143 centimeters tall, with twin red tails and a love for games bigger than herself—Nekomiya Hinata is a VTuber on the rise, affiliated with the agency Stella Link and beloved by nearly a million subscribers. When Xenogram Games, the developer behind the hit tactical FPS *Waltsturm*, offers to host an official esports tournament bearing her very name—the "Hinata Cup"—it feels like a dream come true. A chance to prove that the girl once told she was "too small" and "too slow" could stand at the ce
Hinata's Little War - Guardian's Contract and the Best Friend's Tearful Premonition
Morning Shibuya still wore the face of someone not quite awake.
The stream of people flowing from the station all kept their heads down, hurrying toward their destinations. On the way to the Kanade Building, Hinata stopped just once and looked up at the sky. Pale blue. The clouds were high. Because of that strange dream she'd had last night, something felt hazy around her chest.
*(It's already been three days since the tournament was announced.)*
Hinata let out a small breath. Her red twin-tails swayed softly with each step. The bedhead at the top of her head was, this morning too, bouncing up like cat ears. Her 143-centimeter frame was nearly swallowed by the waves of adults around her. Even so, her feet kept moving forward on their own.
Kanade Building, 7th floor — Stellar Link headquarters.
As she passed through the automatic doors at the entrance, the receptionist Sonoda Yuki looked up and smiled.
"Good morning, Hinata-san. Mio-san is waiting for you in the conference room, I believe."
"Eh, Mio-san? In the conference room again?"
Hinata tilted her head. Over the past three days, she and Mio had exchanged messages several times. All of them were businesslike, with the bare minimum of words. But being summoned to the conference room — that hadn't happened since the tournament announcement.
"I wonder if something happened."
"She didn't tell me the details, but she was carrying a lot of documents."
Documents. At that word, Hinata's chest grew a little heavier.
In front of the door to conference room "Luce," Hinata took a single deep breath. Through the glass, she could see long black hair with a bluish tint. It was tied neatly into a single ponytail, her posture perfectly straight in profile. Black-rimmed glasses. Deep indigo, narrow eyes. Aoba Mio was in the middle of spreading out sheet after sheet of paper on the desk.
Hinata knocked on the door.
"Good morning, Mio-san."
Mio looked up. Her hard-to-read eyes caught Hinata.
"Good morning. Sit."
Short. As always, short. Hinata obediently sat in the chair. On the desk were schedule sheets packed densely with text, several clear plastic folders, and one brown envelope.
"Starting today, I'll be managing your preparation for the Hinata Cup in earnest. First, I want you to look at this."
Mio slid the schedule sheet in front of Hinata. From 7 AM to 11 PM, appointments were written in thirty-minute increments. Streaming, meetings, health management, game practice — even sleep time.
"Whoa... it's packed... I have to do all of this?"
"You don't need to do all of it. This is master data for management purposes. From here, I'll adjust it daily according to your physical condition and streaming performance."
"O-oh, I see. Thank goodness."
Hinata pressed a hand to her chest in relief. But Mio's expression was still stiff.
"Next, this."
Mio picked up the brown envelope. What came out was a bundle of documents containing Hinata's personal information. Her real name, address, family structure, phone number, bank account. All of it — information Hinata knew.
"This is my..."
"Yes. Your personal information managed by the agency."
Mio flipped through the documents as if checking each one. Then, right in front of Hinata, she gathered the bundle together and — *rip, rip* — began tearing it apart.
"Eh!? W-wait, what are you doing!?"
Hinata half-rose from her chair. The finely torn scraps of paper scattered across the desk. Her real name, her address — everything was being reduced to pieces too small to read.
"I'm disposing of it. Managing this on paper is dangerous. From now on, I will manage all of your information centrally. Even on the agency's shared server, I'll keep only the bare minimum."
Mio's hands didn't stop. The paper with her bank account number was torn clean in two.
"W-why so suddenly..."
"You've had your address nearly identified in a streaming accident before."
Hinata's body stiffened with a jolt.
"It didn't escalate into anything serious back then. But the situation is different now. As the tournament approaches, attention on you will increase. Malice will gather in equal measure."
Mio's voice was as calm as ever. But those words poured cold water into the depths of Hinata's chest.
"That's why I'll manage it. I'll be the only one who touches your information. I won't let even the agency staff handle it more than necessary."
"...You'd go that far?"
"I will. Protecting you is my job."
Hinata stared at the torn scraps of paper. The paper with her name on it was now in a form no one could read.
*(This person is amazing.)*
She seemed so cold, yet she was this thorough. Hinata felt a little relieved.
"Th-thank you, Mio-san. That's... reassuring."
When Hinata said this with a smile, Mio lowered her eyes for just a moment.
"I merely did what was necessary."
Then Mio opened one of the clear folders. Inside were more documents.
"Next, I'll explain this."
What Mio pulled from the folder was a single sheet of material. Hinata glanced at it casually.
—What was written there was:
*"Nekomiya Hinata — Early Childhood Bullying Victimization — Progress Record"*
Hinata's hand stopped.
The name of her elementary school. The name of her homeroom teacher at the time. The content of the bullying. The number of times she was excluded. The lunches she ate alone in the classroom. The countless words mocking her short stature.
All of it. All of it was written there.
"...This."
Her voice trembled.
"Mio-san, why do you have this."
Mio looked up.
"I investigated your past. For risk management as a streamer, understanding past traumas and interpersonal relationships is necessary."
"Necessary...? This is... my most painful memory."
Hinata's voice grew smaller and smaller.
*(She investigated me without asking?)*
*(She doesn't know anything about me.)*
The depths of her chest throbbed with a dull ache. The relief she'd felt — that was just moments ago. Now it was different. She felt as though someone had trampled through the one place she never wanted touched, with their shoes on.
