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 30 - The Saintess and Girls' Night Talk
"Hey, Miss Saintess, do you have a crush on anyone?"
"No, I don’t."
Before bedtime, five girls, including Asumi and Kurumi, had gathered in their room for a girls' talk.
It seemed they were curious about the Saintess's love life.
Dressed in sleepwear, they had snacks ready, fully prepared to stay up late.
Right now, they were directing their questions at Asumi.
"Umm, do you have a type when it comes to boys?"
"A type?"
"Like, do you prefer someone tall or athletic?"
"Let’s see…"
Though Asumi never actively engaged in romance-related topics or boys, she didn’t mind answering to some extent.
She had her boundaries, but she usually responded to most questions, and now, she was thinking about how to reply.
"I suppose… someone kind?"
"Yeah, yeah! What else?"
"What else… umm, I’d be happy if he were someone who could take the lead and guide me."
"I get, I get that! Does that mean you like the 'bossy' type?"
"B-bossy type?"
As Asumi tilted her head in confusion, the ponytailed girl beside her latched onto her words.
She leaned in excitedly and pressed for more, making Asumi blink in confusion.
"Yup! The kind of boy who demands obedience, has a strong sense of pride, and is super assertive. Sounds good, right? I totally want to be dominated!"
"N-No, that’s a bit too much for me…"
"Aww, I thought I found a kindred spirit."
"Give it up. Your tastes are a bit out there. Don’t drag the pure and proper Miss Saintess into your world."
"You think so? Well, Miss Saintess, if you ever start liking a 'bossy' type, just let me know, okay!"
"O-okay…."
The girl, eyes shining with anticipation, eventually backed off with a disappointed "aww" when she didn’t get the reaction she hoped for.
Kurumi scolded her lightly, but she still threw that last remark at Asumi before falling silent.
"Oh, right! Today, Minase-chan, you were with a boy, weren’t you? Are you two close?"
A brown-haired girl, swaying her long locks, suddenly recalled something and brought it up.
Since Asumi had spent a lot of time with Iori today, she was probably referring to him.
From the perspective of their classmates, the typical pairs were Asumi with Kurumi and Iori with Kanata.
So, they assumed Asumi had just been temporarily paired with Iori so the lovey-dovey couple could be together.
That’s why no one had pointed it out much before, but clearly, some of them had taken notice.
The moment the question was asked, the room buzzed with excitement.
"Oh, you mean that guy from Class 7, the same class as Miss Saintess? What was his name again…?"
"The name's Tokisaka-kun. He barely talks to any guys in our class except for Numakura-kun."
"Oh, really? So, Miss Saintess, what’s he like?"
"Well, I just asked him to switch pair…"
As soon as Asumi was asked about Iori, Kurumi smoothly cut in.
Since their neighbors' relationship was a secret, and Kurumi knew the details, she tried to steer the conversation.
However, Asumi gently signaled with a look that it was okay.
"He’s just an acquaintance. He’s my classmate, and since he’s a friend of Asagiri-san’s boyfriend, we’ve interacted a bit."
"I see. So what’s he like? Is he the introvert type?"
"He’s a very nice person."
The brown-haired girl, clearly intrigued, got a gentle yet firm response from Asumi.
Though brief, her words reflected her honest impression of Iori.
"Huh, really? Maybe I should try talking to him next time. Tokisaka-kun’s silent demeanor is kinda nice. I thought he was a little intimidating, but if Minase-chan says he’s a nice person, maybe he’s worth checking out?"
"Hold on. Didn’t you just break up with your boyfriend recently? You move on so fast."
"Well, I still want a boyfriend, okay? I thought Tokisaka-kun was just a loner type, but he actually looks kinda handsome. Hey, Kurumi, can you set up a double date with your boyfriend and Tokisaka-kun?"
"Wait, I wanna join too!"
"I think I’ll pass, but tell me all about it later."
Iori had been mentioned a lot in girls' talk before, but thanks to Asumi’s words, his popularity unexpectedly skyrocketed.
Asumi merely watched the excitement unfold, but for some reason, she felt a small sense of happiness.
She was always streaming with him, and he was the one who made her wonderful illustrations and costumes.
Seeing him get recognized like this felt like something to be proud of.
More than that, Asumi genuinely believed that Iori deserved more recognition.
"...Speaking of which, it’s weird that he doesn’t have a girlfriend already. What should we do?"
Kurumi, usually the first to tease Iori, seemed to share that sentiment.
As she mused aloud, she cast a glance at Asumi, as if asking, "Are you okay with this?"
But Asumi didn’t quite understand what she meant, so she simply tilted her head in confusion.
"Hmm, well, if he’s okay with it, I’ll set something up."
"Really?"
"Yeah. But I doubt it’ll work out."
"Why not?"
"You’ll find out soon enough."
Kurumi murmured cryptically and once again glanced at Asumi.
Then—
(W-What is this feeling…?)
Asumi’s expression grew uncertain.
She hadn’t minded before. In fact, she was happy to see Iori being appreciated. And yet… something about this situation made her have mixed feelings.
She couldn’t quite put it into words.
That was the only answer she could come up with at the moment.
A vague, frustrating emotion bubbled up inside her, and Asumi found herself troubled.
She should be happy as a friend. But there was something more—something she couldn't quite explain.
So, she forced herself to assign a meaning to this possessive-like feeling.
(I’m just being selfish, huh...)
It was like the way an otaku wants their faves to be loved by many, yet also wants to keep them to themselves.
Convincing herself that it was just that kind of irrational sentiment, she decided to leave it at that for the night.
Meanwhile, in Iori and Kanata’s room…
"I’m going to sleep."
"Isn’t it a little early for that?"
Despite it not even being nine o’clock yet, Iori was already lying on his bed, looking exhausted.
Kanata, who had been streaming videos, looked at him in surprise.
"I’m just tired. My body feels heavy… Is this what getting old feels like?"
"Dude, we haven’t even reached two full decades as humans yet. That’s just your lack of exercise. Wanna join my soccer club?"
"Absolutely not. Seriously, I’m going to sleep. You don’t have to turn off the lights until curfew."
"Alright. Good night."
Even though Iori looked completely drained, he still had enough energy for sarcasm.
Kanata chuckled and made the invitation half-jokingly, but Iori flatly refused before actually drifting off to sleep.
The next morning…
"For real…? You’ve got a fever."
Iori’s temperature read exactly 37°C, just high enough to be annoyingly inconvenient.
And with that, the second day of the school trip began.
[To be Continued]
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