A Heart That Now Knows

Flap-flap.

Back home, I sat in my chair with my knees drawn together, bouncing the soles of my feet up and down. A habit of mine whenever something good happened. And the reason this time?

"Hehe, it looks good on me short... hehe."

It was ridiculously simple. What was I, some little girl?

Ah, but really... how was I supposed to work off this good mood?

Sleeping didn't seem like it was going to happen.

Hmm... ah.

"It's already past midnight... oh well~"

Time-wise, yesterday had been a full rest day for everyone in Utopia. So it should be fine to go live now, right?

After making that excuse to myself, I checked my gear, powered on the computer, and logged into Diy. I opened the room, took a deep breath—

From this moment on, I was Kiri.

Kiri of Utopia... all right.

"Kiriring! It's Kiri, who was off stream yesterday!"

The voice that came out was even brighter and higher-pitched than usual. That was Kiri's voice.

"I was actually planning to come back tomorrow night, but I just couldn't sleep. I'll chat for a bit and then head to bed."

The moment I said that, the Haras erupted in protest. The hardcore gamers were already flooding the chat demanding a game, and some were claiming they couldn't sleep if they didn't get to watch Kiri play. Hehe.

Twitch.

The moment that chat scrolled past, I felt a vein pulse at my temple. Hehe, oh come on~ saying something like that...

"Okay, the person who just said I'm boring is getting banned~"

Now, how did banning work again~ I'd gone live without contacting the manager, so I had to do it myself, and I was a little rusty.

Ah, maybe I should use this for the first time in a while.

"Swoosh!"

A slash impact effect flashed across the screen. I might not look it, but I was a Valkyrie—I had cool effects like this!

Naturally the Haras' reactions shot skyward. I'd started the stream in a good mood, and with the chat this lively, I felt even better.

Then one particular message caught my eye.

...Heh.

"See? Someone says it's fun!"

Hehe, I could be fun too. Not as much as Eve, but still.

The moment that thought crossed my mind, Gachi suddenly floated up. Of course Gachi would like a VTuber who was good at streaming, like Eve... I didn't think I was bad, but compared to Eve, I fell short in a lot of ways.

I already had an image built up that made cute reactions like Eve's hard to pull off, and I simply didn't have her gift for pure laughter. Being something of Utopia's big sister, I tended to act more mature, so my streams never overflowed with laughs the way Eve's did.

Still, when it came to gaming, I didn't lose to Eve's streams either.

...Not that I was competing or anything.

I just suddenly wanted to play.

"Ahem. Well, since someone was nice enough to say it's fun—shall we play one round?"

The second the words left my mouth, chat exploded at an insane speed. What the—was it really that big a deal?

The chat window went wild. People were calling the person who'd just typed that today's Odin, telling everyone to praise them, and so on.

Ugh, I hadn't realized they were waiting this hard for it.

Well then, to live up to those expectations... maybe I should go all out!

Something I'd realized back when I was a Utopia trainee: I had a high level of game sense. Honestly, most games I tried, I could play at a solid level after just a few rounds.

And if it was a genre I liked, I dug even deeper.

One of those genres was FPS. The game I was currently obsessed with was an FPS with survival elements mixed in.

My team: just me. Enemies: ninety-nine. Fighting alone under those conditions and taking first place delivered an incredible sense of achievement.

Of course I played squads sometimes, but solo was still the most fun for me.

And this time, too, I queued into the game alone.

I processed every scrap of surrounding information with all five senses plus a sixth, and before I knew it, only one person remained besides me.

What to do... I should throw out some bait, right?

In the shrunken field, the only places left to hide were behind trees or rocks, yet I deliberately stepped out into the open grassland and used myself as bait. Then—gunfire.

Bang.

Left side.

My HP was down to about half, but I'd pinpointed the enemy's position. In that case—

I ducked behind a tree I'd already marked, wrapped a bandage, and switched to a scoped sniper rifle. Judging by the gunshot, it wasn't that far, and I couldn't hear any footsteps.

The enemy was still in that spot.

...Silence stretched on.

Three, two, one.

I burst out from behind the rock, whipped the camera toward the predicted direction, and in an instant spotted the enemy concealed in the grass.

I switched to zoom, lined up the headshot, and fired.

Bang!

"...Got them!!!"

I threw my arms up and shouted without meaning to. Wow... maybe it was the thrill, but that was seriously fun~

I'd actually chicken-dinned on the very first match, so chat and donations started pouring in like crazy.

Hehe, this is why I do the VTuber thing.

And then, amid the flood, a donation dropped with a big impact—claiming they were better than me.

A nickname I'd never seen before, and they'd sent a full two gold coins.

