ODL – Chapter 101 – Morning of the Festival

About a week has passed, and finally, the day of the school festival and live concert has arrived. Hiyorin and Mafuyu-chan both wanted to have breakfast together, so today, both of them gathered at my place in the morning. I did invite Shizuka, but she either was asleep or didn’t even read the message. Maybe seven in the morning was too early for her.

“Ah, I wish I could see Mafuyu-chan in her maid outfit.” (Hiyori)

“If that’s the case, I’ll show you some pictures afterwards. I’m sure there will be plenty taken.” (Mafuyu)

“Great! I look forward to it.” (Hiyori)

“Don’t expect anything too fancy… Anyways, please show me some pictures from Hiyorin’s live concert.” (Mafuyu)

“Got it. I’ll be sure to take lots of pictures.” (Hiyori)

In the living room, Mafuyu-chan and Hiyorin are happily chatting. Their relationship has grown closer since they started jogging together, and recently, I often see them talking during Souma-kai as well. Mafuyu-chan, who used to only either talk to me or argue with Shizuka, seems completely relaxed when talking to Hiyorin. Maybe I’m the only one who can’t communicate well with Hiyorin now…

“Sorry for the wait! Here we go, bacon, eggs, and miso soup!” (Souma)

“Wow, looks as delicious as ever!” (Hiyori)

“Smells good…” (Mafuyu)

As I bring the dishes to the table, both of them respond with joy.

Even these small reactions make me happy. Just hearing a single word like “delicious” can make the whole cooking process worth it.

“Well then, shall we eat?” (Souma)

Each of us scoops rice onto our plates, and once everyone is ready, we briefly put our hands together.

“Itadakimasu.” (All 3)

I slide my chopsticks into the fried egg, and a rich orange yolk gently overflows. I quickly place it on top of the rice to prevent the yolk from dripping and take a bite together with the rice.

…Mmm, delicious. Even I have to admit it’s a perfectly half-cooked¹.

After eating together for several months, you start to learn not only each other’s likes and dislikes but even the smaller preferences. Fortunately, in Souma-kai, everyone seemed to prefer their fried eggs runny.

To be exact, Hiyorin wasn’t particularly picky, Mafuyu-chan leaned towards runny, and Shizuka was a firm advocate of runny eggs. It was convenient not to have to go through the trouble of making them individually to suit their different tastes.

As I marveled at my perfect runny egg skills, Hiyorin’s phone, placed on the table, received a message, and the screen lit up. I inadvertently caught a glimpse of the message.

“(Are you awake? You really need to wake up soon!)” (Reina)

“Geez, Reina² is such a worrier.” (Hiyori)

With a slight grin, Hiyorin starts replying to the message.

“Reina…?” (Souma)

Could it be… Endou Reina, the voice actress in the same unit as Hiyorin in Zanimasu?

“Hiyorin-san, what was that just now…?” (Souma)

I know it’s not good to pry into a voice actress’s life, but I couldn’t hold back when I heard the name of one of my favorite voice actresses mentioned right in front of me. I’m a Hiyorin fan, but my devotion stems from my love for Zanimasu. As such, I support all the Zanimasu voice actresses.

“Oh, yeah. It’s Endou Reina-chan. That girl always sends me messages saying, ‘I bet you’re sleeping in because you drank too much again?’ every time there’s an event, even though, I’ve never actually overslept before.” (Mafuyu)

Despite the pouting, Hiyorin seemed happy.

They must have a really good relationship… It was almost enough to make me swoon at how precious it was. Just the thought that my favorite voice actresses were so close to each other is already precious, but witnessing it in person makes me feel like I could die from happiness.

“…By the way, it’s not close to the start of the concert yet, right? I’m pretty sure the concert starts at four.” (Souma)

From what I can gather from the previous message, it seemed like they needed to wake up soon. It’s only seven o’clock, but are they meeting up this early?

In response to my words, Hiyorin chuckles in self-mockery.

“Ahaha, yeah, it’s early, isn’t it? Actually, we have rehearsal starting in the morning. If we don’t get to the venue by 9 a.m., we’ll get scolded.” (Hiyori)

“Oh, I see. That sounds tough.” (Souma)

I didn’t know they had such a hectic schedule. Today is a single-day event, but I can’t imagine how tough it would be if it was the second day of a two-day event. They sing and dance with all their might the day before, come home late at night, and then wake up early the next day for another rehearsal. It’s not entirely wrong to call voice acting physically demanding.

“But the live concerts are so much fun. The staff behind the scenes work hard for us even before we get there. Not to mention, the number of fans who took their time off to come and see us. When you think about all that, any fatigue just disappears.” (Hiyori)

Captivated by her golden words, I instinctively shifted my gaze towards Hiyorin. Even though she held a rice bowl in one hand, her expression had subtly transformed from the usual “Hiyorin who loves alcohol” to the “Voice Actress Yasumi Hiyori”. Though her expression had only changed slightly, my heart pounded loudly.

My oshi who was usually out of reach was right in front of me.

“…Did I talk too much?” (Hiyori)

“N-no! I think it was really cool…!” (Souma)

My heart was full, and that was all I could say.

It seems I’m still not very good at talking to Hiyorin.

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Thanks for reading!

Well, singing and dancing are usually physically demanding. But performing is a whole nother set of demanding. 

Tmr last chapter before we are all caught up!

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1. I think this means the runny, liquid texture of the egg yolk is well done. 
2. Reina appeared in ch 72, and she’s a voice actress in the same unit as Hiyorin in Zanimasu.