Ch 62 - The Girl I Like Pt. 5

Korone panted, sweat trailing down from her head to her feet. Even though she was on the offense, she couldn't get to deal good amounts of damage to him. Matter of fact, she was the one getting hurt.

"H-How can you withstand that many blows? Not to mention, I even hit your head!" Korone asked as she held her stomach.

"Oh trust me, that straight to the head hurt like hell, but I've had worse than that. Hell, I thought I would've died during my training back then. How about this, Korone? For this round, I will not hurt you. No punches, no kicks, no grabs, no chops, no nothing. Just pure defense. Hit me with all you've got."

"R-Really? It sounds too good of a deal."

"It both maintains my pain tolerability as well as making me able to coach you properly."

"Hmm? You sure? I just hit you in the head because you allowed me to do it."

"Told ya, I've had worse. Now c'mon...hit me!" Shiro said, punching his gloves together.

"Okay!"

"...PSH!" Shiro did a feint with his body, making Korone put her guard up and scream.

"Y-You said you weren't gonna punch!"

"I said I wasn't gonna hurt you, I didn't say I wouldn't do feints. Now, c'mon, hit me!"

And Korone did. Every chance Korone got, she would box him with her flurry of combos. However, there were times Shiro told her to do certain techniques, like a back kick, and elbows. Although he taught her grappling, they weren't in the right environment to practice it, and not to mention, Korone's strongest suit is striking.

"T-That was fun, actually." Korone panted and laughed as she wiped the sweat off of her forehead with her forearm. At this point though, she was begging to take a rest.

"Yeah. Now is the time for me to have fun."

"E-Eh?"

"Does your body still hurt? Ah, who am I kidding, that question is irrelevant. Korone, put your guard up, because we're going back to sparring. As usual, I'll be going 40% of my full strength."

"Eh? Wait a minute, it does hurt! Give me a moment-"

"THINK FAST, CHUCKLENUTS!" Shiro said, going for a left jab.

"AH!! STOP!!!" Korone did her usual iconic scream as Shiro kept punching her.

'Err...on second thought, Korone might just be fit to be a sport boxer. I even just did 40% 'cause 50% and 60% made her wince in pain. Welp, at least I got a punching bag to work with.' Shiro thought as he stared blankly in his mind.

~~Misogynistic Hololiver~~

"Yo." Shiro greeted everybody at the lounge.

"Yo!"

"Hah...hah...yo…" Korone slouched as she held her knees and panted.

"Um, is Korone-chan okay? She looks rather beat." Roberu sweat dropped and pointed at her.

"Oh, her? That's because we sparred a ton."

"EH?! SPAR?!" Everybody shouted.

"BOI, YOU BETTER HAVE HELD BACK! YOU'RE A MONSTER FROM WHAT I KNOW!" Temma pointed at Shiro.

"Ah, I did."

"Y-Yeah...Shiro-kun held back." Korone said, shaking a bit and forcing a smile.

"Your face says otherwise!" Temma pointed at her.

"Hey, I held back to around 40%. That's a lot, you know?"

"Oi! You didn't do major damage to Korone, did you?" Mio asked Shiro.

"Nope. I will admit though, the next time she ever gets into a fight, she'll be tougher. Ain't that right, Korone?" Shiro patted her lightly at the shoulder and Korone flinched and winced.

"K-KORONE?!" Everybody shouted.

Korone shivered while turning to them and, again, forced a smile.

"I-I'm fine guys. P-P-Perfectly fine." She did a wide smile and held a thumbs-up with as much strength as she could muster without wincing.

The Hololivers stared back at Shiro and squinted slightly as their stares pierced right through his soul, almost like an adult being suspicious of a kid hiding something. This made Shiro sweat drop.

"I mean, to be fair, Korone wanted to spar with me, so I did just that. She practically asked for it. Don't you go light in spars?"

"Say, you held back, right, Shiro-kun?" Matsuri asked as she got close to Korone.

"Yes. Yes, I did." Shiro said, instantly grabbing Matsuri's cheeks and squeezing it.

"Why do you do this everytime?!!!" Matsuri said in a slightly muffled voice, grabbing Shiro's hands.

"Because it's both cute and because I hate your face." Shiro deadpanned.

'...Wah? Is he flirting with her?' Everybody thought.

