The time of reckoning was drawing near. I had a feeling that if today wasn’t the day, then it would never be the day. With victory on the line, I was fired up like never before.
Now come on, game, show me what you got!
“Actually, mommy, Kaeru brought you a little previctory gift,” Kaeru-chan suddenly said.
“Aw, you shouldn’t have. What is it?” I asked.
“This full toddler playset.”
“Previctory? More like postpartum, get that outta here.” So that’s what that giant box contains... “Kaeru-chan, what did I just say about the buzz in the air? And you said, ‘Yes,’ didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“So why are you bringing in ‘gifts’ that would only sabotage my efforts?”
“To help you get buzzed.”
“Leave.”
“All right, then, Kaeru will just take this baby rattle she made for her mommy out of a StroZero can and lemon seeds and leave.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, let’s not be so hasty! Wow, is this the rattle? Oh my God, it’s so loud, I love it!”
: we're off to a Strong start, folks
: Kaeru-chan offline is a whole nother level of yabai
: what happened to "leave"?
“And while mommy’s distracted by the rattle, dive into her arms! Ah, Shangri-La!”
“Hey! Get off me!”
“Shh. Don’t say anything, mommy. Kaeru just wants to watch you shake the rattle.”
“You know, mothers usually shake rattles to entertain the baby, not be entertained by the rattles themselves...”
“Details, details!”
Firmly wrapped around my midsection were the arms and the unmistakably mature face of a woman older than me calling me mommy this and mommy that. If I hadn’t already known Kaeru-chan was like this, I wonder how much more conflicted I would’ve felt about this...
“Since we’re here, might as well get that pesky teat-suckling promise out of the way, shall we?”
“Hell to the no! What happened to ten thousand days?!”
“You’re telling Kaeru you’d rather have an almost sexagenarian sucking on your nipples than one only in her late twenties?”
“Okay, good point.”
“Then we’re in agreement. Pardon my hands.”
“Hey, hey, hey, hey! I don’t think I’m ready! I’m really not going to enjoy this! Are you okay with that?”
“Kaeru doesn’t mind the disgust suck.”
“The disgust what?”
“It’s when you suck on the titties of a woman who’s clearly not into it.”
“Okay, good point.”
“So can Kaeru begin or what?”
“But I don’t want to be sucked, I want to suck as well!”
“Suck away—you have two nipples, don’t you?”
“Then why would I be disgusted sucking on my own boob?!”
: Kaeru-chan is positively vibrating with glee
: it's the long-awaited offline collab
: Shuwa-chan is the mommy who's disgusted yet horny at the same time so she's willing and not willing at the same time
: I don't like this mommy...
: I Want Me to Suck on My Own Titties with a Disgusted Face
: Sorry I don't think I'm quite degenerate enough yet to understand this
: Hi there, I'm a first time viewer. Can someone please explain to me what's going on between these two?
: Welcome to Live-On, unlike those other uptight orgs, we're freethinkers around here
: nah, we're just lewd
“Look, are you here to support me or not?!”
“Of course. Kaeru’s a whole buff by herself.”
“Now since when did you get so confident? Not that I’m one to talk, calling myself ‘genius’ all the time.”
“Since streaming with you. Every day is a joy with you, mommy.”
“Well, then I’m glad to hear that, aren’t I?”
Being one-half of a slapstick comedy duo was fun and all, but I had a game to focus on, so I pulled myself back in. Then, as if it were no big deal, Kaeru-chan presented me with an actual previctory gift—snacks to keep me going! I couldn’t have been more grateful. But, naturally, her support came with a twist, and I found myself grinding away while she playfully found ways to throw me off.
Though “grind” didn’t really feel like the right word. This might have been a serious competition, but you’d never know from the levity in the room. Failure after failure didn’t faze me; I kept going, my motivation intact.
Sure, Kaeru-chan was more helpful than I’d like to admit, but hadn’t that been the plan all along? To have someone break the monotony of the grind? So even as the stream stretched on, creeping firmly into “endurance” territory, I felt anything but drained with Kaeru-chan by my side.
Then, on one of those rounds, it slipped in quietly, almost unnoticed, among the cascade of falling fruits—something magical.
“Kaeru-chan. Could this be it?”
“Barely any fruits are left over from the creation of the first watermelon. This is your best effort so far.”
“Okay, then I’m going to concentrate.”
“Good luck, mommy.”
And just like that, Kaeru-chan quietly stopped her playful meddling. I figured it had something to do with how much she’d grown since joining Live-On, learning to play nice with others more easily.
I locked in, focused on avoiding careless mistakes, combining fruit after fruit...
: I WAS HERE
: those pinpoint grape placement skills are remarkable
: Let's go!!!
: Nice!
: barring a can of StroZero suddenly dropping I think this is the one
Apple, apple—pear.
Pear, pear—peach.
Peach, peach—pineapple.
Pineapple, pineapple—melon.
Melon, melon—
“LET’S FREAKING GOOOOOOOO!!!”
Watermelon.
The instant it came into existence, the second watermelon touched the first. Then both disappeared, leaving behind nothing but a wide, endless void.
I hadn’t received any messages from Hareru-senpai yet, which meant...
“I won!!! I freaking won!!! Kaeru-chan, come here, come here—it’s time!”
