Chapter 56: Social Distancing
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 56: Social Distancing
Sitting in my computer chair, I moved the mouse, and the dark screen flickered to life.
...Should I tell her right now that I can’t show her?
Doah was right about everything, but showing her my computer still required a tremendous amount of courage on my part.
I mean, seriously. It’s not like I’ve ever seen her search history, and I have no idea what kind of porn she watches.
A computer is basically a ticking time bomb.
And the idol who’d barged in late at night hadn’t granted me any time to defuse said bomb.
“...Doah.”
I opened a browser window and asked in a voice I struggled to keep steady.
“Yes.”
“Could you maybe tell me what you want to see first?”
There’s a world of difference between knowing where you’re going to get hit and getting hit unexpectedly.
And I, for one, was hoping the blow would be as gentle as possible.
“Open Twitch first, please.”
“You want to see my activity on your channel?”
I’d rather take my own life than be stabbed by your sword.
“For now, yes.”
For now.
For now, she says...
Which means there’s a definite possibility she’ll want to look at other things later...
-Click, clack-
My bookmarks bar, which I no longer had any reason to hide now that the truth was out.
I went to Luka-tan's channel, where the 'Currently Live' notification was absent.
“...It’s open.”
“Can you open the October summary at the bottom first?”
Oh. October... that might not be so bad, right?
[My October Summary]
“Go to the next page.”
To be honest, after finding out Doah was Luka, I hadn’t been as active in chat as before, so I was just starting to think this might be okay.
The contents of the next slide followed.
[Time Watched: 62 hours 38 minutes]
[Lucario-nim watched 62 hours and 38 minutes of Luka-nim's streams in October!]
Cough, cough.
My body reacted before my brain could process it.
What the hell? How did I watch that much?
And I was supposedly holding back because of exams.
Seeing with my own eyes that I'd spent more than two full days watching Luka's streams over the course of a month—about 30 days—was just baffling.
And I wasn't the only one who thought so...
I leaned back slightly in my chair to check the channel owner's face.
“...Oppa.”
“...Yes, ma’am.”
The formal speech came out naturally due to my nervousness.
“Do you just leave it on in the background while you do other things?”
“Ah, yeah~ That’s right~ Yep. I just often have your stream on while I’m doing homework or whatever... haha...”
How could I possibly tell her I was glued to the monitor, staring at nothing but her avatar?
Even if I’m trash, it’s better to be recyclable trash, right?
“...I see.”
Doah looked down at me with a slightly horrified expression and ordered me to move to the next slide.
“Next. Next. Next. Just skip to the end, will you?”
My complete viewing history for the month appeared.
[Time Watched: 62 hours 38 minutes]
[Chats Sent: 1207]
[Streams Watched: 15/16]
The one I missed was probably when I covered her group project so she could prepare for her audition.
Still, I was relieved that the actual chat logs weren't visible on this page.
“I have a question.”
Doah spoke up, having been staring silently at the screen.
“Yeah?”
“Oppa, why do you like Luka?”
I spun my chair 180 degrees to face her again.
Perched on the edge of the bed, Doah was staring right into my eyes.
“...There are too many reasons to just pick one.”
“Then just start with the first thing that comes to mind. Take your time.”
The first thing that comes to mind is, of course...
“Um... well, she’s cute, right? The character of Luka herself.”
“Are you saying my avatar is cute?”
“Ah. The avatar is cute, too, but really, I more often think her personality and the way she talks are cute.”
...This is so fucking embarrassing.
Seriously, so fucking embarrassing.
Having to say all this not of my own free will, but at the request of the person herself, made me want to bash my head against a wall.
“...Is that so?”
My answer didn't seem to displease her, as she made a quizzical expression.
“Then... um... what’s the most memorable scene you’ve seen recently?”
“When she gets a full combo in a rhythm game and hums a happy little song to herself, that’s cute...”
“And when she plays games with the other Closer members and deliberately teases them, that’s fun to watch.”
Details of my private life, which I had never revealed to anyone in the world, were now spilling from my lips.
If the online world was a free space like the universe, then my small apartment was Earth.
