Chapter 48: You’re definitely not sober

The drinking session lasted longer than expected.

I was mainly the one talking.

Because Karen kept throwing questions.

“What kind of food do you eat there?

Is there anything similar among the food here?”

“What was the most memorable thing there?

Happy moments or sad moments.”

“Are your memories of the other world still vivid?

Or do they feel like they’re fading?”

There were questions that even I couldn’t answer right away.

Karen didn’t rush me.

When a long answer came out, she never interrupted, and often nodded.

It was rather unexpected.

I didn’t think she would believe my story so readily.

I could have let her hear the Elven language or the common language of humans.

At first, she might think I’m just making it up, but as she listens, she’ll get the feeling that it’s an unfamiliar language system.

If not, I could explain it with the alphabet.

Or show off my excellent physical abilities.

Strong strength or flexibility that doesn’t fit my body type.

If I had shown her a one-finger handstand, she might have been really surprised.

Actually, those were all just indirect evidence.

In the end, it would be useless if she didn’t have the will to accept it.

But Karen was unexpectedly open.

“Riiiia… I need to go to the bathroom…”

She stumbled twice in that short distance, so I thought it would be best not to let her drink anymore.

I was left alone to clear the bottles and tidy up the table.

As I was tidying up, I felt something warm filling up inside my chest.

For the first time, someone truly believed my story and tried to understand.

Just that alone greatly reduced my impatience and burden.

If I consistently show the truth, eventually there will be people who truly believe me.

Karen showed me today that my half-doubtful thoughts were correct.

I’m doing something worthwhile enough.

Now, regardless of the viewers’ reactions, I felt like I could work harder on my broadcasts.

By the way, even after I finished cleaning up, quite some time had passed, but Karen hadn’t returned.

Was she not feeling well?

Or was she taking a shower?

I think I saw on some VTuber’s broadcast that it’s not good for your body to shower after drinking.

I got up from my seat and headed to the bathroom.

Knock, knock.

“Karen.

Are you okay?”

Knock, knock.

“Is there anything I can help you with?”

Since there was no answer, I opened the door and went inside.

A mini bathtub with a shower booth.

In that space where you couldn’t even stretch your legs, Karen was crouching and lying down.

Why is she sleeping here when there’s a bed.

“Wake up.

Go to your room and sleep.”

I tapped her on the cheek, but there was no response.

I had no choice but to move her myself.

I put one arm under her waist for support and supported her thighs with the other arm.

I lifted her up.

Her head shouldn’t be tilted back, so I let it rest on my chest.

I had only taken a few steps while holding Karen when her body suddenly squirmed a little.

“Ugh… what…?”

Maybe it was because the lighting changed.

Karen, who had shown no reaction even when I touched her, suddenly opened her eyes.

“What is it now… What am I leaning on… I thought it was a pillow because it was so soft.”

If she was going to say something like that and get embarrassed, wouldn’t it have been better not to say anything at all.

Karen’s eyes, which had been looking away from my face, quickly widened.

“Am I being carried right now?!

Why am I floating in the air?!”

“I’m moving you because you can’t walk.

Calm down.”

“No, wait, am I too heavy right now?

Put me down!

Put me down!

What if you hurt your back!”

“Could you just stay still?

I’m fine.”

I gently placed Karen on the bed.

“Go to sleep.

I’ve cleaned everything up outside.”

Karen shook her head with a dazed expression.

“I think I sobered up a bit from the surprise.

Let’s brush our teeth together and go to sleep.

I’ll show you where the toothbrush is.”

After brushing our teeth, we headed to the sofa in the living room.

Karen grabbed my arm.

“Where are you going?”

“I’ll sleep on the sofa.

I’m the guest.”

“You didn’t even ask for a blanket?

And the sofa is too small to lie down on.”

“It’s okay.

I’ve slept on the streets before.”

I wasn’t always in a situation where I could choose where to sleep.

I’ve slept in caves, in clearings in the forest, and even on trees.

Sleeping in the forest or on trees was quite comfortable.

“Whoa.

You’re really careless.

Ria, you’re going to get into big trouble!

Don’t ever do that again!”

“I don’t think that will happen anymore.”

“Yes!

Let’s sleep together today.

The bed is the most comfortable.”

“Huh?”

Karen pulled my wrist with her meager strength.

I reluctantly followed her and lay down in one spot.

It’s not so narrow that we’re sticking to each other… but it’s a little awkward.

“Ria.”

“Yeah.”

“Can you give me a chest pillow?

I think it was softer earlier.”

“Are you sure you’re sober?”

“I don’t know.”

“You’re definitely not sober.

Go to sleep.”

“Okay.

I’ll listen to Ria.”

Not long after I closed my eyes, Karen spoke to me again.

“Ria.”

“What?”

“Our Ria… I’ll be by your side from now on.”

Why are you my older sister.

I couldn’t say that.

I heard her snoring right away.

Feeling the morning sunlight through the curtains, I tried to fall asleep too.

***

I open my eyes and check the time.

12:07 PM.

