Usahime Karin Becomes a VTuber!

…I thought it was done.

"You're still 15 years old…."

Ah.

Hearing that all-too-familiar phrase again, I could already picture how things would unfold in my head.

Damn Japanese government.

Why the hell did they make me a mere middle schooler?

I don’t even go to school….

Nothing ever works out the way I want!

Besides, wasn’t 15 the legal age for part-time jobs?

It’s already January…!

Can’t they just overlook it now that the year has changed?

Today, I missed the Korean way of counting age more than ever.

In Japan, age is counted based on the actual birthdate, so even if the year changes, it doesn’t automatically mean you age up.

Maybe that’s why.

Unlike Korea, where even a 19-year-old kid could, come January, pour alcohol straight down their throat without using a one-time college entrance exam excuse,

In Japan, the change in the year has no effect, and until April 1st—the start of the high school academic year—getting a part-time job or any employment is impossible.

Yeah, to be honest, I know Korea is the odd one here….

But what can I do? I was a Korean in my past life…!

"So… that means I can’t…."

"You did look young, but I didn't expect you to be this young…. ……A job at a café…."

The suited recruiter trailed off for a moment, then mumbled as if realizing it was pointless to ask any further.

"…No, never mind. Either way, you won’t be able to sign a proper contract until at least April."

And just like that, I lost another job opportunity.

It seemed like they were considering signing a contract in April, so it wasn’t a complete loss, but… how was I supposed to survive until then?

After exchanging business cards and saving each other’s phone numbers, we said our goodbyes.

"Haa…. It can’t be helped…."

My bank account was empty.

The government, which was supposed to take care of me, was silent.

There weren’t even any side dishes left in the fridge.

Would I have to go back to my old lifestyle of foraging for wild plants?

…If it’s wild plants, the vacant lot next to Grandpa Takeshi’s house had the best selection.

"…No way."

But my taste buds, now completely spoiled by modern food, refused to be satisfied with mere grass and weeds.

"No, no, no, no! I refuse to live like that! Never!"

Worrying about my next meal and the uncertainty of the future.

I screamed in the middle of the street, then collapsed onto the ground, clutching my head.

I could hear murmurs around me—"What’s with her all of a sudden?" "She must be crazy"—but I didn’t care right now.

Right. Pachinko. I should go to a pachinko parlor.

But I knew the moment I stepped inside, the staff would take one look at my face and kick me out.

I was completely cornered. There was no better phrase to describe my situation.

In the end, I pulled out my smartphone and decided to use my last resort.

[Yes. This is Hiiragi speaking.]

A familiar voice came from the other end of the line.

"…Uncle."

[Shibuya? Yeah. What’s wrong?]

My last resort was—

"By any chance…."

[Yeah. Just say it.]

"Do you have a spare room in your jail?"

[…………What the hell are you talking about?]

I was asking for prison food.

***

"If you need money, just say so. I beg you."

"It’s delicious…."

Prison was a place you could only enter by committing a crime.

But I figured, with my solid connections, I could just go straight in.

Thinking that, I called Uncle, and he got so flustered that he immediately asked where I was before dragging me to the police station.

See? This is why connections matter.

Before I could even start my prison life, he even bought me a proper meal.

My uncle was so nice.

"So, which cell do I get to stay in?"

Now that my stomach was full, I smiled brightly, ready to be assigned a room for the next three months.

But Uncle just looked at me with an exhausted expression.

"…….I’ll cover your living expenses, so just eat properly, alright?"

"Huh? Really? Thanks! I’ll definitely pay you back later!"

"A kid like you doesn’t have any money to pay me back…."

Honestly, if he was willing to do that, it was a lifesaver for me.

But wait… even if Uncle was an angel, why would he go this far for me when we weren’t even related?

"What weird thoughts are you having now?"

This had to be… that, right?

Even though my time as a middle school girl was short, I’d learned from experience.

Men in that age group who showed me excessive kindness usually had one thing in mind.

Sigh, Uncle….

Since it’s you, I’ll hold back from breaking your skull.

I do like you, after all?

But… aren’t you a police officer? Is this really okay?

Still, considering all the favors I’d received, I should find a way to reject him nicely.

"Hey, listen, Uncle. This is… that, right? I appreciate it, but…."

"Just say thank you and take it."

"Still, being a sugar baby is kinda…."

"…What?"

That day, I received one good piece of news and one bad piece of news.

The good news was that I wouldn’t have to worry about meals for a while.

And the bad news…

"I said I didn’t mean it that way!"

"If you ever even think about doing something like that, I’ll personally throw you behind bars. Got it?"

"Ugh, fine! I get it!"

Nothing special.

I just got scolded like hell….

***

Hiiragi Ichiro, Chief Inspector of the Shibuya Police Department at the Metropolitan Police Department.

As usual, he could only return home late at night, where his wife and daughter were waiting.

"I'm home."

As he opened the door, the warmth inside gently soothed his ears, which had been chilled by the biting wind.

It wasn’t just because the house was warm.

It was because his wife greeted him with a bright smile at the door, and their only daughter, despite trudging forward sleepily, still approached him with proper manners unusual for her age.

“You’re back. It’s really cold outside today, isn’t it?”

“You’re late again, Dad.”

Seeing his daughter yawning so wide as if her jaw might split, the fatigue that had been weighing on his shoulders suddenly lifted.

“…? What is it? Do I have something on my face?”

At the same time, the face of Shibuya Karin, Shibuya's infamous troublemaker, suddenly popped into his mind.

