Shirayuki Tomoe's Seven Days of Terrible, Lovely Chaos
Tomoe Shirayuki, a VTuber from NIJISANJI, is a soft-spoken, slightly scary older-sister type. Her motto is 'survival of the fittest,' and she plays a sadistic character on stream—but in truth, she loves cute things and is terrified of bugs and Japanese-style horror. One day, for reasons nobody explains, she has to let various NIJISANJI livers stay at her apartment for an entire week.
It starts with a vague notice from the agency: 'Please take care of a new liver for one week.' It doesn't say wh
Shirayuki Tomoe's Seven Days of Terrible, Lovely Chaos - Big Sister, I'll be in your care for one week starting today!
"……Huh?"
Shirayuki Tomoe did a double take at her phone screen.
No, a triple take. Maybe even a quadruple take. That was how much the string of text on the screen refused to make sense to her.
*'Please host a new liver's caretaker at your home for one week.'*
That was all.
The sender was NIJISANJI headquarters, ANYCOLOR Studio. The virtual liver group Tomoe belonged to. Normally, messages that arrived on Nijiconne—the work chat tool—contained all the necessary information, properly laid out.
But today's message was different.
"What's the newbie's name? Why are they staying at my place? Actually, why my *house*? If it's streaming advice, wouldn't a call be fine?"
Tomoe fired off her retorts alone. Her low, sultry voice—her trademark—echoed hollowly through the empty living room.
This was Tomoe's home, an apartment building called Maison Fiore. Eight minutes on foot from the nearest station. Twelve years old, 135,000 yen a month in rent. A corner unit on the fifth floor, fifty-eight square meters, 2LDK. Tomoe had almost never told anyone about this room—not the office, not her friends.
In other words, it was her private sanctuary.
And yet.
"Out of nowhere, with zero warning, some stranger of a newbie is coming to my place. Is this a joke?"
Tomoe narrowed her deep purple eyes. Her waist-length straight black hair slipped off her shoulder with every sigh. Her bangs were on the heavier side, slightly covering her left eye. On off days, she wore a black turtleneck with a gray long cardigan. Today, Tomoe was in exactly that—silk black loungewear with a fluffy white cardigan draped over it.
A desk with streaming equipment, a fifty-inch TV, a large sofa. The fourteen-tatami living room was a space where Tomoe's hobbies and work blended together.
Tomoe sat down on the sofa and checked the Nijiconne notification again.
*'I have recommended Shirayuki Tomoe as a candidate for the caretaker role. Details to follow.'*
……Details to follow?
"No, the newbie's already coming, right? 'Details to follow'—the details are *now*."
Tomoe's tone nearly slipped back into her natural voice.
No, wait. From the start—
Tomoe took a deep breath in, then let it out.
"……Calm down, Tomoe. You're Shirayuki Tomoe, known for being a do-S. Looking after your kouhai is only natural for a senpai."
Yeah, she told herself.
Tomoe was a VTuber affiliated with NIJISANJI: Shirayuki Tomoe. Twenty years old. Her subscriber count was solidly mid-tier or above—one of the so-called popular livers.
The character setting of "Shirayuki Tomoe" was a do-S older sister with vampire blood, whose motto was survival of the fittest. Her manner was soft, her voice low and sweet, and she delivered lines that slowly cornered her listeners' hearts.
On stream, she stayed in character.
"If a kouhai is coming, I'll have to train her properly, won't I."
Tomoe murmured in a low voice. The beauty mark by her mouth glistened alluringly.
……So far, so good.
The problem was this room.
Tomoe slowly moved her gaze.
A shelf installed across an entire wall of the living room. On it, colorful plushies were packed tightly together. Rabbits, bears, cats, sheep, squirrels. Nearly forty in total. Tomoe's collection.
During streams, they were positioned at an angle that kept them out of the camera's view, but if anyone came into the room—well, they'd be found out.
"Actually, this shelf is insanely conspicuous."
Only now did Tomoe start to panic.
Also, under her bed was a massive stash of insect repellent supplies. Four cans of bug spray, six repellent plates, two ultrasonic repellent devices. All bought up at the drugstore "Wellness Leaf." The staff there knew her face.
