Something Feels Off About Doing Yuri Business With Her (2)
The early morning sun was just beginning to rise over the Unimori Office. I had braved the cold for a recording session and arrived early, only to find myself glancing around an empty space. Maybe I had been too eager, because I was way ahead of schedule. There wasn't a single trace of that black-haired beauty anywhere in sight.
I guess I have no choice but to wait. The thought had barely crossed my mind before I started positioning myself at the entrance like I was on stakeout duty. That's when I heard the click of familiar heels behind me, followed by a familiar voice.
"What are you doing standing there? You look like someone searching for a wallet they dropped on the floor."
"Ah, Boss. No, it's nothing...?"
The person in question was none other than the Boss herself. She wore a simple white shirt paired with black suit pants. Her height and those long legs—impressive for a woman—combined with the dark circles under her eyes, gave her a thoroughly decadent air. I found myself wondering if she had piercings hidden somewhere I didn't know about. Especially around that slim waist and her navel…
No, no. I clearly didn't get enough sleep. What on earth am I thinking?
This was wrong. I wasn't some kind of pervert. The strange thoughts that had floated into my head made me whip my gaze to the side. The Boss felt like a cool older sister these days. I didn't want to entertain such filthy ideas about her.
Whether she knew my head was full of impure thoughts or not, she narrowed her eyes while holding an iced Americano in one hand.
"Hmm… Well, you're early today. You've always seemed so unenthusiastic about recording sessions before."
"When was I ever unenthusiastic…? It's just that I lack confidence, that's all."
"That's basically the same thing. Want me to guess what you're thinking about right now?"
"Y-yes?!"
Had she already figured out I'd been having weird thoughts about her?! Startled, I reflexively stepped back. She took a bold step closer, then grinned.
"You're waiting for Serin, right?"
"Huh? Ah, yes…"
"Did I get it wrong?"
"No, th-that's exactly it?!"
So that's what she meant…! By now my back was slick with cold sweat as I hurriedly agreed with the Boss. Admitting I'd been wondering if she had a belly button piercing would have been hundreds of times worse. Besides, it was actually true.
She blinked, perhaps picking up on my vague attitude, but soon shrugged as if it didn't matter. Fortunately, my weird behavior didn't seem to bother her much. What a relief.
"But how did you know…?"
"It was just a feeling. Out of the third generation, you two seem especially close."
Is that how it looks? To me it feels more like Serin is just toying with me one-sidedly… From the beginning, she's not someone I should get too friendly with. An imperial princess? That would be disrespectful, wouldn't it?
I pressed my lips together tightly and frowned, unable to accept it. The Boss let out a small chuckle, muttered "Whatever," and brought the straw to her lips.
That's kind of suggestive.
Then I realized the conversation had naturally drifted toward what I wanted to talk about. I glanced around and lowered my voice so no one else could hear.
"Um, Boss. About… Priya, you know…"
"Why? Are you worried about the direction of her streams? She's being overly cautious with every statement, only playing games that don't suit her, her broadcast times are pointlessly long and irregular, and she won't even sing—which is supposed to be her greatest strength. Is that what you wanted to say?"
"Eek… What? You already knew all of that?!"
The Boss had dumped everything out before I could even finish my sentence, like she was stealing the first move. It was such a direct hit that even I—who had been hesitating because the topic felt delicate—jumped in surprise.
As I stood there stunned, feeling like I'd been smacked in the head with a hammer, she crossed her arms while still holding her iced Americano and chuckled.
"How many of that girl's practice streams do you think I've watched? If I couldn't figure this out, I'd have no right to run this agency. We already know there's a problem."
"Th-then why…"
Is Serin's issue still unresolved?
At that, the Boss averted her gaze like it was difficult to answer. I kept following her around, shifting positions to stay in her line of sight and pestering her. Finally she placed her hand on top of my head, let out a deep sigh, and spoke.
"Haa… In the end, it's something she has to realize herself. Forcing a depressed person to act cheerful won't help. That's nothing more than a manufactured mask. You can't touch people's hearts with something fake."
