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 - The Sadistic Queen's Facade, on the Brink of Collapse
Morning light slipped through a narrow gap in the curtains.
Shirayuki Tomoe lay curled on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. Her waist-length black hair sprawled messily across the pillow. Her deep violet eyes were dry and stinging—barely closed all night.
"...Couldn't sleep."
The small murmur came out hoarse and cracked.
Last night. The Nijikone notification she'd received on the balcony.
*"Shirayuki Tomoe-san. We need to talk tomorrow at the main office. It's about your character drifting. Sonoda."*
That single line replayed in her head, over and over and over.
(*Character drift. The agency is treating my do-S character as a problem.*)
Tomoe bit her lip.
(*Sure, these past few days have been awful. My plushie got exposed, my bug weakness almost got found out, I nearly fainted during horror...*)
She pressed her face into the pillow.
(*But I can't quit. Shirayuki Tomoe is the do-S onee-sama of survival of the fittest. That's my brand, my castle, my armor.*)
Tomoe slowly sat up.
She looked in the mirror.
A terrible face stared back. Faint shadows under her eyes. Hair a mess of bedhead.
"...This won't do. Unworthy of an onee-sama."
Tomoe let out a deep breath.
She washed her face at the sink and carefully combed her hair. She tucked only the right side behind her ear and pinned it with a silver ornament. The beauty mark by her mouth gleamed alluringly in the mirror.
(*Good. This is the usual Shirayuki Tomoe.*)
Tomoe nodded, as if telling herself.
When she stepped into the living room, Ginka Runa and Raiden Mio were already up.
Runa stood in the kitchen, her silver twin-tails swaying. Today she wore a pale pink cardigan. Her large golden eyes found Tomoe and lit up instantly.
"Onee-sama, good morning!"
"Good morning, Runa. You look lovely today, as always."
Tomoe replied in a low, sweet voice.
"Ehehe... thank you! I'm toasting bread right now!"
Runa blushed happily.
"Tomoe-san, mornin'!"
Mio bounded over from the sofa, her bluish-black bob swaying. Beneath her jagged bangs, sharp, vivid blue eyes studied Tomoe's face intently.
"Heeeh~ Tomoe-san, lookin' gorgeous as ever today. But, hmm, under your eyes is a little..."
Mio grinned.
Tomoe's heart skipped a beat.
(*This girl really does notice every little thing.*)
"Oh? Concerned, are we? I was up last night planning a stream. My beauty doesn't waver from a little lost sleep."
Tomoe said, slowly tucking her hair behind her ear.
"As expected of onee-sama! Beautiful even when sleep-deprived...!"
Runa's golden eyes sparkled.
"Hmm. Planning, huh."
Mio still eyed Tomoe suspiciously.
Tomoe broke into a cold sweat internally.
(*Stop. Don't look at me like that. I really can't take it today.*)
"Now then, let's have breakfast. Runa, is the toast burning?"
Tomoe headed toward the kitchen, changing the subject.
"Yes! It's perfectly toasted today!"
Runa proudly arranged the toast on plates.
The three of them sat around the table.
Tomoe poured coffee into her mug. The fragrant aroma drifted softly through the air.
(*Calm down. Act normal. I am Shirayuki Tomoe. The do-S onee-sama of survival of the fittest.*)
She repeated it in her mind like a mantra.
"I won't forgive anyone who eats without proper manners."
Tomoe said in a low, sweet voice.
"Yes! Onee-sama, please watch me!"
Runa straightened her back and bit into her toast.
"I won't spill anything today either~"
Mio brought her toast to her mouth with exaggerated delicacy.
Tomoe reached for her coffee cup.
At that moment.
Her fingertips trembled.
(*Huh?*)
Unrelated to her will, her fingers quivered minutely.
(*Why. How come.*)
Tomoe desperately tried to force strength into her fingertips. But the trembling wouldn't stop.
She grabbed the cup.
Her hand slipped.
Clatter!
The mug tipped over. Coffee spread across the table. The black liquid slowly seeped into the white tablecloth.
"Onee-sama!?"
Runa cried out in shock.
"W-whoa, Tomoe-san, you okay!?"
