Nekomiya Hinata has always been troubled behind the scenes of her streams.
She is a popular VTuber, but her true self is just a small girl who loves games. One day, Hinata receives a big offer from a game company to hold an FPS tournament named after her. She is overjoyed, but behind the scenes, former colleagues and rivals are scheming to bring her down.
Supporting Hinata off-stream is her manager, Aoba Mio. Cool and composed, Mio is actually Hinata's biggest fan and has been silently protect
Hinata's Little War - The night of rock bottom, the vanished guardian
In a Setagaya apartment where night had fallen, Hinata gripped her smartphone with trembling fingers.
On the screen, the words "Call Failed" appeared again and again. There had been no incoming calls from Mio since that day.
*(Mio-san... where are you...)*
Deep in her chest, a cold, heavy mass threatened to crush her.
Last night, a white envelope had been dropped into her mailbox. Inside were screenshots from security camera footage and a threatening letter written in red letters.
—I'll eliminate anyone who protects you.
Those words were burned into the back of her eyelids, impossible to shake off.
Hinata squeezed the tips of her red twin-tails tightly. The bedhead at the top of her head had long since lost its cat-ear shape, now a disheveled mess. Her golden eyes were swollen with tears, and her small body was curled up on the large gaming chair.
*(It's my fault.)*
*(Because I doubted Mio-san.)*
*(Because I said I wanted Mio-san to prove it.)*
That day, right after the hacking incident, Hinata had said it to Mio.
"Mio-san, you're on my side, right?"
Words of doubt. Hinata hadn't missed the way Mio's deep indigo eyes wavered for just a moment.
*(Mio-san's face at that moment...)*
*(She was hurt.)*
*(And even so, Mio-san moved to protect me.)*
*(And now, I can't reach her.)*
Still gripping her smartphone, Hinata slowly stood up.
Her legs were shaking.
With each step, the floor felt distant.
On the living room wall, soundproof panels. In the background, around forty stuffed animals. The little companions that always soothed Hinata.
But now—
Every one of them looked cold and lifeless.
Hinata headed for the front door.
She stopped once in front of it.
*(I have to call the police.)*
*(But what am I supposed to say?)*
*(My manager went to a dangerous place to protect me and hasn't come back.)*
*(Would the police even believe something like that?)*
She hesitated.
But more than that, the fear of losing Mio won out.
With trembling fingers, Hinata pressed 110.
One ring.
Two rings.
"Yes, this is the Metropolitan Police. Is this an emergency? An accident?"
The operator's voice was far too calm, and that calmness only unsettled Hinata further.
"Um... I need you to find someone...!"
Hinata's voice was a mess of tears.
"My manager... I haven't been able to reach her since yesterday... and a threatening letter... was delivered...!"
The operator listened quietly, without interrupting.
"Understood. I'll dispatch officers from the nearest police station now. Please tell me your address."
Hinata gave her address in a trembling voice.
The apartment in Setagaya. Room number. Name.
After hanging up, Hinata sat down in the entryway.
The cold floor seeped into her thighs.
*(The police are coming.)*
*(But Mio-san...)*
*(Is she safe?)*
A bad feeling swirled deep in her chest.
—Ding-dong.
The intercom echoed through the quiet room.
Hinata unsteadily got to her feet and opened the door.
Two police officers in uniform stood there.
One was a man in his forties. The other, a woman in her late twenties.
"Nekomiya Hinata-san, correct? We're with the Metropolitan Police."
The male officer showed his badge.
Hinata nodded weakly.
"May we come inside and ask you some questions?"
Hinata invited them into the apartment.
Across the small living room table, Hinata and the two officers sat facing each other.
The room still felt barely lived in. Energy drinks and convenience store bento in the fridge. Game software and figures packed tightly on the shelves.
"First, you mentioned you want us to find someone. Could you tell us her name and your relationship to her?"
Hinata took a deep breath.
"Aoba Mio-san. She's my personal manager... she's 27... and she's incredibly good at her job..."
