Chapter 236

“…I wish Izumi-chan would be a bit more careful.”

“Huh?”

“Should I say you trust people too easily? Or maybe you leave too much room for misunderstanding….”

When I woke up, Mizuki-san was scolding me for some reason.

She said I trust people too easily and leave room for misunderstanding.
But no one keeps more distance from others than I do.

Besides, isn’t it a bit strange for Mizuki-san to say that, considering she was the one who tried to sleep next to me the first time we met and used me like a body pillow, hugging me tightly from behind?

Even though I protested to Mizuki-san confidently…

“Izumi-chan, humans can’t see themselves objectively… You get what I’m saying, right?”

For some reason, my protest didn’t get through at all, and I got scolded even more.

And when Mizuki-san smiled at me in silence at the end, I got so scared that I could only nod while trembling.

Of course, I only nodded because I wasn’t wrong.

B-but, Mizuki-san is just saying all this for my sake… Even though I don’t fully understand what she means, I guess I should try to do better.

Definitely not because Mizuki-san is scary or anything.
It’s just that accepting advice is what a mature adult would do, right?

Yeah. That’s it.

“But what am I supposed to do about this…?”

And, as expected, my white shirt still had orange juice stains on it.
The stains had faded a bit since yesterday, but it seemed impossible to get rid of them completely.

At least my underwear and jeans were clean after being washed.
But if I go out wearing this stained shirt, it’ll definitely attract a lot of attention…

I really should’ve worn an outer jacket instead of just a shirt when I went out yesterday.

“How about I lend you my jacket? You can wear it today, and I’ll pick it up from you later.”
“R-really? But that would be a hassle for you, Mizuki-san.”
“It was my fault yesterday, so it’s only right that I take care of this.”

In the end, I had no choice but to accept Mizuki-san’s offer.
I couldn’t just stay out all day and not go home.

Mizuki-san lent me a dark brown cardigan, which fortunately covered the juice stain on my stomach, but, like the shirt I borrowed yesterday, the sleeves extended all the way to my fingertips.

There’s a considerable height difference between me and Mizuki-san.

“Don’t roll them up! That’s part of the charm!”

When I tried to roll the sleeves up a little, Mizuki-san stopped me with that comment.

But it’s not like I’m wearing it for fashion…
That argument didn’t work.

Anyway…

“…”
“Hm? Does it smell weird? I washed it two days ago.”
“Oh, no…! It actually smells nice…”

It’s a scent that makes you feel all warm and cozy.
When I lifted my arm and took a proper sniff of the sleeve, it was the same scent that wafted over me when Mizuki-san hugged me from behind yesterday.

“Hehe…”

Cute girls really do have a nice fragrance.
Though Mizuki-san is actually older than me.

“T-that’s exactly what I was talking about, Izumi-chan!”
“Eh?”

For some reason, I got scolded for another 30 minutes before I could finally go home.

★
Golden Week was coming to an end.

So much had happened.

There was the off-collab with Kurokami-senpai, my temple in Build Craft getting completely destroyed during the Hika-Shoko War, my vow for revenge, seeing a new side of Natchan, meeting Mizuki-san, and that meeting leading to another off-collab…

Wait a minute…
This is Golden Week, right? But I don’t think I’ve had a single day off…

Not that I mind, really.

And today, at the end of Golden Week…

[Manager: Izumi-chan, we’ve got the permission for Spirit Gram.]

Finally, I got permission to stream that game.

★

The end of Golden Week was approaching.

So much has happened.
Collaboration with Kurokami-senpai, my shrine that I was building in Build Craft got blown away due to the impact of the Hikashoko War, I vowed for revenge and saw a different side of Natsune, met with Mizuki-chan, and that meeting naturally led to an offline collaboration…

Huh?
Isn’t it definitely Golden Week, yet it feels like I haven’t really had a day off?

Well, it’s not like I’m saying I want to take a break from broadcasting.
And on this day, as Golden Week comes to an end…

[Manager: Izumi-chan, the permission for Spirit Gram has come through.]

Finally, I was able to receive broadcasting permission for that game.

★

[【Spirit Gram】 Bring it on! Today, I will not lose no matter what!!! It’s impossible for your characters!!!!! #KainohIzumi #StarsFlow]

-─(≧▽≦)>Zumi Zumi!
-─(≧▽≦)>Zumi Zumi!

You over there.
What do you think would come to mind when you say VTuber Kainoh Izumi?

…Not the kind of thing I’m looking to hear like “Queen of Yeo-sang,” though.

Anyway, the main aspect of my broadcasts has always been gaming.
While the share of chatting or MyCarro broadcasts has increased compared to my early days, combined, they still don’t surpass my gaming broadcasts.

Because I love games, and my Izutomo also enjoy watching me having fun with them.

