Nazuna Haname is the 'pure and innocent' idol of the popular Vtuber group 'Eclipse Palette.' But she has a secret she can't tell anyone: she's genuinely, hopelessly in love with her groupmate, the flashy gyaru Vtuber Kaname Grace.
During a live collab stream, Nazuna accidentally blurts out her true feelings. Not as a joke, but with a bright red face and streaming tears, she confesses 'I love Kaname-chan!' in front of thousands of viewers. The chat explodes. But instead of outrage, fans go wild:
Nazuna Haname Can't Tell a Lie - Final Stream! A Zero-Lie Confession That Will Change the World
The room was silent. The soundproof panels on the walls swallowed every noise from outside, leaving only the low hum of the refrigerator.
Haname Nazuna sat in front of her streaming equipment, staring intently at the monitor. She hadn't turned it on yet. But her fingertips were no longer trembling.
Last night felt like a dream. The late-night infiltration of Corundum Tower. The moment they'd almost been spotted by a security guard. The truth about Kaname she'd found in those classified files. She remembered it all vividly.
"Meow."
Mochi, her white cat, climbed onto Nazuna's lap and pressed his fluffy head firmly against her, nuzzling in.
"Thanks, Mochi. ...I'm okay now."
Nazuna gently stroked Mochi's back. The cat's warm body heat seeped slowly through her fingertips.
*(I'm not scared anymore.)*
She'd stopped by Midori Park on her way home last night. Seeing that swing had brought it all back. That day in Midori Park, when she'd been bullied, and that older girl had come to her rescue. The girl's back had seemed so big, so warm, and she'd admired her ever since.
That girl had been Kaname.
Her first love.
The person she still loved, just as much as ever.
*(So — I don't want to run away.)*
Nazuna drew in a deep breath.
*Whoosh.*
She let it out.
She launched the streaming software. The camera light blinked red. Mic test — no issues. She typed in the stream title. Her fingers paused over the keyboard for just a moment, then slowly, one character at a time, she entered the words.
*This is my final stream. I'm going to tell you the whole truth.*
She pressed Enter.
The screen switched over, and the stream began.
The viewer counter started spinning up rapidly. A hundred, two hundred, a thousand — in the time it took to breathe in and out, it had already passed ten thousand, the numbers climbing at a dizzying pace.
Thirty thousand. Fifty thousand. Eighty thousand.
The comment section flew by too fast to read.
*"Wait, Nazuna-chan!?"*
*"What do you mean final stream!?"*
*"Was it really true that you went on hiatus!?"*
*"Nazuna-chan, are you okay!?"*
Voices of worry. Voices of confusion. And then —
*"Bring on the flame war lol"*
*"Another apology stream, huh? Good luck with that"*
*"Fine, I'll watch for now"*
There were malicious comments too, of course.
But.
*(That's fine.)*
Nazuna pressed her lips together gently.
*(This is something I absolutely have to say.)*
No matter what anyone said to her, she wouldn't lie anymore.
The viewer count finally broke one hundred thousand. The concurrent viewer number flashed in the corner of the screen.
"...Hello, everyone. This is Haname Nazuna."
Her voice didn't shake. It was so calm and steady, it surprised even her.
"Today, there's something I absolutely must tell all of you."
The comment section froze for a moment. The next instant, it surged even faster.
Nazuna began to speak, slowly.
"When I was five years old, I was being bullied at a little place called Midori Park. In the sandbox, the other kids were throwing rocks at me. They told me, 'Just disappear.' I was crying all alone. That's when — an older girl came to help me."
That day rose vividly behind her eyelids.
The cold feel of the sandbox sand. The pain in her knee where a rock had cut it. And then, just when she thought the sky had suddenly gone dark — the older girl was standing in front of her.
*"What are you doing? Bullying is wrong. Come on, let's go."*
She'd taken Nazuna's small, trembling hand. Her palm had been so incredibly warm, and that alone had stopped Nazuna's tears.
"That older girl — was my first love."
