Ultra-Shy Me's Pocket Money Hustle (3) [Ack! Why That Choice Right There?!]
“……Ugh?!”
I jolted awake at the sound of my sister's voice echoing from the room across the hall. My eyes naturally drifted to the clock on the wall. The hour hand pointed to 8 p.m.—I must've dozed off without realizing it.
'Huh? When did Sis even get home...?'
[Iyat-ho! Keep going like that!]
It wasn't a hallucination. Her voice, brimming with excitement, boomed loud enough to reach my room.
'What the...? Did she invite a friend over or something?'
Sis was chattering nonstop in that super hyped-up tone, like she was talking to someone. She never brought friends home this late, and her unusually thrilled voice had me curious. Before I knew it, I was pressing my ear against her closed door.
[No way! If you go for that all-in there, what am I supposed to do?!]
'Wait, is she gaming solo maybe?'
The familiar game lingo sparked the thought. She kept talking without pause, so she was probably on voice chat, gaming with friends online.
'...Kinda curious now.'
Intrigued, I quietly turned the doorknob. It wasn't locked—thank goodness—and it swung open with a gentle push. Peeking through the crack, I saw Sis's back as she hammered away at her keyboard and mouse. She was always energetic, but this level of hype? Total first for me. With the house empty, she must've let loose in a way she never did around others.
“Ughhh...”
Still unable to speak properly, I let out a childish babble and reached toward her.
“Huh? What? Baby sounds? What're you talking about??”
Headphones on, she hadn't noticed me yet. Squeezing out every bit of sound I could muster, I crept closer.
“Ahhh...”
“What?! It's close by? Right behind me?!”
She whipped around toward me in an instant.
“Wha—Sua?! You've been home this whole time?!”
She freaked out, jumping up from her chair like it was on fire. I'd been popping in and out of her room freely lately without issue, so her sudden panic made no sense.
'Did I startle her by sneaking up?'
That thought in mind, my gaze drifted naturally to her monitor.
'Still that insane setup... Where does she even get the cash for all this?'
Sis's desktop rig was jaw-droppingly flashy. Three monitors as standard, plus top-tier mics, cameras, and audio gear that screamed money. And a brand-new custom gaming PC on top? Part-time job alone covering that? Doubtful.
“Huh? Daughter?! What're you saying! She's my little sister—little sister!!”
“Ahhh...”
“No, I said she's not my daughter! It's not baby talk—she can't speak because she's sick... Oh!”
I'd just been standing there, admiring her setup, when she glanced at her side monitor and kept rambling. Then realization hit her like a truck—her eyes widened, locking onto me.
“U-Um... Sua... So, this is...”
Flailing her hands in the air, she looked desperate to explain. I'd never seen her this flustered in my life. Calmly, I scribbled on my whiteboard and held it up for her.
[Why are you so flustered?]
“Huh? Oh! W-Well, it's like...!!”
'What's her deal?'
Her weird behavior drew my eyes to the side monitor.
'Uh... what is this?'
My brain froze. The side monitor showed a live stream chat exploding with messages—streaming site style, scrolling too fast to read easily. Dazed, my eyes shifted to the main central monitor.
A standard game screen was live, but on the right side, a 3D female model mirrored the camera's view of... me?
'Wait... no way...'
“Uwaaaah! I'll explain everything! Just—talk to me first! Talk!”
In a total panic that didn't suit her, she lunged at me as I stood there stunned.
“Eek?!”
She body-slammed me. The impact sent me stumbling back—I flailed blindly and grabbed her gaming desk to steady myself. Keys clattered cheerfully under my hand; I'd smacked the keyboard.
Frantic, I scribbled on my whiteboard and shoved it at her.
[What the heck is all this? Explain.]
“Ahaha... W-Well... How do I even explain this...?”
She fidgeted, fingers twisting together, avoiding my eyes like a scared kid. That sealed it for me.
'Oh... So the "part-time job" she mentioned... was VTuber streaming?'
Surprisingly, my brain clicked into gear amid the chaos. Why hadn't I pieced it together sooner? Her setup screamed personal broadcast pro. And she always locked her door during those "conversations" while gaming, blocking everyone out.
'...Don't tell me all this gear came from stream revenue?'
[Are you... famous? Like, a real VTuber?]
“U-Ugh! I just cranked the energy 'cause I thought the house was empty!!!”
[You didn't even lock the door.]
“Eek! O-Okay... Lemme just end the stream first... We'll talk after...”
I kept firing questions from sheer curiosity, so she snatched my whiteboard, plopped back down, and froze—staring blankly at the scrolling chat on her side monitor like she was prepping a stream line.
“......”
Wondering what was up, I sidled next to her and peeked at the chat.
“Eh...?”
Too fast to read fully, but it was all about our looks—the chat was on fire. Dazed, I stared at the camera.
'Huh? What? This can't be real. Sis isn't a VTuber? Why the sudden face talk?'
Suspicious, I checked the main monitor. The VTuber avatar was gone—replaced by a crystal-clear live feed of our faces.
“Eeeeek?!”
A feeble squeak escaped me. Shoulders shaking, I ducked behind Sis, peeking out.
“Ahhh...!! Ahh!!”
Every tiny reaction from me sent the chat into overdrive, flooding at warp speed.
'What is this?! Scary!! Am I being doxxed online right now? Like this?!'
“U-Ugh...”
People watching the girl I'd become. Realizing that hit me like a brick—my mind blanked. Nausea roiled; I wrinkled my face, on the verge of puking.
Just glancing at the chat showed all eyes on me. And why had her cute VTuber feed flipped to live faces? No clue. Either way, escape this mess ASAP. Near tears, I tugged desperately at Sis's sleeve—she was still zoned out in her chair.
“Wha?! What happened?! Camera's busted! End stream! End stream!!!!!!”
Finally snapping to, she yelled "end stream" and fumbled her mouse with shaky hands. The sudden face reveal had her rattled too.
Dandanda has donated!
DingDingi has donated!
“Huh?”
Her mouse hand froze mid-click. Mine locked onto the donation notifications blasting in.
'Wh-What?! Donations? 200k won?! 50k?! Huh?!'
The donations came with warm cheers for me. Blanking out, I stared at Sis. She met my gaze head-on and slowly spoke.
“Th-This... I don't think we can salvage it...”