Silver-Haired Beauty Yuki-nyang
"...What is this, it's amazing."
"Worried it'd be like some maid cafe?"
"...I wasn't expecting much in terms of taste."
I was still burning with embarrassment from earlier, trying to forget it by keeping my head down, but sharing Roha unnie's peach ade and matcha cheesecake set helped calm me down a bit. The peach was super tangy with chewy pulp, and the matcha-cheese combo was surprisingly incredible. That slight bitterness cut through the richness of the cheese perfectly. And spotting my Lupco Yanglip merch around made the Akihabara vibe hit home.
"I've been here a lot for research. You eventually need tasty spots more than pretty ones."
"But the interior's pretty too?"
"Thanks."
For a split second, I thought she was joking. She said it so naturally, like she'd designed it herself. So Roha unnie does joke around... Just as I started feeling good about us getting closer, a realization hit me.
"...Wait, is this the Lupco Yanglip collab cafe?"
"Yeah. We talked about it without you earlier. Sorry."
"Ah, no, that's on me for not noticing..."
And the reason I was late was something I absolutely couldn't mention, so my shame bubbled up again. I'd just thought it was an Akihabara cafe with trendy Lupco Yanglip merch, but looking closer after her words, it screamed collab cafe. Not over-the-top with character goods everywhere, but subtle enough for fans to catch—explaining why I missed it at first.
"...So this is the cafe from the manga?"
"Kinda. We borrowed the exterior for the first Akihabara scene, then started drawing the interior, so it turned into an official collab. They even redid some of the interior after."
"The interior's exactly the same?"
"Not 100% structurally, but the collab kicked off after it appeared in the manga. They put a lot of effort into the menu too."
"Whoa..."
Lupco Yanglip's influence was insane all over again. Famous manga could revive whole districts, and since its adaptation, it'd swept the romcom awards. No wonder the cafe was packed. Even I, a huge fan, hadn't obsessed over the in-story cafe details or menu. But local fans could visit easily, so every little detail became treasure.
"Look at this—it's exactly the same."
Yuna unnie next to me showed me a cafe interior scene on her phone, and it was eerily identical. Lupco Yanglip's art was top-tier, but seeing the backgrounds this detailed gave me chills.
"...Unnie, did you study interiors like this too...?"
"Some artists don't, but when your manga has tons of indoor scenes, you have to. Backgrounds make or break quality."
I'd dipped into interiors out of personal interest, but studying for manga showed her pro level. Though even a pro like Roha unnie turned pure and innocent around Aisaka...
"Unnie, can I order that?"
"Get whatever. You can have more of this too."
I decided to bury my dark history with delicious desserts. One sip of the peach ade convinced me all their ades were winners, so I went for the uncommon pomegranate ade. But seriously, Roha unnie seemed determined to feed me.
"Yeah, what's up?"
"No... aren't you giving me too much?"
"You eat so cute, it makes me want to."
"Ugh."
Everyone around me treated me like food bait, piling stuff on my plate. It was embarrassing usually, but hearing it from someone cuter than me hit different.
"Right? It's not just me. Watching you makes me wanna feed you more."
With Lee Seo-yeon and Yuna unnie chiming in, I had to set down my cake fork. Too much pressure to eat like this...
"I envy how you eat so well, though. All those nutrients..."
Roha unnie eyed my chest. I ducked my head against the rising shame.
"And your figure stays like that?"
"......"
"Seol-ah's waist is unreal. I saw your swimsuit pics before, and..."
"Lee Seo-yeon... stop..."
Food talk always veered here eventually—I'd half-expected it. Sometimes I envied Roha or Yuna unnie's figures because of clothes shopping woes. That was a big reason for coming to Paddy &—finding stuff that fit. But it hooked Baek Sion hard, so I wasn't dissatisfied. Honestly, proud of my waistline.
"Unnie, ever practiced body drawing in front of a mirror?"
I asked out of genuine curiosity for my idol illustrator, but Roha unnie nodded with a faintly sad look.
"More reference is always better. Flat chests were easier for me to draw."
"...Unnie, you're not flat..."
She wasn't—her clothes showed volume. B-cup by my eyes? Slightly smaller than Yuna unnie's. But transplant that to 2D, and it'd pass as flat. 2D had head-sized boobs casually, so what could you do? Even I exaggerated big-chest characters beyond my real size. Industry standard.
Real-world 2D giants would be I-cups easy.
"But I studied chests from your art, unnie."
"...Guess I have confidence there. Drew nothing but boobs for a week straight once. Those files look creepy now."
"...I probably have old files like that too?"
Waist and hip line collections... Yeah, I'd find some. Her characters nailed "perky breasts" perfectly—not huge, but beautifully shaped. If she helped our club even a little, it'd be huge. Especially with her Astasia knowledge. Busy with manga, sure, but any aid would change everything.
"...I'll bring it up properly later, but we're making a game, right?"
"Yeah. I was surprised Ruwen was at the airport."
"......"
"I know you're busy, but could you help a bit?"
Even without meddling in Lee Seo-yeon and Doyun oppa's romance, games were my top priority lately. Yuki-nyang account announcements meant we were all in. Plus, personal wish to collab with SPICA.
"On a stable streak with manuscripts piled up, so I was gonna ask anyway."
"...For real?"
"Yeah. Looks fun? And... you helped me out."
Things fell into place too perfectly—Roha unnie answered without hesitation, leaving us stunned.
"W-what, no conditions...?"
"Hm... send me your photos sometimes? Character studies always help."
Was she an angel? Top illustrator for just our pics? As I beamed in awe, she smiled softly.
"And new friends after so long. Never went to school, wanna try group stuff."
Roha unnie... friends? We'd just met, but "friends" meant she'd opened up fully.
"Can I take a pic?"
"Just us?"
"Yeah. Everyone, hands out."
I awkwardly extended mine; she snapped ours in one shot with her other hand like a pro. Being in her gallery felt honorable. As emotion swelled, she fiddled with her phone.
"Cool if I post this?"
"Where?"
"SPICA account. Gonna tag."
"...Me? Totally fine... But unnie, you never post?"
"Too lazy usually. But lots of new friends today—special occasion."
Yuna unnie and Lee Seo-yeon had no public accounts, so they nodded laughing. I figured no issue—folks knew I was a girl like Roha unnie. Hands were safe.
About an hour later, I learned the impact of SPICA's first real photo in three years. And what happened when she name-dropped you directly.
"Silver-Haired Beauty Yuki-nyang, Yuki-nyang eroge, Yuki-nyang Ruwen... How's that second?!"
I wanted to punch Baek Sion's smirking side as he pointed at my phone, but Japan's real-time trends exploding with those combos left me biting my lip. My fault anyway, so no standing tall yet. Surging searches resurfaced old eroge clear posts, somehow crowning me "Eroge God." Comments even asked for walkthrough tips seriously. Followers booming already... Good for game promo, right? Maximum mental win, I shut off my phone before more dark history unearthed.
Of course, I'd already deleted that ancient post: