Chapter 4
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Members' Chemistry
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Sweet Nightmare.
A trio of VTubers who debuted this January.
The name comes from "sweet" and "mare"—and that mare is obviously from nightmare.
As such, all three of their concepts revolve around nightmares.
Nemuru Mei is the sheepkin who comes to mind when you think of sleep, Hitsugino Aris is the witch who summons nightmares, and Kuroa Lulu is the succubus who rules over them.
They've been given character personalities to match...
But anyone who watches VTuber streams knows this: those character personas are the easiest things to break.
Of course, no one complains if they do break. Not if they're blatantly shattering them on purpose, but if it happens naturally during a stream, there's nothing more entertaining.
The real peak of these three's chemistry comes when their personas crumble, revealing what fans call the "genuine chem."
Nemuru Mei gives off the gentle, serene vibe of the eldest sister. She feels just like a real-life sheep.
That said, her base personality seems to have a bit of a sharp-tongued edge—once she drops her guard, she unleashes some biting sarcasm, and that's hilarious in its own right.
Hitsugino Aris is the only one whose concept rarely breaks. Hers is "the arrogant witch who's great at games," and honestly, she's the best gamer out of the three.
That's why she often shows that arrogant side unfiltered. Though, as we'll see with her chemistry with Lulu, that persona cracks and her real personality shines through.
My current favorite, Kuroa Lulu, has the bratty succubus concept, but she's incredibly timid and screams a lot. She's the complete opposite of the laid-back brat type.
Thanks to that, Lulu often ends up as the group's punching bag. When she takes too much heat, the one who's been hitting her the hardest—Hitsugino Aris—starts glancing around nervously and apologizes. Scenes like that pop up all the time.
I'd been hoping for one today, and sure enough, it happened.
The game the three were playing together was Dragon Hunter—simply put, a game where one or more players hunt down massive dragon-type monsters.
You can tell it supports party play, but that also means party coordination is crucial...
"Guys~ Breath attack incoming~ Hide in the corner~"
"Got it, Lulu!!"
"Wh-what?!?!"
-Roooar!! Boom!!
Whether she zoned out or tried her best to dodge, who knows—but Lulu just stood there and ate the breath attack full-on.
That breath was powerful enough to one-shot even Lulu, who was tanking thanks to her survivability.
Sure enough, she lost one of her lives right away. The dragon, probably recharging after the breath, fled the spot.
Naturally, the remaining two chased after it while hitting Lulu with completely opposite vibes.
"Lulu~ You okay~? Maybe try dodging a little next time~?"
Mei, speaking softly but landing each word like a heavy blow.
"No, Lulu! Mei-unnie and I keep telling you! You just won't dodge!!"
Aris, straight-up beating her down.
"Eek... I want to dodge properly...!! But it's so heavy, I can't!! I'm switching weapons!!"
"You'd still get smashed even with a different weapon!"
"Nuh-uh!? I could dodge with a different one!"
"So that's why you've only got one life left!?"
"Aaaah!!"
Lulu screamed under Aris's barrage.
Still, her screaming meant she had some leeway left. When Lulu's really hurt or needs some headpats, that's when she starts sniffling.
No sniffling yet—she was taking Aris's attacks like a champ, so she seemed fine.
Viewers, naturally, were either joining Aris in teasing Lulu or comforting her.
Lulululu, what the heck are you doing...
Little Lulu can't dodge stuff like that!
Lulu 2 deaths LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
She's doing 2 deaths right there lolololololol
Newbies have a hard time dodging that one. It's okay, it's okay~
2 deaths kekekekekekekekekeke
So you've only got one life left?
The teasing comments outnumbered the comforting ones, so I made a mental note of the timestamps with the most "lol"s for clipping.
Clipping this scene? Definitely go with the ones roasting Lulu.
"Lulu scrub! Scrub controls! Can't even dodge that! Scrub scrub scru~b~"
"Hey! I'm the bratty one, remember!? Why are you teasing me!"
