Perverts
Steam rose in soft white curls through the gaps of the cup ramen I’d just poured water into.
In the end, I’d bought the cup ramen after all.
I’d briefly considered heading to an entirely different store for a fresh pack after the clerk had vanished without warning, but that hadn’t been the plan. It would have been a loss in pure travel time, for one thing. The nearest convenience store was this one; anywhere else meant spending more minutes outside.
For someone who fundamentally disliked going out, lingering outdoors was never an appealing option. Like a vampire whose skin burned in sunlight, I always felt my life force draining in real time the moment I stepped outside.
My body itself was far stronger than it used to be. The lingering symptom had to be psychological. I wasn’t sure about the old days, but the cause now was obvious. It was… a complicated feeling, hard to put into words.
“Whoa, what the hell…?”
“That body is insane….”
“Go talk to her.”
Camilla’s body—my body—was the kind of figure that inevitably drew every eye. Even in a baggy hoodie the twin peaks announced themselves with arrogant presence; the waist was so slim the waistband kept sliding down and I had to yank the elastic tight, yet the hips and thighs still clung so snugly to the sweatpants fabric that they looked painted on….
Yeah. I could see why people stared.
I was simply walking with my gaze fixed on nothing in particular, yet attention poured in from every direction—every kind of interest people could muster—and in that instant I understood why.
My head had already accepted it. And honestly… the feeling wasn’t entirely bad.
I’d loved Camilla from the start. Even back when almost no one played her, hearing a stranger say “Your character’s pretty” used to leave me strangely pleased. So having a face that was now essentially Camilla’s, and receiving attention because of it, didn’t feel terrible.
The figure was… a little overwhelming, but it wasn’t outright harassment. Maybe it even counted as a compliment? A quiet satisfaction settled in.
Still, it was too soon. Understanding and accepting were completely different things. I felt shy—no, more than a little shy. Exhaustion came with it as a free bonus. For a first outing, the stimulation had been too intense.
I bought the cup ramen and a triangle kimbap and headed straight back to my cozy nest. I’d originally thought about eating on the terrace out front, but in this state it was impossible. Every passerby would gawk at me while I ate. Becoming the monkey in the zoo was something even I, who enjoyed mild attention, politely declined.
I also didn’t forget to grab one extra triangle kimbap of the same brand, just as the clerk had said. The goodwill had been blatant and a little burdensome… but from the perspective of someone who used to be a guy, I knew exactly what kind of courage it took to offer it. Accepting a free kimbap after that much nerve wasn’t hard.
The real problem was payment. Even so, two thousand won total—enough for two thousand-won donations—wasn’t something I could just walk off with. I might get branded a thief. The clerk had fled without ringing me up, but taking the goods without paying was still theft. I left two thousand-won bills on the counter and left. Waiting for the clerk to return would have taken forever.
I regretted not having a sticky note. I should at least have left a message saying I’d enjoy the kimbap… Well, two thousand won sitting on the counter should get the point across.
“Ugh….”
My neck and shoulders suddenly felt stiff. Stretching drew an involuntary groan. I must have been tensing without realizing it; my whole body had locked up. I worked the crackling joints in my neck, and by the time I finished, the cup ramen was perfectly done.
My first outing as Camilla had been nothing short of brutal.
“Nom.”
But the ramen was delicious.
Ah—and the triangle kimbap the clerk had given me, too.
A silver-haired girl walked steadily forward. Each unhurried step looked like a dance, drawing admiration from anyone watching. I was no exception. The exclusive motion that played after you were named MVP always left me in awe.
Camilla’s MVP motion had soul. Something about it truly stirred a gamer’s heart. Whenever it appeared after I’d almost forgotten it, I would think, Thank god I got MVP. I actually played well this game, and feel the Abyss high rising all over again. The first time I ever got MVP, I think I queued all night without sleeping.
I was lost in those old memories, quietly watching Camilla’s dance, when—
Apparently the viewers were taking a very different impression from this majestic motion than I was. It wasn’t the chest that was swelling with grandeur—something else was, I was pretty sure.
I’d finished the kimbap and ramen and gone live right away. Last night’s short dawn stream had already made more than expected; I could have taken the day off. But I turned it on anyway. It wasn’t hard. If I was going to play after turning the stream off, I might as well leave it on. Plus I could chat while waiting for queues or when I got bored. It even helped build a “diligent streamer” image. Just consistently turning on the stream and playing earned praise for being hardworking. No reason not to.
…Yeah, what cup size was it? I was a little curious myself. Official lore never listed character bust sizes, so there was no way to know.
I moved a hand and gave my chest a light squeeze. Maybe Camilla’s hands were just small, but one hand couldn’t cover much—no, even both hands left plenty over.
“Sigh.”
I suddenly wondered what the hell I was doing and let out a breath. Size could wait until I went bra shopping and got measured.
“No, I mean… that’s….”
Truth was, I used to marvel at Camilla’s face and figure myself. Any guy would. The whole reason I’d started playing her was that gorgeous looks and body; I couldn’t claim innocence on this topic. I’d even ranked Abyss female characters’ faces and figures with certain gallery users for fun, so this kind of talk was familiar territory.
It had been. It really had been. The viewers going wild about Camilla’s cup size and “childbearing hips” were conversations I’d heard a thousand times.
So why did those same comments now make me burn with embarrassment?
Watching the chat rate Camilla’s body made my face flush hot and my temperature spike.
…I already knew the reason.
Mind aside, my body was Camilla’s now. Viewers ogling and harassing that body felt uncomfortably close to standing there in Camilla’s outfit while they said filthy things to me.
I could only make helpless little sounds with a face gone bright red.
“Ugh….”
I can’t say it. Absolutely can’t say it!
I was dying of shame, but the reason was one I could never reveal—so I couldn’t even stop the viewers.
I couldn’t explain why. And because of things I’d done in the past, I couldn’t tell them to stop either. Against these mischievous viewers, this was all I could manage.
“…Perverts.”
The MVP motion wasn’t even meant to be that kind of dance, yet they were all drooling and sexualizing it. I said it with genuine, quiet resentment.
For some reason the chat only grew more lively. Now mixed in were demands for more insults and comments about how cute I was.
I don’t know. I don’t get these people at all. I’m just going to play the game.
Ignoring the inexplicable requests, I queued up a new match—face still burning hot.