Ch.67 Going Out with Kikyo-san

Night time. I took a break from streaming today and spent the day pounding away at the keyboard. What I'm working on now is the game I anno

Night time.

I took a break from streaming today and spent the day pounding away at the keyboard.

What I'm working on now is the game I announced online a long time ago called "Twilight Aria" - in other words, the development of a game based on my past life.

Progress isn't going well... is that what you're saying?

With the addition of Licia, a completely broken cheat character in terms of programming, the speed of the work itself has improved tremendously.

However, the fact that it is modeled after my past life means that Licia and Kaguya-senpai are also included in it.

In other words, by incorporating their perspectives and capturing information that even I did not know, the amount of work had expanded enormously.

"Hmm, at this rate, it looks like it's going to take a while."

I glance at the clock at the bottom right of the screen.

It's almost time for the date to change.

I saved my data, shut off my computer, brushed my teeth, turned off the lights, and went to bed.

"…………"

"Uhh, they're definitely coming" (auditory hallucination)

"Shi-..."

I stood up with my smartphone and pillow in hand.

I leave the room with the light on my smartphone on.

Feeling a chill run down my spine as I walked through the pitch black hallway, I opened the door to the nearest room without even taking the time to knock.

"Eeek?!"

The occupant of the room, Sakura, reacted with a start to my sudden visit.

When she realized it was me, her body went limp.

She was holding a controller in her hand, and the state of the monitor indicated that she was currently streaming.

"Sorry for coming in suddenly, Ouka."

"K-knock please."

"Yeah, I'm really sorry."

I-its the hallways' fault for being pitch black.

I'll maintain my morals...!

"Um...today too?"

Sakura asked timidly, to which I replied with a wry smile,

"Yeah, today too. You can keep streaming without worrying about me. In fact, it's totally fine if you keep streaming even when i fell asleep. Ah, but don't stay up too late just because tomorrow is a holiday."

And while I was behaving in a way that was unclear as to whether I was being pathetic or serious, I crawled into Sakura's bed.

Since it's a semi-double bed, there's no problem with space even if two girls lie down.

Maybe because of my influence, she bought a new semi-double bed about two months ago. Thank goodness.

"Good night, Ouka. Good night to all the listeners too."

I waved at the camera and then pulled the blanket over myself.

The dim lighting helps.

With Sakura's stream playing in the background, I drift off into a daze.

I wonder if I have anything planned for tomorrow...

Oh, that's right.

"I'm going out with Kikyo-senpai..."

"ーEh?"

Zzz...

the next day.

I woke up, pulling the sleeping Sakura away from me, who had her face buried in my chest like a clingy insect.

I eat the breakfast Kaa-sab prepared and get ready.

As expected, I'm starting to be good at doing my makeup.

My looks are already so good that it deserves to be described as peerless, so there's something natural about me that makes me looks good.

But when it comes to clothing, I leave it entirely to Kaa-san and Mitsuki.

I don't know what clothes are trendy.

Unlike makeup, this changes all the time so it's really troublesome.

"I wish jerseys would be a trend all year round."

"Please don't say such disgusting things. You're going out with Kikyo today, right?"

"Yep. She said she wanted me to teach her a lot of things."

That was the request Kikyo-senpai had made to me yesterday.

She was finally free from the debt hell her father had created and was able to do what she wanted.

However, since she was a child, Kikyo-senpai had suppressed herself, telling herself not to be selfish, and now she doesn't even know what she wanted to do.

Emotionally, I guess it's similar to that of a working adult who grew up being forced to study by their parents.

At times like these, it's helpful to have colleagues like yours to rely on...

Ouka - an introvert.

Momiji-senpai - A childhood friend, but in her ultimate perfect form, Great Non-Deli.

Suisen-senpai - A mysterious girl (and in fact has an even more dark past than Kikyo-senpai).

ーThis is a thoroughly unreliable lineup.

And so I was the one chosen for the job.

Well, if you ask me whether I'm the right person for the job, I'd say no.

But compared to the people mentioned above, it's still better, right?

"Okay, I'm done. Don't teach her anything weird."

"Thanks. I know. I'm not planning on dragging her to an arcade or anything."

"I don't think there's anything strange about arcade."

"For someone with a wasteful mentality, a treasure trove of the Sunk Cost Fallacy would be hell for them."

"... Right."

That would (probably) make it Kikyo-senpai's first time at an arcade.

Moreover, if they have been guided there by someone, they will likely take the opportunity to try out various things while they are there.

So Imagine if they try something like crane game.

Once they get hooked, it's a one way to hell.

It's only 100 yen. But it's still 100 yen.

To a working person, the weight of 100 yen is actually quite light.

The basic principle of crane game is that as you put in 100 yen coins, before you know it, thousands of yen would be gone.

It'd make you think, "I've invested so much now," and you can't back out.

Even Sunk Cost Fallacy-kun is smiling at this. Laughing even.

I wish there was a Kai〇kan nearby, a friend to all crane gamers.

Unfortunately, near our meeting place, there's a raun- ahem.

"Well then, I'm off."

"Be careful. Really."

"Yeah, I know."

I head towards the front door with a wry smile at Kaa-san's words.

It's a phrase I hear almost every time I go out now.

It's a given since my first life ended like that.

