VTuber at the PC Room
It felt like forever since I’d last stepped inside a PC room. Back when I worked part-time at one, I’d drop by now and then. But after quitting that job and starting my streams, there was never a reason to go. I didn’t really have any friends who played games with me anyway.
“...So what on earth should I wear?”
My room was already a disaster zone. If Mom saw it she’d come flying in to smack me right on the back. Since it had been so long, I genuinely had no idea what was appropriate. PC rooms are casual, right? One of the little voices in my head whispered that I should just throw on whatever. Then the other voice immediately shot back: But this is basically a date, isn’t it? Even if it’s not officially a date, you’re still meeting Oppa. Dress up properly!
The battle between “comfortable and cute” and “full glam” had been raging for hours. Mascara, lipstick, and foundation tubes littered my vanity, and the bed was buried under a mountain of discarded outfits.
“...When am I going to clean all this up?”
The mess was starting to make my head spin too. At times like this, the only answer was escape. I tore my eyes away from the chaos, marched to the hanger, and yanked out the next possibility.
“Nope. Not this either!”
I hurled the clothes at the mirror the way a blocked writer might crumple and throw manuscript pages. The denim pants felt all wrong with the top, but going full denim-on-denim somehow felt even worse.
“If I was going to obsess this much I should have just bought safe colors… ugh.”
I’d fallen down the colorful-fashion rabbit hole lately, picking out pretty shades that left me with nothing that actually matched. Yet I refused to wear anything from last season. After what felt like my own private fashion show, I finally found a combination that worked.
“Oh. This is cute.”
I studied my reflection. The white short skirt I’d bought recently paired with the half-sleeve knit top. The texture and the weather seemed to suit it perfectly.
“But doesn’t this look like I tried way too hard…?”
It felt like overkill for a PC room run. The place wasn’t even far—just the big one near the university back gate. I glanced at my phone to see if I still had time to change.
1:45 PM
Already? I’d completely lost track of time while swapping outfits. We were supposed to meet at two, so even if I left right now and caught the bus I might still be late.
“Ah, forget it~! I’m just going like this.”
I was sick of agonizing over whether I was underdressed or overdressed. Besides, I no longer had the luxury of time. I snatched my mini bag, kicked open the front door, and bolted.
Luckily the bus came right on schedule, and I reached school exactly when I needed to. The moment I stepped off at the stop in front of the campus, I spotted him.
“...Hi?”
Oppa waved awkwardly. He gave me a quick once-over and his expression froze. I knew exactly why.
He was wearing jeans and a plain short-sleeve tee—the ultimate casual look. Of course. That’s what normal people wore to a PC room. It wasn’t like we were going somewhere fancy. Haha.
My face kept smiling at him, but inside I was dying. Ah… I’m doomed. The realization that I’d gone completely overboard while he kept it simple hit like a truck. Pure embarrassment.
Yuna stepping off the bus looked genuinely beautiful. I’m not sure how to describe it—feminine yet casual, the kind of look that makes your heart skip just seeing it. Her makeup was natural but clearly intentional. She had definitely put in effort.
Meanwhile I… I glanced down at myself and let out a sigh. I looked like a hikikomori who’d finally crawled out of his cave—jeans and a basic tee. Seeing her made me instantly regret everything.
But people don’t usually dress up that much for a PC room, right? I didn’t have any female friends to ask, so I’d just assumed even girls would keep it simple. Who could have predicted she’d show up looking this perfect?
“Hi… Oppa.”
Yuna returned my greeting awkwardly. The atmosphere was painful. It felt like two strangers on a blind date, and I suddenly wanted to flee to another country.
“Shall we go?”
“Yes, let’s. Where are we headed?”
“You know that big PC room by the university back gate, right?”
“Ah… yeah, I know the one. It’s nice because it’s so spacious.”
We walked slowly along the path that circled the school toward the back gate. The walk wasn’t long, but the silence between us stretched on. Feeling too awkward to stay quiet, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
“Seeing you makes me regret what I’m wearing.”
“Huh? Why?”
