Kai ended the stream with shaky hands.
"Thirty viewers…"
He stared at the number like it might disappear if he blinked.
For most streamers, thirty viewers was nothing.
For Kai Morita?
It felt like climbing Mount Everest.
He stretched back in his chair and let out a long breath.
"Okay… that was insane."
He checked the chat replay again.
The messages were still there.
People laughing.
People cheering when he sang.
And one name kept appearing again and again.
StarrySky99
Kai leaned forward slightly.
"That person again…"
They had donated yesterday.
They kept talking in chat.
And somehow every time they showed up…
The stream got bigger.
Kai rubbed his chin.
"Are they secretly famous or something?"
Then he laughed.
"Yeah right."
He shut off his computer and flopped onto his bed.
"Still…"
A small smile appeared.
"Thirty viewers."
For the first time since he started streaming…
Kai felt like his effort might actually lead somewhere.
Across the city, Aika Hoshino was staring at her phone with glowing eyes.
"Thirty viewers already."
She kicked her feet excitedly on the bed.
"This is fun!"
Her assistant had already gone home.
Her manager thought she was sleeping.
Meanwhile the biggest idol in the country was secretly watching a small streamer.
Aika opened Kai's channel again.
She scrolled through the clips people had already started posting.
"Someone clipped the singing…"
She tapped play.
Kai's voice filled her headphones again.
She smiled softly.
"He really doesn't realize how good he is."
Then she noticed something interesting.
The comments.
"This dude's voice is actually good"
"Who is this guy?"
"Why does he only have 30 viewers??"
Aika's smile widened.
"Oh…"
She suddenly had a dangerous idea.
The next day at school…
Kai was walking through the hallway when Ryo tackled him.
"BRO."
Kai stumbled.
"What now?"
Ryo shoved his phone in Kai's face.
"LOOK."
Kai squinted at the screen.
It was a short video on ClipTok.
The clip showed Kai singing during the stream.
The caption said:
"Random streamer with 30 viewers has a surprisingly good voice."
Kai blinked.
"…Wait."
He scrolled down.
The video already had 12,000 views.
"WHAT?"
Ryo grabbed his shoulders again.
"YOU'RE VIRAL!"
Kai shook his head.
"No no no."
"Twelve thousand isn't viral."
Ryo stared at him.
"BRO WE LIVE IN A SMALL CITY."
Kai looked back at the video.
People were commenting.
"Someone give this guy more viewers."
"His voice is actually good."
"Channel name??"
Kai scratched his head.
"…This is weird."
He didn't know that across the hallway…
Someone else was watching the same video.
Aika Hoshino stood near the window with her phone.
She smiled quietly.
"That clip spread faster than I thought."
Yes.
She was the one who posted it.
That night…
Kai sat down for another stream.
He cracked his fingers nervously.
"Alright…"
He pressed Start Stream.
LIVE.
The viewer count appeared.
Kai froze.
42 viewers.
"…Excuse me?"
The chat started moving instantly.
"HE'S LIVE"
"YO IT'S THE SINGING GUY"
"CLIPTOK STREAMER"
Kai leaned closer to the screen.
"…What is happening?"
Then a message appeared.
StarrySky99: Looks like you're popular today.
Kai blinked.
"Oh hey."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"Did something happen online or something?"
Aika giggled quietly in her room.
"Oh, nothing…"
The stream that night felt completely different.
The chat moved fast.
People were asking questions.
People were requesting songs.
The viewer count kept climbing.
Kai's brain felt like it was melting.
"CHAT RELAX."
He held up his hands.
"I'm still the same guy from yesterday."
The chat spammed laughing emojis.
Then suddenly—
Another donation notification appeared.
StarrySky99 donated $10
Kai blinked again.
"You really don't have to keep donating."
Aika smiled mischievously.
StarrySky99: Think of it as an investment.
Kai tilted his head.
"…Investment?"
"Yeah," he said.
"I'm not sure I'm worth investing in."
Aika whispered to herself.
"Oh, you definitely are."
Later that night…
The stream finally ended.
Final viewer count:
96 viewers.
Kai stared at the screen in disbelief.
"Ninety six…"
He slowly leaned back in his chair.
"…What just happened to my life?"
Meanwhile in her apartment…
Aika hugged a pillow happily.
"This is way more fun than concerts."
She opened Kai's channel again.
Then she whispered something quietly.
"Tomorrow…"
"I'm going to meet you again."