My Childhood Friend, Who I Made a Promise To Spend the Future With, Dumped Me... But Ever Since I Started Dating a Beautiful Girl From School, My Childhood Friend Has Been Acting Strange - Episode 30

“Is this about the virtual streamer matter?”

“Yes.”

Toma Suzuki unexpectedly ran into his junior, Tsubaki, near the school store entrance.

“Speaking of which, Tsubaki, you mentioned that you were getting into that, right? How’s it going?”

“I’m not doing it too seriously yet. You could say I’m still in the preparation stage.”

“I see. Well, preparation is important.”

Becoming a virtual streamer requires an initial investment—buying a computer, creating an avatar, and other necessary setups.

“I actually wanted to consult you about that, Senpai.”

Tsubaki Sakurada spoke fluently while looking at Toma.

She was usually quiet, but today, she seemed eager to talk.

She must have really wanted to bring this up.

“But I’d rather discuss this somewhere else. Could we go somewhere more private?”

“Ah, got it. But we were about to buy bread at the store. Can we talk after that?”

“Understood. Oh, so you’re with Suzuba-senpai?”

“Yeah. So, we’ll be having lunch together, but is that okay with you?”

“I don’t mind.”

Tsubaki hesitated for a moment but agreed without issue.

Toma and Suzuha Kamiya were inside the school store.

Not wanting to keep Tsubaki waiting too long, they quickly grabbed some bread and drinks, paid, and returned to her.

“Shall we go? Where were you two planning to eat?”

They met up with Tsubaki in the hallway outside the store.

“As usual, we were going to the rooftop.”

“The rooftop? So, that’s where you two always have lunch. I see. But since I don’t want to talk about this in front of others, could we go to the back courtyard instead?”

Tsubaki suggested a different location.

“Suzua, would that be okay?”

“I don’t mind. This sounds like something important, right?”

“Yeah, probably.”

After exchanging glances and nodding, they agreed to Tsubaki’s suggestion.

The three arrived at the back courtyard.

There were hardly any people around—it was practically their private space.

They sat on a bench together, with Toma in the middle, Suzuha to his left, and Tsubaki to his right, as they started eating.

“So, Tsubaki, what did you want to talk about?”

“Well… I won the lottery for a virtual streamer event!”

“Huh? A lottery event? Wait, do you mean the one for CyberTask?”

“Y-Yes! But how did you know?”

“How? Suzuha and I were just talking about how we wanted to go to that event on our way to school this morning. Right, Suzuha?”

“Y-Yeah… I can’t believe someone so close to us actually won the lottery.”

Suzuha was so surprised that her voice cracked.

“You two wanted to go too?”

“Yeah. So, when is the event you won?”

Toma asked, while Suzuha watched with an intense gaze.

“Uh, let me check…”

Under the scrutiny of her two seniors, Tsubaki looked nervous.

She quickly pulled out her phone, opened the ticketing app, and showed them the lottery confirmation page.

The event number listed on the screen confirmed it was real.

Suzuha stared at the screen in awe.

“Do you think… we could also attend the event somehow?”

Suzuha hesitantly asked.

“Let’s see… According to this, the winner can bring up to two guests.”

“R-Really? That’s perfect! I have a favor to ask—can we come with you?”

Suzuha clasped her hands together and pleaded.

“Hmm… Alright, I don’t mind.”

Though she hesitated for a moment, Tsubaki eventually agreed to invite them.

“But why do you two care so much about this event?”

“Well, um… Suzuha, should we explain?”

Toma stepped away from Tsubaki and whispered to Suzuha.

“I think we can trust her. We should tell her—it’ll make things easier if we’re on the same page.”

“Yeah, Tsubaki is trustworthy.”

“Then it’s better to tell her. She’ll understand.”

“Alright, if you say so, Suzuha. I’ll explain it to her.”

“Good.”

Their whispered conversation ended.

“What were you two talking about?”

Tsubaki tilted her head curiously.

“Basically, some important background information. By the way, Tsubaki, which company are you planning to debut with?”

“CyberTask. Since I won the lottery, I’ll also have the chance to talk directly with company staff and get advice on how to move forward as a virtual streamer.”

“I… see.”

Hearing that made it even harder to reveal what they knew.

Toma glanced at Suzuha, who silently encouraged him to speak up.

“To be honest… that company has a dark side.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Well… they steal other people’s avatars without permission.”

“They do? But how do you know that?”

“Because Suzuha was one of the victims. They stole her avatar design without her consent.”

“They stole her avatar…? So… does that mean Suzuha-senpai is actually a virtual streamer?”

“Uh, well…”

Tsubaki asked a sharp question.

Toma hesitated, unsure how to respond.

“Y-Yeah… I was going to keep it a secret, but since I trust you, I’ll tell you. I used to be a virtual streamer. Though, I wasn’t very popular back then.”

Suzuha gave a dry smile.

“Wait… Did you use a penguin avatar?”

“Eh!? H-How do you know that!?”

Suzuha’s voice shot up in surprise.

Toma was just as shocked, his eyes widening in disbelief.

“I’ve heard Suzuha-senpai’s voice in the broadcasting club before. I always felt like I’d heard it somewhere… And since I’ve been watching virtual streamers for a long time, I recognized your voice.”

“…So even with a voice changer, people can still tell, huh?”

Suzuha slumped in resignation.

“Wait… You were really that penguin streamer!? I thought you sounded similar, but it’s really you! This is amazing!”

Tsubaki, who was usually reserved, displayed a range of emotions—surprise, excitement, and curiosity.

“Y-Yeah, that was me. But you can’t tell anyone, okay?”

Suzuha placed a finger to her lips in a “shh” gesture.

Her secret was out, but it felt like they had taken the first step toward resolving things.