Ch 55 - Taking My 1st and 2nd Pt. 6

~Before you read this chapter, I wanna tell y'all (should've done this sooner Q-Q) that I put lyrics to "RED" - Mori Calliope in the auxiliary chapters. I can't remember if I put the lyrics in the story or not, but in case it wasn't, you can check the lyrics there (both Calli's and Shiro's lyrics). That'll be all from Cube QB, squarey bois! Continue on!~

"Phew...well, I guess I'll listen to it again another time. So far, so good, I guess...Wonder what's the status of my Usseewa illustrations...?" I said to myself as I went to my artist's DMs.

They said it was almost finished. Just some final touches, and everything seems to be done. That's nice. I can get more music out this way.

"Hmm…"

I leaned back on my chair and crossed my arms while sighing out a big weight off my shoulders. It wasn't stress or anything. Just...memories coming back like a boomerang.

"April 6, huh...? Heh...It's now 3 years since you've been gone, Subaru..."

I let down my arms and rested it on the arm rest. The memories flowed through my mind as I thought back to all the good times me and him hung out, even with Hanako-neechan, his girlfriend.

"Hah...3 years since you've been gone, and it's still a hard pill for me to swallow…I miss you, bro…"

The bad memories were starting to come back. I clenched the chair, trying to breathe in and out while thinking back again to the present time. I'm not a soldier anymore, I'm a streamer/rapper.

"Tomorrow is the Holostars collab...I'll be looking forward to it." I said as I stood up and stretched.

"Welp, gotta go make dinner...for my lonely ass again." I chuckled.

~~Subaru's POV~~

"Ah! Our food is here!" Luna said.

I looked behind me to see the waitress coming to our table with our food on a tray. She wore the typical waiter/waitress outfit that most restaurants would use. Black and white fancy clothes with black shoes.

I glimpsed around a bit to see the other people eating in the same restaurant me and Luna were in, seeing the simplistic interior of gray and white, mixed with some brick pillars, and the lights giving the room just enough to set this whole place's atmosphere.

"Here you go! Enjoy your meal!" The waitress said as she went away after putting two glasses of water on the table.

"Hehe.~ Itadakimasu!" Luna said.

"Itadakimasu!" I followed after.

Our meal was steak and carrot salad mixed with chicken. We also ordered some sushi along with it.

"Hah...well, I did say we could come here and have dinner once in a while, but I think we gotta hold back to save some more money for next time, huh?" I giggled.

"Hmm? But we would split the costs. I can always pay for most of the bill too, you know?"

"Well, I don't really like that. I guess it's just my conscience, huh?" I laughed a bit.

"...If Shiro-kun was here, he wouldn't have any trouble with the bill. How nice it is to have that much money." I said, cutting another piece of my steak and taking a bite.

"Well, he used to work for the government, so I guess it'd make sense if he even got paid 200,000 yen per month." Luna said, taking a bite.

"...I wonder how hard it really is for him. You know, he's helped a lot of the Hololivers, he's not having any struggles when it comes to money, he's got more than enough skills to get him by in streaming, and yet...he's always calm. Even when we annoy him, he's lenient…"

"...Well, he's a kouhai. I think he has this obligation in his mind where he just wants to help. That, and also because of being a soldier before and his morals."

"Say, Luna. Do you think I'm a good friend?" I asked.

"Hmm? What makes you think you might be bad?"

"I just feel like...maybe Shiro-kun is at a plateau in befriending all of us. I mean, the Holostars are okay, but the girls...maybe he's still keeping distance from us. I can tell from his actions, you know?"

I kept still, putting the edge of the knife and the fork on the steak while frowning a bit, thinking back to the times he talked and interacted with the girls.

"He said he trusted me though, but...I don't know. I just want to do something for him. Something that would REALLY pull him closer. But I don't know if he really trusts me..."

I mean, he said he does, but I fear that I might do something that could change that...

"...I can vouch for you." Luna smiled.

"Hmm?"

"You've done a lot for me...-no, you've done a lot for everybody! You're the sun of Hololive!"

"Eh? Well, people always say that, but…"

"No no no, I'm very sure of it. Shiro-kun just probably has a hard time, since he's having trust issues. But I believe...if it's you, Subaru-cha, then I know you can do it! You're one of the bestest friends we all have! And also my best friend!" Luna said.

"Really?"