"What? Better than me? Nah, I don't think so~"

I dropped the catchphrase I'd been pushing lately, and chat immediately started spamming "I don't think so~" right back. Eventually they decided I needed a few more rounds to prove Kiri was the strongest, so—

"Okay! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Then let's do just one more!"

Caught up in the energy, I declared another match on the spot.

I only turned off the stream after gaming all night long...

Call it a streamer's fate. Sometimes, when the viewers' chats and donations keep rolling in, the dopamine hits so hard you end up streaming way past the time you'd planned.

The stream I'd started that dawn was exactly like that.

I finally closed my eyes around sunrise, slept straight through until dinner time, and only then realized my sleep schedule was completely wrecked again.

"Haa... is this a gaming addiction or a streaming addiction... Last time I told Eve not to stream for too long. I'm in no position to talk."

Thankfully, consistent skincare meant no dark circles, but my skin looked a little puffy.

"Ah, whatever. It's not like anyone's going to see me..."

The moment I thought that, Gachi's face floated up. Seriously, recalling the face of someone I'd only met the day before yesterday this easily...

It's just because I'm tired. Yeah... probably.

Hoping to clear my head a little, I stepped outside in a half-asleep daze for some air.

"Huh?"

Weird. The second I thought of Gachi, there he was. Ah—my skin was still a little puffy...

I angled myself so only the side of my face would show.

"Ah... Gachi."

"Hello."

I waved back as I returned the greeting. But that cardigan looked really good on him. It seemed simple, and that made it feel even more like him.

...Ah, was I staring too hard?

Ahem. I should say something.

"Yaaawn—where are you headed?"

Ah, a yawn slipped out... I really was tired.

"I'm going to get something to eat."

...What?

Was he asking me to go eat with him right now? ...With me?

"Huh? Uh... uh."

"Hm? Then I'll head over first."

Did that mean he'd go ahead and wait? Well, I wasn't ready yet, so he was being considerate...

Wait?... Just the two of us... eating together?

...For real?

No, more importantly—

"Hey, um."

I still hadn't heard where we were meeting.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm not totally sure of the location, but it's a restaurant called Nostalgia."

Ah, I knew that place. Probably... a good spot for a date...

A date!?

Gachi barely knew this neighborhood. Had he looked it up on purpose?

...Hehe.

"Ah, that place. Got it."

I was a little excited.

...Or so I thought. After I showered and finished getting ready, the sleep had fully worn off, and once my head cleared, the fluttering excitement settled down.

And no matter how I looked at it, something felt off...

Gachi asking me to eat out of nowhere, with zero buildup... Sure, some people were like that, but I didn't think Gachi was that type.

The problem was, I had no way to check.

I didn't even have Gachi's number.

Common sense said it was a misunderstanding on my part, but the moment I considered the slim chance it wasn't, I didn't want to break a promise with Gachi. He might be waiting, thinking I was coming, right? I didn't want to disappoint him, and it wouldn't be polite. Plus...

No, no more excuses. I just wanted to see Gachi.

"Huu, let's go."

In the end, I decided to be honest with my own heart.

One last check of my hair before heading out.

"...Yeah, looks good."

The short hair Gachi had said suited me.

Remembering what he'd said yesterday made my face heat up on its own, and I wanted to see him even more.

Haa, why was I such a simple woman...

I hated pretension.

Most of the guys who'd approached me so far had been the type who made a show of how great they were. People who polished themselves to the max, only to shrink smaller than anyone once the paint started peeling.

But Gachi, from the first time we met, had none of that. He knew objectively what he had, but he never flaunted it, and he never put anyone down to lift himself up.

Was I an easy woman for being drawn to someone like that after only two days?

Or was Gachi just that special?

I got the answer sooner than expected. The moment I walked into the restaurant where I'd "promised" to meet Gachi, I realized what he'd said had been my misunderstanding after all.

And surprisingly, it turned out Gachi had plans with Su-yeon. Who knew the two of them knew each other.

Feeling a little embarrassed, I was about to turn around and head home when—

My eyes met Su-yeon's.

She looked at me for a second, then asked Gachi in a voice loud enough for me to hear.

"So who exactly is that noona?"

"Uh... you probably wouldn't know even if I said the name. Do you know Senior Wa Sol?"

That was me. Why was I being brought up?

"Ah... Wa Sol? Yeah, I know her."

"You do?"

Well, we were relatives.

"Yeah, that one was pretty famous back in first year."

...Hey. Don't tell me you...

Were about to talk about that.

I wanted to stop her. I had to stop her. There might come a day when I'd tell Gachi myself, but I didn't want it said now. And if it was going to be said, I wanted to be the one to say it.

"...About what?"

No. Don't say it.

