Chapter 130: Chapter 129

To begin with, only one Sunset was actually banned by Diah during the stream.

Nevertheless, the reason so many Sunsets were trembling with fear was due to the one-on-one chatroom with Diah.

-Click─!

[PineapplePizzaJMT] - Opening Notepad.

“What could you possibly want to write in your notepad~?”

Diah, with her lightning-fast reaction time, immediately caught any suspicious messages that flashed by in the chat.

Then, she initiated what could only be described as “intense interrogation,” pressing the Sunset to explain themselves until they confessed.

The scariest part of this interrogation process, however, was...

“Huh? Why aren’t you answering~?”

-Click.

-Click.

[PineapplePizzaJMT] - Please spare me.

Diah had effectively weaponized the temporary ban feature as a tool for intimidation and questioning. She refused to let the Sunset go until she received a satisfactory explanation or apology.

- Cyber waterboarding, wow.

- Is Spiritland actually North Korea?

- This isn’t her first rodeo with interrogation skills.

- I am an individual, I am an individual, I am an individual...

- Oh no, Baby’s red, but in a whole new way!

The chatroom was still reeling from the shock and terror, but Diah continued her cheerful interrogation unfazed.

“So, what were you planning to write in that notepad~?”

[PineapplePizzaJMT] - Uh, well...

[PineapplePizzaJMT] - I wasn’t planning anything weird, for sure...

“If it’s not weird, then what~?”

[PineapplePizzaJMT] - I wanted to jot down the Japanese winter travel spots.

[PineapplePizzaJMT] - The ones recommended by the Sunsets matched my preferences.

[PineapplePizzaJMT] - I thought I’d make a note for when I visit Japan in the future, haha.

- Oh wow, smooth save.

- You passed.

- Survival instincts: 100.

- Look at that maneuvering, lol.

“Ah, I see. You were just taking down travel tips~.”

[PineapplePizzaJMT] - Yes, yes!

“Okay! Got it, I understand now~.”

Just as Diah moved her mouse cursor toward the button to close the one-on-one chat, it suddenly shifted course. Instead of closing the chat, her cursor circled around the Sunset’s nickname.

“Your nickname is kind of strange, huh~?”

- Gasp!

- Oh no.

- The torture isn’t over yet, teacher!

- Time for a nickname change, right?

- Diah’s rage button ON, lol.

“Change your name to and come back!”

Five seconds.

Four seconds.

Three seconds.

“...Why aren’t you answering?”

Two seconds.

One second.

“Haha, still not getting it, huh─☆”

Zero.

-Click.

-Click.

-Click.

-Click.

“Answer, answer, answer, answer, answer.”

[PineapplePizzaJMT] - Wait, wait, I forgot my password, let me reset it.

[PineapplePizzaJMT] - I’ll change my name as soon as I recover it, please spare me.

“Hm… Okay! Change your nickname and report back to me for approval~.”

- Is this what forced renaming feels like?

- This isn’t waterboarding; it’s electric torture, lol.

- Terrifying.

- This is why you don’t mess with Diah.

*- When the spirit snaps, it’s terrifying.

Thus concluded the reign of terror that ended with a Sunset forcibly renaming their nickname.

However, Diah’s relentless interrogation wasn’t quite over yet.

-Ding-dong~.

-Ding-dong~.

-Clack.

[Hello? Diah?]

“Oh, Yuna-unnie. I’m streaming right now, but can you spare a moment~?”

[Uh… sure.]

Connecting with Yuna, whose contact was pinned at the top of Diah’s Discord list, Diah explained what had just happened. Then, she began grilling Yuna about an old statement.

“They said you made a weird comment about me once~.”

[A weird comment? What kind?]

“You know, something about me being ‘amazing’ somewhere~.”

[Uh, uh? …Oh. Uh, Diah, that’s—!]

“What’s this? Why are you so flustered? Did you actually say that?”

- She’s caught.

- Press X for sympathy.

- RIP Yuna.

- Paying respects in advance.

- She’s done for.

Silence followed.

