ODL – Chapter 18 – A Person With A Lot of Girl Power, Rinjou Shizuka

*Piron*

I received a notification on Rime.

“Already asking for help?” (Souma)

Upon opening the message, as expected, there was an unread notification from Shizuka.

“(Tell me a story about fried chicken.)” (Shizuka)

“Pfff what’s that supposed to mean?” (Souma)

A story about fried chicken. I couldn’t help but laugh at the words that clearly indicated someone wasn’t into cooking at all.

…When it comes to stories about fried chicken, using mayonnaise instead of eggs is definitely an interesting topic. Many people don’t know about this, so maybe this can help spread the word.

The recipes for fried chicken that circulate in this world usually leave you with about half a leftover egg, and dealing with that can be a headache. But this is something only those who actually cook would understand. It’s a perfect story to give off that “been there, done that” feeling, and if it’s recommended by someone influential like Ette-sama, there’s a potential for this to become widespread.

I could tell it to her straight, but…

“Well, let’s keep her on edge a bit longer.” (Souma)

Wanting to see Shizuka flustered, I decided to leave the message marked as read without responding.

I returned to MeTube.

“(Oh, um… you know. Fried chicken is crispy, right? But it actually requires quite a bit of technique, you know?)” (Henrietta)

Comment: 『Really?』

Comment: 『Doesn’t it get crispy just by doing it normally?』

Comment: 『Is your voice trembling?』

“Ah, she’s already getting exposed.” (Souma)

Naturally, Ette-sama couldn’t come up with a convincing story. As a result, the comments section was gradually filled with people who doubted Ette-sama’s domestic skills.

“(Oh, well, you know, when I drink alcohol, my voice starts trembling. Maybe I shouldn’t have had any.)” (Henrietta)

*Piron*

I received another notification from Rime.

“(You’re watching, aren’t you?! Hurry up!!!)” (Shizuka)

“Pffffffffff” (Souma)

I could imagine Shizuka flustering over this, and I ended up laughing so hard my stomach hurt.

I shouldn’t be an ‘S¹‘, but for some reason, seeing Shizuka in trouble is amusing. I feel that I can tease her forever.

“I should probably help her now.” (Souma)

I had my fun, and I don’t want Ette-sama’s stream to become awkward. Well, even if it’s revealed that she’s lying about cooking, it might just add to her quirky character and only break a bit of her seiso image, so I think it’ll be okay.

Although, her seiso image was already somewhat shattered during the recent Ultra Super Spicy Peyoung stream.

I sent the story I had in mind to her on Rime and returned to MeTube.

“(You know, I have one complaint about fried chicken recipes. Almost all fried chicken recipes tell you to use ‘½ egg’.)” (Henrietta)

Comment: 『½ lol』

Comment: 『What are we supposed to do with the leftover? LOL』

Comment: 『This is an Avengers-level threat.』

“(Exactly! So, you know, I was wondering what to do with the leftover eggs too. Then, I saw a TV chef using mayonnaise instead of eggs, and I decided to give it a try. And well, let me tell you, it really saved my life. Seriously, everyone, give it a shot!)” (Henrietta)

Comment: 『Ohhhhh』

Comment: 『Mayonnaise is basically eggs, right?』

Comment: 『That’s clever.』

Ette-sama’s wholehearted fried chicken idea managed to convince the chat that she is domestically capable.

“(Well, um, maybe next time I should upload pictures of the dishes I make and stuff on Twitter. Only If there’s demand for it, though.)” (Henrietta)

Comment: 『I want to see!』

Comment: 『There’s definitely demand.』

Comment: 『I look forward to seeing it.』

“Oh god…” (Souma)

Just when one trouble passes, another one arises.

Why do you always get carried away like this?

Well, I guess that part of her is kind of cute in its own way.

◆

The next morning.

I was awakened by an incoming call on Rime.

“Who is it…? Shizuka…?” (Souma)

There is no way she could possibly be up this early. She streams until late at night; she’s probably fast asleep by now.

Still lying in bed, I fumbled around for my smartphone and opened Rime.

“…Ah.” (Souma)

The message on Rime was from Hiyorin.

I remembered that last night, I had sent a message to her before leaving.

“(You fell asleep, so I brought you to your room. I left the door unlocked.)” (Souma)

“(Sorry about yesterday. I don’t really remember much… I must have been quite a bother.)” (Hiyori)

If she asked if she was a bother… that’s a bit of a gray area. Even though I was troubled, there was also that sensation from last night which I still couldn’t forget.

Well, I guess it might be better if she keeps her alcohol intake in check though.

“(Don’t worry about it. However, there are underage people around, so it might be better to be a bit more restrained. If you’d like, I’m still more than willing to share drinks with you.)” (Souma)

After the event, I was willing to accompany her for drinks as much as she’d like. There were still many things I wanted to talk to Hiyorin about.

“(You sure are kind, Souma-kun. Well then… I’ll take you up on that offer next time.)” (Hiyori)

“(I’m looking forward to it too. I’m pretty much available anytime after dinner.)” (Souma)

“(Got it. Oh, and by the way, I won’t be able to have dinner together today. I have a Zanimasu live stream on MeTube.)” (Hiyori)

“…Ah, right. Was that today?” (Souma)

The immensely popular game “Zanimasu”.

The live stream of the game which propelled Hiyorin to become a popular voice actress was streamed on MeTube every Tuesday.

“Zanimasu” is a game where you produce various groups and idols. Although there isn’t a specific main heroine, there is a group that’s somewhat considered the main focus. And Hiyorin provides the voice for one of the members of that group.

Hiyorin is a regular on the “Zanimasu” live stream.

“(So, is it okay to assume that your not available every Tuesday for dinner?)” (Souma)

“(I think that would be the case most of the time.)” (Hiyori)

“(Understood. I’ll be looking forward to the live stream!)” (Souma)

“(Fufu, thanks.)” (Hiyori)

Hmm… she’s a pretty normal person when not affected by alcohol after all.

“…” (Souma)

I recalled last night’s disheveled Hiyorin.

If even someone as gentle as her can end up like that, then alcohol really is something to be cautious of.

“…Ah.” (Souma)

*Ringg Ringg*

My smartphone’s alarm goes off. It seems to be the usual time I wake up.

“Well, let’s do our best today too.” (Souma)

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TL notes:

Thanks for reading!

I’m guessing Zanimasu is really like bang dream, they also have a weekly stream kind of thing and a main group. Although, I have no idea what Zanimasu is a parody of considering its name. It should be quite similar to a game if it is a parody.

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Footnote:

1. S means Sadist