~~Noel's POV~~
Yagoo and Shiro departed from us when we finally got out of the stage, and now, we had to walk to our new classrooms. New classmates, new teachers, and a new school year....
"He may seem chill, but he's kinda suspicious though...He's a misogynist, you know? What if he causes trouble for us?" I asked Flare.
"Don't worry. As long as Yagoo is there, he'll be fine, I guess. Besides..."
I felt Flare's warmth as she grabbed my hand and raised it.
"I don't think he'd do it, but if he ever tries to do something to you, I'm here. I can protect you, you know?"
"Oh, how sweet of you, Flare.~" I giggled.
Flare giggled back and we kept walking hand in hand.
~~Rushia's POV~~
'...Wow...it must be nice for couples, having somebody they actually love...and not only that, but genuine love, regardless if it's platonic love, friend love, or romantic love…'
I looked at Marine who looked at Noel and Flare with a smile.
"Hey, they're walking hand in hand like us, Rushia!" Marine said while looking at me with a wide smile.
"Un…" I tried to smile back.
'Will I ever feel that love? I mean, I know Marine loves me...she loves all of us but....I don't know. Nowadays, it feels like she's not giving that "affectionate" love anymore. It seems like it's slowly fading away…'
"...." I was lost inside my mind for a moment.
Something is coming into my head...something unpleasant....and something I wish wasn't true.
The memory of a person in a green polo shirt with 2 buttons loose that reeks of an old, ugly, fat, unhygienic, and really really really manipulative asshole in a small apartment along with a couple more guys standing by as they all look at me with their lecherous eyes, like any other men would.
I remember his old otaku-like glasses, his nose with a wart, and his wide ass tongue that sticks out as his saliva sticks like a damn spider web...I can't believe I've been working under this guy for about 3 months....
...and I also can't fucking believe this guy was the one who stole my first kiss. My first kiss that could've been somebody else's. A kiss that should've been reserved for somebody I TRULY LOVE....
'You're a cutie. I'll give you 70k yen once again if you come to my apartment tomorrow for another "session", little missy.'
And those were the last words I would remember before I finally snapped out of that little flashback.
Oh, and just so you know, I hate them. I despise them...but if I stop this, I won't have a second source of income....
"...Dad." I mumbled.
My heart, just slightly, felt like shards of glass poking it at random times, and even when I control it, it just comes in unexpectedly.
"Hmm? Rushia? Did you say something?" Pekora asked.
"A-Ah, nothing!" I giggled.
"Really? I also heard something." Marine said.
"R-Really. Please don't mind it. It's nothing serious." I smiled.
"W-Well...if there is something wrong, just ask us. We got your back, you know? I mean, we've been together for like...a year or so? 2 years? What I'm saying is that we've been together for so long. You can vent out, you know?" She smiled in a bittersweet way, like she lowkey feels what I'm feeling right now.
My smile went from a forced one to a genuine one. The difference was subtle, but the smile I'm doing right now is out of happiness.
"Un...I'll let you know." I said.
Well, as long as I got the others, I don't need that. I'm happy about this relationship with Marine. Hell, I'm happy with the relationship I have with everybody! Though, I wish me and Marine could do more...it's been like a year since we've been together. If I could, I would try to do "more"...
~~Subaru's POV~~
"What do you think of him?" Mio asked.
"I don't know..." I said.
"He's interesting. I wonder how our friendship with him will develop?" Okayu said.
"I just hope he'll get along with us or something...He seems rather uncomfortable, don't you think? Not to mention, his title for his output is rather...questionable. Especially some of the lyrics I was able to recall. He raps quite fast, doesn't he?" Korone said with a sad voice.
"Hmph! I don't care!" Ayame said.
"You're still angry about 'that'?" We sweat dropped.
"Though, I want to show him that we're friendly!" I said.
I want him to know that we're not like those other girls that might've upset him before! We're girls he can trust with all his heart! Girls that have his back when things get rough.
"Hmm? How willing are you to let him get friendly with us?" Mio asked.
"As much as I can! I mean, nobody deserves to be lonely here. Besides, we're Hololive! We're supposed to be this one big family!"
...Though, despite saying that, I was talking strictly about us girls. Our progress with Holostars was so little that only a few of us were able to befriend them, and even then, somebody like Matsuri doesn't interact with Rikka too often, both because of business and also cause us girls are just closer to each other like the boys are with each other….the difficulties of gender, man.
~~Roberu's POV~~
I looked up while closing my eyes and putting both of my hands behind my head, feeling the sunlight kissing my face as the air blew against my hair, almost making me giggle a bit, but not just from the weather today and the peace...
"You seem rather kinda happy, Roberu." Temma said.
"Hey guys, I bet 2,000 yen Shiro-kun is gonna cause a huge ruckus when he debuts."
"What kind of ruckus are we talking about?" Suzaku asked.
"A good kind of ruckus. One where he just might be able to get more attention than all of us combined."
"Is it because it's a new Holostar member? Maybe you're thinking that because we got a new member, it could cause some traction?"
"Not just that...I can just feel it. He looks rather interesting. Don't you all?"
"I bet 3, 000 yen he might end up like us though..." Kaoru frowned a bit.
"Hmm? You doubt him?"
