My Oshi's Best Friend: The Ex-Idol in the Seat Next to Me
In the spring of his second year of high school, plain and friendless Isogai Takuto (16) is a secret hardcore fan of the super popular VTuber Himizuki Yui. At school, he tells no one, spending his afternoons watching archived streams. One day, his classmate Kurose Maria, who had just returned from a long absence, catches a glimpse of his phone while picking up his eraser. On the screen is a limited singing stream by Himizuki Yui. Maria's eyes light up.
'Wait... you're a Yui fan?'
Maria's true
My Oshi's Best Friend: The Ex-Idol in the Seat Next to Me - A black shadow swallows the classroom—Shinozaki Kaito's venomous fangs and the unquenchable light of a miracle.
The morning light felt whiter than usual, colder.
Isogai Takuto had barely slept the night before. The sensation of that man—Shinozaki—grabbing his shoulder still lingered in his bones. The words the man had left behind—"It's the quiet morning before hell begins"—kept spinning through his head.
*(I swore I'd protect Maria's voice.)*
*(And I couldn't do anything.)*
He pressed his face into the pillow, then slowly dragged himself upright. The face staring back at him from the bathroom mirror was haggard. Faint dark circles had formed under his eyes.
He changed into his uniform and grabbed his bag. On his phone screen, the thumbnail of Hizuki Yui's limited singing stream. Last night, he'd tried to play it over and over, but his finger always stopped. Right now, he couldn't bear to hear that voice.
He left the house.
The May sky was clear, yet something heavy hung in the air. Humidity clung to his clothes. He passed the convenience store "Everymart" on his usual route, and the usual clerk called out "Good morning," but Takuto walked on without noticing.
The main gate of Tokyo Metropolitan Soramine High School came into view.
That's when Takuto's feet stopped.
A man stood in front of the gate.
Black shirt, black slacks. A silver pendant at his neck. Neatly trimmed hair, narrow eyes, thin lips. In person, he was far taller than in the photos, and his presence was unsettling.
Shinozaki Kaito.
The air around the man alone seemed to stagnate, as if shrouded in fog.
When Shinozaki noticed him, he slowly raised the corner of his mouth.
"Good morning, Isogai-kun."
Takuto steadied his breathing and gripped the shoulder strap of his bag.
"……What do you want?"
He put strength into his core so his voice wouldn't tremble.
Shinozaki's smile didn't waver.
"Well, I've been waiting. You walk to school with Maria-chan, right? Don't worry, I won't get in the way."
Shinozaki's eyes caught something behind Takuto.
"……Ah."
Takuto turned. Maria stood there.
Her long black hair gleamed in the morning light. Pale skin, violet-tinted eyes. The sight he saw every day looked terribly fragile this morning.
Maria's face was draining of color by the second.
"Maria, don't come closer."
Takuto stepped in front of her, spreading his arms slightly to shield her from Shinozaki.
Shinozaki tilted his head, amused.
"Well, well, the princess makes her entrance. Still got that pretty-boy face, I see. Are you ready to smile for the cameras?"
Maria's lips moved, as if she wanted to say something. But no voice came out. Only a faint breath of air escaped from the back of her throat.
"……Maria can't speak. Can't you see that?"
At Takuto's words, Shinozaki shrugged with exaggerated flair.
"Oh? It's already gotten that bad? Poor thing. But it's fine, Maria-chan. I'll make you a national idol again. Former NeoPorte member, the legendary songstress, Hizuki Yui's best friend—I know exactly what that's worth. Can't speak? That's drama too. A tragic former idol's comeback story."
Maria's shoulders trembled faintly.
Deep in Takuto's chest, anger flared. But his body wouldn't move. The sound of his bones creaking when his shoulder was grabbed that night still echoed in his ears.
"……Shut up."
The words he finally managed were pathetically small.
Hearing them, Shinozaki theatrically cupped a hand to his ear.
"Hm? What was that? Haha, can't hear you. Your little high-schooler bodyguard act is more ridiculous than a B-movie, Isogai-kun. What can you even do? Hit me? Punch me? All of it—pointless. You can't beat an adult."
