...
Kaede: "Are you sure you don't want me to help with anything?" she asked, pouting.
Tadano: "Come on, I think I have enough support with Ichigo's contacts and Kaguya's backing. Besides, you said yourself that your grandmother is watching your every move. I don't think she'd look kindly on you abusing your power just to help me. I'd feel bad if this small thing ruined all the effort you've been putting into your training to become a worthy heir…" the young man said while stroking the head of the sulking little turtle.
Kaede: "But…" she said, still wanting to defend her case.
Tadano: "Be obedient… don't think I didn't notice that you're also helping through Agari…" he said with a playful smile.
Kaede: "I-I don't know what you're talking about…" she said, averting her gaze.
Tadano: "I really appreciate your care, Kaede… I really do…" he said, taking the girl's hands in his.
Kaede blushed at the firm expression on the young man's face.
Kaede: "Fine… It will be as you say. But whenever you need my help, just ask! I'll support you with everything I have, okay?" she said, full of energy, her emerald eyes shining with determination.
Tadano couldn't resist how cute she looked and gave her a quick peck on the lips, moving away before she could react. He affectionately ruffled her hair and said as he walked away.
Tadano: "Alright… Whenever I need your 'help,' I'll call you. Just don't regret it later…" he said in a flirtatious tone, emphasizing the word 'help.'
Kaede, quickly catching on to the double meaning in his words, couldn't help but blush.
Kaede: "Moo～ you bully!" she said, a bit embarrassed.
...
Nene: "You really need to be stricter with that girl, Hito-kun," the girl said with some annoyance as she organized a stack of papers.
Tadano: "Even I struggle to deal with her, you know…" the young man said, feeling a bit helpless, as he picked up another document from the stack in front of him.
He sighed.
Nene let out a helpless sigh, understanding what he meant.
Nene: "Why all the paperwork, by the way?" she asked, a bit confused.
Tadano: "The Cultural Festival is approaching, and the paperwork for the Student Council members becomes a bit heavy…" he said, sounding a bit tired.
Nene: "And your little follower isn't with you?" she asked, curious.
Tadano: "Yamai wasn't feeling well during the second break, so she left early. I messaged her, and she said she's feeling better but won't return since she's now well enough to join Ai at her concert later this afternoon," the young man said as he moved his pen.
Nene: "Oh! I hope she's alright. By the way, are you okay with not going to Ai-chan's concert?" she asked as she placed a finished stack of papers on another desk.
Tadano: "Unfortunately, I can't. I have to attend to some company matters in the afternoon."
Nene: "Do you want my help?"
Tadano thought for a moment.
Tadano: "Don't you have to take care of your siblings?" he asked, looking at her.
Nene: "My parents have the day off today… Plus, I want to spend some time together. It doesn't matter if I just watch you work… That's enough," she said with a smile.
Tadano: "…"
The young man put down the pen and stood up.
Nene: "What?! Did I say something wrong?" she asked, surprised.
The young man didn't speak. Once he was in front of Nene, he took her into his arms.
Tadano: "Forgive me… It seems like I've been neglecting you," he said sadly.
Nene: "Eh? No! You don't have to apologize. Actually, why are you apologizing?" she said, feeling a bit nervous.
Tadano: "Nene… I'm sorry," he said firmly.
Nene: "…"
Nene: "If you know that, then don't apologize… Idiot," the girl said with a trembling voice as she hugged the young man tightly.
Although Tadano spent equal time with the girls, he was still human, and things could shift.
Lately, Tadano had been giving more time to other girls, leaving this older sister feeling somewhat neglected.
What lovestruck girl doesn't long to spend as much time as possible with her beloved?
However, Nene didn't show it and maintained her usual expression.
One could argue that Kaede was in a similar situation.
The difference was that Kaede spent most of her time in training, and the few free moments she had were shared with either Nene or Tadano. So, in a way, she didn't feel this loneliness as much.
But for Nene, things weren't the same.
Though she was often busy taking care of her siblings, she still had a bit of free time she wished she could spend with Tadano.
Unknown to Tadano, Nene regretted not being as efficient as Yamai in handling administrative matters.
She even felt a little envious of Agari and Nakanaka for being able to work alongside him.