"……Insect countermeasures are just being extra careful. There's nothing weird about it."
Because, look—bugs do appear in city apartments. The day a cockroach shows up, she'd die.
"Die" wasn't a metaphor. In Tomoe's mind, that was a genuine life-threatening crisis.
Tomoe stood up and headed to the kitchen, keeping the wall of plushies out of her line of sight. She took a bottle of mineral water from the fridge. The open-counter kitchen was tidy, as if testifying to Tomoe's cooking skills.
"……And I don't even know the newbie's name. How am I supposed to welcome her?"
She took a sip of water and muttered.
She glanced at the clock. Just past ten in the morning.
Through the window drifted the calm atmosphere of a quiet residential neighborhood. Tomoe's apartment was eight minutes on foot from the nearest station. A short walk brought you to Hanamichi-dori shopping street. Her regular takoyaki shop "Marutako" was there, along with the supermarket "Fresh Maruyama."
"……Well, if she's coming, let her come. I'll see if she has the guts to keep up with my training."
She pulled herself together.
The do-S character must not waver—especially at times like this.
Tomoe glanced down at her hands and sighed.
"Still, why me as the caretaker? There are plenty of others."
In fact, NIJISANJI had over a hundred and fifty livers. If someone needed to look after a newbie, there had to be more suitable candidates.
……Could it be that my do-S character is being treated as a joke?
Tomoe felt a little uneasy.
More importantly.
"The caretaker thing—that's the mentor liver system, right? Isn't the main point streaming advice? Why 'at your home'?"
Tomoe checked the notification again, but there were still no details.
Just then—*ding-dong*—the doorbell rang.
"……That was fast."
Not even thirty minutes had passed since she'd read the notification.
Tomoe felt her heart leap.
This is bad. I'm not mentally prepared yet. No, wait—why is the newbie coming directly to my house in the first place? Normally, wouldn't she come with a manager or someone?
Tomoe lightly slapped her own cheeks.
"……It's fine. I am Shirayuki Tomoe. The embodiment of survival of the fittest."
Okay.
Tomoe straightened her cardigan lightly and headed for the door. A faint lavender scent drifted in the air. It was an aroma diffuser that doubled as insect repellent.
She exhaled.
She opened the door.
"……H-hello! Nice to meet you!"
The girl bowed her head with force.
Long silver twintails. The ends were loosely curled, sparkling in the late-morning light. Straight-cut bangs. At 148 centimeters, she was quite petite.
When she lifted her face, her eyes were gold.
Big, big golden eyes. They sparkled like a puppy's, emotions leaking straight through.
"Um, my name is Ginka Runa! Starting today, for one week, I'll be in the care of Tomoe-onee-sama!"
Tomoe lost her words for a moment.
……Tomoe-onee-sama?
"Onee-sama……?"
"Yes! Tomoe-onee-sama! I've watched every single one of Tomoe-onee-sama's streams for a long time, and I've always wanted to call you onee-sama! Oh, but calling you without honorifics would be rude! So please, at least let me call you onee-sama!"
"……My, aren't you enthusiastic."
Tomoe's tone naturally shifted—low and sweet.
The do-S character switch flipped on.
"Well then, come in. It's small, but it's my castle."
"A-a castle……! As expected of onee-sama……!"
Runa's golden eyes shone even brighter.
Tomoe glanced at Runa's outfit. A white blouse with a light blue ribbon. A knee-length skirt. A clean, neat look that practically screamed "I tried my best." She held a small suitcase with both hands.
"Come in."
"E-excuse me for intruding!"
Runa took off her shoes with a nervous expression.
The moment she stepped into Tomoe's home, Runa's golden eyes went even rounder.
"Wow……! Onee-sama's home……! It smells so nice……!"
"Lavender. It also works as insect repellent."
"As expected of onee-sama! To even consider insect repellent—onee-sama is perfect!"
"……Well, being perfect is only natural."
Tomoe said it with feigned composure.
(*No, that one just slipped out. But wait—saying 'insect repellent' isn't suspicious, is it……? No, it's just normal aromatherapy. Aromatherapy.*)
Tomoe's heart was pounding.
