Chapter 37: Cinderella
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 37: Cinderella
...I don't think it's even 4 o'clock yet.
I did say it was fine to come early, but I didn't think she'd be this early.
Having just gotten out of the shower, I hadn't even dried my hair yet, so I greeted Doah in a somewhat disheveled state.
“Ah. Sorry. Am I a little early?”
“Ah. Well...”
I couldn't just leave a guest standing outside.
Seeing Doah looking like she was about to rush into an excuse, I quickly ushered her inside.
“No, no. I'm not scolding you or anything. It's just that if you'd come any earlier, I might not have been able to even open the door.”
If I had been in the middle of my shower, she probably would have had to wait outside.
“Th-Then, excuse me for intruding.”
After taking off her shoes, Doah scanned my room with a quick glance.
All my Luka merch was sealed away inside my closet.
How about it? Looks like a normal person's room, right?
Perfect, isn't it! Luka-tan!
Luka had mentioned on stream that she wanted to do a 'room tour' segment with the Pink Army.
It seemed like, from this day forward, I'd never be able to participate.
Ah. I wanted to show her that poster picture.
It was a shame to lose out on one stack of her disgusted reaction.
“Hey, would it be okay if I just quickly dry my hair?”
“Ah, yeah, yeah. Go ahead.”
I wanted to change my clothes too, but it felt too late for that, so I decided to at least dry my hair.
-WHIIIRRRR
The sound of the hairdryer filled the room.
Having a real-life girl in my house... it was hard not to be nervous.
And not just any girl.
She's my absolute favorite.
“Why are you just standing there?”
“Ah. I don't really see a place to sit.”
Maybe because I was drying my hair in front of the computer, Doah was just standing in front of the bed.
“It's fine, you can just sit on the bed there.”
“...Really?”
“Yeah. Go ahead and sit there. I'll turn on the computer for you.”
I put down the hairdryer and immediately pressed the power button on the computer.
“Oppa.”
“Yeah?”
When I turned around at her call, Doah was taking a small package out of a paper bag.
“This is a gift.”
“A gift?”
Why is she giving me a gift?
“I prepared it since it's my first time visiting.”
She held it out to me, and I took the ribbon-tied box.
“Hey, you really didn't have to do this.”
“Go on, open it. It's nothing much.”
I untied the knot and opened the box. Inside was a diffuser about the size of a vitamin bottle.
“Is this why you asked about vanilla scents yesterday?”
“...Yes.”
Blushing slightly, Doah couldn't meet my eyes, glancing at me furtively.
“Ah... well, should I open it now?”
It's vanilla scented, so...
It was bound to smell good.
I opened the lid, took a quick sniff, and nodded.
“This is nice.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Maybe this will help with the bachelor smell, huh?”
When I praised it with a laugh, Doah seemed pleased and gave a happy smile.
“No, it's not like that. Your place doesn't smell.”
No, it's because I aired the shit out of this place before you came.
I decided to keep that truth to myself.
“So, should I just open VRWorld?”
“Ah. Hold on a second.”
Doah, who had been sitting on the bed, got up and came over to me.
“You have to install the headset interface first, you see?”
“Where do I install it from?”
“Could you go to the official website?”
Following Doah's instructions with the mouse, I saw the rather complicated procedure and understood why she said it was good to have someone help.
There were a lot of parts that looked like they'd be a real pain to do alone.
From signing up for an account to device authentication and so on.
“Oppa. Please get the headset and controllers from the box behind you.”
“Got it.”
I opened the box Doah had brought, and there was the headset.
It was a familiar-looking device, but the thought that this was what Doah used to meet us made me feel strange.
“Here.”
I handed her the headset, and she pressed what I assumed was the power button before putting it on her head.
“Oppa. The controllers, too.”
Doah held out both her arms like a child asking for something.
Knowing she couldn't see me, I let myself think how cute she was and placed the controllers in her hands with a fond smile.
“Um. I need to move around a bit now to check the playable area, so could you sit on the bed for a moment?”
“Alright.”
I obediently followed her instructions and watched from behind as Doah walked around, waving her arms here and there.
The whole process was just fascinating to watch.
“Phew... Done.”
Taking off the headset, Doah looked at me with a proud expression.
“Oppa. Could you come here?”
“Yeah.”
“First, before you put this on, we need to adjust the straps.”
My head isn't particularly large, but Doah's face was seriously about the size of my fist.
“How do you do it?”
