The Story About How I Was Fired From My Company and Then Picked up by a Possessive Streamer With Over 5 Million Subscribers - Chapter 162-163

Chapter 162: A Proper Start

“Alright! With the support of Brittia and the financial group, and permission from all participating streamers, let’s get started right away!”

With a cheerful and enthusiastic expression, Yuna-chan made the announcement.

Soji and Manaka both nodded with a smile, while I… nodded as well, though with teary eyes.

The reason for that was none other than those two—the Ashida siblings.

After that meeting ended, when we returned to the company, they made me sit in seiza without letting me say a word.

It seemed they were extremely upset about me saying I would become part of the Sumeragi Group. With terrifying smiles unlike anything I’d ever seen before, they lectured me for over five hours.

My legs were shaking, and in front of me were two people with expressions like raging demons… It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it hell.

Apparently, Yuna-chan was angry too, but after seeing how those two treated me, she must have felt sorry for me because she comforted me afterward.

Ugh… I really have such a kind junior…

“Sigh, enough about Yusuke already. Yuna-chan, what should I do next?”

Manaka sighed, looking exasperated at my condition, and then turned her gaze to Yuna-chan.

“Let’s see… First, we need to report to the members about what’s coming up. I’ll leave Kanna-san, Sayaka-chan, and Rinmei-chan to Senpai… It would help if you could explain things to the rest of the new-generation rookies, except for Sayaka-chan.”

“Got it. Then Soji and I will handle that. Also, leave the financial management and meetings with the trainers to us.”

“Then I’ll assist Manaka and Yuna-chan. I also want to coordinate with Brittia and the Sumeragi Group.”

Before I knew it, the conversation kept moving forward without me.

W-Wait, why do I feel completely left out here…? Aren’t they all too competent?

“Ah, Yusuke. I’d like you to handle everyone’s mental care.”

“M-Mental care…?”

“We’ll be participating too, but from now until the project ends, we’re going to go through some really tough days. Honestly, it might get so hard that we feel like giving up.”

“Yes. When that happens, Senpai, we want you to support us emotionally. If you do that, we’ll feel like we can push through.”

Soji and Manaka looked at me with eyes full of expectation, and Yuna-chan’s eyes sparkled as she turned her gaze toward me.

A-Are things really going to be that intense…? I’m starting to feel a bit scared.

“F-Fine. If that’s all I have to do…”

“Thank you. Now, let’s see… Since we’re at it, why don’t we also think about how to decorate the studio in advance?”

“Oh, that sounds great! I actually prepared some ideas for this day. Please take a look!”

“Then let’s discuss it in the meeting room. Yusuke, you should come too.”

“Ah… A-Alright.”

…And so, while I was still in shock, the three of them kept pushing the conversation forward.

I tried my best to keep up, but honestly, there was so much I didn’t understand that I really ended up being left out toward the end.

By the time today’s meeting was over, the sun was already setting.

“Starting for real tomorrow, huh…”

Taking a deep breath, I slapped my cheeks hard to reset my focus.

At the very least, I don’t want to be a burden to everyone.

With that thought in mind, I walked home.

—

Chapter 163: Progress and Problems

The preparations for Able’s first large-scale project had begun.

Because of that, everyone looked more serious than usual, their expressions tense with focus.

The first part of the core activities included dance lessons and vocal training for the opening performance, which involved singing and dancing.

Rinmei, who had experience as a singer, and Manaka, who had danced in university, were included in the training, with Brittia and the Sumeragi Group taking the lead.

Next, we planned to conduct a ranking test organized by Able.

Because of that, everyone was expected to study on their own after returning from work or finishing their streams.

Sayaka made a disgusted face and groaned, but when I told her she didn’t have to do it if she was fine embarrassing herself in front of everyone, she immediately shouted, “No way!” and started studying. It was too easy.

And lastly… we planned for Kanna-san to face off against a professional gamer.

Apparently, the Sumeragi Group’s chairman knew an incredible pro player, so he suggested it would be a good opportunity for a match.

When I told Kanna-san about it, she accepted with an unusually serious expression.

By the way, none of the other streamers, aside from Kanna-san and us, had been informed about this.

With these three major events in place, everyone had been living a pretty tough routine every day.

Of course, that meant some people started complaining…

“Eiji-saaan, I’m so tired… Please pat my head…”

“S-Senpai… I’m sorry. I need a little break… I-I feel like I’m going to die…”

“Eiji-saaan, I worked really hard too! Please let me hug you!”

“…Sakurin, have you changed a little? You never used to cling to Eiji like this before, did you?”

“Yo, Yusuke! I don’t feel like studying, so how about some strength training instead?”

“What are you even saying? Yusuke-san, forget about this muscle freak. Let’s study together. That would be a much more productive use of time.”

“A-Ahaha…”

…And just like that, they all started crowding around me.

Am I really doing mental care here, or am I just being used as their playmate?

Watching this, Soji laughed and said, “You look like a mascot.”

…Unacceptable.

For some reason, Haruka-chan—Haru-chan—and Kyoko-san also started showing up.

Haru-chan was eager to support Rinmei, while Kyoko-san smirked at me and said, “I’ll be expecting a big reward later.” …Am I the one paying?

With all that going on, things were progressing smoothly… or so I wish I could say.

In reality, a small problem had arisen—about Kanna-san.

“Whoa!?”

“Oof!?”

“Ow!?”

During the dance lessons, her lack of athletic ability became painfully obvious.

No matter how much she practiced, she wasn’t improving enough to perform in front of an audience.

Even Manaka and the trainer coaching her were at a loss. I was also struggling to figure out what to do.

At worst, I considered letting her skip the dance and focus entirely on the final gaming event.

But leaving out Able’s top streamer didn’t seem right. More importantly, she really wanted to dance with everyone, so I didn’t want to ignore her feelings.

“…Hmm, what should I do?”

As I worked on editing, I put both hands behind my head and groaned.

Honestly, I had no solution for this.

Should I try to find some kind of drug that boosts athletic ability? …That’s definitely illegal. I can already see myself getting arrested.

As I was lost in thought, I heard a knock at the door.

“Come in,” I said, and someone stepped inside.

When I turned around… I saw Kanna-san standing there, looking downcast.

(…Mental care might be harder than I thought.)

I muttered that to myself as I faced her.