During the night of the weekends when many people would be asleep, it is when the fun part of the night is for the one in the room.
The time was about 11:30 pm, and a young man looking to be in his early teens sat there.
The small lights illuminate a portion of the room, presenting a cozy and soothing atmosphere.
The white light that is emanating on the bed is a phone screen on which he watched the many VTubers and ASMRs on that very night.
"Ugh, this is so addicting to watch."
This was a boy named Hikaru who found the many VTubers on the screen having soothing voices, and streaming hilarious gameplay by them.
Their own soothing voices, that is filled with positive affirmation, funny sounds, and songs, allow them to bring him a sense of craving and motivation.
These feelings were not of delusional love or anything like that....Sure, Hikaru was interested in them, but as a romantic interest is far from what he wants.
The only thing real about them is their voice and the personality they put into the character they are controlling throughout their careers at 3DLiveCorporation, which was a renowned company known for having good quality 3d and VTuber models, passionate talents, as well as having a reputation for being a light in people's day.
Hikaru discovered these Vtubers as he had seen them everywhere, whether in merchandise or on the internet, where the many Vtubers from 3DLiveCorporation did many collabs in cafes, machinery, and even in sports such as baseball or volleyball.
There was also his only friend, who was a huge fan of them and told Hikaru to try at least to watch one stream or follow one Vtuber, not at all forcing him to go down the rabbit hole with them, as they were not the type to force him to join in something he did not want.
The first time Hikaru
This peak of obsession brought Hikaru new joy in me as he watched the many VTubers from this corporation continue to shine whether on stream or on the stage.
The more he watches them, the happier he starts to feel, and my life is bright.
There are other times I watch them and feel sad over how happy they are and how many of their colleagues and friends treat them all well.
They all achieve amazing things, and I appreciate their work, but the negative feelings within me are wrong to begin with.
Hikaru, deep in his heart, appreciated all of them.
Thank you, 3DLiveCorp and the many Vtubers.
Hikaru fell asleep while watching one of the VTubers' ASMR videos, and so I woke up exhausted, still mainly because my body is shifting from the sleeping phase, as well as with the sense of comfort, as if with their videos, I could at least keep going.
Hikaru watched different types of Vtubers, and from them he discovered and watched their gameplay, and so impressed by them, he decided to purchase the same games they bought, as the way they played the games made it look fun, and so he wanted to try them out for myself.
The result was that half of the games were boring few hours after playing and he knew the reason which was that the many Vtubers who played this game incorporated their own personality and quirks as they played the game as well the added group dynamic they had whilst playing multiplayer, playing side by side, or even just a couple of them taking turns and coaching each other as they played single player games.
Hikaru had fallen into this Vtuber rabbit hole for a few weeks before he started to grow bored with it.
It was not that he hated the Vtubers or did not find any of them funny, but one can not stick to one interest for so long.
So he was about to try and give up watching Vtubers for a while as a break when he spotted one of the Vtubers from 3DLiveCorp was doing a watchalong stream on a certain anime that is trending.
He watched the stream, and in the end, he found his way to like Vtubers without giving up watching any of them, and that is to watch anime.
He watched anime that range from shonen, shojo, slice of life, romance, harem, drama, action, and even adventure.
He found their works different and unique from the books he had to read, which were books of classical writers and other classics.
Hikaru, despite being from the East, was exposed to many Western media and even watched Godzilla, assuming that it was something made by the West, not realizing the origins of such a film.
Hikaru had fell into different rabbit holes every day, each one making him descend deeper, and he did not hate it a single bit.
Hikaru's descent into this could be similar to a person who likes to skydive.
The journey was amazing and he just can not seem to stop once he has finished one anime series, mostly searching for more anime series that are as great as the previous one or something new he can enjoy and feel this sense of ecstatic bliss.
He was a fan of not just anime, Vtubers, and games, but manga, sketches, and music.
Some people would say anime has negative impacts on a person, and though it may have been a negative effect on his self, mainly addiction and escapism, but the many different animes he has watched have made him inspired to do something outside.
"This is all just so interesting," commented Hikaru after having watched more than fifty anime over the span of one month.
Hikaru may not have watched anime that lasts for so long, but he watches many interesting anime that have either twelve or thirteen episodes.
He watched an anime about swimming, and he signed up for swimming classes during the days of his summer break.
He watched a basketball anime, bought a basketball and played outside.
He watched an anime about bands and playing instruments, he asked his parents for a guitar, and he started to practice.
This all happened during the span of three months, as the more anime he watches, the more he grows obsessed and yet gains some new insights on certain aspects in the world around him.
However, despite that, Hikaru has had three Vtubers that he liked and always goes back to watch their streams.
Hikaru kept on watching these three different groups.
The first Vtuber was someone who liked singing, who had a max of 376K subscribers, not bad for a Vtuber who debuted just a few months ago.