"Yeah! I mean, if it wasn't for you, we'd all be in depression, even though we know you're the same...if you want to, I can help cheer Shiro-kun too."

"...Hehe. Thanks, Luna. I appreciate it a lot!"

"Un!"

"I guess...maybe Shiro-kun just needs more breaking in."

"Hmm...now that I think about it, I think Shiro-kun has a crush on one of the Hololivers." Luna said.

"Eh?"

"Yeah! He seems to get flustered when one of the Hololivers gets mentioned. Though, I still have yet to find out who it is...but I can tell!"

"How nice! I actually noticed that too! Though...maybe if we find out who he likes, then we could somehow use her and he could warm up slowly!"

"How could we do it though...?"

"...Ah...how about we do some "Girl's talk" after dinner?" I winked and giggled.

"Oh?"

~~Shiro's POV~~

"Time, I'll always be a prisoner to my ambition.~ As petals fly, I'll dance your tune, but hold your breath, guess who's owning the throne?~" I hummed along with Calli's song, "RED" while washing the dishes.

I was just vibing, mouthing the lyrics while being vicarious, imagining singing this in a live concert. Then I even rapped my own verse while sitting on my computer.

"I'll start to rest again.~ Until the cold's away.~...Man, I feel proud about the album. This might be Calli's best work so far." I chuckled.

"Hmm...well, I could maybe practice some singing right now." I said, getting my guitar and playing some chords.

The whole night, I was killing time, waiting until I had to sleep, and once I finally turned the lights off, I went to bed.

"Tomorrow...I get to meet Subaru again…I wonder how his family and Hanako-neechan are doing…"

~April 06, 2021 7:10 AM~

"...Yo!" I said, panting a bit as I entered the Holohouse.

"Yo!" The Hololivers and a few Holostars greeted me and Korone coming back from exercising.

"You've gotten good at keeping up, Korone. Who knows? Maybe you can get stronger than me." I chuckled.

"That's not true! There's no way I could surpass you, Shiro-kun!"

"Well, anyway…" I said, pulling out my phone and typing my password quickly while hiding it from Korone.

"Hmm?"

"...Hehe." I said, looking at the screen.

Hanako: Better not be late, or I'll kick your butt with Subaru's strength!

"...Ah, she's still as funny and cheeky as ever." I smiled under my mask.

"Oh? ...Hanako...?" Korone looked at me.

"Ah, her? She's a very lovely girl. You should meet her soon." I giggled.

Unbeknown to me, my voice was loud enough that everybody looked at me. It wasn't until I looked up a bit to see the boys in the kitchen in my peripheral vision that they were staring at me.

"Oh? Is she your girlfriend?" Korone asked.

"GIRLFRIEND?!" Some girls said and stood up.

Some of them were the ones that had a crush on me before, take for example, Rushia and Roboco, but some of them were a bit surprising, like Reine and Matsuri.

"WHO?! HANAKO?!" Reine said.

"Oh? Yeah."

"Hanako, right? What is she like?" Matsuri asked.

"Well...she can cook, she's got that motherly aura on her, brown hair, she's very beautiful, she can play games, she's financially stable, and the best part is, she's very loyal!" I said, crossing my arms and smugged with steam coming out of my nose through the mask.

"Eh...? Seriously, your tastes are weird, Shiro-kun. It's just too unpredictable." Roberu rubbed his head.

"Your new girlfriend is quite nice, huh...?" Kira said, leaning on the kitchen chair.

"...Huh? She's not my girlfriend." I stated.

"...Huh?" They all replied back.

"This is my long gone best friend's girlfriend, Hanako. Shuichi Hanako. She's about 6-7 years older than me." I deadpanned.

"...Eh? Are you talking about your best friend Subaru-san?" Korone asked.

"Yup."

"...Phew. That's good." They all said in unison.

"What's bad about that?" I sweat dropped.

"Anyway, I gotta go take a shower quick and dress up. Can't be late going along with them." I waved at them while going to my room.

"Oh? Where are you going?" Korone asked.

"Going to visit my best friend's resting place, along with his girlfriend and his family. I can't miss it."

I'd feel ashamed if I did...My life was full of happiness and good memories when he was still around. From the first day we became friends to that "incident", I couldn't ask for more.

I took a shower, put on a blue plaid shirt with a light gray undershirt, brown pants, and some Puma shoes. I then took a taxi towards a flower shop then at the cemetery where Subaru was buried at, and when I did, I waited at the entrance, looking around for either Hanako or Subaru's parents.

