Mari Tomari is a VTuber who uses a voice changer to play a cute girl, but inside, she's a nearly thirty-year-old man named Mario. Tonight, she's streaming, throwing poison at her audience while raking in superchats. But the moment the stream ends, his smile vanishes.
"Ah... I'm exhausted."
In the corner, fiddling with her phone, is Yuki—his childhood friend and manager. She's the only one who knows Mario's true face. She's watched over his "real self" since they were kids.
"Good work. Your cl
Behind the Bunny - The Night Your Voice Is Devoured
The vibration of his smartphone pulled Mario back to reality.
He looked at the screen. The incoming call was from Yuki.
The time was a little past eight in the morning. After everything last night, he hadn't slept a wink—he'd spent the hours scrubbing the graffiti off the wall. The red paint wouldn't come off completely, no matter how hard he scrubbed with detergent. The word "Swindler" remained faintly stained into the wall.
"...Mario, are you awake?"
Yuki's voice was hoarse. It wasn't her usual calm tone.
"Yeah. What's wrong?"
Mario tried his best to sound composed. But his voice was shaking.
"Have you seen social media? ...Maybe you shouldn't look."
At Yuki's words, Mario's heart lurched violently.
"...Haven't looked yet. What happened?"
"...All your personal information is out there. Everything."
Yuki's voice was wet with tears.
"Your real name, your age, your address. And... what happened three years ago with Noctaria, too."
Mario nearly dropped his phone.
His fingers trembled.
(I've been hit.)
The back of his mind went blank white. His ears rang. The air in the room felt like it had thinned.
"Mario, are you okay? ...I'm coming over right now."
"...No, it's fine. I'm okay."
Mario answered reflexively.
But there was no way he was okay. He knew that better than anyone.
"Mario. Don't put on a brave face. ...I'm coming now. Wait for me."
Yuki said that and hung up.
Mario couldn't move for a while, still gripping his phone.
Outside the window, the morning sun blazed through the gaps between buildings.
(My everyday life is over.)
That's what he thought.
No—that wasn't it.
(It's been over for a long time.)
Since that night three years ago. All this time.
With trembling fingers, Mario opened the social media app.
His timeline was flooded with words he'd never seen before.
"So Tomari Mari's real identity is a guy? That's seriously gross."
"A fraud as the person behind the character? Unbelievable. So you've been lying to us this whole time?"
"You betrayed your fans. Give back the Super Chats."
"Disappear. You're disgusting. Fake woman."
"A survivor of Noctaria, and you had the nerve to stream like nothing happened."
"His address got leaked, lol. I'm gonna go pay him a visit."
Mario stopped his scrolling hand.
The screen blurred.
Tears spilled over.
(No. I never deceived anyone.)
(Usa-chan is a part of me.)
(What's wrong with changing my voice?)
Even as he thought that, his fingers wouldn't stop shaking.
He opened his notifications.
"Apologize to the fans you swindled."
"Because of you, my oshi is gone."
"Die."
"I've identified your address. I'm coming tonight."
In one hour, the notifications had exceeded five hundred.
Mario couldn't even bring himself to turn them off—he just gripped his phone.
His fingertips were cold.
The blood was draining from his face.
(Someone, help me.)
He screamed it in his heart.
But there was no one to help him.
No—there was one person.
Yuki was coming.
(...But I can't drag Yuki into this.)
Mario bit his lip.
The taste of iron spread through his mouth.
---
Thirty minutes later, Yuki came rushing into Mario's room.
Her shoulder-length black hair was disheveled. She must have run all the way. Her breathing was ragged.
"Mario!"
When Yuki spotted Mario sitting in the corner of the room, hugging his knees, she ran to him and threw her arms around him.
"I'm sorry. If only I'd noticed sooner..."
Yuki's arms wrapped around Mario's back. Her body heat seeped slowly into his chilled frame.
"...It's not your fault."
Mario buried his face in Yuki's shoulder.
Her hair carried a nostalgic scent of sunlight.
"...I'm finished."
His voice trembled.
"You're not finished. Nothing is over yet."