The second Vtuber was someone who liked to entertain the audience with the use of quirky skits and playing games their own way. The hilarious sight got them to 453K subscribers, which makes sense as she had debuted just last month and was already massing a group of fans for her content.
Then there was the third, who liked singing, gaming, and watching anime. This Vtuber likes to give their own opinion and analysis on the anime and shows they watch during the streams, despite all of this, she only has about 531 subscribers.
The third one was not so popular with the rest as they only stream about once a week, rarely doing any singing or gameplay streams, as most of her content is composed of anime and TV series watch-alongs.
There was indeed nothing wrong with what the third Vtuber had done since they enjoyed doing this for their streams; however, they were unable to gain many subscribers for her channel, as not many of them are interested in watching watchalongs every time she streamed.
This Vtuber mainly does anime watchalongs, and Hikaru enjoyed his time watching the anime shows with them and commenting along with the many watchers on the scenes and their significance to the plot or theme.
However, er as the weeks go by, their number of subscribers began to decline until it was only Hikaru left tuning in to her streams.
"Ahhh, it is you again, hello there, thanks for coming back to the stream Th3M00nKn1gh7 (TheMoonKnight), are you ready to watch with me again together?"
TheMoonKnight was the username that Hikaru used when he wanted to comment on Vtuber streams and anime websites that allow fans to comment on episodes minutes after they release.
Hikaru stared at the Vtuber, listening to her welcome him and then typed on his keyboard.
"Sure thing, let's start."
Both of them began to watch this new isekai anime, and together they complained about the overused tropes and cliche moments.
"I can not believe that they made the protagonist have another broken cheat again, honestly when will we see protagonists like Subaru Natuski or Rudeus Greyrat?"
Both of these characters were from well-known isekai, best known for their exceptional world-building and well-developed characters.
"Hey, wait...what about Kazuma Satou or Cid Kagenou?" Hikaru began to ask the Vtuber using the chat, then she responded.
"No way! One of them is a lazy, perverted teenager, and another is an edgy teenager who is the embodiment of aura farming."
She was not wrong, indeed, but to Hikaru, Kazuma was funny, and Cid was just entertaining to watch.
"Hmph."
"You are acting like a child."
"No! You are the child!"
They kept on having their back and forth, spouting their arguments and defending their opinions, with the Vtuber speaking to Hikaru directly and Hikaru having to use the chatbox to interact with them and rebuke their claims against her distaste for edgy protagonists.
"Kazuma ain't edgy though."
"Yeah, but he is still a pervert."
"Wow."
"Hey, you can not deny it, though!"
"Yeah, sure thing."
The Vtuber and her only audience interacted with each other as if they were not strangers but rather friends who were there for each other through thick and thin.
Hikaru felt so happy as this kept going on.
The bond he spent with the Vtuber watching anime together, playing games together, and even performing a singing stream for that one viewer.
"This feels like Omniscent Reader's Viewpoint," Hikaru commented after they finished their singing.
"Huh, what is that?"
"Ohhh, it is a very interesting webnovel that ran from 2018 to 2020 about a guy named Kim Dokja who read a novel for ten years, and then the reality and fiction merged, and Dokja has to navigate this new reality together with companions he met."
"So how does that relate to what is happening now exactly? Is he a good singer?"
"Unsure."
"Does he stream?"
"Nope."
"Does he have a girlfriend?"
"No, but he does have a companion who is the same gender as him."
"...is this some BL novel you are recommending to me right now....I never see you as the type to like BL novels...wait!?....are you perhaps homosexual?"
"No... No.... No, I like girls, okay, so stop."
"You like girls, huh, so you are bisexual?"
"No! I am heterosexual!"
"Hahah, I am just joking with you about the bisexual part."
"So the part about you suspecting if I was homosexual is not a joke at all?"
"No, I clearly thought that..."
"No!"
"Well then, anyway...how does that novel relate to this?"
"Well, the novel the Dokja reads was not a popular novel among readers, as many readers went to read the novel, but the number of readers dwindled the more chapters were released, and so by the hundredth and one chapter of the webnovel, he ended up being the only reader until the novel ended."
"Ohhh, I get it now, so in the context of Omnipotent..."
"Omniscent..."
"Right...sorry...Omniscent Reader's Viewpoint, I am the writer, the one who creates the content and you are the one reader, the one who still sticks around because you like my content right....wait I am getting this right no?"
"No, yeah, you did get this right."
"Yeah!"
Hikaru found himself treating this Vtuber as one of his friends as he grew closer to them as the days went by.
The number of people watching their streams sometimes increases, but by the next stream, it would either dwindle or Hikaru would be the only viewer again.
However, Hikaru did not mind being the only viewer, as this would give him the chance to be upfront and honest with her about himself.
He was content with hanging out with them often during the night, as he had school in the morning and chores to do in the afternoon.