"That's…"
"And just so there's no misunderstanding, we're already taking care of her. Even though her debut was a spectacular failure, that's something anyone might experience once. Her manager and I listen to her every single day."
Yet she's still in that state. Do you get what the situation is now?
She opened the lid and gulped down her coffee like her throat was dry. She wasn't showing it, but out of the entire third generation, Serin was the one the Boss had placed the highest expectations on. It must be frustrating that failing a single debut broadcast had worsened things this much.
But if I thought about it differently, the fact that she wasn't rushing to intervene might mean she believed Serin could overcome it on her own. With nothing but impatience in my heart, I had come all the way to the office, but now I couldn't find the right words.
* After parting with the Boss, who had a busy schedule ahead.
My thoughts were tangled in knots as I staggered into the familiar conference room. Luckily no one used this place at this hour, so I was able to collapse onto the table without worrying about prying eyes.
Even though my body felt a little more comfortable, my mind was still uneasy, like a thorn was lodged in my throat. There's no way someone like me could solve a problem the agency itself couldn't fix… The thought kept circling in my head.
Haa… Why am I so concerned about this?
It was strange from the very beginning that I even felt this way. To me, Serin was nothing more than an agency coworker I only acknowledged inside the office. At most, she was an internet friend I only spoke to through messages or calls.
Honestly, I still didn't understand why an imperial princess like her was doing this VTuber thing. I had no idea why failing one debut broadcast had caused so many problems. Yet here I was thinking This can't continue and I'm worried about her future…
Who was worrying about whom? Me? Worrying about Her Highness the Princess? Thinking about it again, it was ridiculous! Even if I earned money as a VTuber my entire life, I wouldn't even come close to touching Serin's toenail. That girl would probably cry inside a Ferrari while being comforted by a maid!
I should be focusing on taking care of my own business at this stage…
Feeling somewhat dejected, I turned my head and pressed my cheek against the table. Just moments ago I'd planned to meet Serin and demand to know what was wrong with her… But after learning that the agency and the Boss were already handling her mental care, I wondered what point there would be in me doing anything. Professionals would handle it better anyway.
Haa. If possible, I should avoid Serin today.
The moment I muttered that to myself and slowly rose from the table, the conference room door suddenly opened. The face I least wanted to see appeared.
"Se… I mean, Priya?!"
"Snow? What are you doing here?"
Thick baker boy hat with every strand of hair neatly tucked inside. Large horn-rimmed glasses and a mask covering her face. It was Serin in her all-too-familiar disguised state. This hour should have been completely empty, so why…?
Caught off guard, I straightened my posture and answered.
"That's what I want to ask… You were the one who came later, after all."
"The Boss said good things would happen if I came this way. Hmm, so I guess you're my good thing, Snow? The Boss has pretty good taste."
"Boss, what exactly did you tell her?!"
It seemed the reason Serin had come to the conference room was none other than one of the Boss's schemes. I had no idea why she'd thrown that woman into my personal resting space, but… Boss, I was planning to sneak home today without running into Serin!
Unable to show my frustration, I tried to hide it behind a casual expression. Even so, she seemed to sense my feelings. She awkwardly scratched her cheek.
"If I'm disturbing you, should I leave?"
"No… Do whatever you want. This is a shared space anyway…"
"Then excuse me for a moment."
With my permission, Serin stepped inside and removed her cumbersome hat and glasses. Suddenly the unlit conference room felt brighter, and a perfect beauty descended before my eyes.
No matter how many times I saw that overwhelmingly beautiful face, I couldn't get used to it… If she walked around the streets looking like that, everyone would stare. That's exactly why she always went around in disguise.
Revealing an intensely powerful presence that nearly took my breath away, she walked over and sat in the chair right beside me. The cool scent that reached my nose made me realize Serin truly existed in reality.
"Eek, there are so many seats. Why sit right next to me?"
"Now that I think about it, we haven't talked since debut. Since it's been a while, it would be a shame not to strengthen our friendship. And like you said earlier… this is a shared space. I can sit wherever I want, right?"
