Home Date with Wa Sol
Hiibe~ Hello, Adami~ Welcome to Paradise!
Eve's stream kicked off with her usual bright, high-energy greeting.
As you all know, today... I went on a date with Kiri unnie!!
Normally I would have been spamming chat myself, begging for the full recap.
But I didn't feel like typing anything I didn't mean. Of course I didn't. I had been there for that date in person.
No — I had hung out with them.
The arcade? We went... Well, Kiri unnie is usually reeeally good at letting people win. But wow... when it comes to games, she never gives an inch.
Eve's eyes went wide. She stared hard at the donator's username, then let out a sigh of pure relief.
...Wow, you scared me. I thought it was Kiri unnie...
No way. Kiri unnie always donates anonymously. Last time someone sent a donation calling me trash at games, that was her too!
You little jerks!!!! If you're Adami, you're supposed to be on my side!!
...Manager-nim. That one's a creep. Please ban them.
Eve opened her stream with low chat the way she always did. On any other day I would have been staring blankly at the screen without thinking, but having just met her, I couldn't help picturing it.
Gyu-ri, who could barely speak and had to talk through a tablet.
And me, who could no longer look at Eve the same way I used to — not after meeting Gyu-ri for real.
"Hehe, Eve's so cute..."
That wasn't going to happen.
The person on screen right now was Eve, not Gyu-ri. I wasn't sure whether treating them as separate was the right call, but for now it would have to do.
More than anything.
"Eve is... Eve. My favorite will always be Eve."
I had been too scared to ask, but I remembered.
That day we met.
Even if — just if — Eve didn't remember... I alone would know.
I was Eve's First.
Midterms were over without incident, it was a free weekend, and my girlfriend was right beside me.
So what was a guy supposed to do?
I had planned on a date. Lately most of our outings had been cafés or just staying in, and yesterday I had already hung out with Gyu-ri.
Spending time with Gyu-ri was great, but we were a couple — having some one-on-one time out in the world together would be nice too.
Wa Sol, however, seemed to have other ideas.
"Today I'm not doing anything... I'm already not doing anything, but I mean I'm going to put my whole soul into doing nothing."
"How did it come to this?"
"I studied way too hard this week..."
"Who did?"
"Me."
"..."
"What?"
"Nothing."
The reason was a little weird, but Wa Sol was currently in full dried-squid mode. She hadn't moved an inch from my bed, stuck to my side, and honestly it was adorable.
"Mmm~ Gachi smells so good. And you're so warm."
"Still, wouldn't it be better to head outside soon?"
"Nnngh~ No. Today I just want to roll around at home with Gachi."
She nuzzled her face into my chest as she said it.
I wondered if this was okay, but once stream time rolled around she would get her energy back and head home anyway. Until then, I might as well let her have what she wanted.
"Alright. Home date it is, then. Mwah."
"Ah. Sneak attack kiss. My turn. Mwah."
I had learned in the military that a month could be a very long time.
And now, experiencing my first relationship, I was realizing all over again that a month was long enough to change what two people were to each other.
We used to hesitate just holding hands. Now even pulling each other into a full embrace felt completely natural.
"Mwah. Haah. Slurp."
"Haa... Slurp. Mwah."
We could even trade spit without thinking twice about it.
Of course we still hadn't crossed that final line. That was on me.
And so for a while we just lay there on the bed, feeling each other.
No matter how much you lounge around, people still need to eat. Going outside was off the table.
Delivery was the only answer, so we ordered food through an app. Somehow just rolling around had made us hungry, and the two of us demolished the meal in no time before collapsing back onto the bed, half-tangled in each other.
"Oh, right — Gyu-ri said she wants to hang out again sometime. Do you have any free days?"
"This semester, outside of exam periods, I've got more free time than I know what to do with. Just pick something that works around both of your stream schedules."
Originally I had planned to start a part-time job this month, which would have left me with almost no free time.
But lately Wa Sol's affection — and her jealousy — had gotten a lot more intense.
No way! You want to run off and get a job the second we start dating?! Are you trying to make me a widow?!
