"You usually don't want us coming to your place."
Shiro and the others teased Mitarai. After all, this guy was always up to something sneaky.
"Haha… well, times change," Mitarai laughed awkwardly. Of course he didn't want this bunch in his room!
He still vividly remembered last time—if it weren't for those bastards, he would've graduated by now!
But… this time he really had no choice. His problem was a bit tricky...
"Well, anyway, let's have a drink first!"
Shiro raised his beer—of course you've got to start a gathering with drinks.
"Cheers!"
Clink~
Everyone raised their beers—it had been a while since they all hung out together~
And by coincidence, no one had gone home for summer break this year. It was just...
Kouhei, who had come purely to drink and relax, looked around. Someone was missing?
"Where's Fujiwara?"
!
Everyone froze. They just realized they might've forgotten about the quiet one.
All eyes turned to Mitarai, since this gathering had been organized by him.
"..."
Sweat dripped from Mitarai's forehead—he really had forgotten that big dummy.
Scratching his head awkwardly, he said, "Fujiwara probably doesn't have any problems…"
Just as he said that, Shiro handed over his phone, where the group chat clearly showed:
Fujiwara: Actually, I've got something I need to talk about too.
But it was sent late, and everyone missed it.
Thinking about Fujiwara's goofy smile, the group fell silent and—by unspoken agreement—didn't continue the topic. They all just quietly sipped their beers.
Maybe that big lug forgot too?
After a few rounds of drinks, Shiro remembered the original purpose of this gathering.
But he wasn't about to start with his own issue—if multiple things are being discussed, the most dramatic one gets all the attention. The rest get ignored!
So…
He decided to see what kind of problems the others had before deciding when to speak.
Shiro looked at Iori. They made eye contact, nodded, then looked away.
Damn it! Kindred spirits!
With his first target out, he needed someone else to be the sacrificial lamb.
Although… maybe not?
Nojima pushed up his glasses and casually said, "Actually, I've been thinking about dropping out of school to become a YouTuber."
Bam!
Shiro and Iori fell out of their chairs. That was way too intense right off the bat!
Why did the first issue have to be something as explosive as dropping out of school?
And where did he even get the confidence to think he could be a YouTuber?!
Everyone was stunned by Nojima's declaration. Shiro figured if nothing changed, this whole evening would revolve around Nojima's bombshell.
That can't happen!
If everyone focuses on Nojima, no one will pay attention to his problem—then what was the point of coming?
Just to hear Nojima quit school?
No way—this kind of trash leaving is probably a blessing for the school!
Shiro's eyes sharpened. He wouldn't allow a more explosive topic to outshine his own!
Besides, he wasn't fighting alone!
Iori gave Shiro a nod—at that moment, they were totally in sync.
…
"Nojima, just out of curiosity—what made you decide this?" Iori asked.
To solve a problem, you've got to understand how it started!
Only then can you come up with a real solution.
Nojima's glasses flashed dramatically. He clearly had grand ambitions.
"I've just been thinking—is it really okay to keep living such an ordinary life?"
"Look at me—I'm pretty handsome, right?"
"..."
That stumped everyone. They all averted their eyes.
"I am handsome, right?"
Getting no answer, Nojima kept leaning in.
"...!!!"
Everyone recoiled in horror. Even though they knew what answer he wanted, they couldn't bring themselves to lie!
"I'm not letting this go until someone admits it!"
Seeing how determined Nojima was, they finally gave in, awkwardly muttering:
"From a certain angle…"
"Maybe in a different era…"
"If I gouged my eyes out…"
"With enough lighting and filters, maybe…"
"Why are there so many conditions!?"
Nojima shouted, convinced they were just jealous of his good looks.
Not wanting to stay on this subject, Shiro forcefully changed the topic. "Ahem—Nojima, you've got to understand, getting a guy to admit another guy is handsome is tough. Like, do you think I'm handsome?"
"Not as handsome as me!"
The immediate response showed this guy's eyes were clearly broken.
Shiro twitched, wanting to smack him, but he held back and asked, "Okay, fine—so what kind of content are you planning to make?"
After all, a YouTuber lives and dies by their content—especially a narcissist with no real charm like Nojima!
"Haven't decided yet—that's why I wanted to discuss it with you guys."
Nojima answered without hesitation. It seemed he'd already made up his mind to become a YouTuber—this was just a courtesy notice. The actual discussion was about content ideas.
Shiro could already imagine Nojima, a month from now, in rags and clutching a begging bowl.
This moron had zero chance of making it!
He needed to think of a way to talk him down. Otherwise, when Nojima inevitably failed, he'd blame them all!
