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

“…Sayaka, Rinmei. Take Kanna and head back first.”

I entrusted the still-sleeping Kanna to the two, who were clearly hostile.

“Huh…But, Eiji…!”

“This is my problem. I can’t drag everyone into it…Don’t worry. I’ll come back.”

I smiled as usual and reassured them. After a brief moment of concern, the two looked back at me several times while carrying Kanna on their backs, running down the path home.

“W-wait!”

“You’re after me, right? They have nothing to do with this.”

“…Tch!”

I grabbed the arm of my superior, who was about to chase after them.

The look on his face was filled with intense hatred toward me.

“…Hmph! Just because you quit, don’t get cocky…You’re still my subordinate, even now.”

“Clinging to the past, huh? I’m no longer your subordinate or anything…Just a stranger.”

We shook off each other’s arms, exchanging taunts as our gazes met again.

While his eyes were filled with hatred, I looked at him cautiously.

“…Because of you…”

After a while, my former boss Meguro muttered those words.

“Because of you…my life is ruined!!”

And so began Meguro Shigeru’s story after he was fired.

“To pay off the debt the company left me, I lost everything! My money! My house! My woman! Everything, everything, everything!”

He scratched his thinning hair and threw a tantrum.

“Day after day, from morning to night, I work non-stop, only getting a few hours of rest…Do you have any idea how much I’m suffering?!”

“…You brought this on yourself, didn’t you?”

It’s true, this man is probably going through a lot.

He’s likely facing lawsuits from the company for compensation, and he’s been sued for all the accumulated power harassment and sexual harassment…His life must be miserable.

But even though it’s so tragic, I…felt nothing.

“…Did you ever once, even once, look at your employees…at us?”

“…Huh? What are you talking about?”

He looked confused, and I could feel myself growing colder.

“…Not once did you praise us…You never said, ‘Good job’…You never even called me by my name.”

No, that’s not it.

I’m…sad.

Maybe, just maybe, I thought he’d apologize for everything up until now.

I hoped he’d say he would change and start working hard from now on.

But…he didn’t show any sign of that. All he did was blame someone…blame me.

“…You only think about yourself, don’t you?”

“Of course I do! You’re the abnormal one!”

He pointed at me angrily.

“You work for others? Where’s the idiot who does that?! There’s no such person anywhere…You’ve been abnormal from the start! You wasted time on things you didn’t need to bother with, hanging around with those scumbag streamers…! A lot of people’s lives were ruined because of you!!”

…Because of me.

I see…When I think about it, what happened after I left?

The company was merged with the Kō Group, and because of that, some of my juniors got hurt…

I’ve been pointing fingers at him, but maybe I don’t have the right to talk either.

“A guy like you shouldn’t be allowed to live properly, right? Come on, come back. I’ll let you work for me again…until you die.”

“…I won’t.”
“Don’t mess with me.”

Just one sentence, but the anger in that voice was clear.

Looking ahead, I saw Rinmei standing there, trembling, her fists clenched, her face distorted with rage.

“R-Rinmei…”

“…You just want to make yourself the victim…and make Eiji the villain…You’re nothing but a worthless, selfish man.”

“What…what did you say…?”

“…It’s true. Eiji did nothing wrong…Everything that happened with that company is your fault…Why should Eiji, who has nothing to do with it, be blamed?”

“R-Rinmei?”

I could only stare at her, dumbfounded.

Because she…was crying sadly.

“…Eiji saved me…He taught me the joy of living through streaming…That’s why…he deserves to be happy…!”

“W-What?! What could you possibly know about him…?!”

“I know more than you!!”

Her raised voice struck Meguro like a blow.

Caught off guard, he shut his mouth.

“Eiji is a kind person who can move for the sake of others! Eiji is someone amazing who brings light to people! Eiji is…my only fan!! Someone like you…Don’t send him back to hell! Don’t hurt Eiji!!!”

“Kuh! Shut up, shut up, shut up!!!”

Meguro, pushed past his limit by Rinmei’s words, grabbed her by the collar.

“Ah…!”

“You brat…Stay out of grown-up matters!!”

He raised his fist to hit her.

“Y-You…!”

Before his fist could reach her, I grabbed his arm.

I twisted his arm with increasing force.

“Ow, ow, ow, ow!!?”

He let go of her collar in pain, and I caught her with one arm as she almost fell.

“…Eiji…?”

“…Sorry, Rinmei. I didn’t mean to put you in danger like this.”