Shinozaki took a step closer.
The smell of strong cologne. A sickly-sweet air mixed with cigarette smoke stung the nostrils.
Shinozaki flicked the chest of Takuto's uniform with his fingertip. A dry snap.
"Do your best to keep playing her guardian. Though your watch time will probably drop in the meantime."
With that, Shinozaki turned his back. His retreating figure was like a beast certain of victory.
"……Tch."
Takuto fought the urge to collapse on the spot.
From behind, Maria gently gripped his sleeve.
When he turned, Maria's eyes were brimming with tears. Clear droplets traced down her pale cheeks. A voiceless "sorry" came through in the shape of her lips alone.
"Maria, don't apologize. You have nothing to apologize for."
Takuto gently wrapped his hands around hers.
Her fingertips were cold as ice. When he squeezed back softly, Maria nodded once, a faint "……Mm" escaping her lips.
That was all the reply she could manage.
The moment they entered the classroom, the murmuring began.
Sitting in the seat next to Maria, Takuto noticed the stares around them felt different from usual.
"Hey, the girl in the next seat—she's a former idol, apparently."
"Seriously? Like an underground idol? Wait, isn't that crazy?"
"And she's supposedly best friends with Hizuki Yui, that super popular VTuber. Why's she even coming to school?"
"She can't talk, I heard. She got fired because she couldn't sing anymore, right?"
Voices loud enough to be heard on purpose filled the classroom.
Takuto clenched his fists.
*(Don't tell me—he spread it yesterday.)*
Shinozaki had said it. Using the three former NeoPorte members—Rio, Natsuki, Hina—to isolate Maria.
Maria kept her head down as she took her textbook from her bag. Tear tracks remained on her profile. She couldn't talk, so she couldn't talk back. She couldn't do anything.
"Maria."
Takuto spoke in a low voice, meant only for her ears.
"It's okay. I'll figure something out."
Maria didn't look at him, just nodded silently. Her ears were tinged faint pink.
After school.
Takuto rushed out of the classroom and headed straight for Usami Ruka's class.
Ruka was in the hallway, chatting with friends. When she spotted Takuto, her face lit up for a split second, then immediately shifted to a sulk.
"……What? You actually came to me for once."
"I need to talk. Alone."
Ruka's friends left, giggling and whispering.
Once inside an empty classroom, Ruka closed the door behind her.
"I don't have time. I'll ask directly. You know a man named Shinozaki Kaito. Your sister's ex-boyfriend. Tell me about him. Anything, even small details. What he's done, what kind of person he is."
Ruka's eyes narrowed.
"……This is for that girl again?"
"Please."
"You're such an idiot."
Ruka leaned back against the wall and toyed with her long hair.
"My sister, Sara. She dated him. Pretty seriously. And then he hijacked her streaming account without permission and used it to promote the agency he runs. He siphoned off all of her followers to his own business. Even after she dumped him, he wrecked her account and acted like he had nothing to do with it. The lowest scum."
Takuto bit his lip.
"Is there any evidence left?"
"I don't know. But my sister's phone should still have screenshots of their conversations from back then."
"Help me."
Takuto bowed his head.
Ruka's hand grabbed his arm.
"Stop. Please. Don't risk your life for that girl."
Her voice was wet.
When he looked up, Ruka's eyes were trembling with tears. The usual tough-gyaru mask had peeled away.
A sharp pain pricked Takuto's chest.
"Ruka…… are you crying?"
"I'm not crying. ……If you want to protect her, then protect me a little too. I don't want to see you get hurt."
Her grip on his arm tightened.
Takuto couldn't shake her off.
*(I want to save Maria. But I'm hurting Ruka too.)*
His head spun.
"……Sorry."
That was all he could say.
Ruka leaned against him for a moment. Then she pulled away on her own and took out her phone.
"I'll send you my sister's screenshots. But…… this is it. Make this the last time."
A message from Ruka arrived on Takuto's phone. Several image files. Screenshots showing evidence of Shinozaki logging into Sara's account.
