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 - 67

Chapter 67: Why the Starving Gyaru Was Pushing Herself

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After laying Shizuku down on the sofa, having her replenish fluids and salt with a sports drink, and cooling her flushed body with a towel soaked in water, the pale color in her face finally began to return.

“Haa… I finally feel alive again. Suou-kun, Ichika-chan, seriously, thanks for taking care of me.”

“You’re welcome! I’m just glad you’re feeling better, Shizuku Onee-chan!”

“Don’t worry about it.”

I nodded along with Ichika as she smiled brightly, but…

“Shizuku. Sorry to bring this up right after you’ve recovered, but can you stand and move?”

“Yeah, I’m okay… What’s up?”

“There’s something I want to talk about. Come to my room.”

Just hearing the words, it sounded like the kind of line someone would use to lure a girl into their room. Unfortunately—or fortunately—Shizuku seemed to sense from my expression and tone that this was anything but lighthearted. Her face stiffened, and Ichika beside her wore a similar look.

“O-Okay…”

I took Shizuku’s hand and helped her slowly stand up from the sofa. After confirming that her footing was steady again, I turned to Ichika with one request.

“Ichika. If Big Sis comes home, tell her we’re having an important talk, so she absolutely shouldn’t come into my room.”

Ichika nodded, saying she understood, but then…

“…Hey, Gaku-nii. Go easy on her, okay?”

“Yeah, of course.”

After gently patting Ichika on the head, I left the living room with Shizuku.

“Sit wherever you like.”

Once we moved to my room, I handed her a nearby cushion.

“Y-Yes.”

She nodded and neatly sat in seiza on top of the cushion.

Why the polite speech and formal sitting…?

Though I found it strange, I sat down on the floor facing her. I only had one cushion in my room which was meant for myself, so I sat directly on the rug. For a moment, I wondered if I should have borrowed one from Sis’s room, but I pushed that thought aside and got straight to the point.

“Now then… I’ll ask you directly. Why were you pushing yourself like that?”

I had deliberately avoided asking for the details earlier. Her physical condition had come first. In response to my question, Shizuku glanced at my expression and asked hesitantly,

“Um… Suou-kun, are you mad?”

“If we’re talking about whether I’m mad or not… Well, I suppose I’m a little mad.”

“…I thought so.”

“Of course. One wrong step and it could’ve turned into something really serious.”

In the worst-case scenario, it could have been life-threatening. That was exactly why I wanted to properly understand why she had done something so reckless.

…No, I needed to know so it wouldn’t happen again. After a brief silence, Shizuku shrank in on herself and bowed her head.

“…I’m sorry.”

“…It’s already happened. You don’t have to apologize.”

As I said that, I found myself looking away from her. I wanted her to reflect on it, but I didn’t want her to corner herself over it. And seeing her with such a clouded expression… It made my chest ache.

Even though I’m the one making her look like that…

If I were being honest, I wanted to just say, “I’m glad nothing serious happened,” and leave it at that. Even so, I steeled myself and brought the conversation back.

“So, why were you pushing yourself like that?”

When I asked again, Shizuku hesitated several times before finally speaking.

“Because I wanted to lose weight as soon as possible.”

I had more or less expected that. So she had gained weight too. The thought crossed my mind, but I swallowed the comment since it wouldn’t help the conversation. Instead…

“…Why?”

“Because I wanted to eat the meals Suou-kun makes.”

“My cooking…? What does that have to do with what you did earlier—”

As I layered on another question, Shizuku fell silent again. After a long stretch of quiet, she turned bright red, looked away from me, and answered in a voice so faint it seemed ready to disappear.

“…Because I don’t want Suou-kun to see me when I’ve gained weight.”

“—Ah.”

I finally understood. Why she had messaged me this morning saying she wouldn’t be able to come over for dinner for a while… Why she had tried to diet in such a reckless way….

The reason for all of it… Every bit of it. In that case, prying any further would just be tactless of me. Now that I grasped the details, I let out a slow breath. A tangible weight was finally lifted from my chest. Then, half unconsciously, I reached out and placed my hand on Shizuku’s head, roughly brushing through her slightly disheveled platinum-blonde hair.

Startled by the sudden touch, Shizuku’s eyes flew open and she turned toward me.

“Eh—w-wait, Suou-kun…!?”

“Honestly, you should’ve just told me from the start.”

“…If I could’ve said it, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“I know. It was important to you, right?”

As I spoke, I continued to ruffle her head while she puffed out her cheeks and turned away. Though she kept her face averted, her weight shifted ever so slightly toward me. Relieved that she hadn’t rejected me, I continued.

“You might not be able to help caring about it, but listen. No matter how much weight you gain, how skinny you get, or even if you bulk up with muscles like a bodybuilder, to me, you’re still you. No matter how your appearance changes at this point, the way I see you won’t change. So… well, yeah. It might be hard to say, but if something’s bothering you, don’t hesitate to rely on me. Just… Please don’t do something reckless like this again. If anything happened to you, I—”

“Suou-kun…”

Shizuku stared at me as if stunned, then gradually let out a soft smile.

“…Yeah, you’re right. I’ll be more careful from now on. But if that’s the case, I’ll end up bothering you… Is that really okay?”

“Yeah, I don’t mind. If that’s what you want, I’ll do whatever I can.”

“You said it. Okay then, starting now… Stroke my head more.”

“…As you wish.”

I wondered if something like this was really enough, but I had just said I’d do whatever I could. With a short nod, I continued stroking her head until she was satisfied.

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