Big Stream Preparation

Yuna’s living room had been turned into a war room.

On the table:

2 laptops, a couple of notepads, 4 empty tea cups, and my little sister’s scattered sticky notes.

“So…” Yuna said “Just to confirm again. We’re really doing this?”

Sakura nodded, calm as ever. “Only if you want to. But yes, if you want to free yourself from them instantly, one of the strongest moves you can make is to tell your story publicly. Just… carefully.”

“Carefully…” Yui repeated, legs swinging from the couch. “That’s where I come in. I shall now simulate the chaos of live chat.”

Sakura sighed. "That's... not what I meant."

“B-but she has a point. That’s the part I’m most afraid of.” Yuna mumbled.

“Perfect.” Yui grinned. “Then the training begins.”

I sat down next to Yuna. “We’ll disable donations and slow down chat. BUT, you obviously don’t have to look at chat.”

“And you?” Yuna asked.

“I’ll be backstage with Sakura, watching every word. If anything goes too far, we’ll signal you immediately. You’re not going to mess this up, but just to be safe, let’s go over what you want to say, and more importantly, how you should say it.”

“I already spoke to the lawyers I'm interning with. They said: ‘Truth is a shield, but phrasing is your armor’.” 

“Wow.” my sister said. “They’re so intelligent. It’s kinda cool.”

We just stared at her, none of us responded.

—-------------------------------

“Okay.” Sakura said. “I’ve already prepared a draft statement. If you want we can start by going through that. And of course, we can change whatever you don't feel comfortable with. Also, depending on what it is, we can add stuff."

“O-Okay.” Yuna said nervously.

She sat up straight and cleared her throat.

“G-Good evening, e-everyone. Th-thank you for coming. Today, I want to speak… n-not as LunaZero… but as the person behind her.”

She stopped, face turning red. “This is so embarrassing.”

“It’s not. It’s honest.” I said.

“No, I didn’t mean it like that. Just… to do this infront of you… it’s weird.”

Suddenly, Yui cleared her throat dramatically. “WAIT, IS THAT REALLY HER? LUNAZERO??? SHE’S PREGNANT!!! RENNO’S GONNA BE A DAD????”

Yuna flinched. “That’s… actually exactly what they would say.”

“Then learn to talk through it.” my sister said bluntly.

“Again.” Sakura said. “You don’t owe them everything. Just the truth you can live with.”

Yuna nodded and tried again.

—------------------------

“That… was good.” Sakura said softly.

Yuna blinked. “It was?”

“Because it sounded like you. You even went off-script here and there.” I said.

“Thing is… Chat will ask about the baby… like, immediately. And it never comes up in your statement.” Yui said.

Yuna’s gaze dropped. “I… don’t want to talk about my baby...especially the father.” she whispered.

“Then don’t.” Sakura said firmly. “You’re not doing this to satisfy curiosity.”

“But… what if they say I’m hiding something? Or that I owe them answers?”

“You don’t owe the internet every piece of your pain. You’re doing this to free yourself, not to bleed out for their entertainment.” Sakura said.

“...Do you think they’ll hate me?” Yuna asked suddenly.

“Who?”

“My viewers. If I tell them… that I lied. That I played along with a fake romance…”

“Some will…” I said, because lying to her now wouldn’t help her when it actually mattered. “People on the internet don’t like it when their illusion breaks.”

She tensed.

“But the ones who stay? Those are the only ones who matter. Honestly, I think… it’s less about them… and more about what you want to stop carrying. If you’re done pretending to be fine, that’s already a big win.”

She suddenly laughed.

“That’s very poetic for someone whose career started with raging in ranked matches.” she teased.

“Yeah… I’ve been through the growth-arc.” I laughed.

—------------------------

By late evening, we’d gone through the whole script several times and made a few changes.

Yui had turned from “Chat Troll Mode” to genuine support.

“Okay, last run.” she said, stretching her arms. “Then we call it a day before Yuna’s brain melts.”

Yuna nodded, visibly tired, but determined. She held the printed script in her hands, but this time she barely looked at it.

Her voice was soft, a little shaky in places, but true…

By the time we reached the end…

“...I don’t know what will happen after this. But I want to live my life honestly, even if it’s scary. If you still want to support me after hearing this… I’d be really happy.”

…my sister had tears in her eyes.

She sniffed. “Okay, that’s illegal. You’re not allowed to make me cry before the actual stream.”

Sakura smiled. “You’re ready.”

“Am I?” Yuna whispered.

“Yes.” I said.

Even if she didn’t believe it yet... I did. We all did.

—------------------------

It was late when Sakura and Yui finally left.

The apartment fell silent.

Yuna sat back down on the couch. I sat beside her.

“...Tomorrow.” she whispered. “Everything will change.”

“...Don’t forget. You don’t have to be perfect. Try not to worry about it too much… I know it’s hard, but… it will only stress you out. And we don’t want that.”

She didn’t answer.

For a minute… it was just silence.

“...If tomorrow goes well.” she said out of nowhere. “...there’s something I want to tell you. Properly.”

I held her gaze.

“I’ll wait.”

After that, she went silent again, looking out of the window.

My phone suddenly began to vibrate. A lot.

I frowned while pulling it out of my pocket. Dozens of messages.

Some from Yui, and a lot from social media apps. The messages just kept coming.

I didn’t even have to open them to feel it in my gut.

I started with ‘Y’. The moment I opened the app… photos of my hallway greeted me. 

The photos… he leaked them…

“...Ren?” Yuna asked quietly. “What is it?”

I looked up at her. For a moment, I considered lying… buying her one more peaceful minute.

But she deserved better than that.

“...The photos. They’re out.”

She didn’t react right away.

Then, her hands clenched in the fabric of the couch.

“I… I wanted to do it myself.” she whispered. “I wanted to show them… who I really am… on my terms.”

“I know.” I said immediately, moving closer. “I know that’s not how you wanted this.”

She didn’t cry. She just stared at the floor, breathing shallow.

“But listen to me.” I continued, gently. “He might’ve taken away your choice… but he panicked. And in doing that, he made a mistake.”

She looked up at me.

“A big one.” I said. “He actually turned the threat into evidence. I’m sure, no matter how he did it, it will be traced back to him. I’m sure of it.”

I met her eyes, unwavering.

“Tomorrow… you’ll still speak.” I said quietly. “...And not because you have to now."

"Yeah, he might’ve made the first move…" I continued.  "...But you’ll get the last word.”