She led Runa into the living room.
Runa's gaze darted around the room. The streaming equipment, the big TV, the sofa. And then—
"……Um."
Runa noticed the wall of plushies.
"Onee-sama, what is that……?"
Tomoe's heart nearly stopped.
"……Ah, that."
A moment of silence.
"……It's proof of those who survived in the world of survival of the fittest."
Low, sweet, and utterly plausible.
Runa blinked for a second, then pressed both hands to her mouth, her voice trembling with emotion.
"P-proof of the strong……! Plushies have that kind of meaning……! Onee-sama, you're amazing……!"
(*Okay, I got through that.*)
Tomoe did a mental fist pump.
This is bad. I absolutely cannot have people over. I haven't been playing a do-S onee-san on stream for nothing. I'd like to think my improvisation skills are decent.
"So, Runa. Could you explain to me what this whole situation is about?"
Tomoe sat on the sofa and crossed her legs.
"Yes! Um, I'm a newbie debuting from NIJISANJI soon, and my manager told me, 'Go learn the basics of streaming at your caretaker senpai's home for a week'……"
"Your manager told you that? Who?"
"Um, Sonoda Akari-san."
Tomoe furrowed her brow.
Sonoda Akari. Tomoe's assigned manager. Twenty-nine years old. She had a desk on the manager floor—the seventh floor of ANYCOLOR Studio.
(*What is Akari-san thinking?*)
"……I see. Then starting today, for one week, I'll put you on the proper rails. Listen well—my training isn't something you can endure with half-hearted resolve."
"Yes! Please! I'm fully prepared!"
Runa bowed, eyes sparkling.
"Good. ……In exchange, don't come crying to me later."
Tomoe smiled slowly. Her eyes narrowed to slits, and her voice dropped another register, sweet and low.
"……Onee-sama, so cool……"
Runa's murmur was barely audible.
—But then, right after that.
Something moved at the edge of Tomoe's vision.
The balcony.
More precisely, the screen door of the balcony.
There.
A giant moth.
"……!!!!"
Tomoe's breath stopped.
Every pore on her body opened at once.
Black wings. Fuzzy body hair. A giant moth, stuck to the screen door.
Tomoe froze, unable to make a sound.
"Onee-sama……? What's wrong?"
Runa tilted her head.
Tomoe desperately forced a smile.
"……Ah, it's nothing. Don't mind it. There's just a rude visitor outside, that's all."
Slowly, so her voice wouldn't tremble.
"A rude…… visitor?"
Runa turned toward the balcony.
"Oh—! A moth!"
"Yes. An ill-mannered insect that dares to enter my territory uninvited. ……If I glare at it long enough, it'll flee eventually."
……Please, just go away.
Tomoe prayed from the bottom of her heart.
Runa stared at Tomoe's profile for a while, then her cheeks flushed pink and she said:
"Onee-sama…… to even intimidate a moth…… You really are a truly strong onee-sama……!"
(*No, absolutely not.*)
Tomoe denied it instantly in her mind.
—This isn't intimidation. I'm just genuinely terrified and can't move.
But thanks to Runa's misunderstanding, Tomoe somehow managed to maintain her do-S character.
"……Naturally. There's no way a mere insect could run rampant before me."
"Onee-sama……!"
Runa's golden eyes were filled with the light of admiration.
Tomoe quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
The moth, after a while, flew off somewhere.
Tomoe wept grandly inside her heart.
(*That was terrifying…… genuinely terrifying……*)
"Well then, Runa. Starting today, for seven days, I'll train you thoroughly in my castle. Once you've put your luggage away, I'll first teach you the proper mindset for streaming."
"Yes! I look forward to working with you, onee-sama!"
Runa happily carried her suitcase to the guest room.
Alone in the living room, Tomoe stared up at the ceiling.
(*One week, starting today. ……Can I keep up the do-S onee-san act?*)
Insects and Japanese-style horror. Tomoe's two greatest weaknesses.
Without letting anyone else find out about these two things, any more than they already had.
"……And on top of that, that girl is so pure it's scary in a different way. It's fine that my acting works on
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.