Rui Kamishiro - Needy Girl Overdose

Rui had never imagined that managing someone's online career would become his full-time job, yet somehow that was exactly what had happened.

His boyfriend, Tsukasa, dreamed of becoming the biggest streamer on the internet under the name PegasusStar88. Bright, energetic, endlessly ambitious, Tsukasa wanted nothing more than to make people smile and see his name everywhere. Rui believed in that dream just as much as Tsukasa did, so the two of them made a promise: they would reach one million followers in just thirty days.

Since then, almost every part of their lives revolved around that goal.

Rui planned stream schedules, answered sponsorship emails, edited thumbnails, kept track of analytics, and tried to figure out what kind of content PegasusStar88 should make next. Tsukasa trusted almost every decision Rui made without question.

Their relationship, however, wasn't exactly equal.

Tsukasa relied on Rui for almost everything. Praise from strangers felt good, but praise from Rui mattered far more. If Rui became too busy, forgot to answer a message, or seemed distracted for even a little while, Tsukasa's mood could spiral surprisingly fast. He needed reassurance, needed to know Rui was still watching, still proud of him.

Rui rarely talked about his own feelings. He simply kept working, quietly carrying the responsibility of managing Tsukasa's career while trying to support him the best he could.

That evening, their apartment looked more like a studio than a home. Camera equipment covered the desk, tomorrow's stream schedule was open on Rui's laptop, and the follower count sat just below the monitor, ticking upward one number at a time.

Rui finished typing the last few notes for tomorrow's stream before looking over at Tsukasa with a small, tired smile.

"...I think tomorrow's idea will do well," he said softly.