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“Hey, you’re really not feeling well, are you? Are you okay?”

We had finished most of the day’s plans, and now we were resting at the hotel Ibuki had reserved. I had dropped my things and collapsed onto the bed, and Ibuki—unusually—was sitting beside me, clearly upset.

“Why are you mad?”
“I’m not mad.”

Her voice was sharp and cold—anyone could tell she was irritated.

“You are mad.”
“I said I’m not!”

It had been a long time since I last heard Ibuki raise her voice, and maybe this was the first time that anger had ever been directed at me. Her usually beautiful face was twisted in frustration, and it honestly hurt to look at.

“More importantly, you’re not feeling well, right? Let me feel your forehead.”
“…Okay.”

It didn’t take much thinking to figure out why she was upset. Plain and simple: I had been terrible all day. Brooding constantly over what to do, lost in gloomy thoughts, and letting all of it show—of course it got to her.

“You don’t have a fever… I think. But it might be going up. You should get to bed early tonight.”
“I’m not sick.”
“You never say when you’re not feeling well. You always try to hide it. That’s a bad habit, you know.”

I really wasn’t sick. But even so, her concern—despite her frustration—made my heart warm.

“Do you think you can eat anything from what I bought? Maybe some ice cream?”

She had enthusiastically picked out a bunch of snacks from the hotel shop for a late-night treat, and now she was going through them to see if anything might tempt me.

That warmth, that kindness, only made the guilt hit harder. I’d ruined the whole day. And knowing that I couldn’t stay this close to her anymore crushed me with despair. Before I knew it, hot tears were streaming down both cheeks.

“W-Wait, what’s wrong? Are you in pain? Are you feeling sick?”
“…It’s not that.”

I had no right to cry. I was the one who had been selfish all day, the one who kept causing her trouble, but even so… I couldn’t stop the tears. And because of that, I only made her worry even more.

If I’d really been thinking about her job, I should’ve turned her down today. I should’ve said no to this date. And yet, I had stayed with her until nightfall. If things went south and Ibuki got caught in some scandal… There’d be no way for me to take responsibility.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry, Ibuki.”
“Where is this coming from? Did something happen?”
“I really am sorry! I should’ve turned down the date today…! If you ever have to quit your job because of me, I don’t know what I’d—…”

It was pathetic for someone my age, but I couldn’t stop crying. The tears kept coming, sobs catching in my throat, making it burn and ache. I wasn’t even sure if my words were reaching her properly. But the apologies kept spilling out of me, as if the dam had finally broken.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…!”

If Ibuki ever got caught up in trouble with her job—the one she had called her true calling—because of me… If she ever became the target of baseless slander because of me… There’d be nothing I could do to fix it.

“Calm down. Let’s take it one step at a time, okay?”
“…Okay.”

Her hand gently rubbed my back, and feeling her body heat so close helped me regain just a little bit of composure.

“So first, why did you think you had to turn down today’s date?”
“Well… I did a bit of reading about your job. I saw that there was someone who got flamed just for not streaming on Christmas…”
“Who filled your head with that crap?”

I think Ibuki’s hand, the one wiping my tears, was trembling. Maybe she really was angry—angry that I’d agreed to the date despite knowing it might interfere with her work.

“And also… um, apparently even giving off a hint of having a partner is frowned upon for weetubers…”
“Who put all this stuff in your head?”
“…!”

Now that I’d calmed down a bit, my vision had cleared and I could finally see properly. Which meant I was staring directly at Ibuki’s face—so close I could feel her breath. She wasn’t wearing her usual sleepy, aloof expression. Instead, she was looking at me seriously, with a faint edge of irritation held just beneath the surface. And even though now clearly wasn’t the time, I couldn’t help feeling a flutter in my chest.

“Onda told me. But I didn’t just take her word for it—I did some research on my own too…”
“Ugh… Onda again. Guess she’s still bitter about being blacklisted for collab and decided to take it out on you.”

Say whatever you want, just please don’t talk to me at that distance. My self-control is taking serious damage.

“Okay, listen, Yukino. Let me explain properly, all right?”
“I get it, I get it, just—can you back up a little?”

Please don’t stroke my cheek like that with those gentle hands if you’re about to talk seriously. I won’t hear a single word you say.

“Sorry, sorry. First of all, just ignore everything Onda said. You don’t need to believe a word of it.”
“I don’t believe her, really. But from what I looked into, it seems like what she said might’ve been true this time…”
“Maybe that’s the case for people trying to sell themselves like idols. But I’m not one of them. Besides, I clearly explained on stream why I was taking the day off, and I even said who I’d be with. So there’s really nothing to worry about.”
“Why wouldn’t people worry if it’s me you’re with?”

I’d heard she occasionally mentioned me on her streams. But why would being with me specifically be reassuring?

“Because you’re my fan-approved wife.”
“…Huh?”
“So no matter what I do, as long as you’re the one I’m doing it with, it won’t cause any drama. You don’t need to worry at all.”
“Hold on. Fan-approved wife? What does that even mean…?”

I’d thought she only ever talked about me on stream in vague terms—like saying she lived with a childhood friend. But now I was apparently being treated like her officially recognized wife by her fanbase? What even was that?

“Exactly what it sounds like. The fans are on board, and my agency profile even says I have a wife (childhood friend).”
“That’s the first I’ve heard of it!?”
“I didn’t tell you?”

Of course she hadn’t. If I’d known something like that, I wouldn’t have been so worried that Ibuki might get flamed just for going on a date on Christmas. If she’d told me ahead of time, I could’ve relaxed and enjoyed our day together without all that anxiety.

“Geez… I got all worked up over nothing. You should’ve told me that kind of thing from the start.”
“Sorry, sorry. But wait—you’re not mad I just went and made you my official wife?”
“I mean, I was a little surprised, sure. But I don’t really mind being treated like your wife. Honestly… it makes me kind of happy.”

It was a bit shocking to find out I’d been treated like her spouse without even knowing it. But I’d already been playing the stand-in housewife role for a while. It kind of already felt like we were practically married. So there was no reason to get upset about it now.

“I-I see. So you’re not mad.”
“What, did you think I would be?”
“Well… you turned me down when I asked you to marry me before. I figured that meant you didn’t want that kind of relationship with me.”
“I told you back then—it wasn’t the idea of marrying you that bothered me, it was how casually you asked. I said I’d say yes if you asked me properly.”

Back then, I’d refused because it felt like I was being treated more like a housekeeper than a partner. But I’d come around on it—I’d decided that if it meant staying with Ibuki, then I didn’t mind. And honestly, if she asked me again, I’d be ready to go from ‘fan-approved wife’ to ‘official wife’ for real.

“I-I see… So, um, in that case…”
“Yeah?”

Ibuki’s serious demeanor from earlier had completely vanished. Now she was nervously glancing around, shifting her gaze every which way. Then, without warning, she pressed something into the palm of my hand.

“What’s this?”
“Um… If you’re okay with it, Yukino… W-would you go out with me—with marriage in mind!?”
“…Huh?”

I opened the small, square box she’d given me. Inside was a relatively simple silver ring, gleaming beautifully in the light.

“…Is that a no?”

I’d kind of braced myself, half expecting her to propose marriage outright today.
Not because Ibuki had romantic feelings for me, but because I thought I’d become someone she couldn’t easily part with—thanks in no small part to winning over her stomach. But I never imagined she’d ask me to date her instead of jumping straight to marriage. The shock of it left me completely at a loss.

“O-Okay.”

Eyes wide with disbelief, all I could do was nod.

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