Kai Morita stretched his arms and cracked his neck.
Another day of school finished.
Another day of people not noticing he existed.
Honestly, he didn't mind that much.
Being invisible had its advantages.
No drama. No expectations.
Just peace.
Kai walked home with his backpack slung lazily over one shoulder.
His mind wasn't thinking about school… or the strange girl he helped earlier.
It was thinking about something far more important.
"Tonight's stream…"
He muttered to himself.
"I gotta make it better than yesterday."
Seven viewers.
That was his current record.
Not amazing.
Not impressive.
But it was seven more people than zero.
Kai pushed open the door to his small house.
"I'm home."
No answer.
His parents were working late again.
Normal.
Kai dropped his bag in his room and sat in front of his computer.
His streaming setup wasn't impressive.
A slightly old monitor.A cheap microphone.A headset that had been taped together twice.
But to Kai, it was enough.
He looked at his channel page on StreamHub.
Channel Name: KaiLevelUp
Followers: 12
Last Stream Viewers: 7
Kai stared at the number for a moment.
Then he smiled.
"One day…"
He clenched his fist.
"One day this number is gonna explode."
Across the city.
In a luxury apartment overlooking glowing city lights…
Aika Hoshino was lying face-down on her bed.
Her manager had finally left after a long day of schedules, rehearsals, and interviews.
Aika groaned dramatically into her pillow.
"Being famous is exhausting…"
She rolled over and grabbed her phone.
Her purple eyes sparkled mischievously.
On her screen was something she had searched earlier.
KaiLevelUp — StreamHub Channel
She stared at it.
"Hmm…"
The stream was scheduled to start in three minutes.
Aika smiled.
"I wonder what kind of person ignores the most famous idol in the country."
She quickly created a new account.
Username:
StarrySky99
"Perfect."
If her fans found out she was secretly watching some random beginner streamer…
The internet would explode.
Back in Kai's room.
He adjusted his headset and clicked Start Stream.
A red light appeared.
LIVE.
Kai cleared his throat.
"Alright chat… welcome back."
He looked at the viewer count.
2 viewers.
"Nice."
He nodded proudly.
"We're growing."
Silence.
Kai opened his game.
"Tonight we grind. No distractions."
Then suddenly—
ding
A new message appeared in chat.
StarrySky99: Hello!
Kai blinked.
"Oh."
He leaned closer to the screen.
"A new viewer."
He gave a casual wave.
"Welcome to the stream."
Across the city, Aika gasped softly.
"He responded!"
She quickly typed again.
StarrySky99: Your stream is small.
Kai stared at the message.
"…Thanks?"
Aika laughed quietly.
She typed again.
StarrySky99: Why do you stream if nobody watches?
Kai didn't answer immediately.
Instead he kept playing the game, focusing on defeating enemies.
After a moment he finally spoke.
"Because I want to get better."
Aika tilted her head.
Better?
She typed again.
StarrySky99: Better at games?
Kai shook his head.
"No."
"Better at life."
Aika blinked.
That answer wasn't what she expected.
Kai leaned back slightly.
"I wasted a lot of time before."
"Now I'm trying to fix things."
He shrugged.
"So I stream, work out, study more… small steps."
Aika stared at the screen.
This boy…
He wasn't joking.
He actually meant it.
She felt strangely impressed.
Then Kai glanced at the viewer count.
3 viewers.
"Yo we're popping off tonight."
Aika giggled.
He looked genuinely happy about three viewers.
She typed again.
StarrySky99: What would you do if someone famous watched your stream?
Kai didn't hesitate.
"I'd tell them thanks for the view."
"That's it?"
"Yeah."
Aika smiled mischievously.
StarrySky99: Even if it was a famous singer?
Kai shrugged.
"Cool."
Aika burst out laughing again.
"Cool?!"
She whispered to herself.
"Does this guy not care about celebrities at all?"
Then Kai suddenly said something unexpected.
"Hey chat."
"Let's try something."
He opened the stream camera.
For the first time, his face appeared on screen.
Messy black hair.
Tired eyes.
But surprisingly…
Pretty good-looking.
Aika blinked.
"Oh."
She leaned closer to her phone.
"…He's actually cute."
Kai stretched his arms.
"Alright chat."
"New rule."
"If we reach 10 viewers tonight, I'll sing."
The chat was silent.
Aika's eyes widened.
"Sing?"
She immediately typed.
StarrySky99: I want to hear that.
Kai laughed.
"Not happening unless we get 10 viewers."
He checked the counter again.
3 viewers.
"Still a long way to go."
Aika leaned back on her bed.
Then a mischievous smile slowly spread across her face.
"…10 viewers, huh?"
She opened another app.
Her private group chat with a few trusted friends.
Aika typed one message.
Aika:"Hey. Go watch this stream."
A link followed.
Back in Kai's room…
The viewer count changed.
Kai blinked.
"Wait."
Kai leaned closer to the screen.
"…What?"
His eyes widened.
"CHAT HOLD ON."
Across the city, Aika grinned.
"Almost there."
Then finally—
10 viewers.
Kai slammed his desk.
"NO WAY."
He looked directly at the camera.
"Well…"
He sighed.
"A promise is a promise."
Aika sat up excitedly.
The most famous idol in the country…
Was about to hear a random beginner streamer sing.
Kai adjusted his microphone.
"…Don't laugh."
He closed his eyes.
Then he started singing.
And Aika froze.
Because the boy with 7 viewers…
Had a voice that was shockingly good.
Her eyes widened.
"…No way."
For the first time that night—
The famous idol Aika Hoshino felt something unexpected.
Excitement.
She smiled at the screen.
"Looks like…"
"I found something interesting."