Hello, this is Irana! I just got a mission to investigate some suspicious people who have been spotted around the school. Right now, I’m patrolling the school grounds. I got this mission after Onee-chan went out to meet those troublemakers.

I hope Onee-chan doesn’t run into those suspicious people. But in the end, I didn’t find anyone suspicious. This mission was eventually transferred to an esper ranked higher than me, which I was a little relieved about. It’s not that I don’t take these tasks seriously, but sometimes, I feel like they expect too much from me.

After finishing up, Viola came to pick me up. But instead of heading straight back to the dorm, we decided to make a little detour. Viola and I bought some food to bring home, and of course, we grabbed tapioca tea. Onii… ahem, Onee-chan loves tapioca tea, so we thought it’d be a nice treat for her. I could already imagine her happy reaction.

After buying food, Viola suggested some window shopping. I was hesitant at first, but somehow, I ended up tagging along. It wasn’t like we had anything urgent to do, so it didn’t hurt to browse a little. Besides, it’s always fun looking at cute accessories or clothes, even if we didn’t plan on buying anything.

Finally, after our little outing, we headed back to the dorm.

“Onii… ahem… Onee-chan, we’re back! I bought you some tapioca tea,” I called out as we entered.

But there was no response. That was odd. Onee-chan should’ve been back by now. Curious, I peeked into the room and found her sitting on the bed, glued to her phone. It looked like she was watching a video.

I walked over to get a better look. “Aria, what are you watching? Is that a Vcuber livestream? I heard her calling your name” Viola, carrying a bag of food, joined in and asked curiously.

“Hey, you two… where did you go? Eating out? Isn’t there free food in the cafeteria?” Onee-chan responded, clearly trying to shift the topic.

“Yeah... we just got back from buying food. I wasn’t in the mood for the cafeteria food. It’s really bad,” I replied casually, setting the tapioca tea on the table.

“I hope you’re not buying food outside too often. Don’t waste money when there’s free food. Money doesn’t grow on trees, you know,” she chided, though her tone lacked real bite.

That’s when I noticed something interesting. Glancing at her phone, I saw the livestream chat and, more importantly, a bright red pinned message that said she’d donated $100. Wait… wasn’t she just talking about not wasting money?

“Says the person who sent a hundred-dollar donation to a Vcuber… hmph,” I pointed out with a sly grin.

Her face turned slightly red as she scrambled for an excuse. “It’s not like that, Irana... look, it’s because of her name.” she said quickly.

Hearing that, Viola and I leaned closer to her phone. The name on the screen read "Sakimiya Aria." My eyes widened as I processed the name. Sakimiya… spelt backwards, it’s Miyazaki, our family name. And the Vcuber’s first name was Aria, just like Onee-chan’s.

“Eeeeh… is that you, Onee-chan? Are you a Vcuber?!” I asked, completely taken aback.

“There’s no way I could be a Vcuber,” she said quickly, waving her hands. “And look, she’s still streaming right now. Do I look like I’m streaming?”

“That’s true… but this Vtuber’s name is so similar to yours, Onee-chan. Do you know her?”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“Yeah, Aria, do you know her? I heard her calling your name earlier, like she knew you,” Viola added.

“I don’t know. But it seems like she knows me. Her debut date is also on our birthday, Irana. And her voice… it sounds familiar,” Onee-chan said thoughtfully.

I began to piece things together. The name similarity, the birthday coincidence, and the familiar voice… Could this Vcuber be someone from our family? There weren’t many women in the family who fit the description. But the voice… it was unmistakable. It sounded like… Mom?

“I’m going to call someone” I said, standing up. “Onee-chan, Viola, keep an eye on that Vcuber.”

“Who are you calling?” Onee-chan asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

Ignoring her, I dialed the number and waited. After a few rings, the familiar voice answered.

“Hello, Irana? Why are you calling me, sweetie? I’m busy right now. Is something important?”

“Sorry for calling suddenly, Mom… I just want to confirm something.”

“Confirm something? Ah… you might be watching me with Aria, right? That Vcuber is me. That’s what you wanted to confirm, isn’t it?” she said cheerfully.

…Wait, what?!

I tried to keep my composure. “…Sorry to bother you… just wanted to confirm something.”

“Well, it’s fine, sweetie. I don’t mind. Love you, Irana. Gotta go now…”

“Yeah… love you too. Bye for now.” I hung up the phone and turned to face Onee-chan and Viola, who were waiting expectantly.

“Who were you calling?” Onee-chan asked.

“I called Dad,” I said with a smirk.

“Huh?!”

“Hahaha, just kidding… I called Mom. That Vtuber is Mom.”

“Huh?!” Onee-chan’s jaw dropped as Viola’s eyes widened in disbelief.

***

I was completely stunned. My brain refused to process what Irana had just revealed. I didn’t know what to say or how to react. That night, I don’t even remember when I fell asleep. I was just… there, frozen in place, staring at nothing.

Meanwhile, Irana and Viola were engrossed in the livestream, giggling at every moment, as if the whole situation wasn’t absurd.

When I finally came to my senses, it was already morning.

“Onii… Onee-chan. Don’t just sit on the bed looking like a zombie. Hurry up and take a bath and change your clothes,” Irana said, standing by the edge of my bed, arms crossed and tapping her foot.

I groaned and pulled the blanket over my head. “…Tell me, Irana… last night… please tell me it was just a weird dream.”

Irana smirked. “Ah… so Onee-chan is still processing, huh? Unfortunately for you, it wasn’t a dream. Our mom really is a Vtuber. Sakimiya Aria, to be exact.”

I poked my head out, blinking at her in disbelief. “…”

Her grin widened as she grabbed my arm. “C’mon, no sulking. Let’s go! Shower time!”

Before I could protest, Irana practically dragged me out of bed and toward the bathroom. My mind kept spinning with the same questions.

How old is mom now? Why is she doing something like this? And… why didn’t I know?!

I’d always known Mom was youthful for her age. If she stood next to me, people might genuinely think she was my sister, not my mom. But her being a Vtuber? This was a whole other level of unexpected.

While I was lost in thought, Irana had somehow undressed me before I even noticed. My mental alarms immediately blared.

“Hehe… Now we can do what we usually do,” Irana said, a mischievous grin plastered across her face.

“Oh no. No, no, no!” I yelped, but it was too late. I was completely at her mercy.

Just then—

BANG!!

The bathroom door flew open, and there stood Viola. Completely naked.

“…Let me… Let me join too!” she exclaimed, her face red with embarrassment yet filled with determination.

My jaw dropped. “Viola?! Wh—why are you like this?!”

Irana, ever the instigator, grinned even wider. “Oh, come on in. The more, the merrier, right?”

“Oh, god. No, no, no!” I wailed. But my protests were in vain.

After what felt like an eternity of chaos, I finally emerged from the bathroom, completely exhausted yet oddly refreshed.

Fuaah… that was so refreshing.

I felt like my thoughts had been washed clean, too. Maybe this wasn’t such a bad way to deal with my existential crisis.

…Wait, you’re curious about what exactly happened in there, aren’t you?

Hmm… well… let’s just say it was a game. What kind of game, you ask? Curious?

That’s a SE… CRE… T-♪

Viola, on the other hand, looked completely drained. She was lying on the couch like she’d just run a marathon. Apparently, she didn’t anticipate the game either. Poor girl.

As for me, I was ready to face the day. Sort of.

Dear Diary,

Today, I found out that my childhood friend apparently admires lilies.

And I thought Irana was the only one I needed to watch out for…