[Teacher, would you appear on my stream?]

Anna contacted me as soon as her stream ended.

"A stream? Did something happen?"

[Not particularly, but I thought it would be great to film our training sessions for the stream.]

"Hmm."

I nodded, though I didn't fully understand what Anna meant. I still don't quite get the streamer world. What's so good about broadcasting our training sessions? Having never been a streamer, I wouldn't know.

Of course, I did feel a bit sorry that Anna was being suspected of having a boyfriend.

I don't know exactly how serious it is for a VTuber to be suspected of having a boyfriend, but judging by celebrity scandals on TV, I can imagine it's not something trivial.

If I appeared on her stream, it would certainly clear up those suspicions.

But I didn't feel obligated to go that far.

I was asked to improve Anna's Labyrinth skills, but appearing on her stream is a completely different matter.

This isn't a question of loyalty or kindness. It's not about being generous or not. Once you start doing one favor, you might end up handling many more. So it's important to draw clear boundaries in life.

Otherwise, you might end up being taken advantage of.

[I'll pay you a fee for appearing.]

"Explain a bit more."

Anna was paying attention to her appearance.

"Ugh, I don't know if this looks okay."

She kept agonizing in front of the mirror, feeling anxious as time slipped away.

As Laura guessed, Anna wasn't the type to care much about what others thought of her.

Of course, she understood basic manners. But just to that extent. She'd dress appropriately for occasions, blend into gatherings, and match the mood when needed.

But any effort beyond that seemed bothersome.

In life, you often form relationships you don't want, and maintaining them is part of living in society.

In that sense, maybe she was socially maladjusted. She hadn't put much effort into maintaining or developing relationships.

So, the closest thing Anna had to relationships were with her fellow VTubers in the same company.

These relationships existed mainly because they were within the boundaries of the company. Like how high school friends drift apart after graduation, and college friends do the same after finishing school, most people in Anna's life were just 'passing by.'

And she didn't particularly mind. Having a narrow circle of relationships might be a fatal flaw for a human being, but Anna was content being happy on her own.

She preferred a life that was a bit empty but free rather than feeling suffocated and exhausted among people. That was all.

But now...

"If it were a boyfriend, I wouldn't be so nervous."

Even though it felt like a strange thing to say, Anna stopped changing her clothes.

Thinking about it, anyone in front of 'that person' would look like a squid. 'That person' probably wouldn't even understand the worries of us mere squids.

A person like someone living above the clouds.

With a sense of resignation, Anna left her house, but she regretted it a bit in the taxi. ...Maybe there was a better outfit. Does my reflection in the window look dorky? I should've practiced dressing up more.

Her sigh melted into the air, and the time she wished she could rewind ticked forward unbothered.

The car wheels brought her to the front of a café.

After hesitating a few times, Anna entered with a tense feeling.

"Oh."

She spotted her right away.

Even though she was in the farthest corner, she stood out immediately. Just sitting there, her presence was strong.

Her gaze was on a book. That alone made it a picturesque scene, and Anna felt an urge to immortalize it.

Anna had been so nervous before entering the café, but now all her previous worries felt like lies. Like someone enchanted by a snow maiden, Anna moved forward without realizing it. Step by step.

But she hesitated when she got close. Sitting across from her felt wrong.

Shouldn't she at least wait until she finished reading?

"You're here."

But Laura had already noticed Anna's presence.

Laura's gaze lingered on the book a bit longer, as if there was no rush. As if it was okay to keep Anna waiting.

For some reason, Anna felt she was justified in doing so.

After a few more lines, Laura closed her book.

"Don't you need to place your order?"

"...Oh."

It was only then that Anna realized—right, this was a café.

"This is perfect timing. Here, take this."

Laura handed something to Anna.

It was a pager.

And it was vibrating in real-time.

"...Uh, what is this?"

"It's a pager. It vibrates when your order is ready."

"I know what it is, but…"

"Do you? Then go ahead."

Laura smiled warmly.

