I should absolutely drive the alien out.
With that firm resolve, I opened the unlocked door of my apartment when—
“Wait, let me go first!”
“Ouch, what was that?!”
“Tadaa!”
I was greeted by a delicious aroma that made my mouth water and Kaguya’s smug face. Spread out before me were plates of dazzling, extravagant food. I swallowed hard without thinking.
"First, potage made from raw corn. This is crispy salad with fresh burdock and asparagus, with a soft-boiled egg. The main is tomato stewed hamburger steak, served with sautéed zucchini♪"
She said that, with a huge smile on her face. Dishes this delicious-looking had never crossed the threshold of my home before that even my table seemed proud.
“What… is this? Don’t tell me you made it?”
“Yup~~”
No way. It looks amazing. Incredibly amazing, actually, but—
“This too… was paid with my wallet…?”
“Yup~~”
No way. I’ll faint. I’m seriously about to pass out…
“Here, eat.”
She forcibly shoved a spoonful of potage into my mouth—
No way. My cheeks are about to fall off. It’s insanely good—my tongue’s melting…
“What is this…?
It’s good… it’s really good…
What are you…?
It’s been so long since I had a proper meal… my whole body is filled with joy…”
I can’t stop my chopsticks or my tears.
When was the last time I ate a home-cooked meal made by someone else? I mean cafeteria food technically counts, but this feels different. These actually have… flavor. I mean, other food has flavor too, but lately it felt like the taste was hidden beneath a thin veil.
It’s delicious…
If you feed me something like this, I can’t complain anymore. But earlier… a hundred twelve thousand or so yen… ugh… ugh…
“…Devil.”
“I’m not a devil. I’m Kaguya dayo~♪”
Don’t act cute! It’s annoying. Damn it—it’s annoyingly delicious.
The angelic food made by this joyful devil of an alien made even the tap water I drank at the end taste amazing.
By the way, when I checked my smartphone after the meal, it showed:
‘¥1,090 (Super Misono)
¥540 (Super Misono)
¥1,239 (Meat Kondō)
¥2,680 (Fish Sakamoto)
¥465 (Super Misono)
¥780 (Bread Hiroshi)
¥350 (Fruit Aoki)
¥1,560 (Kobayashi General Goods)
¥730 (Fruit Paradise)
¥2,000 (Bistro Matsuo)
¥390 (Super Misono)
¥1,250 (Meat Kondō)
¥1,456 (YU)
¥220 (Tokadō)
¥1,200 (Super Misono)
¥3,720 (Aoki Produce)…’
Yeah. She really is a devil.
※
“Hey, listen…”
I lay my fully stuffed body out on the wooden floor. The inside of my stomach was warm and cozy. From the top of my head to the tips of my toes, I was soaked in a thick, syrupy kind of happiness.
“I seriously can’t hide you here.”
Even so, impossible was impossible. Staring up at the fluorescent light, I forced the words out.
“I already had to beg my parents just to live on my own. I don’t want any more trouble. If something happens, I’ll be shipped straight back to my parents’ place… Hey, are you even listening?”
“Okay, so here—like this! taka-taka-taka—taan!”
You’re not listening are you? Yeah. I knew it.
What Kaguya was fiddling with in a frenzy, eyes literally shining, was my laptop. The screen was filled edge to edge with suspicious-looking code running every which way. I thought about stopping her, but between my back being glued to the floor by post-meal lethargy and—
“One more time—taka-taka-taka—taan♪”
—the strangely bittersweet sight of Kaguya swaying happily as she hammered at the keyboard, I just… couldn’t.
What is this feeling? I shouldn’t recognize this scene at all—yet it feels nostalgic. Whose memories am I even looking at…?
“I’m done!”
Done with what? Crap, I totally spaced out.
“You didn’t… commit a cybercrime or something, right?”
“Look, Iroha! I found a handheld game, so I tried messing with it!”
