Life In The Limelight : I Married A Gamer Girl-Chapter 41: Destructive Rumors

It started as just another day in Kazuma and Masako's home office. The couple was hard at work, fleshing out details for Mori Adventure while making steady progress on the delayed Exaslia DLC. Masako, with her golden eyes fixed on her sketchpad, hummed softly as she worked on a new character design. Kazuma sat at his desk, coding quietly with his light blue eyes focused on the screen.

But something felt off to Kazuma that day. His phone had been vibrating non-stop, notifications flooding in faster than he could manage. Normally, fan messages, questions, or project-related updates made up the bulk of his DMs. But as he glanced at his phone between lines of code, a sinking feeling formed in his stomach.

Most of the messages weren't supportive or playful this time. Instead, they were hateful—vile, even.

One particular message stood out, its words cutting through him like a knife:

"You don't deserve Masako, you monster. How dare you hurt her?"

Kazuma blinked, his light blue eyes narrowing in confusion. What were they even talking about? More messages followed, some angry, others outright disturbing.

"If I ever see you in public, it's over for you."

"Abusing your wife? You're disgusting."

"Masako deserves better than you, you piece of trash!"

Kazuma frowned deeply, his hands gripping his phone tighter. His initial confusion turned into unease as the messages kept coming. Then came another, colder realization—there were allegations against him. Somewhere, someone had spread a rumor that he had been abusing Masako. And worse yet, many of his fans seemed to believe it.

Kazuma tried to brush it off at first, telling himself it was some kind of misunderstanding or a troll campaign. But over the next couple of days, the accusations grew louder. Screenshots of fabricated "proof" circulated online, and many of the couple's fans started questioning Kazuma's character. His Twitter mentions were flooded with angry comments, and even their livestream chats turned hostile.

The worst of it, though, was the anonymous death threats. Kazuma's inbox was filled with threats that ranged from vague and unsettling to outright terrifying. The weight of it all bore down on him like a crushing wave.

Masako was the first to notice his change in demeanor. She paused her sketching and looked at him, her golden eyes filled with concern. "Dear," she said softly, standing from her desk and walking over to him. "What's wrong? You've been distracted all day."

Kazuma sighed, hesitating before turning his phone screen toward her. "This," he muttered, his voice laced with exhaustion. "Apparently, there are rumors going around that I've been... abusive to you. And people are sending me death threats because of it."

Masako stared at the screen, her golden eyes widening as she scrolled through the messages. Her expression darkened, her usually warm and playful demeanor replaced by a cold, fiery anger. "What the hell is this?" she demanded, her voice sharp. "Who started these rumors?"

"I don't know," Kazuma admitted, running a hand through his light blue hair. "But people are believing it. Even some of our fans..."

Masako's fists clenched at her sides, her golden eyes blazing. "That's ridiculous! How could anyone believe that you, of all people, would hurt me? You're the kindest, most supportive person I know."

Kazuma smiled faintly, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Not everyone sees that, sweetie. They see a rumor and decide it must be true without questioning it."

Masako took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "This isn't okay, Kazuma. You don't deserve this. We need to address it."

Kazuma hesitated. "I don't want to escalate things. If we respond, it might just add more fuel to the fire."

Masako shook her head, her golden eyes filled with determination. "No. I'm not letting them drag your name through the mud like this. We're going to set the record straight, and I'm going to be the one to do it."

---

The next day, Masako prepared for a livestream. Kazuma was hesitant, worried about how the audience might react, but Masako was adamant. "They need to hear the truth," she said firmly. "And they need to hear it from me."

When the stream went live, thousands of fans tuned in, their chat scrolling at lightning speed. Masako sat front and center, her golden eyes blazing with confidence and resolve. Kazuma sat beside her, his light blue eyes filled with a mix of gratitude and nervousness.

Follow curr𝒆nt nov𝒆ls on fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com.

"Hello, everyone," Masako began, her voice steady. "Thank you for joining us today. I need to address something very serious before we talk about any of our projects."

The chat slowed slightly, fans sensing the gravity of her tone.

"What's going on?"

"Did something happen??"

"This sounds serious..."

"Over the past few days, rumors have been spreading about Kazuma," Masako continued. "Specifically, that he's been abusive toward me. Let me make one thing absolutely clear: these rumors are completely false."

The chat exploded:

"Wait, what???"

"People thought Kazuma was abusive???"

"I didn't believe it, but I'm glad she's clearing this up."

"Kazuma is the most caring, supportive, and gentle person I've ever met," she said, her golden eyes narrowing. "He has never, not once, treated me with anything less than love and respect. These allegations are baseless, and frankly, it's disgusting that someone would fabricate such lies."

The chat filled with reactions:

"This is heartbreaking. Poor Kazuma!"

"Masako is so brave for speaking out like this."

"Whoever started this rumor is trash."

"What upsets me most," she said, her voice firm, "is how quickly some of you believed these lies without any evidence. Do you know how damaging that is? Not just to Kazuma, but to anyone who's ever been falsely accused of something so serious?"

She leaned forward, her golden eyes piercing the camera. "Let me ask you this: If someone spread a baseless rumor about you, how would you feel if the people closest to you believed it without question? Wouldn't you want them to trust you, to at least ask for your side of the story?"

The chat began to shift, many fans expressing guilt and regret:

"She's right... I feel terrible for believing the rumors."

"I jumped to conclusions. I'm sorry, Kazuma!"

"This is a lesson for all of us."

Masako softened slightly, her tone still firm but more empathetic. "I understand that it's easy to jump to conclusions when you see something shocking online. But as fans, as supporters of our work, I expected better from you. You've seen how much love Kazuma pours into everything he does—not just for our games, but for me. He's my partner in every sense of the word, and I won't stand by while his character is attacked like this."

Kazuma glanced at her, his light blue eyes filled with emotion. "Masako... thank you," he murmured quietly.

She smiled at him briefly before turning back to the camera. "To those of you who stood by us and didn't believe the lies—thank you. Your support means everything to us. And to those of you who did believe them, I hope you'll reflect on how damaging baseless accusations can be."

Masako paused, letting her words sink in before concluding. "Kazuma and I are a team. We always have been, and we always will be. No rumor, no lie, is ever going to change that."

---

After the stream ended, the response from fans was overwhelming. Apologies flooded their social media accounts, with many fans expressing guilt for jumping to conclusions. Others praised Masako for her bravery and for standing up for Kazuma so fiercely.

"Masako is such a queen. She didn't have to go that hard, but she did."

"I feel terrible for believing those rumors. Kazuma, I'm so sorry."

"This was a wake-up call. We need to stop believing everything we see online."

"I'll always support you both. You're an inspiration, not just as developers but as people."

Kazuma and Masako spent the evening reading through the messages, their hearts warmed by the outpouring of support. While the experience had been harrowing, it had also reinforced their bond.

"Thank you for standing up for me," Kazuma said softly as they sat together on the couch. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Masako leaned her head against his shoulder, her golden eyes filled with affection. "You don't have to thank me, dear. I'd do it a thousand times over. You've always been there for me, and I'll always be here for you."

As the storm of rumors settled, the couple found solace in each other, their love and partnership stronger than ever. Together, they knew they could face any challenge—no matter how daunting.