Chapter 168. [A New Morning Has Come]

“Huh!?”

I woke up with a start, my body jerking.

It was what they call a hypnic jerk.

Did I have trouble falling asleep that badly?

I rubbed my sleepy eyes and sat up…

“?”

I couldn’t grasp the situation and looked around dazedly.

Wait, this isn’t my room? I can’t see any VTuber merchandise here.

Upon closer inspection, this was an unusually spacious living room.

Not just the room itself, everything from the sofa to the door was oversized.

It made me feel like I’d become a dwarf or something.

Well, I’ve actually had a similar experience once.

I finally remembered.

“Oh right, I’m in America now.”

But there was one thing I still couldn’t figure out.

“What’s going on here?”

<<Munya Munya… Good morning, Iroha.>>

I lowered my gaze, and Angu Ogu clung to me while still half asleep.

I scratched my head and tried to recall, but I couldn’t remember anything that happened last night.

“Why… why are we sleeping together? And on the sofa, no less?”

I remembered up until a certain point.

I was charging my smartphone during the unpacking process, but it ran out of battery.

So, I borrowed Angu Ogu’s smartphone instead…

After that, I couldn’t remember anything.

“I remember the content of the stream I was watching perfectly! <<Wake up, Ogu>>!”

<<Mmm, mornin’… Oh, good morning, Iroha.>>

<<Uh, yeah, good morning. Not that!>>

Angu Ogu giggled with an innocent expression.

The strong American sunlight streaming through the window illuminated her as she slowly woke up.

She wore very casual clothes, and it was hard to know where to look!

I asked, averting my gaze.

<<Hey, Ogu. Why are you here?>>

<<Why? Because Iroha wouldn’t let go of my smartphone, that’s why.>>

<<Huh?>>

According to Angu Ogu, I must have been exhausted from jet lag and unpacking, so I fell asleep while watching the stream.

So she tried to retrieve her smartphone, but…

<<It’s bad to wake someone up when they’re tired, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get you to let go of the smartphone. What’s up with your determination to watch Vtuber stream?>>

<<Sorry, I don’t remember a thing.>>

<<Seriously, get it together. Thanks to you, we ended up sleeping together!>>

<<I’ll be careful… Wait a minute. Isn’t holding onto your smartphone and sleeping together two different things?>>

<<Oh, it’s morning, morning! Come on, Iroha, let’s take a quick shower. Otherwise, you’ll get all sweaty… Sniff, sniff. Hey, why do you smell sweet like milk?>>

<<Don’t just sniff me like that!>>

I gave her a sharp chop.

Angu Ogu exaggeratedly staggered back and moved away from me.

But there was one more thing I needed to confirm.

I hoped it wasn’t the case, but…

<<By any chance, did you do anything weird while I was asleep?>>

<<…I didn’t break any rules.>>

<<Ohh? You better not have done anything strange while I was asleep>>

<<..The rules allowed it.>>

<<Ogu, I won’t allow you to cuddle me without my permission anymore!>>

<<!!!?!???? That’s what Iroha allowed me to do!>>

<<I would never permit you to do that!>>

<<I mean, it’s the truth! Or is this your punishment because I’m trying to take advantage of your weakness?>>

<<Be prepared then?>>

<<Wha!? I.. I’ll go take a shower first!>>

Angu Ogu hurriedly ran to the bathroom, as if trying to escape.

She really thought I’d fall for her “excuse me” excuse?

It seems like I need to add some new rules to this situation.

That’s how we woke up together for the first time in America – this morning.

***

In the U.S., bathrooms are usually unit baths.

Our apartment is no exception.

<<Wow, nice hot water. No hot water at all!>>

I quickly got out of the bath and rushed into the living room.

I ran into the living room and cried to Angu Ogu.

<<Oh~guuuuuuuu!>>

<<What’s wrong, Iroha? You’re up so early. Naked? What the hell are you doing out here dressed like that?>>

<<No, no, look. I have a bath towel wrapped around me, right?>>

<<You’re almost naked! That’s why you Japanese! Have more shame!>>

It’s not nice to be called that by Angu Ogu.

But I’ll put it aside for now.

<<Ugh! Iroha, you’re sneaky. You get mad when I make advances. But you do all these daring things. Have some sympathy for the one being tempted!>>

<<More importantly…>>

<<I got carried away. So, what’s up? You want me to look at your hair?>>

I nodded and gently pulled Angu Ogu’s hand toward my head.

After she inexplicably said, “Um, excuse me,” she ran her fingers through my still-wet hair.

<<Ah, Iroha, you used the shampoo you brought from Japan, right?>>

<<Huh? Wasn’t that okay?>>

<<It’s not necessarily bad, but Japan has soft water, and America has hard water.>>

<<Yeah, I’ve heard stories of Japanese people getting upset stomachs from drinking foreign water when traveling.>>

<<Shampoo is similar. Japanese shampoo is formulated for soft water.>>

<<I see, that explains it!>>

At first, I thought I couldn’t bring liquid items on planes, but after checking, it turned out that as long as they’re in your checked luggage, it’s fine.

So I brought shampoo and body soap from Japan, but I didn’t expect it to be a bad choice.

It didn’t lather well and made my hair feel stiff.

<<From now on, you can use mine.>>

<<Thank you, Ogu.>>

<<Hehehe. It’s not so bad to be relied on by Iroha. But honestly, who would’ve thought you cared so much about your appearance…>>

<<Thank you for asking! Actually, I’ve been watching Beauty VTubers lately. You know, they can’t show their faces in real life, so the way they present themselves as VTubers is quite unique…>>

<<Okay, that’s enough, I get it.>>

<<Huh? But we’ve just begun! Besides, don’t you think you’re a bit too casual? Want to watch a stream together with me?>>

<<No, no! In America, no one wears makeup, and they emphasize ‘natural.’ It’s all about going au naturel!>>

<<Well, beauty VTubers are interesting, you know.>>

<<For you, anything related to VTubers is interesting.>>

<<That’s rude! I carefully select the ones I like, you know.>>

However, at this time. Even in Japan, many men take basic care of their skin and wear some makeup. America is completely different in that regard.

<<Sigh. Anyway, despite thinking I had prepared everything, there are still many things I’m lacking now.>>

It’s not a good feeling to be putting on shoes barefoot right after taking a shower. I wish I had at least some slippers for indoor use.

<<Alright, maybe I’ll check that place out after breakfast.>>

<<Which place?>>

<<The place where you can buy everything. That’s ‘Walmarkert’!>>