"...They're not late, are they...?" I said as I was about to pull my phone out and contact Hanako, before I heard her to my right.

"Shiroooo!!!"

"Oh? Ah, there's the flower girl." I chuckled.

I saw Subaru's parents walking at a steady pace, smiling at me and waving, while Hanako came running towards me at full speed.

"Hanako...Special Hug!" She said, wrapping her arms around me and giggling.

"Ah...you're just as annoying and doting as I remember." I giggled nervously.

"Hmph! I've missed you so much since I've been busy with work, and that's how you greet me back?" She pouted.

"I'm just joking. Nice to see you're well, Hanako-neechan."

"Good morning, Shiro!" Mr. Levisay greeted me.

"Good morning too, Mr. and Mrs. Levisay."

Subaru was a Half-Japanese Half-American. His dad was American, and his mom was Japanese.

"Ah, you can just call us mom and dad like always. You were like the second son we never had, after all." Mrs. Levisay said.

"Ah...it's still embarrassing for me to say sometimes, but...okay." I scratched my head.

"How about we all go to Subaru's grave now and give our welcome? We've got the incense sticks, so no need to fuss about it." Mrs. Levisay said.

"Okay!" Me and Hanako said.

We looked around the cemetery. It was just as I remembered. The clean, beautiful cemetery full of people that have left an impact on those that remember them while they were still here, their names engraved on their tombstones.

The memory of standing in a suit with my mom and Hanako beside me as we looked at Subaru's tombstone, letting all the memories flow through, was coming back. I was glad it was raining at that time, or else they would've seen how much I was crying, despite holding it in as much as I could. 3 years, and it still aches my heart till this day. At least it's not as painful now.

"Here we are, where Subaru was buried. Let's all clean the grave, huh?" Mr. Levisay said.

We nodded, and started to clean the grave. Hanako and Mrs. Levisay took care of weeding, and me and Mr. Levisay took care of getting water to clean his grave.

After doing so, I took care of Hanako's work and tried to brush the dirty spots of Subaru's grave.

"...Hah...so many memories...I still remember you, Subaru." I said to myself.

"You still miss him, huh?"

I looked around to see Hanako putting her hand on my right shoulder as we both looked at Subaru's name.

"...I miss him too...He was such a good boyfriend. He always made sure to check up on me despite being very busy with his duty...We also planned to get married, but...I guess it's not possible anymore." She giggled a bit.

"Hanako-neechan…"

"Well, there's no use crying about it anymore. I've shed all my tears back then. The best I can do is live life to the fullest. Besides, when I also pass away, I can finally be at his side…"

"Yeah...I bet Subaru would be very happy to know you're doing well." I said, scrubbing off the dirty spots again.

"He would also be happy to know you're doing well too. I heard you're the new Vtuber, Ishijin Shiro?" She asked.

"Yeah...though, please keep that a secret, Hanako-neechan." I sweat dropped.

"Of course.~" She giggled a bit.

We finally cleaned his whole grave, and we then put in the incense sticks and gave our offerings.

"My offering is Subaru's favorite chocolate bar. Cadbury dairy milk! What's yours, Shiro?"

"A sunflower. The sunflower reminded him of you, remember? I knew how much he loved you that he remembered your favorite flower." I chuckled.

"I'm glad you still remember! Though, what about anything that connects you and Subaru together?"

"A sunflower too. Everytime he saw me, we would do dumb things together...dumb things that made us laugh our hearts out, dumb things that make us appreciate the little things. Almost as if we were each other's suns." I said, putting a 2nd sunflower in the vase.

"I think we're all set now." I said.

"If that's the case, let us give our prayers to Subaru." Mr. Levisay said.

We nodded, and I got the ladle out to pour water over his grave. We then put our hands together and gave our own message to Subaru through the mind and spirit.

"Hey, Subaru...how are you, man? It's been 3 years since you've been away. How long has it been since we drank together and talked about our favorite musicians? Hehe...Ah...Hanako is 26 now, correct? She'll be 27 soon enough. From what I know, she's still faithful to you. 26 beautiful years, and you're the only one she thinks about. I can't wait to meet the Hanako of my life. I'm also doing fine. I made a couple friends outside the base, met up with my 1st father figure, Motoaki Tanigo, and also met my distant biological sister, and get this...her parents are my sensei and my sensei's wife! Isn't that crazy? Heh. She's also cute, so I hope she'll get a good boyfriend soon...even though she has a brother complex. Ahaha..."