"That's true, but…"
She smiled with a face completely free of worry. It was her usual confident attitude, as if she wasn't bound by any troubles from her VTuber activities at all.
Maybe all my concerns about her had been unnecessary. Maybe she didn't care at all about failing her debut broadcast.
Yeah, of course. There's no way that self-willed princess would…
Just as I was about to fall for her unchanged demeanor, my eyes caught her unconsciously fiddling with the ends of her hair. She always maintained such perfect posture that just watching her could be tiring. She'd never fiddled with her hair before.
That had to be a subconscious sign of anxiety.
No matter how you look at it, she's just pretending to be strong.
The moment I realized that, a burning sensation flared in my chest. She'd only made one little mistake—what was so scary about it? The frustration bubbled into irritation. I clenched my teeth to keep it from showing.
I'd been determined not to care about Serin anymore just moments ago. But that resolve had melted in the heat, and I couldn't stay quiet.
I secretly exhaled to calm myself, then asked her.
"Can I ask you one thing? Promise to tell me only the truth."
"Huh? That's unusual. You having something you're curious about from me… Isn't this the first time?"
"Never mind that! Are you going to answer or not!"
"Hmm. As long as it's not some secret passed down through the imperial family for generations, I can tell you anything."
"I'm not curious about that! Well… actually I am a little…"
A secret passed down through the imperial family for generations. The sudden comment made me curious despite myself! I shook my head vigorously to chase away the distracting thoughts.
Then I stood up abruptly and stared at her with a serious expression.
"Why… did you want to become a VTuber?"
"That's… quite a sensitive first question if we're trying to get to know each other…"
"What are you talking about! It's the most normal question in the world! You must have written it on your Unimori application! If someone overheard, they'd think I asked about your sexual experience!"
"Ah, I don't have that kind of experience. As you can see, I'm a precious person, so I can't carelessly get involved with men."
"The difficulty level of your answers is completely backwards! And I already know you're a precious person!"
What kind of conversation was this? My mind felt like it was turning pink. I clutched my head. Of course I'd brought it up without thinking, but she didn't need to answer something like that!
After tugging at my hair and thumping my chest a few times, I looked at her again and shouted.
"You… you like VTubers!"
"Yes. I like them. It might not be an exaggeration to say… I admire them."
"…"
As expected. Whenever she talked about VTubers, her eyes would sparkle like she was dreaming. Even if I didn't want to know, I couldn't help noticing how much heart she put into it.
Coincidentally, it was the same for me. Even though we'd ended up at the same agency, my favorite was still Mari. I like VTubers, I admire them, and that's why I wanted to become one and am standing here now.
That's why I couldn't stay still. She had a better environment than me, more talent, and was more special than anyone—yet here she was acting pathetic over one little stumble.
I clenched my fist until the blood couldn't circulate and looked at her with strong eyes.
"Tomorrow, do a collab stream with me."
"A collab stream? Hmm, there's no reason to refuse. It's a cute junior's request, after all."
"And… one more thing. From now on, we're in a relationship where we're interested in each other and want to get closer."
I pointed at her with my finger and shamelessly spoke those words. Naturally, it seemed like something she couldn't immediately accept. For the first time, her mask cracked and she showed a purely flustered expression.
"Is that… a confession? It's not uncommon to receive one from the same sex, but…"
"Ha, your imagination is something else. Dating someone as annoying as you? Even if I had several lives, it wouldn't be enough. Don't assume everyone in the world likes you!"
"A-annoying person?!"
Well… I could confidently say there wasn't a single person in the world who would dislike that face. But thinking an idol is pretty and wanting to date them are two different things.
To me right now, Serin's existence was nothing more than a fellow trainee from the same agency. Especially after hearing those ominous rumors from her extreme princess fan club, any such feelings would arise and then vanish.
"Then…?"
"Yuri business."
From now on, you and I are going to push the yuri business hard.
I sat down, looked down at the flustered Serin, and made my declaration. Maybe it was because of the thought of fixing that annoying woman's rotten mentality. It felt like I could finally pay back all the times I'd been pushed around these past few months at once. The feeling was absolutely exhilarating.