NOVEL WEB Chapter 1
So, am I a guy or a girl in the end?
Is it something to be sorry about?
Personally, I feel like it’s about a 70% chance of being a guy and 30% of being a girl.
With the values of a girl who lived for 10 years, I couldn’t possibly survive a lengthy 25 years.
No, to begin with, the feeling of having lived as a ‘girl’ until now was already faint.
“Minah! Are you up?”
“Yes….”
The only fortunate thing is that my mom is a Korean resident of Japan, so speaking Korean isn’t strange at all.
I mean, we usually spoke Korean at home anyway.
Well, for some reason, I wasn’t fluent at all.
“Hurry up and get dressed and come down!”
“Okay….”
My Korean name is Yeon Minah.
My Japanese name is Kayanoh Mina (茅野 美名).
My dad passed away from pancreatic cancer three years ago, and my only older sister is living on her own, so it’s just me and mom living together now.
Despite all that, I had solid memories from the past ten years, so naturally, my family in this life felt precious too.
“I’ll probably not be back today, so it looks like you’ll have dinner alone.”
My mom’s name is Seonah Yeon.
Surprisingly, she’s a director at a pretty well-known company in Japan.
“Is it okay for you to be alone tomorrow, Minah?”
“…Yes. I’m fine.”
And starting tomorrow, I’ll be a fifth-grader in elementary school, according to Korea.
It’s been just a day since my previous life memories came back.
In this moment of confusion, can I really adapt well?
I had no confidence.
Even in my previous life, I only had one friend, and I was extremely socially awkward, so…
“Ugh.”
Glancing at the mirror on the table, a pretty girl was staring blankly back at me.
Of course, that girl was me.
Long, shiny brown hair flowing down to my waist.
My eyes looked slightly blue.
My skin was smooth, giving me a cute and delicate overall appearance.
My body? Well, I was still young, so I was slender.
Anyone could tell that this girl would definitely grow into a beauty!
That was the feeling I got from my appearance.
“Mm.”
I was a bit annoyed at the god who reincarnated me as a Japanese girl, but still, there was something I liked.
“Hehe.”
“What’s wrong, Minah?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
What I liked was the fact that I was an incredibly cute girl right now.
In the school caste system they have in Japan, I would definitely aim for the top.
Is this what they call an S-rank beauty in that local context?
“Well, I’m such a cute kid.”
Even if I was a social outcast in my previous life, adapting shouldn’t be too problematic.
Until then, I was spinning a very happy imagination.
And then five years passed.
And all this time, I haven’t made a single friend.
★
Isn’t it strange?
It’s embarrassing to say this since it’s me, but…
I’m quite.
No, I’m incredibly beautiful, you know?
How could I not make a single friend for five years?
But I know the reason.
Until I recalled the memories, I was too busy organizing my dizzying thoughts before school started.
That’s the most important part.
On the first day of fifth grade, when it was time for self-introductions, I finally recalled it.
“I, I’m, K-k-kaya, K-k-kayanoh….”
I was a total social outcast.
This isn’t a story from my previous life.
I—Kayanoh Mina—was a complete social misfit with communication impairment before the memories came flooding back.
…In my previous life, I was socially awkward, but it wasn’t to this extent.
I instinctively lower my gaze when looking into others’ eyes.
When trying to talk to someone, stuttering is pretty much a given.
When someone stares at me, I get dizzy.
It’s not like I had real problems in the past.
Even when I think back on it, I could proudly say I had a happy family.
I never had fights with friends in kindergarten or anything like that.
No, to begin with, I didn’t have friends in kindergarten either.
I was just someone who was shy by nature, avoiding people due to social anxiety.
And the truly unfortunate part is that I wasn’t even suffering from it.
In my previous life, I had only one friend over 25 years.
I knew how to live without friends better than anyone else.
Rather than feeling like I needed to change, I just let time pass and before I knew it, I became a high school student.
Of course, I know it’s my fault.
When I think about it, before recalling my past life, I hated living a life without friends and tried to do something about it.
But after remembering my previous life, I—who was more accustomed to being a social misfit—perfectly adapted, and with that adaptation, I didn’t feel the need to change anymore, and that’s how it came to be.
“…What on earth is this?”
Who can understand that feeling when my comprehensive observation reports from elementary school to middle school all mentioned my social relationships as a note?
“…I need to change.”
Of course, I could live like this without significant issues.
My mom? Well, she cherishes me, her somewhat lovable daughter, more than anyone.
Even if I graduate and become a lifelong hermit, she would surely support me.
But I can say with certainty, that’s not a correct answer nor a human life.
Of course, I’ve never lived like that, so I can’t say for sure, but I can’t do anything that would make my conscience sting.
“…Alright.”
High school debut.
Since I’ve watched light novels and manga from my previous life to now, I’m going to change.
To do that, I enrolled in a prestigious private high school, far from my middle school and with a diverse student body.
