The Gyaru VTuber's Love Consultation with the Unexpectedly Gloomy Streamer from Her Unit - A Two-Person Meeting—The More You Dislike Someone, the More They Somehow Catch Your Attention

Morning light filtered through the thin curtains, spilling into the room. 　Igarashi Rika lay on her bed, clutching her phone with both hands, unable to move. On the screen was a notification from the agency she'd been rereading since last night. 　【Idios Unit Collab Project — First Installment】　【Pairing: Igarashi Rika × Kurokawa Ren】　No matter how many times she looked, the words didn't change. 　(Just me and Ren-kun, a collab for two.) 　A tight, squeezing sensation deep in her chest. She couldn't tell if she was happy or scared. Only her heart was absurdly loud, and her fingertips trembled slightly. 　Rika closed the notification and stared up at the ceiling. 　(Of all people, why did it have to be Ren-kun?) 　It was a pairing decided by the agency. The reason was surely simple. They probably wanted to see viewer reactions to a male-female pair from the same unit — that kind of project intent. Nijisanji was one of Japan's largest VTuber agencies, with over 150 affiliated talents. Among them, Idios was a mixed-gender eight-member unit. Formed in 2023, their concept was "the boundary between the everyday and the extraordinary." A monthly unit collab stream was a regular event, and the fan name was "Idiotter." 　But of all people, Ren-kun. 　Rika touched the black wristband on her left wrist. A birthday present from Ren. Simple and plain, and she wore it every single day. She couldn't quite explain why. 　Her phone buzzed. A message from her manager. 　"The pre-meeting is the day after tomorrow, in the private room at Café Lumière. The two of you meet face-to-face and decide on the stream flow." 　As Rika typed her reply, she repeated the same words over and over in her mind. 　(It's fine. I'm a professional. A stream meeting is nothing. I can handle it normally.) 　But she already knew that "normally" became instantly difficult the moment Ren was in front of her. 　On stream, Ren had said he was "not good with" Rika. Every time she remembered that cold expression, a small prick of pain stabbed deep in her chest. And yet, she kept rewatching Ren's stream archives. She knew that on his own stream, he'd muttered "it was good" about the limited-edition sweets she'd talked about. 　(You're not good with me, so why do you remember what I said?) 　No answer came, and time simply passed. 　The day of the meeting. 　Rika headed to Café Lumière on the first floor of Shibuya Virtual Tower. It was an off-duty hangout for VTubers, and the owner was a former industry insider. With strict confidentiality, it was the perfect place for private meetings. Coffee was 800 yen a cup. Rika always ordered a café latte. 　She stood before the door to the private room. 　(Okay.) 　Rika took a deep breath, put on a smile, and opened the door. 　And there, Kurokawa Ren was waiting. 　Black hair in a loose, fluffy mash cut. His bangs nearly reached his eyes, and his slightly drooping black eyes, filled with a gentle light, widened the moment she entered. His slender 175-centimeter frame stiffened with a jolt on the chair. The earphones hanging around his neck swayed faintly. 　"Ah, um... pleased to meet you." 　The moment he said it, Ren looked away. His voice was small, the ends of his words nearly fading out. 　Rika felt a sharp pang in her chest. 　(So he really isn't good with me.) 　But this wasn't the time to be discouraged. Rika was a professional. If it was a stream meeting, she'd just take the lead. 　"Hey, good work! Let's do this today, Ren-kun! Man, I can't believe I get to collab with you — I seriously feel like it's fate!" 　Rika deliberately spoke with bright, full-on gyaru energy. To pull the atmosphere of the private room into her own pace. 　But Ren kept his head down. 　"...Yes." 　That was all. She could barely even hear him acknowledge her. 　Rika swallowed something down hard in her chest. 　(It's fine. Ren-kun's always been quiet. He's like this on stream too.) 　Rika picked up the menu on the table and held it out to Ren. 　"Ren-kun, what're you getting? I love the café latte here. Oh, but today maybe I'll be a little adventurous and get the limited-time one. What is that, matcha and white chocolate? Isn't that insane? It's gotta be delicious." 　"...Then, I'll, um, have coffee." 　Ren didn't even glance at the menu. 　Rika's smile clouded for just a moment. 　(The conversation isn't going anywhere.) 　The meeting dragged on awkwardly. Even when Rika proposed a stream flow, Ren only gave short replies — "Yes," "That's fine." Their eyes never met. Sometimes Ren's fingers moved restlessly on the table. 　Rika felt as though she were talking all by herself. 　(Does he hate me?) 　No — more than hated, she was being avoided. Ren's attitude looked like he was enduring being alone with her. 　"So, for the collab content, mostly just chatting is fine, right? And let's play some games too. You do a lot of game streams, right, Ren-kun? I actually play a fair amount too. Oh, but since I'm bad at games, should we do it in a way where you teach me? Or maybe versus matches?" 　Rika did her best to bring up topics Ren would find easy to talk about. If it was games, Ren should respond at least a little. 　Ren raised his face just slightly. 　"...If that's what you want, Rika-san." 　"What do you mean, if it's what I want? What's your opinion, Ren-kun?" 　"...I don't really mind." 　There it was again. 　Rika let out a small sigh in her heart. 　(Do I have to decide everything myself? It's supposed to be our collab.) 　But considering Ren's personality, it couldn't be helped. Ren was extremely afraid of causing trouble for others, and he was bad at asserting himself. Rika had seen that over and over from the other side of the screen. 　(I know. That's just the kind of person Ren-kun is.) 　She knew. And still, her chest ached. 　In the end, the meeting finished with Rika deciding almost the entire stream flow by herself. Ren kept his head down until the very end. 　"Well then, let's wrap up here. Thanks, Ren-kun." 　"...Yes. Thank you very much." 　With that, Ren left the private room as if fleeing. 　Rika was left alone. 　It was quiet. 　(So I really am hated.) 　Rika slumped onto the table. The cold sensation of the wood spread against her forehead. 　(Why is he only that cold to me?) 　Ren talked normally to the other members. He was reasonably friendly with the female VTubers too. Only with Rika, that attitude. 　(Same as when he said "not good with" me on stream.) 　Ren's cold expression from that time surfaced behind her eyelids. 　Rika slowly sat up and gathered her things. As she was about to leave the café, she suddenly noticed. 　(Ah, I forgot my handkerchief.) 　On the chair she'd been sitting on, a light blue handkerchief lay abandoned. Rika turned back into the café to retrieve it from the private room. 　That was when it happened. 　In front of the counter, she saw Ren talking to the clerk. 　(Wait, Ren-kun, you're still here?) 　Rika stopped in her tracks. Having lost the timing to call out to him, she hid behind a pillar and found herself watching Ren. 　Ren's voice came through, small. 　"Um... what was the coffee that Rika-san was drinking...? I'd, um, like to use it as a reference." 　Rika couldn't believe her ears. 　(What?) 　The clerk answered. 　"Rika-san always gets the café latte. Today it was the limited-time matcha and white chocolate latte." 　"...Café latte. Limited-time, matcha and white chocolate." 　Ren was typing something into his phone's notes. 　"Thank you very much." 　Ren gave a small bow and left the café. 　Rika couldn't move from behind the pillar. 　(Why is Ren-kun asking about the coffee I was drinking...?) 　He'd said he wanted to use it as a reference. A reference for what? 　Rika's heart began to pound. Her spirits, which had been sinking just moments ago, suddenly felt like they were floating up. 　(I don't get it. I don't get it, but...) 　Rika clutched her handkerchief and left the café. The outside air brushed coolly against her cheeks. 　(Ren-kun, are you actually watching me properly?) 　