The Omnipotent Super Chuunibyou - Chapter 18
“Wha—? Is this for real? Am I reading this wrong?”
On the train ride home, Nibutani Shinka saw the viral post on her Facebook feed, and disbelief settled over her face. Her mouth hung open, and it didn’t close for a long time.
What kind of chuunibyou wouldn’t fantasize about having some special “power” or another? In reality, they’re just losers who get laughed at by everyone else, living in their dreams.
She assumed, like everyone else, that this was just talk, and that Hasegawa wouldn’t actually follow through. She never expected him to take action—and certainly not that he’d actually succeed.
“When did this guy learn to play Go? Did he secretly work hard and then stun everyone with his debut? What kind of cheesy anime trope is this…? But if he’s going to keep going, there’s no way he’s actually a genius who can defeat everyone, right?”
That was as far as her thoughts went at the moment.
After all, in her sealed-off memories, Hasegawa had never shown her anything to convince her he was capable…
Meanwhile…
“Wow, that Hasegawa actually won!”
“No way! Do you think he cheated? I’ve heard of some really underhanded methods, like hiding stuff…”
“Uh, eh, who knows? He’s already issued a second challenge letter, you know, to that big guy from the tennis club.”
“Uh, heh, who knows? He’s already issued a second challenge, and this time it’s to the big guy on the tennis team.”
“The big guy? Isn’t that even harder? And there’s no way to cheat at tennis, right?!”
As one of his childhood friends, Eriri, a member of the art club, feigned disinterest in news of this particular individual, but in truth, she was just too embarrassed to join the conversation. Right now, her feelings were all over the place.
That idiot actually succeeded in his challenge?
Was this good news or bad?
She’d planned to comfort Izumi if he lost, but it looked like she wouldn’t need to make an appearance after all.
“By the way, where did Izumi learn Go? I had no idea he knew how to play!”
The question popped up in the young girl’s mind.
As a childhood friend, she prided herself on knowing her buddy better than anyone else. But she’d never heard anything about this aspect of him.
So, on the way home, she sent a message asking for details.
“I’ve told you before, I dreamed it.” Izumi replied
Eriri scoffed at the response, a little symbol of judgment popping up over her head. “Ah-ha-ha, and I’m supposed to believe that?! He’s obviously been secretly learning from the internet!”
Only idiots would believe that explanation!
———–
After his chat with Eriri, Hasegawa Izumi arrived at his front door.
“Kobato, I’m home.”
He opened the door, changed into indoor shoes, and stepped into the living room, where he found his little sister watching her usual anime.
“Hmph, Kobato is a false name. My true name is Leylis Vi Felicity Sumeragi, great True Ancestor of the Night’s Blood Clan. I desire blood, hummph… If thou dost not hasten and offer thy sacrifice, I shall bring thee misfortune!”
Kobato stood up, holding a teddy bear with a patch sewn on its arm in one hand and making a V sign with the other, as she muttered a familiar incantation.
“Are you hungry? I’ll make dinner right away.”
Understanding his words, she tossed her schoolbag aside and walked into the kitchen.
A short while later…
A steaming bowl of noodles appeared before Kobato. It was topped with tomato, egg, and garlic, her favorite seasoning.
Even so, her brow was furrowed.
“Why isn’t it tonkotsu ramen?”
That was her favorite food, and it absolutely had to be made with lots and lots of garlic.
Well, vampires and garlic—what a funny combination.
“It takes too long to make,” Hasegawa Izumi replied.
Kobato pouted unhappily. “Speaking of which, My Other Half, not only has my sacrifice become stingier, but you’ve also been neglecting your duties as of late. Could it be that you’re frolicking with those humans at school?”
She was jealous!
He understood exactly what was going on with his little sister.
“That’s because I’ve had some very important matches at school recently, and there are even more club activities today, so naturally, I don’t have as much time to spend with Kobato. It can’t be helped.”
His expression was helpless.
“Also, I’m fighting alongside my ally,” he added, emphasizing the point with a raised finger.
“I-I’ve never heard anything about that! An-chan, explain to me!” Kobato looked anxious.
So, he gave a rough rundown of the events at Shuchi’in since he’d enrolled.
“My Other Half, do you think club activities are more important than I am?” Kobato pouted staring at him
“So you do understand,” he responded instantly.
“Ugh.” Her cheeks puffed out.
How could she possibly understand?! An-chan could only belong to her!
It was Sunday, another beautiful, sunlit day.
To maintain his health, Hasegawa Izumi planned to exercise while he was off school.
First, he quietly opened Kobato’s door to check on her. Seeing that she was sleeping soundly, with no sign of waking up, he pushed back the time for breakfast a little.
Exercising required a plan; otherwise, it would just be wasted effort, so he chose a theoretically effective workout regimen: doing 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10-kilometer run every day.
These exercises were intended to improve muscle strength, stamina, and explosive power while also boosting cardiovascular function and endurance. If he could stick to this routine in the long term, he’d see a significant improvement in his physical fitness.
“Although, there seems to be one drawback to this training method… It might cause baldness?”
Hasegawa Izumi frowned as he imagined this possibility.
In that case, forget it. Losing his hair at such a young age was just unacceptable. Even though he felt that his good looks would allow him to pull off a bald look, he was inevitably going to be ridiculed. They’d give him some goofy nickname like “Caped Baldy” or something—what an unsightly image.
When Izumi finished his workout and returned home, Kobato had just emerged from her bedroom, rubbing sleep from her eyes.
“My Other Half, did you go out just now?” she asked.
“I worked out for about half an hour,” he replied.
“So that’s what it was. Is My Other Half decided to become stronger? Well, if you want to surpass me, thou art still far from it.”
“Ha ha,” he chuckled, patting his sister’s head without elaboration.
No point arguing with a kid!
“My Other Half, I didn’t sense any traces of your exercise.” Kobato looked up at her brother’s face, which showed no sign of sweat, and puzzled over it.
“It’s nothing. Maybe I didn’t push myself hard enough… All right, since Kobato’s awake, it’s time for me to make breakfast.”
He headed toward the kitchen with a nonchalant response.
Kobato remained in place, watching her brother leave, a hint of suspicion flashing through her eyes. But then she remembered the morning Anime about to air, and her attention was diverted.