This is the day after I gave Rin-chan the ring.

We had completed all the preparations yesterday and had come to Zeronoa.

“Today’s a collab with someone from another place, I heard.”

<Oh?>

<Petite Pastel, right?>

<I saw the !>

<Maybe some new viewers will come?>

<There are already four people in the Kurookami Party, two more?>

“Yeah, two more people, I guess.”

Petite Pastel.

A fancy-sounding name, but it turns out to be a “Livestreamer Agency”. Livestreamers, meaning people who live off their main income from a video posting and live streaming site called “Livestreamers”.

In a way, that’s me now too.

These so-called livestreamers are innumerable in this era, but Petite Pastel’s selling point is “music”.

Or rather, the Livestreamer Agency is just a front, and in reality, they are a four-girl rock band called “Petite Pastel”.

“Singing alone is boring! We want to do everything!”

So declared Akinaishiki, one of the founding members, aiming to engage in a variety of activities beyond just music, under the guise of a Livestreamer Agency.

Besides the main four members, there are a few staff and sub-members, so about ten people are actively working there.

“So, they do variety shows and game streaming, but their main job is a band group, kinda.”

<There are quite a few people like that, actually>

<But Petite Pastel’s songs are “serious”>

<There are actually a lot of creators streaming>

<Not just gamers streaming games>

<The era of every human being a streamer has arrived!>

“……So, two people from Petite Pastel are coming today.”

<Do you know who’s coming?>

<If it’s a collab partner for Rinne, it must be Shikichan or Reirei>

<Reirei-kun’s?>

<Today’s WLO streaming announcement from Petite Pastel side is Reirei, Kuriiimu, and Sato, three people>

<Shikichan is probably overseas on a trip, right?>

“Among them, probably Reirei? I think she’s coming. Rin-chan mentioned something like that. I’m not sure about the other person.”

Rinne had told me that “Kuroi Reirei,” the leader and main vocalist of Petite Pastel, was coming.

The kanji 黎 is read as Rei, so some listeners mistakenly called her “Reiirei”, which then transitioned to “Reirei”.

Reirei has been an avid gamer since she was young, preferring to chase trends rather than immerse in one game. She’s not a pro, but she has enough gaming sense to rank high in most games… according to the unofficial wiki.

“Reirei and Rin-chan seem to have a pretty long personal relationship. Even before Petite Pastel was established, when Reirei was financially stuck in her early solo career, Rin-chan helped her out. This is called patronage, isn’t it?”

In the early days, Reirei led a life of extreme poverty due to certain circumstances.

Somehow, she managed to contact Rin-chan and negotiated with her, creating a song that shook the world… well, maybe not, but it definitely made a splash.

Now, their financial support relationship seems to be over, but because of this history, Reirei seems to find it hard to refuse Rin-chan’s requests.

“It seems one of the reasons she accepted this sudden request is that she feels a sense of obligation. She seems like a very conscientious person.”

<Is that so?>

<Hmm>

<She’s not that virtuous (confident)>

<I get the impression that she’s more swayed by Rinne’s unreasonable demands>

<They seem to be always aggressively teasing each other>

“She seems like a very lively girl…”

Judging by the comments, the impression I got from the website description seems to be of a more spirited girl than I expected. While I was thinking this, Rin-chan arrived at the meeting place with unfamiliar footsteps trailing behind her.

“Sukuna, I brought them with me.”

“Ah, welcome back. Those two are…?”

“Yes. Come on you two, this is Nana.”

Behind Rin-chan, two girls peeked out. I guess they’re better described as women considering their age.

One was a twin-tailed girl with very heavy bags under her eyes, probably around 163 cm tall. She seemed like a natural beauty even as an avatar, probably not much altered from her real face.

This must be “Reirei”. After all, she looked exactly like the promotional photos I saw on the internet.

Her race seems to be an Elf, judging by her long ears. It’s a bit of a simple guess, but her beautiful features suit it well.

Her weapon of choice is a bow. This would be my first interaction with a player who uses a bow as their main weapon other than Suu-chan.

She’s standing with her arms crossed, either for intimidation, out of habit, or perhaps just irritation.

The other girl had really long bangs, almost completely covering her eyes. Unlike the first girl, her avatar seems more crafted.

She has a sturdy physique, probably around 175 cm tall and broader shouldered than Suu-chan, which is quite exceptional for a woman.

Most notably, her race is Oni, with a large shield on her back, indicating a tank role.

In contrast to the confident aura of the other girl, she has a strong sense of being reluctantly dragged into this.

Yet, she’s staring at me quite intently, which is striking.

“Huh, so you’re Sukuna?”

She looks down at me, appraising me with a gaze that’s not unfriendly but seems more than just curious.

“Yeah. You’re Reirei, right?”

“Petite Pastel’s Kuroi Reirei. You can call me whatever you want.”

“Then, I’ll call you Reirei-chan.”

“Huh?”

<lol>

<lol>

<lol>

<lol>

<lol>

<lol>

<Another victim of the ‘chan’!>

<Such momentum>

<Reminds me of the same interaction with A-chan>

<She’s really surprised>

<That’s what you get for saying ‘call me anything'”>

“……….Well, okay. You really don’t care about anything, just as I heard.”

“Heard? From Rin-chan?”

“From her. Come on, you wanted to meet Nana, so don’t hide behind me and come out already.”

“Uh… okay, okay, I’m coming out…”

The girl with a clear sense of hierarchy was almost kicked out to the front. She then wandered her gaze for a while before muttering softly in a slightly bowed posture.

“……Um, Nana-senpai… it’s been a while… Do you remember me?”

“……Hm?”

Her saying “Do you remember me?” means she’s someone I know. I’ve had many colleagues calling me “Nana-senpai” during my part-time job days, so it’s impossible to identify her just by that. But her voice does sound familiar.

Honestly, I don’t remember many of my acquaintances. The reason I remembered Saku-chan is because he was exceptionally friendly and worked with me recently. But as I retraced my memories of those I do remember, one from about three years ago struck a chord.

“Is that… Makura-chan? It’s Makura-chan, right!”

“……Yes. I’m glad you remember me.”

“That just means you left a strong impression. I usually forget people easily.”

Makura-chan. Her full name is Shiraito Makura. Despite the increasing freedom in modern naming conventions, she once shared with me that her unique name was a source of complex. However, my recollection of Makura-chan isn’t solely due to her name. There are three strong impressions she left on me.

But these are deeply tied to her personal life, and I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to bring them up here. If she’s keeping them secret, my questions might inadvertently reveal them. So, I decide to set aside those memories for now.

“Are you with Petite Pastel now?”

“……Yes. I work as Reirei’s housekeeper and as a staff member for the band.”

“Wow, so you don’t sing or play any instruments?”

“……I’m not very skilled.”

“Ahaha, that’s right. But being a housekeeper means your part-time job experience wasn’t wasted, huh?”

<She knows her?>

<There’s a connection there?>

<Makura-chan is smiling…!?>

<Nana as a… senior?>

<We’re out of the loop here>

“Ah, sorry! Um… can you tell your story, Makura-chan? I’m afraid to step on any landmines by mistake. It’s okay to talk about anything related to me.”

“……Ah, okay. Thank you for your consideration.”

Watching Makura-chan’s slightly delayed response and her vague demeanor brought back a sense of nostalgia. I listened as she began to explain.

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