Volume 5 - CH 18

AN:

Takasegawa Yuzuru was wondering.

He just had a date with Arisa last week.

For some reason, he felt as if he hadn’t seen her face in over a month and a half.

It was as if God had inadvertently neglected to move forward in time, and before he knew it, a month and a half had passed.

“Something is wrong.”

Feeling this way, Yuzuru went to the heart of the jungle to solve the question.

“Arisa!”

“K-kya~!　Yuzuru-san!　Um, I’m in the middle of bathing, or rather… what is it?”

“I wanted to check something.”

“W-what is it?”

“I was wondering if the color of the lower part is the same as the top…”

“…huh?”

Next time: Yuzuru’s death!

One day.

While he was taking a shower, he looked at the figure in the bathroom and tilted his head.

“…hm?”

Yuzuru’s gaze landed on his abdomen in the mirror.

There was something not quite right about it.

“…Kuh.”

He tried to depress his belly and put more effort into his abdominal muscles…

Then directly touched and pinched his abdomen with his fingers to confirm it again and again.

“…No way, that’s ridiculous.”

After quickly washing up, Yuzuru wiped his hair with a bath towel…

He got on the scale in the changing room.

“What the…!”

He had gained weight.

(I’d like to think it’s because I’m in a growth spurt that I’ve gained weight …but it’s hard to deny the meat on my belly…)

Since his height had increased somewhat, it was only natural that his weight would increase accordingly…

But he felt that he had gained more weight than he had gained in height.

Of course, the muscle was heavier than fat, so one can’t judge weight alone as “fat”.

However, he didn’t feel like he had gained any muscle mass, and since his belly seemed to be sticking out a bit, it was reasonable to conclude that he had gained weight.

(But why? …I’m sure I’m not getting less exercise. In fact, I’m working even more at my part-time job.)

Yuzuru was working in the hall of a restaurant.

His job as a hall staff was not only to bring food and take orders but also to patrol the restaurant so that customers could easily talk to the staff.

So, the amount of exercise was surprisingly high.

At least more than lounging around at home or playing video games.

A few months ago, he had to work more shifts to buy a gift for Arisa, so his physical activity must have increased.

(What’s the cause…?)

While Yuzuru was inwardly thinking about this…

“Yuzuru-san, Yuzuru-san… are you listening to me?”

There was a cute voice that sounded like a bell ringing.

Suddenly, he looked up and saw his pretty flaxen-haired fiancée – Yukishiro Arisa – staring at his face.

“Eh, ah… sorry. I was in a daze.”

“What is it? Is something bothering you?”

“No, well… it’s nothing serious.”

He actually gained weight.

It was a little difficult for Yuzuru to say that.

There was no way that Arisa would dislike Yuzuru just because he gained some weight, and it was not like he gained enough weight to tell her…

It was a man’s vanity.

Even if it’s a lie, Yuzuru wanted the image of him in Arisa’s mind to be a strong “macho” man.

“I see… If you ever need any help, just let me know.”

“Thank you. Um… so?”

“Would you like a second helping?　We still have some meat and potatoes. And some rice.”

“Ah… right. I think I’ll have some.”

Today’s main dish was meat and potatoes with fresh potatoes and onions.

It would depend on the person whether one could eat white rice with the meat and potatoes, but Yuzuru was in the category that could eat it.

“Is that so? Got it.”

Arisa replied in a nonchalant and obliging manner.

But Yuzuru, who had known her for a long time, could tell that Arisa’s voice was very buoyant.

If she had a tail, it would have been wagging.

“Here you go.”

“Thank you.”

Yuzuru received a bowl of white rice and some meat and potatoes from Arisa.

It was basically carbohydrates and carbohydrates.

“Ah…”

“What’s wrong?”

“N-no… it’s nothing.”

In response to Arisa’s slightly anxious question, Yuzuru shook his head slightly exaggeratedly and resumed eating.

And as he ate, he thought…

(This is the cause, huh…?)

