Ch 63 - The Girl I Like Pt. 6

Shiro sweat dropped as he looked down at Subaru with her face glowing up like a kid in a candy shop. Sure, Shiro knew from his past talks with Shien that the Hololivers haven't had a lot of times where they could get a lot of money, but he didn't know it was that bad that Subaru would be happy enough to withdraw even just 15,000. And for all the time he spent both as a fan and as a fellow Hololiver, he always thought they were rich enough to spend for covers, collabs, trips, equipment, and games.

Then again, Shiro is quite rich if we're talking about average standards of living in Japan. Still, he'd consider it a lot if she was happy withdrawing double the amount. The cuts must have really been affecting them a lot. They're not dirt poor, at the bare minimum.

"How about I buy all the snacks and shit for you?" Shiro asked.

"A-Are you sure?"

"Rule of thumb: You need to make a very good reason for me not to make decisions like helping you."

"B-But I have the money!"

"Save it for yourself."

"B-But if I don't spend the money right now, I might as well have just asked you if you could buy me the snacks and some microwaved food from the convenience store instead!"

"And you said earlier that you were very thankful you had "that" much in your account. How about we just split the costs? I'll pay for anything below 10,000 yen."

"Hmm…okay, that's a deal." Subaru pouted slightly.

"Great." Shiro chuckled.

They bought two XL sized plastic bags worth of snacks, along with a couple drinks, and they even bought some ice cream for Subaru. She sat down at a nearby street light pole while Shiro leaned against a wall while standing up. Subaru wanted him to also sit down so she offered him her seat, but he refused and just wanted to stay standing.

"...Traffic is surprisingly not that heavy here." Subaru said.

"Well, it's not part of the busy streets, so there aren't as many cars and people that pass through here."

He loved the quietness that he and Subaru had at that moment as the sun kept them warm. So quiet, in fact, that he was fine if they would stay there up until it reached evening.

"You know, Shiro."

"Hmm? What?"

"Sometimes I wish moments like this could stay forever."

"M-Moments like this?"

"Yeah! You know, now would be a good time for us to talk about some good memories of the past."

She looked Shiro in the eyes with her usual big smile.

"Don't you love it when you can hang out with your friends? It doesn't have to be just two of you, but friends that you love spending quality time with. Friends that you would like to lie on the grass and watch the stars in the sky together, doing nothing?" Subaru continued.

"Right now, it's just the two of us! I love the time we're spending right now! Even though we're currently not talking much, I wish we could stay here longer! Getting to learn about each other, building a closer bond, all that!"

"...I agree." Shiro replied.

He breathed in, recollecting his thoughts after hearing Subaru's words about their current situation.

"I also think it's nice to get along with the Hololivers. It was nice befriending Calli and even becoming her pal as we made music, and it's nice to befriend people like Sora, the HoloID, basically all of you. I was just a fan, buying your merch, watching from the sidelines like everybody else, and now, I'm one of you. I myself have become an idol like the rest of you with the rest of the fans cheering for me. Now that I have met my idols, I'd like to know each and every one of you."

"If everything was just like this, I wouldn't mind." Shiro added and chuckled.

"D-...Did you just say that? Are those your honest feelings?" Subaru asked.

"Hmm? Of course it is-"

Shiro just realized what he said earlier — his real feelings about them just now.

"I can't believe that! I've always wanted to see you like that!" Subaru cheered.

"...I myself couldn't believe I just said all of that as well." Shiro chuckled nervously.

"You're becoming more open! I'll be cheering you on in becoming everyone's friend! Matter of fact, I hope you get to collab with everybody!"

"Yeah…"

Shiro thought he must've started to feel more comfortable around them. It had to be the case. Before, he wasn't even planning to go near people like Noel who had a bit of a fear for men, especially when people like her went to an all-girls school. Now, Noel and Flare would even hold hands with him. Not to mention, he even befriended Sora and is even close with Calli despite it being formed in such a short time frame. Nonetheless, he couldn't help but smile, adding in a few chuckles.

