The Kits Reveal
Reality Collab (6) — 4 minutes until Yeon-a's reveal. I chewed away at the beef stew with gusto. It was my first time trying the dish, so I couldn't tell if it was naturally this delicious or if she'd simply made it exceptionally well. A wave of happiness washed over me, and a smile crept onto my face.
"Tastes kinda like chicken…!"
Thanks to my overly expressive face, my emotions were leaking out in real time. Startled, I tried to answer and immediately choked.
"Kuhk…! W-water! Water, please…!"
Flailing my hands, I watched Yeon-a panic and quickly pour me some water from a plastic bottle.
"Thank you…!"
Spotting Haram, I greeted her happily.
"Ah, welcome… You can rest here if you want… It's fine, Mamang."
The viewers immediately started urging Haram to take a break as well.
Once the chatter died down, I introduced what I was eating.
"Ah…! Right, I'm eating beef stew right now… My friend made it for me."
"Honestly, it's seriously as good as chicken… It's so delicious my mind's about to fly away… It feels completely different from anything I've ever cooked?"
Yeon-a covered her mouth with both hands, eyes glistening with emotion. I smiled awkwardly at the sight.
"Really… Thanks."
"Ah… Well, today I'm going to chat with my friend and share some old stories."
The Jireongis reacted with excitement.
One minute left until Yeon-a's reveal. I smiled softly and thanked them.
'Yeah… I don't need to see Mom again. It doesn't matter.'
After all, she was someone who had already abandoned me once. Anyone can fake tears while leaving. The people who won't abandon me are right here.
"O-oh… Oh my gosh…! Thank you so much… Let's all hang in there together. I'll love you all as much as you love me… Thank you."
Just as I bowed my head, the alarm Yeon-a had set on her phone went off.
Beep-beep-beep-beep! Beep-beep-beep-beep!
Yeon-a opened her mouth as if she'd been waiting for this moment.
"I'm talking now! Waaaaah!!"
"…Were you that frustrated?"
"Yeah! Do you know how hard it was to use formal speech with our Snake and hit the wall…!!"
She pulled me into a tight hug.
Still hugging Yeon-a, I turned on the cam and waved.
"H-hello…! Um, well……"
"You should introduce me."
"Ah…! Right!"
Smiling at the chat, I pointed both hands toward Yeon-a.
"Th-this is… Jukkyulkyul… My friend!"
After the teasing calmed down a bit, I started introducing Yeon-a properly.
"Anyway… Um… She's the friend who took care of my school life for three years back in middle school… I haven't even introduced her to my siblings yet… Ahaha……"
Viewers started spamming strange onomatopoeia in chat, urging Yeon-a to greet them.
"Kong…?"
"Aaaah! No!"
"H-Hiik… Don't shout……"
"Sorry… It's embarrassing."
Yeon-a's face turned bright red, like a tomato about to burst.
'If the Orange Squad knew about this, they'd tease her even more.'
Thankfully, the camera angle hid her face.
Yeon-a sighed and leaned toward the mouse.
"Kong…! The thousand-year-old fox god, Kits… Nice to meet you… Kong kong……"
I poked Yeon-a's side.
"By the way, Orange, I never called you Kits before."
"Ah."
Yeon-a smacked her own forehead.
"Ah, no, I introduced you as Jukkyulkyul."
"…But isn't the official Orange activity name Tachibana Kits…?"
Realizing she'd been tricked by the viewers, Yeon-a smacked her forehead again. I burst out laughing.
* * *
Once things calmed down, Yeon-a spoke up.
"…Yep, I'm Kits. Hello, everyone. I've known Snake since our first year of middle school, so… almost ten years?"
"Y-yeah, even though we didn't contact each other for seven years."
"Um… I was dealing with domestic violence… But I'm okay now?"
"Yeah, let's move on, Snake."
"Ah, got it, Kits……"
"Good girl."
Yeon-a patted my head.
"If you guys patted her, Snake would probably faint. She gets really shy around strangers."
"Ahaha……"
Ten minutes later.
"…Snake, did that hurt you?"
"I don't know… Hic…!!"
My tears finally burst out.