The Story About How I Was Fired From My Company and Then Picked up by a Possessive Streamer With Over 5 Million Subscribers

Chapter 100: Visit

The next day, I woke up early, finished some household chores and video editing in advance, and headed to the apartment where the Ashida siblings lived.

“Sorry about everything. Things got a bit complicated.”

“…I won’t even bother asking why you’re crashing in our room.”

“It seems like you’ve been dealing with quite a lot, Yusuke.”

Manaka was glaring at me with half-lidded eyes, while Soji glanced over with a slightly amused smile.

No, really, it’s because of circumstances… though that probably just sounds like an excuse.

“…I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to cause any trouble.”

“I get it. I know you must have your reasons. But you’re going to explain it all at some point, okay?”

“…Yeah.”

Thank goodness my friends are so understanding. Maybe I should take this chance to explain everything to Manaka and Soji.

“For now, we’ve got a spare room, so I put your stuff in there.”

“Got it. Then I’ll contact my parents and—”

It looks like they’ve already arrived. My phone’s home screen displayed a message: “We’re waiting for you~♪” That overly cheerful tone felt oddly out of place for my mom… ahem, let’s not dwell on it.

“Well, you two, I really appreciate your help today.”

“You don’t need to keep saying it. Don’t worry, we’ll handle it just fine.”

“There’s no need to stress. After all, we’re doing this for a friend.”

“…Thanks.”

Grateful for their kindness, I left the room to meet my parents.

“…Huh? Kanna-san??”

For a moment, I thought I heard Manaka mention her name, but at that time, all I could focus on was going to greet my parents. I didn’t have the bandwidth to think about anything else.

“…Why aren’t they here?”

They said they’d take the train, but where on earth could they be?

I left the apartment and headed to the nearby station, but I didn’t see them anywhere. It was starting to make me anxious.

Did they go to the wrong station? …No, Mom’s email clearly said they were waiting here, so that shouldn’t be the case.

“…Might as well grab something from a vending machine.”

It’s cold outside, and waiting around isn’t ideal. Thinking that, I headed toward the vending machine inside the station to buy something. But that’s when I stumbled upon a sight I wish I hadn’t seen.

“Oh, look, dear. Is this the station’s mascot? How adorable!”

“…It is, isn’t it?”

“Since Yusuke hasn’t arrived yet, why don’t we take a commemorative photo while we wait?”

“…Good idea.”

“Alright then, let’s get started. Stand over here, come on. I’ll take the picture. Okay, say cheese!” Snap.

There they were—my parents, taking selfies with a cute penguin mascot.

“…”

Seeing that, I instinctively turned on my heel and started heading back to Manaka and Soji’s apartment.

I mean, you can’t blame me. It’s way too awkward to just walk into that scene.

Convincing myself that I had a valid excuse, I started to leave when suddenly, I felt an overwhelming force grip me, almost as if someone had grabbed me.

“Oh my, Yusuke! What a coincidence running into you here. Mom’s so happy to see you!”

“…Hello. Well then, I’ll just—”

“Wait a minute. Why don’t we take a photo together to celebrate this reunion?”

“…Is it possible to politely decline?”

“Hmm… nope, not an option♪.”

…It seems I have no choice.

Looking over, I saw Dad in the background, sneaking glances at us with a strangely pleased expression on his face.

“This is a rare occasion, after all. Of course, you’ll join us, won’t you, Yusuke?”

“……It would be my honor to join you.”

And so, rather than having an emotional reunion, I ended up being dragged into a photo session with my parents and the mascot, all while feeling immense pressure from my mom.

…Because of that, I ended up being two hours late. That’s a secret, though.

—

Chapter 101: Arriving at the Apartment

“Honestly, why were you trying to walk away when you saw us? We weren’t doing anything that weird, were we? Right, dear?”

“…Yeah, that’s right.”

Two hours had passed since Mom had forcibly dragged me into her little adventure, and now she was saying this.

Sure, she wasn’t wrong, but… seeing my own parents acting like they’re still young and trendy made me feel secondhand embarrassment.

It also made me feel old somehow… and saying that out loud is just depressing.

“…It’s been a while, Yusuke.”

“…Yeah, Dad.”

If you’re going to act so indifferent, could you at least tone down that aura of happiness you’re giving off? The gap between your usual behavior and this is so jarring I can’t help but call it out in my mind.

“Hey, let’s hurry and go to Yusuke’s place. It’s winter, and it’s freezing out here.”

“…You’re right… Yusuke, lead the way.”

“Y-Yeah…”

I had a lot I wanted to say, but it’s true that I didn’t want to stay outside for long either.

“Alright, I’ll guide you. Just follow me, both of you.”

“Okay. I’m so looking forward to it, aren’t you, dear?”

“…Yeah, I am.”

And so, I headed off to guide my parents to “my place”—or more accurately, the apartment where Soji and Manaka lived.

“This is it. Right now, because of some circumstances, Soji and Manaka are letting me stay at their apartment.”

“My, it’s huge! It must be dozens of times bigger than our home!”

I had already explained the situation in broad strokes through today’s email.

I told them about how I quit my job, sold my apartment because of it, and ended up staying at the Ashida siblings’ place.

When I quit my old job at AO Britia, they were initially shocked, but when I explained how mentally exhausting it had been with all the overtime, they understood.

“Alright, let me show you around.”

“My legs and back are starting to ache. Let’s work together and push through, okay, dear?”

“…Yeah.”

“You don’t have to worry that much—there’s an elevator, you know…”

I gave them a light-hearted remark and led them into the building.

I still wasn’t used to how big the place was, but thinking that, I led us into the elevator, pressed the button for our floor, and started the ascent.

That slight floating sensation you get in elevators? I’m not a fan. It seems Dad isn’t either—he had a slight grimace on his face.

After a short ride, the elevator doors opened. We walked down the hallway to the third door, which was the apartment we were heading for.

“I can’t wait to see Manaka-chan and Soji-kun again! It’s been so long!”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it. Let’s just go inside.”

While listening to Mom’s usual chatter, I rang the doorbell.

One of them should come out soon… or so I thought.

“…Huh?”

No one was coming out. Did I ring the wrong doorbell? No, that shouldn’t be…

As I was feeling puzzled, the door finally opened. Standing there was Manaka, looking slightly awkward.

“…You actually came.”

“? What’s up, Manaka?”

“Manaka-chan! It’s been so long! You’ve grown so much! It makes me so happy!”