Chapter 38: Kicked Out
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 38: Kicked Out
“Haaah...”
Having practically fled Oppa’s house, I could still feel the heat radiating from my face.
Ugh. Seriously. What is wrong with you, Kim Doah?
My heart was pounding.
My original plan was to at least stay for a meal, but I was in no state for that.
Because... Oppa... Oppa...
Just thinking about what happened made my face, which had just started to cool down, flush all over again.
I knew it wasn't intentional.
It would have been impossible for him to do something like that while wearing the VR headset.
It was a genuine accident.
But in the end, I couldn't handle the embarrassment and just ran away.
“But still... I'll get to see him again.”
When he comes to return the headset, it means I'll get to see him in person again.
If he really enjoyed the VR, we'll have more to talk about in the future.
I decided to change into my pajamas before the briefing for CLOSER’s first album later that evening, but as I was about to change...
Wallet.
Phone.
...Huh?
I was sure I'd brought three things with me in my pocket.
But no matter how much I patted my pockets, I couldn't find the third one.
I put it in my back pocket and never took it out...
It was something I thought I would obviously have no use for.
I only brought it just in case, on the one-in-ten-thousand chance that something might happen.
No.
Please tell me it's not true.
My anxiety grew as I considered where I could have possibly dropped it.
The most likely scenario was that it had slipped out when I was lying down or bent over.
And there was only one time I'd done that.
“...Maybe I should just die.”
It looked like I'd left more than one gift in Oppa's room.
“Ooh. Is this it?”
Inside VRWorld.
I'd made my way to the karaoke map where Luka had streamed before.
What room number was it again?
I think it was somewhere around this corner.
I pressed the forward button on my controller, and my avatar moved ahead.
Here it is.
I entered the room where Luka had sung for us and set up the camera to take a selfie.
A timer appeared over the camera icon, and I put on a smile.
I barely take selfies in real life, so taking one in VRWorld felt pretty ridiculous, but I enjoyed it anyway.
That's just how being a fan is.
I figured there weren't many ways to be a fan without looking a little lame.
Whether it's idols or anime, it's true that it's hard for others to understand what it's like to get so invested in something.
You're lucky if you don't get made fun of for it.
I mulled over my personal philosophy on fandom, then shook my head.
What time is it now?
She said I just had to return it by Thursday night, so I had planned to go around 8 or 9. I checked the time.
[20:09]
Ah. I should probably get going.
There were still more maps I wanted to explore, but now it was time to return the item.
Taking off the headset and turning it off, I neatly packed it back into the box Doah gave me, just as I had received it.
After closing the box and putting it in the paper bag, I stared blankly at that thing sitting on my desk.
...Should I return this? Or not?
If someone leaves something behind, it's common sense to return it.
But this wasn't just any lost item; it had... other implications.
A vanilla-scented condom.
Why on earth did Doah bring this to my house?
The first possibility that came to mind was that Doah wanted to do that kind of thing with me, but...
The more I thought about it, the less sense it made.
There was just no context for it, was there?
Doah wasn't my girlfriend, nor was there some kind of flirty vibe between us that led me to invite her back to my place.
I was pretty sure I'd never shown any kind of lewd interest in Doah.
If that's the case, it could mean this condom wasn't for me, but...
I felt a surge of irritation.
The thought that Doah might have a boyfriend and was carrying this around for him instantly soured my mood.
Honestly, I had always thought that Luka might have a boyfriend.
It's not a crime for a VTuber to date.
I knew that most other streamers were dating privately.
And Luka was a really charming person.
I'm always thinking about how great it would be to have a girlfriend like Luka. Was it possible that I was the only guy on the planet who felt that way?
My grip on the condom tightened.
No. But if she has a boyfriend, why did she come to my house?
Why does she keep texting me?
Why did she ask what scent I like and give me a gift?
That didn't add up either.
Even though my thoughts were a mess, I had to return the headset, so I picked up my phone and sent a text to Doah.
[Doah. I was thinking of coming over around 8:30, is that okay?]
My phone buzzed about five minutes later.
[Yep. I'm in room 201.]
[OK OK]
In the end, I decided to give the condom back to her.
She might be looking for it, after all.
I figured that if I returned it, we could both clear the air.
Yeah. I'll just give it back and tell her that if she has a boyfriend, we shouldn't contact each other privately anymore.
That seemed like the best way to handle it. I shoved the condom into my pocket, stuck my hands in my other pockets, and headed out.
About a 10-second walk.
That was the distance between Doah's building and mine.
I pushed open the glass door and went up the stairs to the second floor.
-Knock knock knock
Standing in front of room 201, I knocked on the door.
“Coming~”
Doah's voice came from inside.
Soon, the door opened, and Doah peeked out, her feet slipped into a pair of slippers.
She was wearing sweatpants and the same gray hoodie she wore when we went to the arcade.
“Hello?”
“Hey.”
“W-Would you like to come in?”
...Is she trying to let me into her house even though she has a boyfriend?
I thought that was out of line and was about to say something, but then she spoke.
“Ah. Um. The hallway echoes a lot, so just come in for a second.”
“Ah. Okay. Sure.”
As soon as I stepped inside, a pleasant scent tickled my nose.
...Are girls' houses normally like this?
It was a fragrance my place could never have. I rubbed my nose for no reason.
“Here.”
I held out the paper bag.
“How was it? Did you have fun?” Doah asked with a smile.
“Yeah. It was fun.”
“What did you try?”
I went to the maps you streamed on and took pictures by myself.
“I just took some pictures, thinking about filming.”
“Really? If there were any good maps, I'll check them out later too.”
I just nodded in response.
After a moment of silence, I put my hand in my pocket.
“Doah.”
I called her name softly.
“Yes?”
Doah flinched at my call.
“This. I think you left it here yesterday.”
I held out the condom I was clutching in my hand.
Doah's face turned deathly pale.
“Uh...?”
Her reaction confirmed my suspicions.
“Doah... um... if you have a boyfriend... it's probably better if we don't contact each other privately from now on...”
Doah looked like she was having a mental breakdown, but she wasn't the only one.
I was trying to be polite, but I found myself stumbling over the words.
Luka-tan. You have to use protection if you want to have a long streaming career.
It was a tearful appeal from a member of the Pink Army.
“Uh... so... you understand what I'm saying, right...?”
I had just decided to leave the second she gave me an answer when...
“...'s not.”
“Huh?”
Her voice was so small I couldn't hear it.
“...I said it's not true.”
Doah's pale face turned impossibly red.
“I don't have a boyfriend, Oppa.”
Doah hung her head, informing me in a resigned voice that she didn't have a boyfriend.
If what she said was true, then we were right back to my first question.
“Then how did that end up at my house?”
Completely unable to understand, I asked her out of pure curiosity.
What reason would a girl with no boyfriend have for carrying a condom around?
“Th-That's because...”
Doah mumbled, her lips barely moving, before looking up at me with a resentful glare and shouting.
“Get out!”
“Huh?”
Thinking I'd misheard, I questioned her, but her hands were her only reply.
Doah spun me around 180 degrees and pushed my back towards the front door.
“Hey. Wait a minute. Doah.”
What? She's kicking me out just like that?
If you're going to kick me out, you should at least say something first.
-Beep-boop
Doah unlocked the door and threw it wide open.
“...I don't have a boyfriend, so you know you have to keep messaging me, right?”
-Slam.
The front door slammed shut with a loud bang.
And just like that, I was kicked out of Doah’s house.