Shirayuki Reid Abducted: Seven Secret Days with My Prince - Prince, drowning in the voice of a plain girl

"You have a really nice voice. Want to stream together sometime?" 　The voice rang out across the classroom of Class 2-3 at Kanadegaoka High School on the Monday after Golden Week. 　Five minutes until morning homeroom. Even amid the noisy chatter of the classroom, that voice alone cut through with startling clarity. The air in the room froze for an instant. 　Shiranui Mio never imagined that voice was directed at her back. 　...No, that wasn't true. 　She knew. She knew, but she couldn't believe it. After all, the owner of that voice was standing right behind her at this very moment. That alone was enough to make her heart leap out of her throat—but for him to actually be speaking to her? 　(*This is a dream. Definitely a dream. Or I misheard. He's talking to the girl next to me, not me.*) 　Mio froze without turning around. Through the gaps in her bangs, she stole a glance at the window glass. Her reflected face was as red as a boiled octopus. 　"Hey, can you hear me?" 　That voice again. This time with a hint of laughter. 　Sky-blue eyes gazed at Mio through the glass. Silvery-white medium-length hair swayed gently in the spring breeze. The morning sun streaming in from outside the classroom made that hair sparkle. The silver piercing in his right ear glinted sharply. 　Shirayuki Reid. 　There wasn't a single person at Kanadegaoka High who didn't know him—the most popular guy in school. At 178 centimeters, with a lean, toned build. Girls turned their heads just to watch him walk; screams erupted just from him smiling. So why would someone like that— 　Why, with me? 　"Mio-san? Hey, Mio-san, come on." 　He said her name. 　She thought her heart was going to explode. 　"U-ueh!?" 　Mio thought she might actually die from the weird sound that escaped her mouth. Snickers leaked from all around. Several girls turned to look back and forth between Mio and Reid. 　"Wait, what? Mio-san, isn't your face super red?" 　"U-um, no, this is, um—" 　It's not. It's really not. Well, it is. But it's not. 　Mio whipped around with enough force to make an audible sound and dashed toward her seat. Two rows ahead, by the window. That spot alone was the only safe place in this world. 　"Ah, she ran away." 　Reid's voice came from behind her. It sounded a little disappointed, but also somehow amused. 　(*Stop. Please stop with that voice. My heart is seriously going to die.*) 　Mio pressed her hand firmly against her pounding, thrashing heart. Nervous sweat seeped into her palm. 　Her waist-length black hair clung damply to her back. Beneath her blunt-cut bangs, her pale lavender eyes darted restlessly. Everyone was looking at her tiny 153-centimeter frame. Just that alone was already painful. 　(*...Why me?*) 　Through the classroom window, she could see the residential streets of Hibarigaoka City. Kanadegaoka High was a public school on the northern side of the city, halfway up a hill. Twenty minutes on foot from the station. Founded thirty-eight years ago. Six classes per grade, roughly 720 students total. The culture festival was called the Kanade Festival, the largest event in the area, drawing over three thousand visitors every year. 　But none of that mattered right now. 　Right now, her heart was too loud. 　Mio gently touched her ear. Her fingertips were hot. She could swear her ears had turned bright red too. 　(*That voice... was amazing today, too.*) 　...The fact that she thought that was what scared her most. 　Mio didn't lift her head once until morning homeroom began. 　Behind her, the girls in her class were showering Reid with excited cheers. Reid smiled and waved back at them. The usual scene. The usual, faraway world. 　Reid's seat was two rows behind Mio's, at the very back by the window. The physical distance was only that much. 　But that distance would never shrink. 　Or so she had thought. 　"—Anyway, Mio-san's voice is seriously good. How do I put it... like, transparency? No, warmth? Whatever it is, it's the most calming voice to listen to." 　