Chapter 18: Chapter 17

[EXPOSED] I will reveal Senpai Rion’s Secret [Shiroki Anna/EYEAI]

"...What is this?"

Rion blinked in disbelief as she read the title of Anna’s upcoming stream.

Exposed?

What on earth is she talking about?

‘...Could it be about me quitting as a VTuber?’

That was the only thing that came to mind. After all, the only person who knew she was transitioning from VTuber to manager was Anna.

But… it didn’t make sense for Anna to just spill that information without permission, right?

Rion had already discussed it with the management and had planned to post a retirement announcement soon. They had settled on the end date of her activities, as well as the future management policy of her channel.

And Rion intended to disclose all of this during her own stream... but now Anna was planning to announce it first?

It didn’t add up.

‘It can’t be anything serious, right?’

If management gave the green light, the stream couldn’t be dangerous. Perhaps it was just a clickbait title?

But still, what exactly was she planning to expose?

Rion tried to think through various possibilities, but in the end, there was only one conclusion: she had to hear it directly from Anna.

【This_Code】

Nekozuka Rion

[What’s up with the stream title?]

[What are you planning to expose?]

Shiroki Anna

[You’ll find out when you watch.]

Nekozuka Rion

[No way;;]

[You should have told me first;;;]

Shiroki Anna

[I’ll send you an invite to the server.]

[You’re free to join if you want.]

《You’ve been invited to the server: 'Tonight's Stream Exclusive Server'》

Rion clicked the invite and joined the Discord server Anna had sent.

But the server was almost empty—just a single chat channel and a voice channel. The only other person there was Anna.

Nekozuka Rion

[There’s nothing here?]

[Why did you even create this server;;]

Shiroki Anna

[There’s a reason.]

Nekozuka Rion

[Then tell me what it is already; I’m about to lose my mind;;]

Shiroki Anna

[Just wait a bit.]

Nekozuka Rion

[Did you want to collab with me?]

[If so, you should have told me in advance.]

Shiroki Anna

[I need to prepare for the stream, so I’m going to stop chatting now.]

“Seriously, she won’t tell me anything.”

Rion sighed, but this was typical of Anna.

‘Impulsive’ was probably the best word to describe her. Anna was the type to spend absurd amounts of money on gacha games on a whim.

And she almost never regretted what she did. So it wasn’t surprising that she hadn’t fixed this impulsive streak.

‘...Well, it probably won’t be a big deal, right?’

Anna might not be the most ordinary person, but at her core, she was kind-hearted.

There shouldn’t be any issues.

That’s what Rion thought, at least.

[As the title suggests, today I’ll be exposing a big secret about Senpai Rion.]

[So, I’ve invited a guest.]

Anna’s voice came through the monitor as she spoke.

A guest?

Who could it be? Could she mean me? Was that why she sent me the server invite?

But Anna didn’t explicitly ask me to join. All she said was that I could come if I wanted to.

[Please, welcome the guest.]

Ding

The familiar Discord sound effect played, and suddenly, one more person joined the server.

[Hello.]

[I’m Rion’s cousin.]

"...What?"

Rion’s eyes widened in shock.

Nekozuka Rion¶: ???

Nekozuka Rion¶: Hey, what is this?

Nekozuka Rion¶: Why is my cousin there?

- Hahahahahahaha

- Nekozuka, you’re watching this?

- Please introduce your cousin to us.

- She has such a nice voice.

**- innuendo **

The chat was on fire.

But not as hot as the tea in front of me, I mused, smiling as I took a sip.

[Yes, today we have Senpai Rion’s cousin with us.]

[Shall we start by explaining how we came to know each other, Sensei?]

Anna’s voice resonated through my headphones.

It had been a while since I sat in front of my PC. Anna had insisted that I shouldn't start by streaming in VR.

"In virtual reality, you can create an avatar as you like. Not only that, but you can also change your voice."

"Sure, you can use a voice changer on PC, but it’s still just modifying the sound you input through your microphone."

"So, for now, let’s use PC Discord so the audience won’t be as suspicious about your gender."

I had heard that gender controversies had plagued the VTuber industry from the very beginning.

There was this one VTuber, Nora■, who used a cute female model, but it turned out the person behind it was some middle-aged man.

Honestly, I didn’t care if people suspected I was a man.

But Anna had been through enough boyfriend rumors, so I agreed to help her out by streaming with PC Discord.

“Where should I start the story?”

[Hmm… I suppose I should start with my side of things. I really wanted to get better at Labyrinth. The viewers were always criticizing me.]

- Aren’t you the one who tortures us?

- I felt like I was going to get cancer.

- Can you do ASMR?

- I thought I was going to die watching that Labyrinth stream.

- Severe headaches, fever, and nausea.

[What are you guys even saying…]

[So I told Senpai Rion that I wanted to get better at Labyrinth, and she introduced me to her cousin, who’s really good at it.]

[Remember how I’ve been doing well as a magic engineer lately? It’s all thanks to my teacher’s excellent guidance.]

"Just as Anna said, it’s all thanks to me. So, viewers, feel free to praise me. I’ll allow it, just this once."

- Sensei, you have such a unique character, lol.

- I will praise you!

- Your way of speaking is so distinct, haha.

- But how did you teach such a hopeless case???

