《Koi wa Yozora wo Watatte》 Volume 1 - Prologue On the other side of the screen, nearly a hundred viewers were waiting for me. In the darkened room, the computer display was like a gateway to another world. The familiar streaming software on the screen showed a list of scenes, a list of sources, the audio mixer, and an image of the stream. In a corner of the screen, the time remaining counted down second by second. There were still two minutes remaining until the start of the stream. ¡°¡­ Phew.¡± I looked at the remaining time and breathed deeply. I¡¯ve been streaming for about ¡­ half a year now? I had tried to avoid getting involved with other people, but it has been half a year since I started interacting with people over the internet. Thanks to that, I¡¯ve gotten quite used to talking to other people. I¡¯m rarely at a loss for words anymore, and I¡¯ve even started to attract some regular listeners. Even so, this feeling of nervousness right before the stream starts never changes. That¡¯s why©¤©¤ ¡°¡­ Okay.¡± ©¤©¤like always, I began my ¡°routine¡±. I quickly organized my desk, and placed things in their designated places one by one. The streaming equipment and accessories in their rightful places almost felt like reassuring friends protecting me. After completing the routine, I performed a final status check1. ¡°¡­ Mic OK, headphones OK, application OK, tea OK. Hmm ¡­ Throat also OK.¡± ©¤©¤With that, my preparations were complete. By the time I looked at the clock, there were less than ten seconds until the start of the stream. The number of people waiting for the stream had reached 150. It was time to get started. ¡°Okay ¡­¡± I reached for the mouse and took a deep breath. And then©¤©¤ ¡°¡­ Start¡± With my index finger, I started the stream. ©¤©¤Now, let¡¯s talk about love again tonight. Translator Notes: 1. The original text uses Ö¸¤µ¤·´_ÕJ, which refers to pointing and calling. I don¡¯t think that term is used often colloquially so I replaced it. Volume 1 - CH 1 ¡°Damn, I haven¡¯t finished this assignment at all ¡­¡± While facing the study desk in my room, I muttered this involuntarily to myself as I wrote words in my notebook. ¡°There¡¯s too many, and there¡¯s not even an upcoming test¡­¡± French Revolution, Napoleonic Wars, Vienna Settlement¡­ I realized I forgot to do this assignment and started working on it in a hurry¡­ No matter how much progress I made, I couldn¡¯t see the end of it. Or rather, judging from how much of the textbook is left, this is going to take another hour or two, isn¡¯t it? There¡¯s still about half of the textbook left, right? Looking at the clock, the time was about to hit midnight. At this rate I¡¯ll be going to school tomorrow with a lack of sleep¡­ ¡°¡­ Haah¡± A sigh escaped my lips. Why is it that only urgent tasks take so much time and effort? Why doesn¡¯t something like that ever happen? Is there only a pattern like that? Why is God so cruel¡­ ¡°Haa¡­ Guess I¡¯ll do it while listening to a stream.¡± While talking to myself, I picked up my phone. At times like this, I could use a change of pace. It¡¯s kind of depressing to just keep working away alone. I opened an app for a manga site and navigated to the list of current streamers. The streams recommended for me were displayed in a row. It seemed like there were many streamers streaming on their channels today. ¡°YouTubers, VTubers1, comedians¡­ Oh, looks like a high schooler is doing this internet radio¡­¡± It was a streamer I¡¯ve never seen before. They weren¡¯t a very famous YouTuber, but they were a decently popular streamer. The thumbnail was a free-to-use image of a simple landscape. ¡°150 viewers, and it just started. Guess this¡¯ll be the one.¡± Without thinking, I clicked on the thumbnail of the stream. After confirming that it had started playing, I put my smartphone down on the desk. I don¡¯t know what kind of stream it is, but as long as my ears aren¡¯t lonely, it¡¯ll be ok. ¡°¡­ Eh, is the volume ok? Seems fine to me.¡± A voice like that trickled out of the speakers along with the background music. ¡°Well then¡­ Love is difficult to understand, isn¡¯t it? Good evening, I¡¯m Saki.¡± ¡°Huh, so the streamer is a girl¡­¡± I mumbled to myself as I moved my mechanical pencil through my notebook. She had a calm voice that suited the chill beat quite well. However, her voice was rather cute, with a high pitch that sounded pleasing to the ears, and the contrast between her voice and her calm tone was quite interesting. Well, personally I didn¡¯t care either way. ¡°The radio program ¡®Love Crosses the Night Sky¡¯2 has started again this week. I think it will last about an hour again tonight. If possible, I would like to talk with all of you, so please stay with me until the very end. ¡­ Now then, how has everyone been this week? It¡¯s gotten a lot cooler lately, and it¡¯s been great for reading, especially considering how nice the weather has been.¡± ¡°¡­ Hm?¡± After listening until that point, it suddenly struck me. ¡°Somehow, this voice¡­¡± I felt like I¡¯d heard that voice before. It felt like I had been talking to a girl with a similar voice quite recently¡­ ¡°I was reading books after I got home until just a little while ago. It¡¯s been a while since I found a good novel, and I was even reading it during dinner. Haha, of course, I was scolded for doing that. ¡° ¡°Eh¡­ Misuno?¡± I soon realized who it was. I stopped writing and reflexively looked at my phone. ¡°That voice¡­ Isn¡¯t that Misuno?¡± ©¤©¤Misuno. ©¤©¤Misuno Saki. My junior at my high school, and a first-year student who was part of the library committee with me. This streamer¡¯s voice, including their tone, sounded exactly like hers©¤©¤or rather, it was totally hers. Unaware of my bewilderment, ¡°Saki¡± continued to talk. ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s keep our hobbies in moderation. Although I may be the only one who¡¯s this sloppy. Ah, by the way, regarding love¡­ yeah, there¡¯s no progress there.¡± ¡°Love!?¡± I yelled out while dropping my mechanical pencil. ¡°Um, actually, I¡¯ve had a bit of a setback. I hope we¡¯ll be able to talk about this more over email again later.¡± ¡°Seriously¡­!? That Misuno Saki is talking about love!?¡± I reflexively grabbed my phone. Love¡­ Misuno, you¡¯re not the type of person to talk about such things!? After all, she¡­ is always so cold¡­ She has a difficult personality and is only interested in books¡­ ¡°¡­ No wait, calm down. Is it really her?¡± I put down the phone and took a deep breath. Although my heart was pounding and I felt strangely upset and confused¡­ for starters, let¡¯s calm down. ¡°Calmly remember. Misuno¡¯s voice¡­ What I talked to her about at school¡­¡± In my head, I reflected back on the conversation that I had with her at school. * ¡°These two books are due next Wednesday.¡± In the library after school, just before closing, Misuno was lending out the last book of the day. ¡°It¡¯s a public holiday that day, so be careful not to forget.¡± While putting the returned books back onto the shelf, I glanced over at her. She had short black hair, and eyes like a cat. Despite her short stature, if you looked closely, her face was mature and well-developed. She handed books to students without any wasted movements, already exuding the aura of a seasoned library committee member despite only being a first-year student. While laughing a little at how reliable she was, I returned the paperback book back to its proper position on the shelf. ©¤©¤Misuno Saki. A first-year student who, along with me, was responsible for Wednesdays on the library committee. Ever since the two of us were assigned to Wednesdays in April, we¡¯ve been meeting in the library every week after school, busying ourselves with committee work such as lending out books and placing books back on their shelves. In terms of her interests, I would say that Misuno prefers novels more on the niche side.3 She loves literary fiction4 and is always reading books, but these aren¡¯t her only hobbies. She also follows the latest culture, arts, and entertainment. She¡¯s apparently even interested in dressing fashionably. Even now, she wears a hoodie underneath her school uniform, and even a stranger would recognize her good fashion sense. On the other hand, I, Hasegawa Soichi, am¡­ well, normal. Not an ounce of taste or literary sophistication at all. That¡¯s why, even though I¡¯m a second-year student, she ended up helping me out on a few occasions, so it feels like I can¡¯t hold my head high around her. ¡°Whew, thanks for the hard work Misuno, I¡¯m all done returning the books over here.¡± I said, approaching her as the last student was leaving. When Misuno looked up at me, she spoke in a flat voice without a smile. ¡°Thanks for the hard work, senpai5. But your voice is really loud. Please be quiet in the library.¡± ¡°Huh? Everyone aside from us already left, so isn¡¯t it fine? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m causing problems for anyone else.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the problem. These are the rules.¡± ¡°¡­I see. Sorry, I¡¯ll be careful next time.¡± With a serious look on her face, Misuno warned me. Although I felt like she was being a little too harsh, she had a point. Certainly, it¡¯s not a good idea to break the rules. Incidentally, the hoodie Misuno was wearing was considered acceptable by school standards. She¡¯s quite diligent in that regard. After sincerely apologizing, I picked up my bag from the counter. ¡°¡­ Ok, it¡¯s about 4:30 now so it¡¯s about time to close up.¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go.¡± After nodding to each other, we carefully locked the doors. Then we left for the staff room. * ¡°©¤©¤Pardon the intrusion.¡± After returning the key to the key box, we exited the staff room. I walked through the empty corridors to the entrance alongside Misuno. Looking out the window, I could see the baseball team cleaning up their practice equipment in the school yard. The sky above them was changing from pale blue to orange. ¡°¡­ Still, Misuno, you¡¯re really fast when lending out books.¡± On a whim, I called out to the girl next to me. ¡°Even though you only joined the library committee half a year ago, we finished on time. If it were me, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to handle it yet. Your progress has been amazingly fast. You work as precisely as a machine, and your fast handiwork has no wasted movements. Your skills have already surpassed mine, and I¡¯ve been working as a library committee member for a year and a half. It¡¯s already at the level of a craftman¡¯s art, and if it were turned into a video and posted online it would probably be a hit overseas. Something like ¡®Amazing Japanese school girl (in Library)6¡®.¡± However©¤©¤ ¡°This is normal.¡± Misuno responded with a nonchalant look on her face. ¡°I¡¯m just not making any unnecessary movements. If anything, senpai is too slow.