"You may know this or not, but...I'm having a tough time with my mom. We had a fight in a mission when we saved some Japanese from the Russians, and that caused me to wear a mask to hide the scar on my mouth. I love her, but...I still frickin' hate her. Though, I don't like to think about it too much. Because of it though, I developed trust issues towards women. Girls I was acquainted with prior to that are an exception." I continued.

"I also got a job. It's called Hololive, and I work as a Vtuber. It's a shortened name for 'Virtual Youtuber', where I stream using an anime character of some sort, then I do whatever I want. In this case, I'm a Vrapper, a Virtual Rapper. I also...made some friends with the girls, not just the boys. One of them though is called Oozora Subaru. The same first name! Isn't it interesting? Heh...I also seem to have a crush on her, since I feel more at ease with her, and 'cause she's cute, but...I don't know, I'm still organizing my feelings, but I promise to confess my feelings to her one day! Just you wait!"

"Lastly, I'm also having troubles with my PTSD. It's not as bad as it was before, but one time, a girl at my job played some sounds that were reminiscent of that time before you...passed away. That broke me down badly. Though...it's been getting easier to think back to your passing after those years, and I'm still trying hard. The moon and the night sky with the cold breeze has been helping me relax and unwind, so there's that…"

"I'm still aiming to be a famous rapper, known internationally, and hopefully I can tour around the world and make a lot of friends, as well as get most of my albums acknowledged. I hope I'll make you proud, bro. Take care of yourself in heaven, as always, and don't forget that I'm always thinking of you just as much, if not, even more than your family and Hanako. Love you, Subaru bro. Thank you for all the things you've done with us, and I hope you'll keep protecting us with your warmth and spirit. That'll be all, and thank you…"

I finally let down my hands, thinking back to what I just prayed in my mind while breathing in and out, letting it all flow, and looked at my left side afterwards.

"...I'm done." I said.

"I'm also done!" Hanako said.

"Us too." Mr. Levisay said.

"The incense sticks are still burning. I guess we can take this time to stay by Subaru's side for longer." I smiled.

"Un!" They all replied.

"By the way...why're you wearing a mask, Shiro?" Hanako asked.

"Oh, this? Well...maybe I'll explain it a bit later. For now, let's put that to the side and wait for the stick to burn out." I giggled nervously and sweat dropped.

We kept sitting there, looking at Subaru's grave as the wind breezed through and the sun shined bright at us. The quick moment of silence was enough to let me remember 3 years worth of memories with Subaru.

It would soon be broken by Subaru's mom though.

"It's been 27 years now...his birthday is still far though." She giggled.

"Yeah...July 7. I still remember it." I said.

"Say, remember when Subaru gave you his airpods? How is it? Are you still using it?"

"Of course. I can't just throw away what he gave. Besides, the airpods are handy when I feel too lazy to get my wired earphones."

"Seriously? You still use wired earphones?" Hanako asked.

"Shut up, I love the sound my earphones make. The airpods are really handy though for quick listening." I chuckled.

Everybody giggled when I made that remark.

"...I've never seen Subaru that happy before until he met you. You came to our house almost every day you two would be off, and you'd even go together when you'd roam the city. Subaru loved you like a little brother. Truly a second son we never had." Mrs. Levisay said.

"M-Maybe…" I scratched my head and giggled.

"Say, have you found a girl you liked yet, Shiro?" Mr. Levisay asked.

"Oh? Well...there's one girl that I have a crush on in my job." I scratched my cheek.

"Have you confessed yet?"

"No...but I wanna deepen our bond first before I try it out. I'll tell you soon when I do."

"Man...Subaru really wanted to see you with a girl, you know? I mean, your 2nd girlfriend was fine, but he really wanted to see you with a girl that would stick with you for a very long time. We're very lucky to have Hanako at our side, so we want to see you with a Hanako 2.0." Mr. Levisay scratched his head.

"Hehe.~ I'm forever Subaru's girlfriend.~" Hanako said while sticking out the index and middle finger of both of her hands.

"Tch. Why are girls in Japan so dang hard to find? Hanako-neechan, I wish you had a little sister that's as old as me so I could make her my girlfriend instead." I crossed my arms and looked away.

"Sadly, I'm an only child." She smugged.

"Say, your job is Hololive, right? Don't you meet with those cute girls everyday?" Hanako asked.

