Prologue: Farewell to Rie
Sometimes, I feel like turning away from the harsh realities of life. Human relationships, competitive society, wealth gaps. Even listing just a few reasons makes them overflow. Even people whose lives flow smoothly in every way crave new stimulation. Everyone has their own way, but people strive to quench that thirst. For some, it's reading; for others, exercise. I was the same.
I didn't lack in human relationships or financially, but I needed something to soothe that thirst. So today, like always, I opened my laptop. Not toward the tiring, exhausting reality, but toward a virtual space.
On the monitor, a girl with silver hair tied in twin-tails was waving her hand. She flashed a bright smile and raised her voice even more energetically. As her perky, charming tone rang out, the real-time chat window started scrolling slowly.
Watching her adorable figure, I tore open the bag of snacks I'd grabbed from the convenience store. Back in the day, she would've hemmed and hawed, but time flies, leaving nostalgia in its wake.
My hobby was discovering hakko. Supporting my own little streamers with advice and donations—the so-called diehard fan. But she wasn't a small-timer anymore; she suited the term "major corporation" far better now.
Rie. The undisputed number-one VTuber in viewer count, a walking one-woman enterprise. Even the modifiers trailing her had grown flashy.
I took a sip of the beer I'd bought with the snacks, grimacing at the bitter taste. I'd originally switched streams before she blew up like this, but somewhere along the way, I'd fallen head over heels for her charm and come too far to turn back.
It was time to let go. If there was such a thing as a hakko checklist, she failed every single point.
So, now...
After her opening line signaling the stream's start, her voice no longer echoed from the laptop. I closed the stream and unsubscribed.
Farewell... Rie, now second-hand territory.
It was time to explore new depths.
And the next day.
"Se-sunbae...!"
For some reason, my junior was looking at me with tears streaming down her face.
...What the hell.