"Oh, good morning, Sakura."

"G-good morning..."

When I stepped out into the hallway, I ran into Sakura, who was just coming down the stairs.

"Aria, are you going out now?"

She asks timidly, her eyes wandering.

"Yes. I'll be back in the evening. Is there anything you want?"

"Hmm. It's okay... By the way, umm, well..."

"What's wrong?"

I tilt my head.

Sakura is still the same as always - it's a shame.

She was acting strangely and tried to say something, but no words came out.

"N-nothing!"

After a moment, her face turned bright red and she disappeared into the living room.

I wonder what that was.

◇◆◇

To put it simply, the woman with the avatar Natsukawa Kikyo was extremely nervous.

Having worked multiple part-time jobs, I have gained social experience that is beyond what one would expect for my age.

I felt comfortable speaking to people older than me, and was confident that I could clearly express my opinions even in an interview.

The reason I was nervous was because of the junior I was about to meet.

Alpheria Linker.

She is a Vtuber with a mysterious and strange settings, in that she not only has memories of her past life, but even of her life before that. What's more, TS is added to the mix, making it even more chaotic.

However, contrary to this troublesome setting, Alpheria was a good-natured girl.

She knows it's embarrassing for me as a senior, but she has given me advice and helped me on a few occasions.

I have always lived for money and without relying on anyone.

Because my parents, who should have been the people I could rely on the most, were not reliable at all.

The people who deceived my parents were also adults.

So behind my cheerful smile, I built a wall, keeping a distance from adults, neither too close nor too far.

Of course, relying on people of the same gen is not an option.

Because my childhood friend was a complete loser who specialized in only one skill, which caused me even more trouble.

She knows me background and yet still relies on me so casually, she's definitely the real deal.

As soon as she started showing the "real persona" on stream, the number of subscribers and concurrent viewers skyrocketed, it's really an unfair world out there.

ーAnyway.

It was Alpheria who reached out to me when I had a lot of things building up inside me.

She embraced everything with kindness.

I can still remember that warmth.

Just like a mother.

It was a warmth that I had long forgotten since my mother left when I was a child.

Well, that resulted in a more than just a little dark moment in my history.

In any case, I'm going to meet Alferia now.

Moreover, we will be meeting in real life, without the use of avatars.

My first meeting with the person who melted my brain.

I couldn't really hide my nervousness at all.

(What kind of girl is she?)

Recently, she has started talking about school in casual conversation, so it's certain that she is still a student.

She also said that the avatar of Alpheria was from her previous life, and that in this life she is an incredibly beautiful girl with an incredibly sexy body.

(Sexy body)

Sexy body.

The kind of body that'd make other women bit their lip.

As I was imagining the person inside Alpheria, my smartphone rang.

"Wha-."

Surprised, I took out my smartphone and checked it.

It's a message.

Moreover, it's from aforementioned Alpheria.

Alpheria Linker

[This is Alpheria. i have arrived at our destination, Over."

Natsukawa Kikyo

[Sorry, it might take a little longer for me, Over!]

Alpheria Linker

[There's still plenty of time before the meeting, so don't worry. If you rush and get into an accident, it'll be no laughing matter. If you end up as minced meat like I was in my first life, you'll end up reincarnated in a shitty parallel world. Source: Me]

Natsukawa Kikyo

[Ahahaha. Okay. I'll be careful. Thanks.]

Alpheria Linker

[You guys keep ignoring it, thinking it's just a joke (´・ω・`)]

I put my smartphone away, thinking that it was probably just a joke or a setting.

But I was glad that she was worried about me.

With a smile on my face, I walked, checking my surroundings more than usual.

When I arrived at the meeting place in front of the station, I called again on my smartphone.

Natsukawa Kikyo

[Phew, I'm here.]

After typing that, I glanced around briefly.

There were quite a few people coming and going in the square in front of the station, so it would be difficult to find a specific person.

Alpheria Linker

[Thank you for your hard work. I believe there is a beautiful girl in the plaza with perfect, ultimate, and unparalleled beauty that surpasses not only top idols and Hollywood actresses, but even the three most beautiful women in the world, so please talk to her. That's me.]

"... What a confidence."

My cheek involuntarily twitched.

I was hoping she would explain features like clothing and hairstyle, but she just kept emphasizing appearance.

I continue walking, thinking that there's no way I'll be able to find it with just this information.

Then, I noticed a crowd of people forming in the center of the square.

I took a casual look at them and noticed that they were all staring in fascination at one spot.

"T-there's no way, right?"

With that thought in mind, I joined the crowd.

Then I looked in the direction of the crowd's passionate gaze and was speechless.

There was a beauty incarnate over there.

What the heck?

Silver hair! Long eyelashes! Pure white skin!

And it's a sexy body that sticks out where it should and is tight where it should be!

Perhaps this was a manifestation of the listeners' fantasies.

Did it jump out of 2D or something?

I see.

With looks and style like that, it's no wonder she has such confidence.

Even the men who looked frivolous when dressed had hearts in their eyes and shook their heads saying, "No way, no way, It's impossible for me, but i love her♡."

No doubt.

She is the person behind Alpheria Linker.

Huh? Do I have to start a conversation in this crowd?

Previous | ToC | Next