The Story About How I Was Fired From My Company and Then Picked up by a Possessive Streamer With Over 5 Million Subscribers - Chapter 93

“…I’m home.”

I heard the sound of the front door opening. Judging by the voice, it’s probably Rinmei.

As I was tying my apron, I headed toward the entrance.

“Welcome back. You’re early. Did you come home alone today?”

“Yeah…I checked my phone and saw an email from Sayaka saying she’d be late.”

So, she came home alone. Now that I think about it, she mentioned going somewhere with friends today.

“…Where’s Kanna?”

“She’s streaming as usual. She was excited since it’s a new game release today.”

“Oh…that’s good, then. I have to unveil my new song today too…I’ll give it my best.”

Rinmei clenched her fists with determination, showing her enthusiasm. Smiling at her effort, I turned back to the living room.

“You’re probably hungry, right? I made a snack, so have some before you sing.”

“Oh! That’s great. As expected from you, Eiji…Ah.”

Just then, she made a sound as if she remembered something, and her face suddenly darkened.

“Hm? What’s wrong, Rinmei?”

Noticing her change in mood, I called out to her. She hesitated for a moment, looking like a child about to be scolded, then started speaking in a small voice.

“…Sorry, Eiji…the lunchbox you made for me…I accidentally dropped it on the ground…”

“Ah…I see.”

For someone who loves food, this must have been unacceptable. Her expression looked extremely distorted.

“…It’s bad to waste food…but I spilled everything…I’m really sorry.”

“Well, it can’t be helped. These things happen sometimes.”

“…You’re not mad?”

She glanced at me with a slight look of fear. But there’s no point in getting angry at someone who didn’t mean any harm, and I know Rinmei would never do that intentionally.

“No, I’m not. But you must be hungry now, right? Want me to make you something else? I can make something now if you want.”

I was about to prepare more food for her, knowing she has quite an appetite, but I saw her shaking her head vigorously. Wait, she doesn’t want anything?

“…That’s okay. I’ll have some of the snacks…but I ate someone else’s lunch instead.”

“Someone else’s?”

“…A friend’s lunch…”

“A friend’s…!”

To hear the word “friend” from her…!

Right now, she has Yuna, Soji, and Manaka who look after her, but she must want friends her own age.

As proof, her cheeks turned red, though she seemed to be smiling happily.

If those two heard about this, they’d be thrilled…As I was thinking this, Rinmei shook her head more desperately than before.

“D-don’t tell those two yet. It’s…embarrassing…”

“But you told me, right?”

“Ugh…that’s only because it’s you, Eiji…A-anyway, just don’t tell them!”

Raising her voice unusually, Rinmei passed by me and headed for the living room.

Well, those two are unexpectedly fond of Rinmei. Whenever she does something, they praise her as if moved to tears, celebrating it like a holiday or something.

“If they find out she made a friend, they’ll probably cry with joy.”

I could already picture Kanna tearing up. She’s surprisingly emotional…And Sayaka would probably even show up at the friend’s house.

“Anyway, it’s a good thing.”

Watching Rinmei munching on the snacks I made, I walked over to join her.

◇

Afterward, I don’t know how they heard, but Kanna and Sayaka found out about Rinmei’s new friend.

My prediction came true. The moment I mentioned Rinmei had made a friend, they were overjoyed, with Kanna especially close to tearing up.

Sayaka even said, “I can’t believe someone so unfriendly made a friend…” She seemed genuinely happy, though it seemed to irritate Rinmei, sparking one of their usual sisterly quarrels.

“…Hmm. How did those two find out? Did you tell them, Eiji?”

“Why would I do that? I didn’t say anything.”

Kanna and the others must have found out on their own. But still, how did they know?

“What’s your friend’s name?”

It wouldn’t do any good to dig into Kanna and Sayaka, so I decided to change the topic.

When I asked, Rinmei looked slightly pleased as she answered.

“…Haruka. Her name is Ichinose Haruka.”

“Haruka, huh…sounds like a pretty common name.”

“…Eiji. Don’t say that in front of her…She’d definitely cry, and it’s incredibly rude.”

“S-sorry…”

Rinmei’s glare was sharp enough to make me shrink back. It was my mistake.

I’ve been dealing with a lot of high-profile streamers and famous Vtubers lately, so I ended up thinking a bit too casually about it.

“…Speaking of unique things, it reminded me of something.”

“Hm? What is it?”

“…Until today, I thought her name was Yumetori Liana.”

“Yu…what?”

The name was so far from sounding like a normal name that I couldn’t help but ask again. This time, Rinmei slowly repeated the name.

“…Yumetori Liana…I thought it was a strange name.”

“W-what’s with that name?”

Is it one of those sparkling names or something?

“…There was another one.”

“There’s…another strange name?”

What’s going on with people these days? Is this kind of name trendy now? I wouldn’t think so…

“…It’s so memorable…Hade Napari.”

“H-huh?”

“…Her name is as sparkling as she is…a real party girl.”

“Y-yeah, I get that, but…”

Is this a joke? Her name being “sparkling party girl” is a bit much.

“Hey, Rinmei? Could it be that names like this are…popular nowadays?”

“…Who knows?”

“Wait, how would I…? Anyway, we’re talking too much—your performance time is starting.”

Shifting gears, Rinmei stood up and moved to her streaming setup as if stepping onto a stage. She truly looked like a diva.

“All right, Eiji. As usual, please handle the filming.”

“Got it. I’ll start recording now.”

Leaving the strange questions aside for now, I focused on capturing her performance.

And so, the new song from Scarlet, the diva, echoed throughout the room and around the world.