Chapter 341: [Her Pacifier Compromise]

Chapter 341: [Her Pacifier Compromise]

《Ogu, a Christmas card just came in from the office!》

《Ohh, just leave it there.》

Now that December had begun, the air really felt like Christmas was just around the corner. Along with that, the small cultural differences with Japan started to peek through.

《So, over here, they have this whole thing of sending Christmas cards, huh?》

I said, while showing him the card we’d received. It felt more and more like Japan’s New Year season, like receiving a New Year’s greeting card.

《Alright, that should do it. Iroha, it’s all set up now.》

《Wow~ So this is an Advent calendar, huh.》

It was a box with little drawers numbered 1 to 24. Every day, you open the drawer for that date and receive a small gift or treat hidden inside. There were two in total. While you can buy pre-filled Advent calendars that come with gifts, the ones we bought this time were just empty boxes.

《This one’s yours, Iroha, and this one’s mine. Just to confirm, you did remember to buy the presents for Thanksgiving, right?》

《Of course I did! We were together in the car right up until then, remember? After that, we split up so we wouldn’t spoil each other’s surprises.》

《You tend to forget anything that isn’t related to VTubers, so I had to ask.》

《Mmmph! I will never forget something that’s for you, Ogu!》

《!》

I puffed out my cheeks in protest at his remark. Sure, maybe I had been forgetful in the past, but lately, I’ve been putting more thought into things for everyone. So, this criticism felt completely unfair.

《Iroha, I’m sorry. That was uncalled for—》

《Ah!?》

《...“Ah”?》

《N-no! It’s nothing, really!》

《...Wait, don’t tell me you actually forgot to buy it.》

《N-no way! Haha! That’s impossible! Really, it’s nothing, nothing at all!》

《You! All of this... it’s just your own merch! You just grabbed stuff lying around your room, didn’t you? You totally forgot to buy actual presents, didn’t you!?》

《Ugh!?》

I couldn’t deny it. I had grabbed the “Translation Girl Iroha” merchandise samples that had just arrived in a box.

《How did you figure it out so fast!?》

《Of course I figured it out! And this! This is all from a prize draw, isn’t it!? It’s been can badge, can badge, can badge... You’re not about to give me acrylic keychains or something next, are you!?》

《Ugh!? N-no, no way!》

They weren’t acrylic keychains, they were rubber straps! And I’d only used the ones that fit in the Advent calendar, the rest I’d switched up!

《At least mix it up a bit! Don’t just follow the prize order—shuffle them like a real draw!》

《Wait, no! And can you let go of it!?》

《Hold on, I never said I didn’t want them.》

《So, you do like them after all, huh!? See, my presents were right on the mark!》

《I mean, I do like them, but you give me all your merch for free anyway! If this is how it’s going to be, I’m not giving you any more of my “Ogu” samples either!》

《Noooo!》

To be honest, we’d been creating a cycle of supply and demand with each other’s merch for a while now. So in a way, my gifts were worth practically nothing... But still!

《At least it’s better than your useless gift!》

《It’s not useless! It’s funny, and besides... it suits you, Iroha!》

The gift Ogu had put in the Advent calendar was... a pacifier. Come on, who even uses those at our age? Though, I guess VTubers use them a lot...

《I am NOT a baby!!》

That’s a whole different story.

And I shouted that denial from the bottom of my heart.