Chapter 17
After planning the Valentine's event,
I immediately turned on the stream that evening and announced this noble decision.
“This Wayo is going to do a Valentine's cooking stream!!”
-Gasp
-What
-Cam on???
“Of course! Shall I make you watch the cooking stream facing the wall, then??”
-Kyaㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Great Emperor Wayo
-Are you serious??
And that announcement was enough to change the chaotic mood of the stream, which had been gloomy because of the long-break notice.
“You all seem so depressed about the break again, so I thought my homemade chocolate might at least melt your hearts….”
So I made a grand declaration—!
I strutted around proclaiming that I was a VTuber who would do a cooking stream on Valentine's Day—what a boastful display.
After all, public opinion naturally favors whoever shouts the loudest.
I went around proclaiming Valentine's Day like a seasonal politician announcing an election pledge.
On top of that, I even said I'd take requests during the stream and randomly send out homemade chocolates….
Valentine's Day itself.
[430 viewers]
A truly record-breaking number of viewers appeared on the stream.
It was nearly twice my usual number.
In fact, for a tiny, unknown VTuber to pull in numbers like this meant
that even the regular Just Chatting wanderers had all gathered.
Of course, this many had shown up during the previous community fiasco too, but this time it meant more because they were people who had come purely to watch my stream.
So, feeling proud, I first showed the main force that would make today's double chocolate cookies.
“All right, this is the kitchen table. We'll make them here.”
-What's with the marble??
-Kyaㅋㅋㅋ
-Are you rich??
-Whoa, look at that floor
The stream showed the kitchen table from above, with the ingredients and equipment for the double chocolate cookies I'd prepared laid out on it.
Fixing the camera in place had been difficult, but I'd mounted it high enough to capture the whole table at once.
-When are you coming out??
-Okay, let us see your hands
Since that was how things were set up, the person actually doing the cooking could only show their hands and arms.
“All right, here we go.”
The moment I said that, a long arm slid into view over the kitchen table.
Lightly tanned and with prominent veins.
Very long and subtly handsome….
-??
-???
-What is this??
-Are you a man??
“Ah, Wayo is a virtual life-form, you know? So I brought in an avatar.”
Yes, it was our Aseong's arm.
“Come on, say hello.”
“...I'm her younger brother.”
-???
-????
-??
The chat was briefly engulfed in confusion at Aseong's mumbling introduction.
But that only lasted a moment.
-Is he really your younger brother??
-The little brother has enteredㅋㅋㅋ
-Alpha male ㄷㄷ
Aseong had already appeared on stream once before,
and quite a few people recognized him from the stream where nearly all my viewers had gathered.
So first, they were surprised.
“What do you think? It's been a while, right?”
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Whoa, she really dumped this on her little brother
Then they enjoyed it as a second reaction,
and as their third and final reaction….
-So you aren't coming out??
-?? Then what are you doing?
-Whoa, look at this bastard selling out her little brotherㅋㅋㅋ
-You said you were making them, fuckㅋㅋㅋ
They belatedly realized they'd been stabbed in the back.
*
The viewers had been thoroughly betrayed,
but the stream's atmosphere itself wasn't bad.
“Still, don't worry. I'm the one cooking.”
-All I can see on camera is some man's arm??
-All right, brother-in-law~ say something
-Don't bully the brother-in-law
Even if they'd felt betrayed that I'd swaggered so much and then failed to appear on camera,
the viewers only needed to have fun, right?
Novelty was one kind of fun too, so they were probably more inclined to wait and see.
“All right, then, do we fry the kadayif first?”
-Yep
-That's right
-They say making double chocolate cookies is hard
“Hey, little brother, you heard them, right?”
“Yeah….”
-That voiceㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Brother-in-law.. you're not doing this against your will, are you??
-He sounds depressedㅋㅋ
First, to make the filling for the double chocolate cookies, we had to grind and fry the kadayif.
But I really didn't like the sound of Aseong, who was supposed to be the hands and feet of his commander-in-chief, me.
“My dear little brother.”
“Huh?”
“Are you sure I'm not forcing you to do this?”
He seemed embarrassed about appearing on stream and doing this.
Honestly, that made his big sister feel a little hurt.
“Ah, no.”
-Seems like you are??
-Brother-in-lawㅠㅠ
-Stop bullying the brother-in-law, you bastard
“Hmm.”
If he kept speaking in that gloomy voice, people might get the wrong idea about me.
“Come here.”
I, who had been standing in the living room area where the camera could never see me, beckoned to Aseong.
“Huh?”
“Come on.”
At that, Aseong flinched, but when I brought my big-sister authority to bear, he sheepishly came over.
“Wh-why?”
"Our Aseong."
When I put a friendly arm around my little brother's shoulders, he automatically ducked his head.
Hmm, at least the manners drilled into him are still there.
“You've grown up now, but it must be hard having your big sister constantly tell you what to do, right?”
Actually, Aseong had prepared all the ingredients for these double chocolate cookies too.
Maybe his complaints had been building up because I'd made him handle everything from the prep to the cooking.
“Huh? Th-that's right, isn't it? I'm not even a high schooler anymore.”
Of course, I knew I was working Aseong hard.
He was an adult now, after all; how hard must it be to be ordered around by a sister only a few years older than him?
“Mm, yes, I understand completely.”