Mio immediately grabbed tissues.
"...I'm fine. My hand just slipped a little."
Tomoe said slowly.
But her heart was pounding violently.
(*She saw. The trembling. The spill.*)
"Tomoe-san, your hands are shaking."
Mio stared at Tomoe's fingertips.
Tomoe's heart clenched.
"...I'm cutting back on caffeine today for health management. That's why my fingertips aren't cooperating."
A desperate excuse.
"Health management! As expected of onee-sama! Even managing your own body perfectly...!"
Runa gazed at Tomoe with admiration.
"Heeeh~. So cutting caffeine makes your hands shake. Learn something new every day."
Mio smirked.
(*This girl absolutely doesn't believe me.*)
Tomoe sighed internally.
After cleaning up breakfast, she somehow regained a semblance of calm.
Tomoe sat on the living room sofa and opened her phone.
The Nijikone notification still lingered, unread.
*"Shirayuki Tomoe-san. We need to talk tomorrow at the main office. It's about your character drifting. Sonoda."*
(*Tomorrow. Tomorrow, at the main office.*)
Tomoe stared at the screen, unable to move.
(*What if they tell me to drop the do-S character? What if they tell me to show my real self?*)
Her fingertips trembled again.
(*Impossible. The do-S character is all I have. Without that mask, I'm just...*)
"Onee-sama."
Runa's voice made Tomoe look up.
"Onee-sama, you're beautiful today as always. But you seem a little tired."
Runa peered worriedly at Tomoe's face.
"...I'm not tired at all. Are your eyes just for decoration?"
Tomoe said meanly.
"S-sorry! But I was just worried that onee-sama might be pushing herself too hard...!"
Runa bowed her head hastily.
(*This girl is so honest, so straightforward.*)
Tomoe felt a small pang in her chest.
(*She doesn't know what's beneath the mask I wear. And she doesn't need to.*)
"...Thank you for worrying. But I'm fine."
Tomoe gently patted Runa's head.
Runa narrowed her eyes happily.
Past noon.
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang.
"Comiiing!"
Mio ran to the door.
"Oh my, Mio-chan. Hello."
A woman stood at the entrance, her long ash-gray-purple hair loosely tied back. Her pale lavender eyes were half-closed, sleepy as always. Yumeno Yume. A senior liver from Nijisanji.
"Yume-senpai, hello. You look beautiful today."
Tomoe came out from the living room and smiled.
"Tomoe-chan, hello. Lovely weather again today, isn't it?"
Yume smiled. She carried a large paper bag.
"I thought we could all share these. Homemade cookies."
Yume pulled out adorably wrapped cookies from the bag.
"Wow! Yume-senpai, thank you so much!"
Runa accepted them happily.
"Yay! Cookies!"
Mio immediately grabbed one.
The four of them gathered in the living room and ate cookies.
"These are delicious, Yume-senpai!"
"I'm glad. I made plenty."
Yume smiled softly.
Tomoe took a bite of a cookie too.
(*Sweet and delicious. ...But I have a bad feeling about this.*)
Tomoe tilted her head internally, watching Yume's smile.
"Oh, that reminds me. I have an important announcement for everyone."
Yume said slowly.
A chill ran down Tomoe's spine.
(*An important announcement. What. Stop. I don't want to hear it.*)
"What is it? Yume-senpai!"
Runa leaned forward.
"Tomorrow night, we're having a horror sleepover at Tomoe-san's place!"
Yume said with a beaming smile.
Tomoe's breath stopped.
(*Huh? What did she just say?*)
"A horror sleepover! That's amazing!"
"For real!? That sounds so fun!"
The two of them cheered.
"I've already invited over ten livers. Everyone's looking forward to it."
Yume said, smiling.
Tomoe couldn't breathe properly.
(*Over ten people. Tomorrow night. Horror sleepover. At my place.*)
The words spun in her head.
(*No. No no no. Absolutely not.*)
Tomoe screamed internally.
But the do-S onee-sama brand wouldn't allow it.
"...Oh? You've got nerve. If you want to experience a night of terror in my home, then by all means—I accept your challenge."
