She began her full-fledged activities as a VTuber during her first year of high school.
Before that, she was known only to a small group as a gaming YouTuber, but when the new culture of VTubers began to gain momentum in the industry, her ship started sailing smoothly forward as if propelled by a favorable wind.
In some ways, you could say she was blessed with extraordinary luck.
In an industry where anything profitable quickly becomes oversaturated, she was able to enjoy the benefits of being an early entrant in a time when the term “Virtual YouTuber” was still unfamiliar.
Thanks to this, she now ranks among the top ten most recognized VTubers out of hundreds.
At first, she didn’t expect to become so popular, which left her somewhat bewildered, but Ayase eventually grew accustomed to having hundreds of thousands of subscribers.
She still vividly remembers the day she first received payment for her work as a VTuber.
It was the first time in her life she had ever handled such a large sum of money.
However, the more popular she became, the more she started to feel a certain disillusionment.
On the surface, she played the glamorous character of Minazuki Luna, but behind that facade was just an ordinary high school girl, Ayase Satsuki.
The thought that the popularity she was enjoying wasn’t really hers, but rather that of the character Minazuki Luna, created an unavoidable sense of disconnect.
How long will this popularity last? How long can I keep playing this character?
It was only natural that such thoughts would come to her mind.
Especially since, unlike her usually reserved personality, Minazuki Luna, who was portrayed as a rabbit from the moon, had a lively and energetic character.
The longer she spent performing as someone other than herself, the more it became a significant source of stress for her.
While Ayase was leading this double life, going back and forth between home and school under two different names,n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
“Class President, is this you by any chance?”
The guy who seemed farthest from being an otaku in their class suddenly spoke to her.
Kim Yu-seong.
She knew his name and face.
It was because the top freshman of the year, the Korean standing right in front of her, was him.
She considered herself a good student, but she paled in comparison to Kim Yu-seong.
Excellent grades and neat appearance.
In the first semester, he subtly attracted the attention of many female students, but starting in the second semester, he suddenly began excessively building muscle, which led people to avoid him.
The bad rumors circulating about him in the school probably played a big role in that too.
Anyway, although they were in the same class, she saw him as someone she had no real reason to talk to.
To her, Kim Yu-seong was just that kind of person.
...Or so she thought.
“Class President, is this you by any chance?”
A sudden, direct question.
On the screen of his smartphone was Minazuki Luna, played by Ayase Satsuki, screaming in anger at a viewer who had called her a “cutting board.”
Since it was a stream from just two days ago, she almost lost control of her expression but managed to respond as calmly as possible.
“H-huh? What’s this?”
But the suspicion didn’t leave Kim Yu-seong’s eyes.
“I think this person’s voice sounds a lot like yours.”
No one in their right mind would answer that question honestly.
Completely oblivious to her burning feelings, he sat there calmly.
Although some might find his stoic face intimidating, Ayase was the first to notice the kindness within.
‘It doesn’t seem like he’s dating anyone yet.’
She had given up prematurely, thinking that he would soon be dating someone.
But even as time passed, there were no rumors of Kim Yu-seong dating anyone, and this remained true even after the school trip.
‘Does that mean I still have a chance?’
Until now, she had stepped back, not wanting to get into a messy fight, but maybe it was no longer the time to be so cautious.
If Kim Yu-seong still belonged to no one, she would make him hers.
With this resolve, Ayase closed her heavy eyes, weighed down by a slight fever.
First, she needed to get over this illness.
After finishing the piled-up dishes, I checked the time on my phone. It was already 7 PM.
“Well, I’ll be going now. Make sure to lock the door.”
“Okay!”
Ayase’s younger brother nodded vigorously in response.
“You have to come again next time, okay?”
“Of course.”
When his younger sister tugged at my pants, I crouched down and patted her head before saying I was really leaving this time, and I opened the front door.
“Oh?”
And there stood Ayase’s mother with a surprised expression.
“Aren’t you Kim?”
“Hello.”
As I bowed and greeted her, Ayase’s mother spoke with a slightly bewildered expression.
“You’re still as big as I remember. Did you come to check on my daughter?”
“Yes, I was just about to leave.”
“If I’d known, I would have come earlier. I could have made you something delicious.”
Ayase’s mother said this as she showed me the plastic bag she was holding in her right hand.
She had often cooked something delicious when I visited Ayase in our first year, so it probably wasn’t an empty promise.
“I’ll come again when I have time. Please make it for me then.”
“Please do. I’ll be looking forward to it.”
“Yes.”
I said this and bowed again before heading towards the subway station to go home, but I suddenly remembered something and asked,
“By the way, is Ayase still exercising regularly these days?”
“She’s been doing it for 30 minutes every day, just as you suggested. So don’t worry too much. She won’t suddenly collapse like last time.”
“That’s a relief. Sitting too much isn’t good for her health, so please remind her to stretch occasionally.”
I said this with a warm smile and then headed home.