The reason is probably that I’m pretty good at gaming.

It’s definitely not because they enjoy watching me suffer from the absurdity while playing games… like, absolutely not, for sure.

Yeah. My Izutomo can be quite abusive and tease me often, but deep down, they really like me and are nice people.

Them loving to see me in agony while gaming is nothing but an act.
In the end, they probably prefer to see how I proceed through the game with my exceptional skill, after all…

But let’s go back to that first question.
No, let’s tweak the first question a bit.

What do you think is fundamental to Kainoh Izumi’s VTuber gaming broadcasts?

If I were to ask this question, most of my Izutomo would probably answer “Bloody Night.”
It’s the game I enjoy the most on my stream and the game I feel most confident in among all the games I play.

But I don’t think that’s the essence of my broadcasts.
Bloody Night is merely the game I’m best at, the one I’m confident in.

The foundation of my gaming broadcasts is TLQ.

It’s the game that announced the start of Kainoh Izumi as a VTuber, and the source of the disgraceful and unfathomable nickname “Queen of Yeo-sang.”

…Huh? Looking at it this way, it seems TLQ… was a mistake, right?

Nah, that can’t be true. TLQ is a masterpiece.

Anyway, what I want to say ultimately is this.
Regardless of how good I am, I love fighting games.

Well, since fighting games are somewhat of a minor genre, I don’t often play them on stream.

But… the game I’m about to play now.
Spirit Gram, or for short, “Spigra” is a completely different story.

This game is certainly a fighting game, but the elements that users enjoy differ from other fighting games.

The fun of a fighting game usually lies in the psychological warfare against opponents.
Or various combinations that can be executed in the game, but the amusement in Spigra doesn’t come from there.

The joy of Spigra comes from the customizable aspects that users can freely create.

That’s why Spigra has become quite popular even among ordinary gamers.

“Hehe…”

Before starting the broadcast, I check the customizations of my character that I set up beforehand.
The character is Maya.
She boasts one of the fastest attack speeds in the game, but she uses a dagger as a weapon, which means her range is short and her attack power is weak.

Originally, she has light green short hair and gray eyes.
She’s normally dressed in light attire, but right now she looked completely different.

Her hair was black and flowed down to her waist with striking red eyes.
And the outfit was a school uniform that matched the fantasy world far from fit.
Her waist was wrapped in a beige cardigan, and she wore a baker’s hat slightly atop her head.

That’s right.
I had customized Maya into my avatar “Kainoh Izumi.”

Can you imagine how much time I invested to create this?
Would it surprise you if I told you I spent almost 12 hours just on customization?

Thanks to that, an avatar with very high completeness was produced.
This is my chance to directly discipline those Izutomo who are always looking for opportunities to tease me!

What? Didn’t I just say that my Izutomo love me and are nice people?
…That’s not important right now.

“Co, Konzumi…! The atmosphere maker, Izumi has arrived…!”

-Hi, Zumi!
-I feel like I can already see the ending of today’s broadcast.

With that, I began my broadcast with a feeling of excitement greater than any recent time.

★

“Wahaha… Well, anyway, today’s winner is already decided, right? So come at me…?”
-What?
-Don’t laugh like a kagarin.
-Mizuki-chan’s laugh is really annoying today.

Even before starting the game, a battle of nerves unfolded between me and my Izutomo.

Of course, since this is my opportunity to discipline those Izutomo who have always tried to tease me during viewer games, I had no intention of backing down.
-This is always the same pattern where Mizuki-chan screams after saying that.
-Mizuki-chan… can’t actually play games, right?

“Hmph… The only ones who don’t recognize my skill are you guys. It’s worthless to provoke me, you noobs!~.”

At that moment, the game matching was set.
Of course, my character was Maya, customized as ‘me.’
And the opponent was…

“Th-this is disgusting!!!”
-What?
-Apologize.
-You thought of the Izutomo like that…?

“No… you, you have to admit it too, that’s…!!!”

The opponent was Aris, a character that prefers long-range combat with a rapier.
And the customization was… an Izutomo.

The problem was that it had arms and legs attached.
The Izutomo looked like a shark.
A human’s arms and legs were attached to that shark’s exterior, holding a rapier.

It’s unnecessarily realistic and therefore so gross…!
“Apologize! You should apologize for ruining the cute image of the Izutomo that I cherished…!!!”

That was the utmost sincerity without any concealment.
-Today… I have no reluctance to hit Mizuki-chan.
-I won’t stop until she cries.
-I’m hurt. I’ll unsub.
-I’m definitely going to see Mizuki-chan crying today.

Looking at the chatroom, I thought I absolutely could not lose today.
My instincts screamed that at me.
“Th-this is clearly your fault…!!!”

So I boldly declared.
I’m not in the wrong!!!

---

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