A single tear traced its way down her cheek.
"I could never forget her after that. I wanted so badly to see her again, no matter what. And so — I became a Vtuber."
The viewer count kept climbing.
One hundred twenty thousand.
The energy in the comment section shifted slightly. The malice from earlier began to fade, little by little. In its place —
*"Nazuna-chan, don't cry..."*
*"So that's what it was..."*
*"That older girl, don't tell me —"*
Comments like that started to multiply.
Nazuna wiped her tears and began to speak again.
"That older girl — was Kaname Grace, of Eclipse Palette."
The comment section erupted.
*"I KNEW IT!!"*
*"It really was a genuine first love!!"*
*"So precious..."*
"I have always, always loved Kaname. Confessing on stream — that wasn't a mistake."
Nazuna picked up her smartphone.
Her hands weren't shaking.
She opened the folder of photos she'd taken from Erina's locker the night before.
"But — what I'm about to show you isn't about my love story."
Nazuna held the phone screen up to the camera.
*Celestia Shock — Internal Investigation Report [TOP SECRET]*
That title filled the screen in large letters.
The comment section froze in an instant. The comments that had been flowing so furiously just moments before stopped dead.
*(— They all know.)*
*(Just how massive a scandal Celestia Shock was.)*
Nazuna flipped through the photos, one by one.
"These are documents that were sealed away in the personal locker of Kurogane Erina, manager at Prism Gate Productions."
*"Interview with Suspect A: Kaname Grace (at the time)"*
*"Regarding the True Information Leaker"*
She turned the page.
*"There is strong suspicion of involvement by company manager Kiryuu Shinichirou. It is highly probable that Suspect A (Kaname) made a false confession as a scapegoat in order to protect the personal information of a former colleague."*
That sentence was displayed on the screen.
The comment section gasped back to life.
*"...Wait, what???"*
*"What does this mean???"*
*"Kaname was a scapegoat...???"*
*"Who the hell is Kiryuu!!!"*
Confusion. Shock. Rage.
The chat was swallowed by a tidal wave of emotion.
"Kaname — did nothing wrong."
Nazuna's voice didn't waver.
"Kaname made herself a scapegoat to protect her colleague. She gave a false apology, saying, 'I did it.' And because of that — for these past three years, Kaname has been all alone, unable to tell anyone the truth, blaming herself the whole time."
The viewer count reached one hundred fifty thousand.
It had long since surpassed her total subscriber count.
"And — Erina knew this truth."
She showed the next photo.
A hastily scribbled memo in Erina's own handwriting.
*"To protect Kaname, bury Kiryuu's involvement. I will protect her career, no matter what. Whatever the sacrifice."*
Nazuna wiped her tears and lifted her head.
"Erina — you wanted to protect Kaname, didn't you? I understand. You hid the truth because you care about Kaname more than anyone."
Her voice grew wet with tears.
"But — Erina! Does a cage built of lies really protect Kaname!? Even now, Kaname is suffering all alone, believing she only brings misfortune to others! Unable to ask anyone for help, she's been crying by herself this whole time!!"
The tears wouldn't stop.
But she couldn't stop herself from crying out.
"Erina — please. Set Kaname free!!"
The comment section was buried under a storm of weeping.
*"Nazuna-chan... that's enough, you're amazing..."*
*"Erina, what the hell were you doing..."*
*"So this was the truth..."*
Super Chats began to pour in. Red. Pink. Yellow. Colorful messages cascaded from the edge of the screen like a waterfall, adding even more color to the comment section.
— *BANG!!*
Suddenly, the door to the room flew open with tremendous force.
Nazuna flinched, her shoulders trembling, and turned around.
The front door had been thrown wide open. The fluorescent light from outside cut a long, narrow path into the room — and there, standing in that light, was someone.
Kaname Grace.
Her ash-blonde hair was terribly disheveled. The colorful hairpins above her ear looked ready to fall. Her narrow, light-brown eyes were wide open. Tear tracks glistened in streaks down her cheeks, and the chunky wristband on her arm trembled faintly.
