Pink Screens and New Neighbors

Kimmy's bedroom was basically the best place on Earth.

Pastel pink shelves lined the walls, stuffed with plushies, game cases, and little LED stars that blinked in soft colors. Her gaming setup sat in the corner — two glowing monitors, a fuzzy chair shaped like a paw print, and her favorite pink controller always within reach.

She'd just plopped down with a bowl of strawberry popcorn when her phone buzzed.

A notification. A new app — one she hadn't downloaded — sat right on her home screen. The icon was a little anime girl with a crescent moon in her hair, smiling a smile that was just a tiny bit too wide.

*Anime.EXE*

"Huh." Kimmy tilted her head. "Did Hattori send me something again?"

She tapped a quick message to her friend.

*"Hey — did you send me an app called Anime.EXE?"*

Three little dots appeared. Then: *"No??? Open it tho 👀"*

Kimmy looked back at the icon. That smile really was weirdly wide.

Tomomi Says Hello

Kimmy tapped it.

The screen went black. Then a cheerful chime played — the kind that belonged in a candy shop — and a cartoon girl popped onto the screen.

She had long silver hair, big violet eyes, and a crescent moon clipped into her bangs. She wore a frilly dark-purple dress with tiny stars along the hem. At the bottom of the screen, in bubbly pink letters, it said: *Takahashi Tomomi — Your VTuber Host!*

"Hellooooo, Player One!" Tomomi sang, waving with both hands. Her smile was bright. A little too bright. "I'm SO happy you opened me!"

Kimmy's phone buzzed. Hattori again: *"Well??? What happened???"*

Before Kimmy could type back, Tomomi leaned forward — actually *forward*, like she was pressing against the inside of the screen.

"The first task is…" A tiny drumroll played. Tomomi's eyes locked onto Kimmy's.

"Cooking!"

Confetti exploded across the screen. A countdown timer appeared — bold red numbers — already ticking.

*00:05:00.*

*00:04:59.*

*00:04:58.*