"...That's cruel."
Hinata stood up. The chair clattered.
"Wait."
With Mio's voice at her back, Hinata fled from the conference room.
Tears didn't come. But her heart was a mess, and she couldn't breathe properly.
*(She investigated me without asking, managed me without asking, said she'd protect me without asking.)*
*(What about my feelings?)*
Hinata half-ran down the hallway. Partway, she nearly collided with a staff member and hurriedly pressed herself against the wall. Her heart was racing. Her legs nearly tangled.
"Hinata!"
Mio's voice from behind. Hinata didn't turn around.
But the next moment, her arm was grabbed firmly.
"Wait. I want you to hear me out."
Mio's hand held Hinata's thin arm securely. It didn't hurt. But she couldn't shake it off.
"Let go."
"Listen to me."
Mio's voice dropped lower. Startled, Hinata looked up at Mio's face.
Behind the black-rimmed glasses, deep indigo eyes stared straight at Hinata.
"Creating an environment where you can focus on streaming is my job."
That was all Mio said.
Just one sentence. And yet, that voice carried something. Behind the businesslike words, something hot was hidden. Hinata saw Mio's eyes glisten ever so slightly.
*(Is this person about to cry?)*
Hinata was at a loss for words. The hand gripping her arm trembled faintly.
But it was only for an instant.
Mio immediately released her hand and returned to her usual businesslike expression.
"...By summer, I'm going to drill the operation of the 3D motion capture equipment in Streaming Studio A into you. Prepare yourself."
Saying only that, Mio turned her back and walked back toward the conference room.
Hinata was left alone in the hallway.
The arm that had been grabbed was still warm.
*(What is with that person?)*
Hinata slumped back against the wall. The cold wall felt good against her heated body.
*(Creating an environment where I can focus on streaming is her job.)*
Those words spun around and around in her head.
*(Is that why she investigated my past?)*
*(To protect me?)*
Hinata remembered the schedule sheet she'd left behind in the conference room. A timetable so perfectly constructed it was almost excessive.
*(How much does this person know about me?)*
Anxiety and faint trust surged alternately through her chest.
Hinata let out a small sigh and headed toward the break room.
—
The break room "Mofumofu Lounge" was a room Hinata had named herself. It was lined with cat cushions and served as a place for the talents to chat and consult with each other.
When Hinata opened the door, someone was already inside.
A fluffy pink-gold bob. A small braid on the side. Large, drooping eyes. Bright reddish-purple pupils.
"Hina-chan!"
Usada Koyori rose from the sofa and pattered over. 152 centimeters tall. Just a little taller than Hinata.
"Koyori... you were here."
"Yeah, I thought you might come, so I was waiting."
Koyori tilted her head. Tilting her head when she spoke was her habit.
"What's wrong? You don't look so good."
Koyori peered into Hinata's face.
"...It's nothing major."
Hinata took Koyori's hand and sat down beside her on the sofa. She hugged one of the cat cushions.
"I kind of clashed with Mio-san."
"Mio-san? Your new manager?"
"Yeah. She investigated my past without asking. Even compiled a document about how I was bullied."
Koyori's eyes widened slightly.
"So I ran out."
Hinata buried her face in the cushion she was hugging.
"Having an adult dig up my past... it feels this awful. I don't know what to do."
Koyori was silent for a while. Then she gently took Hinata's hand.
"Hina-chan."
Koyori's hand was warm.
"It's okay, because I'll protect you."
Saying that, Koyori pulled Hinata into a tight embrace.
Hinata buried her face against Koyori's chest. From her fluffy hair came the sweet scent of shampoo.
*(Koyori is always like this.)*
Whenever Hinata was down, she would always hold her like this. Bright, sociable, loved by everyone — Koyori. Hinata's proud best friend.
But.
—*Thump, thump, thump.*
Hinata heard Koyori's heartbeat.
Fast. Incredibly fast.
*(Is she nervous?)*
Koyori's arms tightened. As if refusing to let go of Hinata's small body.
*(Koyori...?)*
Through the hands she'd wrapped around Koyori's back, Hinata felt her trembling.
A single tear traced down Koyori's cheek.
But Hinata pretended not to notice.
*(I shouldn't ask.)*
*(Right now, I feel like I shouldn't ask.)*
Hinata quietly closed her eyes.
"...Thank you, Koyori."
Hinata's voice was slightly hoarse.
—
That night.
Hinata's smartphone vibrated. On the screen, Koyori's name.
*'Hina-chan, can we meet now? I have something important to talk about.'*
Hinata had been practicing a game in her apartment. But seeing that message, she immediately typed a reply.
*'Sure. Where?'*
*'Tricolore. The usual place.'*
Tricolore. A small café tucked in a back alley of Shibuya's Jinnan district. Three minutes on foot from Stellar Link headquarters. Hinata and Koyori's "usual spot."
Hinata changed out of her loungewear and left the apartment. The night air touched her skin with a chill.
She arrived at Café Tricolore thirty minutes later.
Pushing open the wooden door, the aroma of coffee tickled her nose. A small interior with 22 seats. Retro game posters hung on the walls. Koyori was sitting at the window seat in the back.
Two iced teas sat on the table.
"Hina-chan, you came."
Koyori smiled with relief. But that smile was a little different from her usual brightness.
"You already ordered. Thanks."
Hinata sat in the seat across from her. She touched the glass. Cold.
"So, what's the important thing?"
Koyori wrapped both hands around her glass. She interlaced her fingers. Her habit.
Silence flowed.
Quiet jazz played in the shop. From behind the counter came the sound of the owner brewing coffee.
"...Hina-chan."
Koyori's voice trembled faintly.
"I received a transfer off
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