun that I’ve been preparing until Kurokami-senpai comes back…”

-Please don’t.

-Really.

-Where did the young lady go?!

“I-I was with Namikawa-senpai….”

[Sorry! Someone called me from outside, so I had to step away for a bit! Hohoho!]

-Glad to hear it.

-She’s alive.

-Thank you. Really, thank you.

-This is the majesty of senpai.

What a shame.

“I can see that all the Iztomos are making a fuss because they’re feeling regretful.”

“What? You don’t think it looks like that at all?”

“No. Strong denial is a strong affirmation, you know?”

“When we were kids, it was common for boys to tease the girls they liked, right?”

“This is the same thing.”

“Rather, by pretending to hate it like that, they’re clearly setting me up for a joke.”

“So, today’s joke will have to be saved for the next time we do a MenGen.”

[Hmm, but, um, Izumi-chan?]

“Yes…?”

[I think I should be leaving now, so is it alright if we end the call here?]

“Oh, yeah! It’s, it’s fine. You said from the start that you might be busy, so I’m grateful that you even came…!”

[I’m really sorry. We’ll definitely collaborate next time! If possible, an offline collab!]

“…O||?”

Before I could even respond to that, the sound of a miscode effect, ding, echoed in my ears.

“Wait… Did I hear that wrong…?”

• From today onwards, wishing for Hikazumi’s offline collab.
• Don’t run away, Kaino Izumi!

It was almost enough to make me want to escape the reality where the VTuber world wasn’t as simple as it seemed.

“OO….”

As obvious as it is, this doesn’t mean I dislike Kurokami-senpai.

But even so, the thought of meeting the members in real life still made me nervous.

Especially when thinking of the person as my ‘senpai.’

The reason for this is that all the other people from my batch had already met in real life at least once.

The difference between whether I have met them or not is a huge one for me, someone who has an unwelcome social anxiety.

No matter how much it’s someone like Kurokami-senpai, with whom I talk the most among the seniors, if an offline collab were to happen, the tension would be unavoidable.

So.

“…L-let’s pretend I didn’t hear that.”

Yeah. Since it was said by the senpai who was about to leave, I didn’t hear anything just now.

It can’t be helped.

Next time, please be more clear, senpai.

• Stop with the nonsense.
• Avoiding the senpai’s proposal like that? That’s some serious shade.

Ignoring the protests from the Iztomos, I continued with the Dotsumachi.

“Well then, the next person, please join the call….”

[Kon!tsuba! This time, it’s finally my turn!]

“Oh, hello, Namikawa-senpai….”

[Hey. Long time no see, Izumi-chan!]

[Finally, it’s our turn, right?] Oh,

[Izumi-chan!] Hi,

[Stayed on just to talk to you!] Izumi

[Everyone’s so noisy!]

• Uh-oh.
• Could it be?

“Uh, um? Uh-oh…?”

Something, the call became quite noisy.

“U-um, Senpai? There’s so much noise around…”

[Oh, yeah. Right now, I’m with Hina, Ichika, and Linze. We all gathered together after a long time. Nacchan and Hikari already went home earlier.]

[Even I was supposed to leave earlier, but I stayed just to talk to Izumi-chan! Originally, I should be sleeping on the train right now.]

[Just go to sleep, you know?]

[I told you I couldn’t. Originally, I said I wouldn’t be able to join Izumi-chan, right?]

“Oh, that’s right. T-thank you, Yuzuki-senpai….”

[It’s fine. If it’s for a cute junior, I can do this much!]

[Oh, by the way, I actually planned to invite all the second-year students, but Izumi-chan has to do a 150k celebration stream, so M-chan said it might be tough, so we ended up meeting on our own. Don’t misunderstand, okay?]

[We should’ve just invited all the second years and done the celebration stream together, don’t you think? M-chan said she would be fine with it.]

[Huh?! Are you saying it was my fault? I mean, of course it would have been nice, but realistically, my room isn’t big enough to fit all those people!]

“Uh, w-wait, uh….”

The conversation of the seniors kept flooding into my ears.

• Mei-chan can’t even keep up, hahaha.
• It’s too much for Mei-chan with her zero communication skills.

[No, so if we had just rented a bigger room….]

[What if it messes up the celebration stream though….]

[In the first place, we’re not even sure Izumi-chan could come, so talking here won’t help….]

“…Hehe.”

I lost focus.

[Well, we’ll be going now! Congrats on 150k, Izumi-chan!]

[Hope we can collab next time.]

[Congrats on 150k! Bye-bye~]

[Congrats on 150k!]

Ding!

“…Hah.”

The miscode sound pierced my ears, and I snapped back to reality.

• Mei-chan, left alone after the seniors swept through.
• Suddenly, it became so quiet.
• It was supposed to be Mei-chan’s 150k celebration Dotsumachi, but Mei-chan barely said anything, hahaha.

“Is, is it over…?”

• This guy’s totally lost it.
• This stage was way too difficult for someone with communication issues.

It felt like a huge storm had just passed.

If it were the me from before I grew, I definitely wouldn’t have been able to handle it.

I would have definitely run away in the middle of the call.

“Y-yet, I’m amazing, right….”

What’s amazing? What on earth?

• Our Mei-chan is always amazing.
• When you think about it, everyone from my batch and the first-years came.
• But Mei-chan has never participated in another member’s Dotsumachi…

“S-shut up! From now on, I’ll participate too….”

Just like Koga-yan said, I can’t avoid the Dotsumachi forever.

Next time, I’ll definitely join if I can.

“Now then, the last one….”

• Already shaking with anxiety.
• Now there’s only one left.

Ding!

[Yay! Finally, it’s my turn! Konhoshi~. The idol from the shining dream star, everyone’s idol, Natsune Nanase!]

“Ah… oh, h-hi, Nats-chan….”

[This is the first time we’re talking like this, Izumi!]

“Th-that’s right….”

Since leaving the gray city, I hadn’t had a proper conversation with Natsune. Of course, I could have initiated the conversation, but how could I dare approach Natsune first? That would be sacrilege.

[Hmm, well, first of all, congratulations on hitting 150k! Just like how I always enjoy watching your streams, I also enjoy watching your broadcasts!]

“Eh… hehe… Thanks.”

As expected, hearing congratulations from Natsune felt different. While the congratulations from other members felt like typical well-wishes, receiving them from Natsune made me feel… how should I put it? Like I was being recognized? It was a boost to my self-esteem. The reason I was able to hold on was because, during the first anniversary broadcast, Natsune had promised to shine in front of me. That gave me the strength I needed.

“Aah…!

[Oh, now you’re making me a bit shy, haha…]

“Hehe…”

[Ahem! So, I’ll keep cheering you on! Do you remember when I said you’d become an amazing VTuber?]

“Ah, y-yes. Of course, I remember… during the 2nd generation’s group collaboration….”

[Yes, that’s the one!]

How could I forget? I still listen to it twice a day.

[The words I said back then were genuine, so make sure you keep going strong, okay?]

“Ah, I understand. I’ll definitely do my best….”

[Yeah. And by the way, searching for Oceanos in the gray city with you was a lot of fun, so we’ll definitely do a collaboration next time. I’ll go now. Congratulations on 150k! Bye-bye~. Mata Natsune!]

“M-Mata Natsune…!”

Ding!

“Ha, whew….”

I felt like all my energy was drained in an instant.

So this is what happiness feels like.

“Whew….”

The world is, indeed, beautiful.

[Did you die?]

[That guy, every time he talks to Natsune alone, it always ends like this, haha.]

[Isn’t it about time to get used to this?]

That’s probably something I’ll never get used to.