Just as Shiro was thinking about how to dissuade him, his trusty partner Iori stepped up!
Clap!
Iori seriously patted Nojima's shoulder. "Nojima, aren't you just running away?"
"Huh?"
Nojima didn't quite follow.
"If you have a dream, go for it—but you don't have to drop out to chase it."
"But…"
Nojima tried to explain, but Iori didn't let him.
"If you've got a dream, create an environment where you can keep chasing it!
Think about it—if you drop out, your parents stop sending you money. Without living expenses, you've got less time to pursue your dream.
But if you stay in school while chasing it, not only do you still have money, you might even find content ideas at school!"
Clap clap clap clap!
Shiro gave a standing ovation and a big thumbs-up.
That's our guy—Kitahara, the Master of Smooth Talk!
If Nojima didn't drop out, then the whole issue was off the table.
After all, nobody needed to discuss the style of a channel that was bound to flop.
Heh~
But Nojima still hesitated. "But what about schoolwork?"
??
!!
(′⊙ω⊙`)
Everyone stared in shock. You're about to drop out and you're worried about schoolwork?
Even if you weren't becoming a YouTuber, you never paid attention in class anyway!
Always reading dirty mags or playing games!
"Alright, next!"
Shiro declared the topic over.
Any more and someone might actually punch him.
"Next up is my issue."
After Nojima came... Yamamoto!
That's right!
The root of all evil—Yamamoto, the human symbol of singledom!
"Contestant, please share your dream—I mean, your problem!"
Shiro was so into the vibe he almost thought he was a judge on a talent show.
"Hmph."
Yamamoto gave a smug chuckle, a mix of angst and sweetness in his expression.
"I… have someone I like!"
(???)
"..."
"Wow?"
Everyone's expression went blank at Yamamoto's declaration…
"Where'd you meet her? At a zoo?" ×5
To this question, the group's answer was unanimous!
"You jerks think I'm what kind of person?! Of course it's girls, girls!"
Yamamoto whipped out his phone.
A delicately crafted cartoon character appeared on the screen.
*"Good evening, I'm VR idol SAKUYA~"*
"…"
Everyone's faces darkened instantly.
The girl was cute, and her voice was sweet.
But…
"A virtual idol, are you kidding?!"
"You've been possessed by Kohei or something?!"
"The 2D concentration here is high enough—you don't need to make it worse!"
Shiro and the others were ready to flip the table. This wasn't even worth discussing.
If you wanted to be a shut-in, just go sulk with Kohei quietly!
"This isn't 2D! It's 3D!"
Facing their doubts, Yamamoto argued back, firmly believing it was 3D!
After all, a real person was behind the virtual idol!
Yamamoto wore a lovesick, gross expression. "Every time I watch her videos, I feel empowered.
I've finally realized—this is true love!!!"
"…"
"Really…"
"As friends, we'll… support you, I guess."
Seeing Yamamoto's earnest face, Nojima and Mitarai couldn't bring themselves to say more.
Let the idiot drown in his delusion.
"Ah! I wanna marry the person with that voice!!!"
After venting his issue to his bros, Yamamoto dove into pointless fantasies.
Shiro watched, his lips twitching. This problem posed zero threat to him from any angle.
Still, seeing Yamamoto like that, Shiro felt a twinge of pity.
If Yamamoto faced reality later, they'd have to endure his whining again. Better to nip it in the bud now.
After all, the loli or mature voice behind the screen might not be a girl~
Though, that voice sounded oddly familiar.
He couldn't place it.
Following his "if I can't figure it out, don't bother" rule, Shiro nudged Kohei. "Kohei, use your voice-mixing skills to make that idiot give up."
One sentence could show Yamamoto the harsh truth of the world!
But
To Shiro's surprise, Kohei refused!
"Sorry, I can't…"
(′｀;)?
"Why? Sore throat? Or is it too hard?"
"No, I've got my own troubles."
"Huh?" Shiro scratched his head, confused. "Didn't you say you had none earlier?"
"Just got one…"
"Just now?"
Shiro glanced at the daydreaming Yamamoto, a possibility dawning.
"You like that virtual idol too?! You and Yamamoto are rivals?!"
"No… worse."
Kohei sank into the shadows, his expression unreadable.
"Worse…"
Shiro pondered, then shook his head. Forgive his limited imagination—he couldn't think of anything worse.
It's not like Kohei *drew* the character's skin, right?
*Ding-dong~*
Shiro's phone chimed with a message from Kohei.
*"Kohei: The SAKUYA Yamamoto's in love with is me."*
???
!!!
!!!!!
{{(°△°; "}}!
Σ(っ °Д °;)っ