"Actually, this is getting old. Next time, I'll hug you so tight, you'll be screaming for help." Shiro sighed and let go of her cheeks.

"H-Hey! You're done, already?!"

"Yeah."

Matsuri pouted, slightly upset that he wasn't done having his fill of squeezing her cheeks, but she let it go over her shoulder and sigh.

"Well, anyway, Yagoo said something about a meeting this 10 AM till 12. All of us will attend later."

"Oh, that one? Yeah, me and Korone got the text messages. Don't worry." Shiro reassured her.

"Hey, Korone. Wanna go back to your room now?" He asked.

"Yeah, can't miss this meeting! I'll be fine…probably." Korone switched to a deadpan while staring at Shiro.

"I'm the victim here, just so you know." Shiro replied simply.

Korone and Shiro went to their rooms to take a shower after a long session of sparring. Although cold baths weren't really recommended after exercising, Shiro did it because he wanted to and because it's a force of habit.

"A meeting at 10, huh? Wonder what it might be…"

As Shiro relaxed while the cold water hit his body, he started unwinding, thinking back to what Korone asked him at the park when they took a short 3 minute break.

"Say, Shiro-kun. Do you like Subaru-chan?"

Shiro spat out a bit of his water and quickly replied with, "Y-Yeah, but just as a friend. Where did that come from?"

"Oh, nothing! I was just curious." Korone turned away from Shiro and smugged.

"Oh, okay."

"...You like her just as a friend? Nothing more?" Korone asked more.

"Yes."

"Say, doesn't she make good girlfriend material?"

"I guess."

"Doesn't she look cute?"

"Prolly."

"I know, right? Subaru-chan is very cute!"

'Hmm...I think he likes her! I could be wrong, but if that really is the case, those two would make a good couple!' Korone giggled in her mind as she thought that.

~~Misogynistic Hololiver~~

"Alright, is everyone here?"

Yagoo looked at everybody, and once they all nodded, Yagoo smiled and leaned back on his chair with a couple sheets of paper in his hand. Shiro tried to glance at what was printed on it since he was the closest to Yagoo's seat, but he held it close to him, so he couldn't read it properly.

"Now, who here is eager to join a major label?"

As soon as Yagoo dropped those words, everybody's face lit up and raised their hands. All but one though.

"...Oh?"

Everybody looked at Shiro who both didn't raise a hand and flinched at all, and said, "Well, what're the details?"

"Well, here's the thing. Ever since Calliope-chan and Sui-chan rose up to the surface with their amazing talent, everybody has been wanting to get their hands on the Hololive talents, and it just boomed even more when Shiro came into the play. And now, we've gotten the chance to get cosigned to Universal Music Group! I'm sure you all know it, right?"

"Yeah! That's been a dream of mine ever since I've gotten into music! I did everything I could in order to get noticed by them! I call dibs on it!" Calli said.

"Now now, Calliope-chan. Calm down. We still need the others' opinions on this. Anybody else?" Yagoo giggled before scanning around the room again.

"Yup!~ Me too!~" Suisei said.

"Ah, of course! Sui-chan as well!" Yagoo giggled a bit.

"I mean, isn't it everybody's dream to grow big and aim big? I myself want to let everybody hear my music! Although I've been dropping singles and am currently working on my very first album, I hope I can attract more attention and cosign for UMG!"

"That's right! We have extremely talented people here. All of you. You know, this isn't just limited to JP. You six over there can become one of them too." Yagoo faced the ID.

"Oh? Us?" Anya asked as she pointed to themselves, to which Yagoo nodded.

"...Oh?"

Moona looked to her sides to see Risu and Iofi poking her arms with their elbows. She looked at the other members and they even raised their eyes like they're enticing Moona.

"H-Hey! My voice is good enough!" Moona said in Indonesian.

"Good?! You literally could sell millions with that voice!" Iofi said.

"Yeah! Seriously, your voice is so beautiful!" Ollie said.

"Hey, guys. It's not that amazing, I think. But still, t-that's a very big label, you know?"

The ID kept up their noisy banter, pestering Moona to cosign for UMG, but then Yagoo cleared his throat. This made them instantly stop the banter and adjust their position properly.

"Well well well, let's not get too ahead of ourselves. Holostars, are you excited for it?"

