“Not just the cooking scenes. Take a look at this too.”

As the atmosphere in the conference room heated up with the commercial’s direction being decided, Kujō Hibiki pressed on, operating her tablet in rapid succession.

A new video was projected onto the screen.

It was a continuation of the cooking footage from earlier.

On the screen, freshly finished fried rice was piled high in a bowl and I was shoveling it in fiercely with a renge spoon.

“—Mngh, crunch, slurp.”

Chewing sounds. The sound of swallowing.

Rice grains stuck around my mouth, sweat dripping as I ate single-mindedly without even wiping it away.

There was no trace of table manners or decorum.

Only the figure of a ‘male’ consuming calories in accordance with pure survival instinct.

“Haaah…”

“Amazing… that suction power!”

The female creators from the agency twisted their bodies and writhed in agony.

“Even the way he eats… how manly!”

“This is the complete opposite of the ‘boys’ we know… just watching this vitality makes me feel full…”

Apparently, my eating scene had an effect on them similar to ambient footage.

As I stood there dumbfounded, the smartphone of Ten’ōji Karen, sitting beside me, vibrated.

“…Tch. It’s from the manager.”

Karen clicked her tongue while looking at the screen.

“Sorry, I’m going to step out for a bit. Looks like an urgent message.”

She stood up and whispered into my ear.

“Jō, don’t let any weird bugs latch onto you while I’m gone… Especially that vixen over there.”

“…I’ll do my best.”

Karen shot President Reiko a warning glance before quickly heading out into the hallway.

That was the moment.

Sliiiide.

Like a snake targeting its prey, President Reiko—who had been seated at the head of the table—silently moved into the seat next to me, the one Karen had been using.

“…You move fast, President.”

“Business is all about speed.”

President Reiko hid her mouth behind her fan, smiling elegantly, yet her eyes gleamed with the light of a carnivorous beast.

“Akutsu-sama. I’m looking forward to the commercial but… have you any interest in personal ‘video streaming’?”

“Streaming? Like live broadcasts or something?”

When I asked back, she began explaining the state of video platforms in this world.

“You’re not familiar with it? The world’s largest video-sharing site, ‘SheTube.’”

According to her explanation, SheTube was a massive platform watched by women all over the world.

“Do you know what genre boasts overwhelming popularity there right now?”

“…Cute guys singing and dancing?”

“No. Streams by ‘cross-dressing women.’”

Cross-dressing women.

In other words, women who dressed and acted like men.

“As you know, real men in this world are a rare sight. But a woman’s instincts always yearn for ‘men.’”

President Reiko spoke passionately.

“That’s why women seek that fantasy in same-sex performers dressed as men. Beautiful, yet manly figures reign supreme as the current trend.”

I see.

Because men cannot be manly in this world, women play the role of the ideal man.

It was twisted, but the logic tracked.

“However… those are merely ‘imitations.’ What do you think would happen if a ‘real thing’ like you were to appear?”

President Reiko snapped her fan shut and lightly poked the tip against my chest.

“A black ship’s arrival. No, an ecological collapse.”

“You’re overselling it.”

“I know it in my bones. And so, I have a proposal.”

She whispered in a sweet voice.

“I will personally sponsor you. You will open a channel on SheTube and upload videos of yourself cooking and eating.”

“I refuse. I’m not interested in playing a character and I can’t keep up regular updates.”

I answered immediately.

Commercials were one thing, but being a SheTuber? No thanks.

“Irregular uploads are perfectly fine. And…”

President Reiko played her trump card.

“As a filming location, you may freely use the ‘headquarters test kitchen’ from earlier at any time.”

Twitch.

My eyebrow twitched.

“…What?”

“Of course, ingredients are unlimited. We’ll procure luxury ingredients from around the world. And above all…”

She grinned.

“That commercial-grade high-calorie burner, the massive ovens and the specialized cooking equipment… all of it will be your toys.”

The image of that test kitchen resurfaced in my mind.

That overwhelming firepower incomparable to a household stove.

Sturdy grates that wouldn’t budge even when swinging a four-kilogram iron wok.

There… it wouldn’t just be Chinese food.

Roasting massive cuts of meat, authentic stews—anything would be possible.

Hibiki’s home kitchen wasn’t bad, but it was still within household limits.

But that place…

The ‘ultimate environment’ that made a cook’s blood boil would be mine.

“…Irregular is fine, right?”

My tone dropped.

“I can go whenever I want and make and eat whatever I want, right?”

“Of course! ‘If I can exclusively stream your cooking process, it’s a small price to pay.’”

“…I’m in.”

I firmly grabbed President Reiko’s hand.

I didn’t care about approval or recognition.

I just wanted that firepower.

“That seals the deal! Ufufufufu!”

Click.

At that moment, the conference room door opened and Karen returned.

“Sorry, sorry, that took longer than I thought… huh?”

Karen froze.

Seeing President Reiko gripping my hand and laughing triumphantly, her face drained of color.

“…Hey, President? What did you do while I was gone?”

“Oh my, just business talk. Right, Akutsu-sama?”

“Yeah. I secured a good ‘cooking space.’”

“Cooking space!?”

Karen pressed in, but it was already too late.

And so, I ended up with another face to my name—commercial talent for a food company and a ‘cooking-type SheTuber’ who freely commandeered its test kitchen.

In a video world dominated by cross-dressing women, a burly apron-wearing man was about to storm the scene.

Just how big that shock would be, I still had no way of knowing.