Let me rewind time a little and start with what happened right after the escape room game.
"Laura-chan, from now on, please become my maid!"
That day, Anna said so.
'Anna sure thought this through.'
I had to admire her for coming up with such a punishment.
It was clever, to say the least.
It was a penalty that provided decent entertainment for the viewers while also giving me just the right amount of humiliation. Yet, it wasn’t something that crossed the line.
Come to think of it, Anna was the VTuber who had observed me the longest (aside from Rion).
Because of that, Anna had a surprisingly deep understanding of me.
That must have been why she was able to come up with such a penalty.
‘If Anna wants to play it that way…’
I didn’t plan to respond passively either.
Anna's weak point was fear. Throwing In Last at Anna, the cowardly scaredy-cat, would surely make her cry rivers.
And there was one more weak point.
Anna's ultimate favorite: Hanabane Rui.
"Anna, why don't you have a one-on-one blind date with Rui?"
"Wh-what?!"
Anna jumped in surprise at my suggestion.
"A b-b-blind date...? I mean, that can't really be considered a penalty, can it?! You know how much I like Rui, Laura-chan!"
"Anna, have you ever had a proper conversation with Rui?"
I asked.
Although Anna and Rui were in different teams, thinking back, Anna had several opportunities to communicate with Rui.
Take the escape room game, for example.
Before the broadcast began, there was some free time for the VTubers to chat.
At that time, Rui was casually talking with 'Asahina Hikari,' a first-tier VTuber from Team Behemoth. I, too, was having a light conversation with Sora.
Even then, Anna chose to join me and Sora instead of greeting Rui.
Not just that.
During the escape room game, Anna started in the same location as Rui.
But instead of sticking with Rui, Anna messed up so badly that she ended up becoming a younger sister character.
"You’re really in no position to criticize Sora."
Despite grumbling about how Sora and Rui had become slightly closer, when Anna had Rui right in front of her, she would turn into a shy, bumbling mess.
"Honestly, it’s quite pathetic."
"Please don’t point out the facts… It hurts…"
"That’s why I’m giving you a special opportunity. Go on a blind date with Rui. A three-hour course should do."
"Three hours?! I won’t survive for that long…!"
Anna was horrified.
After all, Anna was an introvert too.
Compared to Inagika, who stuttered even more, Anna might seem slightly better at communication, but Anna had issues with socializing as well.
Anna wasn’t particularly interested in expanding her relationships.
In other words, she was fundamentally passive—someone who wouldn’t approach others proactively.
She was destined to stammer and stumble, much like an awkward engineering student who had never dealt with women.
"But what can you do? You initiated this, didn’t you?"
Well, who told her to make me her maid in the first place?
***
For an entire week, I acted as Anna's maid.
Since I had fulfilled my promise, it was time for Anna to pay her dues.
"So you want me to host the blind date broadcast?"
For Anna's penalty to proceed smoothly, Rui's cooperation was essential.
"Don’t you want to do it?"
"It’s not that I don’t want to… So, what are you going to do, Laura?"
"I’ll be watching."
I replied.
Here was my plan.
The blind date broadcast wouldn’t be held on my channel. It would either be on Rui's channel or Anna's channel.
That said, I didn’t intend to completely ignore the broadcast on my own channel. Since it was a penalty I had proposed, I had the responsibility to observe.
So, I planned to do a “simultaneous viewing” broadcast as an observer.
In other words, I wouldn’t intervene directly in Anna and Rui's blind date. I intended to strictly spectate.
"You’re just going to watch? And leave all the broadcasting to me?"
"Exactly."
"You really are a master at delegating work to your seniors… Well, I don’t mind."
Rui shrugged her shoulders.
"I’ve been wanting to talk to Anna properly. What was it she said? ‘I respect you, so please die’? That was quite memorable."
"Now that you mention it, that did happen."
Looking back, it was fascinating.
Anna had entered the Fantasy League to meet Rui. That’s why I ended up teaching Anna how to play Labyrinthos.
Later, the opportunity arose for Anna and me to participate in Rui’s viewer participation stream together.
After that, Rion suggested I become a VTuber, and Anna gave me the conviction to go for it.
‘So, does that mean I became a VTuber thanks to Rui?’
If Hanabane Rui hadn’t existed, I wouldn’t have met Anna in the first place.
In a way, Hanabane Rui could be considered the “trigger” that started it all for me.
Life sure is unpredictable.
Just five months ago, I never imagined I would end up on the same team as Hanabane Rui.
"Then I’ll take care of everything needed for the blind date broadcast."
And just like that, Rui readily agreed to my request.
From that day, Rui and I began preparing for the blind date broadcast.
We looked into presets for the My Room feature to use for the broadcast.
We exchanged various ideas with each other.
In the end, Rui took care of everything, saying, "This should be enough. Leave the rest to me."
The date for the blind date broadcast was finalized.
Before I knew it, the new year had arrived.
It was January 2025.