Faced with Wa Sol's sulking, which I had no idea how to even begin arguing with, I decided to stay unemployed through the end of the semester. I had saved up hard before this, so I could coast for a while.
...Though I might need to cut back on the donations a little.
Ah. Speaking of donations.
"Did she say anything else?"
"Hm? About what?"
"No... I mean, about the streams. I donated pretty casually yesterday too."
"Oh, that?"
I had already told Gyu-ri that I was Eve's First. She had been surprised it was me, then said it was one of the names she saw all the time.
...Honestly, when I told her the username, I had hoped a little that she might recognize me.
But thinking about it, it would have been weird for a streamer to dig deep into a viewer's nickname and ask about it.
In reality, Eve had only figured out that I was someone who donated a lot... Honestly, even just that much recognition had nearly brought tears to my eyes. I barely held them back.
"She said knowing it was from Gachi made her happy? That it doesn't feel burdensome or anything, so just do whatever feels comfortable. But she did say not to send anything too expensive."
"That's a relief. Honestly, if Gyu-ri had told me to stop donating, I might have lost the will to live a little..."
"As long as you're not sending any to Kiri."
"...You'd get mad if I did."
"Obviously. Spend it on me instead."
"What is this injustice."
"Heheheh."
I had been noticing lately that Wa Sol loved teasing me in ways that left me flustered. She pulled the so-called "forced choice" on me all the time... and somehow I never got used to it.
"Oh, right. She said to tell you she bought ice cream with the ten thousand won you sent last time and enjoyed it."
"Haha, good to hear. Gyu-ri really does love food, doesn't she? She ate a ton last time too."
"Yeah. Honestly, among streamers, she's probably the one who gains the least weight relative to how much she eats."
True enough. She had a bit more softness than Wa Sol, but Gyu-ri wasn't exactly chubby either. Average, if anything.
Where on earth did all those nutrients go...
One particular body part floated to mind, and I immediately scrubbed it from my brain. Otherwise...
"...Gachi?"
"Yeah?"
"You just thought something that would make me extremely unhappy, didn't you?"
"N-no! Not at all!"
"Right~? Must be my imagination~"
T-terrifying... One second of carelessness and I almost lost my life.
My split-second judgment had saved me, but the cold sweat running down my back was a fresh reminder that I was still alive.
"Hey, though. Besides me and Gyu-ri, do you know any other streamers?"
"Other streamers? Hmm... I mean, some people stream as a secret hobby, so I can't be totally sure. But as far as I know, no."
"...Really? Hmm."
"What's up?"
"Nothing. Then, have you ever watched Vivi's streams?"
Vivi's streams?
I didn't think so. I had only ever watched Eve to begin with. The recent Kiri streams were the first time I had watched any other streamer.
"No, I don't think even once. Well, I've seen a few clips here and there. The only times I really watch Vivi is when she's collabing with Eve."
"...So it really was love at first sight, then."
Huh? Wa Sol just muttered something.
"What was that?"
"Nothing. Don't worry about it. Absolutely don't."
"...Okay."
Whatever it was, I wasn't supposed to think about it. So I wouldn't.
I wiped the words from my mind and watched YouTube with Wa Sol. Naturally, the videos we put on were Utopia's hot clips, and right now one of Kiri's was playing.
Ahh~ Something's off today... Why am I like this?
"Ah, I remember this one. For some reason my aim was completely dead that day."
"Yeah, I haven't seen this one."
"...For the record, on Eve's stream that day we were probably practicing for our Marvel board game tournament."
"I remember that. Eve's dice luck bomb went off and she moved fiiiive times in a row!"
"It's always Eve!!"
Hey, stop pulling on my cheek!
You're going to change the shape of my face!
"Haa, I used to take it for granted when Adami did Adami things. Why does it make me so mad these days?"
"Probably because one of those Adami is Wa Sol's boyfriend?"
"You're saying that out loud about yourself?"
"Sorry."
Yeah, that was definitely a comment that earned a beating. I needed to be careful. She was pinching my cheek right now... and why was the pressure getting stronger...
