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 36 - Talking About the Future with the Saintess
Career Plans.
Many students are surely troubled by these words.
Especially in high school, the topic comes up several times a year during career counseling sessions.
Iori and Asumi, who were set to move up to their second year in a couple of months, were no exception.
One day in late February, with final exams approaching, the two of them were sitting down to discuss their future plans, career survey forms in front of them.
"College, huh... I guess I don’t have to go, but it’s probably better if I do."
"Iori-kun, you could still survive even without going to college after all."
"Well, yeah, but you never know when work might dry up. What about you, Asumi?"
"This industry could fade away at any time. That’s why I plan to at least finish college."
"Makes sense."
Although they were technically still students, both Iori and Asumi were already almost like working adults.
They could get by just fine as things were, and likely wouldn’t struggle to put food on the table.
But you never know what might happen.
Especially in Asumi’s case, it wouldn't be wrong to say that her career thrived purely on what was trending at the time.
When the popularity dies down, being able to survive or walk away cleanly would depend on how many options she had.
"Besides, I already have a university I’m aiming for,"
"Oh yeah? Which one?"
"This one,"
Apparently, Asumi had already decided which college she wanted to go to.
Just as you'd expected from an honor student.
She showed him her smartphone screen with the name of the university.
"That’s a pretty good choice."
"Yeah, I think a lot of people have at least heard the name. For now, I’ve decided on this one."
"Mind if I ask why?"
"It’s a boring reason, you know?"
"Then never mind."
The fact that she’d decided so early probably meant she had a solid reason.
When Iori asked, Asumi looked a bit troubled.
From the way she had spoken before, there might have been issues with her family, so it was probably best not to press the topic.
Iori withdrew the question before stepping on a landmine.
"Well, I think you should take your time figuring things out, Iori-kun. And if you find a college you want but your grades aren’t good enough, I’ll help you study."
"I can’t drag you down that much."
"What are you talking about? It’s too late for that. We already cook for each other and go shopping together, remember?"
Asumi was among the top students in their grade. Helping Iori improve his grades would probably be easy for her.
Still, that would take time, and Iori didn’t mind not going to college, so he wanted her to focus on herself.
But as she said, they had come to rely on each other. Iori knew he depended on her quite a bit.
So yeah, "too late for that" really did apply.
"Still, it’s something that could affect your whole future."
"I told you already. If it’s for you—no, for Sensei’s art—I’ll do anything."
"You really do love my art, huh? That makes me seriously happy."
"Of course. You’re my number one fave."
Even when Iori hesitated, Asumi said it like it was the most natural thing in the world.
It was the kind of compliment that made any artist’s heart sing.
To hear those words from someone like Asumi—a smart, athletic, and independent girl—made Iori feel incredibly lucky.
For now, he decided to do his best with exam prep so he wouldn’t cause her any trouble.
On the career survey form, he simply wrote: “Planning to attend college”.
"That part’s easy if you just use the formula."
Having decided to actually study, Iori jumped into his test prep before his motivation had a chance to wane.
Seeing him open his books, Asumi took the opportunity and sat beside him, starting her own studying.
"I’ve just been brute-forcing it until now, but yeah, using the formula is way easier."
"I think you’d get much better scores if you stopped cutting corners, Iori-kun."
They had been studying for about an hour now, and Iori was already being looked after by Asumi.
According to her, teaching was a good way to take a break and helped reinforce her own understanding, too.
Well then, Iori figured he might as well accept this divine blessing from the lady saintess.
"I’ll put in the effort."
"Good. I bet your scores will improve a lot. By the way, what are your grades like, Iori-kun?"
"Last test, I was ranked 32nd overall, I think."
"Wait, that’s actually really good, isn’t it? Didn’t you say you’re the type to cram the night before?"
Hearing his ranking, Asumi tilted her head slightly.
Given how Iori always seemed to be struggling right before exams, she’d assumed he was much lower on the list.
So his higher-than-expected ranking clearly surprised her.
"I do cram the night before, but I also review my notes and textbooks when I’ve got spare time. Plus, I tend to pick things up during class. It’s just math and physics that really drag me down."
"Huh, I honestly thought you’d be ranked lower."
"I like memorization subjects, and I’m strong with the humanities. But if I don’t study for those two subjects, I’ll end up failing."
"I see."
Iori was the type with a clear divide between strong and weak subjects, which allowed him to focus time on the areas he struggled with.
And because he could rely on his strong subjects to balance things out, his overall ranking ended up looking decent.
He didn’t study all that much, but he was the kind of person who could steadily draw or work on things, so he had discipline in his own way.
He also made use of spare moments to review and would often get help from Kanata during class, so in the end, he managed to pull decent grades.
"If it’s just those two subjects, they’re not too much trouble. Don’t hesitate to rely on me from now on. If you fail them, you’ll have to repeat the year."
"That’s a big help."
Asumi looked at him like, “You should’ve told me sooner.”
She seemed completely serious about helping him improve his grades.
With her going that far, Iori figured it was okay to lean on her a little.
He straightened his legs from their casual sprawl into proper seiza, adjusted his posture, and bowed politely.
"Well then, in return, I’ll handle cooking more during exam week."
"Alright, I’ll take you up on that. Iori-kun's cooking is really good, after all."
It was just like usual, really.
Iori and Asumi had a natural way of balancing the burdens between them and offering something in return for the effort.
In fact, every so often, depending on their schedules and responsibilities, they would adjust how they split the load.
Today was just another day of renegotiating their roles.
"Let’s make sure we move up to the next grade together."
Before they returned to studying, Asumi smiled gently and spoke those words.
It was a direct way of saying, “Let’s stay together like this!”, which made Iori blush just a little.
But to him, there was nothing he wanted more.
He couldn’t brush it off or give her a half-hearted reply. If he were doing that, that would’ve felt wrong.
So Iori simply said, "I'll be counting on you till graduation.".
[To be Continued]
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