By some bizarre coincidence, she was the same age as his daughter, making it hard for him to see her as just another kid.

Unlike his own daughter, who was so independent that she rarely needed his help, Karin was constantly roaming the city, stirring up trouble wherever she went, which made him worry even more.

Just earlier today, she had been spouting nonsense about being a sugar baby, so he had to give her a firm warning before leaving.

Maybe that’s why, in comparison, his own daughter seemed even more lovable today.

“It’s nothing. If you’re that sleepy, you should’ve just gone to bed instead of waiting.”

“I’m not really sleepy. That yawn was just a coincidence.”

Fifteen was the age when most kids started feeling awkward around their fathers and avoided them.

But here she was, telling a cute little lie just to show she cared.

He reached out and patted her head, and although she huffed, "I'm not a little kid anymore," she didn’t resist.

Afterward, with his wife's help, he changed out of his work clothes and finally sank into the warm bath.

“Phew….”

As he let his exhaustion melt away, he thought about the money he had given to that troublemaker.

It wasn’t that he regretted it.

Shibuya Karin might have caused her fair share of problems, but thanks to her, many difficult situations had also been resolved.

A prime example was the issue with a notorious biker gang.

At the time, she had been working at a family restaurant, pretending to be a high schooler—though in reality, the manager had just turned a blind eye.

When a group of gang leaders started causing a disturbance, she swiftly beat them up and kicked them out of the restaurant.

But the real problem came afterward.

Unable to accept that they had lost to a mere middle school girl without putting up a fight, the gang returned, armed with all sorts of dangerous weapons, seeking revenge.

The outcome should have been obvious.

However, Shibuya Karin completely flipped that expected future on its head.

Without a single scratch on herself, she took down every last one of them and then, grinning, said, “It’s mutual combat, so I’m not at fault, right?”

That scene was still burned into his memory.

And it wasn’t long before he learned the truth.

She was what some called a ‘Returnee’—a figure akin to an urban legend.

At first, he had been afraid of her.

She threw punches at people without the slightest hesitation, never considering the consequences of her actions.

It was as if, even if she were to be beaten to death, she believed she could just insert another coin and respawn, like in a video game.

Watching her treat deadly weapons like mere toys without even flinching had been downright shocking.

To ordinary people, she was an incomprehensible, irrational being.

Anyone would have thought so.

Shibuya Karin’s mindset was clearly inhuman.

As time passed and she frequented the police station more often, he began to think that for the safety of the public, she needed to be dealt with as soon as possible.

Why was the government letting a girl like her roam free?

That question had troubled him deeply.

But that thought didn’t last long.

Though she visited the station often, she was rarely the one at fault.

And even when she was, it was usually just minor lies told out of desperation to survive in her harsh circumstances.

That’s when he realized.

She wasn’t some inhuman being, a monster, or a ‘Returnee.’

She was just…

A fragile girl struggling to survive against a cruel reality.

“…She’ll understand. My wife, too.”

She would understand why he decided to help this child.

She wouldn’t blame him for giving Karin some money to get by for a few months.

***

“Yuika.”

“Yeah?”

“I need you to run an errand for me.”

“Okay, okay. Hmm… but Mom, isn’t it earlier than usual for grocery shopping?”

Hiiragi Yuika (柊 唯華) was lazily rolling around on the sofa, enjoying the weekend.

Hearing her mom mention an errand, she assumed it was just grocery shopping and reluctantly got up.

"Ugh… This is heavy."

But to her surprise, there was already plenty of food at home.

Her mother was packing a bunch of side dishes into a large shopping bag.

“What’s all this?”

“Here, take this. Go to this address and give it to a girl named Karin.”

“Karin? Who’s that?”

“Oh, that poor girl… I can’t imagine how hard it’s been for her… How is a child supposed to cook for herself, let alone survive alone?”

Uh, okay, but… who is she?

Yuika had no idea who this "Karin" was, but judging by her mother’s typical kindness, it seemed like someone had tugged at her heartstrings again.

“Now, no more talking. Hurry up and go.”

“Sigh….”

With a deep sigh, Yuika put on her shoes.

“Let’s see….”

She checked the address her mom gave her and pulled up the location on her smartphone’s map app.

“Oh, it’s closer than I thought.”

Feeling a little more motivated, she cheerfully called out, “I’m heading out!”

…

…

…

“Ooh…! It’s grilled pretty well. Alright, time to eat!!”

…What the hell?

Why was this girl sitting in a dirt yard, cooking over an open fire?

"Huh? Who are you?"

Before Yuika could recover from the bizarre sight, the girl, Shibuya Karin, noticed her presence and narrowed her eyes with caution.

“No, that’s my question. Who the hell are you?”

“I’m Shibuya Karin.”

Please, no.

Yuika had really hoped it wasn’t her.

Why did bad premonitions always come true?

"Well, whatever. More importantly, why are you cooking over an open fire?"

"Oh, that? My gas got cut off. Eheh…."

…Eheh?

No, wait—who just casually starts a campfire because of that?

Isn’t the solution as simple as paying the gas bill?

And if you’re short on money, couldn’t you just ask a neighbor for help?

Or at least buy some convenience store meals for a couple of days?

"You… You can glare all you want, but this meat is mine! Don’t even think about it!"

"I don’t want it. I’m not interested in primitive-style barbecue…."

At that moment, during their first encounter, Hiiragi Yuika thought to herself.

This girl…

She’s definitely not normal.