A Secret Rendezvous with Yuu

I'd promised to meet up with Yuu face-to-face, but I couldn't reply right now. I could check notifications with one hand, sure, but responding was a whole different story.

'I'm already helping with the stream—handling personal stuff on top of that would be kinda rude.'

No matter how much I liked Yuu, firing off a reply right then was tough, so I locked the screen and focused on framing Suihwa in the shot.

I desperately wanted to chime in with something snarky... but I kept my mouth shut. No point risking an awkward slip-up.

We arrived at the hotel like that, lips sealed tight.

"Your room's over there."

"..."

I just nodded—no words. Her beaming smile told me she'd set her sights on me today. Looked like I'd need to give her a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠proper talking-to later when I had time.

Pushing those random thoughts aside, I opened the door to my assigned room, tossed my bag in haphazardly, and bolted straight to Suihwa's room.

"Whoa... what kind of facilities are these??"

The gasp escaped me the second we stepped inside. High ceilings killed any sense of claustrophobia, floor-to-ceiling windows framed the city skyline perfectly, the bed was straight out of a luxury ad, and the carpet sank plush underfoot. Soft lighting gave it that upscale vibe, like someone had spritzed expensive cologne everywhere.

'...This place has gotta run at least $500 a night.'

I'd never stayed anywhere like this—never even considered it. Broke on cash and time.

'Even my solo Japan trip was snagged on a lucky cheap flight deal.'

And it was summer. Japan summer. I still shuddered thinking about it. I'd figured "summer" meant mildly warm and booked solo... memories flooded back fresh as ever while I slowly toured the room.

"Alright, that's the stream for today! Schedule's packed from here, so I need some rest to power through—thanks for understanding!"

"See ya!"

Suihwa chirped that cutely and ended the stream.

She glanced at me slyly, then dove straight into bed.

"I'll hit you up in like two hours, oppa. Rest up~"

"...Mm."

She used to be oblivious as hell, but ever since starting streams, her social radar had sharpened insanely. Hard to believe it was the same girl sometimes.

Not that I minded. Her one real flaw had been zero awareness—and now that was fixed? No complaints here.

Anyway.

'Gotta reply quick.'

Checking Yuu's DM took priority. She wouldn't sulk over a delayed response, but better safe.

I flopped onto my bed and opened it.

"Huh."

Brain freeze. How the hell did Yuu know where I was? I'd leaked nothing.

Head spinning, then—

'Wait a sec.'

One spot clicked, so I checked settings fast.

Bingo—settings weren't hidden. If you're gonna add this crap, at least explain how to turn it off nicely.

Sighing heavily, I replied.

Tap tap—

'...It's that famous, huh.'

If Yuu knew it, had to be big-time. Wild.

No shit. Who doesn't know that? Nobody in Japanese ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠manga land outshines Kashio Yuu.

Head spinning again. How do I even respond?

The words I'd only dreamed of, straight from Yuu. Dream scenario unlocked.

But I couldn't just drop everything to meet. Even if her face wasn't public, showing at AniCon risked doxxing. Plus, I was tied up helping Suihwa stream.

"Hmm..."

Running my schedule mentally, I sent:

Kashio Yuu, locking in details like a pro. Speedrun complete.

'...She gonna sue me when we meet?'

Maybe she hated my spicy art and was digging for dirt. Wild conspiracy, but I shook it off quick.

'Even I'd admit it's hot as hell. I'd take the lawsuit with a smile.'

Not that explicit anyway. Title of "Guy Sued by Kashio Yuu" sounded pretty badass.

Chuckling at that, I pinned Sweet King on my map.

"Nervous already..."

First time meeting another artist IRL like this. Sure, college was full of them, but this was an online connection turning offline—in Japan, no less.

A twinge of worry hit as I mindlessly scrolled Shorts—

"Ugh."

Generic TTS droning clickbait—unavoidable on Shorts, but this hit too close. Super annoying.

Slammed both options, kept scrolling.

Then—

"Tch."

Another X-Net one—blocked instantly. Do these Shorts addicts have nothing better? Endless bait out there, but they fixate on X-Net? Ridiculous.

Gave up scrolling. More Shorts would just mean more X-Net crap. Better quit cold turkey.

Phone down, lounging on the bed—then the pings hit.

Suihwa calling for backup. Perfect timing—I was bored. Time to go tease her mercilessly.