During the break after homeroom, Reid said that loud enough for the whole classroom to hear. The room buzzed. Mio looked up in surprise, then immediately hung her head again. 　"Dude, why are you even talking to someone like Mio?" 　Someone said it with a laugh. 　"Why? Because her voice is good, obviously. I'm a voice fetishist." 　Voice fetishist. 　Mio's body jolted at those words. 　(*No way. He just said voice fetishist. Me? Voice fetishist? My voice?*) 　Words spun furiously in her head. She knew she was a voice fetishist herself—that was her own business. But Reid was a voice fetishist? *That* Reid? And moreover, it was about *her* voice? 　(*This doesn't make sense. I'm happy. But it doesn't make sense.*) 　Mio collapsed face-down onto her desk. 　Deep in her ears, Reid's voice was still echoing on repeat. Her heart had been acting strange since morning. 　—Lunch break. 　Mio sat alone on the landing of the stairs leading to the rooftop. 　She had actually wanted to go to the rooftop. No one was ever there, the wind felt nice, and you could see the whole cityscape of Hibarigaoka. But the rooftop was officially off-limits. The padlock combination was 1234, and everyone knew it. ...And because everyone knew it, people went there. So she couldn't. 　(*Sigh. Where should I eat my lunch?*) 　At Kanadegaoka High, smartphone use on campus was only permitted during breaks. Lunch break was safe. Clutching her lunchbox, Mio ended up sitting on a bench in the courtyard. 　She just wanted to eat quietly, alone. 　"Found you." 　That wish shattered in three seconds. 　Before her eyes: silvery-white hair. 　"R-Reid-kun... why are you here?" 　"I was looking for you. Let's eat lunch together." 　"No, um, I have my lunchbox, and rice, and um—" 　"Hm? Nice timing. I bought bread too. I'm starving." 　Reid sat down next to Mio without waiting for permission. The bench creaked. The distance between their shoulders was fifteen centimeters. Close. Too close. 　(*Seriously, why? There are so many open spots on this bench.*) 　Mio, frozen stiff, opened the lid of her lunchbox. The tamagoyaki looked especially yellow today. 　"Look, look at this." 　Reid held out his smartphone. On the screen, a cute boy avatar was spinning around. 　"Stellacast?" 　"Yeah, **Stellacast**. The largest VTuber-exclusive streaming platform in the country. About twelve million registered users, around 180,000 active streamers. I'm going to debut there." 　"Debut...?" 　"Check this out. It's called **Modelion**—an avatar generation AI. You can do face tracking with just your smartphone camera. As long as you have a mic and a phone, anyone can become a decent VTuber these days." 　Reid kept talking with visible excitement. His voice was so pleasant it resonated directly in her head. 　(*This is bad. He's close. His voice is close.*) 　"So, Mio-san." 　"Y-yes." 　"Your voice would absolutely shine on stream. Want to do it together?" 　Mio's chopsticks stopped. 　She was happy. Tremendously happy. But at the same time, terrified. 　(*If someone like me tried to butt in, the fans would kill me.*) 　For example, a cute girl who suited Reid. She wasn't the kind of person who could fit in among girls like that. 　"...I can't." 　"Eh?" 　"I-I mean, if someone like me butted in, the fans would kill me, so I can't. Absolutely not. I'd die. Physically impossible." 　Mio said it all in one breath and started to stand up, clutching her lunchbox. 　Reid grabbed her arm. 　"Wait." 　Her heart, this time, truly stopped. 　Reid's hand. The large, warm hand of the most popular boy in school was touching Mio's skinny arm. 　"Mio-san. I like your voice the best. Out of everyone in this school." 　"U-um, th-that's—" 　"Not anyone else—your voice is the one I want. You're the one I want standing beside the prince." 　The prince. 　Reid said it with complete sincerity. Without caring about the curious stares around them. 　Mio's eyes grew misty. 　(*You know what, none of this matters anymore.*) 　"...I'm going home." 　This time, Mio ran. 　After school. 　