“You got all dressed up so nicely… and I’m just in this.”
“No, not at all. I actually thought I might have overdone it on the way here.”
“You didn’t overdo it one bit. You look amazing right now.”
“Ah… thank you, Oppa.”
And just like that the conversation froze again. Damn it. Why did I lead with a compliment? Now I had nothing left to say. Idiot. I should have cracked a joke or teased her instead. But I was so nervous my brain had completely shut down.
Thankfully, angel-like Yuna kept the conversation going.
“Um… what game should we play when we get there?”
“Our tastes are pretty similar, so how about we start easy with Legend of League?”
“Sounds good.”
“Yeah. Steam games take too long anyway.”
They were usually hard to play together and had massive stories or content. Not exactly ideal for a PC room session.
“Did you eat lunch before coming?”
“Oh, no. Isn’t eating inside the PC room basically law?”
“You really are a gamer.”
“That much is common sense. Hehe.”
We hadn’t specifically agreed to eat there, but since we were both hardcore gamers I had a feeling we’d end up doing exactly that, so I’d skipped lunch. Modern PC rooms weren’t just about gaming anymore.
“Do you like FPS games too, Oppa?”
“Not really. The only one I can play is Overwatch. The second I hear gunshots in any other game I jump out of my chair.”
“You’re such a scaredy-cat, Oppa. Pfft.”
Yuna let out a small laugh, clearly amused. But wasn’t that a little too mean?
“Hey, scaredy-cat? Am I the only one who can’t get used to gunshots? I get so scared I can’t even focus.”
Footsteps coming from behind are terrifying. When you get shot the game tells you to find the enemy, but how are you supposed to do that when you’re panicking? My heart pounds like crazy every single time.
“I get startled too, but I don’t think I’m quite as bad as you.”
“This won’t do. We should duo sometime.”
Yuna’s bravado was written all over her face. I still remembered exactly how she’d reacted the first time she played that popular survival battle royale FPS. Of course I remembered—I was the one who clipped it and uploaded the video.
She couldn’t even leave her spot and just camped like a total coward, yet she was claiming she was better than me? I could accept her being better at Legend of League, but admitting she was better at other games was difficult.
“Sure. I’ll let you feed me chicken.”
“You really shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep.”
“I’m confident, okay? My aim is actually really good.”
All I could do was laugh dryly. I knew her real skills too well.
As I chuckled at her false bravado, Yuna’s expression turned thoughtful. After a moment of hesitation she asked,
“You like games a lot, right, Oppa? Last time you mentioned your VTube channel was a clip channel. That’s right, isn’t it?”
“Huh? Uh… yeah, it is.”
Why did the conversation have to go there, Yuna?
“Then do you watch a lot of internet streams?”
My entire body locked up like a machine at her question. This was dangerous. One wrong word and everything could fall apart. I carefully considered my answer, trying not to slip up.
If I said I didn’t watch streams while running a clip channel, it would obviously be a lie.
“I do watch some. Yeah.”
Yuna pressed sharper than I expected. What was I supposed to say? How could I get out of this fast? My brain was running at full speed trying to find a way to change the subject.
She made a small humming sound, then asked again, even more carefully this time.
“What kind of streams do you usually watch? Do you know any streamers personally?”
Why are you so interested in what I watch?
I dug through my barely-used brain for a way to dodge the question. Think. Isn’t there an answer that would erase her suspicion completely?
Then one idea flashed through my mind.
“...On Twitch, I only watch VTubers.”
The second the words left my mouth I regretted them. No matter how you looked at it, that answer was a little too much. It made me sound like a total weeb.
“Ah… so that’s why. You like that kind of thing, Oppa.”
Yuna nodded with a complicated expression, seemingly convinced. At least this answer had cleared up any doubts about the clip channel. Most clip channels focused on VTubers after all.
But it left a deep wound in my heart. A very deep wound.
“I don’t dislike VTubers either. Really.”
She was trying to comfort me. No! That’s not it! The truth is I watch almost only your streams! It was the exact moment her misunderstanding sank even deeper.