ODL – Chapter 71 – Truth or Lie?

“I don’t…” (Souma)

…It’s don’t really like anyone.

Saying that was easy. I know that it was the quickest and safest way to get through the current crisis.

But I couldn’t bring myself to say it.

The reason was simple. It would be too much of a “lie”.

“…I consider everyone to be an important member of Souma-kai.” (Souma)

Shizuka?

Of course, I like her. If not, I wouldn’t be taking care of her so much.

Hiyorin?

She has been my favourite oshi for a long time. I’ll definitely watch her next live concert from up close.

Mafuyu-chan?

Of course, I like her. The closeness between us, which was similar to that of a family, is a special vibe that only Mafuyu-chan has.

“────So, I guess I can’t really think about who I like right now.” (Souma)

It wasn’t a lie.

But it’s also not exactly true either.

If I were to sit down and carefully think about what kind of “like” I have for everyone, maybe I would have given a different reply. However, it didn’t feel like the right time for that. I had a feeling that these emotions would probably bring various things to an end.

Miyabi-chan let out a deflated sound and lay down on the sofa after I gave my best answer.

“What a boring answer.” (Miyabi)

“Haha… I’m sorry I couldn’t meet your expectations.” (Souma)

It seemed that Miyabi-chan wasn’t genuinely interested in knowing who I liked, or perhaps she had lost interest after what I said, as she didn’t pursue that topic any further.

After that, we engaged in casual conversations as I shared some leftovers from today’s Souma-kai with her. All in all, it was fun. It’s probably about time to go to sleep.

“…So, about where to sleep. There’s a bed in my room, want to use that?” (Souma)

“A bed? Is it for two people?” (Miyabi)

“No no no, I’ll sleep on the sofa.” (Souma)

Why would the thought of sleeping together in the bed be the first thing that comes to mind? I’m starting to get concerned about the distance between her and her older brother who she lives with.

“Well, in that case. I’m fine with the sofa, so I’d like you to sleep in the bed.” (Miyabi)

“Hmm… All right, let’s do that then.” (Souma)

After a brief moment of hesitation, I accepted Miyabi-chan’s suggestion. If the roles were reversed, I would have probably felt bad and refused the bed too.

“Is there a specific time you want me to wake you up in the morning?” (Miyabi)

“No, I’ll be fine. I can probably wake up on my own.” (Souma)

“Got it!” (Miyabi)

And so, I successfully completed the “having someone stay over at the house” event. I was worried about what might happen when Miyabi-chan suddenly showed up, but surprisingly, it all ended without any issues, which was a relief.

◆

It didn’t end without any issues.

“Kyaaaaaaa! Why is Zeria-chan here!?” (Shizuka)

I opened my heavy eyelids to the deafeningly loud voice, and the bright morning sunlight was streaming in through the gap in the curtains.

“It’s noisy… What time is it now?” (Souma)

“Huh, wait… Whaaaaaat!? Why, why, why!?” (Shizuka)

“Noisy… I’m trying to sleep here…” (Souma)

I could hear Shizuka and Miyabi-chan’s conversation from beyond the door… Shizuka, what are you doing at my place?

To avoid any misunderstandings, I quickly got up and joined the fray.

“What’s going on here?” (Souma)

“Oh, Souma-kun!” (Shizuka)

Shizuka rushed over as if she had found a lost person in need of help. She pointed sternly at the sofa where Miyabi-chan was sleeping and shouted.

“Souma-kun, there’s an intruder in the house!” (Shizuka)

“The intruder is you, Shizuka.” (Souma)

“Oww!” (Shizuka)

I lightly flick Shizuka on the forehead. She exaggerates by holding her forehead as if it’s painful, but I doubt it hurt much.

“Miyabi-chan was staying over at my place yesterday. Why are you here?” (Souma)

She probably used a spare key to get in, but she shouldn’t have any business here in the morning.

“Sta-staying!? Why in the world!?” (Shizuka)

Shizuka spread her arms in a dramatic fashion. She’s quite energetic in the early morning. Or did she not get enough sleep or something?

“I ran away from home, so I decided to stay at Souma-san’s place.” (Miyabi)

“Ran away!? If you had told me, I would’ve let you stay at my place.” (Shizuka)

“Is there any space left in your house, though?” (Souma)

“That’s rude! If there were no space, I couldn’t go outside, you know?” (Shizuka)

“That’s nothing to be proud of, you know.” (Souma)

I promptly interjected with a retort as Shizuka strangely puffed her chest out.

“So, why are you here? Give me a reasonable explanation.” (Souma)

In my mind, the usual “bed invader,” Minase Mafuyu, was giving a lovely peace sign toward me. But, I highly doubt that Shizuka had come to sneak into my bed as well, so what could be her reason for being here?

Facing me in police officer mode, Shizuka seemed a bit embarrassed as she clutched her stomach.

“W-Well, I got a bit hungry… and thought maybe I could have some of yesterday’s leftovers…” (Shizuka)

“Yesterday’s leftovers? You mean the tonkatsu (Japanese Pork Cutlet)?” (Souma)

“Y-Yeah.” (Shizuka)

“I ate that yesterday, though.” (Miyabi)

“Ehh!?! No way…” (Shizuka)

With Miyabi-chan’s comment, Shizuka’s shoulders slumped in disappointment. But wanting tonkatsu early in the morning is quite something. Maybe she really didn’t sleep last night.

Amidst this, a phone in the bedroom started ringing. It seemed like an alarm went off.

“It’s breakfast time, so if you’re hungry, Shizuka, I’ll make some for you. Miyabi-chan as well.” (Souma)

“Really!? I’m in~!” (Shizuka)

“Yay~! It’s EtteMeal right?” (Miyabi)

“Ugh…” (Shizuka)

“Alright. Just give me a minute.” (Souma)

While I went to wash my face at the sink, I could hear joyful voices coming from the living room.

“Ette, want to do another collaboration?” (Miyabi)

“Sure. What are we going to do?” (Shizuka)

“Well, the other day, a horror game for two players came out.” (Miyabi)

“Horror!? Absolutely not!” (Shizuka)

“Aww, come on, it’ll be fun!” (Miyabi)

“Sometimes, mornings like this aren’t so bad after all.” (Souma)

I wiped my wet face with a towel and looked in the mirror. There, I saw a version of myself that looked slightly happier than usual.

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Thanks for reading!

Well, you can’t keep running forever MC. Eventually, you’re gonna end up with them anyways.

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