CH 134

Chapter 134. Singing Session After One Year

[Let me stay at your house again!]

<<Huh!? You’re asking if that’s okay.>>

A year ago, Angu Ogu tirelessly taught me English in the hospital room. And now, is this all it takes to show my appreciation, with a simple request for a sleepover?

[It’s fine. It’s fine. By the way, Iroha, isn’t it about time?]

I realize this after Angu Ogu mentions it. Oh, right, I have a streaming session scheduled later today!

<<Oh no, I’m running out of time! I’ll catch you later, Ogu!>>

[See you~]

It seems Angu Ogu is more aware of my schedule than I am. I end the call while thinking, “Wow, that turned out to be a lot easier than I expected.”.

“Anyway, it ended up being pretty cheap~.”

I thought she’d be asked for something much more daring. I hurriedly start preparing.

***

30 minutes later.

“‘Is everyone doing well? It’s your big sister☆’ Anegasaki Monet here☆”

“‘My words to you!’ Translator Gir,l Iroha here.”

I’m participating in a collaborative livestream.

Today, we’re streaming from Anegasaki’s channel.

>I love Anego!

>Hi there, Iroha!

>Congratulations on the award, Iroha! (U.S.)

“Thanks~”

I had already announced it on my channel, but this is the first time I’m appearing on Ah-nee’s channel after my Nobel award.

>Iroha, your music saved me! Thank you! (Mex. Esp)

>Your songs are amazing, Iroha! (Braz. Portuguese)

“Thank you, everyone~.”

I can’t be too persistent with Ah-nee’s audience, so I keep it simple.

“Hey, Iroha, onee-chan has been watching too! You’re amazing, just like your onee-chan!”

“Yeah, hold on a second. Could you stop introducing new elements out of nowhere? Why are you suddenly so obsessed with foreign languages!?”

“Nah, nothing much, yo☆”

“See? And what was that at the end? It sounded like English or maybe rap!”

What in the world happened while I was away in Switzerland?

The award ceremony ended up being much longer than I expected, and I had accumulated a backlog of archives.

>I thought Anego used a lot of unfamiliar Japanese recently. Turns out it’s ‘Japanglish’! (U.S.)

>Hard to understand, so spare us, please! (U.K.)

>I don’t understand what Anego is saying. But I get the sentiment! (Can. Eng/French)

“Are you okay, Ah-nee? People are saying all sorts of things!”

“Doublu, doublu, doublu.”

“That’s not English, you know!?”

While this exchange is happening, comments in various languages fill the chat.

Anego’s recent interest in foreign languages might be contributing to this.

In fact, after the incident a year ago, Ah-nee became explosively popular, second only to me.

Wait, why!?

This person can’t even speak English!

Are you all okay with that!?

“Chichichi! Iroha-chan, don’t you know? Language only makes up about 20% of communication!”

“That’s someone else’s saying.”

“Anyway! The most important thing is body language! Even if words don’t get through, gestures, expressions, and the tone of your voice can convey most of your thoughts!”

“But you’re a VTuber, after all!”

And on top of that, you’re in your 2D model!

You don’t even have proper body language, do you!?

“Huh!? Well then, let’s see! Passion!”

“Ah, Ah-nee, you… I don’t even know what to say. sigh”

In reality, it’s tricky when things are understood like this.

Thanks to that, I can’t deny it.

“The language barrier may seem thick, but it’s much thinner than everyone thinks.”

For Ah-nee, it’s like she’s thinking, “No matter how thick the language barrier is, I can break it down if I try.”.

“Well, maybe it’s not a good idea? Okay, fine. I get it. I’ll stop. Iroha-chan, you’re such a spoiled sister~.”

“This guy…!”

>Iroha-chan, calm down!

>I’m so sorry about my big sister!

>Thank you for stopping Ah-nee, Iroha! You’re our savior! (U.S.)

I take a deep breath (or something like that) and suppress my anger.

Well, if we’re talking about mental age, I’m technically older, right?

Let’s handle this like an adult.

“So, what’s the plan for today?”

“Oh, right! Today~ It’s a long-awaited collab singing stream☆”

>Hey, I’ve been waiting!

>I appreciate Iroha-chan’s singing streams since there aren’t many

>She doesn’t try to sing on her own, huh (U.S.)

“Are you being called out, Iroha-chan~?”

“Huh!?”

Honestly, I was aware of it.

However, there’s a reason for that.

It’s true. I’ve [gained the ability to sing, free from the curse of a cheat-like translation ability] since that incident.

But, that “normal” state is quite tricky…

“Alright! Since I shouldn’t keep you waiting too long, let’s start singing! It’s been a year since that incident. Now, if I’m going to sing, it has to be this song, ne☆”

With that, Ah-nee starts playing the track.

It’s the song that was created during that incident, sung by many VTubers including me – the song that saved the world.

“Come on, Iroha-chan! Let’s sing together!”

Encouraged by Ah-nee, I take a deep breath.

And the result is…

***

“Ahahaha! How do I put it, Iroha-chan, you’re just not good at singing, nee~!”

>Yeah, that’s true. It’s not like you’re tone-deaf, but you’re just not very good (U.S.)

>Our Iroha is back

>Iroha-chan doesn’t feel like Iroha-chan unless she’s monotone (Korean)

That’s why I didn’t want to sing at all~~~~!