ChroNoir: The Two Who Won't Be Dyed Black - Dinner Without Asking, and a Debut Without Asking: Why Does a Childhood Friend Become a Streamer?

The scent of evening was beginning to drift through the residential streets of Sasazuka. The aroma of miso soup wafted from somewhere, and Kanae unconsciously quickened his pace. Ten minutes on foot from the station. Third floor of a fifteen-year-old apartment building, room 301. Standing before the door, before he could insert his key, he heard faint sounds from inside. (Again, huh.) Kanae let out a small sigh and opened the door. "Ah, Kanae-kun. Welcome home. The simmered dish just finished cooking." In the entryway stood a familiar black-haired girl. Her well-cared-for straight long hair formed an angel's halo when it caught the light. Her deep purple eyes narrowed just slightly in what seemed like happiness. A white handkerchief was wrapped around her left wrist. Kanae wrinkled his nose as he took off his shoes. "You broke in again. I keep telling you to give back the spare key." "I won't return it. Because if you're alone, Kanae-kun, you'll just end up eating convenience store bento, won't you?" "...It's not like that's a problem for me." "Are you eating your vegetables? Look, today I made chikuzenni, miso soup, and spinach ohitashi. It's fully nutritious." Still in her apron, Shion carried the dishes from the kitchen. Her figure blended into this room far too naturally. It had been this way since middle school. Whenever Kanae was absorbed in games, Shion would somehow appear, and somehow dinner would be ready. "You're a third-year at St. Lilienne Academy, right? What about entrance exams? Is it really okay for a student of a young ladies' school to be cooking dinner in a guy's bachelor apartment?" "It's fine. I do it because I want to. Besides, your room is calming, Kanae-kun. Much more than being at the academy." Shion said this as she arranged the dishes on the table. The pot of chikuzenni, the steaming miso soup, the vivid green spinach. Everything was carefully prepared, seasoned to match Kanae's preferences. "...Thanks for the meal." "Yes, please eat." The two sat facing each other and ate. Shion occasionally glanced at the movement of Kanae's chopsticks. "How does it taste?" "It's good. Same as always." "Really? I'm glad." When Shion smiled, her eyes curved into crescent moons. A refined, gentle smile that anyone would adore. At St. Lilienne Academy, that smile alone would put her in the top ranks of popularity polls. Excellent grades, good family background. A truly perfect beautiful girl. But only in front of Kanae, Shion was a little different. "Hey, Kanae-kun." Shion set down her chopsticks. She straightened her posture and stared intently at Kanae's face. "What is it, so formal all of a sudden." "I've decided to become a streamer." Kanae nearly spat out his miso soup. "Hah!?" As Kanae coughed and sputtered, Shion hurriedly rubbed his back. "A-are you okay!? I'm sorry, I said it so suddenly." "No, wait. You, a streamer? The young lady of St. Lilienne? What are you talking about?" "I'm serious. I registered on MirrorBox. Yesterday." Kanae's eyes went wide. MirrorBox was the country's largest streaming platform, with approximately eighty thousand registered streamers. ChroNoir also streamed there. But he couldn't understand why Shion would become a streamer. "Why though. You're bad with being in front of people. Even at the academy speech, your voice was shaking." "That's... true, but. I won't show my face. I'm planning to do voice-only streams. And it won't be gaming—it'll be cooking streams." "Cooking streams..." "I'll just stream the food I make every day, as it is. That way, I can be by your side, Kanae-kun." Shion's voice grew small at the very end. "By my side?" "Yeah. You're a streamer, right, Kanae-kun? If I become a streamer too, I can be in the same world. We can share the same time. ...That's what I thought." Shion smiled. But behind that smile, something sorrowful seemed to waver. Kanae set down his chopsticks and thought for a moment. "I see. If it's what you've decided, I'll support you." "...Really?" "Yeah. But don't push yourself too hard. Streaming is fun, but there's a lot that's tough about it too." "Yeah! Thank you, Kanae-kun!" Shion's face lit up brightly. More happily than he had ever seen her. (Is that something to be so happy about?) Kanae tilted his head as he brought the chikuzenni to his mouth. He never noticed the weight of Shion's words—"I want to be by your side." --- The next day, at the ChroNoir studio in Shibuya. In a room decorated in black tones, Kanae was the first to arrive. Fan illustrations on colored paper were tacked to the walls, and two large monitors lined the streaming desk. The afternoon light streaming through the window cast long shadows on the floor. "Yo! You're early, Kanae!" The door opened and Kuzuha entered. Jet-black short hair with red highlights, crimson eyes like a sunset. His tall 178cm frame was wrapped in a black knit cap and black hoodie. "You're one to talk—you actually showed up properly today. No oversleeping?" "I went to bed early yesterday. Thanks to that, I'm in perfect shape." Kuzuha sat at his desk and took a sip of an energy drink. "By the way," Kanae brought it up casually while booting up his monitor. "I have this childhood friend named Shion, and she's going to become a streamer." Kuzuha's hand stopped for an instant. "Huh." "She's going to do cooking streams, apparently. No face reveal. Well, her cooking is good, so there might be demand for it." "I see." "Shion was—" Clank. Kuzuha deliberately made a loud noise adjusting the microphone position. "We're starting the stream. It's time." "...Yeah." Kanae tilted his head. Something seemed off about Kuzuha. But he didn't know why. The stream began. The viewer count surpassed a hundred thousand in no time. The comment section was lively as always. "Whoa! Did you all see that coordination just now! Me and Kanae's perfect combination!" "Yeah, yeah, calm down. The monster's still coming." "How