"Not that. It's just...well, all of us have been struggling to get to the 'top'....well, where did we end up now?"
"True true..." I sighed and finally put my arms to my side.
"W-Who knows? He might be like me, Roberu, and a couple others!" Aruran said.
"Hmm?" I asked.
"I mean, look at us. We got quite a lot of attention. Reaching 100k subs as a Holostar member is not an easy feat! And besides, look at Roberu! His growth is amazing! He never got the attention he has now! He's zoning in quickly to 200k!"
"Well, Shiro-kun does speak very good English, so that might work..." Kira said.
"Though, if he doesn't put out the content that everybody wants to see, he'll just end up like us too..." Astel said.
"Though, he has good rapping skills. That could help?" Miyabi said.
"Then again, if his music isn't promoted, then it's just pointless." Oga said.
"Maybe we're overthinking?" Shien said.
"What could go wrong, will go wrong....probably." Izuru said.
"I mean, maybe he plays instruments like me? That's a bit of what led me to my success." Rikka said.
"And if he doesn't?" Izuru asked again.
"...Good point." Rikka sighed.
"Hmm..." We all crossed our arms.
"...OH! I GOT AN IDEA!" Kira said,
"What is it?! What is it?!" We all asked.
"If Shiro-kun's in a bad spot, how about we help him out?"
"Hmm...that's a good idea!" I said.
Everybody started talking to themselves, and I raised my right fist while giggling a bit.
"We just need to wait for the moment our kouhai would like to ask help from his senpais!"
~~Shiro's POV~~
"So, mind if I entertain you? That way, we both won't get bored?" Yagoo said as he pressed the button on the elevator that led to the 1st floor.
"You're bored too? Oh, and also, don't you like...have paperwork to do?"
"Screw my paperwork. That can wait. And yes, I'm bored. What can an old man that's the CEO of an entertainment company do? Besides, I have a meeting to do this afternoon, so I have some time to spare."
"Couldn't you watch your dreams get shattered by your 'idols'?"
We both giggled.
"Got a point."
"So." I started.
"So....how're you doing right now? You feel like you settled here a bit, at least?"
"A tiny bit."
"Tiny bit? Mind elaborating on that?"
"I guess it's the fact that I'm finally gonna be a streamer. A Vtuber. A concept that I just finally got into around December."
"You were never interested in Kizuna Ai, Kaguya Luna, or something?"
"Not really. It's not that they were anime girls that came to life, but it's more like I liked watching other content creators and focused more on...military work and music."
"Well, have you watched a bit of Kizuna Ai here and there?"
"A bit. Only butt clips though." I chuckled.
Obviously, that's a joke. I'm not that much of a pervert.
"Heh. Well, doesn't matter. I like the fact you've finally accepted your fate. We're professional here, so make sure that you commit to your streaming."
"That shouldn't be a problem, Old Man."
"I keep my eye on everybody, you know? Your Old Man is a sniper."
"Eh? What rifle do you use?"
"I use an AWP."
"This is not Counter Strike, Old Man."
We both giggled.
The doors finally opened, and we walked along the hall as we went towards the glass door.
"Got a question in advance. Are you gonna be doing a lot of activities with your Twitter account when I finally set it up?"
"Of course. I don't wanna be passive. I shall destroy your dream the moment my fingers get a hold of that juicy Twitter account."
"Ah, damn." He giggled.
"Well...you permit me to swear?"
"Yes. Even if the management will scold you for it."
"But will you limit the stuff I say in my songs?"
We finally got out of the building, and the sunlight hit my face as I put my hands in my pockets and walked along with Yagoo towards my classroom. The waves of the ocean hitting against the pillars that support the school is actually lowkey relaxing.
"As long as you know what you're getting into, and you're aware of what you're not supposed to say, then I'll let you be. I mean, I let Calli-chan do her thing. Besides, I'm sure you're not dumb enough to do that, are you?"
"Yeah yeah...besides, I'll take care of my own hate. I don't wanna involve everybody in my shit."
We laughed and continued walking towards the classroom as we talked more about what we went through in our daily lives.
As we approached a building, I noticed the letter "A" near the building's entrance. The entrance was located at the middle of the building.
'Hmm....A...just like what Old Man said.' I raised an eyebrow.
We went in, and I looked at the classrooms left and right, hearing the loud chatters of the students. The usual girl thing you'd hear.
The hallway was made so that it formed a T-intersection. You come here from the entrance, then you go left or right when you get in the hallway.
"Hey...I think that was Shiro-kun...!"
"Don't you think Oga-kun x Shiro-kun is a good pair? I'm gonna draw that and show it to you tomorrow! Teehee!~"
"Hmm....wanna go shopping after school?!"
'Ugh..."let's go shopping!~". The usual girl line.' I thought.
We finally went to the 2nd floor, and I recalled my classroom "A-2B". There were stairs on both ends of the hallway, but we took the stairs at the right side of the hallway. We went inside the classroom that had "B" on it, so putting the pieces of the puzzle together, that makes up "A-2B". The A building, on the 2nd floor, in classroom B.
Yagoo opened the door, and when it did, everybody looked at us, stopping the lively noise inside here from a while ago and I looked straight ahead, looking at my light-brown haired and brown-eyed teacher with glasses who's currently sitting on her chair near a whiteboard to my right. A wide whiteboard that covers almost the entire wall to my right.
