[Natsune Nanase: How about we meet tomorrow, Izumi?]
In that DM, I was swallowing hard without even realizing it.
Over a year of living as a VTuber under Star’s Flow.
I had met all the other members, but I had never had the chance to meet Natsune Nanase.
It wasn’t that there had been no opportunities at all.
I had the chance during our one-year anniversary, and aside from that, if we really wanted to meet, we were close enough to do so.
Though we had situations overlap, considering that, our distance was still quite manageable.
But it was I who had turned all of it down.
Saying that I liked the VTuber idol Natsune Nanase, I used the barrier of fear that seeing her in reality might mix in other viewpoints.
And it seemed that Natsune understood this, as she never brought up the topic of meeting.
But now. She was trying to break down the wall between us.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a problem if I turned her down.
This was just a suggestion after all.
But as long as I was part of Star’s Flow, I couldn’t avoid meeting her forever.
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to talk to her directly.
[Izumi Kainoh: Where should I go?]
Ultimately, after making a decision, I sent that response.
The promised time was September 23rd, the day before Natsune’s two-year anniversary.
The meeting place was her home.
★
Natsune’s house was easier to find than I expected.
She lived in Minato Ward, just like Hikari Kurokami, and her place was quite close too.
Back when we collaborated, we had mentioned how convenient it was because our houses were nearby.
And Natsune’s house was a pretty spacious two-story standalone house.
[b][HatsuYuki Family][/b]
“Whew….”
Taking one last breath, I pressed the doorbell, and a ding-dong echoed.
And after waiting for about 10 seconds…
[Yes, this is HatsuYuki.]
A familiar yet unfamiliar voice came from the intercom.
“Uh, hi, I’m Kayanoh… I promised to come today…”
[Ah, yes. I’ll open the door.]
With that, the front door opened, and a beautiful girl with black straight hair greeted me.
“Nice to meet you. I’m HatsuYuki Sei, Yoru’s older sister. You’re Yoru’s junior, right?”
“Ah, yes…! N-nice to meet you, I’m Kayanoh Mina…”
“I’ve heard a lot about you from Yoru. She’s waiting for you upstairs.”
“Th-thank you.”
“Have a relaxing time.”
After exchanging light greetings with Sei, I headed up to the second floor where Natsune was waiting.
Finding Natsune’s room upstairs wasn’t difficult.
[b][Yoru’s Room!][/b]
There was a room with her name written on the door.
“Uh, I’m K-Kayanoh. Is it okay for me to come in…?”
“…Ah, yes! Come in, Izumi!”
With Natsune’s invitation, I slowly opened the door.
And there she was, lying on the bed, a girl with ephemeral beauty.
“Nice to meet you. I’m HatsuYuki Yoru. Just call me Yoru. Oh, maybe Natsune is easier for you?”
Her hair reached down to her waist, pure white without a blemish.
And her red eyes were the complete opposite of my blue ones.
Natsune was definitely smiling, but her aura felt so delicate, as if she could faint at any moment.
“Nice to meet you…. I’m K-Kayanoh Mina.”
“Sorry for lying down. I was feeling under the weather until yesterday, and my family insisted I rest. They really worry too much. I’m totally fine.”
“A-ah, it’s okay…”
I quietly walked over and sat on the chair in front of the bed.
“I was originally planning to invite Izumi to the midnight two-year anniversary celebration, but since you’re on suspension right now, I thought we should meet separately.”
“Hehe….”
“It’s really true that you couldn’t make it to the first anniversary for personal reasons, and now you’re on suspension for the second one. Is it a lie that you’re the eighth star?”
“A-actually…!”
“Thinking back, you said recently that Chino-chan, the production master, is better than me…”
“T-that’s a misunderstanding! Really…!”
As Natsune said this, her expression showed disappointment, and I earnestly defended myself.
In return, she covered her mouth with a smile.
“Pfft…! Izumi, you’re just as cute as I heard.”
Natsune’s cute antics, which she occasionally showed during our collaborations.
Was that not for the broadcast…?
As we chatted about various trivial matters, Sei knocked and entered the room, bringing us snacks and drinks.
“If you feel anything odd, let me know immediately, okay?”
“I told you I’m really fine. You worry too much, sis. I’m embarrassed in front of Kayanoh!”
“Worrying is not a bad thing.”
Sei spoke with a genuinely concerned expression.
As if there were a real issue with Natsune’s health.
“Haha… it’s a bit embarrassing. It’s just a cold, and it almost made me cancel the two-year anniversary live tomorrow. Thankfully, it didn’t come to that.”
Natsune laughed somewhat awkwardly, but I could sense that she understood Sei’s worries.
That meant Sei’s concerns had a valid reason.
“Uh, um… by the way, Natsune…”
“…Yes. You’re probably guessing correctly. I have albinism.”
Albinism. In other words, a genetic condition.
Characteristic features include snow-white hair and red eyes.
[I was really extremely weak? When I was little, I couldn’t go out in the sunlight for more than 30 minutes.]
[That’s right! Being sickly cute, I really struggled!]
Those words Natsune said during the first anniversary flashed through my mind.
Her words had no exaggeration at all.
“A-ah, don’t worry about it. It was different when I was a child, but now I’m really healthy! What you see now is just my family’s overprotectiveness. I was genuinely weak as a child, so my family really worried a lot. It’s more like a side effect from those days.”
