But Isn't That Just Common Sense?
Knock knock knock.
I rapped on her front door without a second thought. From beyond it came her voice, sounding strangely frantic.
"Ah... Y-Yes! Coming! I'll open it right now!"
'?'
This wasn't my first time here, and we'd grown so close we practically ate together every day—why was she making such a fuss? A flicker of curiosity stirred, but it was the kind that would vanish the moment the door opened. Hearing it creak ajar, I swung the entrance door wide without thinking.
And then...
"M-Min-ho! Uh... C-Come on in!"
I instantly understood why her voice had faltered so oddly.
"What... the... hell."
I stared at her. Water dripped from her hair in steady drops. Fine, that was okay. Nothing wrong with that—it happened. The real issue was that she wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing, barely covering her bare body with just a single towel.
Seeing her wet hair, I could easily guess she'd just washed it. But why had she opened the door fresh out of the shower? Because the window was too small and only showed her head? Whatever. Standing here monologuing like an idiot was pointless.
"Ahahaha! M-Min-ho! Come on! Come in! Just the two of us! Let's talk! C-Consult!"
First things first: deal with I-se, who was blushing furiously, eyes spinning like saucers, flailing to greet me somehow.
"No... Put some clothes on first! What the hell are you doing?!"
"B-But! You said you were coming right over! So of course, I-I had to open the door for you no matter what I was doing! That's just common sense, right?!"
Why was this woman spouting lines like some brainwashed heroine under hypnosis?!
"A-And! It's fine if it's you, Min-ho! Yeah! Totally fine! It's you, not anyone else! Yup! It's okay! Even the sand grains approve of you!"
I finally tore my gaze away from her, who was saying things that would cause an uproar among the sand grains if they heard.
Her pale skin still had a few un拭ed droplets clinging to it. The towel barely covered her, but no way could it hide all the curves she was born with. From her chest up, the towel strained against her body, announcing its femininity loud and clear, forming a kind of massive curtain that couldn't quite cling properly...
What the hell am I thinking!
I whipped my head away, avoiding her eyes, and forced my mouth open.
"Fine, just go put clothes on! Hurry up!"
"B-But! It's fine! Totally fiiiine!!!"
"It's not fine! Go!"
"Eek! Uwaaa... It's fiiiine..."
I felt her retreat, making weird noises. Despite her words, she was clearly embarrassed.
Once she was fully out of sight, I let out a deep sigh.
'Hoo...'
Thump, thump! Thump, thump!
My heart pounded fiercely. It was mine. And with it came the vivid realization that I was alive—more than ever.
I'm alive. Me.
That thought eased the tension from my slightly hyped-up body. There had been a time I wished this heartbeat would stop forever... But I'd failed at death, and that led me here, to meet RenaPpi—I-se.
Was this... a good thing? If this situation was the result of failing at everything... was it right to call it failure?
I shoved down the heavy thoughts creeping up. Right now, I was here for her consultation. My issues? I'd sort them out later.
Calming down just a bit—perfect timing—her voice rang out.
"I got dressed...! Be right there!"
Her footsteps followed, pattering like a rabbit's as she hopped into view.
"Ta-da! See? Clothes are easy! Yup!"
"........."
She'd thrown on a thin-strapped camisole and dolphin pants that bared her thighs completely. The same "pajamas" from before. Why the hell did clothes make her look more provocative than the towel?
The towel wasn't clingy. It offered a teasing glimpse without revealing every curve. But these clothes? They hugged her body tight, showcasing her outrageous figure in full.
Infinite Noir's leader RenaPpi had breasts anyone would call massive. Sena from the same group was just a tad bigger. And I-se, the real person inside RenaPpi? Even bigger than Sena.
The most shocking part? That she was a real, living person carrying that size around. Unlike avatars where you could tweak for moe appeal... she had them for real.
She did.
'Whew.'
A wave of sage time crashed over me like the tide as I pondered her chest too deeply. What was I doing?