The classroom was like those university seats. It ascends. I guess that makes sense, considering this is a huge school.
"Ah! Shiro-kun! You're finally here! We have a vacant seat near Sui-chan up there!"
She pointed towards what looked like the most upper seat of the classroom, and I saw the blue-eyed psychopath of Hololive, Hoshimachi Suisei, a.k.a the girl that inspired me to become a fast Tetris player in hopes to beat her someday.
I looked around the classroom, gathering as much info as I can with only a glance of the whole room.
I could see some girls looking away, either embarrassed or a bit...scared. Some would look down at their tables, and some would just talk with their seatmate. Nonetheless, it didn't bother me.
'...Sora on the far right table on the 2nd step, just right in the middle of that table.'
I looked up, seeing Suisei.
'Suisei all alone by herself in the mid table on the 5th and last step, leaning to the right of that table.'
I looked to the most right table, just to the left of Suisei's table.
'And there's my cute necromancer old hag loli. Same step, and is seating on the right side of that table.'
I finally went up to Suisei's table, went to the left side of it, put my bag underneath the table, and I put my right leg first then my left leg, finally sitting down as I manspread.
I sighed, and leaned on my right hand as I saw Yagoo whispering something to Akina-sensei as she nods a few times and he cupped his hands on her ears.
"Welp, I guess my work is done here, take care of yourself, Shiro. I got some meetings to attend and paperwork to submit." Yagoo smiled as he went out the same way we got in the classroom.
I nodded.
"Well, now that Shiro-kun is here, how about we all introduce ourselves? Me and the Hololivers shall introduce ourselves too in the process! Besides, we have some time before 9:00 AM, so let's all familiarize ourselves before we start!" The teacher asked.
Everybody nodded.
"Once again, my name is Akasuki Akina! I'm gonna be your homeroom teacher for this school year! Please call me Akina-sensei!"
Still can't imagine her being like Akina-neechan. Well, Akina-neechan ironically had a bigger MILF aura to her. Akina-sensei is like that kind onee-san. And no, I'm not into onee-san shota play. Besides, that's my teacher. That's kinda wrong.
'Doesn't mean I don't masturbate to that shit in 18+ sites though. You know I beat my meat hard on that hot shit. It's not real anyway so it's fine.'
Akina-sensei looked at me in the eyes, and I looked to my left quickly, making her giggle a bit as I groaned slightly.
"Well, let's start here, huh?" She said as she pointed her palm to her most-right student.
The girl nodded, and they started introducing themselves.
I got my notebook and pen out, and I started thinking of the 1st verse for the "Could you please RIP?" remix. I need to work on this fast so that I can get this ready for the debut.
My pen was the one Civia gave me in the school supplies store. Love you so much for this, Civia.
'Hmm...NUnununu NUnununu nunununu NUNU....something something uh-er...ooh, goner-GUNNER. Yeah! 1st bar = goner, 2nd bar = gunner!'
That also rhymes with water, slaughter, summer, and other words. Actually, it also rhymes with "cover". I could play around with that word.
"Chotto, we're still in class!" Suisei whispered.
"I know, but I'd like to work on a song right now. Don't mind me, I won't disturb you all." I replied back.
I don't see what's wrong though...as long as I'm not making any noise, I'm fine, right?
Suisei sighed.
"Whatever. That's not my business." Suisei said as she leaned on her left hand.
When it was Sora's turn, she stood up, and turned towards us.
"Good morning! How are you, all of my Sora-friends? I'm Tokino Sora! A Gen 0 member! 20 years old! I like playing piano, singing, drawing, cats, sweet things, and Japanese! I hope we'll get along this year, everybody!"
Everybody shouted, and I nodded quickly in the middle of it.
'Yeah yeah, I know you, super seiso idol Daisenpai a.k.a somebody I can bully with insects.'
Everybody else introduced themselves, then came Suisei where I finally stopped writing on my notebook and I looked up at her.
"Good morning, everybody! Appearing like a comet, it's your diamond in the rough, Hoshimachi Suisei-desu! A Gen 0 member! I'm 20 years old! I like to draw, play Tetris, cooking, singing, and everything you can expect from a cute idol! And as you all know, Sui-chan wa....?"
She knelt her legs a bit inward and put out her index and middle fingers out on both hands, putting it near her temples.
"Kyou mo kawaii!"
The girls giggled, and I almost snickered.
'Yaba, if Suisei heard that, I'd be fuckin' dead on the first day of school.' I held in my laughter. Not cause I'm mocking her, but...you know, I just thought it was sorta cute, now seeing her actual face in real life. I still prefer her 2d version though. 3d girls lowkey suck…
...SUCK MY DICK, OF COURSE! YEAH!
"Well, I guess it's my turn..." I mumbled.
I stood up, and scratched my head.
"Um...My name's Ishijin Shiro. I'm a....a solo debutant of Holostars but better known as Holostars' Vrapper, making me the 13th member. I'm 20 years old. I play games, I rap, I make music but especially hip-hop, I can play instruments, and uh...I like exercising. Wish us good luck in the future, or something along those lines. That's all."
I sighed as I sat back down.
'Done.'
Akina-sensei giggled.
