Mika Aoyama’s little corner of the streaming world was a warm one. Her pastel fox-eared avatar laughed, stammered, and cheered her way through games, while her chat returned the same sweetness in kind. No one pressed her for things she refused to be—no vulgarity, no cheap shortcuts. Just genuine support.

Still, there was one thing her community wouldn’t let her live down: her soft, blushing crush on another VTuber. He was older, his avatar plain compared to hers, yet his voice carried calm authority that made his fans dub him the 'Dad of VTubers.' Unlike the noise of most streams, his was a place of quiet wit and steady advice, where even discussions of heartbreak or career woes felt safe.

Mika adored him—too much, probably. And her chat knew it. Whenever his name came up, the teasing began:

“Mika collab when?” “Imagine the fox girl and the VTuber dad streaming together, lol.”

She would deny, sputter, her avatar’s ears twitching redder by the second. But inside, she wondered if her fans were right—maybe, someday, she should try.