The Saintess Next Door is a Super Popular VTuber Whose Character was Designed by Me
Tonari ni Sunderu Seijo-sama wa Ore ga Chara-Design o Tantoushita Daininki VTuber deshita
Chapter 34 - The Saintess and The Blackout
The final day of the camp didn't have any major events planned—just some group photos with the class and grade level.
Originally, they were supposed to spend the day skiing again, but a heavy snowfall stopped the ski lifts, leaving them with unexpected free time.
Because of this, the teachers relaxed the usual restrictions. Students were allowed to visit each other’s rooms, but only on the floors supervised by staff. Iori and the others—four in total—gathered in one room to chat.
“It doesn't have to snow so heavily on the last day, does it?”
“Sounds like they’re not even sure the bus will be able to leave.”
“Yeah, I heard that too. So we might be stuck here one more night? That could actually be kinda fun.”
“Right? Stuff like this gives me a little thrill.”
“Not fun at all for me... I’ve got to…”
“You’ve got to?”
“No, never mind.”
Asumi and Kurumi were sitting on Iori’s bed, while Iori and Kanata sat on Kanata’s. That was the mood of their little conversation.
With the snowstorm being so intense that even the return bus was uncertain, Kanata and Kurumi, both lacking experience in this kind of situation, seemed to find the chaos oddly exciting.
It was kind of like how kids get hyped up when there's a typhoon warning and school might be canceled.
Iori, on the other hand, hadn't been able to make any progress on his illustrations for three days straight.
While his schedule was padded to avoid delays, he couldn’t help but want to get back soon. He nearly said it out loud without thinking.
“Don’t you feel the same, Asumi?”
“I have plans too, so like Tokisaka-san, I’d prefer to get home earlier.”
Without Iori even noticing, Kurumi had started calling Asumi by her given name.
She must’ve gotten closer to her at some point. Asumi didn’t seem bothered and simply agreed.
It made sense—she needed to get back to resume her stream activities and prepare for upcoming plans.
As she responded, she glanced briefly at Iori with a wry smile.
“Well then, since we’re all bored anyway, why don’t we bet on whether or not we’ll get to go home?”
“A bet?”
“Yep! Whoever guesses wrong has to take one, just one command from the winner......!”
Kurumi threw out the idea suddenly, probably thinking it was perfect with two people on each side.
Asumi briefly asked back, and Kurumi, looking entertained, replied, “Simple, right?” But just then, the room’s lights went out.
It was a blackout caused by the heavy snow.
“Kyaa! No, no, no, I can’t! I can’t! Kanata, Kanata!?”
“Crap. Can someone open the curtains?”
“Y-yeah!”
As soon as the lights went out, Kurumi panicked hard, shrinking into herself.
Clearly, she was overwhelmed—visibly panicking. Kanata rushed to her side while asking Iori for help.
By the time Kanata called out, Iori already had his hand on the curtains, pulling them open to let in what little light came from outside.
Asumi, quick to catch on, used her phone flashlight to light up the room.
“W-what’s wrong?”
“She’s afraid of the dark.”
“Th-that’s awful…”
With the lights out and the curtains drawn shut, the room had become extremely dark, moreover it worsened by the stormy weather outside.
It wasn’t pitch black, but for someone with a fear of darkness, it was more than enough to trigger panic. Seeing Kurumi so distressed, Asumi became visibly shaken as well.
Iori, who already knew about her condition, explained the situation. Hearing that, Asumi managed to regain her composure despite feeling a bit shaken.
“Sorry, I’m gonna step out for a bit.”
“Got it.”
“Be careful.”
Kurumi had somewhat calmed down now, perhaps because the room was a little brighter and Kanata was right beside her.
After that, Kanata gently led her out into the hallway, where it was likely a bit brighter.
"Kurumi-san really can’t handle the dark, huh? I hope she’s okay."
"Yeah, sounds like she’s been through some stuff. Maybe she even sleeps with a nightlight or something?"
"Now that you mention it, she did have one on."
In the dimly lit room, Iori and Asumi stayed behind, talking quietly.
