ODL – Chapter  58 – Rinjou Shizuka’s Revival

I was pushed down onto the freshly cleaned floor, and I found myself staring at a ceiling identical to the one in my own home. Despite being pinned down by a girl, my mind was surprisingly calm, thinking, ‘Even Shizuka couldn’t dirty the ceiling.’ Perhaps my mind was trying to escape reality.

“Mafuyu-chan…?” (Souma)

Mafuyu-chan remained on top of me, refusing to move. Her head was buried right around my chest area, and I had a clear view of her beautiful hair whorl¹. For some reason, I felt an inexplicable urge to touch it, so I decided to press on it with the pad of my index finger.

“Hyaah!?” (Mafuyu)

“Oops, did I startle you? Sorry.” (Souma)

Mafuyu-chan let out a wild scream and her body jerked in response. It seemed like quite an exaggerated reaction, but perhaps I touched a sensitive spot.

“W-What was that…?” (Mafuyu)

“No, that was supposed to be my line…” (Souma)

For now, I wanted her to get off me quickly. I figured it should be fine since I was lying down, but if Shizuka saw me in this situation, it would surely lead to another troublesome situation.

“Mafuyu-chan, come on, can you get off for a moment?” (Souma)

I tried patting her back to urge her, but Mafuyu-chan didn’t move. Her behavior of just staying still on top of me reminded me of the pet turtle I used to have. Somehow, today was a day when memories of that turtle kept coming back to me².

“O-Onii-chan.” (Mafuyu)

“Hmm?” (Souma)

With her face buried in my chest, Mafuyu-chan spoke.

“I… I won’t give up. Even though I’m your little sister now, someday, I’ll definitely become your girlfriend. So… be prepared, okay?” (Mafuyu)

Mafuyu-chan said that and then got up from on top of me. She stood up, straightened her disheveled clothes, and walked out of the living room. After a short while, I heard the sound of the front door closing.

“Well… to begin with, she’s not even my sister…” (Souma)

I muttered as I stared at the closed door that Mafuyu-chan had just left through.

◆

“Fu-kaa-tsu!” (Shizuka)

It was 9:00 PM.

Shizuka, who had just gotten up from the bed, raised both hands and shouted loudly. Considering her condition earlier in the day, her recovery was surprisingly quick. Perhaps Shizuka, who lived in a cluttered room, had a strong immune system, as she seemed to have defeated whatever illness had been bothering her in just a few hours.

“That’s great, Shizuka.” (Souma)

“Yeah! Thanks, Souma-kun! Were you with me the whole time?” (Shizuka)

“I did step out briefly to make dinner, but yeah, pretty much.” (Souma)

By the way, today, when Mafuyu-chan, Hiyori, and I had dinner together, Mafuyu-chan had completely returned to her usual self.

“It’s really thanks to you, Souma-kun.” (Shizuka)

“Well, it’s no big deal. After all, it was my fault for forgetting the umbrella in the first place.” (Souma)

Shizuka directed a sincere smile at me, but I couldn’t meet her gaze and casually looked away. I hadn’t forgotten about the events of the afternoon.

The real question was whether Shizuka remembered what happened at lunchtime or not. She was quite disoriented at that time, and there was a possibility that she didn’t recall being seen half-naked by me. I wanted to get through this situation without poking the hornet’s nest if possible.

“Well, I never expected to catch a cold.” (Shizuka)

“Didn’t you say something about never catching a cold?” (Souma)

“Huh!? Wait, did you just make fun of me!? (Shizuka)

“No, no, not at all!” (Souma)

“Is that so? I’m pretty sure the ‘something’ in that sentence is referring to something specific³.” (Shizuka)

While continuing the conversation, I tried to gauge Shizuka’s attitude. I was beginning to feel a glimmer of hope. Given the current atmosphere, it seemed like Shizuka might not remember what happened at lunch. After all, if she did remember, there should have been some reaction like embarrassment, anger, or some kind of response to having been seen half-naked.

“By the way, Souma-kun.” (Shizuka)

“What is it?” (Souma)

Convinced that she didn’t remember, I relaxed and let my guard down. I even had the composure to smile back at Shizuka’s cheerful expression. I was relieved that her fever had subsided.

“…Souma-kun, you saw me half-naked, didn’t you?” (Shizuka)

“Uh…” (Souma)

I couldn’t find words. I tried to speak, but my mouth moved without producing any coherent sounds.

Shizuka gathered the blanket around her as if she were hugging it, then buried her face in it.

“Um… um, you see. Can you listen to me…?” (Shizuka)

“Uh, yeah…” (Souma)

Muffled words came from within the bundle of the blanket.

“Souma-kun… you did see it, right?” (Shizuka)

“I’m sorry…” (Souma)

She did remember after all. What should I do? What’s the best course of action?

“So, you see… since saw me half-naked… I think you need to take some responsibility, Souma-kun.” (Shizuka)

“…Yeah, you’re right.” (Souma)

I didn’t quite understand what responsibility she meant, but Shizuka was clearly hung up about it.

“I’m really sorry. I’ll do anything I can to make up for it.” (Souma)

I wasn’t sure if I could truly atone for my sins, but I was willing to give it my all.

“Anything…?” (Shizuka)

“Yeah, anything.” (Souma)

I was prepared to do anything, whether it was cleaning the room, cooking, doing the laundry, or whatever else I could.

…Wait, didn’t I already do those things?

So, what else could I do to make amends?

“…Well, there’s something I’d like to ask… Is that okay?” (Shizuka)

“You can tell me anything.” (Souma)

Was it carrying something for her? Or perhaps giving her a massage?

I braced myself and waited for Shizuka to continue.

“Then…” (Shizuka)

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Thanks for reading!

MC doesn’t seem particularly surprised at Mafuyu’s declaration. Makes me wonder how long has he known that she likes him, or maybe he still doesn’t know somehow.

Also another big chance for Shizuka, how is she gonna make use of this opportunity?

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1. I know this is kinda random, but it’s the actual translation. He basically just touched the top of her head.
2. In case you don’t rmb, the first turtle mention was in ch 54 with Shizuka eating the apples.
3. Maybe his referring to the ‘I’m the picture of health’ line from ch 53 if you still rmb that.