Then, Diah’s expression changed from her usual cheerful smile to a slight frown. In a flash, she opened a folder on her desktop labeled “Secret.”

As a suspicious audio file appeared on the stream screen...

[M-m-m-m-m-MY BAD, DIAH! STOP!!]

Yuna’s near-screaming voice filled the broadcast audio.

Diah’s voice turned noticeably colder as she replied, “Explain.”

[Well, I was a little tipsy during that stream. People were asking about appearance rankings in Illusionary Realm, so I accidentally blurted something out...!!]

- Yuna’s desperate explanation, starting now.

- Turns out Yuna can rap, lol.

- What even is that recording?!

- Even 20-year-olds can’t escape the 1-year-old’s wrath.

Yuna’s frantic explanation continued at a breakneck pace while Diah quietly listened.

[But honestly, isn’t it true that you’re... um, the biggest?]

At some point, as Yuna began questioning why she even needed to explain complimenting Diah, the broadcast took another twist.

-Click.

｢♪↗─♪↗─♬↗↘↗─!!｣

In an instant, Diah hit play on the audio file, revealing Yuna’s bizarre singing voice. The contrast to her previously released covers plunged the chat into chaos.

- What did I just hear???

- Was that Karthus’ ultimate?!

- Oh… my... god.

- Wait, so that pterodactyl sound was Yuna?

- Diah, I’ve gone deaf, help.

Even though only five seconds of the clip played, it was enough to make Yuna scream in terror.

Ultimately, Yuna surrendered.

[I-I’ll never say anything about your... uh, size again!! Please forgive me!]

“Just this once.”

At last, Diah’s cursor hovered over the stop button, silencing the Pandora’s box of a recording once more.

Moments later, Diah mused aloud into her broadcast mic.@@novelbin@@

“But unnie, isn’t there someone who’s actually bigger? I still can’t forget the shock I felt when I first met the boss.”

[Oh, right! There’s someone far beyond us, for sure!]

- Gasp.

- They’re talking about the squirrel, aren’t they???

- Of course, a true legend.

- Diah & Yuna agree: Squirrel has god-tier proportions.

Briefly, they reminisced about meeting the squirrel, recounting their initial impressions.

As expected, the chat grew increasingly chaotic.

Yet, some Sunsets began requesting the full version of the bizarre clip from earlier.

“I’ll send all the draft files to Yuna-unnie. If you want them, ask her, not me~.”

With that, Diah shifted the burden onto Yuna. Yuna’s flustered protests echoed faintly, but Diah pretended not to hear them.

Meanwhile, the squirrel, set to stream in a few days, would undoubtedly face similar uproar thanks to Diah’s offhanded comments. However, since it was factually true, it wouldn’t be too much of a problem.

About a week later, the day of the Illusionary Realm group’s trip to Japan finally arrived.

-Step.

-Step, step, step.

Ha-eun, who was the first to arrive at the airport, sat in a café waiting for the others. Suddenly, rapid footsteps approached her.

Within seconds, firm hands gripped her shoulders tightly.

-SQUEEZE!!

“Ha-eun, don’t you have something to say to me~?”

“Uh, um...”

Ji Hye-min was smiling, undeniably so.

But the increasing force on Ha-eun’s shoulders left no room for doubt.

As her upper body was shaken vigorously, Ji Hye-min vented her frustrations about the squirrel comment.

“People keep saying my proportions are government-grade! What are you going to do about it?!”

“Haha... S-sorry about that.”

“Apologize on stream right after the trip! No excuses!”

Eventually, Ha-eun offered a sheepish apology.

Just then, Jung Maria joined them, standing beside Ha-eun.

Maria nonchalantly remarked, “Oh, I saw that clip too. But honestly, what’s there to correct about what our youngest said?”

“...Excuse me?”

“I mean, everything was accurate.”

Within seconds, Hye-min’s grip shifted to Maria’s shoulders, eliciting cries for mercy.

Watching Maria collapse under Hye-min’s iron grip, Ha-eun nervously swallowed.

‘...Turns out the real person not to mess with is someone else entirely.’