“Oh, that’s…”
It was an old, egg-shaped retro handheld game I’d gotten from my brother ages ago. She must’ve dug it out on her own. I hadn’t been using it, so whatever.
“This is InuDOGE!”
Inudo… ge? Peeking into the screen, I saw a Shiba-like character wagging its tail. I didn’t remember anything like this being in there, so it was probably original.
“With this, we’re always together~! Fufuuuuu♪”
“You seem really happy… Also, you’re totally planning to live here forever, aren’t you?”
“Where else would I go? If I get caught, they might dissect poor Kaguya~”
“Just go back to the moon. Try harder to remember how.”
“I’m trying, but it’s haaaarrrd~~ gnnnnh.”
Yeah, no—that reply was obviously about the mini-game, not my question.
…Honestly, seriously. I forcibly peeled my back off the floor.
“Fine. Until whoever’s coming to pick you up arrives.”
I mean, thinking about it calmly, I couldn’t exactly just throw her out.
“Really!?”
“One: don’t stand out.
Two: don’t go outside without permission.
Three: don’t get in my way.
If you can follow those rules, you can stay.”
“…Then what about making friends?”
“Denied by rule one.”
“…Going with you to cafés?”
“Denied by rule two.”
“…Playing together?”
“Denied by rule three.”
“Then… then that means Kaguya can’t go outside, has no fun, and stays locked up like this forever until it’s a bad ending… right?”
Kaguya’s face visibly drained of color as she clutched InuDOGE.
“If you don’t like it, we can pretend this conversation never happened.”
“Nooo, don’t be mean!”
“A happy ending is something you make yourself. Try enjoying this situation and making it happy.”
“In this boring, ugly house!?”
Okay. Yeah. Let’s kick her out after all.
Just as I rolled up my sleeves, my phone vibrated—an alarm announcing it was 8:30 p.m.
Crap. I’d planned to finish my study prep by now, but I’d ended up doing nothing again today. Still, it couldn’t be helped—I have to go.
“What? Where are you going? You’re leaving Kaguya behind again?”
But Kaguya must have sensed my movement instantly, because she clung to me like a full-on tackle.
“Let go. I’m not going anywhere. I’m just going to Tsukuyomi.”
“You are going! Then take Kaguya with you!”
“That’s impossible—you need a SmaCon to—ah.”
…She has one. Damn it. Guess I’m bringing her along.
Oh! Right, I need to say this too!
“Rule four: food expenses are on a fixed budget!”
“You added one!”
We put on our SmaCons and sat down side by side. Kaguya grabbed my wrist—her grip was gently warm.
“Alright, here we go. Ready—set!”
When I closed my eyes, motion graphics resembling outer space spread before me. Shooting like a meteor through galaxies that didn’t exist anywhere in reality, waves splashed up, and a massive red torii gate appeared. Beneath our feet stretched an endless shallow lake, countless lanterns gliding across its surface. The sky was dyed a deep crimson sunset, as if the color of the torii had seeped into it—
“—The sun sets, and night arrives.”
With majestic grace, Runami Yachiyo manifested.
No matter how many times I saw it, I never got tired of Tsukuyomi’s entry sequence.
Ahh… seeing her again, Yachiyo’s design is just too perfect. Her face is beautiful, of course, but her traditional Japanese outfit inspired by marine life, accompanied by her sea-slug-shaped mascot FUSHI—she is truly an eternal goddess, an electronic diva, the mother of Tsukuyomi itself, the embodiment of sacred perfection.
As a heavy user, I passed straight through into Tsukuyomi—but Kaguya, logging in for the first time, was probably receiving the tutorial from Yachiyo and FUSHI right about now. Yachiyo gently takes the hand of first-time users, smiles a flawless smile, and with a cool, refreshing voice that feels like a breeze brushing your eardrums, says:
“—You can’t go out dressed like that!”
And then guides you to the character creation window.