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°You¡¯re too careful when reading the barcodes, and you stare too long at the covers. Also, you sometimes talk to people who come to borrow books. It¡¯d probably be better if you didn¡¯t do that. While we were arguing with each other, we reached the entrance. Even as I changed my shoes, I still wasn¡¯t quite convinced. ¡°Eh©¤©¤. But, don¡¯t you ever feel like talking to someone who borrows a book you¡¯re interested in?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t. In the first place, talking is strictly forbidden in the library. What will we do if we break that rule?¡± ¡°Well, you have a point.¡± After leaving the entrance and passing by the fountain, we exited the main gate and headed towards the station along the residential street. ¡°By the way, senpai?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°How long do you plan on following me?¡± ¡°¡­ Eh, but Misuno, you said you lived in Ni-chome7 didn¡¯t you? I also live around there, so I thought I¡¯d stay with you until we got there.¡± My house was in San-chome, and Misuno¡¯s was in the neighboring Ni-chome. Relatively speaking, we lived fairly close together. Our houses were probably less than a ten minute walk away from each other. I had no idea, but it seemed like we went to the same elementary and middle school. In that case, rather than walking home alone, I thought it would be better to walk home together while making idle talk. It¡¯s been quite hectic until now, but having a day like this isn¡¯t so bad once in a while. That¡¯s what I thought, so I walked next to her without a second thought, but©¤©¤. ¡°¡­You know.¡± Misuno suddenly stopped and looked back at me. ¡°I would like to walk home on my own.¡± ¡°¡­ Eh©¤©¤¡± ¡°There¡¯s a lot that I want to think about, and I happen to like the peace and quiet.¡± ¡°Ok¡­ But can¡¯t we talk a little more?¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°Ummm¡­ ah! Like what about your favorite books?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t even have the same tastes, right?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true. I don¡¯t have any idea about what Misuno likes¡­¡± ¡°I, on the other hand, think the books that senpai likes are too simple. I¡¯m sorry, but that¡¯s why we should part here.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± If that¡¯s what she thinks, then I guess I can¡¯t force her¡­ It¡¯s not like I have a reason to want to go home together with her either¡­ ¡°Got it¡­ Then take care. See you next week.¡± ¡°Yes, see you next week.¡± Nodding her head with a quick bow, Misuno quickly walked away. While watching her walk away, I thought she looked kind of like a stray cat and sighed again. * ¡°©¤©¤I¡¯m home©¤©¤¡± After separating with Misuno, I arrived home. After taking off my shoes in the entryway, my little sister came out from the living room. ¡°Welcome back. You¡¯re late, onii8.¡± ¡°Yeah, I was in charge of the library committee today.¡± ¡°I see, today¡¯s Wednesday after all.¡± My sister, Hasegawa Nico, peeked at me while saying this in a carefree attitude. With a smaller body than the already petite Misuno, hair tied up on both sides, and a face that looked a lot like mine, she looked at me innocently. ¡­Well, only parts of her resembled me. Her whole appearance was very much that of a girl. In fact, she had the kind of charm that made even me, her brother, think she¡¯s ¡°cute¡±. ¡­Humans are truly mysterious creatures. Even if they look exactly the same, the overall impression they give off can be totally different. Well, they also tend to have some differences deep down inside, and I don¡¯t mean just their charm or cuteness. Then, an idea suddenly struck me©¤©¤ ¡°Actually, would you hear me out?¡± As I walked down the hallway, I called out to Nico. ¡°My junior was super cold to me. I kept trying to talk to her about various topics but she was totally indifferent to them.¡± ¡°Huh. Are you sure it wasn¡¯t because you were being too pushy, onii?¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible I was a little pushy, but as fellow members of the library committee, wouldn¡¯t it be good to deepen our friendship?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± While nodding, Nico looked a bit thoughtful. ¡°¡­ By the way, is that person a girl?¡± ¡°Yes, but©¤©¤¡± ¡°Then there¡¯s no helping it. If you act nice in such a situation, there are quite a few guys who will misunderstand and approach you.¡± ¡°Is that so? Just from talking together on the way home¡­¡± ¡­Is what I said, but if I were walking home with the girl I liked, it¡¯s possible that I might get the wrong idea. If I were leaving school with the person I had a crush on, I have a feeling that I¡¯d be pretty excited. Although that¡¯s never happened to me before. ¡­ Huh? How does Nico know about something like that¡­ ¡°¡­ Wait, Nico, does that mean someone¡¯s hit on you before!?¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯m actually quite popular, you know.¡± ¡°Seriously¡­!?¡± Nico¡­! Even though she was only an elementary school girl just a little while ago! Even though she was an innocent child who liked Nichi Asa Kids Time9 and didn¡¯t care about love! When did she grow up so much¡­! ¡­ But I see, Nico¡¯s already a second-year middle school student. If even I, her older brother, thinks she¡¯s cute, then it wouldn¡¯t be a surprise if she had a love affair or two¡­ ¡°But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve got it all under control.¡± Nico followed up with that statement, making me wonder if my thoughts were showing on my face. ¡°And if it¡¯s like that for me, then it has to be even worse for people who are beautiful. Maybe that person is also really beautiful?¡± ¡°¡­Now that you mention it I guess that¡¯s right.¡± I had never really thought about it, but I think Misuno is quite beautiful. Her face is well-proportioned, and her uniform is stylish, so it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if someone liked her. In that case¡­ ¡°I see, so maybe she¡¯s also been pestered by guys getting the wrong idea before.¡± ¡°Like I said, that¡¯s exactly what you did to her just now.¡± ¡°Are you serious!?¡± ¡°Well, please be careful not to get reported.¡± After saying that, Nico pattered back to the living room. ¡°Report¡­¡± Although I was surprised by Nico¡¯s exaggerated warning, I responded, ¡°¡­ But, I¡¯ll be careful.¡± Somehow, it felt like being too careless would be dangerous, so I subtly braced myself. ¡­ What Nico says often happens to be right. * ©¤©¤That evening. After finishing my preparations for tomorrow and completing my assignments, all that was left was to take a bath and go to sleep. I picked up the guitar and started playing a phrase that came to mind. ¡°¡­ Fufufufu~n¡± This time was one of the happiest moments of my day. A time when there is nothing that I need to do, when I can simply do what I like to my heart¡¯s content. The phrase that I came up with earlier was surprisingly good and fun to play. I wish I could stay like this forever, just carefreely playing the guitar and humming a song. ¡°©¤©¤Hey, onii!¡± At that moment, there was a knock on the door to my room. ¡°Ah, you can come in.¡± When I responded in a loud voice, the door opened and Nico peeked inside. ¡°Your guitar playing just now sounded good. Is it a new song?¡± ¡°Yeah, I also like it. Should we use this next time?¡± ¡°Sure. When it¡¯s all done email it to me.¡± ¡­Hmm. From the looks of it, this is going to be the ¡°next work¡±. I don¡¯t really have any objections to that, so let¡¯s hurry up and record the idea so I can send it to Nico. ¡°Also, the bath is empty now.¡± ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll go in now.¡± I put down the guitar and got up from the chair. ©¤©¤At that moment, a printout, which had been left on the desk, fell down onto the floor. ¡°¡­ Huh? What¡¯s this?¡± I picked the printout off the floor and checked what was written on out©¤©¤ ¡°Ah! Crap, I totally forgot!¡± ¡°Oh? Is something wrong?¡± ¡°I had a world history assignment today. I forgot to do it¡­¡± Mr. Suginuma is infamous for coming up with problems out of the blue. Once again, he suddenly said, ¡°Please submit a notebook containing the contents of this week¡¯s lesson in the form of this printout.¡± It completely slipped my mind¡­ No, I actually may have not wanted to do it so badly that I purged it from my brain¡­ ¡°I see. So should our parents go in first?¡± ¡°¡­ Yeah. Sorry for the inconvenience, but I guess that¡¯s how it¡¯s going to have to be.¡± I really don¡¯t feel like doing it, but since I remembered I guess I don¡¯t have a choice. If I don¡¯t submit it, it could affect my grade¡­ I guess I have to do it now. ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll let them know.¡± Nico quietly left the room. While seeing her off, I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration. ¡°Ahh, what a mistake. Well, at least I remembered it.¡± ¡­ Yeah, that¡¯s right. There¡¯s no point crying about it. Since I remembered about it, I should just finish it quickly without complaining. ¡°¡­ Yeah, let¡¯s do this.¡± After nodding once, I pulled out my notebook and textbook and grabbed a pen. * The notebook¡¯s pages were still almost completely blank. My hand holding the pen and my body were almost completely rigid. And then©¤©¤ ¡°Now then, this week as well, I would like to continue hearing about the issues you are facing, and think together with you on how best to solve them. Now, for the first letter.¡± As usual, the sound of ¡°her¡± talk came out of my smartphone. The streamer ¡°Saki¡±. A high school girl with a voice that is both calm and cute. And that sound©¤©¤ ¡°¡­ No matter how much I listen to it, that has to be Misuno¡¯s voice, right? I can¡¯t help but think that it¡¯s her.¡± ©¤©¤I was practically convinced I was right. Looking back on what happened today, I replayed my conversation with her in my head and thought again. They¡¯re the same. Misuno¡¯s and ¡°Saki¡¯s¡± voices are exactly the same. I think it¡¯s almost impossible for them to be different people. But©¤©¤ ¡°Thank you for the anonymous submission. Um, the email says, ¡®There¡¯s a person I like, but I¡¯m too scared to take the first step. I feel like I¡¯m about to explode, but I just don¡¯t know what to do. Saki-san10, do you ever feel like that?¡¯¡± On the other side of the phone, Saki continues talking. There¡¯s just one thing that¡¯s bugging me. ¡°Yeah¡­ Well, I really get that feeling. You can¡¯t take the first step towards the person you like, since you feel uneasy and you somehow want to keep some distance from them. You know, today I also pushed away the person that I liked. I was scared of getting close to them.