Chapter 5: CH 4

“Mm… Ahh…”

As morning arrived, I woke up naturally without needing an alarm clock.

It’s been a while since I woke up on my own like this.

“I must’ve slept longer than I thought…”

Judging from the time I went to bed last night, I must’ve slept for a long while.

Then, I felt a strange sensation and lifted the covers.

“Yikes, I’m drenched in sweat. I need to take a shower.”

My throat was parched, so I drank some water before heading to the bath.

“Ah, that feels refreshing.”

After getting out of the bath, I got ready for school and made a simple breakfast.

Today, I decided to have bacon and eggs on toast.

I lightly toasted the bread to keep its fluffy texture. Then, I placed the cooked bacon on top of the toast and added a fried egg. Finally, I sprinkled some salt and pepper on top, and it was complete.

It’s a simple yet delicious breakfast that doesn’t take long to make and leaves me feeling full.

I often eat this dish and find it easy to eat with a fork and knife.

Once I finished eating, I had some free time before the bus arrived. I usually spend this time watching TV or looking at my phone, zoning out.

It’s strange how these spare moments feel so blissful.

As usual, I opened Tweeter and, to my surprise, noticed a flood of notifications.

“Hmm, did something happen?”

I don’t know why, but the notifications are for the VTuber Yuka Shirahime’s account, not my personal one.

“Maybe it’s about the reactions to my video or something?”

I check the notifications and see several hundred people have started following me.

“What the…?”

I can’t believe it. I heard it was difficult for VTubers to gain a large following, especially without corporate backing.

Perhaps this was due to the popularity of Yura-sensei’s art.

The advertising effect was undoubtedly working wonders.

I need to upload a new video soon!

I responded to all the messages of support that came in.

However, I worry that I won’t be able to keep up with the growing number of followers in the future. It’s a bit sad that these early moments when I can reply to everyone may not last.

Still, I want to respond to as many people supporting me as possible.

Before I knew it, it was time to go, so I made my way to the bus stop and took the bus headed for my school.

Although I took a bus, it only takes about 20 minutes, so it’s not that long of a ride.

Upon arriving at school, I entered the classroom and exchanged greetings with Yuuto and the girls.

Ever since it became known that I was a VTuber, I’ve been receiving more attention from the girls.

During class, I focused seriously and took thorough notes on the important points.

I don’t want to spend too much time reviewing, so I make sure to remember everything in class.

At lunchtime, Yuuto and I decided to eat together in the cafeteria.

“By the way, Yuki, didn’t you start your channel yesterday?”

“Yeah! I did, but I fell asleep right after…”

“You’ve always been quick to fall asleep.”

“Well, I can’t help not being able to stay awake.”

He gives me a stare, but there’s no helping it when you’re sleepy, is there?

“Despite all that sleeping, you haven’t grown much…”

“Don’t bring that up…Don’t bring that up…”

I unconsciously stumble over my words. It’s a touchy subject for me.

“O-Oh, right. Sorry.”

“Well, I also feel like I won’t grow any taller than this, honestly…”

“Seeing your parents, it’s not surprising. In a sense, it’s like you inherited the least desirable traits as a guy…”

“For real. My dad looks so young for his age, and my mom is pretty.”

“Why did I have to inherit my Dad’s height and my Mom’s hair type, flawless skin, and facial features?!”

“Your height ruins everything, huh.”

“No matter where I go, people treat me like a shota, or worse, a girl!”

“Is there any benefit to that?”

“Well…It feels normal to eat desserts with girls…I guess?”

“You’re practically a girl then.”

“I’m a guy, I swear!”

“I know, I know,” repeats Yuuto while laughing.

“We here at the cafeteria, Yuki.”

“Ugh…”

“Hey, stop sulking. What do you wanna eat?”

“I don’t know, it’s been a while since I ate in the cafeteria.”

“You usually make your own bento, after all.”

“I went to bed too early last night, so I didn’t have time to make one.”

“I just thought of something. How about making a video of you making a bento?”

“Huh? Isn’t that a bit too niche?”

“As a closing remark, you could say to your viewers, ‘eat up, onii-chan and onee-chan!’ That might have a potentially destructive impact, don’t you think?”

“Hmm, well, experimenting with different ideas could be worth considering, I guess.”

“Technically speaking, do you have the equipment for it?”

“My phone has a good camera, so there shouldn’t be any issues.”

“In that case, why not give it a try? Your bento always looks delicious, so there might be more demand than expected.”

“I suppose it could be worth a shot.”

“I bet people would be surprised if that’s your first upload after your introduction video.”

“Hmm, true.”

“Oh, it’s our turn now. I’m in the mood for beef bowl, so I’ll have the beef bowl set.”

“Then I’ll go for the karaage set.”

The two of us head to the cafeteria’s counter with our meal tickets.

“PLEASE, AND THANK YOU.”

“A beef bowl set and fried chicken bowl set, got it. They’ll be ready in no time, so please wait here.”

“OKAYYY.”

Within a minute or so, both sets are ready.

The efficiency of high school cafeterias is impressive, even though some dishes are pre-made.

“Okay, let’s sit over there.”

“Sure.”

The karaage bowl is topped with a sweet and savory sauce that complements the rice perfectly.

The set also comes with a mini salad and miso soup, making it a well-balanced meal.

After about 10 minutes, both sets are empty.

“THANK YOU FOR THE MEAL.”

“Shall we head back to the classroom?”

“Yeah.”

The rest of my afternoon classes were spent in a sleepy daze, as my full stomach made me feel incredibly drowsy.