"Thanks, Ruka."
"……Don't go getting yourself killed."
Ruka said it over her shoulder and left the classroom.
Left alone, Takuto leaned against the wall for a while.
Evening, Café Lumina.
Takuto had summoned Shinozaki.
When Shinozaki pushed open the café's wooden door and stepped inside, he looked around, eyeing the old record jackets on the walls.
"Quite a cozy little place. Reasonable prices, too. Perfect for a student date."
Shinozaki sat down across from Takuto.
Coffee was brought to the table. Shinozaki took a sip and smiled.
"So? What did you want to talk about, Isogai-kun?"
Takuto took out his phone.
He displayed the evidence of the unauthorized login to Sara's account, along with screenshots of the exchanges between Shinozaki and Sara.
Shinozaki's smile vanished for just a moment.
"……Well, well."
"You're a co-operator of Foslive, aren't you. You've got their star talent, Hizuki Yui. If this got out, what would happen to your agency's credibility? A VTuber agency operator illegally using a talent's account. If the public found out, it would affect Yui's activities too. You can't just stay quiet about that."
Takuto's voice trembled slightly. To kill the tremor, he clenched his fist under the table.
Shinozaki fell silent.
Then he slowly began rotating his coffee cup.
"You're misunderstanding something."
His voice was low.
"Maria-chan's true value is the voice she lost—that very thing. Fans pay for tragedy. They wait with hope because there's a chance she'll come back. If Maria-chan regains her voice, it becomes a beautiful comeback story. If she doesn't, it becomes a legendary tragedy told forever. Either way, I profit. The unauthorized use of some girl's account in your hands—honestly, I couldn't care less. Feel free to delete it."
Takuto's breath caught.
"I know Maria's condition worsens with romantic feelings. And you know it too, don't you? Maria can't speak because she's in love with you. In other words, the closer you get, the more her voice dies. Listen, Isogai. You've been acting like Maria's 'savior' this whole time, but the one killing her—is you."
Shinozaki took out his own phone and displayed a picture of Maria.
"Have you ever seen this smile? Maria from her underground idol days. Even without a voice, a photo alone draws people in. She's cute, isn't she. This girl fell in love with you, and now she'll never sing again. It's a tragedy—but at the same time, for my business, it's perfect."
Takuto slammed both hands on the table.
The cup rattled.
"Stop it…… No matter what happens, I'll protect Maria."
His voice cracked pathetically.
Shinozaki let out a small laugh.
"The ones who can't protect anything are the most beautiful. See you around, future savior-kun."
Shinozaki stood up.
The sound of the café door closing echoed for an uncomfortably long time.
Takuto couldn't move from that spot for a while.
It was late that night when he passed by Maria's house.
A single light glowed in Maria's room on the second floor.
What was she doing right now?
Takuto placed his hand on the fence and stared at the window for a while.
In that moment, his phone buzzed.
A message from Shinozaki.
"Tomorrow after school, come to your classroom and give me your answer in exchange for Maria's loan documents. Depending on your answer, I'll leak her streaming account and her family's home address online."
Takuto stood frozen in place.
He could feel the blood draining from his face.
He had no way to protect Maria.
When he got home, Takuto sat at the desk in his room.
From the desk drawer, he took out a scrap of paper with the ticket code for Hizuki Yui's limited singing stream written on it.
*(If I consult Yui, maybe I can save Maria.)*
On the screen, Hizuki Yui's stream archives were lined up.
Her smile. Her crystal-clear singing voice. The light on the screen that had healed Takuto's loneliness every night.
But.
Maria had said Yui was the one person she didn't want to know.
About her illness. About losing her voice. And about her feelings for Takuto.
*(Telling Yui would only hurt Maria even more.)*
His fingers trembled.
Takuto hurled his phone onto the futon.
A dull thud.
He collapsed face-first
Novelia is an AI-powered platform to read original light novels and fan fiction, create your own in just a few taps, and chat with the characters. New, illustrated episodes arrive daily — free to start.