"Nice to meet you, Shiro-kun."
I jumped a bit, and the girls also giggled.
"So he's misogynistic, but he's shy? Kawaii." I heard one girl say.
"Too bad. He's kinda cute, but he just hates women..."
"Hmm...maybe I'll try my luck this afternoon...."
'...U fukin' wut, m8?' I thought.
I blushed a bit, and covered my face.
"Please...stop." I mumbled.
Thots....
The introductions finally went to Rushia.
"G-Good morning, everybody! 3rd gen member of Hololive, your boin boin necromancer, Uruha Rushia-desu! I like to sing and stream for everybody! I hope we all get along!"
She sat down, and the last 2 girls introduced themselves.
'Well, I guess that's that. I sorta remember all my classmate's names. I only remember the ones I found a bit interesting. The others, I might need a re-introduction.' I thought.
"Now that everybody here is done with their introductions, can you all promise to get along with each other?" Akina-sensei said.
"Hai, Akina-sensei!" Everybody said except me.
"Shiro-kun?"
'...Fuck.'
"H-Hai. I'll do my best to get along...and whatever."
The girls giggled, but I saw Suisei looking at me in my peripheral vision.
'Oh, me and Suisei are gonna be best pals, alright.'
DING! goes the bell. I looked at the clock above the whiteboards and the hands of the clock pointed exactly at 9 o'clock.
"Ah! The class has started now! Well then, everybody. Without further ado, let's start getting into songwriting! Our schedule for today is temporary, so expect that our class schedules, starting tomorrow, will be different."
She started writing on the whiteboard with a marker. I could hear the little squeaks of the marker as I kept writing on my notebook.
I heard no more squeaks and I looked back at Akina-sensei.
"Alright, do any of you know what a bar and meter is?" Akina-sensei asked the class.
Everybody nodded.
"In music, metre or meter refers to the regularly recurring patterns and accents such as bars and beats. Bars, or in simpler terms, measure, is a single unit of time containing a specific number of beats played at a particular tempo. To put it in even simpler terms, 'Meter' refers to the beats inside bars, and Bars refer to the vertical lines that separate these meters. Lemme give an example."
She started drawing on the board, and I continued writing.
In my peripheral vision, I would notice Suisei's eyes looking at my paper. I don't know why, or why she'd do it, but I don't care as long as I'm not being bothered....
Wait, now that I think about it, I've always had good handwriting since 9....maybe she's amazed about the gap? How I act like a delinquent but my handwriting is as good as a girl's? Not that my handwriting looks like a girl's. If you've ever seen Eminem's handwriting, then you can tell the difference between a man's and a girl's good penmanship.
Once again, I heard no more squeaks from the board, and I stopped writing the song.
"Here it is, in case none of you understood my explanation."
She drew a 4/4 time signature, and drew notes on 5 lines. She put an arrow on the vertical lines calling it "bars" and the ones in-between the bars, the "meters", in a horizontal bracket.
"Do you all get it now?"
"Un!"
She giggled.
"You all learn fast. I expected no less from aspiring idols."
She went to the other side of the board, and started writing something else.
This'll continue to be a pattern. She writes, I write. She stops writing, I stop writing.
She stopped writing, and I looked at the board. I saw my favorite topic for music, which made me grin. Nobody could see it 'cause of the mask, but I'm grinning like hell right now.
"Do any of you know rhymes?"
We all nodded.
"Rhymes are a repetition of similar sounds, or even same sounds, in the final stressed syllables and any following syllables of two or more words. An example of this is Mizu (water) and Kissu (kiss)."
They all nodded.
"Now that that's done, I shall start writing the types of rhymes. You all can write notes if you want. Especially you, Shiro-kun."
I jumped a bit.
"Y-Yeah..." I said.
I didn't take notes, since I already knew it. But what the fuck? "Especially you, Shiro-kun"? The hell does that mean? Does she know?
Amidst the writing, I was sent a piece of paper from Suisei.
"No notes?" It read.
I got that piece of paper Suisei used, and it became like those script-dialogue fics in Wattpad.
Shiro: I already know it
Suisei: At least take notes, in case you don't know it all
Shiro: I took it to heart. I don't need notes. I'm a rapper, you know? I know my research. I doubt there's a type of rhyme I need to study. Hell, I've been rhyming my whole life.
Suisei: Fine, but don't blame me if you forget it. Just reminding, you know? Looking out for a fellow Hololiver.
Shiro: Yeah yeah yeah.
After Akina-sensei is done, she started explaining the types of rhymes. Went from basic rhyme types, which I already know like perfect rhymes, slant rhymes, eye rhymes, and the usual, while having one student give examples of those rhymes. I couldn't care less, but then came my favorite type of rhyme....
"-now, multi-syllable rhymes are where you rhyme more than one syllable to a word. Just like my example before. Mizu and Kissu. I rhymed two syllables. In modern music, this is one of the most used rhymes ever, because of how diverse, and unique it can be. It is known that, in western music, artists can rhyme for whole bars, which means they could possibly rhyme for about 7 syllables! Maybe even more! That's amazing, right?! I remember seeing somewhere that a rapper was able to rhyme 11 syllables! Though, my memory about that is a bit hazy..."
"Sugoi!" A fellow classmate of mine said.
