The Most Broken Person
Sakura felt that a great war had begun.
But war is war, and broadcasting is broadcasting. She had to keep working hard today as well.
However, she couldn’t help that her hand gripping the mouse was trembling with excitement.
Click.
Click.
[Death]
“Ah. I died again.”
Sakura quietly set down the mouse.
The red [GAME OVER] message on the monitor stabbed at her eyes.
A familiar screen. A familiar sound. A familiar defeat.
It seems like she’s losing more than usual today.
Chat messages started flooding over the game screen.
- Today, you’re really being a ponkotsu lol
- Miyu-chan, did something happen?
- If anything’s wrong, you can always tell us
Sakura absentmindedly skimmed through the chat.
As always, the listeners were worried about her.
As always, they kindly told her that she could share her worries anytime.
Normally, she would find their reaction familiar and expected.
But now—
Sakura paused and looked down at the corpse of her in-game character.
Today’s stream had 12,000 viewers.
A little less than usual, but still an overwhelming number.
It meant that so many people still loved her.
But.
She didn’t feel particularly happy.
This is just a hobby.
This is just a job.
This is just something created by ‘Hanamori Miyu.’
It’s not love.
Sakura quietly adjusted her headset.
Her face reflected on the monitor.
On the broadcast screen, the cute VTuber model she had set up appeared.
A smiling face.
Bright as always, lovely as always.
But that was just ‘Hanamori Miyu.’
It wasn’t her.
She didn’t smile when the camera was off.
She didn’t speak when the stream ended.
Without someone to love, she didn’t even know the meaning of living.
The only person she had ever loved.
The only person who had given her a reason to live.
That person was gone now.
But now, the materials had arrived in Japan.
Sakura lifted her hand from the monitor and slowly opened her mouth toward the microphone.
“Ah. Listeners.”
She had to smile.
That was her role.
She had to put strength into her voice and slowly smile.
That way, they wouldn’t leave.
That way, she wouldn’t lose anyone.
She took a quiet breath.
“Hearing that makes Miyu really happy…”
She smiled.
Cute, bright, and lovable.
But.
At that moment.
Plop.
A single drop of water fell onto the back of her hand.
Sakura froze for a moment.
What was this?
She stared at her hand in confusion.
Transparent drops forming one by one.
Tears were falling.
Ah. So it’s come to this.
“Mm.”
She quietly closed her eyes.
“What… happened?”
- Huh?
- Something’s weird today lol
- Hey, is this RP okay?
But the stream continued as usual.
Tears weren’t captured by motion capture.
12,000 viewers were watching.
But the one she truly wanted wasn’t there.
Within the ‘beloved existence’ she had created as Hanamori Miyu.
Within the ‘perfect relationships’ she had built.
Within the ‘happy appearance’ she had fabricated.
“But saying that directly would go against the Hanalive regulations.”
- Huhhh?
- This is some serious fire lolololol
- Well, maybe it’s okay at this level…
“So, that person… hmm. How should I put it? There’s a ‘runaway ninja’ in Hanalive, right?”
The chat exploded in an instant.
Stopping, then flowing, stopping, then flowing.
Countless viewers were buzzing in shock.
Murmuring amongst themselves.
“This is related to that person, you see?”
Ah. She did it. She really did it.
Sakura wanted to tell her ‘mama’ who was trying to strategize.
The foundation of war is propaganda.
[Overseas VTuber Gallery]
[General] [Compilation of Hanamori Miyu’s Bombshell Statements Today lol] [413]
“The ‘runaway ninja’ didn’t graduate due to health issues.
She had a serious fight with someone from the same generation, which mentally broke her.
I tried to stop it as much as I could, but in the end, I couldn’t prevent this from happening.”
[Comments]
[Is Miyu crazy today?]
- She’s 100% getting disciplined for this lololol
- Guess she thought it was something that needed to be revealed
- Who is ‘R.O’?
[Is it S.M.R?] - Just say Sumire, dumbass. You think a Japanese person is going to sue us?
- Sumire was always that cold bitch lol
[No wonder. There’s no way our Nanoka would just leave like that.] - Damn, she’s really spilling it now. Miyu, you did good lololol
- So all those fights with Sumire weren’t just an act, huh?
“Whoo…”
Sakura chuckled to herself.
This is getting interesting.
Is this just the beginning…?
“Unnie…?”
“Unnie, did you see something?”
“Mama, are you okay?”
Suhyun took a deep breath.
And then— Pfft, she let out a laugh, as if she found it ridiculous.
“Pffft. Ahh.”
Her voice was low and soft, like a sigh escaping.
Like a quiet chuckle mocking someone.
Then, staring at the monitor, she added one more thing.
“So, this bitch wants to play it this way?”
The hands typing on the keyboard stopped.
A heavy silence filled the room.
Arin and Ahyun simultaneously turned to look at Suhyun.
“…Unnie?”
“What are you thinking?”
Both of them looked visibly uneasy.
Understandably so.
Because right now, Suhyun’s face looked incredibly calm.
So calm that it was actually terrifying.
