The Gyaru VTuber's Love Consultation with the Unexpectedly Gloomy Streamer from Her Unit - The Other Side of the Stream — A Gyaru VTuber Secretly in Love

" Rika-san, you're cute again today! You gave me energy!" 　In the third studio of Shibuya Virtual Tower, where the Nijisanji head office was located. In that room, fully equipped with the latest motion capture technology, Igarashi Rika read out comments in a loud voice. " Thank you! Everyone's cute today too! Wait, some of you are cool, maybe! Either way, you're all the best!" 　Her black hair with mesh highlights swayed in side buns. Her bright amber eyes sparkled, and when she laughed, a dimple formed on her left cheek. Today's outfit—a pink hoodie, denim shorts, and platform sneakers—was the very picture of a gyaru VTuber. A black wristband was wrapped around her left wrist. 　The viewer count on the stream screen was 32,000. She was upper-mid tier among Nijisanji members—no, maybe a bit higher than that. Her channel subscribers had surpassed 700,000. The million-subscriber wall that separated the top VTubers was still ahead, but Rika was definitely popular. 　But. 　Beneath the energy of the stream, Rika's heart was somehow restless. 　(Ren-kun, what's he doing right now?) 　She hurriedly brushed away the name that surfaced in the corner of her mind. She was streaming right now. She had to focus. " Oh, right right! Everyone, listen! The other day, I bought a new sweets item at the convenience store, and it was seriously amazing! ...Oh, wait, is it okay to say this? It's not a sponsor deal, okay? Just me talking to myself?" 　The comment section flowed with "I thought that was a sponsor lol" and "I love Rika-san's food reviews." Rika laughed when she saw them. 　The pace of the stream was light and breezy. She picked up comments, occasionally threw in a joke, and got tsukkomi'd by viewers. Rika loved this rhythm. Three years since she joined Nijisanji. Her VTuber self was gradually taking shape. 　But in fleeting moments, she found herself thinking. 　(Was I really meant to become a VTuber?) 　No, of course she was. She loved this job. Her fans mattered. But VTubers had a taboo. 　Romantic scandals. 　It was just as terrifying as having your real identity exposed—no, in some cases, even more so. If a romantic relationship with someone of the opposite sex came to light, it would cause an uproar. Fans would leave, and the agency would reprimand you. Especially for a gyaru VTuber like Rika, the proportion of male fans was high. Just a rumor of romance could affect her work. 　That's why she couldn't tell anyone about these feelings. 　These feelings for Kurokawa Ren. 　During the stream, Rika accidentally let something slip. " So the anime I was watching the other day was super interesting! ...Oh, no no! Games! I'm talking about games! Not anime! I don't watch anime! Gyarus play games, right!" 　The comment section stirred with "She definitely watches anime lol," "She's not even trying to hide it, kusa," and "That didn't sound like games at all." Rika broke into a cold sweat and forcibly changed the subject. 　The truth was, she loved both anime and games. But as a gyaru-type VTuber character, showing her anime love openly took a little courage. No, there were plenty of otaku-type VTubers these days, and she didn't really need to hide it. 　Somehow, she kept hiding it anyway. 　The stream ended. "Good work everyone! See you tomorrow! Bye-bye!" 　After cutting the stream, Rika let out a deep breath. Silence returned to the studio. Only the glow of the monitors remained in the darkened room. 　While putting away the equipment, Rika pulled out her phone. She tapped the screen and opened a certain channel. 　Kurokawa Ren's channel. 　A gloomy-type male VTuber belonging to Nijisanji. A fellow member of the same unit, Idios. On stream, he was always quiet, mumbling softly. His content centered on game streams, with occasional zatsudan talk streams, but his reactions to comments were minimal. 　And yet, he had more subscribers than Rika. 850,000. His gloomy VTuber persona was well-established, and he had strong support from female fans. 　Rika played one of Ren's stream archives. 　"...Ah, good evening. I'm Kurokawa Ren." 　A small voice. On screen, Ren had soft, fluffy black hair in a mash cut, his bangs nearly covering his eyes. His slightly drooping black eyes, filled with a gentle light, were often hidden during streams. He was 175 centimeters tall. Slender, always wearing dark-colored clothes. 　"Today, I'll be playing this game. ...Um, I'll figure out the controls as I go, I guess." 　Awkward. But that was what made it good. 　Rika held her phone with both hands and stared at the screen. Ren started the game. He was bad at it, getting killed by enemies right away. The comments were warm: "Do your best, Ren-kun lol," "Right there lol," "So endearing." 　Ren was quiet, but he responded to comments politely. 　"...Thank you. Huh, I should use this item? Oh, you're right. Sorry, I didn't notice." 　Rika's lips naturally loosened. " Why is he so clumsy..." 　In the empty studio, Rika murmured. 　But then she remembered. 　What Ren had said on stream. 　"I'm not good with Rika-san." 　That was during an Idios unit stream. When Rika had spoken to Ren, that was his reply. With a cold expression, clearly, he had said it. 　In that moment, Rika had frozen with her smile still on her face. Because it was a stream, she'd managed to laugh it off, but her heart had been gouged. 　(Why is he only that cold to me?) 　He talked normally to the other members. He was reasonably friendly to female VTubers too. But with Rika, only that attitude. 　And yet. 　Rika advanced the archive. A scene where Ren was doing a talk stream. When asked in the comments "Do you watch Rika-san's streams?", Ren was silent for a moment, then said this. 　"...Rika-san was talking about a limited-edition sweets on her stream the other day. I ate that too. ...It was good." 　Rika's finger stopped. 　(Wait, Ren-kun, you watch my streams?) 　Not only that, he remembered the details of the limited sweets Rika had talked about. That had been a throwaway topic, something she'd mentioned in passing. 　