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 bunny doesn't run away.
The rain was still falling.
Mario climbed the narrow staircase leading to the third floor of the multi-tenant building, his sneakers still soaked. The fluorescent light illuminated the stains on the walls. The air was a mix of cigarette smoke and old carpet, heavy enough to cling to the depths of his lungs.
(Here, no one will find me.)
How many internet cafes had he fled into thinking that, ones open twenty-four hours? He'd lost count.
At the reception counter, he silently held out his membership card. The young clerk glanced at Mario's wet hair and lifeless eyes, then said nothing.
"...You got a private room open?"
His voice was hoarse.
The clerk silently held out a key.
Mario took it and headed toward the back, killing the sound of his footsteps.
He closed the door.
Instantly, the world went silent.
The rain, the city noise, everything—it all faded into the distance.
What remained was only his breathing and the beating of his heart.
(Yuki, right about now...)
He stopped thinking.
If he thought about it, his chest ached like it was being gouged out.
Yuki's tear-streaked face was burned into the back of his eyelids, and it wouldn't leave.
"Sorry. I'm still going."
That's what he'd said when he left Yuki's apartment.
Yuki hadn't said anything.
She'd just stared at Mario with a face swollen from crying.
(I didn't want to make her look like that.)
(But if I stay close to Yuki, she's in danger.)
(I'm a plague. A jinx.)
(Everything I touch falls apart.)
Mario peeled off his wet jacket and threw it onto the floor.
Then he pulled a single file from his backpack.
Documents from the Noctalia video deletion incident three years ago.
When he'd left home, unconsciously, this file was the only thing he'd taken with him.
(This is all I have.)
(This is the only clue that will expose the truth.)
Mario opened the file.
The feel of the paper was cold against his fingertips.
The scent of ink faintly tickled his nose.
He turned the pages, one by one, carefully.
An overview of the incident.
The Noctalia member list.
A catalog of the deleted archives.
And on the last page, the access logs from the night of the incident were recorded in dense detail.
Mario stared at that page as if devouring it.
Timestamps.
2:14 AM.
2:31 AM.
2:58 AM.
3:22 AM.
3:47 AM.
3:59 AM.
"...External unauthorized access."
Mario muttered aloud.
The documents clearly stated it.
Between 2 AM and 4 AM—the time of the incident—there had been unauthorized external access.
(What does this mean?)
(The archives disappeared because of an external attack?)
(Then I...)
Mario's heart began to pound.
His mind spun in circles.
Three years ago, that night, Mario had been watching Noctalia's stream.
Just as an ordinary viewer.
And then, suddenly, the screen went black.
The archives disappeared, one after another.
Mario couldn't understand what was happening.
He could only stare blankly at the vanishing screen.
(I couldn't do anything.)
(But was that really my fault?)
(Was it caused by external unauthorized access?)
Mario set the documents on the desk.
His fingers were trembling.
(I've spent three years blaming myself.)
(Because I did nothing, Noctalia was destroyed.)
(Mizuki abandoned me—she attempted suicide because of me.)
(But... was I wrong?)
(Was I not the perpetrator, but the victim?)
Mario drew a deep breath.
Cold air flowed into his lungs.
(I don't know.)
(I still don't know anything.)
(But there's one thing I'm certain of.)
(This file hides a truth I don't know.)
(And the one who knows that truth is Rapu-chan.)
Mario pulled out his phone.
Countless notifications had piled up on the screen.
Slander.
Threats.
Words telling him to die.
Mario ignored them all and tapped Rapu-chan's number.
The ringtone echoed coldly in his ear.
One ring.
Two rings.
Three rings.
"...Hello?"
Rapu-chan's voice had lost its usual brightness.
"Rapu. It's me."
" Mario-kun!? Where are you right now!? It's been terrible—Rapu's been trying to reach you this whole time!"
Rapu-chan's voice suddenly sped up.