“Yes!”
We called Hareru-senpai, who was in the middle of her own endurance stream. We got ready, she picked up, and...
“Hey, senpai. You watching this?” I asked, my voice dripping with mockery.
“Senpai, we’ve got some real important news to share with you,” Kaeru-chan chimed in, her cheekiness right there alongside mine.
“You know your precious double watermelon, the one you’ve been losing sleep over, practically killing yourself to make?”
“Well, guess what?”
“We got to her first!!!” we crowed together, perfectly in sync.
: the absolute AUDACITY LMAOOOO ￥10,000
: they planned this, didn't they?
: Deference to one's superiors? What's that? ￥5,000
: Aaaand I can no longer bring myself to celebrate their victory ￥220
: not the NTR copypasta LMAOOOO
: AND HARERUN WAS SO CLOSE ON HER SIDE TOO UGHHH
An earth-shattering scream bleated from Hareru-senpai. Music. Pure music to my ears.
“Whew, that’s it, I won! I’m going to be riding this high for the rest of my life!” I said.
“We won, mommy. Don’t forget your precious darling tyke right here.”
“Not this again,” I groaned, but then paused. “Actually...you know what? You’re right.”
Kaeru blinked. “Mommy?”
Usually, I’d toss back some sarcastic comment, but this time... Not today.
“We’ve been doing this for a while now, and while I’m no closer to understanding this weird dynamic we have going on, I’m starting to realize that...I don’t hate it. Like that time I threw you under the bus with Shion-mama. Or this time, where—let’s be real—I probably would’ve totally lost without you. I figure it’s time to...admit it, I guess.”
“Admit...it?” Kaeru-chan echoed hesitantly. “Admit what?”
“That I am proud to call you my baby, Kaeru-chan.”
The words tumbled out of me somewhat haphazardly, the embarrassment getting to me in the moment. But now was the time to make my true feelings known, for who knew when I’d get another chance?
And yes, Kaeru-chan would probably make me pay for this, teasing me like never before for who knows how long, but, well... That was a small price to pay for all the help she’d given me.
So come on, Kaeru-chan—fawn over me all you want! But don’t think for a second I’ll cave to all your demands! I’m not the kind of parent who spoils their kid unconditionally. There will be no boob-sucking! Not today, at least!
My resolve firming, I glanced up at Kaeru-chan—only to catch a line of silver tracing its way down her cheek.
Huh?
*SNIFF* “Nnnh...”
Is she... Is she crying?! It was just so sudden and unexpected, I completely lost my head. “K-K-Kaeru-chan?! Wh-Wh-Wh-What’s wrong?!”
What she said next only sent my mind spinning even faster. “Don’t you remember? What Kaeru swore to you right before we parted on the day we first met?”
“Uh.”
“Kaeru swore to you that she’d become someone you’re glad to be called mommy by!”
R... Right... That rings a bell... Was that what she said when I found her collapsed on the floor at the Live-On offices?
That was so long ago I, uh, might have, totally... “Forgot! I’m sorry, Kaeru-chan, I totally forgot you said that! I didn’t mean to, like, do a callback or anything!”
“N-N-Nnggggghhhhh.” She whimpered even harder.
“A-Ah?! Sorry! Sorry, sorry! So sorry! I really am Dagger-chan’s master, sorry!”
“No, it’s...” *SNIFF* “You didn’t mean to say it, but you said it anyway. That means you really meant it, doesn’t it?”
“Uh? Oh. Uh. I guess?”
“W-W-WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.”
“Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! Oh, crap, what do I do? Just calm down, Kaeru-chan, don’t cry. Ah! Right, the baby rattle! Kaeru-chan, look what mommy has!” I shook that thing with all my might.
“UWAAAAAAAAH, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME MOMMY’S TREATING ME LIKE A BABY, UWAAAAAH!!!”
“Oh, for— Ahhh!!! Somebody!!! Help me!!!”
: what are these two idiots doing...
: well, it sounds like somebody forgot something they really shouldn't have forgotten
: eh, that collab was ages ago
: all the way back when gen 4 debuted LOL
: when everything you say to try and stop someone from crying just makes them cry harder
: congrats? ￥30,000
: did not think Kaeru-chan would actually find herself a mother today
: baby gift ￥50,000
: Oshi no Ko (Live-On edition)
: ♪ kimi wa kanpeki de kyuukyoku no COMEDIAN ♪ ￥10,000
: Welp, this is gonna get clipped, isn't it
: clipped and snipped and trimmed and sheared
: After that display of sore-winnerism I said I wasn't going to celebrate but goddamnit! ￥22,000
: Guys, do something about Harerun she's actually losing her mind now
: she's still on the call??? LMAO
: Awa and Kaeru attack in tandem as mother and child!
: goku and gohan taking down super perfect cell
: precious
: soooo can I count this as a happy ending?
: its a Live-On ending if nothing
“Mommy, believe Kaeru when she says this is the happiest day of her life.”
“R-Really. Well, then, I’m...glad? I guess?”
“Yes.”
Kaeru-chan, in grand defiance of all my expectations, remained a blubbering mess for the rest of the stream.
I kind of hated myself for not entirely matching the seriousness of the moment, but...I’d won the challenge, my child looked as happy as could be...so, really, what more could I have asked for?