The words wouldn't come out properly.
"Yesterday... Mio-san contacted me saying she'd found evidence identifying the hacker... and that she was going to confront them..."
Hinata's voice trembled.
"After that, I couldn't reach her... and then at night, a threatening letter was in my mailbox..."
Hinata handed the envelope on the table to the officers.
The male officer took it and examined the contents.
Photographs.
The threatening letter in red letters.
"This is... security camera footage. Was this taken in the StellaLink headquarters conference room?"
"Yes... probably..."
"Based on the content of the threatening letter, there's a high probability that Aoba-san is being targeted by someone. We'll begin the search immediately."
The male officer's voice was businesslike and calm.
But Hinata's heart didn't calm down at all.
"Um... I said something terrible to Mio-san."
Hinata spoke quietly, head still lowered.
"I... after the hacking incident, I couldn't trust anyone anymore... and I doubted Mio-san too..."
Tears spilled over.
"'You're on my side, right?'... I said something like that... and Mio-san looked so hurt..."
Hinata gripped her own knees tightly.
"Because of me... Mio-san pushed herself too hard... and went somewhere dangerous..."
Her voice shook.
"It's like... it's like I killed Mio-san myself...!"
Hinata broke down sobbing.
Her small body shook violently.
The tears wouldn't stop.
The female officer gently placed a hand on Hinata's back.
"Nekomiya-san, please calm down. We don't yet know what has happened to Aoba-san. And this is not your fault."
The words were kind.
But they didn't reach Hinata's heart.
*(No.)*
*(It's my fault.)*
*(I cornered Mio-san.)*
*(I drove Mio-san into danger.)*
Guilt seemed to eat through Hinata's small body from the inside.
The male officer took out his smartphone.
"I've checked the GPS information from Aoba-san's mobile phone. The last location data cuts off at 10:47 PM last night, near Crest Tower in Roppongi."
Roppongi.
Crest Tower.
NovaCrest headquarters.
Koyori's new agency.
The strength drained from Hinata's body.
"No way..."
Hinata collapsed to the floor.
She put her hands on the ground, head hanging.
Tears fell to the floor, forming small stains.
*(Mio-san went to NovaCrest...)*
*(To protect me, she went alone into enemy territory...)*
*(Why... why would she do something like that...)*
Hinata cried, stifling her voice.
The officers watched over her quietly.
The night deepened.
——
The next morning.
Having barely slept, Hinata headed to the Kanade Building in Shibuya.
Her eyes were swollen, her skin rough, her lips dry.
Even so, Hinata had to go.
To find clues about Mio.
Seventh floor of the Kanade Building. StellaLink headquarters.
As she passed through the automatic doors at the entrance, the receptionist, Sonoda Yuki, looked at Hinata with concern.
"Hinata-san... are you okay? You look pale..."
"...I'm fine."
Hinata shook her head slightly and headed for the manager booth.
Mio's desk, at the far end by the window.
Hinata stood before it.
A neatly organized desk. The place where that person—her bluish-black hair tied back—had always sat.
*(Mio-san...)*
Hinata gently opened the drawer of Mio's desk.
Inside were several document files.
And one black notebook.
With trembling hands, Hinata took it out.
Nothing was written on the cover.
Hinata opened the notebook.
Inside, in Mio's meticulous handwriting, information was densely packed.
NovaCrest's organizational chart.
Kiryu Kai's behavioral patterns.
The secretary's name and contact information.
And—
Screenshots of threatening messages sent to Koyori.
*"The condition of your transfer is to destroy Hinata. If you refuse, we will make your entire past public."*
The sender: Kiryu Kai.
Hinata's breath stopped.
*(Koyori... was being threatened...?)*
*(They're trying to use Koyori to destroy me...?)*
She turned the page.
A document of transfer conditions, reportedly obtained from a staff member inside NovaCrest.
It listed the contract amount to be paid to Koyori, along with the conditions.