Tomoe said slowly, in a low, sweet voice.
(*What am I saying. Refuse. It's not too late.*)
Her inner voice screamed desperately.
But her mouth moved on its own.
"Onee-sama's full-serious horror event...! I'm so moved!"
Runa's golden eyes glistened.
"Tomoe-san, you're gonna run the horror sleepover! Can't wait!"
Mio watched Tomoe's pallor with amusement.
"Tomoe-chan, thank you. I'm counting on you."
Yume smiled.
Tomoe kept her smile plastered on and wept inside.
(*It's over. My seven days will completely end tomorrow.*)
Evening.
Using dinner shopping as an excuse, Tomoe went out alone to Hanamichi-dori shopping street.
(*I want to be alone. I don't want to see anyone right now.*)
She walked slowly beneath the arcade.
The greengrocer's storefront displayed colorful vegetables. Lively shouts came from the fishmonger. The usual shopping street. The usual bustle.
But Tomoe's heart was heavy.
(*Tomorrow night, watching horror movies in front of a crowd of livers. And I'm the one running it.*)
Just imagining it made her dizzy.
(*What do I do. I want to run. But I can't.*)
Tomoe stood in front of the supermarket "Fresh Maruyama."
(*Anyway, I need to buy dinner ingredients.*)
Tomoe entered the store.
She grabbed a basket and picked out vegetables and meat.
(*Let's make something simple today. Hamburg steak or something. ...No, not in the mood. Pasta is fine.*)
Tomoe mechanically placed ingredients into her basket.
Then, as she passed the household goods section.
Her eyes landed on the insect repellent spray shelf.
(*...I should stock up.*)
Tomoe unconsciously picked up a can of insect repellent.
(*Tomorrow, a crowd is coming. If bugs get in, it's over. If I spray this at the entrance and balcony...*)
Tomoe placed the spray in her basket.
She lined up at the register.
The customer ahead finished checking out.
It was Tomoe's turn.
"Welcome."
A young female clerk said cheerfully.
Tomoe placed her basket on the counter.
The clerk scanned the items.
Then, the moment she picked up the insect repellent spray.
"Oh, you're Shirayuki Tomoe-san, right? Thank you for always shopping with us!"
The clerk said happily.
Tomoe's heart jumped.
(*Huh? This clerk recognizes me? And knows my name?*)
"You buy this insect repellent a lot, don't you? Especially in summer!"
The clerk said, smiling.
Tomoe's mind went blank.
(*Stop. Don't say that out loud.*)
"...This is for the streaming studio. Not for my home. Bugs near the equipment cause problems, so it's kept at the office."
Tomoe rattled off quickly.
Her voice came out louder than intended.
"Oh, I see! Professional livers really do manage their equipment thoroughly!"
The clerk nodded, impressed.
Tomoe sighed with relief internally.
(*Good. I covered it up.*)
Right after that.
"Fufu."
A small laugh came from the next register.
Tomoe looked toward the sound.
A young woman in the next line was covering her mouth, laughing.
(*She heard that. She definitely heard that.*)
The blood drained from Tomoe's face.
(*Is she in the industry? Or someone who watches my streams?*)
Tomoe hurriedly paid and left the store.
The outside air felt unnaturally cold.
(*The do-S brand has spread even to the neighborhood. Just buying insect repellent makes me that suspicious.*)
Tomoe let out a deep sigh.
On the way home.
Passing by the convenience store "Family Stop."
"Oh, Tomoe-san!"
A familiar voice stopped Tomoe in her tracks.
She turned to see Mio standing there with a convenience store bag. Her blue eyes fixed on the shopping bag in Tomoe's hand.
"Tomoe-san, coming back from shopping? What'd you buy?"
Mio approached, eyes sparkling.
Tomoe instinctively hid the shopping bag behind her back.
"...Dinner ingredients. None of your business, is it?"
Tomoe said coldly.
"Heeeh~. But you're hiding something, aren't you? Let me see!"
Mio tried to circle around behind Tomoe.
"Stop it. I dislike persistent children."
Tomoe turned away.
"Just a little peek! Come on, what do you h
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