ALL NOVEL 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!》
There’s no way I could’ve forgotten to buy the other presents because I spent too much time picking out the ring… Right? Please, someone tell me that didn’t happen!
《Well, if you say so. Alright, let’s start packing the gifts into the calendars. No peeking, got it?》
《I know, I know! But Ogu, no peeking from your side either, okay? I mean it!》
《O-okay…?》
I glanced at Ogu and made up my mind. I had no choice now but to make do with what I had on hand. We went to our rooms, gathered the presents, and began filling the Advent calendars. But when it came to the final drawer, I left it empty.
The reason was, that I hadn’t yet prepared the most important gift that was supposed to go in there.
Still… I didn’t realize until now… You can’t just walk out of the store with a ring on the same day!? Now that I think about it, it’s obvious—getting the right size, the engraving, and if it’s custom-made, even more so.
Thankfully, by throwing money at the problem, it should arrive in time, but… ugh, it was an unexpectedly costly mistake. I’ll have to sneak the “final gift” into the Advent calendar later.
Wait a second… Does this mean I haven’t actually prepared any presents yet? No, no, let’s not go there.
《Hey, Iroha! You’re not done packing yet?》
《S-sorry! I’m almost finished too!》
《Then let’s exchange our Day 1 presents!》
《Yeah, let’s!》
《Ready, set—open!》
***
《Hey, Ogu.》《Iroha.》
A few days later, we sat facing each other, our Advent calendar presents lined up. We both took a deep breath and…
《What were you thinking!?》
We shouted at the same time.
Ogu pointed at the gifts I’d given him.
《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.