Boredom Sparks a Bombshell Stream
I plopped down on the chair in front of the tent. In my hand was one of the mountain-sized piles of snacks Im Nana had swept up from the camp store. Soy sauce potato chips...? I tore open the bag and popped one into my mouth. Crunch. Salty-sweet soy sauce flavor spread across my tongue. Mmm. Tasty. It was good, but...
"...This is boring."
We'd arrived way too early. The tent was up, the camp store tour was done. And yet the sun was still high in the sky. It was too soon to start frying the chicken for dinner. If I lit the fire now, by mealtime the charcoal would be ash. Driving back down those twisty mountain roads to town? No thanks.
I stared blankly at the highland scenery unfolding before me. Green meadows under a blue sky. Picture-perfect, but after thirty minutes, the novelty was wearing off.
That's why you should always arrive at a campsite in the late afternoon...
Chop some firewood? Oh, right, they said no axe work here. Hmm...Munch munch. I mechanically shoveled more chips into my mouth. Heh, I'm a time-killer. A murderer of minutes.
...What the hell do I do now?
That's when I spotted Im Nana and Ichinose Rika returning from their walk, way out in the distance. Their steps were oddly sluggish. Plod plod. Up close, their faces matched mine—pure boredom.
"Areum! We're back."
"Arumi, are the snacks good?"
They flopped weakly onto the chairs side by side next to me. The three of us sat in a row, staring vacantly at the sky. Whoooosh~ The occasional wind was our only stimulation. Silence.
"...So, what now?"
At my question, Im Nana and Rika both tilted their heads in unison.
"Beats me...?"
"Hmm..."
Looks like they were stumped too. Well, Im Nana's all about winging it, and Rika was just tagging along with us—no plans there.
I pondered for a moment. Wasting time like this with this lineup? Too good to squander. A mega beauty YouTuber with 1.8 million subs. Me, the rising camping YouTuber. And local streamer Rika. Golden members, stunning backdrop, and we're just breathing? Professional negligence.
Should I start a stream?
I hadn't brought proper gear, but a smartphone would do. These days, the quality's good enough for outdoor streams...
"Wanna kill time with a casual stream since we're bored?"
Im Nana's eyes lit up instantly.
"Ooh! Great idea? I was dying of boredom anyway!"
Rika's reaction was different. Her eyes went wide in surprise, and she fidgeted before speaking.
"Uh... a stream?"
"Yeah. Just a light chit-chat one. You stream too, right, Rika?"
"True, but..."
Rika twiddled her index fingers together.
"I've never actually shown my face on stream. I know I should someday, but..."
"Oh..."
No-cam streamer, huh. Makes sense for a game streamer—no need to show your face. Plenty do voice-only.
But after a quick think, it didn't seem like a big deal.
"We're in Japan, though."
"Huh?"
"You're Japanese, and my viewers—or Nana's—are mostly Korean. A quick face glimpse won't matter. No one will recognize you."
Rika scratched her head awkwardly.
"Thing is, Arumi... I..."
"Yeah?"
"I stream on a Korean platform."
"...Huh?"
I doubted my ears. Did I hear that right? A Japanese person, in Japan, streaming on a Korean platform?
"Korean platform? Like Cheese or Millim?"
"Yeah. Cheese..."
"Why?"
I blurted it out. Rika rubbed her cheek bashfully.
"Well... I started on Korean servers to practice Korean. People thought it was cool—a Japanese girl fluent in Korean. Viewers piled up, so I stuck with it."
Ah, that tracked. A perfectly patched Japanese speaker was cheat-code level. Plus her voice was great...
But that changed things. On a Korean platform, fans might recognize her voice from my or Nana's channels. Could force a premature reveal.
"If it's too much, just voice-only. Or we can find something else to do."
No pressure. Face reveals are sensitive for mystery streamers.
Then Im Nana, munching snacks beside us, chimed in brightly.
"Then just reveal it now!"
"...Pardon?"
"Rika-chan's gorgeous! Why hide a face like that? Everyone would love it!"
Im Nana's infinite positivity kicked in. She sidled up to Rika, draped an arm around her shoulders, and whispered. Wait, that looks shady. Like she's tempting her into crime...?
"Think about it, Rika-chan. You can't hide forever, right? You said you'd do it someday. Perfect timing—great backdrop, and we're here!"
"W-Well..."
Rika's eyes wavered. Clearly swayed. Not many can resist Im Nana's positivity head-on.
Then she lifted her head, resolute. Her eyes sharpened.
"Yeah! I'll do it!"
Pumping her fist... why did she look like a fish that took the bait?
"Nana-chan's right. Can't put it off forever. Feels more natural here!"
"Ooh... really? You sure?"
"Yep! With you and Nana-chan here, I can be brave."
Quicker resolution than expected. True Im Nana friend.
Decision made, action was swift. Rika pulled out her smartphone.
"I'll use my phone! Outdoor setup's quick."
Watching her, curiosity struck.
How many viewers does she even get?
She said Korean platform, but no numbers. Casual chats? Or decent following?
Asking viewer count outright is like asking salary—rude. But for collab streams, good to know.
I sidled over cautiously.
"Hey, Rika. By the way... usual viewer count around...?"
She paused fiddling with her phone and looked up. Thought a sec, then shyly held up three fingers.
"Uh... about this many...?"
Three. Not three people. Thirty? Three hundred? She said people love her...
Three hundred, probably. Perfect for chill chats. Foreign appeal plus great voice—doable.
Three hundred: lively chat, not chaotic. Fun stream size.
Then Im Nana, mid-snack, gawked and yelled.
"No way, liar! Last I checked, it was over four thousand easy!"
"......?"
What...? Four... thousand?
I slowly turned to Rika's still-raised three fingers.
That meant three thousand, not three hundred? Or per Nana, four thousand average?
That's major league. Big corp streamer. No-cam too?
My jaw dropped in shock. Im Nana puffed up proudly, like it was her achievement.
"Rika-chan's a gaming beast! Not just good—insanely good!"
"Th-That good?"
"Yeah! Pro Korean teams scouted her in high school!"
"......"
Puzzle pieces clicked. Suspiciously fluent Korean Japanese beauty. Pro-level gamer. Mystery no-face concept.
...Yeah. No popularity would be weirder.
Four thousand made total sense. Felt low, even.
But... hold up. Recap:
Major game streamer, thousands average viewers. Never shown face, pure mystery. And today, here, first-ever face reveal stream.
Flanked by 1.8M YouTuber Im Nana and algorithm-blessed rising camping star me.
......
Wait, hold on! This ain't it! I pictured a chill healing stream—just us chatting scenery.
This is ballooning. Way too big. Can't handle it.
"W-Wait! Rika! Let's rethink—"
Too late. Rika beamed and tapped her screen.
"Setup done! Whew, nervous? Starting now!"
Her finger on [Start Broadcast] looked like slow-mo.
"St-Stop!!!"
My scream drowned in the highland wind.
Click.