Sighing, I collected myself and looked at her face.
"I'm coming in now."
"Yes! Come on in!"
She beamed, welcoming me. Seeing her bright smile made me feel guilty for fixating on her chest like that.
Yeah. The outfit was revealing, sure, but that was just her body being her body. She wasn't dressing like that to provoke weird thoughts.
...Though "sexy body" sounded a bit crude. Anyway. She trusted me enough to be comfy around me—if I kept ogling her figure, it'd just be rude.
Shaking off the lingering thoughts, I forced my mind to stay pure and stepped into her room.
*
Seated, I listened to her story and spoke up. As expected, it was about Minaero. She'd clearly realized her real-life viewers had caught her tail.
"So I came to consult you. She said her name keeps popping up on the boards..."
"Did she do an ego search* or something?"
"Yeah, seems like it."
For streamers, ego searching was best avoided if possible... Mental health-wise, less exposure to yourself online was key. Yet she'd gone looking anyway?
"She doesn't know what to do next. And I don't know how to handle it either..."
"It's not her boyfriend or anything, right?"
"No, absolutely not. She seemed super wronged about it."
'Dodged a bullet there.'
As long as it wasn't a boyfriend, solutions were a dime a dozen.
Curiosity struck, so I asked her.
"Has this ever happened to you, I-se?"
"Happened to me?"
"Yeah. Like duoing back games with someone else on off days."
"No, never. On off days, I always rest alone at home."
She answered without hesitation.
"Really?"
I-se smiled brightly, no trace of doubt.
"Yup! You taught me to always think of the fans first, right, Min-ho? So when I'm not streaming for them, I rest up properly to make them happy again. Without the sand grains, I wouldn't exist!"
She gazed at me as she said it. No smug [Aren't I great!] or [I'm such an amazing person] vibes. It was like stating a plain fact: [Turn the faucet, water comes out.] A calm certainty shone through her tone, brighter than any golden rule right then.
I marveled at her mindset. A virtual streamer who truly only thought of her fans. No wonder she'd climbed to the top without a single controversy.
Being at the top and genuine about it? That might be her real talent. Watching her chipped away at my petty biases about famous streamers.
Time to ditch those useless prejudices. If fans ever caught wind—through any channel—that she thought like this alone behind the scenes... Yuksu levels would skyrocket. They'd identify with RenaPpi so hard, attacks on her would feel personal. Full-on brainbroken hardcore yuksu.
Makes sense. She knew isolation better than anyone—100 days with zero viewers. That time had forged her mentality, and opportunity had launched her sky-high.
"I don't know what advice to give. You seem like you might know something, Min-ho."
"Me? I don't mind you trusting me, but I'm not that impressive."
She blinked, surprised, like I'd said something absurd.
"Huh? But... you made all this happen! Without you, I'd have quit as a zero-viewer hakko streamer. My very existence proves your worth!"
"........."
Haa. Hearing it still felt awkward, like being put on a pedestal. Before the Han River, even my lover wouldn't acknowledge me. A life where efforts went unrewarded—getting over-praised now felt alien.
"Anyway... It's getting late. Any schedules for Infinite Noir's Korean streamers tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow? Uh, everyone except Se-hee who's streaming should be free daytime. Me too."
"Se-hee?"
She caught herself and corrected.
"Ah, sorry! I mean Zero Sugar!"
So Zero Sugar's real name was Se-hee. Living like this with I-se, it'd come up eventually.
"I have an idea, but could you gather everyone tomorrow afternoon?"
"Sure! Easy. That it?"
"Yeah. Talking as a group should spark something."
I replied, then pondered.
'Getting doxxed is fatal for yuksu-boiling, but the spark was the duo with a guy. Only circumstantial evidence. We can spin it...'
But executing my plan needed the other streamers' help. And this would be my first one-on-one with them.
...Could I pull it off?
'Gotta try.'
Yeah. When in doubt, act. I took a sip of the tea in front of me.
*