From there, it’s the fun, fun process of character creation.
For the record, my avatar is street-style with a blue color scheme—kimono paired with a hoodie, belt, and boots for a slightly cool look. I’ve even got fox ears and a tail. When I first saw myself like this, my excitement went through the roof. Yeah… still cute today. Honestly, it’s perfect.
Now then—what kind of form would Kaguya appear in within Tsukuyomi?
A ripple of light flashed through the space.
She’s coming.
Bursting through the center of the light—
“Whaaa!?”
A flashy, gyaru-style Princess Kaguya descended.
She wore a vermilion-and-young-green outfit, with a glittering moon hair ornament and a massive decorative mizuhiki bow on her back that screamed celebratory. Her sporty, pop-colored sneakers suggested boundless mobility. Apparently, her motif was a rabbit—long bunny ears drooped along her smooth, straight, long hair.
“Uwaa—”
And then she immediately wiped out face-first.
Yep. There it is. Classic first-time Tsukuyomi login—tripping on the very first step.
“Here, take my hand.”
“Huh—could it be… Iroha?”
The glitzy blonde Princess Kaguya, now back on her feet, pointed at my avatar. A single dog ran circles around us.
“C-could it be…”
“InuDOGE! You can bring him here!”
Hey, this is my first time seeing this too. So the pet from the handheld game can be brought in like this? Wow. As expected of Tsukuyomi—anything goes.
“Wow, wow, wow—this is Tsukuyomi!?”
Holding InuDOGE in her arms, Kaguya finally seemed to notice the eternal night cityscape of Tsukuyomi around her, her eyes sparkling as she looked on.
“Whoa—this is insane! There’s, like, a ridiculous amount of cool stuff here!”
Kaguya stood there gaping, frozen in place as she looked around. Yep, another classic first-time Tsukuyomi login moment. You get so captivated by the scenery that you can’t even step into the city. To be fair, Tsukuyomi’s virtual world really does have endless sights to see: rainbow-lit night views, the famous drum bridge, and a distinctly Japanese streetscape that could only be described as a fantasy Heian capital. But we didn’t have much time today, so I figured we’d just drop by a café and kill some time.
“Let’s go, Kaguya.”
Just as I was about to move—
“—Congrats on your first login! In Tsukuyomi, everyone is a creator! If you do something that moves people’s hearts, the admins will reward you with ‘Fujū’☆”
Kaguya’s first-login event triggered, and FUSHI appeared to explain.
It was about Fujū, the virtual currency used within Tsukuyomi. You use it to buy avatar clothing made by creators, commission requests, or even tip others as a form of support. It can also be converted into real money, and apparently popular streamers can live more than comfortably on that alone.
…A world completely unrelated to someone as talentless as me.
Still, the reason I can enjoy myself here so freely is because most of what Tsukuyomi offers—worlds, games, experience facilities, and a huge variety of avatar items—is basically all free. They say “free-to-play,” but unlike other places, you don’t hit a wall where you’re forced to pay just to keep up. Even the flashy parfait we were eating right now was totally free—
“Munch… nom nom… I can’t taste anything!”
“Yeah, that kind of thing still seems impossible. Maybe some genius scientist will figure it out someday.”
Also—go home already.
“I want it nowwwwww!”
Take it up with reality, not me. Oh—crap, it’s time!
“It’s starting! Let’s go, Kaguya!”
“Starting? Starting what!? Wait, Iroha!”
“I’m not waiting. You catch up!”
I know, I know—I’m being annoyingly hyped. Even I can tell. But I can’t help it. My heart is racing, and I can’t stop running.
Because it’s finally here.
My turn.
I applied for the lottery again and again. Lost, lost, and still kept applying. Even after I finally won, I counted the days on my fingers—and now, at last, this moment is here.
“IT’S HEEEERE! You can’t start a night in Tsukuyomi without this! It’s time for Yachiyo’s mini live show to begiiiiin—!!”
