Actually, the Hungry Gyaru Who Eats a Lot Was Being Cheated On, so I Decided to Win Her Heart (And Stomach) From Her Jerk Boyfriend - 64

Chapter 64: A Slight Sense of Discomfort

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It happened when about a week had already passed since the start of August. When I got up in the morning and stood in front of the sink to wash my face, I suddenly noticed something off about my face.

“…Ah, so this time of year has come.”

As I checked my reflection in the mirror and lightly pinched the flesh around my jawline with my thumb and forefinger, the strange feeling turned into suspicion. Then I pulled out the scale and weighed myself, and that suspicion turned into certainty.

“Yeah… figures. I’ve gained weight.”

Maybe those churros and that buffet from the other day had finally caught up with me. I had put on about two kilograms compared to my normal weight. Since I ate more than most people, I thought I paid a decent amount of attention to managing my weight on a regular basis, but when it went up, it went up no matter what. Still, gaining weight at this time of year was a bit unexpected. Most of the time, it happened around New Year’s.

Well, what’s done is done.

If I’d gained weight, all I had to do was lose it. I did feel a bit of a sense of crisis, but it wasn’t something to be overly pessimistic about.

“…For now, starting today, I’m going into cutting mode for a while.”

After making that decision and washing my face, I moved to the living room to make breakfast, only to find my older sister relaxing on her usual spot on the sofa.

“Morning, Sis. It’s rare to see you up at this hour.”

It wasn’t even seven yet.

“Oh, Gaku. Morning.”

My sister got up from the sofa and continued proudly.

“Heh heh heh… Even I live a healthy lifestyle once in a while, you know.”

“That’s not something to say so proudly.”

Even though her default setting was going to bed late and waking up at noon. My sister had always been the type whose daily rhythm was completely wrecked, but ever since summer vacation started at college, it had gotten even worse. Because of that, preparing breakfast and lunch had become just a bit more of a hassle.

Honestly, I wish she’d learn a thing or two from Ichika. When I let out a small sigh, my sister stared at me intently.

“Gaku… did you gain a little weight?”

She already saw through me. She was as sharp as ever when it came to things like this. Impressed by that at least, I gave a short nod.

“…Yeah. That’s why I’m starting to cut from today.”

“Mm, good. As long as you’re aware of it yourself.”

“What character are you supposed to be…?”

Well, it was pointless to think too deeply about it. My sister acting like some random character was nothing new. Just as I thought that, my phone—sitting in the pocket of my sweats—rang with a notification. When I took it out and checked, it was a message from Shizuku.

『Sorry, I won’t be able to come over to Suou-kun’s place for dinner for a while.』

In the chat screen, there was a sticker of a cat bowing in deep apology, with “I am truly sorry” written on it.

…What’s going on?

I was curious, but I didn’t really have a reason to pry, so for the time being, I simply replied: 『Got it.』

When I looked back up, my sister was narrowing her eyes at me with a smug grin.

“Don’t tell me… That was Shizuku-chan just now, right?”

“Who else would it be besides Shizuku?”

“Fair point. You basically have no friends, Gaku. So, what did Shizuku-chan say?”

“For some reason, she says she can’t come over for dinner for a while.”

The moment I answered, my sister’s eyes flew wide open and she started trembling.

“H-Huuuuuh!? Wait, Gaku, what’s that supposed to mean!? You didn’t do something to upset Shizuku-chan, did you!?”

“Don’t shout. You’re going to bother the neighbors. Nothing happened between me and Shizuku. It’s just that she’s got her own circumstances or whatever.”

It wasn’t like I was forcing her to eat at our place every time. If she said she couldn’t come, all I could do was nod and say I understood. But apparently, that wasn’t enough for my sister. She looked openly dissatisfied and stared at me with half-lidded eyes.

“Really?”

“Why are you doubting me?”

“Well… ever since the day you two went to the pool together, things have been a little awkward, haven’t they?”

“Ugh…”

I was at a loss for words. After all, she was right. “Let’s go out somewhere, just the two of us”—it was great that we’d worked up the courage to make that promise as we parted that day, but we hadn’t talked about any specifics at all. Shizuku hadn’t really tried to bring it up either, and for some reason, I felt hesitant to ask her about it myself. Before I knew it, more than a week had already passed.

Still, she’d kept coming over for dinner like usual, and I thought we were talking normally about everything else… but my sister had noticed. As expected, she was perceptive about these things. Though she still didn’t seem fully convinced, my sister let out a small sigh.

“…Well, whatever. So, what did you reply?”

“What do you mean? I just said ‘Got it.’”

“You idiot! At least ask her why! Otherwise, Ichika and I are going to worry!”

“That’s pretty selfish, you know.”

But, well, my sister did have a point. When explaining it to Ichika, it would be easier to get her to understand if I could say, “This is why.”

Though honestly, even without that, Ichika would probably understand. Unlike my sister, Ichika was a reasonable kid. As long as she knew we weren’t on bad terms, that would be enough.

…On the other hand, my sister definitely wouldn’t be satisfied unless she knew the proper reason. If I left it alone, her annoying pestering would only get worse. Reluctantly, I sent a message asking why she couldn’t come, then started working on breakfast.

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