ODL – Chapter 21 – Half-fallen Hiyorin?

“(Looks delicious! Can I drop by? It’s going to be past 10 PM though…)” (Hiyori)

After I finished watching the one-hour Zanimasu live stream, I started cleaning the bowls and chopsticks that Shizuka had used. Around this time, I received a reply from Hiyorin

After 10 PM huh… that’s about one hour from now. If that’s the case, then it’s not a problem.

“(It’s okay. You can take your time.)” (Souma)

After sending the reply, I returned to washing the dishes. Hmm I don’t really have anything to do until then.

“Should I take a shower first?” (Souma)

I ended up taking a shower and browsed through cooking recipe websites idly when the intercom rang. On the monitor was a familiar cream-beige colored dress. It was Hiyorin, still in the same outfit as she had been seen during the live stream earlier.

Oh, so that’s her casual outfit.

I hurriedly opened the front door.

“Good evening, and thank you for your hard work, Hiyorin-san.” (Souma)

“Souma-kun. I’m sorry for coming so late.” (Hiyori)

“It’s okay. Please come in.” (Souma)

She followed me into the living room.

“I’ll go and reheat it, so please wait a while.” (Souma)

After lightly reheating the food in the frying pan and placing it on the table, Hiyorin started talking with a delighted voice.

“Wow. It looks really good. Souma-kun, you’re amazing~” (Hiyori)

“It’s not really a big deal. Reheating the fish can make it a bit dry, so I can’t guarantee the taste.” (Souma)

“No, it’s definitely going to be delicious. Oh, by the way, Souma-kun, would you mind having some alcohol with me?” (Hiyori)

Hiyori had brought a bottle of alcohol and some carbonated water with her.

“Of course. But what’s this?” (Souma)

“This is a whisky called Glenmorangie. It has a citrusy aroma, and when you make a highball¹ with it, it’s incredibly delicious.” (Hiyori)

“Is that so?” (Souma)

I have never heard of it before. I usually only buy Suntory or Nikka whisky.

“I’ll borrow the kitchen for a moment.” (Hiyori)

Hiyori prepared glasses and such in a manner that felt like she was used to it. Yeah, it’s more relaxing when she just does what she wants.

As I watched Hiyorin’s back while she was working, she returned holding two glasses.

“Here you go.” (Hiyori)

*Cling* 

She placed the glasses in front of me. Inside the glasses, the pale golden highball emitted a gentle fizz.

“Souma-kun.” (Hiyori)

Hiyorin, sitting across from me, smiled as she held her glass.

I raised my glass and lightly clinked it against Hiyori’s.

“Alright then… Cheers.” (Souma)

The second part of Souma-kai has begun…²

◆

“—So, you see, American whiskey is called Bourbon, and Scottish whiskey is called Scotch. Japanese whiskey is derived from Scottish whiskey, so it’s similar to Scotch.” (Hiyori)

“Oh… I see, I didn’t know that.” (Souma)

All worries aside, the Acqua Pazza has comfortably settled in Hiyorin’s stomach, and I was leisurely enjoying drinks with her now. Despite my initial vigilance, there was no sign of her getting drunk. It was the usual calm Hiyori.

“By the way, in Scotch and Bourbon, the spelling of ‘whiskey’ is different. Scotch doesn’t have an ‘e’, so it’s spelled ‘whisky’, while Bourbon adds an ‘e’, making it ‘whiskey’. It’s interesting to pay attention to the labels. Maker’s Mark, for instance, is a Bourbon, but it doesn’t have the ‘e’ in its name because it was started by Scottish immigrants, even though it’s a bourbon.” (Hiyori)

Hiyori was unusually talkative and her face was brightening up with joy. She sure does love alcohol.

“Do you often drink outside, Hiyorin-san?” (Souma)

I asked out of curiosity.

The reason I asked was that if she were to get drunk outside, it could cause inconvenience to others.

And, to be honest, I didn’t want anyone to see her like that… I don’t like it.

I didn’t want to see Hiyorin being reliant on someone else. Especially not if that someone else was a guy.

Hiyorin’s face twisted with a hint of embarrassment at my question.