"Yeah! We wanna grow big too! We've always wanted to make Holostars reach all corners of the world!" Miyabi said.

"Plus, not to be too conceited or prideful or anything, but if any of the Hololivers can do it, we can do it!" Astel said.

"Yeah! Ain't that right, Shiro-kun?" Miyabi looked at Shiro.

"Oh? A-Ah, I mean, I'm rooting for you guys, at least." Shiro sweat dropped a bit.

"...Hah?" Everybody stared blankly at Shiro.

"Dude, are you not enthusiastic about this? This is literally something big for not just us but you!" Roberu asked.

"Err, I'm not even planning to join yet."

"WHAT?!" Calli stood up and slammed the table, turning everybody's attention towards her.

"Shi, you're like the last person I'd ever think of that wouldn't want to do this type of shit! Don't you want your music to grow big? Haven't you dreamed of hitting it big ever since you started your rapping career?"

"I do, Calls. Just that...actually, Old Man, is it fine if I tell my reasons for not joining UMG yet?"

"...Only two." Yagoo lowered his hands and covered the paper. Shiro nodded in response.

"Everybody, it's too early for me to leave V-R.A.P.P. currently. I have plenty more albums I wish to release before joining UMG." Shiro said in Japanese.

'Though...now that I think about it, will I even join it ever? I mean, the promotion and achievement is nice, but other than that, it's just another medal I can hang on a wall for me. I don't want the fame using bandwagoned bitches, I want it from my own efforts. Getting into UMG with my efforts doesn't count though. It's a choice, not an obligation.'

Sure, Shiro was talented, and he's got a good fanbase now — already above 300k subs and his music reaching more than 10 million views in total. However, his main starting boost was more or less because of Hololive, meaning that some fans were bandwagoned due to the label put on his name.

He didn't want any of that. He was free to ask other people for help like in making MVs and backup vocals, but that's why he mostly composes all his music. Joining UMG would be like an upgraded version of Hololive to him.

'...Wait, why did I even join Hololive in the first place? Sure, it's because of Ayame, but I've always known the fact that people under a label are under so much control and their financials aren't always the best due to shares. It's not like I hate my Old Man though, so why...Ah, fuck that thought. That's not worth my time right now.'

Everybody kept staring at him, baffled at the unexpected response. Shiro was sort of eccentric, but this took them completely by surprise. A rapper who wanted his music to be known refused a once-in-a-lifetime offer.

"I...I see. Well, if that's your decision, Shi, I won't judge." Calli sat back down, making everybody else sit down as well.

He observed her frowning with her head down. He knew why. That pinky promise from last night wasn't just Calli being melancholic or anything. She really wanted to have Shiro by her side as a friend. No, at this point, she considered him a best friend.

'Why? I don't know what I did to deserve it. I merely just had the same interests as her, yet she's very attached to me…' Shiro groaned silently.

It wasn't just Calli though. Everybody shared the same thoughts. A big deafening silence shrouded the room for what seemed like eternity. This would soon be broken by Yagoo clearing his throat once more and picking his papers up.

"Well, nonetheless, we have to respect Shiro's decision. There's a reason why I asked who was eager to join. If it was obligatory, I would've held a meeting before this telling you all that I planned to sign Hololive to UMG. Let's discuss more about this."

The shares, rights, and resources were discussed first, and afterwards, Yagoo discussed the possible goals and what it meant to Hololive as a whole once at least one of them was able to get into UMG. He also added that although they would be cosigned for UMG, they would be placed under a subsidiary, so most likely, they might go under other labels like EMI. Nonetheless, they'd still be under UMG.

"So, no more questions?" Yagoo looked at everybody from left and right and they didn't respond.

"If none, then that concludes the meeting. Remember, UMG's got their eyes on us. I'm looking forward to the lucky talents who get to be signed on their label." Yagoo stood up, making everybody stand too. They then proceeded towards the exit.

"Hey, Shiro!" Subaru said as she ran up to Shiro while they walked in the hallway.

"Hmm?"

"Are you really serious with that? I mean, sometimes you troll, but there's no way you'd troll about this! UMG offered us their hand, and you're not gonna take it?"

"Nope. I stated my reasons back there, and that was just a few. In case you'll ask again, I'm 1000% sure about my decision. There's no taking back for this."

"What about in the future?"

