Episode 1: My Chaotic Streamer Neighbor

I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock going off by the side of my bed. Grunting, I reached out and shut it off with a single tap. It was Monday, and like any other day, I had a lot to do. Better get started.

Three minutes later, I was out on a run around the neighborhood, wearing my usual sweatshirt and pants. I was laser-focused on completing my five-mile jog. I couldn't afford to be distracted.

When I got back to the apartment, I rushed upstairs to take a shower. After that, I made a quick breakfast, mostly protein, then put on my school uniform when I finished eating.

I only noticed the moving truck when I came back down on my way to school. Hm, looked like we were getting a new neighbor. As long as they were not a noisy person, I had no problems even if they moved in next door to me. I liked my peace and quiet and planned to keep it that way. Remembering I had somewhere to be, I left soon after.

At school, there was a lot of buzz about a certain celebrity streamer. I didn't really care much about idle culture and all of that, so I wasn't the least bit interested in any of the gossip. I just walked past the crowd and headed straight for class.

Shortly before lectures began, a group of four girls strolled past my seat, clutching their books to their chests. As I already knew who they were, I didn't bother giving them a second glance. I focused my attention on my textbook instead.

"Hey, look, it's Sota," one of the girls said.

"Oh, yeah!" another one whispered loudly.

"My God, is it just me, or has he gotten taller?"

"No, he definitely has. I heard that ever since Sakura Jima from class C broke up with him, he's been visiting the gym like crazy."

"Well, it's definitely paying off now. He looks hot."

I simply smirked at their remarks. The old me would have been over the moon that one of the prettiest girls in our class saw me as attractive, but I wasn't remotely interested in any of them. At least, not anymore.

After school, I went back home and changed into my sweats before visiting the gym that was a few blocks down from where I lived. On my way, however, I was a bit surprised when I saw the same truck from the morning pulling up to the apartment with even more stuff. How many back-and-forth trips had it made so far? I guess whoever was moving in had a lot more furniture than most.

Once at the gym, I kicked off my usual reps and routine: barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, squats, crunches, push-ups, and finally, some treadmill, with each exercise targeting a specific part of my body. I spent roughly twenty minutes on each set, making sure every muscle was burning from exhaustion before eventually pausing for a break. I didn't leave the gym until two hours later. This time, there was no sign of the truck outside. They were probably done unpacking.

For dinner, I had something light with more protein. After that, I spent the next three hours studying at my reading desk. I went to bed around 10:00 p.m., and when the next day rolled around, I kept up with my ritual as usual. Wake up, morning run, school, getting more unsolicited compliments from girls, back home, gym, study, sleep. And on, and on, and on, for the entire week.

I guess you could say my life was pretty monotonous and boring. But that's how I liked it. I didn't like excitement, because excitement brought about change, and I wasn't a huge fan of change. Haven't been for a long time. But one weird thing that kept happening was that the same strange moving truck kept showing up almost every day, morning and night.

I saw it when I went out to school, I saw it when I came back and on my way to the gym. It was kind of creepy. How much can one person own? Unless they were planning to rent out one of the more luxurious suites with the massive-sized bedrooms, I didn't see how all their belongings would fit.

But this revelation made me worry a bit, as the apartment building I lived in only had two luxury suites, and one of them was already occupied. The second one was on the far end of the building, almost isolated in its positioning, and had only one room as its next-door neighbor. Me.

Again, even though I've been alone since I moved in, I wouldn't really mind having a neighbor. Just as long as they were not the loud-mouthed, noisy, party-hosting type.

At some point, the celebrity streamer became a topic of discussion at school again, and I uninterestedly learned more about the situation. Apparently, she was tired of the typical celebrity lifestyle and was searching for a more down-to-earth suburban experience, whatever in God's name that meant. I swear, rich people had the dumbest ideas sometimes, which somehow ended up making them even more money. But she was urging her fans and followers to stay tuned for her upcoming content, as it was going to be some of the wildest stuff she had ever produced.

Honestly, I couldn't care less. All this information I overheard by virtue of sitting quietly in class. I was just looking forward to the weekend, as that was when I spent the most time at the gym, as well as reading. But when Friday night came, my plans, unfortunately, went out the window.

While studying, I heard a lot of movement and shuffling through the walls. It was coming from the suite right next to me. So, my greatest fear was realized then. The new tenant was indeed my next-door neighbor.

This went on for hours. The noise. The scraping, moving, and shuffling. I couldn't sleep. However, I was willing to forgive this person. After all, it sounded like they were just settling in. I wish they could have been a little quieter, or at least waited until the morning before they began pushing their furniture into place. I could even offer my assistance and help with that if they wanted.

"Crap!"

"Oh gosh."

"Geez, I'm such a klutz, for real pien right now. Oofufu."

It sounded like whoever this person was, she was having a bit of trouble. And she also sounded like a girl. A girl with a very strange accent and manner of speaking.

I glanced over at the clock. It was already nearing midnight. I just hoped this girl wrapped up soon. It was going to be a Saturday, but I would still love to wake up early for my morning reps.

I finally managed to begin drifting off to sleep as most of the noise had died down. I could still hear her walking around her apartment, but for the most part, it was quiet enough. Then, without warning, it happened.

"Good morning Tokyo-ooooo!"

I instantly shot out of bed, eyes wide, and tumbled over the side, falling off from sheer panic. I thought I was being robbed or something. What... what the hell was that noise just now?

"It's your favorite gyaru gal Rika here, coming to you live from my new apartment, yayyy!"

I initially thought I was dreaming. But it couldn't be that, since the fall had evaporated any signs of sleep from my eyes. I could hear this person's announcement straight through the paper-thin walls of our apartment. But why was she shouting as if talking to a camera? Was she some kind of...?

Oh no.

"Yeah, it's still a bit of a mess right now, and I've been working myself to the bone to fix up the place, guys, you wouldn't believe. I have, like, an old granny back now from how much physical labor I just put myself through, awwwww."

She was definitely some kind of internet personality. Was she going to talk like this till the morning? This was bad. An online persona like a YouTuber was the antithesis of a quiet neighbor, and the very definition of a loud mouth. Noise was literally part of the job.

Also, I'm sorry, but who shouts good morning at the top of her lungs in the middle of the night? Nope, I could feel it in my bones, this girl was trouble.

I was going to give her the benefit of the doubt since this was her first night here, but if this goes on longer than a quick update to her fans, I swear, she and I were going to have a problem.

...The next morning...

I looked like a zombie from the visible bags under my eyes. I didn't catch a wink of sleep, as she spoke non-stop at full volume all through the night. This girl, Rika, whoever she was, was now enemy number one. Something had to be done, and fast. Or my sleep schedule would be in danger.