Among the conditions: *"Obstruct Nekomiya Hinata's participation in tournaments."*
*(No way...)*
*(Koyori would never...)*
With trembling fingers, Hinata opened the last page.
There, in Mio's hurried scrawl:
*"To protect Hinata, I have no choice but to go directly to NovaCrest. I'll get the evidence. I will definitely come back."*
The handwriting was slightly unsteady.
But it was strong.
*(Mio-san...)*
*(To protect me, she really went alone...)*
Hinata's vision blurred with tears.
She clutched the notebook to her chest.
"Mio-san... why... why would you go this far..."
Hinata crouched down on the spot.
The tears wouldn't stop.
*(I didn't know anything.)*
*(That Mio-san was fighting this hard for me.)*
*(I didn't understand Mio-san at all.)*
*(I doubted her, hurt her, and even so, Mio-san tried to protect me.)*
Hinata cried, stifling her voice.
Her small body trembled.
There were other staff members in the manager booth.
But no one tried to speak to Hinata.
After the hacking incident, the atmosphere in the office had grown cold toward her.
*(Everyone thinks I'm a nuisance.)*
*(Because I got hacked, I caused trouble for the agency.)*
*(Because I was negligent.)*
Still gripping the notebook, Hinata stood up.
Her face was a mess of tears.
But her golden eyes had not yet lost their light.
*(I have to find Mio-san.)*
*(With the clues she left behind.)*
*(I'll find Mio-san.)*
Hinata put the notebook in her bag.
That was when—
—Ping.
Her phone rang.
A notification.
*"StellaLink Official: Notice of Emergency Press Conference"*
Hinata stared at the screen.
*(Emergency press conference...?)*
A bad feeling crept over her.
——
Afternoon.
Reporters had gathered in the StellaLink headquarters conference room, "Luce."
Through the glass-walled room, the streets of Shibuya were visible.
But today's sky was heavy with clouds.
Hinata watched the press conference on a monitor outside the conference room.
On the screen was Hiiragi Seiichirou.
Forty-one years old. Slicked-back black hair with a few strands of white. Narrow, thread-like eyes. A silver ring on his middle finger.
As always, Hiiragi dominated the atmosphere of the room.
"Thank you all for gathering here today. I am Hiiragi, president and representative director of StellaLink."
Hiiragi's voice was low and carried well.
"First, I would like to report on the incident that occurred the other day—the unauthorized access to the streaming account of our agency's talent, Nekomiya Hinata."
Hinata's heart lurched.
"This incident was caused by the talent's own inadequate security management. As a company, we take this matter seriously and will strive to prevent recurrence."
*(My... fault...?)*
Hinata stared at the monitor.
Hiiragi's words continued.
"Furthermore, in consideration of the impact of this incident, I will state clearly here that there is a possibility that Nekomiya Hinata's participation in the 'Hinata Cup,' which is currently in preparation, may be postponed."
Hinata's mind went blank.
*(Participation... postponed...?)*
*(It's my... tournament...?)*
"Details will be announced at a later date. That is all for today."
Hiiragi bowed.
Flashes went off.
Reporters hurled questions all at once.
But Hiiragi answered nothing further.
Hinata stood frozen in place.
*(My... Hinata Cup...)*
*(It's a tournament with my name on it...)*
*(And I... can't participate...?)*
The ground seemed to crumble beneath her feet.
Hinata put a hand against the wall.
Her breathing grew ragged.
*(Why...)*
*(Why is everyone... doing this to me...)*
Hinata staggered forward.
Her destination: the break room, the "Mofumofu Lounge."
The room Hinata had named, lined with cat cushions.
Normally, a place filled with the laughter of the talents.
But now—
As Hinata walked down the hallway, senior talents and staff passing by averted their eyes from her.
"Hey, did you see the press conference?"
"Yeah. Nekomiya's finished after all."
"Getting hacked was her own fault. Her management was sloppy."
"The Hinata Cup's canceled now too. What
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