Chapter 46: Whipped Cream and a Dress
Finally, it was time for Yukari-san's weigh-in, and everyone held their breath, staring at the needle of the scale.
...!
"49.9kg!!!"
I shouted at the top of my lungs for the first time in ages!
Overcome with emotion, Yukari-san stepped off the scale and threw herself into my arms!
Yukari: "Kousuke-kun!"
"Yukari-san!"
I firmly caught Yukari-san as she squeezed me tight and hugged her back.
She really did her best! Everyone here knows it.
The once overly plump girl went through three months of hell and transformed into a beauty who makes everyone turn their heads.
Yukari-san and I locked eyes intensely.
Yukari-san gave a faint smile and then... closed her eyes...
bonk!
Everyone in the film club got overwhelmed with emotion and started hugging too!
"Tomonaga-san! I'm so moved!"
"We saw how hard you worked, Tomonaga-san!"
"Uwaaaaah!"
"Tomonaga-san, you really changed!"
We all got into a jumble, laughing and hugging each other!
And then, apparently, in all the excitement, some guy copped a feel of Yukari-san's sideboob...
The culprit wasn't found, but... I'm pretty sure it was Tanaka-kun.
He won't meet my eyes, right? And didn't he mess up once last year too?
*From my own story about falling for the class president—back in Chapter 101, during the sports festival, I got a record for all the groping I did of Obata-san's sideboob and butt during the three-legged race.
By the end, Yukari-san, who probably pushed herself with some reckless dieting, was totally exhausted.
I handed her the sports drink she'd brought, and she sipped it with both hands, savoring the taste.
...She's just so cute...
Tomorrow's the last day of documentary filming, and then we'll finally wrap up. After that, the hellish editing work begins.
Since I've already started editing some of the early footage and interviews, we'll definitely be ready in time for the culture festival!
There are three things we need to do to prepare for tomorrow's last day of filming.
Buy clothes to wear during the shoot.
Go to the hair salon.
Get a beauty treatment.
These are the three things to make sure Yukari-san looks beautiful on camera tomorrow.
When it comes to pro boxers, after weigh-ins, they have to rehydrate, eat, and rest to get in top condition for the next day's match.
It's the same for Yukari-san.
She probably pushed herself too hard at the end, and her skin isn't looking great, and her complexion is a bit off.
We need to get her condition back up just a little for tomorrow and finish strong.
The last shoot is tomorrow at 17:30.
After talking it over with Yukari-san, we decided to buy clothes today, eat something nutritious, and have her go to bed early.
Then, right after school tomorrow, we'll go to the beauty salon (where a film club member's older sister works), get a beauty treatment, then head to the hair salon (also a club member's sister's workplace) to get her hair done, and then go back to school for the final shoot.
The two of us head to the brand shop in the building in front of the terminal station.
I feel people's eyes on us.
All those looks are aimed at Yukari-san.
They look at Yukari-san, and then at me, wondering what kind of guy is walking around with such a cute girl.
Yukari: "Ehehe, do we look like a couple?"
"..."
I can't answer... but Yukari-san won't let that slide.
Yukari: "Kousuke-kun! Answer me?"
Yukari-san looks up at me, laughing and peering into my eyes.
Ugh, there's no dodging this.
"We must, right? ...No, I want us to."
Yukari-san's face lights up,
"We do, right? Totally! I'll get used to it soon!"
Having passed the weigh-in, Yukari-san is in high spirits! She'd been so moody for so long, but this is the real Yukari Tomonaga.
We go into the shop, and she picks out a white dress.
A beautiful, delicate, pure white dress.
Yukari: "For some reason, I can't stop thinking about this one... I always wanted a white dress when I was younger..."
But her expression looks bittersweet.
Is she worried it won't suit her?
"Try it on."
Yukari: "Okay!"
After a brief chat with the saleslady, Yukari-san goes into the fitting room.
While I wait, the saleslady starts making conversation, even though I wish she wouldn't...
Saleslady: "Your girlfriend is so pretty, isn't she?"
"...Yeah."
Saleslady: "Hehe! She's cute, she's slim, and so sweet! You're a lucky boyfriend!"
(This saleslady is so annoying! So embarrassing!)
I was silently begging, like praying, for Yukari-san to come out quickly.
swish!!
When she opened the curtain and stepped out, what appeared wasn't just flattery—a truly beautiful and graceful girl.
The white dress, to put it mildly, looked absolutely perfect.
Yukari: "Ehehe, how do I look? Kousuke-kun! ...Kousuke-kun?"
Saleslady: "He's completely captivated! Geez! You two are so in love, it's making me jealous!"
Yukari-san blushes and lowers her head, and the sight of her getting so embarrassed is so cute I can't look away—she has an irresistible pull.
I remembered what my best friend Sho once said.
Sho: "Isn't the cutest thing about girls when they blush bright red out of embarrassment?"
"Dokan."
*Ota Dokan... a general so capable he got assassinated in the bath by his lord. The man who built Edo Castle.
Back then, I thought I understood.
But a girl blushing this hard with embarrassment is seriously powerful...
In the end, the saleslady kept teasing us until we left the store.
With dress in hand, Yukari-san ate a crepe at the station for the first time in three months.
She's definitely worried about the effect on her weight, so she's careful with food!
But, but—just for today, Yukari-san wanted a crepe, so she asked.
Saleslady: "Here you go! Choco-banana crepe, whipped cream marcy special!"
Yukari-san accepts it with trembling hands.
With a face about to cry, she looks at me for confirmation.
I nod.
nom.
munch munch.
Yukari: "It's so gooooood!!!"
Yukari-san's eyes go wide, and with a blissful, melting expression, she takes bite after bite.
The real whipped cream, for the first time in three months, must be pure ecstasy—Yukari-san's face is pure happiness as she eats.
lick.
Her lips are glistening with whipped cream, and it's impossible not to stare.
The way she licks the whipped cream from her lips is so sexy, I can't take my eyes off them.
Saleslady: "Okay! For the boyfriend! Whipped-and-custard, strawberry rare cheese!"
As I accept it, I can feel Yukari-san's gaze on me.
I give a wry smile,
"Yukari-san, want a bite?"
Yukari: "I dooo!"
With cream all around her mouth, Yukari-san beams with a childlike smile, grinning from ear to ear!
Whatever her past was, and however unimaginable the future might be, right now, for Yukari Tomonaga, this moment was pure happiness.