The culprit was Arisa.

The amount of exercise remained the same.

But why did he gain weight?

The answer was simple.

Because he ate more.

Indeed, it was natural logic when he thought about it.

To be honest, Yuzuru had also been aware of it for a while.

Even though he was aware of it, he had been ignoring it, daring not to think about it.

Because Arisa’s cooking was delicious.

She also considers the nutritional balance.

And since it was Arisa’s cooking, there were practically no calories.

But no matter how well-balanced the nutrition is, it was obvious that if one ate more, one would gain weight.

Because it was delicious, and because Arisa would ask, “Do you want a second helping?”, he couldn’t help but overeat.

In addition, she recently made him eat a high-calorie cake.

“Yuzuru-san, Yuzuru-san.”

“… Ah, um… Sorry. What’s wrong?”

After dinner.

While he was cleaning up the dishes, Arisa spoke to him and Yuzuru came to his senses.

“No, um… your hands stopped. I mean, did you finish washing the dishes…?”

“Ah… sorry. I’ve already washed these.”

Yuzuru said and handed the plate to Arisa.

Arisa wiped the dishes she received from Yuzuru with a cloth and placed them in the draining basket.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Yuzuru-san?”

“Nah… it’s really not a big deal…”

“It doesn’t sound like anything serious… but, even if it’s trivial, I can help you, okay?”

Now, Yuzuru wondered what to do.

Although he didn’t want to say too much… When it comes to losing weight, Arisa’s help would be essential.

After thinking about it for a bit…

Yuzuru said.

“Err… It will be fine to have a little less quantity for meals from next time.”

Not wanting to say that he had gained weight, Yuzuru only dared to say what he wanted.

And Arisa was…

“Eh…?”

Her hand stopped.

Her eyes widened and she froze.

“…Arisa-san?”

“W-was it… not tasty?”

“N-no…”

“I’m sorry. Was there something in it that you didn’t like?　Or was it not salty enough…?　Or was the flavor too strong?　Or was it too sweet? …Maybe the smell of the meat was…”

With a slightly pale face, Arisa asked Yuzuru.

Her voice was trembling, and her expression showed terrible anxiety.

Yuzuru realized that this was the wrong thing to say.

“No, there was nothing wrong with the taste.”

“R-really?　S-so, is it possible that there was hair in it?　Or maybe you just don’t like my homemade food anymore…”

“Arisa!”

Yuzuru shouted loudly and hugged Arisa tightly.

Arisa’s body trembled with fear.

“Calm down. I love your cooking, and I love you even more than that.”

Yuzuru whispered in Arisa’s ear.

Then the stiffness in Arisa’s body slowly melted away.

“I-is that so…?”

Yuzuru slowly pulled away from Arisa.

Arisa’s face had turned bright red.

“Sorry. I lost my composure… Um… then, why only a small amount? Is it because there was too much, or maybe you couldn’t finish it or something like that?”

“First of all, that kind of issue… is there, I guess? Well, it is not a problem, because we freeze the excess and eat it later.”

“…then?”

“Um… I’ve gained weight.”

“…Yes?”

“I’m gaining weight, so I thought I’d go on a diet.”

“…Oh.”

Yuzuru felt a little embarrassed…

Arisa, on the other hand, had a dumbfounded expression.

“…so men get fat too.”

“…It’s not uncommon for men to be fat.”

“I’m sorry. That was a poor choice of words. Um… I didn’t mean practically, I meant conceptually… or that you care about it.”

Women were very sensitive about their body shape.

So even if there was no change in appearance, a gain of a few pounds would be perceived as “fat”.

Men, on the other hand, did not care if they gained a few kilos.

They didn’t even weigh themselves in the first place.

That’s what Arisa was trying to say.

“But did you really gain weight?　Isn’t it just because you’re growing up?　It doesn’t look like you’ve changed at all…”

“It’s not so much the weight gain itself… it’s more like I feel that my stomach is sticking out a little…”

If the weight gain was due to the increase in muscle mass, he would be rather pleased.

