Chapter 337: [Effort Is The Foundation Of Courage]


    <Hold on a second, Iroha-sama. "If you want to improve in a foreignnguage, interact with people from that country"… that''s exactly me, isn''t it!>


    <No, no, we''re not even lovers yet!?>


    <"Yet"!?>


    <Ah, no!? That was just a y on words!>


    Oh no, more and more slip-ups!?


    And both Ilyena and everyone in thements never miss such words.


    ?Hey! Isn''t there something to this??? (Ukrainian)


    ?Ugh, what am I feeling!? Am I jealous of Ilyasha or Iroha-chan!? (Ukrainian)


    ?But as long as my oshi is happy, it''s okay!<Don''t just decide it''s okay!?>


    ?But in reality, talking to foreigners requires courage, doesn''t it?


    ?↑ I understand. I get super nervous when I approach or am approached by tourists who seem lost.


    ?Ick confidence in conveying my message, and with cultural differences as mentioned earlier, I worry about being rude.


    <I really understand everyone''s feelings. I went through the same struggles.>


    <Is that so?>


    <Yes! Of course!>


    Honestly, this is surprising.


    She’s been making outrageous statements from the start, so she didn’t seem like someone who would be easily intimidated.


    <There are things I want to say. But I’m not sure if these words are correct. What if I say something strange? What if it’s understood oppositely? Such anxieties were always with me.>


    Ilyena reveals her feelings from that time.


    I never imagined what kind of thoughts she had while learning Japanese.


    <Even with dictionaries and trantion tools, I couldn’t shake those feelings. Maybe it was because… I loved the person, and the person was important to me, which made it even harder.>


    When you think about it, even when confessing to someone you canmunicate with, it makes you nervous.


    Ilyasha still…


    <I had many words I wanted to say but couldn’t bring myself to say. I typed many messages but couldn’t send them. And in such moments, I sincerely thought>


    <―― I want to improve my Japanese more!>


    Ilyena’s voice carried a strong determination.


    Her “feelings” came through the words.


    <I want to be able to talk more. I want to be closer. That emotion drove me to study hard… And using that effort as the foundation of courage, I faced it.>


    ?… I understand a lot now. That’s why Ilyasha’s Japanese has improved (Ukrainian)


    ?The idea that "having a partner improves your foreignnguage skills" means more than just frequency; it’s also about this! (Ukrainian)


    ?Hearing this makes me want to study harder too (Ukrainian)


    Now, I understand what Ilyasha felt when she confessed to me.


    Only now do I learn it.


    <…>


    I was at a loss for words in the face of Ilyasha’s earnest feelings.


    I had been avoiding the truth until now. I didn’t fully understand it myself. But now…


    I make a decision.


    When I next meet her directly, I’ll clearly answer those feelings.


    I want to respond.


    And, that day will surely not be far off.


    <Iroha-sama, is something wrong? You’ve gone silent>


    <It’s just… that, well, I finally understand Ilyena-chan’s feelings>


    <…! Iroha-sama!>


    <So, this is what it means, right? ― “Commenting for the first time on a foreign oshi takes a lot of courage!” I really get it!>


    <Iroha-sama, you don’t understand at all!?>


    ?This guy’s hopeless w Better fix this quickly  (Ukrainian)


    ?Well, I get that it can be hard toment, though


    ?Once you get past the firstment, it bes easier


    <In reality, the person receiving thement is always happy to get the words you tried hard to weave, even if they’re a bit awkward. Ah, that’s simr to confessing!>


    <Oh, is it simr…>


    ?Ilyasha is a bit shocked, lol (Ukrainian)


    ?That must be the closest feeling to Iroha-chan’s (Ukrainian)


    ?It might be the highest praise for Iroha-chan, but theparison is just awful  (Ukrainian)


    ?It’s a good thing you’re saying, but because of the previous context, it’s funny (Ukrainian)


    ?Well, my oshi understands allnguages, so there’s almost no point inmenting in a foreignnguage! For Iroha-chan, it’s even harder toment in anguage she doesn’t understand w (Ukrainian)


    <W-why is everyone reacting so weirdly? Well, let’s study foreignnguages together! And have the courage toment!>


    ?It’s you who’s weird!!!! (Ukrainian)


    ?Firstment. I was too shy toment before, but I always watch the streams. I’m a big fan!


    ?Firstment, firstment, firstment, firstment, firstment, firstment, firstment, firstment… How manyments now?


    ?↑ “8th”!


    ?Theedic skits have started, and where did the emotional flow go…?


    ?Firstment. Amazingly, Iroha-chan can readments in both English and Japanese (Ukrainian)


    <No, no!? I’m a native Japanese speaker!?>


    ?Lol


    ?Iroha-chan, your Japanese is really good  (Ukrainian)


    ?Iroha-chan is from the UK, after all! (Ukrainian)


    And so, thenguage exchange stream with Ilyenaes to a close.


    Her talk gave me a lot of “realizations” and new discoveries.


    When you’re inside, growing up with Japanese, it’s hard to recognize its uniqueness. You start to take things for granted.


    But thanks to this stream, I feel like I can see Japanese a bit more objectively.


    <Well then, Iroha-sama, let’s do this again soon. This time, offline.>


    <…Yeah>


    <Thank you for watching! "Puvai">


    <"Otsukareta-, arigeta!">


    ?See you again! (Ukrainian)


    ?Otsukareta~!


    ?Ilyasha, I’m cheering for you!