can I calm down! This thrill—you guys get it too, right!?" The comments flooded with "We get it, we get it," "Today's married couple comedy is the best again," "Kuzuha-kun's energetic today too." But after a while, different comments began to mix in. "Is Kuzuha in a bad mood today?" "His tone seems kinda harsh?" "Is he taking it out on Kanae?" Kuzuha spotted those comments immediately. "I'm not in a bad mood! I'm the same as always!" His voice was too loud. The comment section grew even more chaotic. "Something definitely happened." "Did Kanae do something?" "Married couple fight?" "We're not married! And we're not fighting!" "Kuzuha, calm down. Come on, let's progress the game." Kanae coolly continued the stream. During broadcasts, Kanae was always the calm, collected big brother. The stream ended. Kuzuha began silently packing up the equipment. Kanae watched his back and spoke up. "Hey, Kuzuha. That Shion I mentioned earlier—" "Is that Shion a girl?" Kuzuha asked without turning around. "Huh? Oh, yeah. Childhood friend." "I see." That was all. Kuzuha gathered his things and headed for the studio door. "I'm going home. See you tomorrow." "...Yeah. Good work." The door closed. Kanae was left alone in the studio. (What was that? Is he in a bad mood?) Kanae couldn't understand the reason for Kuzuha's foul temper. --- That afternoon, at the Verdue Agency office. A glass-walled office building in Shibuya's Digital Hills district. Past the eighth-floor reception, the agency that ChroNoir belonged to was located. White walls with potted plants, modern interior. A refined space befitting a streamer agency. "Next Tuesday, the collab stream with the newcomer Lumina-chan is officially confirmed." President Rei Kagurazaka smiled from behind her desk. A career woman in her early thirties, with striking narrow eyes and red lipstick. She was also the capable manager who founded Verdue Agency. "Lumina-chan is quite the odd one. Please get along with her." There was something suggestive in Kagurazaka's smile. "Odd how, specifically?" "You'll understand when you meet her. Look forward to it." Kagurazaka said nothing more. After the meeting, Kanae and Kuzuha came out to the waiting area. On the large wall-mounted monitor, MirrorBox's newcomer rankings were displayed. "Oh, look, Kanae. The newcomer rankings—that girl Lumina is number one for the week." Kuzuha pointed at the monitor. Lumina's stream archive was displayed at the top of the weekly rankings. The view count was still low, but the comment section was a storm of "She's too beautiful," "Who is this girl?", "I can't look away." "Huh. Impressive. She just debuted." "...Hey, Kanae." Kuzuha spoke in a low voice while operating his smartphone. "What?" "Are you following Lumina?" On Kuzuha's screen, Lumina's follower list was displayed. The subscriber count was still three hundred. Among them, only Kanae's name stood out conspicuously. "Huh? Oh, right. She followed me before her debut, so I just followed back." "Huh." Kuzuha gripped his smartphone tightly. "What's wrong? Did something happen?" "Nothing." Kuzuha closed the screen and stood up. "I'm going home first." "Hey, wait, Kuzuha?" Kuzuha left the office without looking back. Kanae watched Kuzuha's back and tilted his head. (Something's really off with him today.) But before he could think about why, Kanae's smartphone vibrated. --- The next morning. There was a knock on the ChroNoir studio door. When Kanae opened it, standing there was a girl with white hair and red eyes. "Good morning, Kanae-san." Silver long hair reaching her waist. Only the tips were red like blood. Her large red eyes faintly glowed even in the dark hallway. A red ribbon at her neck. She was a petite girl wearing a black frilled dress. "Lumina-san. You're early. There's still thirty minutes until our appointment." "I'm sorry. I just couldn't help but want to come early. ...Ah, may I come in?" "Go ahead." Lumina smiled with a grin and entered the studio. That smile—only her mouth moved first, and her eyes didn't seem to be smiling. "Wow, so this is a 4K camera. Amazing. You senpais must be rich." Lumina began touching the equipment curiously. "This microphone looks expensive. Ah, this chair is comfortable. ...There we go." Lumina sat down in Kuzuha's desk chair without permission. "Hey, that's my seat." At some point, Kuzuha had appeared at the studio entrance. He wore his black knit cap pulled low and narrowed his red eyes. "Oh my, Kuzuha-senpai. Good morning." Lumina looked up at Kuzuha and smiled. "Don't 'good morning' me. Get off my chair." "Yes." Lumina stood up obediently. And then she stood right next to Kuzuha. "Then, may I also stream from here? Right next to you, senpai." "Hah? Of course not." Kuzuha answered immediately. Lumina's expression changed in an instant. The smile vanished. The warmth disappeared. "...How boring." Those words were cold as ice. A slight chill ran down Kuzuha's spine. (What is this feeling...) Lumina's red eyes seemed, for just a moment, to deepen to the color of blood. His vampire instincts were sounding an alarm. This girl was no ordinary newcomer. Kuzuha was certain of it. "Lumina-chan, let's start with self-introductions. We'll also discuss the collab stream." Unaware of the shift in atmosphere, Kanae began proceedings amicably. "Yes, Kanae-san. With pleasure." Lumina had already returned to smiling. --- Night. Two notifications arrived on Kanae's smartphone. The first was a LINE message from Shion. "Watch my streaming debut, okay? I want you to be the first to see it, Kanae-kun." Kanae replied without hesitation. "Do your best." The second was a DM within MirrorBox. The sender was Lumina. "Please tell me Kuzuha-senpai's weakness. I want to know more about him." Kanae stared at the screen. "Weakness... why are you asking me?" Kanae muttered to himself. But somewhere in his mind,

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Episode 2

Name: ChroNoir: The Two Who Won't Be Dyed Black
Author: Novelia

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