Something she couldn't do because of her lack of time.
These sad feelings slowly accumulated in the girl's heart.
Yet, Nene, true to her role as the "older sister," refused to burden others with her problems.
So, she kept all this to herself and focused on helping everyone else as much as she could.
This was reflected in her assistance to Shouko, doing practice conversations to help her adapt to interacting with others. It also showed in her teaching of young Ai in her lessons and, more recently, in helping Tadano with his paperwork, among other things.
Despite her strong persistence, she was still a girl who also longed for the young man's care and attention.
Tadano: "Then come with me. Once I finish my tasks, you and I will go out for a bit, okay?" the young man said, gently stroking the girl's cheek.
Nene nodded.
Then she buried her face in the young man's chest.
In a shy tone, she said,
Nene: "Burgers."
Tadano: "???"
Nene: "I want to eat burgers… you're paying," she said in a spoiled tone.
Tadano couldn't help but smile at the girl's spoiled behavior.
Tadano: "Hehe, even you have a side like this. You're really cute～" he said as he kissed her forehead.
Nene: "Shut up…" she said, embarrassed.
...
… Auditorium of the La Lalai Theater Group…
Ichigo: "Aniki, I'm glad you arrived. I already have the participants ready and… Oh! Did you bring one more participant?" said the blond, initially energetic but then somewhat confused when he saw the brown-haired girl.
Tadano rolled his eyes.
Tadano: "She's not a participant, get her a chair. She'll be accompanying me…"
Ichigo: "Eh? Oh! Okay…" he said somewhat stunned before turning around and barking orders at a staff member.
…
In the audition room, there were two men and a little girl sitting at the judges' table.
At this point, Tadano had adopted a random appearance, not too remarkable, while Nene remained the same as always.
This didn't surprise Ichigo; by now he was exposed enough to his Aniki's peculiarities to be numb at this point.
Nene looked around curiously, then glanced at the appearance of the young man next to her.
Tadano handed her some sheets and paper.
Nene took them and looked somewhat confused.
The young man smiled at her reaction and, with a playful tone, said:
Tadano: "It's for you to write down your thoughts on the participants and give me your opinion about them…"
Nene nodded and took the paper.
Ichigo just watched from the side.
He wondered if he should spend a little more time with Miyako.
…
Ichigo: "Alright, next!" shouted the blond after Tadano's signal.
*Sigh*
Tadano: "None of them are good…" said the young man, rubbing his forehead.
Nene: "I thought they were nice girls…" she said, confused.
Ichigo: "Me too…"
Seeing the confused faces of the pair, Tadano couldn't help but sigh.
Tadano: "While they are good in general, none of them match the personality I'm looking for…"
Nene: "What exactly are you looking for?"
Tadano: "A flirty but calm type… and another with a playful and cheerful personality…"
Nene and Ichigo: "That's very specific…"
Before anyone could say anything else, the door opened.
"Sorry for the intrusion…" said two voices.
When Tadano saw who entered through the door, his mind went blank.
Through the door came two pink-haired girls who looked almost identical.
The only difference between them was their temperaments.
One girl displayed a more mature and teasing demeanor, and as if reflecting her personality, her hair was a slightly deeper pink. She also had a longer strand of hair on her right side, and she was pulling another girl into the room.
The second girl had an embarrassed and somewhat uncomfortable expression.
Although she seemed shy when she entered, the girl did her best to appear confident in front of them. It was clear she didn't want to be there but had no choice.
Her unique characteristic was a green bow tied to her hair, resembling bunny ears. Her hair also gave the illusion of a gradient, creating a peculiar orange color.
When both girls finally stood before Tadano and the others, the girl with the deeper pink hair took the initiative and introduced both of them.
"Pleased to meet you, members of the jury… my name is Nakano Ichika, and today I've come to participate in the audition along with my sister, Nakano Yotsuba…" said the girl as she pointed to the girl with the bunny ears bow.
The now-known Yotsuba couldn't help but give a little jump when introduced.
Yotsuba: "Y-Yes… N-Nice to meet you all!" she said, nervously but energetically, while striking a military-style salute.
Ichika's mouth twitched slightly as she watched her sister's behavior.