Yuki held Mario's body tightly.
"I'll protect you. I won't let anyone take away your place in this world."
Yuki's voice was quiet.
But her eyes shone with a strength of will Mario had never seen before.
---
Yuki immediately headed to Mario's desk.
She opened the laptop she'd brought, quickly scrolling through social media.
"The source of the spread is from the Echo Chamber Justice hashtag. ...It's that anti group. They all started moving at the same time that Rapu-chan's archive was deleted."
Yuki reported her findings calmly.
"And also, this. All your sponsorship deals have been canceled."
Yuki showed Mario the email screen.
"Regarding the recent matter, we regretfully must cancel the collaboration project..."
"We sincerely apologize, but given the current circumstances, we must void the contract..."
"Out of concern for reputational damage regarding your VTuber Tomari Mari, we will be postponing this tie-up..."
Three emails had arrived.
"...All of them canceled, huh."
Mario let out a dry laugh.
"Super Chats have plummeted too. Down 95% from last week. ...This week, only 12,000 yen."
Yuki's voice was shaking.
"12,000 yen... That won't even cover my living expenses for a month."
Mario muttered self-deprecatingly.
"Mario. What are you going to do about streaming?"
Yuki looked straight into Mario's eyes.
"...I'll do it. Let me do it."
Mario said it as if forcing the words out.
"...Are you serious?"
"I'm serious. I won't run. If I run, that's exactly what they want."
Mario clenched his trembling fist.
"...I understand. But don't push yourself. If anything happens, I'll cut the stream immediately."
Yuki looked at Mario with concern.
"I'm not pushing myself. I'm Usa-chan, after all."
Mario forced a smile.
But that smile was terribly awkward.
---
Thirty minutes before the stream was set to begin.
Mario sat in front of his PC, checking the voice changer settings.
Yuki was beside him, preparing the streaming software.
"Mario. Are you really going to do this?"
"I am. ...You worry too much."
Mario stared at the camera.
On the monitor, Tomari Mari was smiling.
Fluffy white hair, long ears, big pink eyes.
Today too, she was perfect.
(That's right. I am Usa-chan.)
(Just for now, I can forget the man that I am.)
Mario took a deep breath and pressed the stream button.
---
"Everyone, good morning! Thanks for coming to Usa-chan's room again today!"
Mario greeted cheerfully in Usa-chan's voice.
But the chat was silent.
Normally, hundreds of comments would flood in the moment the stream started.
But today was different.
The viewer count was 180 after three minutes.
One-twelfth of the usual.
"Huh? Is everyone still asleep today?"
Mario said that brightly.
But inside, he was being torn apart by fear.
(They're watching. Those people are watching.)
Comments began trickling into the chat.
"Disgusting."
"Fake woman."
"Disappear."
"Give back the Super Chats."
"A middle-aged guy behind the character? Hilarious."
"Die."
"Give back the money."
"Vanish."
The comment section was being buried in abuse.
Mario tried to keep smiling.
But the corners of his mouth twitched.
"Ahaha, everyone's a bit rowdy today, huh. ...Come on, let's keep the jokes to a minimum, okay?"
His voice trembled.
"We're not joking."
"You're a guy, right? How could you stream pretending to be a girl?"
"Was it fun, deceiving your fans?"
"Usa-chan doesn't exist anymore."
"You killed Usa-chan."
The comments wouldn't stop.
Mario bit his lip.
(No. I am Usa-chan.)
(Usa-chan is a part of me.)
(I am Usa-chan.)
"...Everyone, listen. I am Tomari Mari. That hasn't changed."
Mario forced the words out.
But the chat only grew more frenzied.
"He's doubling down."
"Disgusting."
"Reported."
"Filed a ban request with the platform."
"Because of you, the reputation of all VTubers is dropping."
"Take responsibility."
"Die and atone."
Mario tried to continue the stream.
But his fingers were shaking too much to move properly.
His vision blurred.
Tears threatened to spill.
(No. Don't cry. If I cry, I lose.)
Mario gritted his teeth.