Thinking about this, Yuzuru rolled up his clothes a little.

“It’s like this…”

“H-hey…!　Don’t do that out of the blue!”

Arisa looked away, embarrassed.

Her cheeks were rosy, her gaze averted, but she glanced at Yuzuru’s stomach.

“We’ve already bathed together, haven’t we?”

“T-that’s, um… I have to be prepared!”

Swimsuits at the pool were OK.

It was also OK to take a bath in a swimsuit.

However, the act of suddenly rolling up one’s clothes and showing one’s skin was not allowed.

It was a feeling that Yuzuru could not quite understand.

“I-I mean, do you really have to show it?”

“No… Well, I wanted to ask you if things are different from Arisa’s point of view.”

If possible, Yuzuru wanted to hide the fact that he had gained weight…

But, now that it’s known, he decided it would be better to let her see it than to hide it.

“Eh… T-that’s right. Y-yeah… From my point of view, it’s not really …b-but now that you mention it… compared to last summer… it’s true that it’s harder to see your abs… although it might be due to memory correction.”

“In Arisa’s mind, are my abs memorable?”

“D-don’t be weird about it…”

“Are they memorable?”

“…W-well, I thought you were muscular and sexy, you know?”

Last summer, when they went to the pool, Arisa was still in her tsun-tsun phase.

However, the fact that she thought Yuzuru was “sexy” in his swimsuit from that time on, meant that Arisa also saw him as the opposite sex.

Yuzuru could also honestly say that when he saw Arisa’s breasts at the pool a year ago, he thought, “Wow, sexy!”. It was probably the same kind of thing.

Just as Yuzuru had many thoughts when he remembered Arisa in her swimwear, Arisa also had thoughts about Yuzuru in her swimwear, which made him very happy.

It meant that he and his fiancée were on the same page.

But maybe it wasn’t the feelings that were in sync, but the delusions.

“I can show you as much as you want. If you want, you can even touch it.”

“…I’ll have to show you mine instead, won’t I? I won’t be fooled.”

Yes, he showed her his pecs. And let her touch it.

Instead, Arisa also… understands, right?

It seemed that this strategy would not work.

“But …you don’t seem to be so fat that you need to go on a diet.　Suddenly changing your eating habits is not good for your health, you know?”

“If we don’t take care of it early, we’ll have a hard time later. Besides… Arisa likes muscles, don’t you?”

“P-please stop saying that as if my fetish is muscle…!　Whether you have muscles or not, regardless of whether you are fat or not, Yuzuru-san is still Yuzuru-san…”

“But if it’s me who’s muscular or me who’s fat, you’d prefer the former, right?”

Even though Yuzuru also likes Arisa no matter if Arisa’s waist gets fatter or her breasts and buttocks lose their volume, as Arisa is still Arisa…

However, rather than a fatter Arisa, he preferred the current Arisa, who was curved where she should be curved and firm where she should be firm.

Considering the other person, it was only natural to try to make the person you love like you.

“That’s… well, true…”

“Besides, it’s almost summer vacation.”

Probably, he might even go to the beach or pool with Arisa.

Perhaps Soichiro, Hijiri, Ayaka, and the others would be there.

Having a sloppy body at that time would not be good.

“Okay. Then let’s do it together.”

“Nah, it’s not like Arisa also has to…”

“I was also just thinking that I might need to get serious soon… It’s not like I’ve gotten fat, okay?”

“No, I know that.”

During Golden Week, he was able to see Arisa in her swimsuit, but he didn’t get the impression that she was particularly fat.

She had very nice proportions.

“I’ll try to keep your meals and lunches low in sugar and high in protein.”

“Ah, no, you don’t have to be so fussy…”

“Are you underestimating it, Yuzuru-san? Are you sure you want to do this?”

“I’m sorry. I’ll do my best.”

Yuzuru had no choice but to lower his head.