ODL – Chapter 92 – The Stronger the Flavor, the Better, it Seems

After about 30 minutes of walking, we returned to the apartment.

“Well, exercising at this time is quite nice too. I feel like my body is getting in good shape.” (Shizuka)

Shizuka got off my back and started cheerfully saying that. The burden on my back disappeared, and my body felt as light as a feather.

“Was that supposed to be a joke?” (Souma)

“Nah, clinging onto you is a legitimate form of exercise.” (Shizuka)

“You were sleeping halfway through, though.” (Souma)

While spitting out incomprehensible logic, Shizuka wore a proud expression. For someone who usually lived as a shut-in and never left the room, just riding on someone else’s back might be considered a strenuous exercise. But the reality is that this girl was basically taking a nap outside.

“But it does feel refreshing, doesn’t it?” (Hiyori)

“…Certainly. Maybe we can do this sometimes.” (Mafuyu)

Following Hiyorin’s murmurs, Mafuyu-chan shared the same sentiment. Unlike me, who had been carrying the weight of Shizuka on my back, the two of them were just walking, so they weren’t sweating, but it was a good start to the day.

“For now, let’s just focus on staying fit. Oh, speaking of which, do you have a Ringfit Adventure controller, Shizuka? Hiyorin-san is looking for one, but they’re sold out everywhere.” (Souma)

Ringfit Adventure requires a specialized ring-shaped controller, so downloading just the software won’t work. I did a bit of searching too, but it seems like there’s currently a shortage in supply everywhere.

“Ringfit Adventure controller? Hmm… I think it’s probably somewhere in my room. I remember receiving one when we used it for the stream.” (Shizuka)

“Really!? Um, how much is it…?” (Hiyori)

“I won’t ever use it, so you can have it for free. I’d actually be grateful if you took it, considering I don’t even want to see it.” (Shizuka)

“Really!? Thank you, Shizuka-chan!” (Hiyori)

Hiyorin grabbed Shizuka’s hands tightly. Seeing her this happy made me happy too.

“Was Ringfit Adventure really that tough?” (Souma)

“That thing is like a game or, rather, a hell. Why did I have to go through such torment at my 3D unveiling event…” (Shizuka)

“It was fun to watch, though.” (Souma)

Ette-sama has an elegant image, but strangely, it’s fitting to see her going through such hardships. Looking back, her true self was leaking out quite a bit. I never would have thought that the person behind Ette-sama would be such a klutz.

“Well then, it’s about time to disband for today. Let’s meet at the same time tomorrow.” (Souma)

“Okay~”  (Hiyori)

“Ok, onii-chan.” (Mafuyu)

“I’m… I think I’ve had enough…” (Shizuka)

Even though we said we were disbanding, we were all going to the same place. We entered the apartment building one by one and got on the elevator.

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“Oh, it’s Hiyorin-san. You really are different from your usual self. You’re, how do I put it… so lively.” (Shizuka)

Shizuka was peeking at my phone while nibbling on some lemon chicken. On the screen, the weekly Zanimasu live broadcast was ongoing, and Hiyorin was energetically introducing everyone. This means that Hiyorin wasn’t with us today.

“She really feels like a popular voice actress, right? But more importantly, I made lemon chicken for the first time. How does it taste to both of you?” (Souma)

“Delicious! The meat is amazing!” (Shizuka)

“It’s very good, onii-chan.” (Mafuyu)

“I see… that’s good. I deliberately made the seasoning a bit stronger today, thinking you both might prefer it that way.” (Souma)

Today’s menu was all about Chinese food, including sweet and sour chicken, and Chinese soup. We had been sticking to a healthy menu all week, but Shizuka had finally reached her limit and seemed ready to breathe fire, so we had no choice but to declare today a cheat day. Well, I was also in the mood for some meat, so it was a win-win. Mafuyu-chan seemed to be eating more eagerly than usual, so maybe it was a good call to take a break.

“Well, it’s said that the stronger the flavor, the better. I actually like today’s seasoning.” (Shizuka)

“Even though it’s not great for our health. Well, I agree that there are days when strong flavors are more enjoyable.” (Hiyori)

“I think I’m fine with days like this occasionally too. We just need to be careful not to overeat.” (Souma)

While saying this, Mafuyu-chan unusually asked for seconds. In other words, she was enjoying today’s meal so much, and it made me feel happy. Shizuka also started asking for seconds, but she does this all the time, so it didn’t particularly surprise me. I’m just happy she’s eating a lot.

With Souma-kai having a slightly higher energy level than usual, my smartphone suddenly displayed the words “Major Announcement!” in big letters. I instinctively froze with my chopsticks in the air and became fixated on the screen.

“A major announcement…?” (Souma)

The first thing that came to mind was an anime adaptation. Zanimasu has been gaining popularity recently, and an anime adaptation wouldn’t be surprising. However, something like that would usually be announced during a live event. Something about this felt different.

In that case…

“…Could it be?” (Souma)

A single answer came to my mind. I had already heard this hint from Hiyorin.

“(Zanimasu 3rd LIVE will be happening soon!)” (Hiyori)

Just as I arrived at that answer, Hiyorin’s voice burst out from the screen.

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Thanks for reading!

And so the true meaning of the leak was revealed, not that it was hard to guess. I thought there would have been more live concerts that happened but looks like it was only 2.

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