Perhaps to prove that, Natsune swung her right arm vigorously.
“Well, I need to wear sunscreen when I go outside and avoid crowded places, so it’s a bit disappointing that I can’t go to events like Comiket… but….”
There was no sense of dark atmosphere on her face at all.
It was the energetic gesture of the idol ‘Natsune Nanase’ that she always showed.
★
As I talked with Natsune, a curiosity arose.
It was hard to think of her as a patient; she was bright and lively.
That was probably because Natsune was dreaming of being an idol.
So then, I wondered.
“Natsune, um, can I ask something…?”
“Ah, yes. If it’s something I can answer.”
“Natsune, why did you debut as a VTuber?”
Why did she choose the VTuber industry?
[I just happened to see idol videos on YouTube and got inspired?]
…No, I already knew that reason.
I’d heard it all during the first-anniversary broadcast, and now I understood that her condition was the cause.
[Then I found out about the virtual YouTuber industry. I could solve almost everything indoors without having to go out. Couldn’t I pursue my dream of being an idol like this?]
Her activities as a VTuber were her way of achieving her dream despite her weakness from albinism.
Yet I still wanted to ask.
Did she not regret the profession she chose half-heartedly?
“Hmm… since you must have watched my first-anniversary live, I don’t think you’re asking just for the simple reason I debuted as a VTuber.”
“…”
“Then would it be better to tell you everything? I think you’re probably reflecting on your future right now anyway.”
At Natsune’s suggestion, I quietly nodded.
Afterward, she took a sip of the apple juice Sei had brought and slowly began to speak.
“Before I start, let me ask one thing. Do you know about my previous life as a VTuber?”
“…Ah, yes. I, um, the personal VTuber, Sayoru Miyuki, right?”
Sayoru Miyuki.
A personal VTuber focused primarily on singing broadcasts.
While she didn’t fail, she also couldn’t be said to have succeeded to a large scale.
And Natsune’s previous life…
“That was not me; it was my sister.”
“…Eh?”
★
Sei and Yoru are identical twins.
Yet, there was a huge difference from the moment they were born.
The older sister, Sei, had no health issues and was well, while Yoru inherited the genetic disorder of albinism.
Moreover, Yoru had been sickly since childhood, and her family always took care of her with great devotion.
So despite having a bright and vibrant personality, the family’s expressions were always more worried than happy when looking at her.
Thus, it was almost inevitable for Yoru to dream of becoming an idol to bring smiles to everyone.
“I want to be an idol.”
She could not forget the expressions on her family’s faces when she said that, even years later.
Her parents crying and apologizing, while her sister gritted her teeth and clenched her fists.
They couldn’t say anything because they knew how impossible her dream was.
But Yoru didn’t want to give up.
And there was another person she didn’t want to let down.
That was Yoru’s sister, Sei.
★
“In fact, when my sister first introduced me to the concept of VTubers, I was incredibly against it. Can you blame me? My dream was to be an idol, not a VTuber. At that time, the VTuber market seemed without hope. How could I like it?”
But. And Natsune continued.
“Gradually, my perspective changed. My sister encouraged me to give it a try and started out as a VTuber. Even my friends from high school told me it was worth trying. And the decisive reason was… this.”
With that, Natsune pulled out her phone and played a video.
It was none other than…
[Well, let’s start with ‘Virtual’!]
[Doesn’t the term ‘Virtual YouTuber’ sound cool?]
The first video of “her” who heralded the beginning of virtual YouTubers.
“This is the reason I chose to be a VTuber. There was someone who chose a path no one else was walking and forged ahead just because it was cool. And even though she started with such a light atmosphere, in the end, fans were able to smile because of her, right? Sure, that’s a story from a generation ahead of ours, but… still, watching this video made me think it was amazing.”
After setting her phone down, she slowly continued.
“So I thought, my dream is definitely to be an idol… but what I wanted was to see people enjoy themselves because of me, not just the job of being an idol itself. That’s why I chose to be a VTuber. Even if it’s different from my original dream and in a market without hope, I still wanted to give it a shot.”
“…Have you ever regretted it? Since Natsune initially dreamed of being, um, an idol….”
“Of course. Especially right after debut, it was incredibly tough! You know that, right?”
As she said that, Natsune gave my shoulder a playful tap, smiling.
“But I’m still happy. Isn’t that what matters?”
If you’re happy, then that’s enough.
Such a simple story, but a complicated one at the same time.
And because she found a different path to her dream due to her illness, that’s why she could say those words.
“Things I want to do. Things I can do. Things I have to do. Things I don’t want to do. I think you’re probably pondering a lot as well. So when you look back in the future, choosing something you can reminisce about would be the best, right? Though, coming from someone just three years older than you, I may not seem convincing.”
I see.
Even if the direction changes and there are regrets, it’s still okay.
“…As expected, Natsune is my idol.”
“Really…? Hearing that from you makes me a bit embarrassed.”
“Hehe….”
“Well, but I know for you, Chino-chan is the best.”
“Th-that’s…!”
“I’m coming in, Yoru.”
Just as Natsune and I were laughing and chatting, a familiar voice came, and the door opened.
And standing there was.
“…Ku, Kurokami-senpai?”
“Oh, and the high school friend I mentioned earlier is Shiro-chan.”
Eh?
“Wha…?”
“…Hello, Izumi-chan.”
Kurokami-senpai said with a gentle smile.
What a, what an ominous smile…!
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