Kai Morita leaned back in his chair after ending the stream.
His room was quiet except for the faint humming of his computer.
"Man…" he muttered.
"That was weird."
Ten viewers.
His stream had never reached double digits before.
Sure, it wasn't exactly a world record, but for Kai it felt like climbing a mountain.
He opened the stream stats page.
Peak viewers: 11
Kai rubbed his chin.
"Where did those people even come from?"
Then his eyes stopped on one username.
StarrySky99
That viewer had been talking the most.
Kai shrugged.
"Probably just a random person."
Still…
He couldn't help but feel slightly motivated.
Someone had actually stayed and listened when he sang.
That didn't happen often.
Kai closed his laptop and stood up.
"Alright. Time to sleep."
Tomorrow meant school again.
And more grinding.
Across the city, things were very different.
Aika Hoshino sat cross-legged on her enormous bed, staring at her phone screen like she had just discovered treasure.
"That voice…"
She replayed the recording again.
Kai's singing echoed through her headphones.
It wasn't perfect.
It wasn't professionally trained.
But it had something many singers lacked.
Emotion.
Aika smiled.
"This is interesting."
For years she had worked with producers, songwriters, vocal coaches—people who polished music until it was flawless.
But Kai?
His voice felt real.
Raw.
Honest.
Aika stretched and fell backward onto her bed.
"Plus he saved me earlier…"
She stared at the ceiling.
"And he still doesn't know who I am."
For the first time in a long time, someone treated her like a normal person.
Not a celebrity.
Not an idol.
Just… a girl.
Her smile grew mischievous.
"Well, Kai Morita…"
She whispered.
"Let's see how far your little stream goes."
The next afternoon at Westbridge High…
Kai sat quietly at his desk finishing math homework.
Ryo suddenly slammed his hands onto the table.
"BRO."
Kai didn't even look up.
"What."
"You look different."
Kai blinked.
"…Different how?"
"Like someone who secretly became rich overnight."
Kai sighed.
"I got 10 viewers on stream."
Ryo froze.
"…You're kidding."
"Nope."
Ryo grabbed Kai by the shoulders dramatically.
"YOU'RE MOVING UP IN THE WORLD!"
"It's ten people."
"That's DOUBLE DIGITS."
Kai pushed him away.
"Relax."
But even Kai had to admit something felt different.
Ten viewers.
Someone actually enjoyed his singing.
That thought stuck in his head all day.
Later that night…
Kai sat down in front of his computer again.
He adjusted his headset.
"Alright…"
He clicked Start Stream.
LIVE.
Kai glanced at the viewer counter.
3 viewers.
"Back to normal," he said with a small laugh.
Then he waved.
"Welcome back, chat."
A few seconds passed.
Then—
ding
StarrySky99: Hello again.
Kai smiled slightly.
"Oh hey, you came back."
Across the city, Aika grinned like she had just won a game.
"He remembered."
She typed quickly.
StarrySky99: Of course.
Kai opened his game.
"You ready for another boring stream?"
StarrySky99: I doubt it will be boring.
Kai laughed.
"You're very optimistic."
More chat messages slowly appeared from the other viewers.
It wasn't a lot.
But it was more than before.
Kai focused on the game.
Defeat enemies.
Collect resources.
Level up.
Classic grinding.
After a few minutes, another message appeared.
StarrySky99: Why do you try so hard?
Kai raised an eyebrow.
"That's a deep question for a game stream."
He thought about it for a moment.
Then answered honestly.
"I wasted a lot of time before."
The chat paused.
Kai kept playing.
"I used to just mess around… play games all day… do nothing."
He shrugged.
"Then I realized if I kept doing that, my life would go nowhere."
Across the city, Aika listened carefully.
Kai continued.
"So now I'm trying to improve."
"Streaming, working out, studying."
"Step by step."
The chat stayed quiet for a moment.
Then—
StarrySky99: That's admirable.
Kai chuckled.
"You're making me sound cooler than I am."
Aika smiled softly.
"No," she whispered to her phone.
"You really are cool."
Ten minutes later…
Something unexpected happened.
A notification popped up on screen.
StarrySky99 donated $5
Kai froze.
"…Wait."
The chat exploded.
"DONATION??"
"YO"
"FIRST DONO"
Kai leaned closer to the screen.
"Hold on."
He squinted at the message attached to the donation.
StarrySky99: For the singing yesterday.
Kai scratched his head.
"You didn't have to donate."
Aika giggled.
"I wanted to."
Kai shook his head.
"Still though… thanks."
He looked slightly embarrassed.
Then he said something that made Aika pause.
"But don't waste your money on small streamers."
Aika blinked.
"…Huh?"
Kai continued playing.
"Donate to someone bigger."
"They probably need it more."
Aika sat up instantly.
"Need it more?!"
She burst out laughing.
The richest singer in the country had just donated five dollars…
And he was telling her not to waste money.
"This guy…"
She wiped tears from her eyes.
"He's unbelievable."
Back in Kai's room, the stream continued normally.
Enemies defeated.
Levels gained.
A few jokes.
A few awkward moments.
Then suddenly—
The viewer count changed.
Kai noticed.
"…Wait."
Kai leaned toward the screen again.
"What's happening?"
The chat started moving faster.
"NEW VIEWERS"
"HELLO"
"HI STREAM"
Kai scratched his head.
"Did someone share the stream or something?"
Across the city, Aika was trying very hard not to laugh.
Earlier she had sent the stream link to a small group chat again.
This time…
More people joined.
She typed in chat.
StarrySky99: Looks like your stream is growing.
Kai stared at the number.
18 viewers.
"Okay that's actually crazy."
For the first time in his streaming career…
Kai felt something unfamiliar.
Momentum.
He smiled at the camera.
"Well chat…"
"If we reach 30 viewers tonight…"
The chat immediately exploded with messages.
Kai grinned.
"I'll sing again."
Across the city, Aika's eyes sparkled.
"Oh?"
She leaned forward on her bed.
"That sounds fun."
She opened her contact list.
Her finger hovered over one name.
Her manager.
Aika smirked.
"…No, that would be cheating."
Instead she opened another group chat.
Her closest friends.
Aika typed:
"Help this streamer reach 30 viewers."
Back in Kai's room…
The number kept climbing.
Kai's heart started racing.
"Chat what is happening tonight?!"
Then finally—
30 viewers.
Kai stared at the screen in disbelief.
"THIRTY?!"
The chat exploded with celebration messages.
Kai leaned back in his chair, laughing.
"Okay okay!"
"A promise is a promise."
He grabbed the microphone.
"Any song requests?"
Immediately one message appeared.
StarrySky99: Sing anything you like.
Kai nodded.
"Alright."
He closed his eyes again.
And began singing.
Across the city, Aika listened quietly.
The same warmth filled her chest again.
She smiled softly.
Watching the screen.
Watching him.
"Your stream might only have thirty viewers now…"
She whispered.
"But someday…"
Her eyes sparkled.
"It might have millions."
And for some reason…
The thought made her happier than any concert stage ever had.