But even though I pumped myself up, I have no idea what to sing.
I want to say to myself “You’re the one that invited her to karaoke, what are you saying?,” but everything was planned by Natsunami Yui so it was bound to happen.
I’m no more than a cannon fodder komyushou tossed into the midst of a battlefield unprepared.
Karaoke is something I’ve done only once a long time ago when my mom took me along.
That’s why I don’t get it when my classmates say something like「Let’s sing that one at karaoke〜」or what kind of song I should choose for the first one.
Basically, rather than saying I’m indecisive over what to sing, it’s more accurate to say I have no desire to sing so I’m confused on what to choose.
「Ahhh, uuuh」
：Fighting with the Denmoku1
：You good? You know how to use it?
：You look up the numbers from the song book which looks like a telephone directory and put it in
：What era are you from?
「I, I obviously know how!」
「Are you lost on which to sing?」
「Uu」
Everything was leaked to the person besides me, Matsuri-senpai.
：What was that about taking the lead?
：Make up your mind and do it
The chat is gradually shifting towards messing with me.
Well, if the Liver I was watching was holding the Denmoku and going “hmm” for around five minutes, I’d become impatient.
But I don’t know what I should sing!
Natsunami Yui ✓：Connect2
「!!」
Lost in my indecisiveness, I reflexively put in the letters that caught my sight.
The music of the intro began to play in sync with the sound of my heart beating against my eardrums.
：Oh
：MadoMagi
「ah, u……」
：What is it what is it
：Isn’t the first part starting already?
My voice, won’t come out.
Even though the song lyrics before me continued regardless of my wishes, my mouth would only open and close due to excessive tension.
I knew I shouldn’t have chosen karaoke. No, if only I rejected the off-collab even at the risk of displeasing my fans,
「───」
「eh」
：Matsuri-chan!
：Matsuri-paisen’s singing is so good
「─────」
Before I knew it, Matsuri-senpai took the microphone.
With her gaze fixed on the song lyrics on the monitor, her beautiful and clear voice resounded within the small room.
「──」
The song entered into its interlude.
Matsuri-senpai took a shallow breath and shifted her gaze from the monitor onto me.
「Ah……」
It’s the first time our eyes have met today.
「Shall we sing together?」
：Duet!?
：MatsuNeko Duet!
「O, okay」
This time, I became strangely obedient and nodded.
I felt that all the hesitation and worrying I carried had become an alien concept and that the mike which felt as heavy as lead became slightly lighter.
「────────」
「────────」
：Kuroneko-san sang!
：Her trembling voice is cute
：San, you’ve done your best (arms folded in the back)
Aaah, my throat hurts like hell.
I think this is the first time I sang loudly in front of others.
The only other memory I have of singing is when there was a singing test in class. I couldn’t let out my voice and broke down crying, causing the teacher to stop the test.
Karaoke sure is embarrassing.
But, singing feels super good.
「──────」
「──────」
：888883
：Emotional
：You were able to do your best with your lucky underwear
「Haa～～……Okay! Bye nya」
：Bye n y
：Don’t end it!!
「Tsk, thought it would work」
「That was fun」
「Ah, I, I also had fun」
Matsuri made an expression as if she had finished an arduous task. She drank her melon soda in gulps while operating the Denmoku.
Woaah. I was exhausted after just one song but she can go for a second song with an indifferent face as if nothing had happened.
「H, how was it? My singing」
Asking the question myself is both shameful and painful but I wanted to ask no matter what.
If possible, I’d like to get spoiled and overcome my hate for karaoke!
：Hmm that’s a tricky question
：Feels like you’re not used to it
：I’ll acknowledge your effort
Natsunami Yui✓：Your humming is cute though
「Nnaa!? Why, what reason!? It sounded amazing!」
Do these guys have something wrong with their ears!?
Isn’t it obvious that a beautiful girl singing unconditionally means a beautiful voice!?
But no matter how much I try to sell myself, the chat decided to rate my singing as weird.
Haa～～!?!?!?
「I like it. Kuroneko-san’s singing」
「A, ah, thank you so much」
「Chat’s also saying it: you’re just not used to it. You don’t know how to sing so you become off-sync with the music」
「Ah, yes」
「Your voice is great so I’m sure your talent will shine if you practice a lot」
「My heart is already about to break……」
Weird, is that it.
Even though it took so much to gather my courage to sing……
I’ll never ever sing again.