"Man, that's kinda cool." Another one said.
"Imagine rhyming every single bar, that's amazing!" Another girl said.
After a while, Akina-sensei looked at me.
"Shiro-kun?"
"Y-Yeah?" I raised my eyebrows.
"Can you give examples of multi-syllable rhymes?"
I sighed, and I stood up while putting my hands in my pocket.
I looked up as I thought about what word I could rhyme.
'Let's see...let's go with "Isopropyl".' I thought.
"Should I give 2 examples? Or more, Akina-sensei?"
"For as much as you can please!"
"Can I do it in English?"
"Yes, you may! P-Please add Japanese too so that your classmates can also understand."
I nodded.
I got my right hand out of my pocket to do gestures. It helps me think as I say the rhymes.
I breathed in.
'Won't make sense, but I don't give a fuck. I'm not J.I.D or Eminem or shit.'
"Isopropyl. It does propel. It's just a lil'. It's on the bell. It pops, it kills. The toppings' filled. I pop the pills. I got the gel. She hot as hell. Ain't stopping here. Dakedo. Sake no-. Bakemo-no. Nani o.- Same-"
"Okay 2x, stop." She giggled nervously.
"G-Gomennasai. I got a bit carried away." I said.
At least I got to warm up my mouth and brain.
I sat down, and everybody gasped. Even Suisei.
"I never knew you could come up with rhymes that fast..." Suisei said.
"Hmm? It's natural for a rapper to think of rhymes fast though..."
Especially 'cause I need to improve my freestyling skills. I can freestyle, but I know I can improve more. Harry Mack, I aspire to be you, bro.
"So, Shiro gave a good example of multi-syllable rhymes. He did a bit more than expected though." Akina-sensei giggled nervously.
"But it just goes to show why Tanigo-san hired him as a Holostar member! Rhyming quickly without stopping and stuttering and the ability to rhyme that many syllables in an instant is not an easy feat, even for a rapper. Sasuga Ishijin Shiro!" She clapped.
'Oh no...she clapped.'
You know what happens when somebody claps, right? Bandwagon-ing happens.
My classmates also giggled and clapped afterwards, and I sighed.
'I can't help it. Rhymes are very nice to hear. That's also the art of rap. Well, one aspect of the art of rap.'
Kendrick Lamar, you beast of a man.
We continued discussing about rhymes, a brief history of it, what rhymes to use for certain situations, how to come up with rhymes quickly, and just before our class ended, Akina-sensei gave us her songwriting advice.
"Now, before I end the class, I want you all to remember. Akina-sensei's songwriting advice: Rhymes are a part of songwriting, but you don't have to put rhymes in all the time. You all have heard Japanese music nowadays, right? We don't rhyme that much but we get the message out always. Remember that the message is more important than your rhymes. Can't find a good rhyme while keeping the same message? Don't bother!~ Just make another rhyme scheme!~"
She clapped twice.
"And that shall be it for this class! The bell's about to ring soon, so once it does, go get yourselves something to eat, and have a nice day!~ Review your rhymes when you can!~ I'd appreciate it!~"
I sighed.
I looked at my notebook, and checked the lyrics I made so far.
"Hmm....welp, I'll save that for another time." I said to myself.
Just when I closed the notebook, the bell's ringing echoed through the hallways of the building and inside the classrooms.
"Snack time!~" Akina-sensei shouted.
Suisei stretched.
"That was tiring...!" She said as she released from her stretch and breathed out.
She looked at me.
"Didn't you feel at least a bit tired from the lecture, Shiro-kun?"
I shook my head.
I grabbed my wallet and AirPods from my bag, put it in my pocket, and stood up.
"I like writing songs anyway, so I don't mind."
I went to the canteen, stomach slightly grumbling, and wondering what I might eat there.
'Dammit, Shiro. THAT shall be the last time you let your phone die like that...!'
I looked at the selections. Ham, cheese, bacon, hotdog, yakisoba, instant cup ramen, bread, the usual snack selections. One item caught my eye though....
"One extra spicy ham sandwich, please." I said to the lady.
She got it, gave it to me over the counter, and I gave her the same amount as it was priced on the pack.
"Here you go! One extra spicy ham sandwich!"
"Arigatou-gozaimasu." I said while walking away and putting my left hand in my pocket.
I picked a vacant table. Every table had a close equal distance, so I picked the table that's far enough from everybody else.
It's about 3-4 tables away from the girls when I picked my seat. I also made sure to face my back against them so that they can't see my face. It's the perfect seat.
I got my AirPods, turned the bluetooth of my phone on, and I listened to Cash Out by Calvin Harris ft. ScHoolboy Q, PARTYNEXTDOOR, and D.R.A.M.
I opened up the pack, smelling the once-trapped aroma of the sandwich as the smell of the bread, the ham, and everything in-between the two slices of bread flooded my nostrils. Feels very nice for my dopamine.
"...Uh...party like it's 1980 where the afro shiny and the girls all purty.~ Where the white girl molly, and a dark-skinned Kylie, can I rock both bodies? Ay.~" I rapped along with the song while bobbing my head to the beat.
'Well, I guess nobody's gonna bother me right now. I think it's safe...'
I grabbed the top of the mask, and pulled it down slowly. Just when the mask was pulled down about 1/4th along the way, I heard a voice outside my AirPods.