Ichigo: "Alright then, tell me your…"
Ichigo, who was about to start the questions, was quickly interrupted by Tadano's enthusiastic words beside him.
Tadano: "Hired!"
Ichigo: "???"
The Nakano sisters: "???"
Only Nene, who knew Tadano's character well, couldn't help but laugh at his expression.
She saw the young man's eyes light up with excitement and the radiant smile of anticipation on his face.
He looked like a kid who had found his favorite toy.
Ichika: "Is what you said true, sir?" she asked, somewhat confused but hopeful.
Yotsuba watched curiously from the side.
Tadano: "Of course! If I say it's okay, then it's okay!" he said with a somewhat arrogant smile while snapping his fingers.
With that, a small puff of smoke covered him and revealed the appearance of the Wandering Musician.
Both sisters were surprised.
Just as Tadano was about to give orders, an energetic scream stopped him.
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"
Before Tadano could ask, he saw an energetic Yotsuba jumping up and down around him.
Who knows when, but she now had paper and a pen in her hands.
Yotsuba: "Kya!!! It's him! It's Wandering Musician-sama! I'm a big fan! I always listen to your songs when I train! Or when I'm on my way to school! Please, an autograph!" said the energetic girl, her shy and timid appearance from when she entered completely gone.
Ichika, still standing in the same position, couldn't help but shake her head.
Among all her sisters, three of them were huge fans of the man in front of her.
She wouldn't deny that she also appreciated the young man, but in her case, it was more for his great stage performances than his songs.
Ichika: "Come on, Yotsuba, remember this is still an interview. Don't bother our potential boss…" she said in a scolding tone, trying to demonstrate her majesty as the older sister.
Hearing her sister's voice, the girl with the bunny bow seemed to snap out of her fan mode and looked at the young man in front of her with slight embarrassment.
Yotsuba: "Hehe, sorry about that. It's just that I really like your songs…" said the girl, slightly embarrassed.
Tadano: "No need… you two are hired, and you'll start your instructions tomorrow. You can make the arrangements with my friend here…" he said, patting the blond beside him.
Ichigo couldn't help but smile helplessly.
"I guess I'll handle the hard part again…" he thought to himself.
"No matter! With this, the Hololive initiative will finally take off!" With this thought in mind, his spirits rose again, and a flame of determination burned fiercely in his heart.
Before the girls left, Tadano asked a question.
Tadano: "Excuse my boldness, but I'd like to ask you a question…" said the young man politely.
Before Ichika could speak, Yotsuba stood in front of her and replied.
Yotsuba: "No problem! No problem! Ask away confidently!"
Ichika rolled her eyes at her sister but also nodded in confirmation.
Tadano: "Then, how did you arrive here? If I recall correctly, we only promoted these auditions to a certain group of people. And as far as I know, you should be working for a different acting agency, and your sister should be immersed in her club training…"
Ichika: "I came on the recommendation of my agent, who pulled some strings to get me an opportunity, and my sister decided to accompany me, which is why we're here… Wait, how do you know that?" the girl responded normally but then exclaimed in surprise when she realized.
Tadano made a shushing gesture with his finger and dismissed them with a smile. Then, in a puff of smoke, he and Nene, who was by his side, disappeared from the room.
Yotsuba exclaimed in amazement, while Ichika was left deep in thought.
Seeing her sister so cheerful and energetic, Ichika decided not to overthink it and, together with her sister, followed the blond man in front of them to complete the remaining paperwork.
---
Author's Note: "Well, it took me a bit of time, but here's the chapter. Hehe, some big names are coming up, let me know what you think about using the Nakano sisters as these two Vtubers. Honestly, I thought about it a lot, and regarding Okayu's role, I could only think of Ichika or MengCho from Oshi no Ko, but this year Ai is still 14, and MengCho would be around 9 or 10 years old if what the wiki says is correct. So, I decided to use Ichika, and well, for Yotsuba, she has a personality that's closest to Korone's—being as energetic and cheerful as the Vtuber herself, although without Korone's taste for action video games. I plan to dive deeper into that later. That said, remember to drink plenty of water and that I love you lots. Sincerely, your favorite depressive author."
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