"I'm calling a scrub a scrub—how else should I tease you?"
"Ugh...! Mei-unnie...! Aris is bullying me again!!"
"Don't bully her too much~ And Lulu, focus a little, okay~?"
Aris amped up the roast even harder, perfectly clip-worthy.
Mei, sensing the clip potential too, comforted her while sneaking in a little jab—complete with that cute lispy pronunciation.
Definitely, Aris is Lulu's main bully. Mei's the mom figure.
"Ugh...!! Just you wait—I'll carry this time...!"
Lulu, fuming, even declared she'd carry.
Ah, but of course...
"CAAAAARRRRYYYY!!!"
In the end, the real carry was Aris, with the best controls.
For reference, Aris is good enough to humble real hardcore gamers. Unlike Lulu, who struggles as a beginner no matter the game.
That's why their chemistry is so fun—one's a gaming pro, the other's a total noob.
"Ugh... I... I wanted to carry..."
Lulu, pushed past her limit with frustration, started grumbling.
There was a hint of wetness in her voice, and Aris picked up on it instantly.
"...Hmph! You didn't die at the end, Lulu, so you did great!"
"Really...?"
"Yeah, really!"
"That's right~ You both did amazing~"
Aris, who had been gleefully pounding her moments ago, switched to soothing mode. Mei, having teased a bit more than usual, praised everyone to balance it out. Lulu perked up and smiled at that.
Collabs really do thrive on chemistry.
One attacker position, one punching bag to take it, and one healer to smooth things over.
Feels like an RPG party, but I think this classic combo is Sweet Nightmare's strength.
Today was peak clip material. Just five hours of collab, and the clips turned out legendary.
Sometimes as a Clipper, sense of duty forces me to edit subpar stuff, but never with Lulu or Sweet Nightmare streams.
Every broadcast has legendary moments, and with the right edits, they become insanely fun clips.
Satisfied with their classic chemistry, I started editing while listening to their wrap-up talk.
Side note: Aris carried in-game too, so the stream ended on time today.
When Lulu streams solo, she's not great at games, so it often overruns.
Great for fans, not so much for a high school Clipper. Gotta be at school by 8:50 a.m., and late endings mean bedtime around 5 a.m.
Still, nothing beats clipping Lulu's streams, so no big deal.
"Yawwwn..."
I slumped into my classroom seat with a massive yawn.
Normally I'd crash around 3 a.m., but editing wrapped at 4:30.
Those legendary clips got me too hyped—time flew.
Worth it. Today's clips are gonna go down as all-timers.
Can't wait. After school, check my phone and see what comments dominate.
Bound to be some crossing the line, but I can delete those.
With that anticipation, I yawned again—
"Jinwoo."
A voice like rolling marbles called from beside me.
Its owner, Im Rua, was glaring.
"You didn't stay up late again, did you?"
"...That obvious?"
I'm yawning, sure, but not collapsing like yesterday. After she woke me then, no one had to today. Slept less than usual, but enough.
"Ugh... I'm doomed."
Im Rua sighed deeply and reached out.
I tilted my head, staring at her hand blankly. Growing impatient, she did something totally unexpected.
-Grab!
"Wha...?"
She'd seized my wrist and yanked.
Forcing my palm open, she placed something in it.
It was candy—different from yesterday's drowsiness pills.
"...Candy?"
"Mint candy. Super refreshing but sweet. Let it melt in your mouth—it'll wake you up."
"Uh... thanks...?"
"No problem."
She gave a small smile and turned to organize her bag.
Watching her, I popped the candy in.
Yep, minty cool with a sweet kick, just like she said.
Even perked me up a bit.
...Looks like Im Rua's got more goodwill toward me than I thought.
Otherwise, no way she'd give me drowsiness pills yesterday or mints today.
Or am I overthinking?
Nah, maybe. We're childhood friends, sure, but beyond a few old memories, she's from a different world now.
Better not be a bother. Just stay quiet and behave.