My Childhood Friend Who Was Doing Personal V-Tubing Got Ntr’d by a Singer (LOL), but I’ve Decided to Just Sit Back and Watch the Two of Them Roll Down the Hill of Life and Fall Into Ruin - Chapter 23: Childhood Friend and Male Singer (lol) Dream Team or Something, But... Huh?!

Chapter 23: Childhood Friend and Male Singer (lol) Dream Team or Something, But… Huh?!

After school today, Tate and Yoko came to my room, and we had a laid-back time admiring Drone-chan. Man, drones are such a great thing.

“Oh, this is Tak-kun’s drone, huh. It’s a high-end model that could be used for business, and it’s been heavily modified… This is a good one!”

“You get it? I’ve put quite a bit of work into it since then, upgrading the camera and stuff to better ones. I’m planning to try a test stream around tomorrow.”

Tate’s eyes sparkled as he looked at my Drone-chan. Yoko reacted the same way, but as expected, they were guys who could tell the difference.

“By the way, it seems Masao has been temporarily released into the wild, but are you okay, Tak-kun?”

Yoko said it like he had just remembered, and I was surprised. So Masao had gotten out already.

“There seem to be various additional charges, but it looks like a capable lawyer is attached, and behind the scenes, they’re scrambling to get the victims to withdraw their complaints to make it no prosecution.”

As always, I was amazed at Yoko’s info network, but I just brushed it off with, oh, so Masao’s back out in the free world. Well, I had no intention of withdrawing my complaint, though.

“There’s also the possibility that Hime Neko and Masao might team up and come charging in.”

“Come on, they’re not that stupid, heh heh heh heh.”

While chatting like that, we also studied how to move 3D models. …I mean, since they’re over 30, Masao wouldn’t do something that dumb, right.

After Tate and Yoko left, for dinner that day, since Mom had holed up in her room working through the chaos, Dad and I did the cooking. Oh yeah, Dad said like he had just remembered, and told me about the former grade director’s outcome—it seemed he got divorced normally. Or rather, that grade director was apparently on his second divorce, having married and divorced former students twice in the past. So this makes it his third. Marrying a former student to begin with… ah (I get it). But man, that old guy’s been barreling down the path to ruin without me noticing. Tough break, huh—though it has nothing to do with me.

…If I hadn’t pushed that old guy into getting fired, there’s a chance he might have laid hands on Himeko, right? The way he took Himeko’s side looked like it came from some sleazy ulterior motive. It ended up helping Himeko in a way I didn’t intend, but whatever.

And the next day after school, Shuko-chan asked me to go buy stuff for the school event, but Kusaka and Asakura, who had some free time, came along too.

I had planned to test the operation of my newly customized drone after school, so I flew the drone while shopping, and it was a stream just for insiders that Tate, Yoko, Ren, and Kirara were watching. I had suggested to Ren and Kirara’s people that if there was anything I could do to help as thanks for assisting with my new Vtuber activities, and since they wanted to try drone streams eventually, I had them watch together to see what it was like. It seemed to be working smoothly, with clearer footage, less shake, and faces coming into sharp focus.

While doing that stream (during shopping, I couldn’t bring the drone inside the store, so I waited outside alone), after finishing the shopping and walking with Kusaka and Asakura, as we went down the tree-lined shortcut from school to the hardware store, a grubby-looking guy was standing in front of me.

“Yo, I’ve been waiting… for this moment, yo… Tak-kun!!”

“What is this grubby old man?”

I recognized the guy in the sweatpants grinning with his hands shoved in his pockets. He looked unhealthily gaunt, but it was Masao. …Huh?! Why the hell was Masao here?!

“?? I don’t get why Masao’s there.”
“Why is the perpetrator approaching the victim? Anyway, I muted the stream.”
“Why is Masao here of all places?!?! Huh???”
“Eek, why Masao?! I’m trying to contact Shuko, but it won’t connect!?”

The viewers watching the stream were surprised too, but so was I. No, why was Masao coming to contact me, and alone at that—how was that not totally out of bounds no matter how you looked at it.

“Tak-kun, you know, because of you, I’m in this state. You keeping women as attendants like that—there’s no way I can forgive that, right?!”

“I don’t get what you’re saying, but isn’t even temporary release contact like this social suicide?”

I stayed pretty calm despite the shock and pointed it out. It seemed like Dad’s bl00d ran in me too, and when it came to something this ridiculously stupid, the words came out coolly enough compared to the impact. I mean, wasn’t he supposed to stay quiet after getting out of detention, whether because the detention period was over or because his lawyer was good or whatever? Why was he coming for revenge on me? And his vibe was a little off too, right?

“Sh-sh-sh-shut up, you punk! I’m gonna beat you down, make sure you never defy me again, and take those women for myself. They’re virgins! Virgins, right?! Hey, they’re virgins, right?! Leave the virgins, hey!!”

Masao pointed at Kusaka and Asakura, drool dripping as he pitched a tent in his pants while saying something. Was he high on those herbs?? …Well, it was Masao, after all.

“Yes, out. REC’d it.”
“Run for it, young men and gals. The rest is evidence to shove at the cops, and Masao’s life game over.”

Why was Masao deliberately flying into the fire like a moth in summer with the drone right there. Did he have a death wish or something?

I needed to do something about Kusaka and Asakura at least, not just me, and as I thought that, a voice came from behind.

“Long time no see, Tak-kun♪”

Whoa, it was Himeko. Why was she here of all places. Her hair was all messy, she looked overall worn out and extra unclean. Frankly, it was gross.

“So fake. These two are definitely in cahoots.”
“Ugh, flag collected quick (棒)”
“Isn’t that girl Asher’s person’s criminal?”
“Leaving aside Masao’s life being over, we gotta do something about her.”

Yeah, right. Himeko might be salvageable, but Masao was barreling straight down the real prison full-course route at this point.

Well, whatever—right now, I needed to handle this situation somehow. Hmm, this was a path with no houses around. Now, what to do… I even had the leisure to think about it, …since the opponents were Masao and all.