Though the two may have felt alone, Reine and Ina didn't just say what they said to each other earlier in the Holohouse for nothing.

"Hmm...strange. No clinging as of now." Reine said.

"Sure, we have confirmed Shiro actually thinks that way, and it's really nice...I expected more." Ina blankly stared at them.

"Yeah...the two are just stuck together like glue." Reine said as the two hid themselves back into the alleyway.

"What's your conclusion?" Reine asked.

"I don't know...I'm 50/50 here."

"Same...Man, men are perceived as simple, yet it's been taking us this long to decipher who he likes."

"Nonetheless, Shiro has been acting strange with her, and that's a fact." Ina blankly peeked from the wall.

"Definitely." Reine did the same.

Going back to Subaru and Shiro, Subaru kept eating her ice cream. Unbeknown to her, Shiro's eyes took their time in observing the details, like those blue eyes, white skin, cute hairstyle, and soft cheeks. He could almost feel them.

"...Hey, Subaru."

"Yeah?"

Shiro froze in place, his mouth wanting to say something. However, no words came out just yet, and especially the words he wished to tell her.

"...Shiro? What is it?" Subaru asked as she stood up and got close to him.

"...M-Maybe now is a good time to go home. Besides, you're almost done with your ice cream, and I also gotta practice some Valorant later for the collab." Shiro chuckled.

"Oh? Ah, you're right! I was just so preoccupied with everything that I forgot my ice cream was almost done! Well, we can't just stay here forever anyway. Let's go!" Subaru said, finishing her ice cream and throwing it into the bin.

Shiro wanted to tell those "three words" to her since it felt like the right time. However, something stopped him. He didn't know if it was because he gave it a second thought and knew it wasn't a good time yet or if he was just too infatuated at that moment. Regardless, he knew he could further develop their relationship and try again another time.

They took a taxi, with Reine and Ina following them right behind, and they went into their respective rooms once they had arrived.

Once it had hit nighttime, Izuru, Astel, and Shiro started their collab in Valorant. Their start was going too smooth, mostly because Shiro was carrying them unintentionally from their first match. As of this moment, they were on their second match.

"Watch, bois. I'mma clutch this 1v3." Shiro said.

"Go, Shiro!" Izuru cheered.

"You better not jinx this crap, man! You're literally 1v3'ing here, and you have a spike to defuse!"

"Nah nah, watch ME!" Shiro instantly flicked his mouse and killed one enemy at an angle.

"Watch this shit, I will survive and get that victory for us, bois." Shiro said, looking at another angle and firing again, taking down another enemy.

"Sheesh! You're too damn good, what the hell?!" Izuru said.

"One more...just one more guy, and there he is-MOTHERFUCKING-" Shiro slammed his desk as Izuru and Astel burst out laughing from Shiro's death.

"HOW THE F-...well, my aim sucked dick there."

"Man! We were so close!" Astel said.

"We'll get 'em this time, we'll get 'em this time." Shiro said, buying an operator.

"Sniper again?" Astel asked.

"Bro, leave some damn space for us! We need the kills!" Izuru said.

"That's why I'm gonna stay back for a while! Look at our ratios! 6, 3, 2. Izuru, up your game man, ya suck." Shiro laughed.

"SHUT UP! I WOULD'VE SHOT YA RIGHT NOW IF FRIENDLY FIRE WAS ON!" Izuru shouted as Astel also laughed.

"That's right! Up your game, man!" Astel doubled down.

"I WILL KILL YOU THREE AFTER THIS! JUST YOU WATCH, I'LL GET 4 MORE KILLS BY THE END OF THIS!" Izuru screamed as the two proceeded to keep laughing.

In the end, Izuru ended up with more kills that match, and they kept playing and playing, having a fun time streaming as clutches happened and losses ensued. By the end of the stream, they stuck around for a while to chat with the audience.

"Man, your aim is just hella good! What the hell?" Astel said.

