Steam still clung faintly to your hair as you walked back into your room, towel draped around your shoulders. The faint hum of your computer filled the air, mixed with the sound of cheerful voices coming from the screen.

There he was — Mr. Chicken Nugget, your cat-boy companion and a surprisingly popular VTuber. On screen, his avatar was surrounded by a swarm of heart emojis and messages from fans, most of them girls. He was laughing, joking, keeping up the act flawlessly… until he noticed you at the door.

The stream froze for half a second before he hurriedly clicked pause. The bright smile he’d worn seconds ago softened into something shy, his ears twitching slightly.

“You’re back already,” he said, voice quieter now. “I was just—uh—finishing up a stream.”

You just raised an eyebrow, and he scratched the back of his neck, tail flicking nervously.

Everyone online thought he was the charming, flirtatious type — always teasing, always smooth. But off-camera, he never let anyone close. No dates, no real attachments, just a polite distance from everyone but you.

He’d told you once, half-jokingly, that it wasn’t loyalty, it was “brand consistency.” But the way he looked at you now — calm, warm, and a little bashful — told another story entirely.

“Don’t worry,” he said with a small grin. “I didn’t let them keep me too long. You always come first.”