I Joined the Agency as a Manager to Support a Vtuber, but Somehow I Ended up Becoming the Face of the Company as an Official Staff Member? - 23

Chapter 23: Long Story Short, I Didn’t Know I’d Be Petted

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

Still visibly shaken, I sat down on the floor. Sunabara-san poured the contents of her thermos into a paper cup and handed it to me.

“It’s honey lemon tea. I often drink it after vocal training.”

“…Thank you.”

Afraid to meet her gaze, I looked down and accepted the cup.

“Take your time. It’s important to talk about this kind of thing at your own pace.”

“…Okay.”

After calming myself down, I began to talk about myself, bit by bit.

“Back in high school, I was bullied. The ringleaders were three girls in my class.”

“And that led to your gynophobia?”

“…Yes.”

“…That must have been really hard.”

“I didn’t have many friends to begin with. So… No one stood up for me. Something big happened, and after that, I stopped going to school.”

“…I see.”

“Since then, seeing women has started to trigger flashbacks for me… I was on medication for a while.”

A bitter smile tugged at the corners of my mouth.

“When it was really bad, I even had a panic attack with an aunt of mine… I caused a lot of trouble for everyone.”

“Did you do any rehab or something like that?”

“My cousin helped me. I did rehabilitation to prevent panic attacks when in the same space as women.”

“I see… But you’re doing somewhat okay now, right? Otherwise, you wouldn’t be managing female talents like us.”

“Yes. I gradually got better and was able to talk to women again. That’s how I managed to graduate from high school. I still have some difficult symptoms, but I know how to deal with them.”

“Yeah…”

Sunabara-san, who had been standing and listening, sat down a bit farther away.

“Do you still experience those… Episodes?”

“…Episodes?”

“You know, sudden panic attacks.”

“…Occasionally. When a woman grabs me from behind or speaks harshly, the memories come rushing back.”

“I see… I’m sorry.”

Sunabara-san spoke slowly.

“I also stopped going to school in my first year of high school. I got tired of trying to fit in,  but unlike you, Hiori-kun, I couldn’t endure it. In the end, I transferred and ran away from it all.”

“But if you hadn’t done that, the Sunabara-san I know today might not exist. I don’t think that’s something to regret.”

“…You’re too kind. And a good flatterer too.”

“I just don’t think people who work hard should be belittled or insulted.”

“I see. You’re admirable, Hiori-kun.”

“No, I’m still far from that.”

“Ah! You just talked down about yourself again!”

“It’s fine. I’m still immature.”

Talking with Sunabara-san had helped me recover enough to joke around.

“Thank you… I think I’m okay now, so I’ll be heading out.”

I stood up.

“Ah, wait a second!”

“Hm? Yes?”

Just as I was about to leave the room, Sunabara-san stopped me. As I turned around, she gently patted my head.

“Wh-why are you petting me?”

“Hmm? Because you won’t praise yourself. So I thought I should do it for you.”

“H-hey, cut it out.”

When I tried to push her hand away, she held my arm with her other hand.

“Nope. You’ve got no choice but to let me pet you quietly.”

Pat pat. Pat pat.

“Your hair is really smooth, Hiori-kun.”

“…Is that so.”

“Yeah. I could keep touching it forever.”

“…Come to think of it, my cousin said something like that too. That I’d probably go bald one day.”

“Ahaha! As long as you take care of it, you’ll be fine.”

Pat pat. Pat pat.

“You really are amazing. Facing yourself and fighting your trauma without running away.”

“That’s not really…”

“Okay, five more minutes of petting time.”

“Nooo…”

Pat pat. Pat pat.

“Um, could you please stop already? It’s getting embarrassing…”

She had been petting me for over 15 minutes, and my embarrassment was reaching its peak.

“Wow, you’re right. Your face is totally red. Sorry, sorry.”

She finally let go of me.

“Whew… Alright, I’ll be going now. Thanks for everything.”

“Yeah, good work out there.”

“…Ah.”

“Hm? What is it?”

I thought of a little prank. A bit of payback. With that in mind, I reached out and patted Sunabara-san’s head.

“Running away is a perfectly valid choice too. You did well.”

“Fwah!?”

“Ah, did I catch you by surprise? I’m just returning the favor.”

“Mmmph, jeez! You’re such a tease!”

“Ooh, scary. Well then, I’ll be going now.”

Playfully saying that, I made a swift exit from the room.

“…I’ve never had a boy pet me before… Ugh~”

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

“Hiori-san, here.”

“Hm? Oh, a little gift? Thank you.”

The next day, while I was working at my desk, Aihara-san came to the office and handed me an energy drink.

“You like the pink M-Star can, right?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

“Hey, Hiori-kun, about this part of the lyrics here…”

This time, Kurama-san came over to check the lyrics.

“…Kohaku, I’m talking to Hiori-san right now. Don’t interrupt.”

“Ah, yeah. Sorry, Aoi-chan.”

“Sorry, Kurama-san. That part reads ‘Farewell Falls, Reichenbach.'”

“Ohhh! Thanks!”

“Mmm…”

“Hey hey, is Hiori-kun around?”

Sunabara-san came in as well.

“Yes, I’m here. What is it?”

“Did you watch the demo of the video we recorded yesterday?”

“Ah, not yet. I’ve been a bit busy.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“I’m curious…”

Sunabara-san and I’s exchange caught the interest of the other two.

“Well, actually…”

I briefly explained that we had recorded a response video addressing the controversy.

“So that’s what it was… You’re really getting used to this, huh.”

“Yeah, online people say Hiori-san’s voice is actually pretty well-received.”

“Really?”

“Yep, Ikejun said we’ve gained more female fans.”

“At this rate, you might debut as an official staff member.”

“No, no. That’s not happening. I’m just a manager with zero streaming experience.”

“Everyone starts somewhere. Even Mado-chan was a newbie when she began.”

“Even so… And besides, I’m a man. HoloEco is a female VTuber group. If a guy debuted, it’d be a disaster.”

“Hehe, true. But it’s safe to say you’re going to continue working as a narrator for us.”

“Well, that’s how it turned out, and since it was Aihara-san’s request, I don’t regret it.”

“Hehe…”

“You’re amazing, doing all that for someone else!”

Saying that, Sunabara-san once again reached out and patted my head.

“Ohhh…!”

“Mmph…!”

“C-come on, stop that. It’s only natural I do my job when the talent needs me… Wait, is Aihara-san mad? Kurama-san, are you smirking?”

“Nope~”

“…Not at all.”

“Huh? What? What is going on here?”

“Ahaha!”

“Hey! Don’t laugh while you’re patting my head!”

As I flailed in confusion, Sunabara-san kept laughing with delight.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー