Like a kitten grabbed by the scruff of its neck, I was dragged outside. At that mont, the first-generation VTubers puffed up their cheeks and strode toward .
I had already resigned myself to the idea that I’d be pinned to the ground and smacked on the back, but to my surprise…
“Unnie. If you were planning sothing like this, you should’ve told us in advance.”
“Exactly!”
“I was seriously shocked~.”
“I was kinda pissed, but it was great. Good.”
The four of them wrapped around from all sides in a tight hug.
A complete encirclent.
Help , guys.
I’m too short—I can’t breathe.
“Guys, Gia’s suffocating.”
My mouth was even covered, making it impossible to speak properly. But the mont Momo spoke, the four of them imdiately backed off.
140 cm—direct impact to the chest.
I nearly died from suffocation just now.
As I shook my head to clear my thoughts, Maru suddenly lowered her voice.
It was the sa tone she used last week when she apologized after the I’m Wolf collab.
“I’m sorry… We tried to do a hidden cara prank, but we almost ended up hurting you instead….”
“A hidden cara?”
“When we left you out at lunch, it was all part of the prank. If that upset you, I’ll apologize for everything. It was my idea, and they just went along with it. I’m the worst….”
Magia, an unexpected victory.
So that was them excluding ?
Honestly, I was just happy to enjoy my al in peace.
Wait, was I being excluded back in school, too?
I thought I was just a voluntary loner.
Either way, Maru looked like she was about to cry, so I instinctively blurted out an apology as well.
Rule #1 for managing Maru: If she starts getting teary while apologizing, you have to act like it was a mutual misunderstanding—even if it’s a lie.
Fortunately, I had also prepared a surprise for them, so I had sothing to say in return.
“It’s okay. I tricked you guys too, just to show you this. So we’re even.”
But honestly, I wasn’t in any condition to comfort her beyond that.
The shrimp had helped recover a bit, but the barrage of complints from the mbers earlier had drained completely.
Now that everything was done, my energy finally hit rock bottom, and sleepiness washed over . My eyelids started drooping.
As I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand, Maru gently placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Are you sleepy?”
“Yeah, I’m starting to feel it.”
“Already?! No way. Just hold on a little longer.”
“…Do we still have sothing left to film?”
At that, Maru fidgeted, rubbing her hands together awkwardly.
“Not exactly… It’s just, we prepared sothing too….”
There’s no way they prepared sothing just for my birthday.
They must have planned sothing special for the first anniversary.
That makes sense.
There should be fireworks or sothing—it’s a first anniversary, after all.
A vlog shot only during the day would be boring. A nightti cityscape would make for a much better background.
“Want to help? Just tell what to do.”
From a distance, Momo shook her head.
At the sa ti, Maru spoke up.
“No, it’s fine. Just sit here and rest.”
It was a bit disappointing that they didn’t need my help,
but if Momo says to stay put, I should listen.
“Alright. I’ll stay here. Call if you need .”
***
Magia sat in front of the crackling bonfire, watching the flas.
For the six others, that was the final signal to put their plan into action.
The entire day, Magia had been dodging attention, trying to keep herself out of the spotlight. But now, she was finally seated calmly, fully accepting that she was the main character of the night.
A little distance away, the six of them set up a cake on the table and gathered the gifts they had prepared.
Rain smirked.
“Boom. Thought this was gonna be a total disaster, but it turned out pretty good, huh?”
Komari let out a laugh of disbelief.
“Well, it was never going to go smoothly from the start.”
“You’re just looking for a way to bla again, aren’t you?”
“Why are you getting defensive? I didn’t even say anything yet.”
As Komari and Maru bickered, Dora mumbled to herself.
“Anyway, I’m just glad we managed to pull it off~. Let’s hurry and give her the presents! I hope Gia likes them. Hehe.”
With that, Do-hee and Team Leader Kang lifted the disposable table carrying the cake and started walking toward Magia.
The others followed, gifts in hand, and began to sing.
“Happy birthday to you~.”
Gia, who had been spacing out in her chair, suddenly jolted upright.
Her eyes widened as she saw the cake with lit candles approaching.
She stared at the cake with round eyes, glanced around cautiously, then started clapping to the beat.
The mont she joined in, smiles spread across everyone’s faces.
“Happy birthday to you~.”
The birthday song reached its climax.
To our dear Gia, Magia, Gia-nim,
Happy birthday!
The different ways they called her na blended together, but Gia, who could distinguish overlapping sounds from watching multiple streams at once, had no trouble picking them out.
Finally realizing that the cake was for her, Gia’s eyes darted around as she hesitantly asked,
“Wait, this is for ?”
Do-hee, setting the table down, ruffled Gia’s hair.
“Of course. Blow out the candles and make a wish.”
At Magia’s next words, everyone let out a collective sigh.
“Wait, this isn’t the first anniversary cake?”
She sounded like the anniversary cake was more important than her birthday cake.
Everyone wanted to say sothing, but no one wanted to ruin the mood, so they all turned to Do-hee to handle it.
With a deep sigh, Do-hee spoke up.
“You seriously saw us bringing gifts and still thought that?”
“Weren’t we all supposed to exchange random gifts for the first anniversary?”
“?”
“…?”
Do-hee stared at Gia, while the first-generation mbers exchanged confused glances before all looking back at her.
Because, logically speaking, what she just said made no sense.
I an, seriously.
It’s her birthday.
She could clearly see the cake and the gifts.
And yet, she hadn’t even considered that they were for her?
Smacking her lips in exasperation, Do-hee let out a deep sigh.
“If we were doing a gift exchange, don’t you think we would’ve told you to prepare one too…?”
“Why would I? I’m not even a first-gen mber.”
“Oh, for the love of—then why do you think Kang and I prepared gifts?”
“You two see them all the ti, so I figured—”
“So do you?! The only people who see them in person at the company are you, , and Team Leader Kang!”
Do-hee, clearly developing a headache, grabbed one of the boxes from Maru’s gift basket and shoved it into Gia’s arms.
“Just take it. It’s your birthday present.”
“Ah, no—”
Magia tried to protest, but a flurry of gifts shut her down.
“Shut up and take it.”
“Accept your gift!!”
“Happy birthday~.”
“Here, happy birthday!”
“Congratulations, Gia Team Leader.”
Holding an armful of gifts, Magia muttered,
“I… I don’t have enough hands to carry these. My bag’s already full.”
“Ugh!”
Annoyed, Do-hee rummaged through Magia’s overstuffed bag and pulled out the hologram projector and battery pack.
Setting the now-empty bag beside her, Do-hee spoke.
“That projector’s nice. I’ll buy it second-hand. I want to put it at the office entrance for security. So, now your bag’s empty, and you have space for the gifts, right?”
“Huh? No, that projector is mi—”
“I’m buying it. Just na your price.”
For the first ti all night, Magia—who hadn’t smiled even after receiving so many gifts—finally grinned.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
“If you take to a gaming cafe this weekend, I’ll give you everything for free.”
“You’re impossible. Just open the damn presents.”
“Uh… I don’t think my reaction will be very good. Can I just open them at ho by myself?”
Cheon Do-hee squeezed her eyes shut.
If she gave in to every one of Magia’s requests, this wouldn’t be a birthday party—it’d turn into a negotiation table.
“Either take them ho, open them there, and personally reply to everyone’s letters later… or open them here, say thanks now, and read the letters at ho. Your choice.”
Thankfully, Magia usually listened to Do-hee.
“…I’ll open them here.”
***
The gifts I received—sowhat unexpectedly—reflected each person’s personality in their own way.
Dora gave a warm, fluffy animal onesie with cat ears and a tail, lined with soft fleece.
Rain, claiming that rhythm, soul, and groove ca from alcohol, gifted a bottle of sweet champagne, sothing she said was mild enough for everyone to enjoy.
Komari handed a ga coin card that could be freely used on Sitdim, a packaged ga platform.
Maru, insisting that frequent brushing was necessary to maintain healthy hair, gave a wide paddle brush—so big it could probably double as a ping-pong racket—along with high-quality hair essence.
Team Leader Kang, who was apparently bothered by how often I brushed my bangs aside while working, gifted a set of comfortable headbands and hair clips that wouldn’t pull too tightly.
And lastly, Momo… just handed a piece of paper.
…Of course, if it had been just a piece of paper, I wouldn’t have been so happy about it.
Out of all the gifts I received, it was by far the most valuable.
[Cheon Do-hee Unlimited Use Coupon]
[Expiration Date: Until Magia’s Next Birthday]
I carefully tucked it into the back of my phone case.
I should save it until just before my next birthday.
I made sure to thank everyone properly, but I wasn’t sure if my gratitude had co across well.
They all seed happy…
But only people who are used to receiving gifts—or know how to express their appreciation properly—can say the right words.
For soone like , who isn't used to receiving things, my responses ended up sounding like a parrot’s repetition.
"Thank you, I appreciate it, I’ll use it well."
That was all I could manage to say.
Maybe that’s why…
I couldn’t fall asleep.
Sure, Komari and Maru taking up all my space on either side of made it a bit suffocating,
but my mind kept circling back to the sa thought.
Soone like Maru would probably feel disappointed if I didn’t express my gratitude properly.
Was there a way to thank each of them in a way that suited them best?
Since thinking clearly required so freedom of movent, I carefully sat up and, making sure not to step on anyone’s feet, slipped out of the tent.
“…What the hell? You were exhausted just a while ago. Why are you up again?”
Momo was sitting by the dying bonfire, leaning her head back, gazing at the stars.
I suddenly felt like ssing with her, so I pulled out the letter she had given from my jacket pocket.
“Hey. If you start a reading session here, I will kill you.”
“Just joking.”
“…Read it at ho. It’s embarrassing.”
Grinning, I slipped the envelope back into my pocket and dragged over a camping chair to sit beside her.
I grabbed an unused log, wrapped it in a few sheets of newspaper, and carefully placed it atop the embers.
Fwoosh.
The flas eagerly consud the newspaper, spreading slowly to the dry wood.
I leaned back in my seat and nonchalantly asked,
“Receiving gifts is really difficult.”
“Why?”
“If I don’t like a gift, it’s written all over my face. When I was a kid, my friends started avoiding because of that.”
Momo was silent for a mont.
I heard the rustling of her windbreaker as she turned toward .
“Didn’t seem like it today.”
“That’s because I’ve been socialized. I can tell a white lie now.”
“Good for you.”
“Yeah, but I still suck at expressing gratitude. If I really like a gift, I can manage a couple of words, but other than that, I hit a wall at ‘thank you.’”
Momo chuckled and turned back toward the fire.
“That’s more than enough. What, you think you need to do more?”
“A simple ‘thank you’ feels too inadequate compared to the effort people put into picking a gift.”
Momo let out a thoughtful hum, then gave an example.
“When you send donations, how many tis do you expect to say ‘thank you’ before you’re satisfied?”
“You don’t have to say it at all.”
“Exactly. Just the fact that my oshi reacts is enough, right?”
“I guess so.”
“It’s the sa for everyone else. They gave you gifts because they like you. A simple ‘thank you’ is more than enough. If soone goes, ‘Ugh, I gave a gift, and all I got was a ‘thank you’? I’m turning evil now…’ then that person was a villain in the making from the start.”
“Oh. That actually makes a lot of sense.”
But hearing it made think.
“That only applies when giving gifts to an oshi, though. And I’m not a strear, so I can’t be anyone’s oshi.”
“Even among regular people, there are similar concepts. A person you deeply respect, soone who’s helped you a lot.”
“Is that so?”
Momo sighed, reached out, and ruffled my hair.
“Why do you think we went through all this trouble for you?”
“Like… obligatory chocolate on Valentine’s Day?”
“You’ve got to be kidding . Who goes this far for obligatory gifts?”
Momo grabbed my cheeks and squeezed.
“To put it simply, you’re kind of like our oshi.”
“……?”
“If that doesn’t make sense to you, just accept it. Even I… It’s hard to explain. It’s complicated. It’s gratitude. Appreciation. A mix of everything.”
With that, she abruptly stood up and began shoveling sand over the remaining embers.
The mont the fire was snuffed out, the icy winter air swept in.
Only the moon above lit the cold world we had voluntarily stepped into.
“…Anyway, let’s go inside. It’s late.”
Honestly, I didn’t get it.
I worked hard—for Momo, for the company—because I wanted to.
But sohow, that was sothing to be thanked for?
And they even considered sothing like an oshi?
Even after Momo went back into the tent, I sat in my chair, staring at the night sky, trying to wrap my head around it.
But in the end, as I wriggled into my sleeping bag to escape the cold, I ca to a conclusion.
‘…Sothing like an oshi, huh.’
Oshis aren’t made by choice.
It’s like walking down the street, getting slapped across the face so hard you turn to glare—only to fall in love at first sight.
That’s why you can’t tell soone not to like you.
Fans don’t choose to beco fans.
I an, wasn’t that exactly how I ended up following Momo all the way here?
It’d be ridiculous to try and deny that feeling in others.
So, if Momo says I’ve beco sothing like an oshi to the VTubers, then it must be true.
Denying it wouldn’t change anything.
But it wasn’t enough.
I wasn’t enough.
An oshi is supposed to be soone admirable.
And I wasn’t soone worth looking up to.
…But I wouldn’t run away from it.
I was part of Parallel. And I would stay in Parallel.
Until we had second-gen, third-gen, fourth-gen mbers—until the day we could stand shoulder to shoulder with Bachubachu, I’d stay.
Even if I couldn’t be perfect, I wouldn’t be lacking for those who looked up to .
And for that, I had a role model to follow.
The person I admired most—the oshi I respected.
Momo, who always gave sothing to her audience, who always tried to engage with them however she could.
I flipped my phone over and stared at the card tucked into my case.
[Cheon Do-hee Unlimited Use Coupon]
[Expiration Date: Until Magia’s Next Birthday]
…Maybe there’s a reason why people turn into successful fans.
If you follow in your oshi’s footsteps, you naturally walk the sa path.
The next morning, I handed each of the six a crudely torn coupon.
[Magia Unlimited Use Coupon]
“Use it whenever. No expiration, no restrictions.”
The six of them fell silent over the bubbling ran pot.
The weight of their stares was suffocating.
So this is what it feels like when soone doesn’t react to a gift.
“…If you don’t want it, just give it back.”
Reviews
All reviews (0)