"...I'm at an internet cafe. More importantly, I need to ask you something."
Mario said it as calmly as he could manage.
" ...What?"
Rapu-chan's voice went stiff with tension.
"Three years ago, the night Noctalia's archives disappeared—you were there, weren't you?"
"...Yeah."
"Then tell me. Who deleted the archives that night? Do you really not know?"
Mario's voice was shaking.
But his eyes looked straight ahead.
On the other end of the line, he heard Rapu-chan gasp.
Silence.
A long, long silence.
Only the ticking of the clock's second hand sounded, strangely loud.
"...I saw it."
Rapu-chan's voice was thin and trembling.
"I saw it. But I can't say who it was. Because that person protected Rapu."
"Protected you?"
" ...I'm sorry, Mario-kun. Rapu wants to tell you, but can't. If I say that person's name, they'll break."
Rapu-chan's voice grew wet with tears.
Mario bit his lip.
(Rapu knows.)
(But she can't say.)
(That person protected Rapu.)
(In other words, the one who deleted the archives wasn't an outsider.)
(It was someone inside Noctalia.)
In Mario's mind, memories of three years ago flashed back.
The faces of Noctalia's members.
The leader, Mizuki.
And one more person.
(Who?)
(That night, the person who was inside Noctalia and in a position to protect Rapu...)
" Mario-kun, please. Don't corner Rapu any further..."
Rapu-chan's sobs echoed through the phone.
"...I understand. I won't ask anymore."
Mario said that and hung up.
He set the phone on the floor.
(The person who protected Rapu.)
(Someone inside Noctalia.)
(And the one who drove Mizuki into a corner.)
Mario opened the file once more.
He stared intently at the member list page.
On it were written Mizuki, Rapu-chan, and Mario's own name.
(No. I wasn't an official member.)
(I was just a collaborator.)
(But my name is on this list.)
(Why?)
Mario tilted his head.
(Did someone put my name on here without asking?)
(Or else...)
Just then, his phone vibrated.
He looked at the screen.
The caller was Yuki.
Mario's heart leaped.
His fingers trembled.
(I can't answer.)
(If I hear Yuki's voice, I'll...)
Mario tried to ignore the call.
But his finger moved on its own and pressed the answer button.
"...Hello."
His voice shook.
" Mario. Thank goodness you're safe."
Yuki's voice was calm, just as always.
But hidden beneath it was a faint tremor.
"...Yuki, I—"
" Listen. I found it."
Yuki's voice suddenly turned serious.
"Found what?"
" Bunny Hunter's real identity. His real name and address."
Mario lost his words.
His mind went blank.
" I traced the anti accounts one by one. Then I reached a certain account. From its posting history, location data was leaking. So I identified him."
Yuki explained it matter-of-factly.
But her voice was trembling faintly.
(Yuki did something that dangerous alone...)
Something grew hot deep in Mario's chest.
" Why did you do that by yourself!? It's dangerous!"
Mario's voice rose before he could stop it.
" Because I wanted to protect you, Mario."
Yuki's voice was kind.
" I'm your manager. Protecting you is my job."
"...Yuki."
Tears spilled from Mario's eyes.
He couldn't stop them.
" I'm sorry. I was wrong."
Mario's voice was a mess of tears.
" I carried everything alone without telling you anything. Without thinking about your feelings. I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry."
The tears wouldn't stop.
Three years' worth of regret came flooding out all at once.
" No. I'm sorry too. I should have told you sooner."
Yuki's voice was wet with tears too.
" Come home. Mario. I'm here. I always have been, since long ago."
Those words seeped deep into the bottom of Mario's heart.
(Come home.)
(I'm here.)
(Always, since long ago.)
Mario cried out loud.
Like a child, he sobbed and sobbed.
On the other end of the line, he could hear Yuki crying quietly.
"...I understand. I'm coming home. I'm coming to you right now."
Mario said it while wiping his tears.