An irresistible gravity seemed to be tightening its grip, making it hard to breathe.
“...I see.”
“Yeah.”
“So what’s it like, seeing me in person?”
I knew instinctively.
This was the part where I had to answer carefully.
“I’m very different from Luka, right?”
Faced with a question like a detective's leading interrogation, I quickly racked my brain.
“Ah. Well. I guess there are some different sides to you.”
“Are you disappointed?”
A straight fastball, aimed right at my weak spot.
I tensed my neck and shook my head vehemently.
“No! Not at all! In fact, I like it.”
“...You even like it?”
“It’s, uh... what do you call it? Gap moe, I guess...”
I never thought I’d utter that word in real life.
But to be fair, I couldn’t think of a better way to explain it.
“Pfft.”
It seemed Doah's resistance was too low as well, because she burst out laughing.
“What did you say?”
“Ah. I just meant... the fact that you have a different side makes you even better.”
“No, no. Before that. Say that word again.”
“...Gap moe.”
“Pffhahahaha.”
The exact laugh Luka made when she found something genuinely hilarious came pouring out of Doah’s mouth.
“Ah. Seriously. Wow... Oppa.”
Her reaction was so real I could feel my face flush hot.
“What? Why? What! Did I say something I shouldn’t have?”
“Nope. I didn’t say a thing.”
With a sly grin, Doah truly felt like Luka had manifested right in front of me.
The playful tone.
The eyebrows curved like crescent moons.
“Oppa.”
“What.”
“Do you like me?”
It was the same tone Luka used when she was role-playing with her viewers.
The person in front of me was no longer just the quiet Doah.
“I... I...”
My heart was pounding like crazy.
Is this what it feels like for a die-hard fan of a male idol at a fan signing event?
Suddenly, the words caught in my throat, and my mind went blank.
“Ah. Was I mistaken again...? Then again, I’m not a pink-haired idol.”
“No!”
At least I had the presence of mind to deny that.
“Then?”
Doah smiled sweetly.
Knowing what answer she wanted, I hung my head low.
I didn’t have the courage to meet her eyes.
“...I like you.”
It was a truly humiliating confession.
It was also the first confession I’d ever made in my life.
Ah, how are girls so good at doing something this embarrassing?
For a moment, I felt less like Han Taemin and more like one of those dumb-looking Pink Army emotes wearing a safety helmet.
“Then, shall we...”
Doah’s hand caressed my cheek.
“...go out?”
I hadn’t noticed when she’d gotten off the bed, but Doah was now leaning forward slightly, bringing herself to my eye level.
Going out.
Dating.
To think that Han Taemin would be dating a real-life girl.
“...Yeah.”
I accepted her offer in a hesitant voice.
Doah and I were no longer connected by just a follow button.
“Then, Oppa.”
Doah spread her arms out adorably.
“Hug me.”
“...Here?”
“Nope. Stand up and hug me.”
Deciding to obey her meekly, I got up from my chair and wrapped my arms around her shoulders.
Come to think of it, this was the first time I’d hugged her so calmly.
I think I’d hugged her a few times before, but in most of those cases, she’d been crying.
My girlfriend buried her face in my chest for about thirty seconds before gently pushing me away.
“I should get going for today.”
“...Okay.”
Doah’s skin was bright red.
I probably didn’t look much different.
“Let’s go to school together in the morning!”
Before I could even answer, she slipped her feet into her slippers, hurriedly opened the door, and left.
And so, I thought, our sweet Day One had begun...
“Stay away!”
“...Huh?”
The next morning.
Just last night, I’d been too excited to sleep, thinking about how we’d be holding hands from now on. Now, I was completely dumbfounded by Doah’s sudden outburst.
“Oppa, you walk two meters away from me!”
With her hands in her pockets, Doah took a step back as I took one forward.
“What! Why all of a sudden?”
Aren’t we a couple now?
Aren’t couples supposed to walk together?
I couldn’t fathom the reason for Doah’s abrupt change in attitude.
“...Don’t talk back! You pervert, Lucario!”
It seemed my dear girlfriend had completed her autopsy back at her place.