¡± ¡°¡­ She pushed him away because she was scared. Misuno would never do something like that¡­¡± That¡¯s right¡­ It¡¯s not like her. There¡¯s something that doesn¡¯t match up between how Misuno usually acts, and the streamer Saki¡¯s statement. Misuno is more curt and strong-willed, and she¡¯s definitely not the type to talk about love. On the other hand Saki is delicate, interested in love, and even streams online. Their voice is exactly the same, but their personalities are too different. That¡¯s why¡­ just a little more. If I can find a few more things that they share in common, I can be more confident¡­ While I was thinking that, at that exact timing©¤©¤ ¡°Um, I¡¯ve talked about how I like novels before right? At school, I¡¯m a library committee member.¡± ©¤©¤Without thinking, I got up from my chair. ¡°I think that is also because I am afraid to interact with people. If what you¡¯re interacting with is a story, then it¡¯s impossible for you to hurt them right?¡± ©¤©¤Likes novels. ©¤©¤On the library committee. ¡­ They¡¯re the same. They¡¯re exactly the same interests as Misuno¡¯s. ¡°Even though I¡¯m like this, this spring I found someone that I liked¡­ Yeah, that¡¯s why I started this radio. If possible, I¡¯d like to get used to dealing with people. Not directly, but¡­ what it is called again? I wanted to practice engaging with people through the thin veneer of the radio, or something like that. That¡¯s why I think you should also find some way to practice this©¤©¤¡± ¡°©¤©¤With this, isn¡¯t it practically confirmed?¡± As I sat back in my chair, I realized that my heart was pounding. No matter how many times I go over it in my head¡­ yeah. I think it¡¯s safe to say that it¡¯s confirmed. Saki is without a doubt Misuno¡­! ¡°So she was a streamer. She didn¡¯t seem like the type at all¡­ But at this point, the possibility of them being different people is¡­ Also, the streamer¡¯s name is Saki¡­ the same as Misuno¡¯s given name¡­¡± Even though it was almost autumn, I was drenched in sweat. What is this¡­ For some reason, I feel really anxious. An acquaintance of mine may have been livestreaming, and I happened to find it by coincidence¡­ I don¡¯t know why, but I¡¯m really shocked. Unaware of how I was feeling, Saki continued answering email consultations on the other side of the phone. ¡°©¤©¤I think you should apologize for this. I understand that you are shocked, and that it hurts being treated like a child, but the man you are talking to is¡­ in his late 20s. On the other hand, Biwako-san is a first-year high school student, right?¡± ¡°She answers questions so politely. I¡¯m amazed she can put her thoughts into words like that. Not to mention, the number of viewers keeps on growing.¡± Saki¡¯s speech was as smooth as a major streamer¡¯s. If it were me, I wouldn¡¯t be able to do this, so she probably has a lot of experience. So Misuno could talk like this, huh. Words flowing smoothly one after the other¡­ What¡¯s more¡­ ¡°Whoa, there¡¯s already two hundred people¡­ This is pretty popular isn¡¯t it? Isn¡¯t it pretty amazing that a high school student is able to gather this many viewers?¡± I think I watch live streams fairly frequently. I like watching famous YouTubers and VTubers, and I also like watching music-related streams. Although she can¡¯t compete against professional streamers, the normal high school girl Misuno is talking in front of two hundred people. Assuming a class has forty people, a total of five classes worth of people are coming to hear her talk¡­ ¡­ That¡¯s seriously amazing. You¡¯re famous, Misuno¡­ And©¤©¤there¡¯s one more thing I¡¯m curious about. ¡°¡­ So you had someone you liked¡­¡± ¡­ That¡¯s right. Saki said that in the middle of the stream without hesitation. The line about finding someone she liked this spring. ¡°¡­ I didn¡¯t realize at all. What kind of person is that boy?¡± Leaning my body on the backrest, I tried thinking about it. ¡°What kind of person would Misuno like? Is it someone I know¡­?¡± For the time being, we have several common acquaintances. For example, the members of the library committee and the associated teachers. However¡­ Yeah, I didn¡¯t really get that feeling from any of them. There wasn¡¯t really anyone that she seemed like she might like. ¡°©¤©¤So, Biwako-san, thank you for your letter. I didn¡¯t think it was someone else¡¯s problem as well. Saying horrible things to the person you love¡­¡± On the other side of the screen, Saki just happened to start talking about her own love life. ¡°Um, I also messed up today¡­ ¡° ¡°Haha, Misuno¡¯s even tough on the person she loves, huh. It must be rough for them as well¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but start laughing alone in the room. For some reason, I thought I could imagine that scene. A scene where Misuno loves the other person so much, that she says horrible things to them. ¡­ Yeah, I think it could happen. If it¡¯s her, then she might do that to the person she loves. ¡°Haah¡­ why did I turn him down?¡± On the other side of the phone, Saki is still lamenting her mistake. ¡°At that time, I should have just honestly accepted Senpai¡¯s invitation¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± ©¤©¤That line. Saki¡¯s words made me remember my unease. ¡­ Senpai? ¡­ Invitation? For some reason, it feels like I remember something like that¡­ And then©¤©¤I had a strange premonition. I began to sense that something was about to happen©¤©¤ As if to confirm my suspicions, Saki continued. ¡°©¤©¤Even though we had the opportunity to walk home together¡­¡± ¡­ Walk home, together¡­ ¡­ Senpai, invitation¡­ ¡­ In other words, the one she likes¡­ ¡°©¤©¤Me!?¡± ©¤©¤I yelled out loud. The sound echoed briefly in my room at night before eventually disappearing. Translator Notes 1. VTubers, short for Virtual YouTubers, are streamers who use computer-generated virtual avatars. Hololive and Nijisanji are examples of VTuber agencies. 2. Title drop. The name of her stream is the same as the series title. Hopefully there¡¯s no Shingeki no Kyojin situation where the title has a hidden meaning. 3. The raw uses ¥µ¥Ö¥«¥ëϵ, which means subculture-oriented, as opposed to main culture. 4. The raw uses ¼ƒÎÄѧ, which is ¡°pure literature¡±, or literature as a form of art, rather than for the sake of appealing to readers. This is often contrasted against popular literature. 5. Probably doesn¡¯t need mentioning, but this is a way of referring to someone with seniority over you. Can be someone in your school who¡¯s a grade or more above you, or a work colleague with more experience. I try to translate honorifics only when it makes sense in English, otherwise I¡¯ll leave it as is, since they¡¯re pretty ubiquitous. 6. He actually says this in English. 7. An area in Shinjuku. 8. Also probably doesn¡¯t need mentioning but this is a way to refer to older men, usually your older brother(s) but can also be used as a form of ¡°mister¡±. 9. The raw uses ÈÕ¥¢¥µ which I think refers to this. It¡¯s a Sunday morning TV time slot for kids. 10. Gender-neutral honorific. Tends to indicate the characters have a certain degree of distance (whether it be age, or just familiarity), but this may not always be the case. Volume 1 - CH 2 ©¤©¤In front of me was the door to the library. It was a common, cream colored, wooden sliding door that I had opened and closed more times than I could count. The grain of the wood peeked through several places where the paint had cracked. ¡°¡­ Ugh, I¡¯m so nervous.¡± I was alone in front of that door, hesitating to go in. On the other side©¤©¤Misuno Saki was there. This Wednesday as well, she and I were working as library committee members after school. In other words¡­ it was the first day we¡¯d meet face to face since I listened in on that stream¡­ The sound of chimes echoed around the area. It was time to open the door. I still hadn¡¯t calmed my nerves. My heart kept beating at about one hundred and fifty beats per minute. ¡°¡­ But there¡¯s no turning back now¡­¡± When I was ready, I took a deep breath. ¡°¡­ All right!¡± I put my hand on the door and forcefully opened it. And then, just as quickly, I approached the counter. ¡°©¤©¤Thanks for the hard work, Misuno!¡± ¡°¡­ Ah, thanks for the hard work, senpai.¡± Misuno, who had been starting up the computer, turned to look at me with an expressionless face. Seeing her face made my heart jump again. ¡°¡­ Geez, it¡¯s really hot today!¡± ¡°Uh, it¡¯s kind of cool, though. Actually, your voice is cracking, is something wrong?¡± ¡°I-is that so!? Maybe it¡¯s because I have a cold, hahaha¡­.¡± ¡­ Crap. I can¡¯t talk normally at all! Like Misuno said today was really cool! Why did I say that it was hot! And the part about having a cold was a total lie! My body¡¯s perfectly healthy! I¡¯m messing up right from the very start! ¡°Hahh¡­ Then there¡¯s no need to push yourself. If it¡¯s too hard on you, you¡¯re welcome to leave early.¡± ¡°No no, it¡¯s not nearly that bad so I¡¯ll be fine!¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s why, I¡¯m just going to work like I normally do!¡± ¡°¡­ Understood.¡± Misuno nodded her head in acceptance. Thank goodness, it seemed like I managed to convince her. As I put my bag on the counter, I tried firing myself up again. Okay¡­ Let¡¯s do our best! Even though I failed spectacularly and made a mess of things from the very start, it¡¯s too late to run away now. Because on top of listening to that stream¡­ I even went and told Nico! * ¡°Morning¡­¡± ¡°Morning, onii¡­ Wait, what happened!?¡± ©¤©¤After listening to the stream, the next morning. Like always, I left my room and entered the living room. Nico, who was already at the table eating breakfast, looked at me and opened her eyes wide. ¡°You look like you didn¡¯t sleep a wink.¡± Like Nico said, I didn¡¯t sleep very well last night. The stream left me so flustered that I barely slept a wink. Even when I entered my futon and closed my eyes to go to sleep, what Saki said repeated endlessly in my head. Instead of feeling drowsy, my heart kept pounding strangely, keeping me wide awake. ¡°Well¡­ something surprising happened last night, so I barely slept at all. Hah¡­¡± While yawning, I sat down next to Nico. Today¡¯s breakfast seemed to be¡­ Japanese style. Rice, grilled fish, spinach, cold tofu, and miso soup with green onions. This kind of meal was perfect for a stomach empty from a lack of sleep¡­ ¡°¡­ Oh yeah, I recorded my guitar playing last night. I emailed it to you, so please listen to it.¡± ¡°Sure but¡­ what happened?¡± While holding a teacup in her hand, Nico stared at me. ¡°What do you mean by something surprising?¡± After hesitating a bit¡­ I decided to open up to Nico. I¡¯m reluctant to discuss the details, but¡­ I think I can talk about it if it¡¯s with her. And I feel like I¡¯ll get good advice from her. Even though I¡¯m related to her, I trust in Nico¡¯s wisdom from the bottom of my heart. ¡°¡­ You know, somehow I ended up discovering an acquaintance¡¯s radio stream on the internet. And what¡¯s more, they were talking about me in the middle of it¡­¡± ¡°What do you mean by talking about you? Don¡¯t tell me they were talking trash about you?