- Hey, don’t be too hard on her.

- Anna, let’s bow three times towards Sensei’s house before bed every night.

The chat was lively. I didn’t expect to be this well-received without even showing my face.

Then again, as a noblewoman, my voice is just as beautiful as my appearance. It’s hard to find any flaw in me.

My flaws? There’s no such thing. If anything, being too perfect might be my only flaw.

So just hearing my voice was a great honor for these people. After all, a noblewoman is not someone you can easily approach.

Though, there was one person who didn’t share this sentiment.

Nekozuka Rion

[Why can’t I enter the voice channel?]

[Only two people can join the voice channel?]

[@Shiroki Anna]

[Are you going to open the door?]

[What’s going on here?]

[Hey!!!!!]

Rion was causing a commotion not only in the chat but also on Discord.

Of course, Anna and I ignored her.

[Now that I’ve explained the relationship between my teacher and me, let’s get to the main topic.]

[Sensei, please reveal the secret.]

"Shall I?"

"A little while ago, I watched Rion’s stream for the first time. To be honest, I didn’t even know Rion was a VTuber until then."

[When Senpai Rion introduced me to her cousin, she asked me to keep it a secret that she’s a VTuber.]

[But you already knew before we met, didn’t you?]

"Yes. Rion used my computer for a bit, and since she didn’t log out of her account, the algorithm revealed it."

- Nekozuka Rion¶: What?

- Nekozuka Rion¶: Is that true?

- LOL, idiot Rion

- Is she really that dumb?

- I thought the dumb act was just an RP?

- Poor Rion…

"I noticed she ended every sentence with ‘nyan’ in her streams. She never did that with me, though."

That’s what I said.

I didn’t mention the part where Rion edited my replay videos or the emails she sent. Those were personal matters, and Anna said it was better not to reveal them on the stream.

[So, Senpai Rion doesn’t use ‘nyan’ in her everyday life?]

"At least not when she’s with family."

[I see. Then what is Senpai Rion like usually?]

"She’s a diligent and kind child. Do you all know that Rion has been living with me?"

[Ah, yes, Senpai Rion mentioned that in one of her streams. So I think the viewers are aware.]

"Then I can get straight to the point. Rion has been living at my house for the past three years, handling the cooking and cleaning."

[Wait a moment. Let me show you something.]

The broadcast screen displayed a photo of some pasta.

[This was made by Senpai Rion.]

- Hmm.. this seems like wife material.

- Does Rion come with Sensei as a package deal?

- Why is Rion so good at cooking?

- Hello Rion, I’ve liked you since the moment I first saw you. I’ve been confessing for a long time, but you never responded. I loved you first…

- Nekozuka Rion¶: No

- Nekozuka Rion¶: I made that today

- Nekozuka Rion¶: When did you take this?

[So, does Senpai Rion prepare meals like this every day? And do all the housework too?]

"Yes."

I nodded.

Technically, we ate a lot of takeout, so Rion didn’t cook every day. But it made sense to hype her up as much as possible here.

- Turns out she’s a traditional housewife.

- Isn’t this out of character? Why is she good at housework?

- If Rion isn’t a dumb lazybones, what does that make us?

- Does she really do all the housework alone? Lol.

- Well, if she’s freeloading, it’s the least she could do, haha.

- This is basically a maid.

[Thank you for sharing this new side of Senpai Rion. How much of Senpai Rion’s streams have you watched, Sensei?]

"Not a lot. Just some of her Labyrinth gameplay."

[Then, you probably haven’t seen her first stream, right?]

"First stream?"

- Nekozuka Rion¶: ?

- Nekozuka Rion¶: What are you trying to do?

- Nekozuka Rion¶: Why are you suddenly bringing up my first stream?

[If you watch this, you’ll see Senpai Rion’s true self.]

The pasta photo disappeared from the broadcast screen.

In its place appeared a video file.

【First Stream】 Nekozuka Rion’s First Stream Nyan! 【EYEAI 4th Generation】

Thud!

“Turn off the stream! What the hell are you doing!!!”

There was a loud banging on the door.

I could hear Rion shouting from the other side.

- I can hear Rion yelling, lol

- So they really do live together???

- Nekozuka is in full panic mode, haha.

- Doesn’t she use ‘nyan’ in real life?

- Sigh, was I the only one taking this seriously? Is being a VTuber just a joke to you?

“Why did you lock the door again…? Open it! Open the door!! Sis, stop her from streaming! Hurry!!”

Her screams were desperate.

As I later found out, the number one video that VTubers least want to revisit is their first stream.

Whether it was because they were overly eager or extremely nervous, the concept was often a mess.

For most VTubers, the first stream is like a dark chapter in their history.

[N-Nyan, nyaa… What was I supposed to say again…? Ah, right. I’m Nekozuka Rion, nyan…]

[I-I came from the cat planet, nyaa… no, I mean, I’m from there, nyaa… I’m the Nekomimi Princess, uh, the Nekomimi Princess, nyaa.]

[I’m debuting today as part of EYEAI’s 4th generation, nyan! Please take care of me, nyaa!!]

"Aaaaaaah!!!!"

Rion screamed.@@novelbin@@

When the door finally opened, I found Rion on the floor, twitching uncontrollably.