It was the perfect time to get ready and have lunch.

I wasn’t, but Karen probably needed a hangover cure.

Would soybean sprout soup be enough?

I rummaged through the kitchen and refrigerator, but I couldn’t find any soybean sprouts.

I had no choice but to wake her up for a moment.

“Karen.

Karen.”

“og…?”

After getting the house passcode from a drowsy Karen, I bought a few ingredients from a nearby supermarket.

I don’t enjoy cooking, but when I do, I’m confident that I can produce a decent result.

I have good dexterity and a keen sense.

I also have enough experience making soups while camping…

As I washed the soybean sprouts, I removed the floating skins in the water.

I sliced the green onions lengthwise, and finely minced the garlic by pressing it with the side of a knife.

I poured water into a pot and added a piece of kelp and a few anchovies.

When bubbles started to rise, I removed the kelp and added the washed soybean sprouts to the pot.

When the soybean sprouts were soft, I added the minced garlic and a pinch of salt, and gently stirred the soup with the edge of a ladle to spread the seasoning.

Finally, I sprinkled the chopped green onions on top.

It would be nice to eat together, but I already woke her up once, should I call her again?

The soup can be reheated anyway, so it would be better to let her sleep more.

I ate lunch alone and waited for Karen to wake up.

Honestly, I didn’t expect the wait to be that long.

‘It’s been over 10 hours?

Is it possible to sleep this long?’

If I want to broadcast, I should go home and prepare now.

But at this point, I felt like I had to see Karen wake up with my own eyes.

I was a little worried that she might be sick.

It was a very unlikely situation, but the concern that she might not wake up until her own broadcast time crossed my mind.

I picked up my phone and called.

The person who answered was Manager Sera.

“Yes.

It’s something that wasn’t in the plan… but it seems okay to proceed like that.

Yes?

I’m perfectly fine.

Yes.

Okay.

Yes.

I’ll be careful.”

Okay.

I reported it, so there’s no problem.

In the end, Karen didn’t wake up.

And it was time to start the broadcast.

I felt a little excited for some reason.

It was an opportunity to experience what it feels like for other VTubers to ‘act’.

If I hadn’t been watching broadcasts for a long time and hadn’t become more engaged, I wouldn’t have planned this kind of event.

I wanted to praise myself.

《Amano Karen》

《Karen is a Heavy Drinker》

《2241 viewers》

-Hi Karen!

-Huh what are you doing at this hour

-You should have announced it… I almost missed it if it wasn’t for the alarm

-Did you drink alcohol Karen lol

-Ugh I smell alcohol

“May the blessing of psychokinesis be with you all.

Let’s start the week together with Karen.”

-??

-?????

-What are you doing here Ria?

-Why is Ria on Karen’s stream lol

-I thought Ria was late today!

-What is the blessing of psychokinesis Ria… Show some effort by imitating the greeting

-Lol this is so random

“Ria?

I heard she can’t come to the broadcast today.

Due to personal reasons.”

-It’s so shameless that you don’t even think about changing your voice..

-This familiar taste of nonsense.. It’s definitely Ria!

-Karen doesn’t talk like that

-(Tenryeon-ah, how do you know she’s broadcasting here if there’s no announcement) [Message deleted by manager]

-Lol Ria is such a funny person

-It’s not even April Fool’s Day lol

“Pias… I want to show you a completely different side of me today.”

-Pia?

-You said it’s Karen’s broadcast

-Ria you can’t lie.

You have no talent.

Give up

“Um… Karen’s fans.”

-It’s Karuda you dummy Karu -Pay some attention to the members lol

-Is it Karen’s house?

The title says you two drank together, right?

-Karen come on quickly and normalize this!!

“Karus.

I don’t know why you’re looking for Karen.

We’re having a conversation right now?”

-Oh sh*t…

-Stubborn mode activated

-Is Ria always like this?

lol

-If you teachers don’t understand, the broadcast won’t proceed until you acknowledge it

-(Yes!

Karen!) Ria I’ll see you on tomorrow’s broadcast

“Okay.

Now I’ll tell you what’s different about me.

I’m a top student who graduated early from the psychic academy.

To do that, I must have passed training that was close to actual combat, no.

I did pass.”

-Even when you’re Karen, you start with rp…

-Don’t tell me you’re going to tell a story like yesterday

-Does Karen have that many settings too??

“Crying and sobbing while playing just one horror game… I think that’s really not like me.”

Getting along with Karen is one thing, but this is unprofessional, right?

-Self-diss lol

-Self-diss (not self)

-Why isn’t Karen coming, she’s being roasted like this lol

-Is she drunk and can’t come lol

-Then is the title a euphemism?

-She’s serious about teasing Karen lol

“So, the changed Karen!

I’ll show you how I blow away fear with my psychokinesis.”

-Ori horror game!!

-There’s still Sara left, but Ria is doing it first

-Are you confident that the really changed Karen won’t cry?^^

-What are you going to do if you set the stage like this and make a fuss lol

-Then it’ll be even more fun