"Hmm... just checking first—the noona you just mentioned is Wa Sol, right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"She probably wouldn't want to hear this herself."

Su-yeon said it while looking straight at me. The second she finished, Gachi spoke.

"Then I won't listen."

...He wouldn't listen?

"That's the kind of guy he is."

"What?"

"Behind you."

Su-yeon jerked her chin for him to look back, and Gachi turned around. Ah, I'd been caught.

What... what should I say.

Hmm... just be honest.

"Ah, hahaha. Right? I totally misread that, didn't I?"

"Huh? No, more importantly—Senior Wa Sol, you're here?"

"Hey, hey, enough. Just get her a seat already."

"Ah, yeah."

My face burning red, I followed Gachi's lead and sat down—but I was so embarrassed I covered my face with both hands.

I'd already explained how the misunderstanding happened, but... it was still so embarrassing!!!

Su-yeon was saying something, but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I just ignored her.

Beside me, Gachi was trying to defend me somehow... why had I even made that assumption in the first place...

Because I'd streamed for so long... why had I gone live again...

"It's your fault..."

"Huh?"

"I was taking it out on you. Sorry."

A quick apology. Haa, you idiot. What are you doing...

While I was thrashing around alone in my embarrassment—

"You don't need to apologize at all. If anything... I'm happy...?"

...What?

Happy. About meeting me? Or about me accepting his invitation?

Either way. It meant Gachi had some goodwill toward me...

What do I do. A different kind of embarrassment from before was making me tense now.

"I don't really have anyone around me to talk about VTubers with."

Ah, that side of it?

Then I was a little disappointed.

"And besides that... just... I also liked chatting with you, Senior."

Was that about VTubers? Or did he really mean he liked talking with me?

"I mean... I'd like to get a little closer. Haha, sorry. I'm not great with words."

...I see. He really did want to get closer to me.

Honestly. Speaking without pretense was nice, but he was so clumsy at it.

Hehe, which only made it feel more sincere.

"...No, I'm happy you said that too."

So I should be honest as well. Look straight at Gachi's simple smile, and even though I was still embarrassed, don't look away.

A nice atmosphere was just starting to form when—

"The great Wa Sol is happy because a guy said he wants to get closer..."

One line that shattered the mood out of nowhere.

Is she still here?

"The great Wa Sol?"

Hurry up and leave already. Gachi's getting interested!

"There's a story there. Didn't you say you wouldn't listen?"

"Well, yeah."

He can't see it?

I was sitting right in front of him now, so that made sense—but earlier he hadn't known I was there.

Why go out of his way to say he wouldn't listen?

...I didn't know. Well, we'd only just met.

Still, I felt like I understood Gachi a little better than a moment ago.

"He's that kind of guy?"

"Yeah, he's that kind of guy."

"...Do you two know each other, by any chance?"

We'd spoken too casually, and Gachi had picked up that we knew each other. It wasn't something we needed to hide, so we told him we were relatives.

Gachi said our vibes were similar.

In what way?

"You're both easy to talk to. Honestly, this is the most comfortable I've felt since starting university."

...I see. So Gachi felt that way too.

I was feeling the same thing.

We were both feeling the same thing toward each other.

Mmm... mmm... huu...

Ah, no. Don't get swept up in the pace any further! I had to protect my pride as the older one!

"Hehe, hearing you say that... makes me really happy."

Yeah, a decent amount of older-sister energy was starting to come through.

But Su-yeon's look in my direction had been getting on my nerves for a while. What? Aren't you leaving?

"Hmm... hey, Gachi."

"Yeah?"

"I'm heading out."

Oh, finally. Please, go already~

Gachi seemed like he wanted to stop her, but inside I was cheering.

"Hey, Wa Sol."

"What?"

"...He's a good guy."

Was that a warning? Or was she trying to reassure me?

Either way, it didn't matter. I also...

"I know. Probably."

"Okay."

After that, Su-yeon left the restaurant. Watching her go, Gachi murmured,

"I wonder what happened."

What happened... he must have found it unexpected.

Because he'd seen a hedgehog trying to approach someone.

When I said that, Gachi seemed to catch my meaning and said nothing. Maybe it had been too heavy.

"Don't take it too heavily. It's just... wondering what kind of person you really are."

A vague way of putting it.

But what I wanted to convey clearly, I said.

Gachi, I want to know you.

After eating dinner with Gachi, we walked back together since we lived in the same apartment complex anyway. Along the way we talked so enjoyably that time seemed to crawl, yet looking at the path we'd already covered, I felt the contradictory sense of we're already this far?

That happy stretch of time—

"No, I've never watched even once."

—suddenly froze solid.

What? What had I just asked. Ah, whether he watched Kiri's streams often.

But... never even once?

Not a single time!?