"Yeah, I do."

"How about you give me their real life photos and I'll pick one for you?"

"I have a crush on one girl already, but...I'm trying to deepen my bond with her first."

"Okay, whatever you say. Just know that Hanako-neechan is looking out for you, you know? I can always be your matchmaker.~" She said

"I know, I know…"

We kept talking with each other, the topic mainly being about us, including Subaru, and once the incense sticks had finally burned out, we made our way to Subaru's parents' car. It was a BMW 4 Series Coupe. It was actually a gift to them from Subaru. Thank Subaru for his other job, which was being a vlogger, musician, streamer, and content creator in Youtube.

"Ah...Shiro, do you have time to come by our house tonight for a drinking party?" Mr. Levisay asked.

"Well, if you consider 6 PM as nighttime, yeah. Though, I might have to go once it reaches 8:30 or so. I gotta do my job by 9 PM, so...I might not be there for too long."

"Ah...that's too bad. Well, at least you can be with us for about 2 hours." Mr. Levisay giggled a bit.

"Yeah…" I smiled.

"Oh yeah, when we arrive at home, please take over the wheel and drive Hanako back home, okay?"

"Roger that."

"Yay! Shiro can drive me back home while I chat with him about this girl he has a crush on!"

"Don't just decide the first topic on your own, you cheeky bitch." I said, grabbing my nose while blushing and my eyes twitching as I flicked her head.

"OUCH!" She grabbed her forehead and winced in pain.

"Ahaha! Still the same chemistry as ever, huh?" Mr. Levisay said.

"I love Hanako-neechan, but she just has these annoying ass cheeky moments." I groaned.

I also got rid of my mask because of how it was getting a bit hot, and I had to explain to them what the situation was with my mouth, and what my future plan for it is. It was hard trying to calm a panicking Mrs. Levisay and Hanako.

And so, once we got to their place, me and Hanako moved to the front seat, and she connected the bluetooth of the car to her phone.

"Hey, let's go play one of your tracks here. Actually, let's play your most recent song!"

"Ah, 'Remember When I Loved You', huh? You like that?"

"Yeah! In my opinion, it's one of the best songs I've heard so far!"

"Eh...? That's nice." I chuckled.

And so, while we played it, she sat back and hummed along with the tune as she closed her eyes.

"...Say, Shiro."

"Hmm?"

"How much do you love the girl you like?"

"Oh? Well...you see, ever since I got trust issues, I thought I couldn't get along with girls, but...when she tried to befriend me, I felt...ease and happiness in my heart. Maybe it's partially 'cause she's a tomboy, but…" I smiled and chuckled.

"She's like the sun that keeps on shining. Whenever we feel down, she always cheers us up. I also gave her permission to call me by my first name without honorifics, so...that's that. I guess that's why I like her. She's just a ball of sunshine."

"What's her name?"

"Her name is Oozora Subaru. You might know her."

"Ah...! That girl! I like her!"

"I know, right? She's so friendly."

"Well...if I'll be frank with you, Shiro…"

"Oh?"

"I can't really imagine you and her being together." She deadpanned.

"ARGH-...You didn't have to be so blunt, Hanako-neechan…" I shivered as an imaginary arrow pierced my heart.

"Well, the thing is, she seems to be so friendly, the thought of romance just doesn't cross her mind."

"Well...you have a point…"

"Besides, she's already gotten very kissy-kissy with the girls, and not to mention, Hololive is known for the girls being bi, but since it's mostly filled with girls...I'm worried about your love life, Shiro." She sighed.

"..." I grabbed the steering wheel a bit tight and let out some air out my nose silently.

"...Oh?~ Are you jealous?~"

"I'm not." I blushed and looked away.

"Well, at least she's taken your heart...then again, you might prove me wrong. I wish the best for you. As of now, your personality is more than enough to get her to you. You're aggressive enough to take the lead." She giggled.

"Well...I do need to deepen our bond first. I can't just confess when we're still starting. It's like facing a level 100 boss while I'm still level 5."

"You've got a point. However...be wary, Shiro."

"Hmm?"

"From how I see it, given the current circumstances, the early bird catches the worm. If the bird won't get it first, a crow will. Better do your best, Shiro!~" She said.

"Yeah, yeah." I chuckled.