"Well, that's true, I guess, but you two did great as well." Shiro chuckled.

"Next time, how about we play Apex?" Izuru asked.

"Hmm...that's a good idea. I'm also not that good at Apex, so that's where you two will finally get to be better than me." Shiro said as the three of them laughed.

"HAH! THAT'S THE TIME YOU BECOME USELESS GARBAGE, SHIRO-KUN! KEEP IT UP! WE'RE GONNA CARRY YOU!" Astel said.

"JUST YOU WAIT, I'LL HAVE SUPREME AIM BY THE TIME WE COLLAB!" Shiro retaliated.

"ZAKKO!"

"ZAKKO!"

"ZAKKOOOOO"

"ZAKKO! SHIRO ZAKKO!"

They ended the stream with an endless banter of "ZAKKO!", which would soon have the chat spamming the same word as well. Shiro told Astel and Izuru he would go out of the call first as he wanted to take in some fresh air. The two told him to take care, and he turned his PC off.

As usual, Shiro went outside and looked at the night sky. At this point, his mind was more at ease, and his trauma has gotten more manageable. Though, just because it was more manageable didn't mean that it was gone completely. Triggering it could still cause great emotions. But the sound of the waves, thinking back to the incident, and the moonlight helped calm his nerves down.

"Hmm...Subaru." Shiro closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

The Subaru he was thinking of switched from his best friend to the fellow Hololiver.

"Shit...I think I've fallen in love with her." Shiro covered his mouth with his right hand and blushed.

At this point, he couldn't list everything why he liked her. She's cute, enthusiastic, passionate, hard-working, kind, and those were a few adjectives he could think of to simplify the reasons for him. He couldn't deny it anymore. His feelings towards Subaru were fervent.

"...When should I confess though? What should I plan for that special day? What can I give her? Man, there's so many thoughts running through my head, I feel like a damn teen who would shit their own pants from even confessing to their own crush."

Obviously, it wasn't his first time confessing to a girl, but it sure felt more pressuring than when he confessed to his last two exes. It may be because he wasn't as much of a loverboy compared to before, but Subaru felt like, by far, the most ideal type of girl he wanted.

But while Shiro was in his thoughts, the two girls who had strong feelings for Shiro were watching from a distance once again.

"...He's alone there." Reine said with Ina beside her.

"Are you gonna go first?" Ina asked.

"Hmm...what about you?"

"I-I feel quite shy…" Ina said as she started to turn red.

"...Oh yeah, I forgot you're an introvert." Reine sweat dropped and giggled nervously.

Reine took the first step and made her way towards Shiro. Ina followed right behind her. They were sure they tip-toed or at least walked gently, but not even about 4 meters from him, Shiro said something.

"So it was you two watching me. I thought it was some students or so, or maybe Shiina and Irys."

"W-W-What?! How did you know?!" Reine said.

"Just." Shiro chuckled.

"Well, I don't know what your intention is, but the moon and the waves of the ocean combined are relaxing. You should try going out for some fresh air sometime. It also helps in calming the nerves down."

"A-Ah...well, if you say so." Reine said as she and Ina went beside Shiro and leaned on the bars.

"A-Ah, I didn't expect the b-bars to be this cold!" Reine said.

"It's nighttime. Of course it'll be cold."

"H-How long have you been out here?" Ina asked.

"Just a couple minutes ago. The bars become warm the more you lay your arm on it."

"W-Well, I think I'm fine just putting my hands on it." Ina giggled nervously.

"Me too." Reine added.

The three stared at the moon as the waves kept crashing towards the pillars of the school. A cold breeze went past their faces, giving them a nice chill down their spine.

"I can see why you like doing this." Reine said.

"I know, right? It's something I used to do a lot in the past."

"Why? Do you just find it relaxing?"

"Yeah...that, and another reason. Let's leave it at that."

Reine and Ina looked at each other, then to Shiro's face, and then back to each other.