¡± ¡°No, not trash-talking¡­ It was actually somewhat positive¡­¡± ¡°Huh. Well, that¡¯s good. If someone were insulting me on the radio I would be really angry. I¡¯d hound them until they had no hope of recovery.¡± ¡°¡®No hope of recovery¡¯¡­ Scary¡­¡± ¡°School is an open battlefield. If you want to survive, sometimes you need to take revenge on others.¡± ¡°What kind of world are you even living in, geez¡­¡± What¡¯s more, Nico said that with a smile on her face that was more like a commander giving instructions to their troops than a soldier fighting on the front lines¡­ She¡¯s seriously scary¡­ What kind of position do you have at school, Nico¡­ ¡°¡­ Anyways, I was worrying about this. When I thought about how best to treat them from now on, I couldn¡¯t fall asleep. Ahhhh, what am I going to do¡­ It¡¯d be awkward if I told them, ¡®Hey, I watched your stream¡¯, and if I kept quiet about it I¡¯d feel guilty¡­¡± Yeah, I don¡¯t know what I should do in the future. Even if it was by accident, I happened to listen to the stream. Normally, instead of feigning ignorance, I would instead come clean about the situation. That¡¯s the type of person I am. However¡­ this time, I can¡¯t do that because I overheard something problematic. For some reason, she was talking about¡­ liking me. As expected, I can¡¯t just walk up to her and be like ¡°Hey, hey, hey, guess what I overheard~!¡± So, how should I interact with Misuno from now on¡­ ¡°I see. By the way,¡± Nico said to the troubled me. ¡°Are you 100% sure that they¡¯re the same person? Did they use their full name, or did they talk about something only they¡¯d know about?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ They didn¡¯t really do anything like that.¡± Certainly, I didn¡¯t have any ironclad evidence. Although I personally believed I was right, and there was hardly any evidence indicating that they were someone else, I wouldn¡¯t go as far as to say that I¡¯m 100% sure. ¡°Then why don¡¯t you try starting from there? Try asking some probing questions, and see how they react to them.¡± While saying this, Nico finished eating and put down her chopsticks. ¡°Thanks for the food.¡± ¡°I see. I should start from there¡­¡± ¡°Yup. And if you¡¯re doing to do it, then be careful.¡± While carrying her dishes to the kitchen, Nico grinned at me. ¡°Onii, you¡¯re really bad at doing this type of thing.¡± ¡°Th-There¡¯s no way that¡¯s true! If anything, subtlety is my specialty¡­¡± ¡°But, that person is the cold kouhai you were talking about yesterday right?¡± ¡°Eh!?¡± ¡°And you¡¯re worried because she has a fond impression of you right? I wonder if you¡¯ll be able to handle a situation like that.¡± ¡°H-How did you know!? About Misuno¡­ I didn¡¯t say a single word about it right!?¡± I tried to remember but¡­ Yeah, I didn¡¯t mention it at all! About it being my junior, or about it being the person I had been talking about, or anything like that. If that was the case, I probably didn¡¯t even mention that the streamer was a girl. And yet, why did Nico¡­ While I was confused, ¡°¡­ Look, you fell for it.¡± Nico laughed as if she were genuinely enjoying this. ¡°That was a loaded question just now. I just had a hunch that it might be your junior.¡± ¡°Seriously¡­!¡± ¡°If you fell for something as simple as this onii, I wonder if you¡¯ll be able to mislead the difficult ¡°Misuno-chan1¡°¡­ The future looks bleak..¡± After putting away the dishes, Nico left the living room. ¡°Well, good luck.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll do my best¡­¡± Even as I nodded, I cursed my own stupidity. I started to feel intensely anxious after learning firsthand of how bad my soft skills were. ©¤©¤Those fears would later prove to be on the mark. * ¡°©¤©¤So, how do you want to split the work today!?¡± At the counter in the library room, after putting down my belongings and taking a break, I called out to Misuno. ¡°Do you want to lend out books or place them back on the shelves!?¡± ¡°You¡¯re too loud¡­¡± Misuno raised her eyebrows. Crap, I misjudged how loud I was. I guess I¡¯ll lower the volume¡­ ¡°¡­ Um, today Tanizaki-sensei mentioned that he wants both of us to handle the book covers. We have quite a lot of books coming into the preparation room, so he wants us to take care of them.¡± ¡°Ah, is that so¡­¡± ©¤©¤Book covers. In other words, the plastic covers that are often found in libraries. Not the kind of wrapped paper cover that you get from the bookstore, but the kind that you stick directly on the book itself.2 It¡¯s one of the tasks that library committee members usually perform, and that we have done countless times before. ¡°But, what will we do about the counter in the meantime?¡± ¡°It seems like Tanizaki-sensei will handle it. He should be coming soon, so let¡¯s get to work.¡± ¡­ Whew, if that¡¯s the case, then I might get a chance while we¡¯re working¡ªa chance to investigate whether the streamer last week was Misuno or not. ¡°Sure!¡± Nodding vigorously, I headed to the preparation room behind the counter with Misuno, who as always looked a little annoyed. ©¤©¤Cut the plastic cover to match the size of the book. Make a crease in the middle of the cut cover, and peel off a little of the right edge of the release paper. Place the book on top of it, and firmly attach the piece of release paper that was peeled away. Using that as a starting point, gradually attach the plastic to the entire surface of the cover.3 While repeating this work, I started to get frustrated. ¡­ Awkward! It¡¯s so awkward with just the two of us working silently in the preparation room! I had been in this situation countless times before, but after listening to that live stream, today my heart was beating really fast. ¡­ No, now¡¯s not the time to be thinking about that! I have to get proof that Saki and Misuno are the same person! Anything is fine, I just need to talk to her¡­! Anyway, I need to find a conversation starter! ¡°¡­ U-um¡± With a lot of gusto, I started off by saying, ¡°As expected, you¡¯re really fast at applying the covers, Misuno. You¡¯re a lot more skilled than I am¡­¡± That¡¯s right, she¡¯s really fast. She does her work with a precise and practiced hand. Even the teachers who inspect the completed work evaluate it quite highly. For starters, let¡¯s go with a topic that will get Misuno into a good mood. However, she didn¡¯t even look my way before saying, ¡°Like I said, senpai is just too slow. It¡¯s easy to get lost in your thoughts, so it¡¯s best to just get it over and done with.¡± ¡°¡­ I suppose. I¡¯ll keep that in mind¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ©¤©¤It ended. The conversation was over in an instant. This isn¡¯t good! I didn¡¯t learn anything! Next topic! After thinking to myself for a bit, ¡°¡­ Misuno, what type of food do you like to eat!?¡± This time I called out to her like that. ¡°If you had to choose, would you pick Japanese food or Western food!?¡± Okay! I¡¯ve come up with a pretty broad topic! This will definitely get her into a good mood, so I can transition to talking about the live stream! ¡°¡­ If I had to choose, I¡¯d be in the Japanese cuisine camp. But, I really like avocadoes.¡± ¡°Ahh, avocadoes! My sister also likes those!¡± ¡°Huh, so you have a sister.¡± ¡°Yeah, I have one of them¡­¡± ¡°Is that so.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ©¤©¤It ended. Once again it ended in an instant. It¡¯s no good¡­ It¡¯s true that Misuno just isn¡¯t saying that much, but I¡¯m also way too conscious of her! Somehow, I can¡¯t turn the conversation around like I normally do! But I can¡¯t back down from this! I guess I have no choice but to fight using sheer volume of topics! And yet, ¡°¡­ Um, Misuno©¤©¤¡± ¡°©¤©¤What¡¯s the matter with you? You¡¯ve been acting weird since earlier.¡± Misuno, who had been concentrating on her work, raised her head with an annoyed look on her face. ¡°You¡¯ve been talking to me strangely. There¡¯s no time for small talk you know. Let¡¯s finish this already.¡± C-Crap! As expected it was unnatural! ¡°Ah, no¡­ Then, one more time! Just one more time, so please listen to me¡­¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Um, that is¡­¡± Misuno dropped her gaze and resumed working. However, her entire body radiated an aura saying ¡°this is the last time¡±¡­ Ugh¡­ Now that it¡¯s come to this, I can no longer take a roundabout approach. I have no choice but to take a more direct approach¡­! I took a small but deep breath, ¡°Misuno¡­ do you use the internet?¡± ¡°Well, as much as anyone else.¡± ¡°Then, do you use social media a lot?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not really good at it. I created an account, but I don¡¯t use it much.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ Then, um¡­¡± While aware that my heart was starting to race, I continued, ¡°¡­ Then, do you have any interest in streaming or the like?¡± Just like that, I broached the topic. Now that we¡¯ve come this far¡­ I should be able to see a change in Misuno. There should be some anxiety in her expression or in her tone of voice. However©¤©¤ ¡°I watch them from time to time.¡± She replied a lot more easily than I thought. ¡°While reading books, I sometimes listen to chill music live streams. I also like the scenery of highways at night, and the view from a train window at night.¡± ¡°Ah, so you watch things like that¡­¡± It suited her. I could definitely see Misuno watching something like that. And¡­ she was a lot calmer than I thought she would be. If Saki were actually Misuno, she should be a little more nervous than that¡­ ¡­ Guess I¡¯ll pry a little deeper. I¡¯ll ask a more direct question, in a way that rattles her©¤©¤ ¡°By the way¡­¡± I said, as I gulped and swallowed my spit, ¡°¡­ Do you happen to do any streaming yourself¡­¡± ©¤©¤I had finally reached the crux of the matter. After coming this far, there was no way I¡¯d end up without any form of results. After going this far, even Misuno should be flustered. ¡°¡­ Me?¡± She looked at me and tilted her head. ¡°Do I look like I¡¯d do something like that?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡­ She replied just like usual. She really was just the same as she always was. There were no changes in her tone of voice or in her attitude. Huh¡­ Seriously? She seriously isn¡¯t nervous at all¡­? That stream¡­ it actually wasn¡¯t Misuno? Saki and Misuno are actually just strangers¡­ Then¡­ I noticed¡­ The atmosphere felt as if I had said something strange. As if I had suddenly said something outrageous¡­ ¡°¡­ Look, you know! There are a lot of streamers out there you know?¡± Panicking, I started saying whatever came to mind. ¡°That¡¯s why I thought about trying it out. So if you had any knowledge on the subject, I was hoping you could teach me¡­¡± ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t be of any help to you.