I acted as if I brushed it off, but what she said there was enough to let me drive on autopilot and really give it some thought. After all, there are times where you always think you can confess to her later, before realizing that she's now taken, and then you spend the rest of your life thinking back to all those chances, knowing you can't rewind time for it. Though, I decided to get it off my mind for a while.

We finally arrived at her apartment, and she released her seatbelt.

"Take care of yourself, Hanako-neechan." I said.

"I should be saying that to you. You're the younger one, aren't you?"

"And who among us do you think can protect themselves better?"

"...You." She crossed her arms and pouted.

"Heh...anyway, it's about time you go now."

"At least give your Hanako-neechan a hug. We might not see each other for a good while again after we go to Subaru's house tonight!" She said, putting her arms out.

"...Sigh, fine."

"..EY!" She shouted.

I was about to wrap my arms around her, but she just grabbed my head all of a sudden and dug the right side of my face to her chest. Hanako's got some cleavage, by the way. Her chest has that "I" shape going on. Noel is still bigger though.

"...At least let me hug you first before you do that, Hanako-neechan." I deadpanned without turning my head.

"But you just feel like a little brother to me!~ Even Subaru would do this to you, wouldn't he?~"

"Not as much as you...!" I groaned and pushed her away as I sat back up.

"Ah-...Well, I guess I should get going now. Take care of yourself, and good luck with your relationship with Subaru-chan! Make sure to be the early bird!"

"Yup. See ya, Hanako-neechan." I waved as she waved back.

I drove back to Subaru's house, gave the keys back, and took a taxi back to the school.

'Hmm...I wonder how Hanako-neechan is really doing. She's a few years until her 30s, and yet, she still remains single...I wonder how things would be if Subaru was still here…' I thought.

If he was, I would like to show him pictures of me and everybody in Hololive. Though...seeing as there are a lot of pretty girls there, he would tease me endlessly...Somehow, I would like that to happen, which is weird, but I guess it's just a "friend" thing where you just love to tease each other and stuff.

'...I wonder if the Hololivers would've loved to meet Subaru...?' I thought.

I finally arrived at the Holohouse and saw a few Holostars in the kitchen, and some Hololivers at the lounge, including HoloID.

"Yo." I said.

"Yo!" Everybody greeted back.

"Hey, how was it? Meeting your best friend's family and visiting him?" Astel came up to me and patted my shoulder.

"It was good. I met them, and we had a good time talking. I gotta go to their house though at 6 pm, since we're going to hold a little party. I'll make my way back here though, so do expect the Holostars Minecraft stream to happen."

"Ah, I see. Hopefully you'll have a good time!"

"Mhmm."

Maybe it was because I was thinking of Subaru while walking here, but the way Astel interacted with me just reminded me of when Subaru would talk with me. My body took over my mind, and before I knew it, I wrapped my arms around Astel.

"A-Ah, wha...?" Astel said.

I closed my eyes and smiled with a little giggle.

"...Um...Shiro? Is...anything wrong?" Astel asked.

The whole floor was still silent. I was aware of the fact that the Hololivers stared at us, and that it's been more than 3 seconds now, but my mind's thoughts buried those thoughts under. I still hugged him for what felt like an eternity, and then I let go of him afterwards.

"Nothing's wrong...I was just remembering the good memories of the past. Anyway, I'll be in my room for a while. Prolly check what I need to tweak and shit in my album." I patted Astel's shoulder as I made my way to my room.

"Oh yeah, don't worry, Aki. I still remember our collab. 8 PM would be the release of the song, so the fans can still listen to it before our collab. I'll make sure to bring some beer later." I put my hand up as a mini-wave.

'...Did something weird happen to Shiro? That was so unlike him.' Everybody at that moment thought, unbeknown to me.

As I was on my computer, listening to my whole album once again while listening to "Best Friends Forever", I got a knock on my door.

"Oh? Coming!" I said as I went to the door with my mask, short, and shirt on.

"...Oh, Reine. Wassup?" I asked.

"Um...Hey, uh...are you busy this afternoon?" She asked as she kept looking away and down while glancing at me occasionally.

She also seemed to be a bit sweaty and blushing a bit.

"Oh? Not really. Why?"

"Um...say, I was thinking, maybe...you know, you're a nice guy to collab with, so how about we get acquainted with each other in advance? Hehe...m-maybe you'd like to go out for lunch together?" She said, still keeping up her self-comfort mechanisms.

"Ah, I don't mind that. Besides, you're prolly one of the chillest to talk to in ID, so I might have an easier time."

