Chapter 61. [Later or Earlier]

As I was about to tell him who I was, she said.

“Eh~~~~!? I didn’t notice at all~~~~!?”

Mai exclaimed a moment later.

I was so shocked.

Eeeehhh? No way, you didn’t notice that reaction!

Oh, what’s that? Are you not that interested in me, Mai? No, I don’t miss you at all.

“Ah, well, well. Anyway, that’s how the world changed! That’s how you got scared.”

“I see. That’s the world, but you mean ‘people’, right? If so, you’re scared of Mai and cry. Iroha, she’s a different person. She might not be able to stand it~”

“Yeah, that’s right!”

“But…”

Mai approaches me as I’m leaning forward, thinking she can sympathize with me.

She looked into my eyes from close range.

“I don’t think it’s possible to say which is real and which is fake~?”

“What?”

“Because, isn’t that right? There is only later or earlier. If anything, I think they’re both real.”

“…… ! ”

That’s…

I had never thought of it that way.

“But if that’s the case, what about my feelings until yesterday? If yesterday and today are different, isn’t that a betrayal of the person you had feelings for yesterday?

“N~, I’m sorry~. Mai can’t understand all of Iroha-chan’s problems. But if Mai were you, Mai would want to love the whole world and people of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.”

“All of it?”

“Because, instead of hating and being sad, Mai would be happier if you loved and enjoyed them.

It was an eye-opener.

I had been wondering. What if this world is not the world I came from?

I would be “guessing a different person” since I got reincarnated!

I was so carefree that I didn’t even notice that I had been switched! Dumbly!

It’s a betrayal of all the girls I’ve been promoting! That’s proving how shallow my love is!

Never, never! It wasn’t something I could forgive myself for. It was a fact I didn’t want to believe.

And above all, my “original oshi” didn’t exist in this world.

I am confident that as long as I have my “oshi,” I can overcome any hardship.

However, if I got told that my “oshis” don’t exist in this world and that they’re fake…

It was too painful, too painful a reality.

I lost the VTubers who were my emotional support, and I became heartbroken.

Until a while ago.

But.

“Is it OK? Really? Because I can’t help but think that when a VTuber’s performer gets replaced. I recognize  it’s a completely different person, even if they’re using the same model!”

“…… Hmm?”

That happens less and less now, but it used to happen.

Part of me inevitably feels that the other performer is an imposter at that moment.

There is a part of me that feels robbed.

“The truth is, I know it in my head. I know that the performer after the changeover is innocent!”

“…. Hmmm~?????”

Even if viewers who are supposed to be fans continue to do their best with words, they will still give up. They should get praised, not blamed!

But is that so? Oh, I see!

“Thank you, Mai. I finally understand. There is no such thing as real or fake. There is only later or earlier. I could have and should have gone for both VTubers!”

It’s still hard to believe they are the same person.

But it’s undeniable that their stream and voices have made me feel at home!

“Thanks, guys! I finally understand!”

Besides, there are many newcomers I have found since I came to this world.

You can’t deny them too.

“Well? I wonder if it’s good that it seems to have been resolved. I don’t know why we started talking about VTubers. But I don’t think Iroha-chan would have noticed if her oshi had been switched~.”

“…… Eh?”

“Because at least Mai would notice if Iroha-chan had switched with someone else.”

“That’s … No, but I see. I’m sure that’s true. Then, I mean, this world.”

The same world I used to be in?

Not just another world that looks just like it?

“Huh!”

I fell to the ground.

Mai was right. There was no way I wouldn’t notice that my oshi had become someone else.

In other words, in the end, I was wrong. It was a groundless fear.

Hahahaha!

How ridiculous!

“Oh no, what the hell! My mistake!”

Once I knew that, I started to want to watch VTubers’ videos.

I mean, I can’t do it anymore. I have withdrawal symptoms. I haven’t watched it for so long. I can’t stand it!

I was about to take out my smartphone when…

GUSH! I get grabbed from three directions.

“You didn’t just say ‘what the hell’, did you, Iroha-chan?”

“That’s right, Iroha-chan. You’re right, Iroha-chan, after causing so much worry and trouble for everyone.”

“Don’t think you can get away with this for free…!”

You’re such a nuisance!

I’m sorry!

After that, I got a lot of anger from the three.

Later, I was told to apologize to my mom for making her worry.

That was the end of the matter.

Angu Ogu was always asking me, <<Did I fly from the U.S. for this?>>, <<When I heard Anego’s story, I wondered if he had a serious mental illness like “Capgra’s Syndrome”>>, but that was beside the point.

But I think.

If so, why did the author of the Voynich Manuscript

Did I misunderstand that I went to another world?

And if this is the same world, does that mean somewhere in the world there is my tomb, too?

If so… No. That’s something to think about now.

“But I’m glad you’re back, Iroha-chan. You have an important event coming up soon, right?”

“What? What’s going on?”

“Iroha-chan, you should at least remember your anniversary! You’re about to have your 3D unveiling and birthday stream!”

“… Oh…”

I completely forgot.