¡± ¡°I see I see. You¡¯re right, yeah¡­¡± On top of that, she stopped her work and turned to face me, ¡°Also, I can¡¯t really recommend streaming to you, senpai.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll definitely say something careless and end up getting flamed for it.¡± With a very serious face, Misuno said to me clearly. I wanted to refute that, saying that something like that wouldn¡¯t happen, but¡­ I remembered the series of careless remarks I had just made earlier. ¡°¡­ Damn, I can¡¯t argue with that.¡± As I muttered that in frustration, I gave up and started concentrating on the book cover work. * ©¤©¤That night, in my room. I pressed the space key to stop the playback of the DAW music production software. Nico, who had a serious face, took off her headphones with a soft smile on her cheeks. ¡°Yeah, like I thought, this song is good. Next time, let¡¯s play this!¡± ¡°Yeah, I got it.¡± Seeing her expression, I unconsciously also began to smile. Normally she was kind of hard to read, but in times like this she showed an honestly cute expression that matched her age. It would be nice if she stayed this innocent and honest forever¡­ ¡°Then, I¡¯ll try to make a chorus with this for now.¡± ¡°Please do¡­ Oh right, by the way¡­¡± While saying this, Nico moved her chair towards me with a jerk, making the wheels squeak. ¡°About the junior we were talking about earlier, did you investigate her? How¡¯d it go?¡± ¡°Ah, that.¡± ¡­ Well, of course she¡¯d bring that topic up. I discussed it so thoroughly with her after all. But that smiling face¡­ She turned her innocent and honest mode off so quickly, which made me a little sad¡­ ¡°I tried, yeah. As I thought, it was just my misunderstanding.¡± Nevertheless, I spoke honestly about my findings. ¡°I think that streamer wasn¡¯t Misuno after all.¡± ¡°Is that so? Why?¡± ¡°I probed pretty deep, but she didn¡¯t get nervous at all. And I thought about it, but her character doesn¡¯t suit the contents of the stream at all. That¡¯s why, yup, that streamer has to be a different person.¡± Yeah, I thought about it quite a bit since then, and that¡¯s the conclusion that I came to. Even if Misuno were actually streaming, if a person asked her something like ¡°have you ever streamed before?¡±, I think that she would get nervous. And I think her attitude would change a little bit as well. ©¤©¤However, Misuno behaved like she always did. I¡¯m not exaggerating or anything, she was no different than usual at all. That¡¯s why¡­ it¡¯s probably just a coincidence. A girl with an identical voice in an identical situation just happened to be streaming by chance. I once heard someone say that everyone has three doppelgangers that look exactly like them in the world. Saki must have just been the voice version of that for Misuno. There are probably about a thousand high school girls in Japan who are depressed about not being able to go home together with their seniors. I just happened to overhear one of them streaming. That¡¯s the way I understood it. However, ¡°Eh¡­ I just can¡¯t accept that.¡± Nico said, puffing her cheeks out. ¡°You probably just sucked at digging into it, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°How rude! I did it properly!¡± Well, I did make quite a few mistakes. The conversation was terrible and all over the place. But I did properly investigate the matter. Beyond that, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything else that I could have done. Even so, Nico refused to give up. ¡°But, they¡¯ll be streaming today again as well right?¡± Nico kept staring at me persistently. ¡°In that case, you should listen to it one more time and think about it. It¡¯s possible that it really is them after all.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± I crossed my arms, cleared my throat, and thought a bit. Certainly, it¡¯s been a week since the last stream. Saki should be streaming tonight as well. ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine with me¡­¡± It¡¯s not like I¡¯d lose anything if I listened to it one more time. I think it¡¯d be a good idea to check the stream again tonight for a final confirmation. After that, I will make my final decision. ¡°I see. Then let me know how it goes again.¡± ¡°Sure, will do.¡± I can¡¯t help but nod like usual, but at the same time I found myself in a bit of a happy mood. To be honest¡­ I also wanted to listen to the stream tonight. Although I stumbled on that stream by accident last week, I actively want to listen to it again this week. Saki¡¯s stream was, to put it simply, pleasant to listen to. What she talked about was interesting, and I even learned some new things. I wanted to listen to her voice and what she talked about a little more. ©¤©¤In short, I genuinely enjoyed listening to Saki¡¯s live streams. * ©¤©¤The background music came flowing out from the speakers. It was a stylish and gentle rhythmic machine beat that I had heard last week. Although it started out soft, it slowly grew louder and louder©¤©¤ ¡°It¡¯s starting¡­!¡± ©¤©¤I was on the other end of the smartphone screen. In a room separated from me by the radio waves, I could feel Saki starting to adjust the volume of the stream. Then, a few seconds later, ¡°¡­ Aaa, how is it?¡± Saki¡¯s voice rang out from the smartphone. ¡°Is the volume ok? My voice is too loud? I¡¯ll lower it a little¡­ Ok¡­¡± A calming voice that I had heard last week. A voice like Misuno¡¯s©¤©¤or rather, it had a cute sound that sounded identical to her. However¡­ she was a different person. Like I had confirmed in the library, I thought to myself that it was a different person¡¯s voice. ¡°So, love is hard to understand, isn¡¯t it? Good evening everyone, it¡¯s Saki. This week as well, I¡¯ll be doing the radio stream ¡®Love Crosses the Night Sky¡¯ as well, but¡­¡± And then, she took a deep breath. ¡°¡­ Hey everyone!¡± ¡°W-what!?¡± ©¤©¤A loud voice came out. Saki raised her voice for the first time, causing me to jump in surprise. ¡°Today¡­ was a little close. It was seriously scary¡­¡± Saki said in a trembling voice, as if she were biting her lip. ¡°Sorry, do you mind if I talk about what happened first?¡± ¡°What happened¡­? What¡¯s with this tension¡­¡± ¡°Um, the person I liked¡­ they might have found out that I was streaming!¡± ¡°Ehh!?¡± ¡°Today as well, we had some time together alone, so we talked a little bit¡­¡± Saki continued speaking in a tone as if she were consulting a close friend. ¡°So, in the midst of that, he suddenly asked me ¡®Do you have any interest in streaming?¡¯¡­ It came out of the blue. I thought to myself, ¡®What¡¯s going on!? Did he find out!?¡¯ It felt like my heart would fly out of my chest. However, I somehow managed to pretend to be calm and say something like ¡®I have some interest in them, I actually watch them a lot¡¯. And then he asked ¡®Have you ever done it yourself before?¡¯¡­ Honestly, my mind went completely blank¡­ My heart was racing and I started sweating¡­¡± ¡­ The same thing was happening to me right now. My mind went blank. My heart started racing. My hands were sweating like crazy¡­ ¡°If he went any further, I wouldn¡¯t be able to fool him anymore. I was panicking, thinking about what I should do¡­ but then my senior said¡­ ¡®Actually I wanted to try streaming myself, so I¡¯m looking for someone knowledgeable about it.¡¯ ¡­ Yeah. That¡¯s all it was. He just wanted to try streaming himself. Yeah. He didn¡¯t find out about this radio stream after all. It was just my misunderstanding¡­ Anyways, I¡¯m sorry for surprising everyone! I just wanted to report that this happened to me. Ah¡­ Geez, I¡¯m so relieved. Thank god, I totally thought my cover had been blown¡­¡± Saki let out a deep sigh of relief. Then, she suddenly remembered and added with a laugh. ¡°Ah, I also told him that it wouldn¡¯t be a good idea for him to stream. If we were fellow streamers, there would be a higher chance of him finding out after all¡­¡± ©¤©¤I took a deep breath. I¡¯ll try going over what Saki just said in my head. ¡­ Yeah, I felt a little calmer now. At the same time, I came to a conclusion. ©¤©¤That¡¯s why, I unintentionally yelled out the truth I had just discovered. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s really her! It really is Misuno!¡± There was no doubt about it. Saki¡¯s story so far matched today¡¯s events perfectly. It was completely confirmed! Saki was¡­ Misuno! Her voice continued trickling out of the smartphone. However, none of it reached my ears. I had discovered something far more important than that. Right now, my head was full of thoughts about that¡­ ¡­ So she was actually panicking that much! It didn¡¯t look like that at all when I was questioning her! Seriously, she seemed just like she normally was¡­ Just as calm and distant as usual¡­ ¡­ Scary. How can she pretend to be so calm when she¡¯s panicking that much? Scary¡­ Actually, Nico, who was able to see through it a bit, is also scary¡­ Girls are amazing. They¡¯re able to understand people¡¯s feelings so deeply¡­ ¡­ And aside from that. Aside from that surprise, there was one more thing that I needed to think about. ¡°Ugh¡­ What should I do¡­¡± While sitting in my chair, I unconsciously held my head. ¡°How on earth should I interact with her from now on¡­¡± ©¤©¤That¡¯s right, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯ll do. I accidentally listened to a live stream by an acquaintance. That alone was awkward enough. Should I tell them about it, or pretend that I don¡¯t know about it. That alone was enough to worry about. But on top of that¡­ this time, Misuno was talking about me on the stream. What¡¯s more, she referred to me as the ¡°person she liked¡±¡­ ¡­ U-ugh¡­ I seriously didn¡¯t know what I should do about this. My heart kept racing, and my face was getting red¡­ ¡­ Speaking of which, I totally didn¡¯t notice. She never behaved like that to me, and if anything she¡¯s behaved rather coldly to me. ¡°¡­ When did she start liking me? Was there ever a time that could have happened?¡± Naturally, such questions started to appear in my head. Misuno and I were at best just fellow library committee members. I had never met her for any other reason, and we only talked in the library or in the hallway going home. And yet, was there ever an opportunity for her to fall in love with me? ¡­ What¡¯s more, ¡°She¡¯s been like that ever since we first met¡­¡± While saying that, I crossed my arms and tried to remember what happened half a year ago, in spring. The time when Misuno and I first met. Volume 1 - CH 3 ©¤©¤Half a year ago, in the middle of April, the first library committee meeting of the year was being held in an empty classroom. ¡°©¤©¤Nice to meet you.¡± I sat down next to a first-year girl who would be in charge of Wednesdays with me. ¡°You are¡­ Misuno-san right?¡± The girl sitting next to me was Misuno-san. Without shifting her gaze from the paperback book she was reading, she answered me curtly. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± Hmmm. It seemed like she wasn¡¯t really the sociable type. I casually glanced at her. She had short hair and tightly closed lips. She seemed to be reading a pure literature book, and I had a hunch that she was more of an introvert. She was the type of person that you might expect to find in a library. Maybe she was what they called a ¡°literary girl¡±. However¡­ looking closely, that wasn¡¯t all there was to her. Under her uniform, she was wearing a hoodie, and her hair was styled simply but also stylishly. It looked like she wore a light layer of makeup around her mouth and eyes, and her facial features were also well-proportioned. ¡°I¡¯m a second-year student also in charge of Wednesdays. My name is Hasegawa Souichi. Looking forward to working with you.¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m Misuno Saki, a first-year student. Likewise, I¡¯m looking forward to working with you.¡± As usual, Misuno-san replied without looking at me. ¡­ Ahh, maybe she was just nervous? After all, not even a day had passed since she¡¯d started at this school, and she also happened to be talking to a boy one year older than her. Then¡­ all of a sudden, I realized something. To this girl, I was her senior. Until last year, I was just a freshman, so no matter where I looked, I would only find people older than me. However, now I was a second-year student. In other words, it was my responsibility to teach Misuno-san and follow up for her. If she was troubled or had a concern, it was my job to help her out. ¡­ Somehow, a strange sense of responsibility started welling up inside of me! Okay, in that case, I should start by helping her relax a little more. The job wasn¡¯t that difficult, so she might as well just take it easy! ¡°I was on the library committee last year, so I¡¯m familiar with the usual responsibilities. If there¡¯s anything you aren¡¯t sure about, please ask me.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you very much.¡± Nodding once again, Misuno-san turned the page of the book she was reading. ¡°¡­ You sure like reading.¡± ¡°¡­ I suppose.¡± ¡°That¡¯ll be a great help, people like that often come here.¡± Feeling reassured all of a sudden, I continued. ¡°I¡¯m not really knowledgeable about novels you see¡­¡± I didn¡¯t know why, but I had a feeling that this would work out well. The two of us would definitely make a good library committee member combo. Not that I had any basis or reason to think that; it was just my intuition speaking. However, in reality, Misuno-san continued to remain cold to me. She hadn¡¯t turned to look at me even once, and her form of speech remained formal. It was clear that she wasn¡¯t going to open up to me. However, for some reason, I was convinced that this year would definitely be fun. And then©¤©¤Misuno-san lifted her head and looked at me. Her long, slit eyes turned straight to my face. Her eyes were clear and deep, just like the atmosphere of the book she was reading. I didn¡¯t really remember what she said or what we talked about after that. I felt like we just made some random small talk and talked about her job responsibilities. I also didn¡¯t think we talked for that long. However, the look on her face as she looked straight at me was something that I could still clearly remember. ©¤©¤That was the beginning of the curious duo of the curt and unsociable junior, Misuno Saki, and the unassuming and ordinary senior, Hasegawa Souichi. * ¡°©¤©¤It¡¯s been half a year since then¡­¡± It was Wednesday, just before midnight. While playing the guitar in my room, I reflected back on the day I first met Misuno. Thinking back on the conversation that we had in the library, and Misuno¡¯s expression at that time¡­ certainly, I did feel there was something there. I had a strange feeling that this girl and I would become special friends. However, the reality was that since that day, Misuno had been wary of me. She hardly ever looked my way, and she rarely approached me. In spite of that, my premonition didn¡¯t go away, and in the end we became friends. Nevertheless, ¡°I didn¡¯t think it would end up like this. I accidentally stumbled upon her stream¡­ and what¡¯s more, in the stream she said she liked¡­ Ughh¡­¡± Unexpected. That was completely unexpected. I didn¡¯t have any romantic intentions towards her, I just thought that we¡¯d make a good combo as library committee members. I just thought that we could cover for each other¡¯s weak points and have fun talking to each other¡­ ¡­ What was I supposed to do about this? ¡°¡­ Hah¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t help but let out a sigh. In a situation like this, what was the best way to behave¡­ As I thought about it, the time approached midnight. ¡°It¡¯s almost time for it to start. I wonder if she got a broadcast slot1 yet¡­¡± I put down my guitar, opened my smartphone, and started searching for Misuno¡¯s stream. At the same time, there was a knock on the door to my room. ¡°©¤©¤Onii, I listened to the chorus that you sent me. Is it okay if I come in?¡± ¡°¡­ Yup, go ahead.¡± Before I finished answering, Nico opened the door and entered the room. ¡°Man, that was great. It might even be my favorite so far.¡± It seemed that she had just listened to the file I sent her. Maybe I was just tensing up, but her voice sounded like she was singing. ¡°So, can we record a tentative song on Saturday or Sunday?¡± ¡°That works for me. As usual, you can write the lyrics however you like.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Then, she glanced at my phone. ¡°¡­ Huh, are you listening to that stream this week as well?¡± ¡°Ahh, yeah. I¡¯m kind of interested in it¡­¡± Somehow, I answered Nico in a muffled voice while hiding the screen. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but it¡¯s kind of like you¡¯re spying on her.¡± ¡­ True, doing this was probably not a good idea. It¡¯s not like Misuno wanted me to overhear her, and even if I listened to it there wasn¡¯t much I could do. However, in the end, I was just too curious. My will wasn¡¯t strong enough to resist the temptation. But it seemed that there was something else bothering Nico. ¡°Hmm, how interesting¡­¡± She peeked at me with a meaningful smile. ¡°¡­ What do you want?¡± ¡°I thought this song was a bit more romantic than the others¡­ I see, so that¡¯s how it is¡­¡± ¡°¡­ T-that has nothing to do with this!¡± I cried out loud at the unexpected misunderstanding. This girl¡­ what was she misunderstanding! There was no connection between the two at all! However, Nico didn¡¯t show even a millimeter of remorse, ¡°Fufufu, I guess you¡¯re going through puberty too after all¡­¡± She put her hand over her mouth happily and left the room quietly. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll leave it at that! Good night!¡± The door slammed shut. I was left alone in the room, unable to digest what just happened¡­ ¡°¡­ What¡¯s with her. That has nothing to do with the lyrics at all.¡± Why was she so eager to tie everything to love? Was she a middle school girl or what¡­ (She was) What¡¯s more, she was only quick to flee at times like this¡­ When I saw her tomorrow, I¡¯d have to thoroughly explain to her that it wasn¡¯t like that¡­ ©¤©¤Just when I was thinking that, ¡°¡­ Ah crap, the stream¡¯s already started!¡± Before I knew it, the clock had already struck twelve. I touched the smartphone in a panic and clicked on the thumbnail for Saki¡¯s stream. After a short pause, her voice came out of the speakers. ¡°©¤©¤Now then, let¡¯s start reading the first email. It¡¯s from the radio name Unagi-chan in love. Unagi-chan¡­ it is the one in Hamamatsu?¡± ¡°Thank god, she¡¯s still on the first mail¡­¡± I missed the start of the stream, but that was ok. If anything important happened, she¡¯d probably talk about it in the second half, so I decided to continue listening while aimlessly playing the guitar. ¡°¡®Good evening, Saki-san.¡¯ Good evening to you too. ¡®Although I chose this radio name, I have almost no experience with love. I do have someone that I¡¯m interested in, but I wouldn¡¯t go as far as to say that it¡¯s love.¡¯¡± Ah, I totally get that. Sometimes it feels like there¡¯s a hurdle you have to cross first. Even if you¡¯re interested in someone, there¡¯s a big hurdle before you can say that you like them or that you love them. It¡¯s really difficult to be sure of that. ¡°¡®How can I fall in love with someone? Saki-san, what made you fall in love with your current crush?¡¯ is what they wrote but¡­¡± ¡°Ohh! That¡¯s just what I wanted to know!¡± Yeah, that had been bothering me ever since the stream last week. On the day we met, and even up to this day, Misuno had been cold to me. And yet, at some point she began liking me. There had to have been some kind of trigger for those feelings¡­ Nice assist, Unagi-chan! It seems like we¡¯ve been on the same page since earlier, haven¡¯t we? ¡°Um, what made me fall in love with him¡­ Yup, it¡¯s because of something that left a deep impression on me. Even now I can still remember it, it was something special¡­¡± ¡°Eh, special? Did something like that happen¡­?¡± ¡°It happened ¡­ about two weeks after I first met him? As always, we were gathered together in the library as part of the library committee¡­¡± ©¤©¤And then she¡­ Saki started to explain in detail what happened at that time. * ©¤©¤It was a Wednesday in early May. As always, I arrived at the library to fulfill my duties as a member of the library committee. At the reception counter, we were beginning to prepare for work. ¡°¡­ Ah, se-senpai¡­ Thanks for the hard work!¡± I heard the sound of the library door opening, and looked up. Sure enough, the boy who was also in charge of Wednesdays was standing at the entrance. He was a senior with a gentle smile and his hair styled carelessly. He slowly made his way to the counter and kindly nodded at me. ¡°Yeah, thanks for the hard work, Misuno¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be counting on you today as well. I¡¯ll do my best to not cause trouble for you¡­!¡± I stood up and bowed my head repeatedly. Perhaps finding the desperate look on my face amusing, he laughed lightly. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s take it easy okay?¡± With a practiced hand, we started preparing for work. * ¡°At that time, I didn¡¯t have any confidence as a committee member, and I hadn¡¯t opened up to senpai yet. I was pretty nervous¡­¡± ¡°Wait, aren¡¯t you kind of glamorizing me!?¡± ©¤©¤Without thinking, I cried out at the smartphone. ¡°Aren¡¯t you kind of portraying me as your Prince Charming!? And for some reason you made yourself seem strangely meek¡­ you¡¯ve actually been cold to me ever since that time!