Patrick I

                                                                       *Authors note*

Hello everyone, and thanks for reading Vtuber Next Door! After receiving some advice I'd gone ahead and rewritten most of the past few chapters, with one major change.

Kaiden knows Charolatte is Astella from chapter two onwards!

Now, the focus had changed, from worrying which classmate is Astella, to trying to find out which classmate of theirs leaked that oh so important information!

While most of the chapters aren't changed much, I would recommend revisiting chapters 2 and 3 to get some context on these upcoming chapters.

Again, thank you so much for reading! And feel free to give your thoughts down below!

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“Welcome one, welcome all to this show of mine–the first of three in our grand tale, and our friend here had volunteered himself to be the first act. While you blind herbivores proceeded to trot around like deer, our self proclaimed predator over here stalked his prey without a singular thought.

“Sadly, I have to be wholesome about this for the viewers’ eyes, so his punishment shall not fall to I. In other words, y’all, have at this perv.”

Patrick shoved the man down. Dust scattered upon the impact, flying every which way across the clearing until everything could settle. With the man’s massively overweight physique, there wasn't much of a question on what would result from such an impact.

“So…” Patrick leaned down toward the man’s feeble expression. “In very wholesome terms, what exactly were you doing here?”

“W-well, I was–”

“The best words are those which are clearly spoken, you know.” I could feel the edge radiate from Patrick’s words.

“I’m just a simple hiker, sir! I was walking along the path when a coyote passed by my eyes and I went to go chase it! When I arrived back here, sir, I saw your group, and was unsure of what to do. A man like me arriving amidst a group of teenagers wouldn't be savory in my eyes, sir, no sir!”

“Needs a bit more wholesomeness, but I digress. While your story only surely seems rock solid in your… feeble eyes, why were you taking pictures of the class while ‘scouting’ our group?”

“Pictures, sir?”

“Playing dumb aren't we? Very wholesome. Nevertheless, all the proof I desire rests within my hands.” John revealed a cell phone from within his grasp–the newest Bpple model. “Would you be so kind as to give us your thumbprint?”

“But sir, my privacy–”

“It wasn't actually a question.”

“...yes.” I watched as he begrudgingly unlocked the phone, revealing a very familiar webpage plastered on the screen.

“Is that Vhub?” I asked, shocked.

“Right you are Kaiden, didn’t know you had it in you. And our friend here was looking at an very interesting forum, the one detailing the identity leak of one Astella Volago. Surely the singular brain cell shared between y'all can put the pieces together here.”

I glanced toward Charlotte, who hadn’t said a word. Her face flushed red as she glanced toward the ground. My mind could wrap its head around how she was feeling; afraid, betrayed, terrified. Despite every warning the school gave, someone had still made it past the barriers and ever approached the correct class–intentionally or not.

“So, as wholesomely as you can answer, tell me… Why are you really here?” Patrick asked, an ironic grin plastered on his face.

His head shook, eyes darting left and right–a caged animal realizing its eternal fate. “So what if I was? It's not a crime to try to meet someone you're a fan of!”

“Actually, it in fact is! Absurdly crazy, big censorship strikes again, whatever, I’ve heard them all. You’ll have more than enough time to contemplate how we live in a society behind bars.

“However…” He tapped the screen a few times, delving right into the man's forum site’s direct messages. “Looks like we’ll be talking behind the scenes a bit first. You and the Astella leaker seem to have been having some very fun conversations behind closed doors.”

“Mercy…” He squeaked out as Patrick shoved him back into the air, gripping his shirt collar. “I’m just an information broker! Nephele just paid me to gather information for her!”

“Nephele?” He asked, voice still deep.

“T-that's her name, the one who leaked the high school Astella went to. I reached out and she promised to tell me Astella’s identity if I got some photos! Astella! I just wanted to meet you! Astella!”

“Pathetic.” Patrick sneered. “I’d love to interrogate you more here and now, but your very presence breaks the wholesomeness of this place. Let’s head out a bit and have a more… private talk.”

“Sir!” Mr. Sergeant– self-proclaimed –stormed up, furious at Patrick’s very funny stunt. “What in the hell is going on here?”

“I’m just treating our guest to a night on the town. Surely you don't have any intention of stopping me?”

Instantaneously, clouds darkened the sky as thunder struck. Lightning destroyed tree after tree. Wind blasted the clearing from every direction greater than any hurricane. Yet despite it all, Patrick stood strong as we struggled to not collapse, never to rise.

“No intention… correct?”

Between the sudden sounds of torrential rain that now poured upon all that my eyes could see, his voice somehow still echoed through to my ears, loud and clear.

“CORRECT?”

“Y-yes sir!”

“Great!” And within a second of a second everything reverted to what had been, not a sign of the destruction in sight. “It was a pleasure, tell teach… that I’m taking a bit of a vacation.”

And without another word he walked down the path, stalker still in hand.

The sudden silence felt deafening, how could anyone follow that up? Patrick was a showman, that much was always certain, yet his performance now singled out something much more grand.

“Charlotte!” Ella’s voice echoed out. Crap! I turned, just to see her collapse in place.

I dashed over without a moment's pause. All this staring in awe without another thought. Foolish. I stared at myself through a mirror, the pitiful self absolved egomaniac that awaited me could only grin, superior.

All these thoughts, Astella and Charlotte–one and the same. There's no invisible competition, no war crashing through the trees at any grand scale.

Instead, I had one Charlotte. One chance to not screw it up. And today I chose to lose myself to the glamor, barely paying her a single thought. What a man I decided upon.

“How is she?” My voice came ragged, exponentially so for the short distance run.

“Heartbeats steady… breathing’s the same.” Camden leaned over, checking for a steady pulse. “She’ll be fine.”

“She collapsed! How is that fine!” That same raggedy tone echoed out, a glorified shout of panic–much louder than I ever planned.

“Kaiden!” Camden’s sharp voice snapped me back to reality. “I’m no medical expert, but you’ve been around here more than all of us combined–you must have noticed how stressed she’s been. Hell, how stressed we’ve all been! Time and time again, we hear about these supposed stalkers that are watching our every move. And now that those nonsensical fears were proven valid?”

“I know I know! I’m sorry, it's just…” Their expression softened. “Your right, that's on me.”

“No need to beat yourself up over it dude.” She simply sighed. “Let's get ready to pack up.”