For instance, there’s an unwritten rule for VTubers to stream on Christmas Eve night.
If they don’t, people might suspect they’re spending a steamy evening with their boyfriends.
Of course, I streamed on both December 24th and 25th. Besides, my viewers didn’t seem to think I had a boyfriend to begin with.
‘They said I might date girls but never guys.’ I wasn’t sure if that was a compliment or an insult.
Compared to that, many VTubers took a break in early January.
In Korea, Lunar New Year falls around mid-January or February, but in Japan, they celebrate New Year’s with a holiday at the end of December.
Many VTubers took this time to return to their hometowns.
Unlike Christmas, taking a break during this period didn’t raise suspicions about having a boyfriend.
So, it was a difficult time for tournament practice or promotional streams like Dungeon Seeker. Even Mero said she was visiting her hometown.
Since it had come to this, maybe I should play Aseosal instead.
It might be fun to play Aseosal with Rion and Ainatsu.
That was when I got an unexpected visitor at home.
"…Please save me."
At 9 a.m., Anna was kneeling at my door.
"What’s going on so early in the morning?"
"Please save me, Lady Laura…"
She prostrated herself on the floor, her forehead pressed firmly against it.
"You can even step on my head if you want."
"Hasn't this happened before?"
When the Minecraft EYEAI server was destroyed, Anna had visited me like this once. That was about four months ago.
Back then, I gave her a horror game penalty, and she came to my house to kneel and beg for mercy. It seemed Anna hadn't grown at all since then.
"So, what brings you here this time? I don’t recall giving you a horror game penalty."
"Please help me with the blind date…"
Anna’s trembling voice carried her plea.
"What even is a blind date supposed to be?! What do you expect me to do?!"
"A blind date refers to a one-on-one meeting between a man and a woman."
"I wasn’t asking for the definition! And the 'man and woman' part is already wrong! I’m a woman!"
"I’m fully aware. After spending a week together, how could I not know?"
"But Rui is a woman too! What even is a blind date between two women?!"
Anna clutched her head, looking utterly distraught.
Every time I saw her, she seemed to regress further into childishness.
"Isn’t it easier since it’s between women? Since you’re the same gender, it should be more comfortable to have a conversation."
"I’d rather have a blind date with a man! A one-on-one conversation with my ultimate favorite…? I can’t handle it! I’ll die!"
"People don’t die so easily, you know."
"Ugh! You don’t make any sense…!"
Anna, exasperated, began pounding the floor in frustration. Not that it would accomplish anything except hurting her hands.
Her childish thought process wasn’t hard to read.
She desperately wanted to make a good impression on Rui, but it was obvious that Anna wouldn’t even be able to meet Rui’s gaze properly.
She was probably thinking that if she went on like this, she’d only leave a bad impression on Rui.
"P-please let me practice at least…"
Anna said, her voice almost breaking.
"Practice?"
"Preliminary practice… If I go live without practicing, I won’t even be able to speak properly! Is that what you want?"
"That sounds entertaining in its own way."
"A boring stream—what’s entertaining about that?! The viewers will definitely find it frustrating!"
Anna insisted adamantly.
It wasn’t a completely off-the-mark observation.
But unfortunately for her...
"I don’t think practice will make much of a difference."
"…What?"
"Fine. We’ll do as you suggest. Try it out, and you’ll see for yourself."
I said.
***
Anna suddenly recalled a memory from the past. It was the second time she had met Laura in real life.
They had met alone at a café.
Thinking about those days brought a wave of nostalgia. Back then, she never imagined that Laura would become her junior.
It had only been about half a year since then.
Half a year felt both short and long.
One thing, however, remained vividly clear. That day, Anna had felt like she was enchanted by a snow maiden.
Just like that day, Laura was sitting on a chair, reading a book.
No, not exactly the same.
She was wearing glasses.
Fashion glasses without any prescription.
They were merely accessories, yet they significantly changed her appearance.
Usually, Laura gave off the impression of a rose.
Beautiful, but sharp—someone who seemed dangerous to touch.
But now, Laura resembled a lily.
A pure, serene lily.
Unconsciously, Anna quickened her pace and sat down in the seat opposite her.
"H-hello…"
Her voice trembled despite her efforts.
If there was anyone who wouldn’t tremble before such a beauty, Anna would like to meet them.
"I’m Shiroki Anna. It’s nice to meet you."
"Oh my, does a commoner dare to speak to a noble so casually?"
"…What?"
Thud!
Laura shut her book with a deliberate, loud snap.
Then, she placed it on the table with a bit of force, crossed her arms, and elegantly crossed her legs.
"I am Aurora, the eldest daughter of the Ducal Family. Isn’t the gap in our status too wide for me to converse with a commoner like you?"
"Kneel and bow your head. And feel honored. It’s not every day you get to behold a duke’s daughter this closely."
With a laugh befitting a villainous noblewoman, Laura spoke with grandeur.
Duchess Aurora.
Too noble, so much so that she, too, had never been on a blind date…!