Hikaru knew it himself, too, that he did not fully understand or know the person who is the Vtuber that is interacting with him, acting all friendly towards him behind the screen.
He also knew that this Vtuber was still nervous and shy to show their true selves, such as their face, interests, or even their hobbies.
Hikaru did not want to rush her as he knew himself that he was the same as her, hiding behind a username and only understanding him through the many interactions they had had for many weeks.
"Hey, ummm TheMoonKnight, do you want to watch this romance and slice of life anime that was known for the little sister character in the show?"
"Sure, only if it is not so weird in a bad way."
"Okay then, let's do it now. I will prepare, so go prepare any snacks and drinks for yourself while you are at it."
"Sure!"
Hikaru stood up from his desk and headed downstairs to get some snacks and drinks while thinking to himself about how exciting it would be to watch with her again.
For the past few days, since her viewers have dropped to one viewer, this Vtuber kept on streaming and interacting with him for the sake of entertaining him after a long, stressful day at his school.
Hikaru, after having grabbed the chips and bottle of soda he saved for special moments, and those special moments are binge-watching a whole twelve-episode anime with this Vtuber who treats him like a friend.
"Okay, I have set it up and am now about to start, so are you ready? Moonlight?"
"Moonlight?"
"Yeah! Do you not like the nickname I gave you?"
"No, it is just...well....anyways let's just begin now, I have also prepared my snacks and drinks for our binge watching session."
Hikaru looked out at her happy smile. Besides it being her Vtuber model, it was still a cute sight to him as he was feeling a little bit excited over the nickname they gave him, which made him blush.
He thought this would last for a long time; however, at the end of his school year, the Vtuber let out an announcement.
"Hey, ummm hahaha, well, would you look at that, it is only you here in my stream again...that is just great sigh."
They let out a sigh and a melancholy expression on her face.
She was laughing with a tinge of disappointment, and yet when she saw Hikaru's username, she took a deep breath and began to say her announcement to Hikaru.
"Moonlight, this message was meant to be for all of my viewers, but since you are the only viewer throughout most of my streaming career here at 3DLiveCorp, allow me to say it to you now that.....I will be graduating today."
"What?"
"That is right, Moonlight, I have spent about three years here at 3DLiveCorp, and you have accompanied me throughout this last few months with your presence in my stream most of the time now."
"Why, though, for what reason would you?"
"I am sorry, but I don't want to reveal it; you know it might ruin your image of me as someone confident and headstrong whenever I faced any adversary."
Hikaru could not believe it, but he knew it was not a joke, as the current month this was happening was far away from April.
Hikaru observed the expression on the Vtuber model's face, which was a look of sadness. Despite it not being the actual face of this Vtuber, he could still tell that she was not just sad but the sense of melancholy that plagues her.
Hikaru could not tell, but he hypothesized it based on the tone of her voice, as the sound was mostly bittersweet.
The Vtuber felt content with leaving the 3DLiveCorporation to either pursue other interests, or maybe because they were burned out by the amount of sheer pressure that this results in them quitting the company to rest.
"Ummm, so I guess this is goodbye then."
"Indeed, it is. It was fun to watch anime and talk about games with you."
"No, but ummm though."
"Though what exactly is Moonlight?"
"Though I was just another viewer, you still treated me and continued to stream for me, didn't you?"
"Heh! Don't be arrogant, my dear Moonlight, I like to stream, and of course, you are not the only reason I stream myself watching anime and playing games!"
She announced with a look of smugness, smirking at him.
It was not a look of mockery, but more of light teasing
Hikaru smirked back, though the Vtuber could not see the look or expression on his face, but he sensed his feelings being understood by her.
"So, anyway, Moonlight, you got anything you like to say to me before we part ways?"
"Yeah, well, I would like to say to you that if we ever meet again, let's watch anime and play video games together, okay?"
"Heh, sure thing and Moonlight if ever we did meet again...let's be good friends together."
"Yeah, thanks again for the fun memories."
"Yeah! Thanks for still coming and watching my streams....hey wait, hold on, I want you to tell me why you still watch my streams even as my viewers have decreased."
"That was because your analysis and anime you watched are so interesting to me."
"Is that all now?"
"Well, that was because it was fun to watch your streams along with the other two."
"Wait, what other two? What am I, your second...no third choice?"
"What, no, I have no favorites...well maybe I am starting to have favourites."
"Seriously, well, your favorite better than mine."
"You really expect me to be infatuated with you."
"Yup."
Hikaru smirked at them, and then for the rest of that day, he celebrated the graduation of this Vtuber that he had spent the past few months with, talking and doing stuff together.
The next day came so fast, and Hikaru was trying to find other Vtubers from 3DLiveCorp, but he knew that he could not replace them at all.
Over the past few days, he kept thinking about them, and so he decided to make an effort to find them and ask them if they could hang out again like old times.