"Maybe? 'Cause soon enough, I'd have put all my ideas into the albums I released in V-R.A.P.P., so I can then just do whatever I want in UMG. I'll think about it though."

"Eh?! Wait, does that mean you will join soon?!" Astel said, who was in front of Shiro.

"I said 'maybe', so it's not a guarantee."

"LET'S GO!" Astel pounced at me with a hug.

"OI!" Shiro grabbed his arms to get him off, but Astel quickly put his arm on his shoulder and snickered.

"At least you can get bigger that way, Shiro!" Subaru clung to Shiro's right arm, so now, he's sandwiched between two people.

"E-Eurgh...you guys seriously need to give me a break." Shiro sighed but did a little nervous chuckle at the end.

At their back was the ID and EN. Reine and Ina were at the front of everybody and behind Shiro. They looked at him, but specifically, him and Subaru being close to each other.

"They're being oddly clingy…" Reine said.

"Yeah…almost like they're a couple..." Ina replied.

"Well, nonetheless, it's surprising for Shiro to not want to be cosigned to UMG. I expected him to be the first one to raise his hand actually."

"Me too. I mean, his talent is just too amazing to pass. Not to mention, Hololive may be big due to other factors and especially HoloEN, but getting to UMG would make him the forefront of Vtuber music. Maybe even the standard of Vtuber music itself!"

"Yeah...Okay, don't you think they're a little too close right now?" Reine said.

Ina stared blankly at Subaru's chest touching Shiro's arm. It was like a big roll of ham sandwiched between two soft loaves of bread.

"...We live in a society." Ina plainly stated.

The two looked behind and instantly jumped at the sight of their fellow branchmates smugging, staring at them with their teasing smiles and heads held high.

"...What're you looking at?" They blushed and groaned slightly, biting their lower lips.

"Oh, nothing. Sometimes, young love is the best.~" The others said in unison.

"WE'RE NOT IN LOVE!"

"We didn't say it was you two though.~" Iofi said.

"Why, you!!" Reine went to Iofi.

"H-Hey! Calm down!"

They all made their way back to the Holohouse, with half of them walking noisily and the other quietly, and once they were inside, Shiro looked to his left hand after noticing something grabbing it, and he felt something baby skin-soft.

"...The hell are you doing, Matsuri?"

"Nothing, I just like getting pinched at the cheeks-AAAARGH! IT HURTS!!"

"You masochistic bitch. Well, I love it anyway, so it's a win-win." Shiro said as he gave one more hard pinch and then let go.

"Hmph! You don't hold back at all!"

"In for a penny, in for a pound. I'll be chillaxing in the room now. Hell, I think I'll nap for a while." Shiro raised his hand to wave and made his way to his room.

2 hours have passed since then. Shiro couldn't take a nap so he decided to prepare for tonight's Valorant collab stream with Astel and Izuru. While he was playing, he heard a ping on Discord, and found that Subaru DM'd him. The message read,

"Hey, Shiro! Are you busy? I want someone to accompany me to go to the bank and withdraw some money! I also wanna go buy some food and snacks for myself, and I trust you to keep me safe from some bad guys! Is it okay for you?"

Shiro replied back with, "Aight, I'm almost done with my Valorant session. I'll meet you at the lounge."

Shiro finished his session, and dressed up with his usual green hoodie with black undershirt, jeans, and Pumas. Going out of his room, he saw Subaru sitting next to Reine and Ina.

"Yo."

"Oh? Shiro-kun! Good afternoon!"

Subaru wore a black shirt with her jeans up to her waist and white shoes. Simple, but she didn't need to go fancy anyway since it was just a trip to a bank and a convenience store.

"How do I look?"

"Uh...you look good. Why'd you ask? I thought you just wore that because we needed to go somewhere real quick then come back here?"

"Hey, a girl has got to dress well, you know?!" Subaru pouted, to which Reine and Ina giggled.

'Ah…of course. Girls are girls, even when they're tomboys.'

"Aight, I get it, I get it. Anyway, let's go."

"Where are you going, by the way?" Reine asked.

"Oh, she wanted to withdraw some funds and buy some snacks and stuff. It'll be quick."

"Ah...well, take care!" Reine said.

"Yup!" Shiro waved as he and Subaru went out the building.

"...You know what to do next, right?" Reine asked Ina.

"Yup...let's follow them!"