Fujiwara Azusa (藤村 彩梓). Her stage name used while active in Star’s Flow is Kaguya Aoba.
She was currently feeling an intense regret.
‘Why am I here? Am I really this stupid? Ah, I must be stupid. Why on earth has a fool like me been alive this long? I want to die. No, I should just die. But dying is scary. Ugh, I hate it. It seems like everyone in the world is happy except for me.’
Aoba was currently standing in front of Izumi’s House.
The reason they gathered today was for a taco party… which was proposed by Aoba herself.
In other words, she had brought this situation upon herself.
‘What was I so confidently saying to a senpai I’ve never even talked to? She must think I’m weird. But when Tsukasa said she was having a meal with Izumi-senpai, I felt a bit envious. After all, we’re both part of Star’s Flow. I just wanted to get a little closer. But no matter how I think about it, it was too rushed. I’m really such a fool. I’ll just end up alone anyway. The members of Star’s Flow are ultimately just colleagues, not friends. So what can I really gain from all this effort? Nothing at all. I learned enough back in high school.’
But now, Aoba was more aware than anyone that escaping was not an option.
Therefore, she slightly rolled up her sleeves and looked at her left wrist, which still twinged a little.
Fortunately, the apricot-colored patch she had put on before leaving that morning was stuck there without any discomfort.
‘At least I can still wear winter clothes. It’s hard to notice under normal circumstances, but it definitely shows if you focus….’
After taking a deep breath, Aoba slowly raised her trembling hand and pressed the doorbell.
Ding dong! The sound of the doorbell echoed, making her tense as she waited for a response, and soon enough, a voice came through the intercom.
[Yes, this is Kayanoh.]
“Uh… This is Fujiwara, who made the plans for today…!”
[Ah, it’s Fujiwara-san, huh? Please wait a moment.]
‘…Huh? That voice just now. It doesn’t sound like Izumi-senpai.’
However, it was definitely a familiar voice that she had heard somewhere.
While she pondered on that, she heard a click sound, and the front door opened.
And standing there was—
“Hello, Fujiwara-san.”
“…Komachi-senpai? Kotone?”
They were Suzuha and Tsukasa, whom Aoba had met once before for a collaboration and were both third-year students.
‘Ah… am I the last one? It’s not that late, but the person who proposed the taco party ends up being the last to arrive. I wonder what everyone is thinking. How embarrassing. I want to die.’
Aoba thought this while taking off her shoes and looking around, but she didn’t see Izumi.
“Um… Is Izumi-senpai…?”
“If it’s Izumi, she’s sleeping right now. When I came earlier, I tried calling her, but she didn’t respond, so I went to check and found her asleep.”
“…Huh? So how did Komachi-senpai and Kotone get in…?”
“We got an emergency key from Izumi’s mother a while ago.”
“Oh….”
That’s right. She had boldly asked Izumi to have a taco party.
‘Wow, Izumi-senpai and Suzuha-senpai are really close. They trust each other. I don’t have anyone like that around me.’
Aoba, who was responsible for the middle school illness character role in Star’s Flow’s third generation Atlas, thought….
‘I want to die.’
She was truly a melancholic person.
“Then since Aoba-san is here too, shall we wake her up now?”
As Aoba set down the bags she brought into the living room, Suzuha got up and walked towards Izumi’s room.
And seeing Tsukasa naturally follow behind, Aoba hesitated but quietly followed them.
“Ugh….”
Inside the room, Izumi was lying on the bed, hugging a pillow as she slept.
A phone was resting by her bedside, and she was rolling around a bit, whether she was aware of her situation or not.
“Looks like she’s still sleeping. I told her multiple times to set an alarm on her phone for days like this. She really is a hassle…”
Despite those words, a smile lingered on Suzuha’s lips.
“Izumi.”
Time had already flown to 7:40 AM. Since the broadcast was scheduled to begin at 8, it was time to wake Izumi up.
“Izumi…! Izumi! Wake up!”
“Ugh?”
“It’s already 7:40….”
“…Huh?”
As Suzuha gently shook her shoulder while calling her name, thankfully, Izumi awoke quickly.
“W-wait…?!”
“Izumi-senpai really loves her sleep. You’re like a sleeping princess.”
“W-wait, how?”
“Hmm? Ah… Izumi’s mother gave me an emergency key, you know? Didn’t you know?”
“…Huh?”
Why was she making that expression? Suzuha chuckled as she replied, “Isn’t that what it was for?”
