Chapter 3: Why Is His Voice So Familiar...?

It started small.

Barely a whisper in my brain.

A feeling.

An itch I couldn’t scratch.

The first time it happened, I was watching one of Miu’s casual talk streams — the ones where she just chilled and answered fan questions while sipping bubble tea.

It was cute. Relaxing.

Her voice was soft, a little deeper than usual when she was off-stage, like she wasn’t trying too hard.

I loved those streams. They made her feel real, like she was just another college student messing around at home.

"Ughh, I’m so tired today," Miu whined on the screen, letting her head fall dramatically onto her arms. "I didn’t even fold my laundry. It’s just sitting there. Like... judging me."

I giggled, typing frantically in the chat.

Relatable queen!!!

But as I watched, something strange tugged at my brain.

That lazy tone...

That deadpan humor...

That slight gravel at the end of her words when she drawled...

It reminded me of someone.

Someone who also didn’t fold their laundry.

Someone who also whined dramatically while being a useless lump of a human.

My eyes drifted to the living room, where Riku lay face-down on the couch, snoring into the cushions.

No way, I thought, shaking my head violently. Impossible. Riku's voice isn’t cute. His voice is... ugh. Annoying.

Still, the thought wormed deeper into my head.

The next day, I noticed it again.

I was heating up leftovers (because apparently I was also the house chef now), and Riku shuffled into the kitchen, yawning loudly.

"Is there food?" he grunted.

"Yes, but none for you," I snapped automatically, sticking my tongue out at him.

He ignored me, grabbing a fork and poking at the pan.

And then he said—

In that same sleepy, low grumble—

"Man, I’m too lazy to do anything today. Someone carry me."

I froze.

The same phrasing.

The same exact tone.

...

...wait.

Was it possible...?

No. NO. There was absolutely no way.

Miu was an angel. A blessing. A sparkling idol made of cotton candy and dreams.

Riku was... Riku.

I shook my head so hard my hair slapped me in the face.

Coincidence.

It had to be coincidence.

But then came the real kicker.

Later that night, I was scrolling through a fan forum, laughing at memes, when someone posted a clip from an older Miu livestream.

It was Miu singing a silly cover of a popular anime song — off-key, joking around, making exaggerated voices for the characters.

And in the background, between giggles, she blurted out something:

"Tch. Dumb song’s stuck in my head now."

The exact same annoyed "tch" noise.

The exact same muttered complaint.

I slapped my laptop shut so fast the screen almost cracked.

"No. Freaking. Way," I hissed, clutching my hair.

Out in the living room, Riku sneezed so loudly it rattled the walls.

My eye twitched.

Maybe I was losing it. Maybe I had been watching too many Miu videos and now everything sounded like her.

That had to be it.

Right?

...Right?

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