"— Nazuna...!!"
Kaname's voice was already a sob. Not a trace of her gyaru mask remained. Just a wounded, trembling woman, desperately standing her ground.
"Stop it, please! Going that far for me — do you even realize what you're doing...! If you do this, you really won't be able to keep being a Vtuber...!!"
Kaname couldn't move a single step from the doorway. She just stood there, fists trembling, shouting.
Nazuna rose to her feet.
Mochi hopped off her lap.
Nazuna — kicked off the floor.
She ran to her — and threw herself into Kaname's chest with all her might.
"Kaname-chan!!"
She wrapped both arms tightly around Kaname's back. Kaname's body was a little taller than hers. When Nazuna buried her face in Kaname's shoulder, she caught the scent of sweat and fabric softener, a little sweet. She could feel Kaname's heartbeat against her own chest — so fast, so pained — and that made her happy.
"Kaname-chan...! You came...!"
"~~~, you idiot...! You absolute idiot...!!"
Kaname buried her face in Nazuna's shoulder. The hands around Nazuna's back clutched her clothes tightly. Kaname's long ash-blonde hair tickled Nazuna's cheek.
"...Why... like this... You lost everything because of me... so why, still..."
Her voice broke, interrupted by tears.
Nazuna held her tighter, squeezing hard.
"— Because I love you, Kaname-chan!!"
On the other side of the screen, one hundred fifty thousand people watched, holding their breath.
The comment section flew by at a speed never seen before.
*"There's no way to avoid crying at this..."*
*"JUST GET MARRIED!!!!"*
*"I just witnessed the moment the world changed"*
*"The Super Chats won't stop, what is happening"*
Super Chats completely filled the right half of the screen. Red. Red. Red. Ten thousand yen. Twenty thousand yen. Fifty thousand yen. The colorful lights buried the screen until the donations themselves lost all meaning.
Nazuna didn't let go of Kaname.
"No matter what happens, this is the one thing that isn't a lie. Kaname is my first love. I've admired her for so, so long — and now, and forever, I love her more than anyone."
"...Ugh, *sniff*... idiot... you're really, such an idiot...!!"
The strength drained from Kaname's entire body, and she leaned her full weight against Nazuna's shoulder. Just like that, she kept crying into Nazuna's shoulder, stifling her sobs.
*(Ah — I finally got to hold her.)*
*(I'm sorry I left you alone for so long, Kaname.)*
Nazuna gently stroked Kaname's hair.
— Around that same time.
Shibuya, Corundum Tower, twelfth floor.
Kurogane Erina sat at the desk in her office. All three of her large monitors displayed the same stream. The sight of Nazuna holding Kaname, the two of them crying together.
Erina's face was as still as a statue.
But — on the tablet resting in her lap, a PDF was displayed: *Notice of Termination — Haname Nazuna*. Her finger hovered over the "Send" button at the bottom.
"...Was this the right thing?"
It wasn't her usual cold, commanding tone.
It was trembling.
Faintly, ever so faintly, her voice was trembling.
On her left breast was a small brooch. A gift from a talent she'd once looked after, long ago. Unnoticed by anyone, Erina traced it gently with her finger.
On the screen, Nazuna was crying, but still lifting her head firmly.
"Erina!! You were wrong. But — I understand that feeling, at least. The feeling of wanting to protect Kaname. So — let's end this!!"
The moment she heard those words — for the first time, tears spilled from Erina's eyes.
Just a single tear.
It traced a silent path down her pale cheek and fell from her chin.
Slowly, she lifted her finger away from the tablet's "Send" button.
"...Yes. Let's end this."
She murmured it to no one in particular.
— And then, in Minato Ward, at Black Prism Studio.
Kokuyousei Aria was watching the same stream.
Still in her gothic black outfit, she sat deep in her streaming chair, staring at the screen as if devouring it. The coffee cup in her hand trembled with a faint clatter.
*"The true information leaker
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