“Huff.”
From now on, I’m going to change.
From Kaya Kayanoh, the totally friendless social misfit to at least being able to fit in with my classmates, just an ordinary Kayanoh Mina.
Beginning with my high school debut, I am reborn…!
That’s what I silently resolved to do as I steadied my breath.
And then, during self-introductions.
“I, I’m K-k-kaya, K-k-kayanoh, M-m-mina. H-h-hobby is, uh, listening to music and playing g-g-games….”
Oh boy, it completely fell apart.
★
Well, considering I’ve lived 15 years this life and 25 years in the past.
A total of 40 years living as a social misfit, thinking I could change instantly is a bit unrealistic.
Yeah. Where was the challenge in that?
Failing after trying is still better than never trying and failing, right?
Hmm.
I tried! It’s all good! I’m amazing!
“…No, that’s not it…?!”
I wasn’t trying to become a major social butterfly; I just wanted to be like an ordinary classmate A!
Why did it turn out like this?
“Damn.”
I exclaimed a curse for the first time in forever and buried my face in the pillow.
This body tends to tear up a lot, so even when I try to hold back the tears, they just escape.
“Ugh, I miss my mom.”
Wiping my tears slowly, I lifted my head.
Looks like tomorrow, the life of a social misfit begins again.
“Ugh.”
Letting out a sigh, I got off the bed and sat in a chair.
There’s nothing to do while lying around, so I might as well get on the computer.
Virtual OnTuber.
Shortened to VTuber or 버튜버.
It refers to internet broadcasts featuring virtual characters by individuals or companies.
Since I watched a lot of it in my previous life, becoming a fan in this life was only natural.
I died in 2020.
And now, it’s 203X.
As I researched on Wiki, it seems a lot happened in the world of VTubers.
To begin with, the “boss” who coined the term VTuber went into indefinite hiatus.
In 2025, all the VTuber companies that I thought would never collapse went bankrupt.
The reason was that there was a huge difference in perspective between the VTubers and the companies, or so they said.
As a result, non-affiliated independent VTubers started rising, but due to individual limitations, several problems arose, and eventually, the VTuber genre itself entered a period of stagnation.
As time passed, 5 months ago.
The VTuber genre suddenly hit a new peak.
Starting from about a year ago, several companies challenged that stagnation with new VTuber projects.
Among them, Star’s Flow struck gold.
Of course, it may not be as vigorous as before, but as someone who quite liked VTubers in my previous life, I felt relieved.
Having watched many VTubers over 5 years, the difference between independent and company-affiliated VTubers was naturally significant, and that became a source of disappointment for me as a viewer.
[I’m Natsune Nanase, coming from a sparkling dream star!]
Of course, the first thing I did upon booting up my computer and logging into OnTube was to tune into Natsune’s livestream.
Natsune Nanase (夏音 七星), nicknamed Natsune.
True to her name, she’s part of Star’s Flow.
Moreover, she’s the much-anticipated first debutant and debuted about a month earlier than the other first-generation stars, earning the title of the only 0th newcomer in Star’s Flow.
With her hair tied back in a platinum blond and mysterious amber eyes, she’s often credited for ushering in a new peak for this market.
5 months ago, during her first stream, she played a horror game called “There’s Absolutely No Ending,” only using a keyboard to escape a maze.
During it, she cried out of fear, and clips of her voice were circulated on OnTube.
That clip hit 3.5 million views.
No need for explanations—it was a massive hit.
Starting from that point, Natsune’s channel gained countless subscribers.
And as a consequence, the VTuber market began to slowly revive, leading to its current second boom.
Well, I’ve been following her since she started streaming on September 24th last year.
But it’s no different from other fans who started watching her.
[Today’s stream is just to chat!]
“Natsune is so cute today too.”
Since the first time I saw her, I thought her looks were totally my style, and I suspected she would become my favorite, and my guess was right on the money.
Having watched almost all of Natsune’s streams and subscribed to her membership, I am now a proud member of the eighth star.
I’ve never regretted this decision once….
[It’s the season for high school entrance, isn’t it? I can’t help but feel nostalgic.]
Natsune’s high school days…
She surely had a brilliant time just like now.
– I don’t remember my high school days anymore.
– I had both good and bad memories.
– Everything’s just nostalgia once it’s passed.
…Will I one day look back on my school days and reminisce?
[Do you want to go back? Hmm, not really. I’m really enjoying my life right now.]
“It wouldn’t be possible…”
Longing for school days I have no memories of.
I’d rather take that time to watch Natsune’s streams again.
What an objective conclusion that is.
[Oh, speaking of? There was something that happened when I ended the stream yesterday….]
My memories are with Natsune on this screen….
Natsune is undeniably cute.
Then that evening, mom came home after a long time and said,
“Minah, Star’s Flow is holding auditions for second-generation members. Why don’t you give it a try?”
…Excuse me?