The Saintess Next Door is a Super Popular VTuber Whose Character was Designed by Me
Tonari ni Sunderu Seijo-sama wa Ore ga Chara-Design o Tantoushita Daininki VTuber deshita
Chapter 21 - Interlude 1 & 2
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[Interlude 1]
"Hey, Minase, how do you handle your tax returns?"
Tax returns.
For freelancers and self-employed individuals, those are two words you'd rather not think about.
By January, it starts creeping into your mind, and by mid-February, the filing period officially begins.
Both Iori and Asumi, being self-employed, fall into the category of people who have to deal with this dreaded task.
Although the deadline for filing was still a bit away, if they didn't start organizing things early, it would turn into a huge headache.
And today, they were sorting through receipts and other paperwork to prepare for their tax returns.
"I get advice from the agency's accountant and take care of it with their help."
"Oh, that's nice. I could hire an accountant too, but explaining everything to them is such a hassle."
"For me, the things that count as expenses are pretty straightforward, so it goes more smoothly than you'd think."
"I've got a lot more that can count as expenses, which makes things a lot harder."
For Asumi, her expenses mainly consisted of equipment for her streaming, games, in-game purchases, and the artwork she commissioned from Iori. She also received most of her income statements from the agency.
Aside from a few other items, her expenses were relatively simple.
On the other hand, Iori's main expenses were the tools and materials for his illustration work.
He also had to consider things like novels, manga, games, figurines, and costumes—materials he could claim as business expenses for research and references. With such a wide range of deductible items, organizing everything was a daunting task.
The pile of receipts alone was overwhelming, a monument to the chaos of a year's worth of work.
"I'll help, so let's do our best."
"Yeah, guess we have no choice."
Who in their right mind would enjoy battling a mountain of receipts and invoices?
No one wanted to do this, but it had to be done.
Otherwise, it would be tax evasion.
That would end up being a disaster.
Iori did not intend to commit tax evasion, but he couldn't deny that it was a real pain.
"What should I do with this receipt?"
"That one's for books, so toss it in that box."
"This is a lot of work. Have you been doing this every year?"
"Yeah, as you can see, I’m not the most organized person. I never keep things sorted as they come in."
"Why don’t you do it, if you know it’ll turn into this mess?"
"I always start with good intentions. March or April, right after tax season, I’ll be diligent about it. But then I stop by the middle of the year. It’s just like summer homework. I'm motivated for the first three days, and then it falls apart. It’s pathetic, really."
Asumi continued sorting and organizing receipts and documents.
Looking at her, it felt like a mother helping her child with summer vacation homework on the last day of break, scolding them while still lending a hand.
"Maybe I should just marry a tax accountant already."
"You’re the type who’d say you should marry a nurse if you ever got sick, aren’t you?" Asumi retorted.
"Exactly!"
"Don't proudly say 'exactly' to me. Think about the poor wife who’d have to take care of you. Honestly, you’re such a handful."
"I’m just kidding, really. I feel bad enough about how much you’ve been helping me, but I’ll make it up to you with an amazing new outfit design, and, tonight, I’ll cook dinner."
As they both continued sorting through the paperwork, Iori's sudden declaration earned him a sharp, slightly annoyed look from Asumi.
But even as she sighed in mock exasperation, she continued to help him, proving once again just how grateful he was for her presence.
In return, he silently vowed to do everything he could for her, too.
A give-and-take relationship, where both supported each other, was worth maintaining with all his effort.
"Well, I do it because I want to."
"Good thing you like helping out. What do you think about a new costume where you’re a daycare teacher?"
"Why are 'you' the one suggesting my new outfit ideas?! ......But I hate to admit it, it does sound kind of cute."
It was unusual for an illustrator to suggest a new outfit idea rather than the streamer themselves.
But the way Iori’s eyes lit up with excitement made Asumi wonder if he was being a little selfish.
Still, as a fan of his work, she couldn’t deny that the idea intrigued her more than she’d care to admit.
A few months later, much to her surprise, the daycare teacher costume of Hyouka was really implemented. It seemed that even the smallest whims could have real-world consequences when desire and creativity aligned.
[Interlude 2]
"Phew, we've made some progress. Now, it's time to work for those expenses."
"What do you mean by that?"
It was just past the afternoon when it finally started to get things organized.
Then, Iori stood up and rummaged through his closet, mumbling something under his breath as he searched.
"Gotta take some selfies for expenses."
"Selfies?"
"Yeah, I bought a bunch of costumes I haven't used yet. It would be a waste not to count them as expenses, so I'm going to make illustrations of them, but I need to try on the costumes to draw them properly."
"Oh, I see. So, what are you going to wear?"
As the tax filing season approached, Iori would often sketch out costumes that he hadn't used yet as doodles or rough drafts for expenses.
If he uploaded those to a creator patron service (like FANBOX), they would count as legitimate expenses.
The purpose of Iori taking selfies was to use them as reference material for those illustrations.
"Hmm? Bunny suit, nurse outfit, Chinese dress... and some other stuff."
"Huh?"
"What on earth is this person talking about?" Asumi tilted her head in confusion hearing Iori say it so matter-of-factly.
"I said, Bunny suit, nurse outfit, Chinese dress—"
"I 'heard' you, but aren't those all women's costumes?"
"They are, but I can’t have you wear the more revealing ones, right. And last year, I wore them myself."
"Wait... so the illustrations from last year... the ones with those outfits… took a reference from you wearing them?"
"Yup. Gotta do what you gotta do. My phone and computer files are a nightmare, trust me."
"I really didn’t need to know that...."
She had never imagined her favorite illustrator would be dressing up in women’s costumes and taking selfies.
But this kind of thing wasn’t all that unusual.
Not just illustrators, many artists used themselves as reference material—it was practical, even if surprising.
Still, while she tried to process this shocking revelation, Iori had already picked up a bunny suit, completely unfazed.
"Are you really going to do it?"
"Of course. I think it’s going to be pretty gross, so I’m sorry, but let’s do it later."
"Haaah, fine, I guess there's no helping it....I’ll wear it for you."
There’s no way I could show a guy in a bunny outfit, and I definitely don’t want anyone to see it either.
Even though Iori said that, he couldn’t believe his ears at the words that slipped out of Asumi’s mouth.
"Huh, what did you say?"
"I said 'I’ll wear it for you'. Don’t make me repeat myself!"
Asumi replied to Iori's question with a stronger tone, her face turning red as she spoke.
"Really? It's those revealing outfits you hate, don't you."
"To be honest, if you wear it, I don’t think I’ll be able to look at your illustrations the same way ever again. And that’s worse for me."
As a huge fan of Iori’s illustrations, Asumi didn’t want the mental image of him in a bunny suit to affect how she saw his illustrations.
The idea of seeing the man behind her favorite art crossdressed in those costumes was too much to bear, so she decided that her own discomfort was the lesser evil.
This was a clear moment that showed just how much she loved Iori’s illustrations.
"Are you serious? If you’re okay with it, that’d be a huge help, but don’t push yourself, okay?"
"Just… make sure to give me that sailor uniform next time too. You promised me that, remember? I never got to wear it."
"Yeah, I promise."
"Good. Now, get out of the room while I change."
Asumi said this while turning bright red, and Iori wasted no time in leaving, clearly grateful for her help.
The situation had turned out far better than he could’ve hoped.
Iori hadn’t expected Asumi to actually offer to wear the bunny suit, knowing how she felt about those revealing costumes. He had resigned to dressing up in it, but her unexpected offer changed everything.
And so, the second round of Asumi’s cosplay session and photo shoot began, much to both their relief.
[To be Continued]
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