Mio went home at full speed. She ran, and ran, out of breath, until she finally arrived. 　Twelve minutes on foot from Kanadegaoka High. A two-story house in a corner of a residential neighborhood. 　"...Phew." 　Finally, she could relax. Home. Her room. A safe zone where no one could bother her. 　"I have come to pick you up, my princess." 　"Eek!?" 　Reid was standing in front of her house. 　"W-why!? You know where I live!?" 　"Your address is on the class roster. Besides, Mio-san, your house is only an eight-minute walk from mine." 　"Showing up uninvited just because you live within a thirty-minute walking radius is a crime, isn't it!?" 　"It's fine, I already did the greetings." 　"Greetings?" 　*Ding-dong*, went the pleasant intercom chime. 　"Coming~" 　"Oh my, are you Reid-kun? Shirayuki Reid-kun? My, what beautiful hair color! Come in, come in." 　"Thanks for having me~" 　"Wha—Mom!? What are you doing!?" 　Mio's resistance ended in about three seconds. 　—Before she knew it, the two of them were alone in her room. 　A six-tatami room on the second floor. Mio's castle. 　"Whoa, nice. You've got dual monitors. And that's a condenser mic, right? The entry-level model that costs around twelve thousand yen." 　Reid's eyes sparkled as he peered at Mio's desk. 　"Don't look over there! More importantly, why are you in my room!?" 　"Your mom said to go ahead. She gave me tea and snacks." 　Reid held up the cookie in his hand. It was from Mio's house. 　(*Mom, you traitor...*) 　"I've got streaming gear at my place too, but your house is more relaxing. There's less echo here, and the soundproofing isn't bad either. This could work." 　Mio screamed internally. 　(*Under the bed! Please, just don't look under the bed!*) 　Hidden under the bed were high-end headphones. Audio-Technica. Twenty-four thousand yen. A special tool she couldn't tell anyone about—for listening to Reid's voice at maximum volume. 　"Hey, Mio-san. Let me test the mic for a sec." 　"Eh? Ah, wait, that's, um—" 　Without waiting for an answer, Reid leaned down in front of Mio's microphone. 　"—Good evening, this is Shirayuki Reid. Prince of the Snow White Kingdom. Today, together with my princess, I will begin a stream to deliver love to the world." 　Prince voice. 　Through the microphone—so close you could hear every breath—an exquisite one. 　"Ah... nn...!" 　Mio clamped her hand over her mouth. 　She thought every drop of blood in her body had boiled in an instant. Her face, her ears, down to her neck—everything was hot. A weird cry escaped. It came out. She was so embarrassed she wanted to disappear. 　"That scream just now was a nice voice too. Seriously amazing. Way too perfect for streaming." 　"That's not it! That wasn't about the quality of my scream—it's a problem with the quality of *your* voice!" 　"Oh? Is that a compliment?" 　"It is not!" 　Mio fled onto the bed. She pulled the blanket over herself and curled into a ball. 　"Hey, Mio-san. Do you know what **Duel Cast** is?" 　"...I don't." 　"It's Stellacast's official versus feature. Two streamers broadcast simultaneously, and the winner is decided by viewer votes, total super chat amount, and comment count. I want to use it to stand alongside famous VTubers." 　"Can high schoolers even become VTubers...?" 　"Sure they can. Apparently there are about thirty thousand nationwide. Only a handful actually make money, but I'm serious about this." 　Reid grinned. 　"Also, the **school streaming rules**. Kanadegaoka High prohibits unauthorized live streaming. But during the culture festival period, it's allowed under the broadcasting club's supervision. I've violated this rule three times since enrolling. I've written three apology letters too." 　"...I can't tell if it's impressive or terrible that you're saying that so proudly." 　"Anyway. Monetization requires over a thousand subscribers and over four

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Name: Shirayuki Reid Abducted: Seven Secret Days with My Prince
Author: Novelia

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