ODL – Chapter 98 – No Way

Hiyorin continued to build up her body for the live concert, while Mafuyu-chan did the same in preparation for the beauty pageant.

Judging from the previous live concerts, I know that Hiyorin will likely have a bellybutton-baring outfit this time too. On the other hand, Mafuyu-chan should be fine as she is, but I wonder why I felt that way. Maybe it’s due to her solid personality and determination to win.

In the end, Shizuka seemed to have given up on exercising, saying something stupid like “Now is not the right time.” She is the complete opposite of Mafuyu-chan, but I guess Shizuka is okay with how things are.

As for me, I continued living a healthy lifestyle with Hiyorin and Mafuyu-chan, cleaned Shizuka’s house once a week, and occasionally helped some acquaintances with preparations for the school festival… In other words, I was living my usual normal life.

Amidst all this, the rainy season ended, and summer was in full swing. Life became unbearable without air conditioning, and it was the perfect time for eating somen noodles. Thus, we are planning on making somen noodles an exception in our diet meals.

────I soon realized something important on one of those sweltering hot nights.

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“The schedules… are overlapping…!?” (Souma)

With my smartphone in hand, I froze. It happened while I was on the sofa after the Souma-kai.

“…Seriously?” (Souma)

As I was entering next month’s schedule into my smartphone calendar, a shocking revelation came to light. The dates of the university festival and Zanimasu’s 3rd LIVE were completely overlapping. No matter how many times I checked the university’s website and Zanimasu’s official page, the same date was listed there.

“No way… Is this really happening?” (Souma)

Suddenly, I was overwhelmed by the sensation of my heart tightening. It wasn’t a joke; my hands were trembling. Just the thought of not being able to attend their oshi’s  live concert could drive a person crazy.

“Wait, calm down, me… I don’t need to stay at the university festival until the end. If I can just see the beauty pageant, that should be enough…” (Souma)

During one conversation with Mafuyu-chan, she emphasized with a freezing smile, saying, “If you don’t come and see it… you know, right?” I couldn’t bear to imagine what would happen if I didn’t go…

Moreover, even without such pressure, I wanted to see Mafuyu-chan in her maid outfit, and I believe she must have a reason for using such intimidation tactics against me.

This is purely my speculation, but I think Mafuyu-chan might be a bit anxious about participating in the beauty pageant. Not only is she already rumored to be the “Shootdown King of the Engineering Department”, but her unofficial fan club is large in size so she’s constantly pointed at wherever she goes. It must be exhausting for her, and she probably can’t find peace of mind while at university.

In such a situation, if she participates in the beauty pageant, it’s easy to imagine that many people will be specifically there for Mafuyu-chan. For someone like Mafuyu-chan, who doesn’t want to stand out, that would undoubtedly be quite stressful.

So, I can’t help but imagine that she might want at least someone close to her, like me, to be around. Of course, I could be overthinking things, and if she’s looking forward to the beauty pageant, that’s perfectly fine.

No matter what, I have to go watch the beauty pageant. However, I absolutely want to attend the live concert as well. I’ve been to all of Zanimasu’s concerts so far, and I intend to continue doing so. I’ve even managed to secure tickets by successfully passing the lottery.

“… The problem is figuring out what time the beauty pageant starts.” (Souma)

The concert starts at 4:00 PM. If I rush from the university to the concert venue, it’ll take about an hour, so the beauty pageant needs to start no later than early afternoon for me to make it to the concert.

I sent a message to Keisuke while praying. It was marked as read almost immediately, and a reply came back.

“(The beauty pageant starts at 2:00 PM! By the way, Mafuyu-chan is Entry Number 3, so she should come out third!)” (Keisuke)

“(2:00 PM, huh…)” (Souma)

Tension drained from my body as I saw the reply. I might not make it to the start of the concert, but I could at least participate join in the middle of it. If the beauty pageant had been scheduled for the evening, I might not have been able to make it.

“(Got it. Thanks.)” (Souma)

“(Sure. Looking forward to it.)” (Keisuke)

“(Yeah.)” (Souma)

I sent my reply, then tossed my phone onto the sofa and let out a sigh of relief. It was a close call, but for now, it seemed like everything would be fine. I could now enjoy the university festival and the live concert without any worries.

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Thanks for reading!

My man lucked out this time. I could imagine the adrenaline he had when deciding between the two. He either risks his life by not attending the beauty pageant or not attend his oshi’s concert.

Also 4 more chapters before we catch up with the author.

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