"W-we should maybe switch to something else first? We've already finished watching the fan-made video anyway." Zhao Yu struggled to restrain himself for quite a while before finally suppressing the restlessness in his heart.
"Y-yeah! Let's switch to something else!" As if she had only just come back to her senses, Yuuka quickly agreed to Zhao Yu's suggestion.
[Wait? You two? Something's not right here?]
[Why are you both stammering? Something's going on!]
[Don't tell me you two are actually getting together?]
The Bullet Screen keenly noticed how strange the two of them were acting and immediately began channeling their inner master detectives.
"How could that be! We're just friends!" Zhao Yu immediately refuted them.
Yet after saying that, a sudden sense of loss welled up inside him, leaving him somewhat unaccustomed to it.
"That's right, Lord Yu and I are just friends, okay?" Yuuka's soft voice came through as well.
[This fan-made video was pretty good. I'll toss it a coin later.]
[I think so too. It even made me want to fall in love.]
[Now that you mention it, something feels even stranger. Everyone says it was great, so why do only the streamer and Yuuka think it was just average?]
Seeing a certain Bullet Screen comment about to launch into another deduction, Zhao Yu hurriedly changed the subject. "Um! How about we start the Q&A segment again today?"
"Right, I still want to learn more about China, learn more about Yu..." Yuuka was about to say Zhao Yu's name when she seemed to realize something and immediately covered her mouth.
Whew... I almost said something that would make people misunderstand again! Yuuka, Yuuka, why are you suddenly being so irrational?
Yuuka patted her cheeks, suppressed the turmoil in her heart, and forced herself to calm down.
[Awesome! It's Q&A time again, my favorite segment!]
[Pick me, pick me! I want to know whether Japanese girls wear skirts in winter too?]
"That's right. No matter whether it's spring, summer, autumn, or winter, everyone really likes skirts." Yuuka spotted that Bullet Screen comment at once and quickly answered.
[Don't they get cold? Or is Japan warmer than China in winter?]
[Your geography teacher taught you for nothing. Japan isn't far from China, so the temperature difference isn't that huge. It definitely gets cold in winter too.]
[Then why do they still choose to wear skirts with bare legs?]
"Actually, you can't really call them bare legs. We wear stockings in winter too," Yuuka softly argued.
"And if we dress too thickly, our leg shape won't look good. Skirts look prettier this way."
[So they're relying entirely on righteous energy?]
[H-holy crap. For beauty, they really don't care about anything else.]
"It's not entirely a problem for girls alone." Zhao Yu spoke up at just the right moment.
"Actually, in Japan, scrutiny of women has always existed. Girls are expected to look more presentable when they go out; it's an unspoken social rule."
"So no matter the situation, appearance is always more important than practicality. It's even more exaggerated in the workplace."
If Zhao Yu remembered correctly, Japan even had shirts that were basically just collars, designed so office workers could replace them whenever they wanted during summer.
As for why they only had collars, it was because collars were the easiest part to get stained with sweat. Replacing only the collar was much less troublesome, and it let them meet clients looking presentable.
And that was only for ordinary office workers. Women had it even worse in the workplace.
[Tsk, tsk, tsk. Japan really is the advanced server.]
[Compared to that, China is actually much more tolerant toward girls.]
Meanwhile, Yuuka silently watched the Bullet Screen while listening to Zhao Yu explain things on her behalf.
Lord Yu really does seem different from other boys, Yuuka could not help thinking.
It was the first time she had met a boy who would so thoughtfully understand the circumstances faced by Japanese girls.
"Then let Yuuka ask me the second question." Zhao Yu spoke to Yuuka.
"Let me think..." Yuuka pondered for a moment before, as if possessed, blurting it out.
"What kind of girl does Lord Yu like?"
Silence. A long, long silence.
Not only Zhao Yu, but the entire livestream room fell silent as well.
"N-no, that's not what I meant! I was just curious! Yeah! Curious!" Only then did Yuuka realize what she had asked and hurriedly tried to explain.
"Someone cute and gentle, I guess? I don't really have any other requirements." Zhao Yu only spoke after a long while.
"I see..." Yuuka's gaze flickered, and no one knew what she was thinking.
[Yuuka, lately some restaurants in Japan have posted signs saying Chinese people are not allowed in. What do you think about that?]
Suddenly, a highly sensitive question appeared in the Bullet Screen. It had even been sent with a gift, making it especially conspicuous.
Zhao Yu was about to stop Yuuka, but he was still a step too late. Yuuka had already begun giving her opinion.
"I've seen that news recently too. It was in Tokyo, right?" Yuuka recalled.
[That's right, in Tokyo.]
"I think what he did was awful. In my view, China is a wonderful country. Everyone has been very friendly and polite to me." Yuuka paused before continuing.
"Japan did many unforgivable things in the past. I always thought China would be deeply hostile toward Japan, but that isn't actually the case."
"Instead, some of our compatriots have never reflected on themselves. I'm deeply sorry for that!"
Thunk! A crisp sound came from the livestream room, as though Yuuka had bumped into something while bowing in apology.
But she did not cry out in pain. She continued sincerely apologizing to the viewers.
"I can't forgive Japan on behalf of our forebears..." Zhao Yu suddenly spoke.
"But I remember a saying: the people of China and the people of Japan are the same. They have only one common enemy—the scum within their own nations."
Peace was something everyone longed for. Even in Japan, there were people with a conscience. Zhao Yu had never forgotten what that person had said.
[Heh, I noticed when I watched the clips before. The streamer seems to have quite an issue with Japan, huh?]
[Exactly. Who knows whether those Chinese people abroad did something bad?]
Sure enough, the Akita dogs had caught the scent and come running... Zhao Yu sighed as he watched the sudden comments in the livestream room.
The thing he found most annoying had still happened. But since they had shown up, he was ready to beat some dogs.
Zhao Yu took a deep breath and addressed the livestream room. "Even your Japanese daddies have admitted they were wrong. Why are you barking there?"
"You spend every day eating China's food while kicking your compatriots when they're down. How many mothers do you have?"
[Oh-ho! I almost forgot the streamer has a fiery temper. The Akita dogs are going to have it rough now.]
Watching Zhao Yu start firing back felt as refreshing to the viewers as taking a huge gulp of iced cola in the middle of summer.
[You're a streamer, yet this is your level of manners?]
[The Fish platform really has every kind of person.]
[That so-called Japanese girl is probably just a gimmick too, right? Aren't you ashamed to pretend to be Japanese?]
The Akita dogs still stubbornly fired back.
Yuuka anxiously watched the Bullet Screen. Although she did not quite understand why those people were attacking Zhao Yu, she knew that Zhao Yu needed her help now.
Without hesitation, Yuuka quickly stood up and went to her bedroom to retrieve her university certificate and driver's license. After carefully covering her name, she returned to the computer.
After sending Zhao Yu a video request, Yuuka spoke only once he accepted it.
"Lord Yu, turn on the camera. Let them see."
Zhao Yu glanced at his phone, silently turned on the camera, and held the phone screen in front of it.
"I may not be from Tokyo, but I was born and raised in Japan," Yuuka said.
"Did you see that?" Zhao Yu addressed the Akita dogs still spamming the Bullet Screen.
"Even your Japanese master has spoken. Back in the old days, you'd have had to call her Taikun, so get the hell out!"
Before you continue