CH 44

“So, what on earth are you after?”

After returning home, Yō immediately called Nagisa.

He was a little annoyed that Nagisa had created a new problem for him.

“Nyahaha~, don’t be so angry now nya~.”

However, the voice coming from Nagisa was very carefree, which made Yō more angry.

“I’m just plain pissed off. I told you before, don’t mess around with me.”

He wasn’t referring to the incident with Haruki.

It was before that, when Nagisa and Yō had just met.

At that time, Nagisa and Yō had once clashed with each other.

And at that time, they made an agreement with each other, and Yō is referring to that.

“No, that was supposed to be about not messing with Kasumi-chan, right? You can’t just change it to suit your needs, can you?”

However, Nagisa did not promise not to mess with Yō and the people around him.

So, he argued that this was not a violation of their mutual agreement.

In response, Yō reconsidered that it might have been true.

At that time, the only person around him was Kasumi, and she was the only person he cared about.

Thus, it was certainly right that he had made that promise only for Kasumi.

“It may have been true, but that doesn’t mean that you’re trying to drag Akimi into our industry, does it?”

“Isn’t that a bit harsh to say? I thought of her while talking about it, and she gave me an answer that she had been struggling with herself. You don’t have the right to complain about that, do you?”

The fact that Nagisa’s tone was more serious than usual told Yō that Nagisa wasn’t joking around when he asked Marin out.

However, Yō thinks that he should have spoken seriously from the beginning, but with the serious Nagisa as his opponent, he was easily talked down or out of it.

So he stopped worrying about the joke and opened his mouth with a stern look.

“I’m sure you understand how much risk a video streamer that shows their face takes, right? Akimi has that look, you don’t know how many dangerous people she might attract, do you?”

That’s the part Yō is particularly worried about.

In a world where celebrities can even be in danger, when someone like Marin, who has very little in the way of self-preservation, is spotted, even the worst case scenario is possible.

That’s why he doesn’t think well of Marin’s decision to do video streaming.

And not only that, there is no way that the smart Marin doesn’t understand the risk, but if Nagisa, who shows his face to the public, is giving her some advice, Marin will believe that it’s okay.

Yō was wondering if Nagisa was telling her something to make her forget about the risks.

“Of course, I’ll help with her security now that I’ve invited her. And besides, you’ll be around, right? That will give you peace of mind.”

“I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but she and I live miles from each other. There’s no way I could get there in time if she called me for help.”

“Yeah, I thought about that too.”

“What about it?”

“Well, look forward to it later.”

When Yō asked, Nagisa simply just deceived him.

Yō thought that this was inconvenient for Nagisa, so he decided to continue the conversation without making any comments about it.

“Alright, since you say so, are you sure Akimi’s safety will be ensured?”

“You’re still as overprotective as ever when it comes to your favorites. You can trust me, of course.”

“―So, what’s the advantage of you going to such lengths to get Akimi into this? You even went to the trouble of telling her about me.”

With one of his concerns about Marin gone, Yō brought up the same topic again.

This time, he mentioned the fact that he sold himself to try to bring Marin in as well.

If Nagisa doesn’t talk here, Yō will try to ditch out in this situation.

If Marin still wants to do it, he will support her behind her back.

“Nothing in particular, I just want to support Marin-chan.”

“So, you’re going to cover it up?”

After hearing Nagisa’s answer, Yō decided that Nagisa was not going to answer seriously.

But Nagisa quickly spoke up in response.

“No, this is just my honest opinion. Maybe it’s because I’m always dealing with dirty people that I have a weakness for girls like Marin. That’s why I feel the need to support her.”

It’s hard for Yō to judge whether this is a genuine intention or not, as he has basically only had business dealings with Nagisa.

So he decided not to make a judgment here, but to ask further.

“Even if it’s true that you’re cheering her on, you didn’t have to suggest her to do video streaming, did you? She can study as well as Kasumi. What are you doing taking away the time of a student who can get into a top university on her own?”

(If Marin were to lose her grades because of this, we would be in big trouble.)

That’s what Yō meant when he said that, but Nagisa’s voice sounded as if he was laughing when he was asked that question.

“Are you really telling me that?”

Yō is also taking Marin around on his days off, so is he saying that, or does he have some other meaning in mind?

Only Nagisa could know that.

“I’m not going to take her if she’s going to lose her grades. So I don’t think it will be that much of a burden for me. But once you start doing video streaming activities, you can’t stop even if you know it will take up a lot of your time, right?”

This is a common understanding among content creators, and Nagisa agrees with Yō’s words.

But after that, he immediately raised some other words.

“She said she wanted to do her best so that she wouldn’t regret it, so I just showed her the way as a shortcut to achieving that goal.”

“What exactly is it that Akimi wants to do her best for?”

After listening to Nagisa’s words, Yō felt that he and Nagisa were not on the same page, so he asked Nagisa what was bothering her in order to correct the course.

However―

“I don’t think it’s right for me, a stranger, to tell you that. So, if you want to know, ask her.”

Nagisa is not going to tell Yō about it.

The fact that she told Nagisa about it and not towards him, Yō felt a little bit sorry for Marin, but Marin seemed to regard Nagisa as quite special, so he decided that was it.

So he decided to end the conversation here.

And he’ll make one move for Marin’s sake.

“If Akimi doesn’t regret it, I won’t say anything else. It’s her life, after all.”

“Does that mean you will help Marin with the filming and editing if she wants?”

“Yeah, sure. But in return, you have to participate in the filming.”

“Eh?”

“Of course, you’re the one who started it. Did you think I’d let you stir things up and then sit on the sidelines?”

“N-no, that’s a little… I’m pretty sure… that’s not what Marin-chan would want too, you know…?”

“What are you so upset about? Didn’t you expect me to say this?”

Nagisa is very intelligent for a person who acts like a cat from time to time, and is the type of person who talks while assuming all kinds of cases.

Yō thought that there was no way that Nagisa could not have imagined this development.

“You’re the one who decided to go through with this without bringing up Kasumi-chan, and now you want me to join… isn’t that mean of you?”

“Well, that’s the only way I can get you involved, right?”

“You’re a demon… Moreover, I didn’t think you’d choose the path of the shura…” [TLN: I’m not exactly sure of this, but it seems to mean in this sense that this path is like sacrificing others just to achieve their own goals, the link will take you to some fandom shizz I’m not sure if it’s correct either kek. But “Shura” alone means a fighting scene or a carnage.]

“It’s because of you, idiot, that I’m going down that road anyway. If that’s the case, then it’s inevitable that I’ll choose a path that reduces my burden as much as possible and still satisfies both Akimi and Kasumi.”

“And for that, I was sacrificed…”

“You deserve it.”

That’s all Yō said, and then snapped the call off before Nagisa could even begin again to complain.

He looked up to the heavens and told them that he should come dressed in a way that would not be recognized as the video streamer Nagisa on the chat application.

(Although I said that, if I make one mistake, I’ll be in big trouble…)

This is the path that Yō has chosen.

It was the answer he came up with on how to persuade Kasumi if he chose to go along with her after hearing from Marin.

By involving Nagisa in the process, he reduced the burden on himself a little.

But if you ask him if this was the best way to go about it, it was a questionable answer.

If he made a mistake, two bombs could explode at the same time.

It was inevitable that he would have doubts about this, since he had created it himself.

―As he was thinking about this, he heard his mother calling him from downstairs.

So when he went downstairs―.

“Why are you here…?”

The appearance of an unexpected person made his head hurt even more.