i present to you all: "Social Media's Dark Side"
'Tis a sunny day. At Hazawa Café, Pastel*Palettes are enjoying some morning beverages.
Each girl, seated at a table near the back of the shop, is scrolling through their phone. "You were right, Aya-chan--it's incredible to how supportive fans are on a regular basis."
Aya's head shoots up from her phone and she beams after hearing Chisato's words. "Isn't it? I check these messages every day!"
"Instagram in particular has so many kind souls," Eve says, wiping a tear away. "I truly feel the spirit of Bushido when I read their words!"
"Huhehe, it makes me dizzy to imagine the tens of thousands of people liking our posts, watching our videos..."
Hina, with her phone nowhere in sight, has just finished downing her coffee. "Hey, speaking of videos, has anyone checked our Youtube channel lately?"
Aya gulps. "Oh, I... don't check the channel too much, o-or at least I try not to--Youtube is--"
Hina raises an eyebrow and laughs. "I knew you were a weirdo, but this is a new high, even for you! Aya is scared of Youtube, who would've thought?"
"It's just that... well, our managers have advised me to stay off of Youtube. They say to never participate in a comment thread, or I'll become swallowed by rage and bitterness, and say so many evil things that I'll lose myself."
The girls pause at Aya's explanation. Chisato stands up and brushes the matter off with a short giggle. "As interesting as that sounds... well, excuse me, ladies; I'll be but a moment in the restroom." The girls wave her off and enjoy their coffee for a little while.
"...So, do people on Youtube argue a lot, or something?" Hina's question breaks up the silence.
"I'd say so," Maya chimes in. "You see, Youtube's social media aspect allows for an extreme amount of anonymity, particularly when compared to other internet platforms where the social aspect is more pronounced."
"Ah, that makes sense! You're so knowledgable, Maya-san!" Eve clutches her fists in awe.
"Huhehe, thanks, but Youtube is pretty mainstream and basic in regards to websites. Anyways, the anonymity makes it easy for people to say things that they might not say as boldly in person."
"So basically, the arguing people on Youtube are a bunch of cowards?" Hina's inquiry comes as she's digging through the creamy remains of her coffee cup.
Maya laughs as a sort of filler mechanism. "I-I think that's a bit of a strong conclusion, Hina-chan..."
Aya begins looking around. "Hmm... Chisato-chan's been gone for a while, hasn't she? Do you all think she's okay?"
Hina jumps at the invitation for action and is the first to head towards the bathroom. "Yeah! Follow after me," She shouts.
All four girls go into the bathroom, but the bathroom lights have gone out. Aya turns her phone's flashlight on.
"Um, does anyone else hear that sound...?" After Eve's question, they all quiet down. A whisper sounding more like fire than intelligible words can be heard. Like instinct, the girls all gather close.
"M-maybe someone else is in here, and Chisato-chan left already... C-Chisato-chan?" Aya calls out, and the whispering intensifies.
Hina begins pulling the girls towards the bathroom stalls. "I-if that's her, then she needs our help!" No-one is quite disagreeing, but Hina has to keep dragging the other three before they are close enough to the stalls.
Eve steps forward and looks back at the other three. "The spirit of Bushido compels me forward... I shall make sure it's safe for us all, and then we will rescue Chisato-chan!" Aya hands Eve her phone.
With a "flashlight" in hand, Eve braves the journey of cracking open, and peeking inside, the stall containing the whispers.
Eve falls over in a motionless slump towards the door, opening it all the way. The three remaining girls come rushing over, but--
"...C-Chisato-chan?!" They all scream.
There, huddled against the toilet, is Chisato. She is half of her original size, and her skin has become green, cracked, and rock-esque due to severely protruding bones. Her hands, more talon than fingers, slice away at the keyboard of her phone. Between her slobbering, she half-speaks and half-screeches what she is typing:
"You... cockroach-licking incel... capitalism is the disease of mankind... lol... hahaha... I bet you are a 50 year old virgin... and a simp... keep eating soy you betacuck lmao... I am an alpha female... might as well stop arguing with me... making yourself look bad... lmao I'm not even mad..."
Aya falls to her knees, screaming in denial and beating her chest. Maya weeps.
"Huh," comes Hina's response, and she puts a finger to her chin. "Is this why that one person commented about Chisato being a gremlin?"