「Want to do another duet?」
「I, I don’t want to sing anymore」
：Sing♡
：Do Lion4 if it’s a duet
：Have your senpai lead
「Auu……」
「Lion, that’s nice」
No room for me to object.
Matsuri-senpai, without minding me, typed the letters one by one to enter the song and held the mike in her hand.
「Sing however you want in karaoke. It’s okay as long as you’re comfortable with how you sing. Whether it sounds good or not is a different matter」
「Sing, however I want……」
It’s true that it was fun earlier.
It was the first time I felt free in real life.
……It’s what my senpai says. The kouhai should just listen and follow it.
「───────」
「───────」
Ah, my voice came out smoothly this time.
But isn’t this song hard!?
This is because Connect is a solo song while Lion is a duet song.
It was reassuring earlier since Matsuri-senpai sang with me the whole way through. But this time, not only are there a lot of solo parts, we also have to alternate at a high pace.
A duet solo loop of alternating solos. Syncing our breathing will be extremely difficult!
：Kuroneko-san gl
：Matsuri-chan is good at matching her speed
：Matsuri-senpai is so skilled, is she a pro?
「──────」
「──────」
：Kuroneko’s voice is already dying
：Can’t be helped, it’s her first karaoke
Aaaah! My throat’s already at its limits.
I probably haven’t strained my voice for this long before, even on streams.
I want to give up already. Just when I thought that:
「─────」
「!!?」
Matsuri-senpai grasped my hand gently and squeezed it.
It’s as if she’s cheering me on, telling me to do my best a little longer.
Ah, I love her.
「────────────」
「────────────」
・
・
・
「AaaAAAH゛I’m tired!!!」
：Mike!
：Ears are destroyed
：Careful with the volume
「Ah, sorry about that」
After the sense of liberation I felt from the end, I accidentally yelled out.
Yelling out as my emotions reach their limits is a bad habit of mine.
「That was fun, let’s sing more」
「U, umm, I want a break」
「Muu, only cause it’s your first time」
：It’s good that your first partner was Matsuri-senpai
：MatsuNeko TeeTee
：Best duet ever
「T, that’s embarrassing……Th, then let’s read marshmallows during the break」
The marshmallows got refreshed just now in real time.
I could probably pick ones that catch my eye randomly.
【Marshmallow】
Konbannya
Now then, Kuroneko-san, how does it feel to see the Matsuri-senpai you’vre admired in the flesh?
Also, describe the texture of your lucky underwear
「Matsuri-senpai is kind and I like her. Ah, that’s wrong, I mean, that’s not wrong but not like that」
「? I like you」
「T–thank you very much……」
Matsuri-senpai’s avatar is a beautiful girl with light blue hair.
I’m a Vtuber with a gap between my virtual and real but Matsuri-senpai gives the impression of being the same in both virtual and real.
She’s a quiet character and rarely shows a change in expression. Despite that, she completely goes at her own pace.
Nothing has changed between the girl I was watching—before I joined Arutema—and the Matsuri-senpai in front of me.
She’ll always be someone I admire.
「Uhh, let’s move onto the next marshmallow」
「What about the texture of your lucky underwear?」
「Let’s just, move on」
She really does go at her own pace!
【Marshmallow】
Curry faction? Stew faction?
I’m from the hayashi rice faction
「Aaah, I like hayashi rice, nya」
「Stew」
：Don’t say nya like you almost forgot it
：Eat beef stroganoff
【Marshmallow】
Kuroneko-san occasionally says “bain bain5” but do you really mean what you say?
It doesn’t matter but bain refers to vines from plants.
Ah, did you know that?
Btw, how was the off-collab?
「But I am bain bain!?」
「Kuroneko-san is──」
「Matsuri-senpai, could you shut up for a sec?」
「Muu」
I need to pay special attention to this person since there’s no telling what she’ll say.
The one management will scold later is mostly me so restrain yourself!
「Off-collabs are, mhm, well. They’re not, bad……I think」
「I’m glad I did it」
：We’re also glad we got to see it
：Go do off-collabs regularly
「Umm, by the way, why, did you do an off-collab with me……?」
It’s something I’ve always thought about.
Until the day that Matsuri-senpai appeared in Natsunami Yui’s chat during the my first collab, the only interaction I’ve had with her was that greeting off-stream.
How did it become a relationship where we do an off-collab in one week?
I still don’t understand.