"Heeh, never even once, huh. Your times with Eve shouldn't have overlapped that much."

"I-I mean, more precisely, up until yesterday. Yesterday I happened to catch Kiri's stream that she went live on in the middle of the night. So I was thinking maybe I'd try watching again today."

Gachi was rambling. So in the end, yesterday was the first time? When we'd debuted months ago!?

Still, he said he'd watch today, so I'd put it on hold for now.

"...Hmm~ Then, Gachi."

He said he'd watched Kiri's stream yesterday, right?

"What did you like about Kiri's stream?"

Answer properly.

"You can just answer honestly."

Even so, watching me smile as I said it, Gachi kept rolling his eyes around.

Hey now, spit it out already.

"Think of it casually. You probably didn't watch the whole thing. Just your impressions from however far you got?"

Once I gave him a bit of direction, Gachi finally opened his mouth.

"...It was a good stream."

Hmm~ a good stream. I wonder which part made it good.

"Not as good as Eve's, though."

...

..

.

...Ha.

A snort almost escaped.

"Hehehe. Yeah, that can happen. You're an Adami, after all. Hehe."

But did he really have to compare me to Eve like that...

Huu. Whatever.

Thinking about it, Gachi didn't even know I was Kiri. And I wasn't Gachi's girl... friend either.

Girlfriend... either.

Girlfriend...

"I-I'm sorry."

While I was privately turning the word "girlfriend" over in my head, Gachi suddenly apologized.

There was nothing for Gachi to apologize for.

Had I been too self-centered?

It wasn't something I needed to forgive, but I said the words of forgiveness anyway. And when Gachi, somehow misunderstanding further, got even more flustered, the sight of it was so funny—

I almost laughed out loud.

"I'm the one who should be sorry. I was teasing a little too hard."

"It was... a joke?"

Yeah, a little bit of it was sincere, though.

Hehe.

I felt a tiny bit disappointed, but looking at Gachi's face made my heart settle again.

Seeing him flustered like that made him seem a little cute.

Holding the sense of ease that came from having Gachi beside me close to my chest, the time I'd thought was flowing slowly turned out, when I looked back, to have been racing past.

"Ah, we're here."

Too bad. I wished the distance to the apartment had been a little longer.

It wasn't actually that short a walk, though.

"Yeah. It felt closer than I expected."

Was Gachi thinking the same thing as me?

Somehow it felt like we were sharing the same feeling, and—

My mood lifted again.

After that meeting born of a misunderstanding, feeling like Gachi and I were sharing the same heart put me in such a good mood that I went live again, just like the day before yesterday.

By the way, I really do love being with Gachi...

Anyway, while streaming I happened to spot Eve mid-game and joined her, and—

The reactions were so good and I was having so much fun that I played late into the night again!

B-but at least today I woke up at lunchtime, so...

Still, what am I going to do about my schedule...

"Haa, I should at least wash up."

I took a quick shower, got hungry, and was about to head out for food in the most comfortable sweatpants I owned—when yesterday's memory suddenly surfaced.

What if I ran into Gachi again...

The moment that thought hit, the super-comfy clothes had already been swapped for slightly-comfy clothes.

Comfortable-looking, but with a polished edge.

Yeah, this should be fine.

I opened the door—

And there was Gachi, for real.

...Wow. Amazing.

Just seeing him made my chest flutter. Right then, not talking to Gachi wasn't even an option.

"Surprises really are better when you're in a good mood."

"What is?"

"Wah!"

Hehe. Look how startled he is.

"Good morning... well, not quite. Good afternoon~"

And just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like that, I ran into Gachi by chance once more.

After that chance meeting, we went into a quiet little place and ate together.

We even exchanged numbers, the time we spent was fun, and the atmosphere was good.

Wishing this stretch of time would last a little longer, I found myself with a small dilemma.

Something was missing. What was it?

Being with Gachi like this was enjoyable. So what more was I wishing for?

Then—

"Today we got to see a nice-looking couple."

At the shop owner's parting words—

I recognized the relationship I wanted to have with Gachi.

Honestly, I really am a simple person.

I knew the trigger.

Just because of those words. I'd been paying attention to Gachi ever since.

But... how could I not? From the moment I heard that—

I stopped minding the past. I stopped making excuses to myself.

When I was with Gachi... I only felt the present.

And because that was so comfortable, so good... I wanted to be with him more, closer.

Thump-thump.

Please don't let Gachi hear my heartbeat.

Please don't let him notice my feelings yet.

Even as I wished that, my heartbeat only grew louder.

Thump-thump.

And yet I could hear another heartbeat too. Knowing that sound was coming from Gachi's side—

Maybe Gachi felt the same way I did.

I ended up hoping that.