The moment she thought it, a warmth spread deep in her chest. 　The next day. 　For the collab stream rehearsal, Rika headed to the Nijisanji headquarters studio. Nijisanji's streaming studios occupied floors twenty through twenty-five of Shibuya Virtual Tower. There were Studios 1 through 5, and today they were using Studio 5. The Idios-exclusive studio. It was equipped with the latest gear capable of eight simultaneous streams. 　When Rika entered the studio, Ren was already there. Setting up the equipment. 　"Ren-kun, morning! You're early!" 　Remembering yesterday, Rika called out as brightly as she could. 　Ren glanced at Rika, then immediately looked away. 　"...Good morning." 　He still wouldn't meet her eyes. 　But remembering that scene from yesterday, Ren's attitude looked a little different now. 　(Maybe Ren-kun isn't actually bad with me — maybe he's just nervous?) 　Thinking that, her heart felt just a little lighter. 　The rehearsal began. 　They confirmed the stream flow and set up the games. Since Rika wasn't good at game streams, they'd decided to proceed with Ren teaching her. 　"Okay, so here I'll go, 'Ren-kun, how do I do this?' and then you teach me! Then I mess up, and you cover for me — that kind of flow!" 　"...Got it." 　Ren gave a small nod. 　While checking the equipment, a burst of static ran through Rika's headphones. 　"Huh, the sound might be off." 　As Rika moved to take off her headphones, Ren stood up. 　"...I'll take a look." 　Ren approached Rika. 　Rika's heart suddenly raced. 　(He's — he's close.) 　Ren's hand reached toward Rika's headphones. Checking the cord, trying to fix the connection. A serious expression. From beneath his bangs, his slightly drooping black eyes peered out. 　At that moment, Ren's finger touched Rika's left wrist. 　Just for an instant. 　"Ah." 　A small sound escaped Rika's lips. 　Ren also realized his finger had touched Rika's wrist, and yanked his hand back as if he'd been shocked. 　"S-Sorry!" 　Ren's face turned bright red all the way to his ears. 　Rika could feel her own face heating up too. 　"I-It's fine! Don't worry about it! Actually, I'm the one who should apologize! Did I startle you?" 　Rika was talking fast. When she got flustered, she had a habit of suddenly slipping into polite speech and speeding up. 　"...No, I'm the one who, um, touched you without asking." 　"I said don't worry about it! You fixed my headphones, right? Thanks!" 　An awkward silence fell between them. 　Rika replayed the sensation in her mind. Ren's finger had been a little cold. But from where he'd touched, heat seemed to spread outward. 　(Crap. My heart's way too loud.) 　Rika gripped the black wristband on her left wrist tightly with her other hand. 　It was Rika who broke the silence. 　(At this rate, we won't get through the rehearsal.) 　Rika mustered her courage and spoke to Ren. 　"Hey, Ren-kun, what do you do besides streaming?" 　Ren looked up, startled. 　"...Huh?" 　"I mean, like on your days off, what do you do? I only know the stream version of you, Ren-kun." 　Rika said it, looking straight into Ren's eyes. 　Ren's gaze wandered as if he were hesitating, then he began to speak in fits and starts. 　"...I watch late-night anime. And I cook." 　"Cooking!? You cook, Ren-kun!?" 　Rika leaned forward without thinking. 　"...Yes. Just simple stuff. If I don't cook for myself, my food budget gets scary." 　"What, that's so unexpected! You can cook, Ren-kun — isn't that, like, high girl-power!? You should do a stream sometime showing what you make! The viewers would love it for sure!" 　"...A cooking stream is, kind of, embarrassing." 　Ren smiled, just a little. Only the right corner of his mouth curved up. 　Seeing that smile, Rika's heart gave a little squeeze. 　(Ren-kun smiled.) 　A genuine smile he almost never showed on stream. Rika knew this smile. She'd seen it once, at an off-stream m

日本語

What is Novelia? →

Episode 2

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

What is Novelia?

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.

Learn more about Novelia →New sign-ups get 5,000pt