They made a simple makeshift lamp by putting a two-liter water bottle filled with water over the smartphone light, and it lit up the room fairly well.
Honestly, if it had stayed completely dark, even Iori and Asumi would’ve been a bit scared—it really showed just how important light was.
Also, though Asumi wasn’t afraid of heights, she did have a fear of ski lifts, so maybe she could relate a little to Kurumi’s fear. She was clearly worried about her.
"But... I kind of get it. I still feel a little scared, even with the light like this."
"You okay?"
"Yes. Since you made the room brighter for me and we’re talking, I feel much calmer."
"Good to hear. Stay under the blanket, too. Without the heater, it’s gonna get pretty cold."
"Thank you."
It seemed like fear in the dark was just a human instinct. Akizumi spoke in a soft, almost absentminded way, still thinking about Kurumi.
Meanwhile, Iori remained completely calm and had enough composure to worry about Asumi, too.
The blackout would probably be fixed soon thanks to backup generators, but the heater had been off for a few minutes, and the cold was starting to creep in.
So Iori handed Asumi a folded blanket.
"If it gets too much, just let me know."
"Umm... if it’s okay, could I maybe... see your face a little?"
"My face?"
"Yes. I read that just seeing someone’s expression can make you feel way more at ease."
"Well, if that’s what you need."
Asumi asked timidly, and Iori, figuring it would help her, easily agreed. He moved closer to the makeshift light to show her his face.
As Iori leaned toward the bottle-lamp, Asumi’s cool hand suddenly touched his cheek.
(Wha—!?)
The unexpected contact startled him, but Iori held back, knowing that reacting too strongly might scare her or make her feel guilty.
He wasn’t sure if it was due to her hand just feeling cold, or if his face was heating up—maybe both. Either way, he didn’t have time to think it through.
"As I thought, your skin’s surprisingly soft."
"Is it?"
"It is. I always thought guys would be a little rougher... Maybe you’re just special, Iori-kun."
"I wouldn’t know."
While gently feeling his face like she was playing with it, Asumi gave her honest impressions.
Iori, on the other hand, had never touched anyone else’s face, so he couldn’t exactly compare.
Still, if Asumi said so, he figured it must be true. He briefly thought about trying it on her cheek too, but decided against it.
Instead, something else occurred to him, and he opened his mouth rather than reaching out.
"By the way... yesterday, you touched my face while I was sleeping, didn’t you?"
"Eh? H-How do you know?"
Iori decided to finally ask the question that had been bugging him since yesterday.
Asumi's voice cracked in surprise, and she had a look on her face that seemed to ask, "How did you know!?"
"Because you just said ‘as I thought’, right? I actually was still awake for a second yesterday. I don’t remember much, but hearing you now made me sure."
"Ah..."
He hadn’t been sure if it had been a dream or reality, but Asumi's own words confirmed it.
Talk about digging your own grave.
When he pointed it out, Asumi’s face rapidly turned bright red. She yanked her hand away from his cheek and buried herself completely under the blanket she had wrapped around her shoulders.
"I-I didn’t mean to do anything bad, really…"
"I know, you were just curious. But, uh, maybe don't do stuff like that to a guy too often."
"Yes, I’m sorry..."
Her voice came out from a small gap in the blanket, so faint it was almost inaudible.
She was like a tiny, trembling little creature—it was almost unbearably cute.
Seeing her like that, Iori felt a playful urge to tease her, but he reined it in, thinking it would be too cruel.
He sat there for a while, watching the bundle that was Asumi. After a few minutes, the lights in the room flickered back on.
"Hey, Asumi, the power’s back."
"I know..."
"Aren’t you coming out?"
"No…"
"Hoiii."
"Nooo…"
Iori mentioned that the lights had come back on, but Asumi still didn’t show herself.
Even after he called to her several times, Asumi stubbornly gave the same response and remained under the blanket for a while.
Finally, after several minutes had passed, she peeked out from under the blanket. Her ears were slightly red, and there sat a girl so adorably flustered that it made Iori want to reach out and pet her.
[To be Continued]
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