That’s right. Yachiyo’s mini live.
And after the show… hehehe…
I dove into the venue just in time, where the MC streamer—Chuukem Otakou, who openly proclaims herself Yachiyo’s biggest fan—broadcast her own excitement and fervor straight into the mic. The packed crowd roared back in response. As the venue’s energy swirled higher and higher, a countdown appeared on the giant screen.
Ah… it’s starting.
It’s really starting.
“Hey, Iroha, what’s starting?”
“Just watch—you’ll see!”
“Five… four… three…”
The voices in the venue synced perfectly with those watching the live broadcast. And when everyone in Tsukuyomi shouted “zero” at the same time—
“Yao-yoro! All you lovely gods out there—was today amazing?”
With just that single line, Runami Yachiyo made the entire venue explode.
“All right! I’m gonna sweep you all away tonight too☆
Let's go on a trip!”
And just like that, the breathtaking live show began.
“I’ve waited for you can’t believe we finally met—
It must’ve been a thousand years—
and now I never wanna lose you so just grab my hand and don’t let go”
The venue turned into an ocean of frenzy.
※
“Iroha! Hey—Iroha!”
“…Huh?”
A loud voice near my ear snapped me back to reality. When I turned around, a blonde Princess Kaguya was staring at me, her face full of surprise. Maybe she’d called my name over and over again. My then distracted attention slowly came back together. My fingers were still trembling.
“Why are you crying, Iroha?”
So I was crying.
Please don’t make me explain these tears. I feel like the moment I put it into words, it’ll turn cheap and shallow.
…That’s how incredible the live was.
The song, the performance—Yachiyo herself.
Judging by the reaction, everyone felt the same. The lingering excitement and emotion poured down onto the stage as thunderous applause and cheers. At the center of it all, Yachiyo waved both hands high, answering her fans.
“Yay! I’m so grateful I could cry a parfait of tears! I’m truly blessed! Oh—announcement time! We’re holding an event called the Yachiyo Cup☆ FUSHI, details please!”
“Okaaay! All Tsukuyomi streamers are eligible to participate! Over a one-month period, whoever gains the most new fans wins! And the prize is—
a collaborative live performance with Yachiyo herself! You’ll get to create the most hype collaboration stage in the world together!”
“No way!? A collab live!? With Yachiyo!?”
Crap—that came out way too loud. I really hope the neighbor in the real world didn’t just wall-bang me again.
“A collab live? What’s that? Is it a big deal?”
“Of course it is!”
There I go yelling again—but it can’t be helped. Kaguya clearly didn’t understand how huge this was, so I had to explain.
“It’s not just ‘huge’! She’s done stream collabs before, but her lives have always been solo! Who would it even be with!? This is going to be a historic performance!”
“Ohhh. Then, Iroha, let’s do it together.”
Like that’d ever happen.
Yeah—she really doesn’t get it. There’s no way Yachiyo would pick random nobodies like us. I won’t say it out loud, but with events like these, it’s usually obvious from the start who’s going to win. For example—
BANG!
A ridiculously flashy explosion echoed out, drawing every eye in the audience.
Right—someone like them.
What suddenly appeared in the live venue wasn’t an ox-drawn carriage, but a tiger-drawn one. The fans instantly realized who it was and erupted in cheers.
“It’s Kurooni!”
“Mikado samaa!”
As if answering the passionate cries, the carriage split open.
First to emerge was a male avatar wearing a demon-themed skin. Flanking him were two others—one in robe-like attire, and the other dressed in a landmine-girl-style outfit.
Screams that were almost like shrieks wrapped the live venue in a different kind of frenzy.
The three-man pro gamer unit boasting overwhelming popularity on Tsukuyomi—Black OnyX. Better known as Kurooni. In addition to their idol-level fame, their activities spanned a wide range of fields.
“Yo, my little bunnies. Your emperor’s here.”
