Ch. 16 Training Early in The Morning

Kisaragi Sakura, a representative of the world-hating introvert, has made a decision.

Having met someone she admired, she felt a desire to change, something uncharacteristic of herself, and guided by the person she admired, she took a courageous step.

And now, early in the morning the next day――

"Hey, your pace is slowing down. The harder it gets, the more you should focus on proper form! GO GO!"

'I feel so discouraged!!'

"Kahyuu... Kahyuu..."

Sakura is dead.

She was lying on a park bench, looking so pitiful.

Her legs were shaking more than a newborn fawn, sweat was pouring down her entire body, and she was gasping for oxygen like a washed-up fish. All dignity as a maiden had been lost.

"Itchy... horse..." (TL note: a meme originated from resident evil. For more info, click here.)

"If you can make a joke like that, that means you can still run."

Sakura shook her head with what little strength she had.

"Hmm... I never thought something like this would happen after just running two kilometers."

As for Aria, who was looking down at Sakura, she hadn't broken a sweat despite having been running alongside her the whole time.

From Aria's point of view, it's probably about time that her body finally warmed up. Well, it's only two kilos after all.

Sakura was able to understand the feelings of the enemy pilots who were amazed at Gun〇m's performance.

"Okay, let's get hydrated for now."

Aria bought a sports drink from a nearby vending machine and handed her the bottle.

However, Sakura didn't even have the energy to reach out.

Aria sat down next to Sakura, put her head on her lap, and opened the cap.

With Aria diligently tending to her, Sakura was finally able to hydrate.

"Returning to life..."

"What a coincidence. I've also been brought back to life twice."

ーCan i even laugh to that?

Sakura was unsure of what to do.

Aria gently strokes Sakura's head in a comforting manner.

Aria encourages Sakura like this whenever the opportunity arises.

The expression on Aria's face as she gazed upon Sakura calmly was so mature it was hard to believe they were the same age, and there was a definite "depth" to it.

However, given her unusual background, this is perhaps only natural.

Sakura narrows her eyes, feeling the gentle sunlight and the comforting kindness.

'I don't know how to describe it, but I felt really good.'

First of all, Aria has an incredibly beautiful face.

And she has silver hair. What the heck?

She even has a black headband with a rose corsage on it, which suits her very well. What the heck? Part 2

Even now, this scene made people passing by do a double take.

Aria in particular was smiling like a saint right now.

It was inevitable that everyone's gaze would be drawn to Aria.

Ah, a guy with a girlfriend got high-kicked by his girlfriend and thrown into a fountain. Is this the time and place for a skit?

Sakura seems likely to cry like a baby if she lets her guard down.

Even if she did cry, Aria would probably just accept it with a bitter smile, so that's bad. Is this what a former man feels like...?

Her charm has been completely maxed out.

And what's more, her thighs are so soft and slender.

Her beauty is so great that even the most talked-about idols and actresses can't compare to her.

Despite that, Aria is also active as a VTuber, where she is almost unrivaled.

That first live stream made Sakura admire her.

Sakura wasn't the only one whose etched that moment in their memories.

She is extremely popular not only among VTubers inside and outside the box, but also at school.

That's obvious.

Men are obvious, but every girl also want to shine like that at least once.

In fact, girls have a stronger admiration for idols.

My mother once said that since Alferia's debut, the number of applications has increased several dozen times more than before.

In the blink of an eye, Alpheria became a shining star that caught everyone's attention.

Is this Gor〇d Roger reincarnated in modern times? They're similar except the reincarnation part.

And the fact that she had someone she admired all to herself filled her with pride. Ahhhh, my pride is soaring!

"...But why do we need to train in real life too?"

Sakura asked once her breathing had started to even out.

After all, Sakura and the others are Vtubers.

The live performance will be a full dive into the VR space.

In other words, real physical abilities should be irrelevant - but.

"Well, it's obviously related. It's true that you can freely manipulate the avatar's physical abilities. You can increase their physical abilities by several times, and no matter how much you strain your throat, your vocal cords won't be damaged. It's full of good things."

"B-but then..."

"But with the current Full Dive technology, it's impossible to separate the relationship between your avatar and your body. I did update yours, but it still felt a bit strange, right?"

Sakura nodded timidly.

“In order to eliminate that discomfort as much as possible, you have to train your body, which is your capital. Tips and skills and intuition are the best examples of this.”

"Excuse me for a moment," Aria said, urging Sakura to stand up while she stood up from the bench.

SHe took a distance of about five meters from Sakura, put her hand on her chest, and took a deep breath.

"――――"

However, as if she had suddenly realized that something was wrong, no words came out.

Instead, Aria starts dancing on the spot.

It only took a few seconds.

Still, it was enough to be captivating.

Her dance is like flowing water, as if to say that God resides in the details, and she instantly captivates Sakura.

"I wish I could sing, but I might get recognized."

Aria smirked as she returned to sit next to Sakura.

For now, Sakura has put dancing on the back burner as her goal is to perfect her singing.

"But it's the same with singing. If you don't develop a sense for the real thing, there will always be imperfections in the output. Especially with things like vibrato."

"...Fuguu, I guess I'm not good enough..."

"Oh dear."

Sakura becomes weak-willed when she is shown the difference in their status.

The mountain of problems was threatening to crush her weak mentality.

"It'll be fine, Sakura. There are almost no people who can do it right from the start."

Aria encourages Sakura with a bright smile.

"But I feel sorry for Aria..."

"You don't have to worry about it. I do this because I want to."

"...But I'll probably say something similar from now on..."

"It's okay. I'll accept everything. That's how I grew up too."

"Ah……"

 Those words reminded her.

Aria herself said that she was a shitty slug at first.

"I will pass on the kindness I have received to the next generation. That is the best way to repay my teacher."

The words sounded proud, but also fleeting.

"There's nothing shameful about not being able to do something. The most shameful thing is making excuses and not doing anything because you can't do it. Those kind of people are the ones who are strangely proud and like to insult others."

Sakura gasped, feeling a little bit damaged.

Sakura was that kind of person until recently.

And the fact that it sounded like a real experience must be what Aria was feeling as well.

"You've taken that first step, Sakura, and you've done well. I can guarantee that, as I started from almost the same place as you. So let's continue, one step at a time. Don't worry. I'll definitely lead you to the best performance possible."

Sakura timidly took the outstretched hand and stood up.

 Because it gave her that much courage.

"Well... I look forward to working with you..."

 Aria smiled brightly,

"Well, let's get back to running right away! After that, we'll do some muscle training and voice training! There's still a lot to do!"

"Hin"

That courage was broken in two seconds. Don't you care about a person's heart!?

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