Tokyo, Ochanomizu Women's Academy.
Yuuka, sporting a pair of dark circles, had finally made it to break time.
Last night, unwilling to admit defeat, she had spent most of the night scrolling through that fan-made video. The more she watched, the more hooked she became, until she had unknowingly fallen into it herself.
No matter how stubbornly she tried to deny it, she now had to admit that she had developed a faint liking for this boy she had never met.
Maybe it was because he was different from other Japanese boys. Maybe it was because he could notice her subtle emotional changes.
Either way, Yuuka could no longer simply regard him as a friend she played games with.
When she realized she had feelings for him, Yuuka felt a little unaccustomed to it. They had not known each other for long, so how had she developed a crush so quickly?
It made Yuuka wonder if she was being too casual about it, but she gradually came to terms with it.
First impressions were important, after all. Zhao Yu was an amazing singer and an excellent gamer.
And after getting translation software, Yuuka had discovered that the livestream chat often contained strange questions directed at her.
Zhao Yu had never asked her those questions for the sake of entertainment. Instead, while chatting with her, he would casually ignore those Bullet Screens.
It was perfectly normal to develop feelings for a boy with such high emotional intelligence and so many other outstanding talents. Time was not the measure of such things.
After all, when you liked someone, it started with being drawn to their shining qualities. It was not simply about spending a long time together.
Having figured that out, Yuuka decided to let things take their natural course. She would not suppress her feelings, nor would she avoid Zhao Yu's gestures of affection.
"I wonder how yesterday's video was received. Should I check the comments while I have time?"
There were still a few minutes left in the break, so Yuuka decided to look through the comments on her video.
She was somewhat concerned about what Japanese netizens thought of Zhao Yu, a streamer from China.
"There shouldn't be anyone insulting him, right?" Yuuka felt a little uneasy. The pace of this video had been rather intense, unlike the previous one.
With those thoughts in mind, she opened the comment section. The scene she had imagined did not appear. Instead, most of the comments were praise.
[This sounds so good! That Chinese streamer is incredible!]
[I learned some new things again.]
[China used to be Japan's suzerain state. What's there to argue about?]
[Are you friends with him, Blogger? You two seem kind of flirtatious~]
[Judging by his voice, he should be a fresh-faced handsome guy. My heart skipped a beat.]
[Come to think of it, judging from this video, Chinese people don't seem to hate Japanese people as much as the news claims, do they?]
[Exactly. I always feel like the news has been lying to us. That restaurant has gone a little too far lately, too!]
As Yuuka read the comments beneath the video, the corners of her lips gradually lifted.
Everyone had indeed gained a new understanding of China. That was wonderful.
Ever since yesterday, Yuuka had quickly edited clips of the two of them into a video and included some educational information about China.
Together with the song Zhao Yu had improvised afterward, it had completely changed many Japanese people's impression of China.
And because of the Japanese-language version of Fairy Tale Town, they had also become interested in Zhao Yu. Some people had even asked Yuuka for the address of Zhao Yu's livestream.
After getting Zhao Yu's permission, Yuuka had given them the address. There would probably be quite a few foreign viewers in his future streams.
"Does this count as helping Lord Yu?" Yuuka could not help humming happily.
She had always felt that a large part of why she had managed to build up her video account was because of Zhao Yu's help.
Without him, it might have taken Yuuka a long time to properly establish her account.
Now that she could help Zhao Yu, Yuuka felt as though she had finally become useful.
"I wonder what new songs or other surprises today's stream will have?" Thinking of that, Yuuka was filled with anticipation.
Looking at the comments praising Zhao Yu, she could not help liking them one by one.
Hehe, Lord Yu really is this amazing. You all discovered it too late!
Stare...
Yuuka stopped liking comments. The unfamiliar gaze that had suddenly come from behind her made her uncomfortable.
She swiftly turned around and searched for the source of the gaze, but found nothing.
When she turned back again, that gaze returned, filling Yuuka with fear.
Could some strange person really be watching me? Yuuka quietly opened the compact mirror on her desk.
Pretending to touch up her makeup, she imitated the spies from movies and used the mirror to observe behind her.
Very soon, she saw the owner of that gaze...
Beautifully dyed blonde hair, delicate doll-like makeup, a cool expression on her face, and phoenix eyes that carried an intense sense of pressure.
Combined with her improperly buttoned shirt and the baseball jacket tied around her waist, she looked exactly like the stereotypical delinquent girl.
Yuuka recognized her. Shiori Shiguya, also a first-year student in the literature department. But what made her so famous was not her appearance.
It was her incredibly fierce record. When she first enrolled, she had clashed with some boys from outside the school, making everyone keep their distance from her.
Why is she watching me? Yuuka's face went pale. She should not have offended this delinquent girl, right?
After thinking carefully, it seemed that ever since enrolling, she had always been an unremarkable nobody.
She had not joined any clubs and had not interacted with anyone outside of public events, much less gotten into a conflict with Qigong Shiori.
Their only conversation seemed to have been during the entrance interview, when Yuuka had lent her a pen? And she still had not returned it.
Wait, that's not the important part! Yuuka quickly pulled back her wandering thoughts and turned her head around again.
Qigong Shiori, who sat in the last row, naturally propped her chin on her hand and looked out the window the instant Yuuka turned around.
When Yuuka turned back once more, she continued looking into the compact mirror. Sure enough, Qigong Shiori's gaze had returned to her.
She was certain of it! This girl really had targeted her!
What should she do? She seemed to have no experience handling this kind of problem!
Yuuka no longer had the mood to scroll through videos. She lay on her desk and let out a quiet wail.
After school, Yuuka's apartment.
"So that's what happened. What do you think I should do, Yumiko?" Yuuka asked her best friend Yumiko over the phone.
"Could it be a misunderstanding? Maybe... you could ask her?" Yumiko suggested tentatively.
She did not attend the same school as Yuuka, so she could not help her directly and could only offer advice over the phone.
"Ugh... If I really offended her, won't asking her just get me bullied?" Yuuka swallowed nervously.
Although Ochanomizu was a girls' school, the conflicts in girls' schools were actually far more terrifying than those in boys' schools or ordinary schools.
Once two people developed a conflict, it might not fade away for years to come.
"I don't have any better ideas either, Yuuka..." Yumiko sighed.
"We just started school, so we don't really understand the rules of university yet. It would be nice if an upperclassman could give us some advice."
An upperclassman? Yuuka pondered the word, and suddenly an idea flashed through her mind.
If she remembered correctly, Lord Yu should have already graduated from university, right?
Before you continue