Amid the ear-splitting cheers, the leader Mikado Akira stepped down from the tiger carriage, a daring grin on his face as his jet-black horns gleamed.
With a snap of his fingers, the venue’s monitors were hijacked, and a promo video showcasing their dazzling résumé began to play. It opened with the unit’s logo, followed by their sponsor companies, records of numerous e-sports tournament victories, and clips from their live performances. The background music was their original song.
Same as ever… going all out.
I slipped behind Kaguya’s back, trying not to be noticed. Not that they’d recognize my avatar anyway… probably.
“Looks like another festival’s starting,”
muttered Rai, the quiet one, speaking from beneath his hood.
“My art's just too good today, right? ♡”
said Noi, the jirai-kei boy, throwing out cute fan service. Twin tails, a miniskirt—at a glance he looked like a girl, but he was a male avatar. Naturally, his voice was male too.
“You want us to win, right? We’ll show you a dream without a bottom!”
With that, Mikado struck a finishing pose, piercing the fans’ hearts. Confetti burst into the air with a sharp explosive sound.
For the third time, the cheers detonated.
At that moment, it was decided. Everyone there was convinced the Yachiyo Cup’s winner would be them.
“So yeah, we’re gonna win. Looking forward to that collab, Yachiyo-chan.”
That included Black OnyX themselves.
“If that’s destiny, then of course Yachiyo will go along with it~”
Maybe even Yachiyo—the event’s organizer—felt the same way?
“Amazing! A dream collab between Yachiyo and Kurooni!”
“This is gonna become a legend!”
The packed audience thought so too.
So did the viewers watching the live stream.
Everyone—except for a single alien.
“Yaaaaaaa——CHIIIIIII——YOOOOOO——!”
Those who are far, heard.
Those who are near, looked.
“Kaguya’s gonna win the Yachiyo Cup! And then we’re definitely doing a collab live! And all ki—mmph!”
I hurriedly covered her mouth, but it was already too late.
She actually did it. I can’t believe her. After all those promises. Don’t stand out—that was promise number one. Everyone around us turned to look our way. With faces that said, Hey, this one’s interesting. The audience, Kurooni, even the loyal fanboys—
“…How adorable.”
Even worse, Yachiyo on stage noticed us.
“You’re always doing whatever you want!”
I really wanted to run away—but I couldn’t. Because this live—
“Alrighty! We’ll close the live here for now♪ I’ll chat with everyone just a little bit. Bye-bye~!”
This was a handshake-ticket event.
As the show ended, Yachiyo split into duplicates and went around speaking to each individual audience member. From here on out, there was no stream—this was a dreamlike moment reserved only for ticket holders. You could talk to Yachiyo face-to-face. Get a handshake from her.
…Talk to Yachiyo face-to-face!?
Get a handshake!?!?
Unbelievable. I felt the tips of my fingers go cold as nerves washed over me. I—I might faint…
“Hey, Iroha, let’s do it together?”
My fading consciousness was pulled back by Kaguya’s carefree voice. One of my hands felt warm, too. Ah—she must be holding it in the real world.
“No! That’s impossi—”
“Impossible, impossible, impossible! You little brat!”
I was about to say “impossible,” but someone cut me off first. I looked over to see FUSHI. Huh? FUSHI? Was he always this rude? He usually talked in a way that was way more mascot-cute…
“Hey.”
The one who stopped FUSHI’s aggressive posture was Yachiyo.
Wah!! It’s Yachiyo!!
She’s right in front of me… and she’s small.
Yachiyo is usually about 160 cm tall, but sometimes she turns into a chibi version around 130 cm. A rare phenomenon with unknown conditions—and my excitement skyrocketed. All the other Yachiyo clones around us were still adult-sized.
Why only me!?
Probably just one of her usual whims.
But still—
Kyaaaaa!!
T—T—T—TOO! CU! TE!!