"Oh really? Great! Is there anything else you'd like?"

"Hmm...how about watching a movie together later?"

"Ah, really? I'd like that! But...that won't take much of your time?"

"Really, the only thing I gotta look out for is 6 PM. Other than that, I'm just killing time." I sweat dropped and giggled nervously

(Kronii: …How could you, Shiro? Q-Q)

"Ah, sweet! Then, how is 11:40? Sounds good?" She asked as she dropped her arms and had a happier and freer face.

"Mhmm. I guess I'll see you later."

"Alright! Bye!" She said, waving, and immediately sprinting up the stairs.

"...Huh. Well, at least I get to familiarize myself with the peafowl queen herself." I said, closing the door.

'Peafowl...peacock...Hehe, peapenis. A peanis.' I gave a little snicker when I thought that.

But anyway, I re-recorded a few lines in a few songs and edited the vocals again while also tweaking the effects just a bit in the mixing, and then I would give it a rest for another time. I quickly went to my closet and searched for something that I could wear for the date. Well, I call it a "date" 'cause I don't know what else to call it.

"Alright...hopefully this is enough to impress Reine. I just realized how tall she is. Could prolly put my hand around her waist easily…"

Then again, she ain't my girlfriend, so I don't see a reason to do it.

I was wearing a white shirt then a light blue denim jacket over it. I then put on a dark blue jean, and then put on a watch. It was a gold metal watch that had a stretchable strap band. Don't ask why I do it. I'm just cautious when it comes to fighting.

"Alright...I guess all I need is my sling bag, and I'm good to go."

And so, I stuffed in my phone, wallet, a pen and a small pad of paper. This is if I need to write something, especially if I get an idea for a song or so.

Then when I went out, I saw Reine waiting at the lounge area.

"...Woah." I said.

"Ah, hi!" She said.

There were only the HoloID at the time. Literally all the HoloID.

"Hmm?~ Shiro finally goes on a date with Reine, huh...?~" Ollie said.

"H-Hey! Grr...!" Reine growled.

"Well, you look rather beautiful, Reine. As expected of the peafowl queen." I chuckled.

"Really? Thank you!"

She was wearing a black top with some parts of it transparent, and a long light brown skirt with vertical line patterns on it that was worn at the waist and went to below the knee. Kinda surprising since I never thought Reine would be the type to wear that, but hey, it's welcome.

"Well, I guess it's time to go. You got any ideas?" I asked.

"Ah, mind if I take the lead?"

"I don't mind."

"Great! Let's go!" She said as me and her started walking side by side.

I looked back at the HoloID, seeing them with smug faces. It made me sweat drop, but nonetheless, I was looking forward to what Reine had in store.

~~Reine's POV~~

'Ooh man...I'm very nervous. Most importantly, it just HAD to be me...! Why me, of all people?! I mean, it's not like I'm complaining, and plus I even decided to go along with it, but...this just feels like a bit too much...!' I thought in my mind, thinking of all the possibilities that could go down from this date.

Essentially, some of the JP girls decided to talk with each other about Shiro last night, and think of a plan of action to "make him more friendly." Me and the HoloID ended up getting dragged into it, and they talked about Shiro's crush! They suspected he had a crush on one of us!

This was the main snippet of the whole conversation.

Subaru: Since I want Shiro to warm up to us other branches, and it seems he's already friends with Calli-chan, I was wondering if we can see who he has a crush on, and maybe let her lead him on!

Rushia: Even if that's so...would he be that easy?

Subaru: Trust me, he can be open if you let him be open! Though...I might be busy tomorrow, so I doubt I could even try something on him.

Subaru: Now that I think about it, who's close to him other than me and Calli-chan?

Ollie: Hey, Reine has a crush on Shiro, you know?

Reine: DON'T JUST STATE IT OUT LOUD, OLLIEEEEEEEEEE. AKU AKAN MEMUKULMU (I WILL PUNCH YOU)

Subaru: AH, I GOT A GREAT IDEA!

*multiple Hololivers type "Oh?"*

Subaru: Reine-chan, is it possible you can ask him out and try to maybe probe him?

Reine: ...PROBE?!

Iofi: YOU GO GHURL (In English)

Ollie: GO GO GO REINEEEEEEEE

Rushia: Eh? Wait, would that even work?