" Okay. I'll be waiting. I'll always be waiting."
He hung up.
Mario put the file back in his backpack.
Then he stood.
(I'll go home to Yuki.)
(And we'll fight together.)
(I won't carry it alone anymore.)
Mario opened the door to the private room.
The outside air touched his skin, cold.
The rain had weakened since before.
Through a gap in the clouds, moonlight filtered faintly through.
Mario stepped into a puddle with his wet sneakers.
Water splashed up.
(Let's run.)
(To Yuki.)
Mario started running through the rain.
---
It was thirty minutes later when he arrived at Yuki's apartment.
He pressed the intercom.
The door opened immediately.
" Mario!"
Yuki stood there, her face a mess of tears.
Her shoulder-length black hair was disheveled.
" Welcome home. Mario."
Yuki threw herself at Mario.
Mario held her tightly in return.
Yuki's warmth seeped slowly into his chilled body.
" I'm home. Yuki."
Tears spilled from Mario's eyes again.
The two of them stood at the entryway for a while, holding each other.
The sound of rain could be heard in the distance.
---
" This is Bunny Hunter's real name and address."
Once they were inside, Yuki held out a memo to Mario.
Mario stared at it.
"...Takamura Makoto."
Mario read the name aloud.
" Takamura Makoto. Thirty-two years old. Former IT engineer. Currently a freelance security consultant. His address is here, in the city."
Yuki explained it matter-of-factly.
" And he had a younger sister. Takamura Mizuki. Noctalia's leader, who went missing three years ago."
Mario gripped the memo.
The paper crinkled.
"...Mizuki's older brother."
Mario remembered that night.
Bunny Hunter's cold gray eyes.
'I remember the sin you've forgotten.'
Those words echoed in his mind.
" Mario. I've been thinking."
Yuki looked straight at Mario's face.
" Let's go meet Bunny Hunter directly."
"...Go meet him?"
" Yes. We'll talk. Running away won't solve anything. Besides, he's misunderstood something about his sister. We have to clear that up."
Yuki's eyes were straight ahead, filled with strong will.
Looking into those eyes, Mario's heart trembled.
(Yuki is strong.)
(Much stronger than me.)
"...All right. Let's go. Together."
Mario said that and stood.
Yuki stood too.
The two of them stepped out into the rain.
---
Bunny Hunter's address was an old apartment building in the city.
Mario and Yuki stood in front of it.
The rain had completely stopped.
Through a gap in the clouds, stars were visible.
" This is the place."
Yuki whispered softly into Mario's ear.
"Yeah."
Mario nodded.
His heart was pounding so loudly it was unbearable.
His fingertips were cold.
(It's okay. I'm not alone.)
(Yuki is beside me.)
Mario took a deep breath.
Then he pressed the intercom.
The ping-pong sound echoed through the quiet night.
After a moment, the door opened.
There stood a man wearing a black hood pulled deep over his head.
Bunny Hunter.
Takamura Makoto.
" ...You came."
The man looked down at Mario and Yuki with cold gray eyes.
" I told you to come alone."
" I came with him. I didn't want to leave Mario alone."
Yuki stepped forward and said it.
The man stared at Yuki.
" ...Come in."
The man said that and turned his back.
Mario and Yuki followed him.
The room was stark.
One computer.
One desk.
One chair.
That was all.
" Sit."
The man sat in the chair.
Mario and Yuki sat on the floor.
" There's something I want to show you."
The man pulled a notebook from the desk drawer.
It was Mizuki's diary—the one he'd held out to Mario that night.
" Read this. Can you still say you're innocent after that?"
The man placed the diary in front of Mario.
Mario picked it up with trembling hands.
He opened it.
A girl's round handwriting filled the pages.
'Mario-kun didn't help me.'
'Why did you ignore me? Why didn't you help me? I believed in you, Mario-kun.'
He turned the page.
'But really, I want
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