Now That I Have Become a Woman, I Am a Vtuber

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“That’s Kim Soo-hyun!”

My first internet friend, Tenshi, was a petite and cute person with a voice that matched her charm.

“Whoa!”

When I saw her cover her mouth in disbelief, I thought she looked just like she did online.

With a slight smile at her dynamic movements that were added this time compared to our previous calls, I pointed outside the station.

“Shall we head out? Show me around!”

“Uh, umm… okay!”

So I stepped out of the station with a somewhat stiff Tenshi, walking through Japan.

We’d met today to talk about a track, but first, we were going to have a bit of fun.

Tenshi said she had planned the route, so should I be a bit excited?

As we walked, the still-nervous Tenshi asked,

“We’re going to a café, is that alright!?”

“A café sounds great.”

“Then let’s go!”

Saying that, I followed Tenshi, and we arrived at a place that looked a bit different from any café I had known.

The pink heart-shaped sign was one thing, but above it hung a group photo of women in maid outfits.

“Tada! It’s a Maid Café!”

It seemed Tenshi set this surprise up for me, but seeing her so tense made me unsure how to react.

“Whoa, wow!”

As I awkwardly responded, Tenshi, looking a bit glum, led me inside, claiming we had a reservation.

I’m sorry, but I’m not much of a react-to-everything kind of person.

I prefer receiving rather than giving. Is that selfish?

Anyway, the Maid Café was certainly a novel experience.

In life, how often do you see women in maid outfits?

Plus, having cute maids come out to guide us definitely scores some points.

The interior was quite nice and clean too.

Once seated at our reserved spot, a woman in a maid outfit approached us with a menu.

Of course, since my basic Japanese wasn’t great, Tenshi took the lead in placing our order; once that was done and the maid left, it was just me and Tenshi at the table.

Hmm… what should I talk about?

I usually try to be casual, but seeing her nervousness made me tense up too.

“U-umm…”

Just then, Tenshi, who had been rolling her eyes while seated, spoke up first.

“Hey… were you an idol?”

“…Huh?”

She must know I’m a VTuber already, so she wouldn’t be asking that, right? Is she talking about a real idol?

“Don’t be silly. I went to university.”

“Really?”

“Yep, I was studying design but dropped out after auditioning to become a VTuber.”

“Wha-what?”

Did she really think I was a genuine idol? It’s understandable, though.

“You look just like the K-pop idols I’ve seen… actually, even prettier!”

Such an intense gaze is a bit much, but it’s also somewhat familiar.

“I know, right? It’s not just a pretty face, huh?”

I can relate; I was surprised when I first looked in the mirror too.

People meeting me for the first time probably felt something similar overall.

It’s just a difference between showing it or hiding it like Tenshi.

“Right… exactly! Did you see the maids earlier? They were amazed!”

“I did. They couldn’t take their eyes off you!”

It seemed like their professionalism was top-notch, but I knew they were sneaking glances at me.

I have to admit, I wouldn’t blame them either.

“But will you just keep complimenting me? Tenshi, you’re pretty too!”

“Eh? But compared to you…”

On the outside, she seems vibrant, but is her self-esteem really that low?

Or maybe she’s just being humble.

“Looks are endlessly relative. You have to see it subjectively.”

I meant to tell her not to belittle herself in front of me, but I wonder if she got that?

Sometimes she speaks Korean so well that it feels like she’ll understand everything, but still, unfamiliar phrases might not be easy for her…

“Oh, uh—thank you!”

But judging by her expression, she seemed to understand, so I felt relieved.

With the atmosphere getting lighter, we continued chatting.

“Are there really that many Koreans?”

Now that I’m in Japan, I shared my impressions from wandering around yesterday, and Tenshi was slightly surprised when I mentioned the number of Koreans.

“Yeah, since it’s a tourist spot, I saw one every three steps.”

“Really? I haven’t been there much, but it definitely seems like Koreans visit Japan often!”

That’s true… Japan feels like a low-difficulty overseas trip since there’s no visa and the distance is short.

Besides, if you’ve watched some anime, it would feel even more familiar.

I bet there are way more Koreans visiting Japan than Japanese visiting Korea.

“So I’m really looking forward to today! It’s a local route introduced by you, right?”

“Ah! Don’t put pressure on me! I just threw something together as a joke!”

“Oh really? But that’s still good!”

As I said that, I noticed a maid heading our way, carrying a tray with drinks.

When would I get to see something like this again? If I had come here back when I was a lively boy, I would have been much more enthusiastic.

Or maybe I would have been too shy to show it.

In any case, the drink that eventually arrived looked, well, cute.

There was a ton of pink cream piled on top of a strawberry drink, making it look incredibly sweet.

