Rent Your Favorite Idol for a Day!? A Dream Only You Know Continues... [CASE: Kurikoma Komaru]

To sum up this work in a single phrase, I felt it was a problematic piece that denies the very identity of 'VTuber Kurikoma Komaru,' and in doing so delivers a strong sense of moral transgression. First, I should mention that I'm a listener who knows 'VTuber Kurikoma Komaru' to a certain degree. I hope you'll understand that this review is written from that perspective. In this work, Kurikoma Komaru has 'the public face she shows during streams' and 'the hidden face she shows only to the protagonist.' Her public-facing performance during streams is genuinely realistic, giving an almost déjà-vu feeling, as if it were a clip cut straight from an actual stream. Her hidden face, as the rental VTuber Kurikoma Komaru, on the other hand, has a somewhat theatrical way of speaking. While it feels a bit fantastical, it lets you sense a side of her that no one else knows. That gap is precisely how the work expresses the parallel concept of a 'rental VTuber.' The thing Kurikoma Komaru values most in her VTuber activities, the very element that makes her who she is, is that she has 'no hidden side' and 'never lies to her listeners.' However, in order to portray you, the protagonist, as someone special, this work denies that very nature of Kurikoma Komaru, and includes several elements that could be called 'taboo' even for a VTuber. During a stream, in front of her listeners, she tells a 'lie' that only you can understand. She herself pushes for what could be called an act of 'connecting' between performer and fan. And in the end, she even drops hints ('nioawase') about it. Fan interactions that should originally be equal for everyone... This work carries a sense of moral transgression in that, for your sake as the protagonist, she becomes what many would consider a 'wicked woman.'

*This is my personal impression after listening to the audio work. My favorite's voice coming through the earphones was so natural and pleasant. Even going over the terms of service together didn't feel like 'work'; reading through it side by side let me understand the reality that I would have her all to myself for the whole day. As the story progressed, she became interested in a certain notebook. The notebook was filled with a summary of date plans with her... and I felt a slight sense of unease about it. Travel time wasn't accounted for at all—it just listed places to go and things to do with no regard for timing... it wasn't the way I would normally plan things. Did someone else write this? Are these things I actually want to do? One question led to another, and little by little the unease grew, like static building up. It felt as though I was being shown the scene of someone who wasn't me winning the lottery. While picturing her face from the voice reaching my ears, I desperately tried to picture my own face beside her... but that face was just a swirling black void. The story moved forward again, arriving at the scene of her regular stream after the rental had ended. I listened to talk of a rental with someone who wasn't me, and the words just went in one ear and out the other. Suddenly, she called me and asked me to come to the beach—to continue on with that notebook. My heart pounding, I watched the two of them while listening closely to the last 'thing I want to do' written in the notebook. It said 'propose to her.' That was the one thing I had regretted not doing during the director's call... At last, I could project myself onto him. And I realized that the one who had rented her wasn't my present self, but the younger, purer version of me. I couldn't hold back my excitement. The smell of salt, her reddened face, the gentle weight settling on my shoulder—I felt it all pouring into me. And finally, the warm touch on my cheek... With her words, the short dream came to an end. And once again, the ordinary yet fulfilling days of her streams return. Watching her happily chatting with her listeners through the stream, I gently touched my cheek, where the sensation still hadn't faded. Thank you for such a wonderful dream.

The third installment in the 'Aogiri Rental VTuber Service' series. Considering there was a two-month gap between the first release with Gabusaki and the second with Otogen-san, having this next installment drop in less than a month this time could be called a pleasant surprise. Komaru-san gives the impression of being someone who doesn't hesitate to show off her girlish cuteness and sexiness with a certain amount of calculation. That said, this is just the impression I get from her streams, and it's relative to the previous two. When it came time for her to provide one-on-one service to the Maron-gumi, the question was just how much of that 'service mask' she would take off... This is undoubtedly one of the key points worth paying attention to. Personally, I couldn't help expecting the kind of heart-wrenching developments found in the first and second installments, so I felt a bit unsatisfied that this one didn't quite reach that level. On the other hand, for viewers who look to Komaru-san for that 'Edo' flavor, this work—which also includes some lucky-perverted elements—should be satisfying. Even so, when presented with the idea that this is the real Komaru-san, you find yourself nodding in understanding. In particular, the conversation in Chapter 9 has quite a different flavor compared to Gabusaki or Otogen-san. In that conversation, where Komaru-san's awareness of 'not treating any of the Maron-gumi differently' came strongly to the fore, simply putting myself in the protagonist's shoes was enough to bring a surge of emotion. Having listened to all three works so far, I feel that the scenario writer, Yagami, places great importance on the 'emotional aftertaste' left with listeners. If there's anyone who got into this series starting with Komaru-san, I sincerely hope you'll also listen to the first and second installments.