As if she had already calculated everything.
As if she had predicted this outcome from the very beginning.
Arin swallowed hard.
“Unni… You’re not planning something strange, are you?”
Suhyun slowly turned her head toward her after hearing those words.
And with a small smile.
“I just came up with a really good idea.”
At that short sentence, Arin and Ahyun’s faces hardened simultaneously.
Something feels dangerous.
They had realized that once this woman made up her mind, she was truly out of her senses.
“No, no! Unni, reacting now is the worst choice!”
“That’s right. Reacting immediately is way too… way too risky.”
The two spoke almost at the same time, trying to stop Suhyun.
However, Suhyun remained completely unfazed.
She simply looked back at the screen with calm eyes.
And then, she let out a quiet chuckle once again.
“Yeah.”
Her voice was surprisingly calm.
“But this is going to be really fun.”
“Then, should I just stay still?”
Suhyun slowly leaned back against the chair.
In the dimly lit room, the blue light from the monitor illuminated her face.
She rested her chin on one hand while slowly moving the trackpad with the other.
She scrolled down once more.
‘Nanoka, so pitiful.’
‘Was Nanoka really bullied?’
‘Sumire… I’ve never heard anyone say she has a good personality.’
Suhyun let out another laugh, this time in disbelief.
But unlike before, her laughter was quieter and colder.
She also remembered Sumire.
Someone who always tried to act cool but was more fragile than anyone else.
Nanoka’s friend.
After Nanoka graduated, she declared an indefinite hiatus.
“People are so easily swayed.”
“Without any proof. Just from a single comment. They accept everything as it is.”
Really, should she call it fascinating?
Or was this just as expected?
Suhyun looked at the screen again.
Then, she clicked on the recording of Sakura’s broadcast.
The video already had hundreds of thousands of views.
On the screen, Sakura was still smiling sweetly.
“This is about that person, you see?”
She said.
Suhyun quietly watched her.
She stared for a long time before slowly exhaling.
“…Yeah.”
Then, she muttered quietly.
“Since it’s come to this, let’s go all out.”
She looked as if she was holding a chess piece for the first time in a long while.
Her eyes sparkled.
This wasn’t just anger.
This wasn’t just revenge.
Suhyun knew exactly what she was doing.
Sakura had set up the board first.
Now, it was her turn to respond.
How could she make this the most fun?
How could she make this the most effective?
Suhyun slowly picked up her phone.
And she found something.
With this, Sakura would have no choice but to listen to her.
Once it’s out in the open, it’s over. Completely over.
Tomorrow, Sakura could return to Japan happily.
Suhyun quietly looked down at her phone.
On the monitor, Sakura’s broadcast recording was still playing.
She smirked slightly.
“Yeah.”
A small murmur.
Her fingers slowly moved across the screen.
Twitter.
No, now it’s called X.
And along with the memories she recalled from Sayo.
The password to the account that once belonged to ‘Higurashi Nanoka.’
A weapon with a brilliant name—now in Suhyun’s hands.
Nanoka had long since graduated, but the account remained.
Hanalive hadn’t deleted it, saying they might feature her in an event someday.
Which meant…
She could do this.
Suppressing a laugh, Suhyun slowly started typing.
[Higurashi Nanoka @Nanoka_Hanalive]
It was all because of Miyu.
Her fingers paused, and she stared at the screen for a moment.
Sakura’s broadcast flashed through her mind, the chat exploding.
The phrase ‘runaway ninja.’
A subtly intentional reference.
People get swept up so easily.
And they are so easily manipulated.
So, let’s attack them directly.
Maybe Hanalive had a contract with her.
But…
Who cares?
Right now, I have more money than I know what to do with.
Hanalive will react for sure.
If they ask me to delete it, I will.
But Suhyun knew the loopholes of capitalism better than anyone.
“If the company maintains her account for the possibility of future projects, keeping it active despite her hiatus…”
Would they choose to save Nanoka, the greatest VTuber in Hanalive history with over 2 million subscribers?
Or would they protect Miyu, who was just now starting to rise?
The stress and dopamine rush from this—
Suhyun knew exactly which one would be greater.
“Sakura, let me show you why you shouldn’t rise to fame through propaganda.”
She murmured to herself.
“A message from a dead person… is far more interesting than one from the living.”
Suhyun raised her finger.
And in a single moment, she made her decision.
[Tweet posted]
Click.
“Nice. That was instant.”
But Suhyun knew better than anyone that this brief moment was about to create a storm.
“Unni… We…”
“Oh, right…”
Ahyun and Arin were trembling beside her, staring in fear.
Sayo was already in tears, frantically handling a flood of calls from Hanalive.
“What are you going to do? We came to Japan to film a vlog, and now we’re caught in this mess…”
“I’ll wrap it up quickly. We can go back to the vlog. I’ll finish this by tomorrow.”
“Well, if you say so…”
“Trust me.”
Ahyun and Arin hesitantly nodded.
Seeing them like that, I patted their heads proudly.
Now then.
Let the chaos begin.