¡± ¡­ Certainly, something like that may have happened in reality. It¡¯s true that I may have told the nervous Misuno something along the lines of ¡°let¡¯s take it easy¡±. However¡­ wasn¡¯t she somehow romanticizing what actually happened a bit!? In actuality, the conversation was probably a lot shorter and messier! ¡°And then,¡± Saki continued talking in spite of my complaints. ¡°Around this time, I was reading a book. It was a historically famous book from overseas¡­¡± * ¡°¡­ Misuno, you¡¯re always reading books aren¡¯t you?¡± We were lined up behind the library counter doing work. When the wave of people ended, he quietly asked me, ¡°Is it interesting?¡± ¡°¡­ Ahh, this!?¡± I returned the question with a startled look on my face. Oh no, I was concentrating too deeply on the book and ended up giving a weird reply¡­ After taking a deep breath to calm down, I answered the question. ¡°Yes, it is. ¡­ It¡¯s interesting¡­¡± And then, ¡°¡­ Huh, then I guess I¡¯ll try reading it as well.¡± ¡°Senpai will!?¡± Once again, I let out a loud voice. I put my hand over my mouth in a panic, but I was too late. He gave me a quizzical look, and then, ¡°¡­ Should I not? Would it be better if I didn¡¯t read it?¡± ¡°¡­ No, that¡¯s not the case, but¡­¡± That¡¯s right, there wasn¡¯t really any issue. It would be perfectly fine if he read it but¡­ there was a certain reason I was hesitating. However, I wasn¡¯t able to explain it properly¡­ so in the end, I promised to lend him the book. * ¡°©¤©¤Just like that, senpai decided to read the book as well.¡± Leaning back on my backrest, I nodded in agreement. ¡­ Yeah, something like that certainly happened. I did end up borrowing a book that Misuno was reading all the time¡­ Well, as usual, everything aside from the overall sequence of events was embellished though. What I said was probably a lot more random, and Misuno probably didn¡¯t behave as cutely¡­ At the time, I was just surprised by how engrossed she was by the book. If anything, I just wanted to try reading it because of how much she seemed to enjoy it. However, while I was reflecting back on those days, ¡°But, in truth¡­¡± For some reason, Saki spoke as if she were about to say something difficult, ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t like reading that book at all. If anything, I wasn¡¯t really able to understand it¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Is that so!?¡± Without thinking, I got up from my chair. She didn¡¯t like reading it? She wasn¡¯t able to understand it!? Geez, it didn¡¯t seem like that at all to me!? ¡°However, because it was considered a masterpiece, I thought I should force myself to continue reading it. In fact, I struggled quite a bit with it. But for some reason, I felt like I had to be able to understand it, that not being able to understand it wasn¡¯t an option. If I didn¡¯t read it, it would be like I didn¡¯t have any taste in literature, or something like that¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I totally get that¡­¡± Finally convinced, I sat back down in my chair. ¡°I¡¯ve also tried to force myself to like famous songs before¡­¡± In fact, I think most people have had this kind of feeling before. The feeling of forcing yourself to say that a work you don¡¯t understand, even after trying your hardest, is good. I see¡­ so Misuno also tries to show off like that sometimes. I thought that she was the type of person who didn¡¯t care about that kind of thing at all. I thought she was the type of person who followed her heart and just read whatever books she liked. ¡°That¡¯s why, when senpai said he¡¯d read the book as well, I felt guilty for recommending something to someone else that I didn¡¯t even enjoy.¡± As if she were confessing her sins, Saki continued. ¡°What¡¯s more, he¡¯d probably try his hardest to read it, and he might force himself to praise it. He¡¯s a kind person after all¡­¡± ¡°So that¡¯s what happened. I didn¡¯t realize at all.¡± After letting out a deep breath, I leaned back on the backrest once again. ¡°I totally thought Misuno was into it¡­¡± ¡°And then, the next week¡­¡± * ¡°©¤©¤I tried reading the book you recommended me, Misuno.¡± He called out to me the week after I lent him the book. We had finished our library committee responsibilities, and were in the middle of cleaning up. ¡­ So fast! He already finished it¡­!? ¡°Is that so¡­¡± While nodding¡­ I nervously asked him. ¡°¡­ How¡­ was it?¡± ©¤©¤I prepared myself for things to get awkward. I was sure he¡¯d squeeze out a few words of compliment. While talking, he¡¯d definitely notice I felt overwhelmed by the book. My heart ached with guilt. I¡¯m really sorry. If I knew it was going to end up like this, I should have just honestly said, ¡°I don¡¯t really like this book¡±¡­ ©¤©¤While I was thinking that. ¡°About that¡­ to be honest, I didn¡¯t get it at all, hahaha!¡± ¡°Eh¡­¡± Upon hearing the unexpected©¤©¤I was at a loss for words. ¡°I guess it was too difficult for me. Sorry, even though you went to all the trouble of recommending it to me.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s fine¡­ But wasn¡¯t there anything you liked about it¡­¡± When I asked him with a blank stare, he crossed his legs and looked a bit thoughtful. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but admire how deep it was. No wonder why they call it a masterpiece.¡± Upon hearing these words, I couldn¡¯t help but agree. I could also clearly see the value in the words written in the book. ¡°But the way that it was expressed didn¡¯t suit my tastes.¡± Even still, he spoke bluntly without a trace of shame. ¡°It was a bit too explicit, which I think causes a lot of people to drop it before it conveys its message. Especially for young people like us©¤©¤¡± * ¡°©¤©¤Those words¡­ Yeah, they made me feel a lot better. Even if something is considered a masterpiece, sometimes it just doesn¡¯t click for you. I didn¡¯t need to feel ashamed of that.¡± ¡­ She spoke in a dreamy, cheerful tone, as if she were reminiscing about her past, or talking about a favorite book. After clearing her throat in embarrassment, Saki continued telling her story. ¡°¡­ Senpai might also have seen through me. I wonder if he noticed that I didn¡¯t enjoy reading it, and said that to reassure me. And then at that moment, I had a feeling as if he had slipped inside the shell surrounding my heart. That¡¯s when¡­ I realized that I had fallen in love with him¡­¡± ©¤©¤At that, I, who had finally figured out how she fell in love with me©¤©¤ ¡°T-that¡¯s not true¡­!¡± I got out of my chair (again) in a hurry. ¡°I actually just couldn¡¯t read it normally and told Misuno that! I actually felt pretty pathetic about it! And I didn¡¯t even say it in such a cool way! It was probably more like ¡®I had a feeling they were trying to convey something important, but the description was too gross for me. It¡¯s too difficult for a high school student.¡¯ or something like that!¡± I mean, technically speaking, she got the general gist of things right. Misuno recommended me a book, and I tried reading it. In less than a week, I gave up and told Misuno. That much was the truth. As the person in question, I remembered what happened well. However¡­ she thought I said that because I wanted to reassure her!? I didn¡¯t have that intention at all! ¡°So, Unagi-chan in love, I think what you need is for a wonderful event like that to happen to you. But this depends solely on your own luck©¤©¤¡± ¡°©¤©¤How did it end up like this!?¡± I stood up and held my head in my hands. ¡°Somehow, it felt like I meant to deceive her!? Even though I didn¡¯t mean to do that all¡­ Wow, this scenario seems like it came right out of a story.¡± ¡­ No, Misuno was the one who went ahead and misunderstood the meaning behind my actions, so I bore no responsibility. However¡­ for some reason I felt this immense sense of guilt! How should I put it¡­ it¡¯s like I lied in order to make myself look good¡­ This misunderstanding¡­ I have to clear it up! It would probably be really bad if I let Misuno continue misunderstanding like this! ¡°But how should I clear this up¡­ How do I tell her the truth¡­¡± Yeah©¤©¤I didn¡¯t really have any means of doing that. Of course, I had kept my knowledge of this stream a secret from Misuno. I had no choice but to continue hiding this from her, and I shuddered to think about what would happen if she found out. What would happen¡­ I wonder. At any rate, there was no mistaking that the cozy relationship we had until now would no longer exist. To put it simply, there were a lot of things I couldn¡¯t tell her about. And I didn¡¯t have a way to tell her the truth about what happened at that time¡­ Then, how should I clear up this misunderstanding¡­ ¡°©¤©¤Everyone, if you have something you¡¯d like to discuss, please send it to me.¡± Over the speaker, Saki carefreely announced her email address. ¡°My address is [email protected], I repeat, [email protected] Looking forward to hearing from you.¡± ©¤©¤While listening to that. ¡°¡­ Hm?¡± I suddenly had an idea. The only way to clear up Misuno¡¯s misunderstanding©¤©¤ ¡°I see, that¡¯s it! It¡¯s a little scary, but I don¡¯t have any other choice!¡± I sat back down in front of my computer and opened the browser. Then, I took a deep breath and began typing furiously on my keyboard. It was probably the fastest I¡¯d ever typed in my life! Even if it was only one minute or one second faster, I still wanted to finish as quickly as possible. Tens of seconds later, I finished composing the message at a speed as if I were aiming to break some kind of world record. After quickly reviewing the full text, I pressed the enter key with vigor. After a few seconds of silence©¤©¤ ¡°¡­ Ah, another mail came just now.¡± Saki¡¯s voice came through the speakers. ¡°I wonder if they¡¯re listening in real time. Thank you for the email.¡± In my head, I responded, ¡°You¡¯re quite welcome.¡± ©¤©¤That¡¯s right, it was the email I had sent. I had sent an email to the program posing as a listener, and I even went to the trouble of creating a new e-mail address. To be frank, this was the only thing I could do. Right now, there was no other way I could point something out to Saki. In the email, I mentioned the possibility of the story she told just being a misunderstanding¡­! It felt a little risky, but I couldn¡¯t turn my back on this situation! ¡­ I hope she¡¯ll read it. And I hope she¡¯ll properly understand the meaning of what I wrote¡­ As I held my breath and watched (listened?), ¡°¡­ Hm? This seems kind of interesting, I¡¯ll read it out loud.¡± ¡­ Alright, she took the bait! Without thinking, I clenched my fist in front of the smartphone. ¡°Um, from radio name Haseriba-san2¡­ ¡®I was kind of envious hearing the story that caused Saki-san to fall in love. It was a wonderful episode¡¯. Hehe, wasn¡¯t it? ¡®However, based on my impression of the senior you usually talk to, it¡¯s possible that he didn¡¯t think that deeply about what he said. To put it bluntly, he might just not have liked the book.¡¯¡± Yeah, that was the truth. I hadn¡¯t thought that deeply about it. I just wasn¡¯t able to read that book normally. ¡°Haha, that¡¯s certainly true.