Izumi then showed an expression of understanding, as if she realized, “Oh… I see…”
‘Huh? Isn’t that acceptance a bit too quick? Is it okay just because it’s Suzuha-senpai? Then they must be really close….’
“Let’s get up and tidy your hair, Izumi. Fortunately, it’s not to the point of needing a shower yet. We need to start the broadcast soon.”
“Ugh… so annoying….”
“I’m not the only one here, you know. Get up quickly.”
“Oh… okay….”
‘What? So, when she’s alone, it’s okay to be like that? How unfair. I want to die from jealousy….’
Watching this made Aoba nearly sink back into negative thoughts, but—
Seeing Izumi getting up, sitting on the bed while yawning and letting Suzuha tidy her hair, her thoughts began to shift a little.
‘But what is it about that adorably charming senpai… Just looking at her makes me feel relaxed….’
★
When Suzuha brushes Koga-san’s hair, what should I say? It feels comforting.
In the past, just making eye contact or even a gentle touch on my body would make me jump.
Of course, if I stare for too long, I still feel tense, and if it’s anywhere other than my hair, I sometimes flinch.
But, really, when Suzuha brushes my hair, it has this soft and ticklish feeling that I enjoy.
“Wow… You both seem really natural together.”
“Ah… well, I’ve gotten used to it.”
Tsursaki-san replied casually to Suzuha’s comment.
…But when did this actually start?
At some point, Suzuha began to naturally touch my hair whenever we met.
I never specifically asked her to do it, nor did she ever take the initiative to do it beforehand….
“Done!”
“T-thank you….”
After Suzuha finished brushing my hair, I tidied up my slightly messy clothes from sleeping.
And after yawning one last time, I tried to get off the bed.
“Um… Nice to meet you! I’m the junior, Kaguya Aoba… Fujiwara Azusa!”
“Ah, yes… N-nice to meet you. Kayanoh, Mina….”
Kaguya-san, whom I saw for the first time today, greeted me.
And I was… taken aback.
Typically, in Star’s Flow, avatars of affiliated VTubers are designed to resemble the physical traits of their ‘real bodies’ as much as possible for various reasons.
So when I first saw Kaguya-san’s profile, I was quite surprised.
Kaguya-san’s height is… a mere 145 cm.
She’s just 1 cm taller than Suzuha, but her personality is totally opposite as she’s a middle-school-illness “loli.”
What a hardcore roleplay…. Though, thinking about Suzuha’s roleplay, it’s pretty hardcore too.
While I thought about that, it dawned on me that a peer I felt a sense of unity with had appeared! So, it seemed like a good thing after all.
[That’s… a really rude thought, so don’t mention it to Aoba-san.]
Despite Koga’s reaction being one of surprise, I naturally assumed Kaguya-san’s “real body” would also be short.
However, Kaguya-san, who stood before me now, was quite tall.
She’s shorter than her older sister, but she seems to be about the same height as Utsumi-san….
The lively Utsumi-san seemed like the opposite of her atmosphere.
She was quite assertive on the broadcast, but no matter how I looked at her, she didn’t seem like that was her usual personality.
If I had to summarize it, she gives off a vibe that’s both similar and different from my own.
Ah… I see then.
Is this another one of Star’s Flow’s tricks…!
It’s clear they put Kaguya-san into a role she doesn’t fit, causing her distress.
Maybe they’re for sure a black company…!
While thinking this, I began to feel even more of a connection with Kaguya-san.
“Kaguya-san… was it tough for you?”
“…What do you mean?”
“Ah, it’s all good. As a senpai, I understand everything…!”
“…Huh?”
“No, I think it’s a little different from what Izumi might think…?”
As I tried to share this moment of camaraderie, for some reason, Koga-san interrupted.
“K-Koga-san doesn’t know anything…”
“Huh?!”
“Ugh….”
“Since it’s almost 8 o’clock, shall we start preparing for the broadcast?”
Fortunately, thanks to Tsursaki-san saying that, I managed to escape from Koga’s intimidating gaze.
I almost thought Tsursaki-san was a strange and intimidating person during our last off-collaboration, but she’s actually so kind….
By the way, I didn’t expect Kaguya-san to be this tall.
What a shame, Koga-san….
“Huh?!”
“Ugh….”
★
[【Off Collaboration】I heard that a Takoyaki party is the best way to get closer! #KainohIzumi #KogaSuzuha #TsurusakiTsukasa #KaguyaAoba #Star’sFlow]
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