“Ahaha, well, you see… I seem to get a bit rowdy when I’m drunk, so I try not to drink outside. It’s not like I’m that weak to alcohol or anything, but I shouldn’t do it outside just to be safe.” (Hiyori)

“I see, I didn’t know that.” (Souma)

So Hiyorin was aware of her tendency to get drunk. In that case, it makes sense she would avoid drinking in public places.

“By the way, did I do anything to you yesterday? I don’t usually get drunk with that amount of alcohol… But yesterday was so much fun, and before I knew it, I was already drunk.” (Hiyori)

Don’t usually get drunk from that amount…?

I’m pretty sure yesterday, Hiyorin had drunk three strong canned drinks after the beer. She’s unexpectedly quite resistant to alcohol.

“Ah… yeah. Nothing happened yesterday.” (Souma)

Remembering what happened yesterday made me feel embarrassed, so I averted my gaze.

If I let my guard down, I might recall that soft sensation.

“Come on, don’t lie. Your attitude tells me that I did something, right?… Tell me, what did I do…?” (Hiyori)

I was met with Hiyorin’s glistening eyes, looking up at me with a slight tilt of her head. Her cheeks were flushed, perhaps from the alcohol, and it was incredibly alluring.

I could feel a sudden rush of blood to my face. My cheeks were burning, and my heart was racing.

Perhaps my ability to think had decreased, as I ended up blurting out the truth.

“…………You put me on your lap… and hugged me…………” (Souma)

“~~~~~~~~~” (Hiyori)

Hiyorin covered her face with both hands upon hearing my confession. Her ears were red too.

“I’m sorry… You must have disliked it, being so close to someone like me…………” (Hiyori)

Hiyorin continued to apologize with her face still covered. Her voice seemed to quiver slightly.

“Please don’t say that! It’s just that… well, it wasn’t, how should I put it, unpleasant…” (Souma)

“………..Eh?” (Hiyori)

With her face still covered, Hiyorin created a small gap between her fingers and looked at me.

“L-Look! Since Yasumi Hiyori is my oshi… you know… I was quite happy…” (Souma)

While I had started talking randomly to cheer Hiyorin up, I suddenly realized that I might have just said something incredibly absurd!

What’s the alcohol percentage of that whiskey? I must be drunk right now or something.

“Souma-kun… When I hugged you tightly, does it make you happy?” (Hiyori)

“Huh…?” (Souma)

Hiyorin slowly removed her hands from her face which had turned as red as a boiled octopus, and walked up to me.

“Isn’t it… okay…? Since you’re cooking for me, if you want… I don’t mind hugging you.” (Hiyori)

Hiyorin turned her red face away while intertwining and fidgeting her fingers.

“Wait─ Hiyori-san, aren’t you drunk!?” (Souma)

“N-No, I’m not drunk, but… right now, I’m really embarrassed.” (Hiyori)

*Urgh* Hiyorin’s embarrassed smile looked so cute that I almost fell in love with her.

“Ahaha, you’re right. A-Anyways, let’s stop with the hugging. Otherwise, I might end up doing something weird too! Actually, the atmosphere is a bit strange right now!” (Souma)

I averted my gaze from Hiyorin who continued looking at me with the same expression.

Seeing Hiyorin like this… to be honest, I felt like I might give in to my desire and impulsively push her down.

“Y-Yeah, you’re right. I’m sorry, I said something weird. Just forget about it.” (Hiyori)

“Okay! I’ll forget about it completely! Like, really forget about it!” (Souma)

“But… thank you. Thank you for being honest.” (Hiyori)

“…………Yeah.” (Souma)

With my heart still pounding, the second part of the “Souma-kai” came to an end.

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TL notes:

Thanks for reading!

Cute Hiyorin in this chapter, I see this as an absolute win. 

I guess the author also provides free drinking lessons. I don’t know much about drinking and cooking, so I can’t give accurate information all that much.

We are gonna have 3 chapters of Mafuyu after this so brace yourself.

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Footnote:

1. I’m not gonna pretend I know this stuff so here’s a google answer. Highball is a mixed alcoholic drink composed of an alcoholic base spirit and a larger proportion of a non-alcoholic mixer, often a carbonated beverage.
2. Last chapter’s incident with Shizuka was considered part 1, this is considered part 2 of that. I know it makes no sense cause of the wording, but the raw of this was weird to translate. It translates to “Souma-kai part 2 — HajimariHajimari”.