Chapter 12

[Title: Is it really possible to block fire magic with the back of your hand?]

[dude]

Is this something only high-rank Hunters can do?

I saw something like this at a bar recently, dude.

– Bar? Where was it?

– No way lol

? If you’re high-rank, isn’t this basic stuff?

tl;dr You ain’t Hunter material, bro

– I mean… Every Hunter’s different right?

– I’m D-rank Hunter but I could probably block an E-rank mage

– D-rank? Go farm more goblins first scrub

– So salty…

– Why not just dodge or take the hit? Who needs fancy hand tricks?

– That’s where you’re wrong, my friend. It’s all about the ROMANCE! Nod nod

[Title: I saw that too from afar]

[dude]

Turns out that guy beating up the lady was actually a B-rank Hunter.

His opponent must’ve been similar rank at least?

– She was kinda pretty but I’d never seen her before

– Maybe foreign Hunter? Reminds me of that post looking for foreign Hunters

– Why does everyone get to see cool stuff except me?!

– Show us what you showed them!

– Tried digging but there’s zero info lol

* * *

“Ahhh…”

– Haha, she broke!

– LMAO

– legit ROFL

Crunch crunch.

Si-hyun had become one with the couch, munching snacks while watching TV.

Her favorite V-tuber live stream.

She’d already watched most of the edited clips, so eventually reached for this.

“WHY AM I DOING THIS AGAIN…”

– This is what happens when you summon calamity upon yourself, dear

– Nobody asked you to do this lol

– ???: I’ll fix it all today!

– LMAO

As the soulless voice played, the chat exploded with merciless teasing.

Si-hyun stared blankly at the screen, then slowly moved her fingers.

For some reason, she felt compelled to join in on the joke.

Just as she was about to press send on her phone…

She hesitated mid-tap.

‘Is it okay to type this?’

Everyone else was trolling around.

The streamer was used to it by now.

She knew all this logically…

But typing it herself still felt weird.

After some thought, she firmly pressed DELETE…

Then typed something new.

– Do your best ok lol

This feels safer. Fits with the flow and not too awkward.

Satisfied, Si-hyun nodded and sent the message.

“ALRIGHT, LET ME TRY AGAIN!”

“Huh…”

Could she have been responding to my chat?

Si-hyun smiled faintly at the strangely personal line.

Though with so many chats, it might not have been for her specifically.

Still felt like real interaction though, which was nice.

Our fav is the best after all!

Her voice is so cute!

“…I need to use the bathroom first.”

– Gone?

– Streamer gone?

The mic cut off and the character stopped moving.

‘Short break time.’

Si-hyun stretched her arms high above her head as she got up.

That’s when it happened.

The door to the next room opened, revealing Si-yoon with a tired expression.

Their eyes met.

Without meaning to, Si-hyun’s gaze was drawn to that impressively large area.

She sighed deeply.

Finished stretching, Si-hyun tilted her head curiously.

Si-yoon said nothing, just turned to look at the TV instead.

“…”

Made some kind of strange face before heading to the bathroom.

“??”

Confused, Si-hyun blinked as she watched her retreating back.

Must be really tired from work.

Si-hyun turned back to the TV, eagerly waiting for her favorite to come back.

[User donated 1000 won!]

– I want a moe-boobs version of Momo’s dance!

The donation sound played.

Responses flooded in.

– No way lmao

– Sorry everyone…

– LMAO

– Her name is Momo-bin. ‘Bin’ means empty. Definitely not happening lmao

– legit rofl

While reading the chat, Si-hyun absentmindedly stroked her chin.

Come to think of it, she’d read somewhere online that VTubers either go full virtual concept…

Or make their avatars resemble themselves.

Which one is Momo-bin?

Curious, but better not look it up.

Red pill and all that. Ignorance is bliss when it comes to the person behind the voice.

What if they don’t match up to expectations?

While Si-hyun pondered this…

Si-yoon returned to her room after finishing up in the bathroom.

A bit later, the mic came back on and the VTuber character started moving again.

Si-hyun refocused on the screen.

“Thank you for the donation. Though big boobs are only good to look at. Actually, not even that.”

– What did she say?! ROFL

– legit rofl

– Still recovering from that last failure huh

– ROFL

“And I’m bigger than my model…”

– ROFL

– Bigger than? Bigger than? Bigger than?

– My brain hurts ROFL

– KYAAAA!

Momo declared proudly, but it completely went over the audience’s heads.

She didn’t care though.

This was common in Momo-bin’s streams.

Naturally shifted topics.

“Alright, let’s focus on the game.”

Started playing again.

Si-hyun nodded approvingly.

Not that she minded chatting streams, but game commentary was definitely better.

More her style.

“Ugh… Isn’t this game way too hard?”

Momo restarting from the beginning again.

Si-hyun joined in with the wave of comments.

– Hmm.. maybe..

Typed out a phrase she’d seen somewhere online.

Sometimes these things just stuck in your head, even if you didn’t know where they came from.

In Momo’s case…

With her mental state weakened from the tough game…

It landed.

“KYYYYYY…”

* * *

That night.

After finishing her stream, Si-yoon cautiously approached Si-hyun.

“Hey sis.”

“Hmm?”

Lying face down on the couch, Si-hyun raised herself up to make room for her sister.

Once seated, Si-yoon spoke slowly.

“Just curious… What’s your TTUBE ID?”

“ID?”

Without much thought, Si-hyun handed over her phone.

After checking, Si-yoon let out a small sigh.

I’ll check later.

Taking her phone back, Si-hyun looked worriedly.

“Work been tough?”

“Yeah… Kinda. Very clear pros and cons though.”

“Ah.”

Si-hyun nodded lightly.

Her sister had only mentioned being a freelancer, never specifying what exactly she did.

Didn’t feel right prying.

Si-yoon was considerate toward her too.

“Hey sis, seems like you have specific streams you watch. Enjoying them?”

“Momo-bin right?”

“…”

Si-yoon felt embarrassed about outright probing, but couldn’t stop her curiosity.

What exactly drew her in?

Was her stream really that fun?

To be honest, it wasn’t a big stream.

Just enough to scrape by.

Because of that, she occasionally struggled with confidence.

“I like people whose voices sound kind.”

“Voice?”

“Yeah, like… People who show consideration for others through their tone?”

“Is that Momo-bin?”

“Yep!”

Si-hyun vigorously nodded.

Chance to boast about her favorite.

“From her gentle speaking style alone, I already like her. And she doesn’t lose her temper easily during streams. Has a bit of a my-way attitude sometimes, but that’s part of the charm. Seems like someone who lives life with energy.”

Rapid-fire compliments.

Si-yoon’s face grew increasingly red.

But the excited Si-hyun didn’t notice.

“Her acting tone is natural too. Ah, I wonder if there are any raw footage videos if I search? Suddenly curious.”

“Probably… not…”

“Aw…”

Disappointed, Si-hyun twirled the ends of her hair.

Si-yoon tensed slightly.

There definitely aren’t any. Definitely.

“Her real voice must be beautiful too.”

“That… would be nice…”

You’re listening to it right now, sis.

Si-yoon forcibly held back the words rising in her throat.

“Do you ever comment or donate? Like, in chat?”

“Never donated. Comment sometimes?”

“Ah.”

So she does.

What kind of comments does our seemingly kind sister make?

Si-yoon’s curiosity deepened.

‘She’s a Holy Maiden type, so probably not anything crazy…’

Various imaginings flashed through Si-yoon’s mind.

That’s when…

Si-hyun’s phone rang.

Checking the number, she answered.

“Yes hello. Okay. Ah, really? Then I’ll visit tomorrow. Yes.”

Finishing the call, Si-hyun looked at Si-yoon with sparkling eyes.

“Good news?”

“Yeah! Can’t wait for tomorrow.”

It was Da-young contacting her about the gift for Si-yoon being ready.

Made from D-rank materials, so not anything amazing.

But the best she could do given their current situation.

If they start proper activities later, she’ll have to make something better.

Couldn’t wait to tell Si-yoon about preparing a gift.

But decided keeping it a surprise would yield a better reaction.

What kind of face will Si-yoon make when receiving it?

Can’t wait to find out!

As if expressing Si-hyun’s excitement physically, her toes began wiggling cutely.

Si-yoon watched the soft movements of those little toes.

No matter how she thought about it, felt like she gained a quiet, cute younger sister instead of having one older.

* * *