Roboco: Shiro seems to be the type that can't be probed easily, in my opinion -_-

Reine: Not to mention, it doesn't seem like he has a crush on anyone...?

Subaru: Well, we can at least confirm who he likes if you try it. Besides, if it happens to be you, then he can try to warm up to us even better if you do it right!

Subaru: What do you say?

Roboco: Well...although I would like to do it cuz I feel a bit jealous, maybe Reine-chan could do it?

Rushia: If Subaru-senpai says Reine-chan can do it, maybe she could!

Reine: Well...

...And you can guess what my answer was. But still...to think that Shiro would accept it so easily…

"Shiro, are you excited to go get lunch?" I asked.

"Not really excited for lunch...but more like excited to get to know you."

...Huh? He's more excited to "get to know me"? WAIT A MINUTE...IS IT ME THAT HE HAS A CRUSH ON?!

"E-E-Eh?! Really?"

"Yeah. I mean...I'm excited to know more about what's been going on with the others, as well as what songs we might make in the future. Don't you just love it when you can play games with each other and whatnot? Reine, maybe soon, we can get featured in each other's songs!"

"Ah...yeah. Mhmm." I sweat dropped and deadpanned.

Of course that's what he meant. What else could it mean for him if it was any other person? Subaru-senpai would get the same answer if she was in my shoes.

"By the way, Reine..."

"Oh?"

"...You look really pretty. Like...REALLY really pretty. I was a bit blown away, to be honest. It's simple, but like...you could get a couple men jealous."

"...A-Ah...no, this is...pretty average. I don't...think that's the case…"

"No, really. I thought you were my girlfriend there for a sec." Shiro chuckled.

"W-WHA...?-"

'THIS GUY DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE!? FIRST, IT WAS OBVIOUS HE DIDN'T HAVE A CRUSH ON ME, AND NOW HE'S JUST FLIRTING?! HEY, THAT'S NOT HOW THINGS WORK HERE!' I thought while blushing as red as a tomato.

We finally got on a taxi, and he and I started making our way to a restaurant me and the HoloID went to together when we decided to treat ourselves with a fancy dinner. Besides, if it's Shiro, this can definitely impress him!

We finally entered the restaurant, and the lighting, interior, and seats all looked fancy. We sat around the middle of the restaurant, and there was this huge circle in the middle that would separate other people for each other's seats, plus with how there are walls to separate each seat too, we can have privacy.

"Well? Do you like this restaurant, Shiro?" I asked.

"Yeah...I'mma admit though…"

"Hmm?"

"This restaurant was more fancy that I thought. A bit too fancy." He sweat dropped and looked around.

"A-Ah...you don't like it?"

"Ah, no. I like it. Just that...I didn't expect you to take me to such a fancy restaurant. It seems the food is a bit expensive too if this is the interior, but then again, that's how all restaurants like this are." He giggled nervously.

"I was expecting you to take me somewhere...simpler. You know, just simple food, and we can have a wonderful time talking. But if this is what you decided on, I'll gladly indulge myself." He continued.

"I see...well, hopefully you'll enjoy the meal! Me and the ID loved the food here!" I put my hands together.

A waiter finally came to our table and greeted us while putting two glasses of water, one for each of us. We got the menu and started to make our selection.

"Hmm...Ooh, some shrimp. I'm taking that...aaand I guess I'll have tomato salad and pork ribs. What're you having, Reine?" Shiro asked.

"I'll have some fish and a cola."

"That's just it? You sure you're gonna be full by the end of it?"

"Yeah. I also don't wanna overeat. I haven't been exercising a lot, so I might get fat."

"..." Shiro deadpanned at me, looking down and then back to my face.

"W-What's with the look?"

"Oh nothing. You do you with your diet. Anyway, if that's the only thing you'll order…"

Shiro started to translate everything to the waiter and told him about our order. I was still kinda amazed, since, even though Shiro has spoken Japanese in all of his streams, you still couldn't believe he could speak English so fluently that he clearly had no Japanese accent at all when speaking it.

People even started joking that he's a HoloEN member because of how good he can speak it. The fact that his Japanese accent and English accent are so distinct, you couldn't tell that it came from the same person if you close your eyes, doesn't help at all.

"I understand, sir. Your order shall be ready in the next 30 to 45 minutes. Please wait until then, sir, ma'am!" The waiter said as he went away.

"Alright...well, while our food is getting ready, let's talk for a good while, Reine." Shiro chuckled.

"Mhmm!"