ODL – Chapter 30 – Hasekura Hiyori’s Full-On Attack

── The time is 10:00 PM.

I’m in the living room of Hiyorin’s house, which has a faint smell of alcohol, dimmed lights, and the glow of a large LCD TV.

Leaning back on the two-seater sofa, I took a sip of the highball that Hiyorin had made for me.

…Yep, it’s strong.

As I continued to accompany Hiyori during her evening drinking session, I came to realize that the highballs she makes definitely have a higher proportion of whiskey. Probably something like 2.5 carbonated water to 1 whiskey. Generally, the ratio of 3:1 or 4:1 is considered delicious.

“…How is it?” (Hiyori)

Hiyori, sitting next to me, asked in a whispered tone.

The sofa at Hiyori’s house wasn’t that wide, and because of that, our shoulders were touching. The area where we were touching felt oddly warm, but maybe that was because I had been too focused on that sensation.

The room’s dim lighting prevented me from making out Hiyorin’s expression, but I could tell from the tone of her voice that she had been looking forward to today.

“It’s pretty good.” (Souma)

“I see… I’m glad.” (Hiyori)

Hiyorin’s glass made a light sound as she picked it up and drank the pale golden liquid inside. The barely audible sound of her drinking in the dark was somehow quite alluring.

“…Phew.” (Hiyori)

After setting the now-empty glass on the low table, Hiyorin turned towards me.

I noticed that her cheeks had a faint rosy hue, and her eyes were slightly droopy.

“Alright then, Souma-kun… Shall we start?” (Hiyori)

◆

An upbeat idol song started playing and instantly turned the alcohol-scented apartment into a live concert venue.

“Yeaaah!” (Souma)

“Yaahoo!” (Hiyori)

The two glowsticks we were swinging around painted the pitch-black room with a shade of rainbow.

That’s right. Today is the day of the Zanimasu LIVE viewing party we had discussed before.

Having drunk alcohol before this, our excitement had reached its peak from the very start.

“Wow, this is quite nostalgic. It’s been two years already.” (Hiyori)

Hiyorin squinted her eyes sentimentally, gazing at her past self singing and dancing on the screen.

“Hiyori-san, wasn’t Kotori your first main character role?” (Souma)

Hoshino Kotori is a character in Zanimasu who Hiyorin voices. By the way, Kotori is also my oshi. I still remember that after I saw Hiyorin’s impressive performance in the first live, I became a fan of both Hiyorin and Kotori.

“Yep. That’s why I’m grateful to Zanimasu… Because of them, I got to see this beautiful scenery from the stage.” (Hiyori)

On the screen, countless glowsticks can be seen lighting up the venue.

I can only imagine what it is like to be on stage and see those countless lights. If I were her, I would probably cherish this moment too.

“Speaking of which, I’m the one who should be grateful. The Hiyorin-san that I saw on stage was really amazing. I can still vividly remember it.” (Souma)

“Come to think of it, you did say that you started liking me after the first live.” (Hiyori)

My face grows warm at the word “like”.

Calm down me, this “like” means being a “fan”. It’s not love.

“…That’s right. During the second chorus of [Milky Way], there’s that choreography where you pretend to shoot with your fingers, remember?” (Souma)

“Um… You mean the part that goes, ‘I am going to see you~♪’?” (Hiyori)

Hiyorin starts to hum lightly.

…Oh wow, I just heard her sing live!

Recently, being around Hiyorin has become a normal part of my life, but when I really think about it, this situation is still quite unbelievable…

“That’s right. During that segment, Hiyorin-san was actually quite close to me. You aimed it in the direction of my seat and I was captivated when that happened.” (Souma)

“Fufu, so you were there, Souma-kun.” (Hiyori)

Hiyorin seems to be reminiscing about that moment, gazing absentmindedly at the screen.

Hiyorin murmured while looking into the distance on the screen as if revisiting memories from beyond it.

“At that time, of course, I did not know about you, Souma-kun… but to think that I would meet the person who was right at my fingertips two years ago. If someone told me back then that I would be eating the food made by that same person, I wouldn’t have believed it for a second.” (Hiyori)

Saying that, Hiyorin laughed.

“You never know what life has in store for you, right?” (Hiyori)

“…That’s true. I never even dreamed that I would become such good friends with Hiyorin-san like this.” (Souma)

That was a lie. Actually, I had dreamt about it a lot.

The only thing different in my imagination was that Hiyorin’s tolerance for alcohol wasn’t so bad.

“Oh, it’s [Milky Way].” (Souma)

We both forgot to wave the glowsticks; our eyes were fixed on the screen. I have a feeling that we were both waiting for the same scene.

As the first verse ended, there was no time for us to compose ourselves before the second chorus began. On the screen, Hiyori was dancing energetically while singing.

As the chorus was closing in on the end, Hiyorin forms a gun with her fingers, aiming it towards the audience, and then shoots.

…No matter how many times I see it, it’s so cool. I even momentarily thought that Kotori was actually on stage. Not only that but I was also reminded why Hiyorin is my oshi.

“…Fufufu. I just turned Souma-kun into my fan, didn’t I?” (Hiyori)

“That’s right… you got me.” (Souma)

We exchanged words and found ourselves naturally laughing together.

…I never imagined that I would be watching this scene with the person herself.

Someday, this relationship I have with Hiyorin will come to an end, but I’ll never forget today.

I’m convinced of that.

“…『Souma-kun』” (Hiyori)

“…Huh!?” (Souma)

Suddenly, the shock of hearing my name directly in my ears leaves me speechless.

“…That—!?” (Souma)

“…Hehe, it’s a little thank you for becoming a fan.” (Hiyori)

I wanted to ask about what just happened, but Hiyorin buried the lower half of her face in the cushion she was hugging against her chest and turned back to the screen, so I couldn’t bring myself to say anything more.

…This isn’t a dream, right…?

Just now, I heard [Hoshino Kotori] called out to me.

There’s no mistaking it.

…I won’t be able to forget today for the rest of my life.

“…And… for always keeping me company when drinking… thank you.” (Hiyori)

I felt like Hiyorin muttered something.

However, Hiyorin had her mouth pressed against the cushion, so her words were muffled. Moreover, the next song had already started on the screen, and I hadn’t fully processed the fact that Kotori had just called my name. So, I couldn’t catch what she said.

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TL notes:

Thanks for reading!

I’m surprised that Hiyori is pretty chill about watching this. I mean, I can never stand watching a video of myself, especially with someone else. I guess Hiyori is pretty used to this or something.

Sorry if the translation quality sucks this time, actually it’s probably more of an editing problem. Idk how to phrase the words together. A lot of very weird descriptive words were being used, so I had to cut it out to not make the sentences sound weird.

Also, I forgot to put the illustration for the previous chapter. It’s there now.

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Footnote:

1. None