Familiar Faces at AnimeCon
I had no idea where that guy got his staff pass from, but I didn't bother asking. If it was Yujia of all people, she'd have found a way somehow. It was easier to just roll with it.
"Man, the facilities here are nice. I should've brought someone along."
"I didn't invite you in the first place. Suihwa took care of everything."
"Then next time, if I cover the costs, you'll go on a trip with me?"
"No."
That one I could answer crystal clear. I'd only come this time because the organizers covered the flight and hotel. If Suihwa had paid, I wouldn't have budged. Sure, I love free stuff, but not the kind squeezed from the blood and sweat of people around me. Only the kind backed by deep corporate pockets. That I love. So even if Yujia offered to foot the bill, no way in hell.
"...Why not."
"I don't like handouts without strings attached."
"Hm..."
Yujia glanced at me for a moment, nodded like she'd figured something out, and kept walking.
We didn't go far before Suihwa came into view, stepping out of a café with her phone in hand. Her face looked refreshed after some solid rest. I felt a twinge of guilt. Meeting Yujia must be awkward as hell for her—especially here in Japan, not back home. With that apologetic thought, I approached and greeted her.
"Hey."
Suihwa turned with a bright smile—
"Oh, you're h—... Huh?"
She froze solid. But noticing she was still streaming, she quickly smoothed her expression and continued.
"Why'd you take so long? AnimeCon's about to start. Hurry up already."
"Sorry, sorry."
I took the phone from her as she spoke and started filming her properly.
*
We headed to the AnimeCon venue like that. I filmed Suihwa while she chatted with viewers. The one big change?
"Unnie, what do you think of this?"
"Not great."
"Ugh..."
Yujia showing up on stream. Just her voice now and then, like me. I'd figured she'd stay quiet, but midway there, she'd casually chatted with Suihwa and now she was seamlessly infiltrating the broadcast.
Just her voice, and the chat was flying faster than usual.
...Just her voice and they're losing it like this?
Yujia's voice is killer, sure. I'd even thought she'd crush ASMR streams. But this reaction? Way beyond expectations.
I really don't get the streaming world.
Couldn't gauge the demand. Following Suihwa around with the phone, I often marveled at how she nailed it.
Lost in those thoughts, Yujia casually stepped into frame again. "Try this instead." She swapped the wig on Suihwa's head for another. In the process, Yujia's face flashed on stream.
Five seconds tops, and chat exploded. "Pretty" and "fucked" repeating nonstop.
Is Yujia that hot...? Objectively, not ugly, but not a knockout either. Were my standards too high?
Swallowing that doubt, Suihwa panicked. "Unnie's a total normie, guys!! Don't clip it or say weird shit!"
Yujia shrugged it off. "I don't mind. It's not even hate."
Chat went feral the second Yujia greenlit it. Suihwa shot her a baffled look—
"If you're gonna repost elsewhere, at least use a pretty pic."
Yujia shoved her face right into frame, bold as brass. Confident or clueless? Hard to say.
"What collab? Unnie's too busy for that."
"I've got time? Call me and we can stream together."
"Argh..."
Suihwa's cheeks puffed out, clearly annoyed.
Just as the stream pivoted hard to Yujia—
Woooosh—!!!!
Short fireworks burst, followed by a sudden announcement blast. AnimeCon was kicking off for real.
"We'll talk collab later. Let's check out AnimeCon first."
"Sounds good. Let's do that."
We shelved the chit-chat and dove into the con together.
*
The reason Yujia shoved her face in stream? Simple. She felt like it. Pure impulse. Watching Suihwa have fun triggered something petty. After all the trouble she'd caused back then, now strutting around all confident on stream? Made me wanna mess with her.
"Yawn."
Still, she'd matured a ton since then. Used to be a total kid throwing tantrums without a clue. Now? Grown-up vibes, mostly.
If she was still bratty, my senior wouldn't have stuck around.
Senior's a good guy, but cuts ties quick if it's not a fit. If they'd stayed close, she'd changed big time.
Glancing around with those thoughts, I took in the anime setups everywhere. Cosplayers galore. This is the homeland, it hit me.
Wild.
Korea has events, but nothing this massive.
Impressed, trailing Suihwa—
"Whoa? Kashio Yuu's here?!"
Suihwa yelped excitedly. I couldn't believe it. Why would Kashio Yuu—the shut-in mangaka who'd never done public stuff—show up here?
Probably a mix-up. I started to look away—
"...No, it's real."
There, massive banner text in the distance.
Kashio Yuu
Curious about viewer reactions, I peeked at chat. It was scrolling like mad. No surprise—she was peak popularity right now.
Still...
Wonder what she looks like.
She'd hidden from the public so hard, either insecure about her looks or scared of people. One or the other.
Staring intently—
Flutter!
Flutter!
The banner fully unfurled, revealing the person seated behind it. What jumped out first: her absurdly prominent figure. Even sitting, the upper-body volume was undeniable. Above that, a woman hunched over, clutching the mic with both hands. Peeking through long hair, her face was strikingly glamorous—unlike expected—and flushed red to her ears, screaming max tension.
As eyes locked on her, she shrank further, shoulders hunching, head down. Like she regretted showing up.
Still...
"...Huh?"
That person looks familiar.