"Yo, Shiro-kun. Got some free time?"
I pulled it up quickly and returned it to my nose, and looked behind me.
"R-Roberu?"
He giggled.
I saw the Holostar members waving behind him, and they sat at my table. I turned my music off, got the case, and put my AirPods into my pocket. I also packed my sandwich back in its pack.
Each table can fit 8 people, so the other Holostar members sat on the other table.
"You eaten yet?" Roberu asked.
I shook my head.
"Well, let's unpack our snacks, and eat!" Kira said.
Everyone pulled out their snacks. Fries, burgers, sandwiches, cookies, biscuits, bread, you name it. Everyone has snacks, but some of us were matching.
"Itadakimasu!"
"I-Itadakimasu...." I said last.
They all took a big munch of their snacks. I just waited for a good opportunity to eat my snack, either they might go away, I will go to the bathroom, or something else that might happen...
"You're not gonna eat yet?" Roberu asked.
"I can't eat with a mask on, you know?" I pointed to my mask.
'Now that I think about it, I could eat along with any of them if I had a hoodie on...' I thought.
"Oh yeah...sorry if we're bothering you, Shiro. We can go to another table if you want to." Roberu giggled nervously.
"Don't worry. I don't get hungry that much." I said.
Well, my appetite actually depends on my mood, and I am kinda hungry right now, but you know...Snack time just started a while ago. I still have some time to eat.
"Say, what flavor is that?" He looked at my sandwich.
"Extra spicy ham."
"Ooh! You can handle very spicy food, ey?"
I nodded.
Some of them giggled.
"Ne, we wanted to talk with you after class, Shiro-kun!" Kira said.
"Yeah, you seem like a nice dude, despite your claim of hating women. If you really did hate women, you would've caused a ruckus." Astel said.
I smiled.
"Thanks, guys."
Seems they understand my situation.
"So, why did you school here, Shiro-kun?" Roberu asked.
"Well, I wanted to further my music-making career. That, and also 'cause I realized Hololive had a male branch, and also 'cause I simp for Ayame."
"Ooh!" They all said.
"Ayame-senpai?! Man, you're crazy!" Roberu giggled.
"Seriously? Ayame-senpai?" Kira asked.
I nodded.
"Well, continuing on…" I said as I looked at everybody.
"Oh yeah. What do you usually do?" Oga asked.
"I make beats. I can also use bass, guitar, and piano when making it. As you all know, I can rap. I've just recently practiced singing.
"Ooh, cool!" They all said.
"What about you guys?" I asked.
"I did it cause I want to increase my repertoire of skills and 'cause Sora-senpai inspired me! I'm a good talker, you know?" Roberu said.
He put his arm around my neck.
"I can also make good cocktail, lemme tell you that. I'm not a strong drinker, but I love my alcohol."
I grinned.
"Well, I'm looking forward to your cocktails. I love myself some strong alcohol sometimes."
Cock-tails. I'm not gay, I swear.
I looked at the others.
"What about y'all?"
"We like to entertain people through streaming!" They said.
"Oh? Is singing a requirement actually?" I asked.
"Not really. It's just to do singing streams. You're actually unique, Shiro." Temma said.
"In what way?"
"Rapping! None of us mainly rap."
"Even I talk fast, but I can't rap, you know? I never tried that. I could if I tried, but I'm not like, you know....the usual rappers that really rap fast, you know?" Roberu giggled.
I giggled as well.
"Well, I find it amazing how you can make pleasant melodies. I mean, I tried singing before, but I started taking it seriously about...3 months ago?" I said as I looked up.
"Well, even though we can do that, you can come up with lyrics on the go, right?" Kira asked.
"Yeah. I can freestyle rap. Still learning it though."
"Hey, try doing one right now. Doesn't have to be serious. Just show us what you can do." Temma said as he leaned on the table.
"Yeah, we'd like to hear your skillz!" Astel said.
The other Holostar members said the same thing, and I chuckled.
"O-Okay. Just 8 bars though. Deal?" I asked.
"Deal!"
I peeked at the girls. Damn, their eyes sorta creep me out. I could only sigh since there's nothing I can really do about it. I just hope none of them might approach me all of a sudden.
"Ehem, ehem. Wait, somebody give me a beat. C'mon." I said as I snapped my fingers 3 times.
Roberu cupped his hands and started beatboxing. It's not the best, but it's just enough to get me in the mood.
"Yeah, there we go!" I said.
The basic "Boots and cats and bo-bo-boots, cats and" type of beat.
~A/N: Forgive me if my Japanese and translations here might be fucked up. I'm not good at Japanese Q-Q~
"Uh...check it, check it, check it."
"Uh. Ore no namae, Ishijin Shiro (My name is Ishijin Shiro)."
"Kono rap game fucked up, demo ore ga kaitetsu yo. (This rap game is fucked up, but I'mma fix it.)"
"Rappaa ni genbaku no you ochirakuru. (I'mma drop down like an atomic bomb on a rapper.)"
"Shinigami janai, demo hontouni korosu! (I'm not a reaper, but I'll really kill you!)"
"Shiro wa Suzaku you. Touken de kiru yo. (I'm like Suzaku. I'll slice you with a sword.)"