Next was the authentic omurice I had ordered…

“Oishikuna-re~”

As the maid poured ketchup while saying that, I recalled a scene from an anime in Kim Soo-hyun’s memory.

…Am I supposed to do that too?

No way, with all these people around, did everyone do that?

But…

“Oishikuna-re~ Onegai-shi!”

Tenshi immediately followed suit without hesitating.

It was cute, sure.

But if Tenshi did it first, wouldn’t it be my turn next?

The maid preparing to pour ketchup on my omurice locked eyes with me.

…She’s really asking for it, huh? Can Tenshi do it for me instead?

While I hesitated, Tenshi, unable to take it anymore, jumped in.

“Come on, Soo-hyun! Say, Oishikuna-re~ Onegai-shi!”

“Uh, well…”

Tenshi, I get that you’re excited, but can’t you notice the people around us?

I already stand out with my cool beauty looks—do I have to do this?

I started to feel an expectation in the gazes around us.

Is she really going to do that? Her? I could feel the weight of their stares while squeezing my eyes shut.

Thinking back, did this girl, Tenshi, bring me here knowing all this?

Even with my eyes closed, the gazes settled on my shoulders didn’t go away.

In the end, to avoid making the atmosphere awkward, I had to act.

Alright, even as a supporting actor with filming schedules, how could I shy away from something like this?

So I steeled myself, slapped on a thick face, and…

“—!”

In the end, I just blurted it out.

Sigh, shame is just another part of my life.

***

“Soo-hyun! That was super cute!”

Right after we left the Maid Café, an excited Tenshi hopped around, telling me her thoughts.

Well… as long as she enjoyed it, that’s all that matters.

Even after that strange “make it delicious” chant, my ordeal continued.

I don’t know if it was because it was so fascinating to see me act like that or if they wanted to see more, but the maids kept coming up with various requests for us to do together, and having done it once, I went along with everything.

“Look at this!”

Eventually, an overly excited Tenshi began taking pictures and videos for keepsakes and showed them to me.

“…You shouldn’t show that to others.”

“I’ll keep it to myself!”

Well, I guess there’s no one who’d leak it, and looking back, it isn’t such a terrible memory.

…Probably.

“So where are we headed now?”

“Um… to the karaoke room!”

Karaoke? Sounds good. It’s been a while since I went.

“Sounds fun.”

And I was a bit excited to see what Japan’s karaoke rooms would be like. Would it be really different?

“This way!”

We quickly arrived at the karaoke room, just like the route was organized, and it didn’t look too different from Korean karaoke rooms overall. The only remarkable thing was that the karaoke machine displayed in Korean too.

It was great for searching for Korean songs.

And so in the karaoke room, I confidently showcased my skills.

When I sang with the vocals that Kim Soo-hyun developed, refined by my vocal teacher, and finalized by Kang Woo-hyeon, Tenshi sitting in front of me looked amazed.

“How are you singing so well??”

“It’s all thanks to my efforts.”

“Wow—so cool!”

Tenshi sang too, choosing cute songs that matched her voice.

To be honest, it was more enjoyable than the Maid Café, as my ears were treated to a delightful sound.

After spending quite a while in the karaoke room, we emerged.

But was the soundproofing in the karaoke room so good that I didn’t notice it before?

Whhshhhh—

Unlike the clear skies earlier, it was now pouring rain outside, and I only realized that once we left the room.

“Eh? What?!”

Seeing Tenshi’s reaction, it didn’t seem like the rain was in the plan.

Is it really a sudden downpour? It’s coming down hard.

Looking around, I spotted a few people, just like us, looking flustered under the buildings.

Hmm… what do we do?

“Uh, umm…”

Glancing to my side, I noticed Tenshi looking dejected.

Really, after all the planning, a weather surprise could turn things around like this.

We can’t just stand here all day, and I need an umbrella…

As I looked around, I spotted a convenience store diagonally across the street.

Convenience stores in Japan sell umbrellas, right?

“Tenshi, do the convenience stores sell umbrellas?”

“Umbrellas? They do sell them, yes…”

“Then wait a moment.”

It was raining a lot, but the distance wasn’t too far, and if I ran, it might be possible.

“Huh? You want to run there? You’ll get soaked!”

“It’s fine.”

Even if I got a little wet, I could dry off with a towel or tissue later.

Plus, wouldn’t it be cool to make a quick run for my slightly gloomy Japanese friend?

With that thought settled, I charged right out.

“Soo-hyun?!”

Ignoring Tenshi’s startled voice behind me, I dashed like it was a sports day during school.

Thud!

I tripped over my own feet and fell flat.

“Soo-hyun??”

…Shit.