Of course, this kind of back-and-forth had become so routine for us that it didn't feel awkward at all. Proof of that: we kept watching the video like nothing had happened.
...I think I'm about to go full menhera. If I can't even play games, what am I supposed to do?
"Back then, you know. It was the day my return to school got confirmed, so I had a lot on my mind and my mental was pretty fragile. Thinking about it now, I might cry again."
Wa Sol seemed to be getting emotional. I wanted to comfort her, but first I had to say this.
"Can you let go of my cheek first?"
"Hmph."
She was a little sulky, but she did let go. At least when I pulled her into a hug and stroked her hair, her expression softened a bit. Kiri on screen, though, was still stuck in depression mode.
At this point I was starting to wonder when she would bounce back.
That was when someone sent Kiri a donation.
...Yeah. Thanks for the gold coin. I'll push through. Alright, then...
"Ah, this one... is a little embarrassing."
Domain Expansion.
"Pfft."
"Don't laugh~~!!"
It was so cute I couldn't help it.
I never expected that line to come out here. For the record, that chant was a special move from an anime based on a Japanese manga.
Weirdly enough, the moment she shouted that chant, Kiri snapped right back to her usual skill level.
And with her energy maxed out at the same time, she blew past serious mode straight into rampage mode.
Farewell. You were merely the strongest of the common folk from the age before I arrived.
"..."
"Stop holding in your laugh!"
If laughing got me in trouble and holding it in also got me in trouble, what exactly was I supposed to do?
Screw it.
"Hahahaha!!!"
Just laugh. They say the one who laughs wins.
"Uggghhh... Watch someone else's clips, not mine!"
In the end Wa Sol couldn't take it and skipped the video. Yep, I already hit like. I would watch it again later.
Even when you do nothing, time still moves.
It was already five in the afternoon, and Kiri's stream would be starting soon.
"Alright, time to get motivated. You're going to watch my stream today too, right?"
"Of course."
"Just for one hour, right?"
"..."
Forced choices are half-scams, you know...
"Pfft, did you know? When Gachi ends up in a situation where he can't say anything, he looks away."
"...Oh, really?"
"Yeah. It's so cute I can't help wanting to keep teasing you."
Come to think of it, I kind of did have that feeling about myself.
As I was reflecting on my unconscious habits, Wa Sol pulled me into a hug and whispered against me.
"Don't worry. I told you. I'm going to make Kiri your favorite. So I won't get mad."
"...Yeah. Thank you."
"It's nothing at this point. Besides, a guy who swaps favorites that easily would get rejected by me on principle."
I knew. This was the maximum consideration Wa Sol could offer me.
I was grateful for that feeling — so, so grateful — but...
I still couldn't lie to my own heart. To me, Eve was... not just my favorite VTuber.
"Okay, I'm heading out. Make sure you watch the stream."
"Yeah, got it... Huh?"
As I hugged Wa Sol back while she was still holding me, the phone in my pocket started buzzing. Judging by the vibration pattern, it was a text.
"Who is it?"
"Dunno... Ah, it's Haean."
Haean texting me wasn't particularly strange. Ever since starting college, outside of Wa Sol and Su-yeon hyung, he was the person I talked to the most.
But the content of this particular text was a little... odd.
"...Huh?"
"What's wrong?"
"No, Haean wants to grab dinner together tomorrow evening."
"Ah, then I'll eat with Yun-a. Take your time."
Wa Sol said it with a face that said she was fine with that.
But there was more to Haean's text.
"No... Wa Sol. He wants you to come too?"
"...Huh?"
Wa Sol made a slightly blank face and a slightly blank sound. Then she seemed to think about something and opened her mouth again.
"I've barely even talked to Haean the underclassman?"
"Exactly... so why all of a sudden."
"Hmm... Just tell him okay for now. He's your friend, so eating together sounds nice."
Wa Sol hesitated for a moment, then accepted Haean's invitation.
The fact that she trusted me that much was honestly touching, but a corner of my mind still held onto the confusion.
Haean wanted Wa Sol there?
...Why?