"Omee jibun ga tanku da to omou? Matte. (You think you're a tank? Wait)"
"Chotto henda. Korosu. Mou shinda! (That's weird. I'll kill you. You're dead!)"
"Shiro wo kenka suru to omee shitai naru jaa! (If you fight me, then you'll become a corpse!)"
"Holostar's Vrapper. Saikou no rap skill koko ni. (Holostar's Vrapper. The best rap skill is here.)"
"Coco you ni. Minna no iken wo shiranai yo. (Like Coco, I don't care about your opinions.)"
"Jibun wo shinjiru no ga aru. (I have faith in myself)."
"Nani mo tassei dekiru. Ore wa yaruki ga motteru. (I can do anything I want. I got the willpower.)"
"And kinda like my sandwich, my raps are hella hot, G." (grabs sandwich)
"And plus I get the money. That's why these bitches love me."
"Demo, mou sugu kansei suru. (I'm about to finish this.) So, for y'all..."
"I hope this freestyle was lit for the Holostars! Wah!"
"OOOOOOHHHHHHH!!!!" They all shouted.
"That was more than 8 bars actually." I laughed.
"Still, that was amazing!" Kira said.
"What the hell was that?! You didn't stutter at all!" Kaoru said.
"Was that purely on-the-go lyrics?" Miyabi asked.
"Yup! Told you I can freestyle rap!"
"YO, THERE'S NO WAY!" Roberu laughed.
"Man, you got more potential than we thought! I'm rooting for you when you finally make your debut, man!" Oga said.
~~Subaru's POV~~
"They're having a good time there..." I mumbled while looking at Shiro and the others.
'I guess he really is misogynistic...he can't get along with us girls…' I thought.
I stood up, and put my duck-flavored sandwich to the side.
"W-What are you doing?" Ayame asked.
"I want to confront Shiro about this..."
I want him to be friends with us too, you know? Especially me! I can tell he's a good guy! He's just a turtle hiding in his shell, waiting for the time he can pop his head out.
~~Shiro's POV~~
"Yo! We got talent right here! It was wise of Yagoo to accept him!" Roberu said.
I giggled.
'...Wait...this emotion I'm feeling right now....this is something only Subaru and my other pals would be able to do, especially my online friends in Discord back when I was still making music in Soundcloud.'
I smiled, but in a different way. The heartwarming kind of smile.
"Yo, we can't wait to see you streaming, bro!" Miyabi said.
"Bro?" I tilted my head.
"Yeah. We gon' treat you like we treat each other here." Roberu said.
"From now on, you're one of us. We help each other's backs, you know?" Temma said.
"You might even drink some Gin with us." Aruran chuckled.
"Expect to do dumb stuff with us, if you do dumb stuff." Kira giggled.
I chuckled.
"I'm expecting to get along with you all." I said.
I heard some pitter patter behind me after saying that. I looked behind me, seeing Subaru walking towards us.
"Oh?" I said to myself.
The boys looked at her too, and did the same thing:
"Oh?"
Subaru finally stopped and stood a good distance away from our table.
"Shiro, can you please come here?" Subaru asked.
I sighed, and scratched my head.
"Aight, I'll be back after this, guys." I said as I stood up and walked towards her.
"What is it?" I put my hands in my pocket.
I took a quick glance at the background. All eyes were on us. This did give me butterflies in my stomach. Not 'cause I don't like eyes looking at me, but...it sorta makes me embarrassed, seeing Subaru and me might discuss something serious, and not only that, BUT I'M NOT EVEN CLOSE TO THE GIRLS YET!
"Listen, I know you're misogynistic, and all, and....you have trust issues with women in general, but..."
She then bowed, and I stepped back a bit.
"Please understand us! I want you to know that you can be good friends with us girls too! You can receive the same happiness with us as you would with the boys!"
"U-U-U-UGH-W-W-W-W-W-" I widened my eyes.
'WHAT THE FUCK, SUBARU?! SERIOUSLY?! I MEAN, I LOWKEY EXPECTED THAT, BUT WHAT THE FUCK?! THAT'S HELLA BLUNT!'
"At least let's talk about this in private, oi!" I said as I stepped a bit forward.
She stood back up.
"Does that mean you'll at least give us a chance?"
I nodded quickly.
"I-I get it! So please, can we stop this?! Look, we're attracting everybody's attention, oi!" I said.
"You get it?! YATTA!" Subaru said while jumping a bit.
I sighed.
'She looks so oblivious...I will admit, that's kinda cute. Didn't expect her to jump so girly with her knees pointing inward.' I thought.
Then again, she is ironically one of the most girly in Hololive.
I sat back down and closed my eyes as I sighed once more.
"Welp, there you have it. Now let's continue what we were gonna talk about-" I cut myself off and opened my eyes.
Now that I think about it...
"N-Ne, Subaru..." I said as I turned around.
"Hmm? What is it, Shiro-kun?" She asked as she turned back at me.
"Mind touring me around school tomorrow? I'm not familiar with all the buildings...I mean, you proposed that idea, so..."
"Un! I'd gladly tour you around!"
She turned her back towards me and hummed a peaceful tune as she walked back towards her seat.
I could see the girls in the background still being stunned at Subaru's actions. The boys though...