¡± She seemed receptive to the idea. Misuno laughed from the other end of the speaker. ¡°Senpai can be quite insensitive sometimes. Now that I think about it, your explanation seems a lot more convincing. You¡¯re quite sharp, Haseriba-san.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because they¡¯re the same person! Haseriba is the senior in question!¡± Of course they¡¯d know them like the back of their hand! Since they¡¯re the same person! ¡°Continuing the email, ¡®What¡¯s more, that novel has a peculiar style and violent content, so that senpai probably couldn¡¯t even finish it. In other words, the spark that caused Saki-san to fall in love could just have been a simple misunderstanding. That¡¯s still a wonderful thing though, so I couldn¡¯t help but be so touched that I sent you an email.¡¯ is what was written, but¡­¡± Misuno took a deep breath. She seemed to be taking some time to think. By the way, the part about ¡°That¡¯s still a wonderful thing though¡± and so on in the second half of the email¡­ well, it was something like insurance. If I didn¡¯t include some thoughts like this, then it would seem unnatural for such an email to come from a listener. It was kind of embarrassing to say that about something involving myself though¡­ After a moment of silence, Saki spoke in a serious tone, ¡°¡­ You might be completely right.¡± ¡­ Yes! Did you understand what I wanted to say¡­!? That you had simply misunderstood what actually happened¡­!? ¡°When I started high school, I was super nervous. Maybe I just went ahead and imagined things about the senpai that was always kind to me. Yes, that¡¯s exactly right! You just romanticized what happened back then! ¡°But you know, like you said, this might be nice in its own way. The trigger may have been a misunderstanding, but the feelings that grew after that are real¡­¡± After hearing that, I exhaled. It seemed like my mission was complete. Although I didn¡¯t have any confidence that I performed it smoothly, and I thought it was unlikely a single impromptu email would lead her to the truth¡­ it seemed like I had succeeded. Fufufu¡­ This could prove useful in the future. If I had any other comments or corrections after this, it could be a good idea to pose as a listener and send her an email©¤©¤ ¡°©¤©¤Hm¡­?¡± Suddenly, someone raised their voice. It was Saki¡¯s dubious voice, coming through the speakers. ¡°¡­ Huh? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°There¡¯s something strange about this email¡­¡± Saki was looking back over the email. A series of mouse clicks and scrolling sounds could be heard. And then she©¤©¤ ¡°¡®That novel has a peculiar style and violent content¡¯¡­ what they said was true but¡­ did I ever mention the name of the novel?¡± ¡°¡­ Ah, crap!¡± ¡­ That¡¯s right, she never mentioned it! She never mentioned it in the stream! Since I remembered what the novel was like, I wrote it down like it was obvious¡­ On top of that, ¡°What¡¯s more¡­ This radio name. Haseriba¡­ Eh¡­ senpai!? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s actually him!?¡± ¡°Crap! I was in a rush so I wrote whatever came to mind!¡± ¡°Did senpai send this¡­?¡± Inside of Saki¡¯s head, doubts began to grow and grow. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ he was listening to this stream¡­.¡± ¡°¡­ Ugh¡­¡± I broke out into a cold sweat. This was bad¡­ she might have found out about my email, and the fact that I was listening to her stream! What should I do¡­!? Should I send another mail to try to fool her!? ¡°It¡¯s just a coincidence that the email contents and radio name seem similar!¡± or something like that¡­ No, it¡¯ll definitely sound like a lie! If anything, it would make her more suspicious! In that case, would it be better if I revealed my identity here and now!? ¡°You¡¯re right! It¡¯s-a-me! Hasegawa-senpai!3¡± ¡­ No, if I do that, then it would all be over! Misuno wouldn¡¯t show up to the library room next week! Then¡­ instead of doing something weird, would it be better to avoid making any moves!? Would that help prevent her from confirming her suspicions!? What should I do¡­ what should I do¡­! ©¤©¤However, in the next instant. ¡°¡­ Just kidding.¡± ¡­ Eh? ¡°It was probably just a coincidence. If he were actually listening, I wouldn¡¯t want to be alive anymore. Ahahaha. And with that, let¡¯s continue onto the next email.¡± While saying that, Misuno moved on to the next email about love advice as if nothing had happened. She continued speaking in the same tone that she usually did. The tension I felt earlier completely evaporated©¤©¤ ¡°¡­ Haaaaaaaa~¡­¡± With a deep breath, I rested my weight on my chair. The energy started leaving my body¡­ My breaths that had been choked with tension slowly began to be released¡­ ¡°That was close. I seriously thought she had found me out¡­¡± No, I really thought it was all over¡­ If she found out that I had listened to her stream and listened to her talk about love¡­ It would have been super awkward. In the worst case, we might not have been able to continue being library committee members together¡­ ¡­ Thank goodness. Thank god Saki was too naive to connect the dots. Although, she wasn¡¯t the only one who was naive. Even if it was on short notice, I should have taken a little more care before sending out that email. ¡°¡­ However.¡± I sat back down in my chair, but I found I still couldn¡¯t shake off my anxiety. ¡°Did things really end that smoothly? What if she just pretended to be joking around on stream, but still had doubts privately¡­¡± I had a feeling that this was possible. After all, there was no proof that I wasn¡¯t Haseriba. Saki just let it slide for no reason. She just ended the discussion so she could move on to the next message in the stream. If that was the case¡­ then she must still be suspicious after all. Even now, she would be suspecting me deep down inside¡­ When I thought about it that way, my anxiety started growing, ¡°¡­ Please, don¡¯t let the email bother you.¡± I mumbled to myself in my small room, as if offering a prayer. * ©¤©¤The next week, at the library counter. ¡°Hey, good work, Misuno.¡± ¡°You too.¡± Misuno, who had arrived a little late, looked¡­ just like she normally did: a petite build with short, well-groomed hair, a cool expression, and a tightly shut mouth. She placed her belongings inside the counter and sat down next to me. I couldn¡¯t see anything different about her. I didn¡¯t feel anything had changed from last week. ¡°¡­ Today, Misuno will take care of lending out books, and I¡¯ll handle returning them to the shelves.¡± While feeling relieved inside, I called out to her. ¡°I see. I¡¯ll be counting on you.¡± Misuno answered me in a pretty flat tone. ¡­ Hmm, looks like I was worrying for no reason. Misuno seriously seemed like she didn¡¯t have any suspicions. It seems I was just overly concerned. In that case¡­ Yeah, I¡¯ll just behave like I normally do! It was October. The lingering summer heat was now a distant memory, and it was a sunny day with a pleasant breeze. With the weather being like this after school, there¡¯s no way you wouldn¡¯t be in a good mood! ¡°¡­ Um, senpai?¡± Maybe she happened to feel the same way? It was rare for Misuno to strike up a conversation with me. ¡°Hm? What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Earlier, you said that you wanted to try streaming right? What happened afterward? Did you make any progress in it?¡± ¡°No, not really. Nothing much came of it.¡± ¡­ Well, that was a lie after all. It wasn¡¯t as if I actually had some interest in streaming, it just happened to come out of my mouth. There was no way there¡¯d be any progress. Still¡­ why would she ask something like this. Maybe she wanted to say that she¡¯d listen to it if I did try it out, or something like that. ¡°Is that so.¡± Misuno nodded slightly without looking at me. Then, she said©¤©¤ ¡°Still, you must have at least listened to someone else¡¯s stream before right?¡± ©¤©¤She turned her head to face me. She stared me right in the face and said, ¡°For example¡­ on last Wednesday.¡± ¡°¡­ No, I never did anything like that.¡± ¡°Is that so.¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be off to the preparation room for a bit. I need to get the books from the return box.¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll be counting on you.¡± I got up from my seat and left the counter. I entered the preparation room from the back of the library and tightly closed the door. The room was about half the size of a classroom, and housed materials, resources, and equipment for library operations. After making sure that I was the only one there, I sighed. ¡°¡­ She¡¯s suspecting me! She¡¯s totally suspecting me!¡± ©¤©¤I cried out in a whispering voice, as if I was about to fall apart. ¡°And what¡¯s more, she¡¯s been questioning me pretty heavily¡­!¡± It was totally obvious. Just as I had done a little while ago, she was probing me in such an obvious manner. Why would you ask, ¡°Did you happen to listen to any streams last Wednesday?¡±¡­ Even though I don¡¯t really have the right to say this, at least try to be a bit more subtle¡­ If you do it like that I¡¯ll realize your intentions right away¡­ ¡­ And the fact that she was asking me so directly¡­ and almost immediately after she came to the library¡­ ¡°This probably won¡¯t be the end of it¡­ She¡¯s going to continue doing this isn¡¯t she¡­¡± That was probably what would end up happening. From now on, Misuno would continue trying to find out whether I had listened to her streams or not¡­ ¡°¡­ What am I going to do. I secretly listened to her radio stream, and now she¡¯s trying to question me about it¡­ Geez¡­ We can no longer maintain the relationship that we once had¡­¡± Without thinking, I held my head in my hands. Man, what a situation we were in. While hiding our true selves, we had to interact with and question each other¡­ If that¡¯s what ends up happening, if that¡¯s how this is going to end¡­ ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯m letting you find out, you hear me!¡± I once again cried out, while paying attention to keep my voice low enough so that Misuno wouldn¡¯t overhear. 1. Raw uses ¡°–˜¡±, which apparently comes from Nico Nico Live streams. A fixed number of users can stream at a given time in Nico Live, so in order to stream you must first acquire a broadcast slot. In particular, during prime time (8 PM to 2 AM), broadcast slots are often full, so viewers may need to wait for the streamer to acquire one. 2. His last name is éL¹È´¨ for Hasegawa. The last part, ´¨, can be translated as ¡°river¡±. Hence, Haseriver, or Haseriba (japanese pronunciation). 3. He starts talking in Kansai dialect in the raw, which apparently is used a lot in Japanese comedy. Since it¡¯s for comedic purposes rather than indicating a character is from a specific region, I replaced it with a meme instead of an English accent.