"Ah, okay."

Anna went to the counter.

While there, she decided to order something for herself too and picked up Laura's tea and snacks.

"Isn't it a bit too natural how easily you get people to do things for you?"

Anna couldn't help but feel incredulous.

"Did it bother you?"

But with just those words.

With Laura smiling as she said that, Anna couldn't help but swallow her breath.

"No, it wasn't that bad."

"Is that so? Then I'm glad."

"Ugh…"

She felt like saying something but ended up staying silent.

Despite the unfair treatment, oddly, she didn't feel upset.

Instead, she felt kind of good… it was a strange feeling.

"You mentioned you’d like me to appear on your stream?"

Laura naturally brought up the topic. Then she stared at Anna as if saying, "Go ahead and explain."

Their eyes met.

Her eyes were so deep it felt like she might get sucked in.

For a moment, Anna's heart nearly stopped.

She never thought of herself as a face-chaser. She didn't have any unusual fetishes. But for some reason, in front of Laura, she always felt a bit dizzy.

In the end, it's human nature to want to befriend attractive people.

"...Teacher, did you know from the start?"

Anna spoke as if exhaling the breath she had been holding.

Laura tilted her head nonchalantly.

"Oh my, you're missing a subject. What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about me being a VTuber… Do you know? You’ve never called me 'Sojin' even once."

"That's true. To me, you were 'Anna' from the very beginning."

"...So, you knew."

"Of course. Isn't it obvious? If you wanted to hide your identity, you shouldn't have used the name 'Rion.'"

...Well, that’s true.

"So, did you pretend not to know for Rion's sake…?"

"Pretending not to know is more fun, don’t you think?"

This person is secretly quite the troublemaker.

Anna chuckled.

"There are two things we need to discuss today. 'What kind of stream should we do?' and 'Should we do the stream at all?'"

"I understand the first one. What about the second?"

"Wouldn't it be better to get Rion's permission if you're going to appear on my stream?"

"That sounds a bit unpleasant. Since I've been pretending not to know, wouldn't it be more fun if we kept the stream a secret from Rion?"

"She’ll find out anyway."

Rion is about to quit being a VTuber and transition to being a manager.

And only Anna knows this for now.

The other VTubers probably don't know this either. Rion isn’t the type to openly share her situation, and VTuber retirements are usually kept secret until just before the announcement.

It’s similar to resigning from a job at a company. You might tell close colleagues, but you don’t announce it to everyone.

Anna knows about Rion's retirement plans because Rion is currently acting as Anna's manager.

'Telling Laura that Rion is retiring… that would be rude.'

Anna considered telling Laura the truth but decided against it. It felt like something Rion should tell herself.

In any case, Laura knows that Rion is a VTuber, but she doesn't seem to know about her role as a manager—at least, not right now.

As a manager, Rion will likely watch Anna's stream.

Even if she doesn’t watch it live, she’ll probably watch the archive later. Then she’ll find out that Laura appeared on Anna's stream.

Rion's VTuber activities, and even her transition to a manager, won’t be a secret from Laura for long.

Laura appearing on Anna's stream carries that significance.

"Then let's do this."

Laura spoke as if an idea had come to her.

"We should play Labyrinth on the stream. Now that you're getting used to Mechamancer, it’s time to try another character."

"Sounds good. How should we go about it?"

"Start the stream with a revelation."

"...A revelation?"

Anna tilted her head in confusion.

Shiroki Anna @Shiroki_Anna

[It’s Anna. Here’s a stream announcement.

Broadcast on June 22 at 9 PM:

【Inside Story】 Exposing Rion-senpai’s Secret 【Shiroki Anna/EYEAI】

I’ve uncovered a huge secret Rion-senpai has been hiding.

It’s something everyone needs to know.

So, I’m going to reveal it to everyone.

*I’ve got permission from the company and the involved parties *I’ll get Rion-senpai’s permission afterward]

│ │

Nekozuka Rion @Nekozuka_Rion

[???????? What is this???]