ãOgu, a Christmas card just came in from the office!ã
ãOhh, just leave it there.ã
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.
ãSo, over here, they have this whole thing of sending Christmas cards, huh?ã
I said, while showing him the card weâd received. It felt more and more like Japanâs New Year season, like receiving a New Yearâs greeting card.
ãAlright, that should do it. Iroha, itâs all set up now.ã
ãWow~ So this is an Advent calendar, huh.ãn/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
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.
ãThis oneâs yours, Iroha, and this oneâs mine. Just to confirm, you did remember to buy the presents for Thanksgiving, right?ã
ãOf course I did! We were together in the car right up until then, remember? After that, we split up so we wouldnât spoil each otherâs surprises.ã
ãYou tend to forget anything that isnât related to VTubers, so I had to ask.ã
ãMmmph! I will never forget something thatâs for you, Ogu!ã
ã!ã
I puffed out my cheeks in protest at his remark. Sure, maybe I had been forgetful in the past, but lately, Iâve been putting more thought into things for everyone. So, this criticism felt completely unfair.
ãIroha, Iâm sorry. That was uncalled forâã
ãAh!?ã
ãâ¦âAhâ?ã
ãN-no! Itâs nothing, really!ã
ãâ¦Wait, donât tell me you actually forgot to buy it.ã
ãN-no way! Haha! Thatâs impossible! Really, itâs nothing, nothing at all!ã
Thereâs no way I couldâve forgotten to buy the other presents because I spent too much time picking out the ring⦠Right? Please, someone tell me that didnât happen!
ãWell, if you say so. Alright, letâs start packing the gifts into the calendars. No peeking, got it?ã
ãI know, I know! But Ogu, no peeking from your side either, okay? I mean it!ã
ãO-okayâ¦?ã
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 hadnât yet prepared the most important gift that was supposed to go in there.
Still⦠I didnât realize until now⦠You canât just walk out of the store with a ring on the same day!? Now that I think about it, itâs obviousâgetting the right size, the engraving, and if itâs 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. Iâll have to sneak the âfinal giftâ into the Advent calendar later.
Wait a second⦠Does this mean I havenât actually prepared any presents yet? No, no, letâs not go there.
ãHey, Iroha! Youâre not done packing yet?ã
ãS-sorry! Iâm almost finished too!ã
ãThen letâs exchange our Day 1 presents!ã
ãYeah, letâs!ã
ãReady, setâopen!ã
***
ãHey, Ogu.ããIroha.ã
A few days later, we sat facing each other, our Advent calendar presents lined up. We both took a deep breath andâ¦
ãWhat were you thinking!?ã
We shouted at the same time.
Ogu pointed at the gifts Iâd given him.
ãYou! All of this⦠itâs just your own merch! You just grabbed stuff lying around your room, didnât you? You totally forgot to buy actual presents, didnât you!?ã
ãUgh!?ã
I couldnât deny it. I had grabbed the âTranslation Girl Irohaâ merchandise samples that had just arrived in a box.
ãHow did you figure it out so fast!?ã
ãOf course I figured it out! And this! This is all from a prize draw, isnât it!? Itâs been can badge, can badge, can badge⦠Youâre not about to give me acrylic keychains or something next, are you!?ã
ãUgh!? N-no, no way!ã
They werenât acrylic keychains, they were rubber straps! And Iâd only used the ones that fit in the Advent calendar, the rest Iâd switched up!
ãAt least mix it up a bit! Donât just follow the prize orderâshuffle them like a real draw!ã
ãWait, no! And can you let go of it!?ã
ãHold on, I never said I didnât want them.ã
ãSo, you do like them after all, huh!? See, my presents were right on the mark!ã
ãI mean, I do like them, but you give me all your merch for free anyway! If this is how itâs going to be, Iâm not giving you any more of my âOguâ samples either!ã
ãNoooo!ã
To be honest, weâd been creating a cycle of supply and demand with each otherâs merch for a while now. So in a way, my gifts were worth practically nothing⦠But still!
ãAt least itâs better than your useless gift!ã
ãItâs not useless! Itâs funny, and besides⦠it suits you, Iroha!ã
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 lotâ¦
ãI am NOT a baby!!ã
Thatâs a whole different story.
And I shouted that denial from the bottom of my heart.