"Looks like somebody has a crush on Shiro.~" Roberu teased.
The boys went "Yieee!~"
"Urusee yo!" I groaned.
If you listen closely, you can hear one of the girls' gossips as "Huh...Subaru-chan really tamed the beast, didn't she?". Like, bitch, what?-
Though...that's the first Hololiver I've ever tried to actually socialize with. Suisei, well...it's more like I just didn't wanna be disturbed. I guess, with Subaru, I can be a bit more comfortable with her, since she's a tomboy. The closest to a boy in terms of aura.
"Well, jokes aside, it's a nice thing you got Subaru-senpai as a friend. She's very friendly, you know?" Shien asked.
"How friendly?" I asked.
"I mean, can you frickin' believe it, man? She's like one of the reasons why Hololive is still standing today. She's like everybody's hypeman! She's the embodiment of positivity, and is even very close with a majority of them. Hell, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she's even close with all of them."
"Ah, yeah. Of course." I said as I leaned on my right hand and chuckled.
~~Subaru's POV~~
"Hmm hm hmm…~ Shiro-kun is approachable!~" I hummed.
"Sasuga Subaru-senpai." I heard a whisper in the crowd.
"I guess if you're outgoing, that's natural." I heard another whisper.
"Was it because she's a tomboy that she got the best of him? Who knows? But that was quick..."
I sat down, and grabbed my sandwich. Still smiling widely as I replay that moment in my head.
"Sugoi...you actually tamed him." Ayame said.
"Told you! He just needed some breaking in!" I said.
~~Civia's POV~~
I put a finger on my mouth.
"My, that's all you need to do, huh? I guess I'll keep that in mind." I giggled.
"You're mine!" Artia pouted.
"Of course. I just like teasing." I giggled.
I held Artia's hand.
"Though, wouldn't it be nice to know him, for real?" I asked myself.
"Well, I'm just glad he actually was able to interact with us." Yogiri said.
"W-Well, what's important is that he's not all bad." Echo said.
"Hmm, I heard from Akina-sensei that he was actually tame in class. I guess that proves us wrong." Rosalyn said.
"Hmm..." Doris said.
"What's wrong, Doris?" I asked her.
"Nothing...I'm still wondering what he's hiding beneath that mask. He just mentioned he's hiding something...I mean, you were thinking about that too, right?" She asked.
"Yeah..."
I wonder what you really are, Shiro?
~~Shiro's POV~~
Me and the boys talked about some stuff.
"So basically....me, Temma, and Astel went to a restaurant, and then we had quite a lot of trouble there! You see, I really needed to take a shit in the restroom! Temma was still waiting at our table, and Astel was still in the bathroom."
"Wait a minute...I think I saw that!" I said as I pointed at Roberu.
"Eh? You saw the stream?" He asked.
"Yup! Was that the part where the ice cream finally came, but you still needed to poop, so you banged the bathroom door while screaming Astel's name, and-"
"YEAH YEAH YEAH! THAT ONE! BWAHAHAHA!" Roberu laughed hard as he slammed the table.
"Yeah, what the fuck, Roberu?! What's wrong with your stomach?!" Astel laughed.
"You know, when I saw that stream, I was wondering if Holostars was still an idol group." Suzaku laughed.
"Hey, if it's Hololive, nothing is idol-related. Let's be honest. The only idol shit we see in Hololive are the songs and performances. Other than that, I think Haato trying to show her panties in her 3D debut stream while also twerking live with Coco is something an idol wouldn't do at all. Then again, I guess that's what makes an idol. Charisma and STAGE PRESENCE."
"BWAHAHAHA!!!" They all laughed and held their stomachs. I also laughed along them, but I didn't really hold my stomach. I did lean on the table a lot.
"Ah...well, I will be breaking Yagoo's dream when I finally get on Twitter, so…" I shrugged and giggled. They also laughed and giggled.
"Well uh....mind telling us what you might be planning to do when you finally stream?" Roberu asked.
"Oh! Um...I'm planning to do-"
Before I could finish my sentence, I heard the door of the cafeteria open.
"Is Shiro-kun here?" I heard the voice of a familiar woman.
I looked behind me and saw who it was.
"Huh...I see." I said to myself.
It was Akina-sensei.
"Shiro-kun! Can we have a small talk?" She said across the cafeteria.
"Hai! Wait for a bit!"
I grabbed my sandwich and my bag.
"G-Gomen, Shiro-kun! We lost track of time!" Roberu said as he put his hands together with one eye closed and his face looking like he's slightly in pain.
"Don't mind it. I'm okay." I giggled.
I looked up at the wall clock. I actually wonder when snack time ends? Is it 30 minutes? There's like 7 minutes left until 30 minutes have passed.
I finally walked up to Akina-sensei with my bag and sandwich on me, and she smiled.
"Let's talk in the classroom. I got some things I'd like to talk about for a bit."
That's right, squarey bois. AUTHOR-KUN IS TORTURING HIMSELF-I mean, CONTINUING THIS BOOK, AND NOW SHALL NOT PROCRASTINATE AND TOTALLY NOT NOT STRUGGLE WITH EDITING HIS OWN CHAPTERS
For real though, I hope you guys will enjoy the book as I keep continuing along (even if you criticize it a lot)
That's all, and bye, squarey bois.