Chapter 1: That Ain't Working

"Kia~nbonwan, everybody! Hello, hello-hiya, hiya! I know it's been a while since the last Membership stream, so I super appreciate the patience! I was debating doing Karaoke but my voice is still a bit shot after Phasmophobia with the girls, so… I figured what the heck, why not a super cozy Zatsudan? You guys seem to like those a lot, and I can be lazy so it's pretty beneficial right?"

The rambling carried on as the growth-stunted woman bobbed her head left, right, nodding in big motions. Ensuring the lighting in her room was painfully strong so her webcam caught every little motion and mouth movement. The preview on OBS was broadcasting exactly what she wanted to see, the bobble-headed and perpetually sleepy looking Liona Nokia was matching every motion, her long black hair bouncing alongside her comically heaving breasts just barely contained by the tight denim-overalls the avatar wore over a pastel pink button-up shirt.

XXXX: NOKIA HYPE!

XXXX: Gureetings furommu Amerika, rabu rabu!

XXXX: Bouncy…

XXXX has Superchat 3100¥: Any plans to do any VNs for Valentine's Day?

"And a big thanks to XXXX for the Superchat, I will definitely bel-"

Between rambling, the perpetually content yet sleepy looking girl in a baggy Hello Kitty sweatshirt and green yoga pants took a long sip from her tea cup followed by a dash of water. Her desk was covered in a variety of snacks, eaten and uneaten. Three screens for her setup, both for work and gaming, an assault of bright lights… Of course, space was made for tens of thousands of yen worth of figures. GUNPLA and Hatsune Miku mingled with more recent interests, some of the figures showing faded paint from the decade past.

The truly old figures looked like they were just taken out of the box; once time took too much of a toll, their owner was more than capable with painting and gloss to hide the deterioration that comes with time. To the great frustration of her peers, she'd managed to mostly accomplish the same thing.

After declaring a bathroom break, Konata stood up from her chair, her back popping twice as she raised her arms towards the ceiling. She was going to go for a walk before streaming tonight, but got so caught up in an FFXIV raid that she was almost late to start again. Checking twice her mic was muted, she tried to fix her messy hair a bit by hand. It was quickly evident that was a job only fit for a very competent brush.
After thirteen years since graduation, she could say she grew a full half-inch. Genetics were on her side, not in regard to hips or bust, rather that she aged with remarkable grace. The only tell that time had changed her at all was the thicker bags under her eyes, which were still less time-relevant and more a side-effect of her God-awful sleeping schedule.

One bathroom break later with a refill of green tea with a bite of lemon, Konata was back under the guise of Nokia, answering questions about her recent trip to Thailand and her genmates along with the occasional flirting-bait that she would always side-dodge in a way to avoid controversy while still keeping the tease going. It was a manipulative job, and she liked it.

The clock struck 11:30pm when a tipsy and irritable woman sulked into the apartment. Setting her coat on the rack and removing her heels, she sighed, her feet aching from the trek home. Beers with her superior used to seem so nice, but lately she'd be willing to sacrifice the buzz every other night if it just meant coming home a few hours earlier…

'Maintaining reputation sucks, I can't remember the last time I got to come into the Office without a headache…'

Kagami set her purse and documents on the remarkably pristine dining table given the piles and piles of paperwork topping it. Konata claimed their bedroom desk and most of the bedroom's shelving, so Kagami made it blatantly clear the rest of the house was her domain. Clean, tidy, and organized. The sight eased her nausea slightly, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge and downing it quickly before settling onto the LDK sofa to rub her tired eyes and let her twin-tails down.

'You get your ass kicked in College for six years just to get your ass kicked at the Office for decades more. I like my company but work fatigue is getting to me.'

She felt herself starting to slip into an unwanted nap when an abrupt yell forced her back to reality with a start.

"And ATLUS just approved it for streaming, let's go!"

Konata's 'acting' voice was so much livelier and squeakier than her speaking voice as she ate cookies, drank whatever she wanted, and partied almost every night away with her rampant following. Kagami groaned, despite earlier complaints about too much drink, it suddenly felt like she needed a few more...

'I hate that she can call that work, but that idiot…'

A slow exhale matched clenched fists as she struggled not to let her eyes water.

'Still makes more than me a month! I have to hit her! I just have to-!'