Chapter 28: Right Before the New Term
Obon is over, summer break is in its final stretch, and the new term starts tomorrow.
The last day of summer break is a day off from club activities and prep school.
I'm tagging along with Tomonaga-san for a trip to the terminal station.
Tomonaga-san shows up at the meeting place wearing a large white T-shirt, a thin gray three-quarter sleeve knit cardigan over it, and a blue long skirt.
As for Tomonaga-san's diet progress...
The average weight for a 158cm woman is apparently 54.9kg.
To achieve a so-called beauty weight, it seems you need to get down to 50kg.
Her current weight as of yesterday is
72kg → 61kg
That's a 10kg loss in just over a month since late July!
She really put in the effort.
But while she had a lot of excess fat to lose before, from here on out, it'll probably get harder and tougher to drop more weight.
Once school life starts again, there'll be more temptations, and she won't be able to focus on dieting as much as she does now.
Since she's cutting calories while also doing strength training, it must be pretty tough.
According to some books I've read, it's actually more efficient to build muscle first before cutting weight for a diet.
...But since Tomonaga-san was quite plump and lived a completely sedentary lifestyle, even a little exercise helps her get stronger and lose weight. Thinking about documenting this whole diet project for the cultural festival, there's never enough time.
"Haha, I'm such a hopeless, lazy woman unless someone's watching me..."
She says it self-deprecatingly, but isn't that true for everyone?
If no one's watching and you don't care about others' eyes, you'd just live carelessly and fall into bad habits.
"...A lazy woman would just get mad when someone says something like that the other day, and wouldn't put in this much effort..."
That's what I think.
"Kousuke-kun, you don't talk much usually, but you're so good at giving support like this!"
Tomonaga-san pats my shoulder with a 'pom!'
"...So? What's up today? Your clothes finally don't fit, right?"
She loosens her expression with a silly grin,
"Ehehe! Yeah, that's right. My old blouse is way too baggy now... But! I'm gonna lose even more by the cultural festival!"
The joy of losing weight, getting slimmer, and becoming prettier.
As a guy, I wouldn't understand; it's probably a joy unique to girls.
"I'm gonna lose more by the cultural festival, so I only need a little for now, but I do need it, okay?"
Ah, so that's why she asked me?
...Why, though?
"As a thank you for hanging out with me during summer break, I'll treat you to a meal! ...It's a reward for me too!"
Girls are always so quick to give themselves rewards, aren't they?
Well, that's fine, isn't it?
Alright! Let's go!
The area around the terminal station is the only urban spot in our prefecture.
The opposite side of our high school is exactly that urban area.
We head toward the department stores and large shopping complex near the station, taking our time with a leisurely walk.
At the ladies' floor of the large shopping complex, she buys two plain white blouses with no frills.
We pass by bookstores, electronics stores, and accessory shops, taking detours along the way.
After that, I watch her buy a few outfits at a popular, well-known brand store.
When she buys a nice top for going out, she shyly asks,
Tomonaga "...By the way, Kousuke-kun, do you prefer flashy cute or plain cute?"
"...Plain cute."
Tomonaga "Fufu! Good!"
Tomonaga-san smiles and heads to the register.
(What even is plain cute?)
I can't help but wonder.
People change, and they end up changing.
You can't stay the same forever.
Tomonaga "Sorry for the wait. Let's go."
Tomonaga-san suggests we head to a restaurant inside the complex.
Today is a break day, so she's not putting strict limits on herself.
If you keep cutting weight non-stop during a diet, your body senses something's wrong and decides it shouldn't lose any more weight.
To trick it, you occasionally have what's called a cheat day, where you're allowed to eat.
So, we eat pasta together at the restaurant.
Tomonaga "Ah, ah, aaaaaah."
Her face looks like she's high on carbs and sugar.
We share a pizza to eat.
Tomonaga "Piiiizza!"
She murmurs that one word with her eyes closed.
Tomonaga-san eats some gelato.
Tomonaga "So delish."
Is she slipping into an accent?
We settle the bill and head out of the store.
We ended up talking quite a bit.
Well, it was about a 7:3 ratio, with Tomonaga-san doing most of the talking.
"Ahh! I'm so happy!"
"...You look so happy getting to eat sweets and carbs on a rare cheat day."
Watching a smiling girl is pretty fun.
After that, we keep chatting leisurely while walking around the shopping area for exercise.
Before we know it, it's already evening.
We take the train and head home together.
Tomonaga-san and I are on the same line.
Her station is two stops away, and mine is one stop further.
While waiting for the train,
Tomonaga "...Actually, going on a trip with a boy... this is my first time..."
Tomonaga-san turns bright red with embarrassment.
Sho said something about how a girl turning bright red from embarrassment is super cute.
...Yeah, it really is.
Strangely, I don't feel my fear of women kicking in with Tomonaga-san.
What does this mean?
"...If you lose weight and get prettier, I'm sure you'll get more invitations."
That's what I think. Even now, at this point, I think she's pretty cute.
If she loses a bit more weight, I can confidently say she'll be a really cute girl.
At that moment, someone suddenly taps my shoulder.
Tomonaga-san's tap was a 'pom!' but this one is a 'bashin!'
? "Isn't that Kousuke-kun! It's been a while!"
Long, silky bob hair and rimless glasses with no bottom frame.
Dressed in a sharp, businesswoman-like pantsuit.
Sharp, cool eyes on a refined face.
A classmate from middle school, the class president of Class 3 back then, Chika Obata. Her nickname was 'Queen.'
"Obata-san, long time no see! We get on and off at the same station but never run into each other, huh?"
Obata "I've run into Tanaka-kun like three times, though!"
The two of us burst out laughing.
Oh no, I've been ignoring Tomonaga-san!
I hurriedly introduce them.
They greet each other, but the air feels tense.
Obata-san seems to have picked up on something.
Obata "Kousuke-kun, we were in the same class and fought events together, right? And don't worry, I've got a boyfriend!"
Refer to my story of falling for the class president in the main story.
Obata-san and Kousuke had fierce battles with the main story protagonists during their third year of middle school.
Tomonaga "Huh? Ah?! ...Ah, yes!"
After fumbling, Tomonaga-san started to act more naturally from then on.
Tomonaga-san parted ways at Toko Station.
Obata-san and I got off at the next stop, Shinkawa Station.
Obata "I heard a little from Tanaka-kun and the others, and it sounds like you've been through a lot."
"...Yeah, well. But it's in the past."
Obata "Is that girl from earlier your new girlfriend?"
"...No."
The answer came out instantly. Yeah, I'm not ready for a girlfriend yet.
Obata "She seems timid, but she was glaring at me, you know? When I glared back, she looked away."
"Hey, don't glare at her."
Obata "Girls can be pretty messy on the inside, so you'd better be careful, Kousuke. Especially smart people—they're often tricked by logic, you know?"
With a chuckle, the cool yet quick-tempered queen walked off with a confident stride.
I don't have romantic feelings for her, but a girl like Obata-san is the most trustworthy, isn't she?
Serious, loyal, hardworking, and with her own vulnerabilities.
Does Tomonaga-san look like my girlfriend...?
It feels kind of strange.
It's not a bad feeling, though I don't really feel it for real.
What do I even want?
And so, with summer coming to an end, the second semester begins.