I was about to try it myself, but Doah insisted she'd do it and sat me down in the computer chair.
“Is it too tight?”
Even after the first strap adjustment, the headset was still quite tight.
“A little.”
“Then.”
Doah took the headset off again, adjusted the straps, and put it back on my head.
“How about now?”
“This is fine.”
“Okay, now can you grab the controllers and press the menu button?”
Doah showed me how to access VRWorld through the headset.
“So, first you turn on the interface, and then you go in like this!”
Inside the headset.
My room was no longer my room.
“Wow.”
A new yet familiar space.
The screen that Luka sees first whenever she logs into VRWorld unfolded before my eyes.
When I moved the controller, the space moved with it.
“Whoa... so it recognizes all my movements, right?”
“Yep, yep.”
Standing in front of a mirror, I swung my arms around.
The avatar was the default one, so it wasn't very pretty.
I should look for a new avatar after Doah leaves.
This was a world full of all sorts of unique avatars, not to mention male and female ones.
As I walked around and looked about, I suddenly wondered if it recognized speed too, so I tried to move a little faster...
...Huh?
A strange feeling at the tip of my toe.
I had stepped on what felt like a slippery piece of plastic, and I lost my balance, flailing my arms.
If I hadn't been wearing the headset, I would have just grabbed the nearby wall or something, but that was impossible.
I thought I was about to fall flat on my face.
“...Oppa!”
A soft sensation under my hands.
Thankfully, it seemed I had landed on the bedding.
But judging from Doah's voice, it seemed I had crash-landed near where she had been sitting.
“Ah. Sorry.”
Fumbling with my hands, I propped myself up on one arm and took off the headset.
Doah was looking up at me in a very awkward pose, as if she'd tried to dodge me as I suddenly came flying at her.
It was a position that was neither sitting nor lying down.
And I was looking down at her from a position that made it look like I was pouncing on her.
“Guess I need to be more careful. The room is pretty small.”
Embarrassed, I quickly pushed myself up.
“R-Right! I mean, I set it up, but sometimes there are errors and it doesn't recognize movement properly!”
Doah, also flustered, rushed to explain.
It was partly my fault for trying to move so fast, but I was curious what I had slipped on.
Checking the floor, I realized the culprit was the plastic wrap of the diffuser I hadn't thrown away.
“Sorry, Doah. You must have been surprised.”
I threw the plastic into the trash can and apologized to her again.
“No, it's okay.”
Sitting on the rumpled bedding, Doah's face was still flushed.
“Um... Oppa.”
“Yeah.”
“Do you think you can handle it on your own now?”
Truthfully, after helping me install it and showing me how to use it, there was nothing left for Doah to do in my room.
If it were a game we could play together, we would have, but there was only one headset.
The setup required one person to be in reality, and the other in virtual reality.
“Ah. Yeah.”
“Then, is it okay if I get going now?”
Having no reason to keep her here and nothing for us to do together, I nodded.
“Of course. Thanks for helping me with this today.”
“It's nothing. Just make sure to help me out a lot when we film for our group project later.”
“I'll help as much as I can.”
Doah smiled at my words and went to the front door.
“I think you just need to return it by Friday night.”
“Okay. I'll contact you. When I return it, I'll bring it to your place.”
I felt bad for calling her over like some repair technician, so I said it thinking I should at least return it in person, but...
“T-To my place?”
Doah asked back, startled.
“Yeah. You live right next door.”
“Well, yes, but...”
“You came all the way here, and you even gave me a gift. It's the least I can do.”
“Okay...”
Doah lowered her head, her hair hiding her face.
“Have fun with it, and... just return it then.”
Turning her back, Doah unlocked the door.
“Yeah. Thanks!”
“Okay. I'm leaving now.”
-SLAM
The door finally closed, and I let out a sigh.
Phew... At least Luka-tan didn't find out.
I was so nervous she might find out, so it was a relief that it all passed without any major incidents.
Honestly, falling on the bed was pretty embarrassing, but well...
It's not like I accidentally grabbed Doah's chest like in some otaku manga.
I figured it could just be passed off as a simple accident.
Thinking I'd lie down for a bit before trying that thing again, I lay on the bed, but then I felt a strange texture on my forearm and reached for it.
What's this?
A small, slightly crinkly piece of plastic.
Thinking it was something like a vitamin packet, I picked it up with my fingers and then blinked, as if my world had paused.
“...Huh?”
Because it was something that should not exist in my house.