Then, large text appeared on the stream screen.
"This stream has been forcibly terminated due to a violation of the terms of service."
The screen went black.
The stream was forcibly ended.
Only five minutes after it began.
---
"Mario..."
Yuki placed her hand on Mario's shoulder.
"...It's over. Everything is over."
Mario couldn't move from his chair.
"It's not over. You can stream again. You just need a cooling-off period right now."
Yuki gently rubbed Mario's back.
"...Yuki, are you okay?"
Mario turned around and looked at Yuki's face.
"Huh?"
"They're posting abuse on your social media too, aren't they. ...Calling you an accomplice, or Mario's woman."
At Mario's words, Yuki's expression clouded for a moment.
"...Don't worry about it. I'm fine."
Yuki forced a smile.
But her hand was trembling faintly.
"Liar. There's no way you're fine. ...Because of me, you're getting hurt too."
Mario grasped Yuki's hand.
"...Because of me, your life is falling apart."
Mario's voice was shaking.
"It's not your fault, Mario. The ones to blame are that anti group and Bunny Hunter."
Yuki squeezed Mario's hand back.
"I'm your manager. Protecting you is my job."
Yuki's eyes were serious.
---
Just then, Yuki's smartphone buzzed.
Yuki looked at the screen and her expression changed.
"...It's the landlord."
Yuki answered the phone with trembling hands.
"...Yes, this is Yuki. ...Huh? A complaint? ...Yes, I'm very sorry. ...Putting the lease renewal on hold...?"
Yuki's voice grew quieter and quieter.
"...I understand. ...Yes, I'm sorry for the trouble."
Yuki hung up.
"...Mario. The landlord filed a complaint. ...Saying it's too noisy. ...He wants to put the lease renewal on hold for now."
Yuki's voice was trembling.
"...What the hell is that. You didn't do anything wrong."
Mario's body shook with anger.
"...It seems they graffiti'd the front of my apartment again. ...So the landlord is troubled by it."
Yuki hung her head.
"...I'm sorry, Mario. I was supposed to handle things better."
Tears spilled from Yuki's eyes.
"You have nothing to apologize for! They're the ones who are wrong—all of them!"
Mario pulled Yuki tightly against him.
"I'll do something about it. Your apartment, your life—I'll protect them no matter what."
Holding Yuki, Mario swore fiercely in his heart.
(I want to protect Yuki.)
(I don't want to see Yuki break because of me anymore.)
(I don't want to lose Yuki.)
Deep in Mario's chest, something blazed hot.
It was a stronger emotion than anything he'd ever felt before.
(What is this?)
Mario still didn't know the name of the feeling that had been born in his heart.
But it was certainly a powerful desire to protect Yuki.
---
"Mario. I'm going to be away for a little while."
Yuki said quietly.
"What? Why?"
Mario stared at Yuki's face.
"A cooling-off period. ...Right now, if I'm by your side, it'll only provoke the antis more. ...I think it's better to put a little distance between us."
Yuki smiled gently.
"...But you're leaving too?"
Mario's voice was shaking.
"I'm not leaving. ...Just a little distance. I'll come back soon."
Yuki softly held Mario's hand.
"...Besides, there's something I need to do. To protect you."
Yuki's eyes shone with strong determination.
"Something you need to do...?"
"...It's a secret. But it will definitely help you. Trust me and wait."
Yuki said that and stood up.
"...Yuki, wait. I still haven't told you anything..."
Mario grabbed Yuki's arm.
"Mario. ...I've always—"
Yuki cut off her words mid-sentence.
"...been proud to be your manager."
She rephrased it.
"...Yuki?"
"Well then, see you. ...Don't push yourself."
Yuki gently released Mario's hand.
And without looking back, she left the room.
---
Yuki was gone.
The room fell silent.
The place where Yuki's warmth had been just moments ago suddenly felt cold.
Mario stared at the spot where Yuki had been sitting.
(Yuki isn't here.)
It was such an obvious thing, and yet the fact pressed heavily on Mario's chest.
(I was dependent on Yuki.)
Mario realized it f
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