“Did you forget~? Participation in the Yachiyo Cup is limited to streamers♪”
Her shorter twin tails bounced lightly as she spoke.
“Ohhh! Then Kaguya’ll become a streamer! If that’s the case, prep time, prep time~”
Kaguya logged out almost instantly.
Oh—oh no. It’s just me and Yachiyo now. What do I do?
I’d been looking forward to this so much. I’d prepared things I wanted to say. And yet—no good. I can’t remember any of it. My head is a total mess, and I can’t put sentences together. At this rate, I’ll just end up blurting out incoherent nonsense. I really want to avoid that. But then… what should I do?
“Did you have fun today?”
“!? Y-Yes…!”
While I was fumbling for words, Yachiyo spoke to me first. That gentle voice I knew so well.
…Right. I should enjoy this. Yachiyo would be happiest knowing that I—her fan—was enjoying myself. I take a deep breath and look straight at her face.
“Yachiyo has always supported me, and… it’s like I’ve been in this dark, cold, endless tunnel, and… because you’re there, I can endure it, or something like that…”
Huh? What did I just say? Did that even make sense? Was there any logical connection at all? It’s totally incomprehensible… I was supposed to say something smarter than that…
“…Are you thinking, ‘I wanted to say something more clever,’ right?”
“Wha—!? How did you know!?”
She saw right through me!? Th-that’s embarrassing…! But…! Somehow… I’m kind of happy…!
“Hehe, Yachiyo is an esper, you see♪”
She grins and jokes like she always does. What is this—cute—dead.
“Yachiyo feels the same way.”
Saying that softly, Yachiyo wraps my hands in her small ones. For a split second, my mind fills with “!?”—then I remember. Right. This was a handshake event.
“Yachiyo… too?”
I ask timidly. Yachiyo smiles gently and nods.
“—Once upon a time, a lonely sea slug was walking through a dark, cold, looong tunnel, all by itself. It kept walking for such a long, long time, and just when it thought, ‘I’m so tired now,’ it saw lots of warm lights ahead. When the sea slug chased after them with all its might, the lights gathered together and became a huge, beautiful moon that shone down on the sea slug. Before long, the sea slug turned into a human, and to watch over the moon, it created Tsukuyomi. The end.”
I do my best to chew over every word. Because this is something Yachiyo told just for me.
The sea slug… that’s not FUSHI, right? It’s probably Yachiyo herself, and the lights are the users of Tsukuyomi? Which means… Yachiyo thinks of us as the moon…
“…Yachiyo…”
The light is you, Yachiyo. You’re the one who illuminated me.
“Ta-dah☆ That was the secret origin story of Tsukuyomi♪ Don’t tell anyone, okay?”
I’ve never seen that setting anywhere, so she probably made it up on the spot to match what I said. Yachiyo tells it cheerfully, but my eyes sting and I feel like I’m about to cry.
“There, there. You’re such a hard worker.”
Yachiyo lets go of one of my hands and gently pats my head. I almost melt into it—but wait, my head!? S-she’s patting my head!?!?
“Ah—uh—um—ya, Ya—Yachi, Yachi…”
I can’t even speak properly!
“Thank you for always coming to see me.”
Fwaaah—so happy—♡
W-wait, always!? She recognizes me!? Oh—right, of course. She can see behavior logs. Yachiyo is basically a god in Tsukuyomi. Everything I do is completely visible to her. Ah… I’m at my limit.
“Um, th-this is all for today. Thank you very much!”
I bow and log out. If I linger too long, it might become a burden for Yachiyo. She’s far more capable than I can even imagine, so I’m probably worrying unnecessarily—but still. We talked a lot, and she even shook my hand.
…My face is burning. Gratitude, embarrassment, joy, impatience, relief—so many emotions mixed together that I feel like I might explode.
“See you again, Iroha…”
I thought I heard Yachiyo’s voice from behind me.
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