Something warm spread deep in her chest. 　(Could it be... he's watching?) 　A faint hope swelled in her heart. But the next moment, as if to crush it, Ren's cold voice resurfaced. 　"I'm not good with Rika-san." 　He's not good with me, yet he watches my streams. He remembers. What was that supposed to mean? 　Rika closed her phone. Through the studio window, the lights of Shibuya's streets were visible. The greenery of Yoyogi Park, a fifteen-minute walk from Shibuya Virtual Tower, was sunk in the darkness of night. 　Romance for a VTuber was a risk. 　If the fans found out. If the agency found out. Above all, if Ren himself found out. 　Rika touched the black wristband on her left wrist. A birthday present from Ren. She'd received presents from all the Idios members, but this one from Ren was somehow special. 　A black wristband. Simple, plain, and so like Ren. 　Rika wore it every day. She couldn't quite explain why, even to herself. 　As she was about to leave the studio, her phone vibrated. 　A notification from the agency. 　Rika opened it casually and froze. 　【Idios Unit Collab Project — First Installment】　【Pairing: Igarashi Rika × Kurokawa Ren】　Her heart nearly stopped. 　No, actually, it was beating faster. Something deep in her chest was pounding violently. Her fingertips trembled. " Huh... no way..." 　Rika looked at the notification three times. No matter how many times she looked, the words didn't change. 　Igarashi Rika × Kurokawa Ren. 　Of all people, Ren-kun. 　She was happy. But she was scared. These two emotions mixed together into a mess, and she felt like crying. " Of all people, Ren-kun..." 　When she stepped into the studio hallway, she happened to pass another Idios member. "Rika-san, you're doing a collab with Ren-kun? Are you okay? That guy said he's not good with you, right?" 　Rika put on a smile. " Y-yeah... I'll be fine! It's just a stream, I'll do it properly!" 　But her expression was clouded. The other person said nothing more and walked away. 　Rika walked briskly down the hallway and got into the elevator. She went down to the first floor and headed for Café Lumière on the ground floor of Shibuya Virtual Tower. 　Café Lumière was an off-duty hangout for VTubers. The owner was a former industry insider who strictly enforced confidentiality. Private rooms were available, often used for meetings and offline gatherings. 　When Rika entered, the owner gave a quiet nod. "The back private room is open." 　Rika bowed slightly and was shown to the private room. A calm space with the warmth of wood. It was quiet, as if the outside clamor were a lie. 　She ordered coffee and let out a deep breath. 　(A collab stream with Ren-kun.) 　Just thinking about it made her stomach tighten. 　Ren had said on stream that he wasn't good with her. A one-on-one collab with someone like that. There was no way the atmosphere would be anything but awkward. 　But then, those words she'd seen in Ren's archive. 　"Rika-san was talking about a limited-edition sweets on her stream the other day." 　If you hate me, why do you remember me? 　Rika wrapped both hands around the coffee cup and stared at the steam. 　She thought back to past interactions with Ren on streams. 　Whenever Rika spoke to Ren, he was always curt. He wouldn't even meet her eyes. The conversation never continued. But somehow, he remembered the hobbies she talked about. 　When Rika said "This game is fun," a few days later, Ren was playing that game on his stream. 　When Rika said "This song is good," that song was playing as BGM on Ren's stream. 　It could be coincidence. But when it happened over and over, it couldn't be dismissed as coincidence. " If you hate me, why do you remember me..." 　Rika murmured. No answer came. 　She took a sip of coffee. Bitter. She should have added sugar. 　Around that time, Kurokawa Ren was in his room. 　An apartment in a quiet residential neighborhood, a short train ride from Shibuya. The room was tidy, and streaming equipment was lined up on the desk. 　Ren was staring at his computer screen. 　An archive of Igarashi Rika's stream. 　Rika's bright smile, her full-on gyaru talk, her tempo that kept viewers entertained. But also the occasional glimpses of her genuine expressions. 　Ren recorded and watched all of Rika's streams. He hadn't told anyone. 　Watching Rika's streams was part of Ren's daily routine. 　He played the archive. Rika's voice filled the room. 　"Everyone, thanks again today! I'll be streaming tomorrow too, so come again!" 　Ren stared at the screen, unmoving. " Rika-san is... too dazzling." 　Ren murmured and closed the screen. 　His soft, fluffy black mash hair fell over his downturned face. His slightly drooping black eyes, filled with a gentle light, wavered in the dark room. 　He wasn't worthy of Rika. 　Rika was bright, popular, loved by everyone. Ren was gloomy, quiet, bad at talking to people. 　When Rika spoke to him on stream, he was so happy that he ended up acting cold instead. 　"I'm not good with Rika-san." 　When he said those words, Rika's smile had clouded for just a moment. Ren had noticed. He'd noticed, and he couldn't do anything. 　He wanted to apologize. But he didn't know how. 　Ren's phone vibrated. 　A notification from the agency. 　【Idios Unit Collab Project — First Installment】　【Pairing: Igarashi Rika × Kurokawa Ren】　Ren looked at the notification and was silent for a long time. 　A collab with Rika. Just the two of them. 　He was happy. But he was scared. 　Ren gripped the notification. His fingers turned white. 　(What if she finds out I watch her streams?) 　No, before that—could he even talk to Rika properly? 　But the truth was. 　He wanted to talk to Rika. He wanted to stream with Rika. 　Holding that contradictory feeling, Ren gripped the notification and couldn't move for a while. 　The next day. 　Rika received the schedule for the pre-collab

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Episode 1

Name: The Gyaru VTuber's Love Consultation with the Unexpectedly Gloomy Streamer from Her Unit
Author: Novelia

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