「Kuroneko-san is amusing. Plus you said you wanted friends. That’s why I thought it’d be fun to hang out with you」
「T, that’s what lead you to an off-collab?」
「Like you, both talking and my social disposition aren’t my strong points. If Kirin didn’t drag me along, I’m sure I’d still be friendless」
Certainly, in the early days of Arutema, Matsuri-senpai had what one might call a hard to approach atmosphere. She gave off the impression of an aloof beautiful girl.
It’s not wrong to say that while the other members of the same generation are collabing, she only did chatting and singing streams by herself and was seldom cheerful.
But one day, Kinomiya Kirin invited her to collab. From that point onwards, their relationship changed to one where they frequently collabed together and her popularity exploded. She is now one of the most popular streamers in the Vtuber world.
「I also want more friends. And Kuroneko-san also wants friends. Just like how Kirin helped me, I wanted to do the same for Kuroneko-san」
「Matsuri-senpai……」
Her methods may be forceful.
But the feelings within her heart are genuine and that tells me more than enough.
Aah, I wonder if this is the part I admired about her.
She’s a wonderful senpai.
：TeeTee
：The newcomer Matsuri-chan from a while ago has also become a fine senpai
：San-chan will also become a senpai one day
：Guide your kouhai’s well
：Feels like Kuroneko-san will be taken care of by her kouhai’s
「Why do you guys always ruin the good mood!? Can’t you see we’re having an emotional moment!?」
「Everyone loves Kuroneko-san」
「U, uu……」
aAAAH what’s up with this senpai!?
She’s been saying “love” and “like” since earlier; people are gonna get the wrong idea! Stop it, I’ll attack you! I’ve put my soul into it so I’m perfectly prepared!
「Ready to sing again?」
「Ah, yes」
The pain in my throat is mostly gone.
I should be able to sing a few songs in this state.
Un. Singing by myself is still terrifying but Matsuri-senpai will be singing together with me.
In that case, it’s not so bad.
「Want to do a sleepover off-collab next time?」
「Nnn eeeh, please let me think it over……」
◆
「Konyui, I’ll read some marshmallows」
：Konyui
：It’s marshmallow time!
「Did everyone watch San’s off-collab? My heart was going pitter patter」
：There were some accidents here and there
：Some TeeTee occurred
：That reminds me, Yui-taso flipped at the anti’s marshmallow
「Eh, no I didn’t!? I was just astonished by San!!」
：I see
：Doesn’t that mean you’re her guardian?
：Yuimama
「I’m not a mama! C’mon, I’m reading marshmallows now!」
【Marshmallow】
Konbannya
This is coming out of nowhere but do you think Yuimama will acknowledge you as her daughter? Or will Yuimama not?
I can’t help but be curious.
「Isn’t this San’s marshmallow!? Don’t you have the wrong person!?」
：草
：Acknowledge her
：Mama
「I told you I’m not anyone’s mama! You know, you just can’t leave San alone when you see her. Something like that. You feel like someone has to help her」
：Ain’t that a mama
：That’s what they call a mama
：I’ll acknowledge it…
「Aah geez, next!」
【Marshmallow】
Could you please read this slowly and clearly
5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0
「What’s this? You’re fine with that? Then here I go」
：Ah
：Wai
「Fiiive, fooour, three, twooo, one, zeeero, zero, zero zero6」
：Ah
：Eh
：tasukaru
：Collector's edition
「What’s going on? Whatever, next」
【Marshmallow】
Who does Yui-chan talk to the most within Arutema?
Furthermore, what do you often talk about?
「Uhh, it’s San」
：Knew it
：Feels like you talk to her everyday
「It’s obviously not everyday!! And she doesn’t talk to me often so it’s just me one-sidedly talking about what happened today」
：Yuimama who’s having fun talking and Kuroneko-san who’s constantly nodding
：TeeTee
：Just as I though
：My delusions are running wild
：Girlfriend?
「Nna, screw it! Let’s pick up the pace and read more marshmallows」
Denmoku is an electronic table device they use to choose songs at the karaoke bar
Opening from Puella Magi Madoka Magica
The eight's mean pachipachi which is the sound for clapping
An opening from Macross Frontier
Bain bain is also another term used for big boobs but also has the same pronunciation as vine since v's and b's are the pronounced the same in Japanese
The joke is that reading it like that is similar to a countdown for ejaculation in some R-18 works. Don't ask how I know