The opportunity is now. Although they lied to each other and said that they were watching Shiro out of pure coincidence, it didn't take long for them to realize the other was in love with Shiro. They should've been rivals, but here they are helping each other out to confess to Shiro.

"...Hey, Shiro-" Reine got cut off by Ina.

"S-Shiro, who do-"

Ina cut herself off as well as she realized Reine was also about to speak. Now, there was this awkward air floating in the atmosphere.

"Hmm? Were you two gonna say something?"

"Um...Reine, you go first." Ina said.

"Ah no, you can go first!" Reine said.

"Nah, I'm fine. I can go second."

"Please, don't be shy! You can go first." Reine said.

"What? Is it a question for me?" Shiro asked.

"Y-Yeah...but Ina, you can go first." Reine replied.

"Alright then. Ina, what is it?" Shiro asked.

Ina stood there, looking back and forth between Shiro and Reine as sweat ran down her forehead, and her heart beat fast. This was the moment where they had to make progress, and it took all of Ina's courage to say it to Shiro.

"S-Shiro, I have a question to ask."

"Mhmm, I'm listening. Take your time, I ain't going anywhere."

"U-Um...is there...a girl you like?"

Shiro kept still, not giving away any gestures that would give off a hint. After a few seconds, he replied back,

"Nah, there's none."

"Shiro, we could tell. There's no use lying, 'cause we know you act strange around one girl! Is there any chance you like one of the Hololivers?" Ina asked.

"Well, why would it matter to you in the first place?"

Ina stopped and took the time to step back and come up with a different reason why they would ask this. She thought maybe Shiro knew they had a crush on him, but he wouldn't answer over something like that.

"Because..."

"Shiro, did you know that some Hololivers had a crush on you?" Reine said.

"H-Hey! You didn't have to expose some of them!" Ina remarked.

"Oh, I knew that, Reine. I knew that a long time ago."

"E-Eh?" The two widened their eyes.

"Rushia, Roboco, Mel, maybe Aki, maybe a bit of Matsuri as well, there's also Miko, Noel and Flare are probably in the fray too...and probably a few more others...Do you two happen to have a crush on me too?"

The two instantly got flustered, covered their faces, and looked away from him.

"...W-Well, I'll admit I do. Y-You're just a cool guy, you know? You're very talented too!" Reine said.

"Ina?" Shiro said as he looked to his left.

Ina was still looking away, taking a few glances towards Shiro but not replying at all.

"I'll take that as a yes." Shiro chuckled.

"...Well, even if I did have one and if I did tell you, you would snitch on me." Shiro looked back at the sky.

"Then, let's make a promise!" Reine said.

"Hmm?"

"You tell us who you like, we won't say anything about it to anybody. Not even the girls! It's only between us three!"

"Can I trust you on that? Seems fishy."

"Your trust issues towards women are showing." Reine blankly stared.

"Shiro, I can at least tell you that I'm an honest person. I would keep that promise." Ina said, looking at him.

"And me too. I like to play around, but I know when to be serious. You can even punish us if we ever break it." Reine added.

Shiro's trust issues tell him to keep it a secret from them, but he knew the two weren't bad people. Not to mention, even if he tells them, who in their right mind would go out of their way to tell everybody about who one likes like there's no tomorrow? If they did want to tell everybody, they either would've looked more hesitant or he would've sensed a couple presences hiding in the dark.

"Alright. Well, more or less, it would've been known to all of you in the future, so it doesn't really make a difference. But just know, I plan to confess to that girl soon, so until then, don't leak it."

"Got it!" The two smiled.

"So? Who's your crush?" Ina asked.

"...To be honest, it's not a crush anymore. I think I've fallen in love with her now."

"O-Oh?"

The two sweated, and their hearts were confused whether to feel elated or to feel heavy and sink to the bottom. They knew the probability of Shiro not liking them was high, but they were still hoping for that chance.

"And that girl is?"

"...Subaru. Oozora Subaru. I love her."