Right, Aseong was an adult now too.
He was at the age where he should attend college, work part-time, and enjoy his youth.
So he no longer needed his big sister's allowance, did he?
How admirable of him, trying to become independent.
And so.
As I praised my brother's growth in a tender voice, a glimmer of intelligence began returning to Aseong's previously clouded eyes.
**
“There was a brief interruption.”
“Hello! I'm the tool for making double chocolate cookies at my big sister's command today! Just call me her little brother!”
-????
-??
-Br-Brother-in-law..?
-What the hell is this bastard saying…?
-If you're being oppressed, wave a carrotㅠㅜ
“What do you mean, oppressed? Is it strange for a little brother to help his big sister?”
“Ah, no? It's only natural, isn't it?”
-???
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-What is this??
-Where did that other guy go??
Hmm, yes, that's more like our little brother.
With Satan driven away and intelligence restored to Aseong, I pointed him toward the kadayif and blender.
“All right, then grind it first, and fry it in the pan.”
“Hah!”
And there he was, grinding the kadayif in the blender magnificently, accompanied by a spirited battle cry.
Just like our intelligent little brother.
-What on earth did you say to him before coming back?
-Whoa, those forearms
-Does your little brother work out??
“My little brother? Well, he used to, a little.”
Even while playing baseball, he kept going to a jiu-jitsu gym, so he had some athletic experience under his belt.
That battle cry was probably a remnant of his childhood days on the school sports team too.
“All right, now you just need to fry it well.”
“Just fry it?”
“Spread it around evenly so it doesn't burn.”
Anyway, making the double chocolate cookies was proceeding smoothly.
Naturally, with Wayo, a superb commander-in-chief, and an obedient soldier.
-But does this person cook with her mouth??
-Wow, she really isn't lifting a finger
-Wayo (incapable of cooking)
“What do you mean, incapable? Look how well I'm doing right now.”
Aren't humans, by nature, creatures that use tools?
Since I was using Aseong like a tool right now, in a way, it was no different from cooking by myself.
“Little brother, you're slow?”
“Huh? Oh, it's surprisingly hard to mix.”
“Is it heavy?”
“Ah, no, ma'am!”
Anyway, after frying the kadayif, pouring in melted white chocolate, and mixing it together, we had a fairly convincing double chocolate cookie filling.
“Oh… This is turning out surprisingly well.”
-The little brother has talentㅋㅋ
-That was quick?
-You'd better buy your little brother a meal
“I'll think about the meal. More importantly, we just shape this into balls now, right?”
-Yep
-Just shape it neatly into balls
-Think you can do it??
“Do it well? Of course I can. What else is there to do? You heard them, right?”
-???
-Wait, he's doing the shaping too??
-Then what are you doing??
Unfortunately.
Didn't shaping the double chocolate cookies also require exposing an arm below the camera?
For someone who had to be as cautious as possible, that was a burdensome task.
Besides, if I was going to do the shaping myself, I would've done it from the start.
“Try shaping them well, little brother.”
“Yeah….”
So in the end, shaping the kadayif mixture was Aseong's job too.
“You're pretty good at it?”
Maybe it was because he played baseball, but he really was good at shaping them into neat little spheres.
-Ohㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-He's really wife material
-Our brother-in-law is goodㅋㅋ
“They say you're doing well.”
“I-I am?”
They say praise can make even a whale dance.
Having heard my words, Aseong began to speed up.
Then he began shaping the kadayif with the grip strength he'd built over roughly ten years of jiu-jitsu, and lumps formed in an instant.
“Good job, you're doing great.”
-He really is good at itㅋㅋ
-Wait, how big is the age gap??
-For her to work him this hard, she must be at least ten years older
But these people….
They started focusing on the wrong point.
Instead of marveling at Aseong's skill, they fixated on how obediently he followed orders.
“Oh, it's not that big a difference.”
I hadn't revealed my age, but it would be unfair if they got the wrong idea and thought the gap was huge, so I corrected them.
Thirty-something? What kind of nonsense are you saying to a girl who's still barely in her early twenties?
-This isn't the kind of energy a one- or two-year gap gives off, though?
-This has to be at least five years
“Does the age gap really have to be that big?”
For reference, Aseong had lived under the same roof as me for twenty years, from the moment he was born until he enrolled in a cram school to retake the college entrance exam.
“Hey, little brother, what does a one-year age gap between siblings mean?”
In other words, we'd had plenty of time to teach him manners.
“....”
-He says he doesn't know??
-A one-year gap just makes you friendsㅋㅋ
Tsk, he was so good at it when he was little.
“Ahem, what does a one-year age gap between siblings mean?”
Maybe he was embarrassed to do it in front of people, because Aseong hesitated for a moment,
but at my glare, he finally opened his mouth hesitantly.
“...A hundred dan of taekwondo.”
-????
-???
-?? No, seriouslyㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
“Even if you can catch a flying Phantom jet.”
“I can't catch the age gap between siblings.”
“You heard him, right?”
Hmm, he'd learned it a long time ago, but he still remembered it well.
-No, this bastard..
-She turned her little brother into a recruitㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-You really can't catch the age gap between siblings, thoughㅇㅇ
It's not a phrase that gets much use in society these days,
but traditionally, among siblings, the older one's authority is like heaven itself, no matter how large or small the age gap.