I'll Take Nanase-san, Who Is Small And Adorable, Away From Her Cheating And Clueless Ex And Make Her Happy. - Chapter 286: An Autumn of Despair with Hiyori-san.

An Autumn of Despair with Hiyori-san.

“It’s over… everything is over…”

“Uh, um… Hiyori-san? Hellooo?”

One morning, as I went to pick up Hiyori-san from her house like always, I found her standing by the entrance with a vacant look in her eyes.

She looked like a character from some manga about grim reapers, or perhaps like a certain boxer who burned out completely and turned to ash. Concerned, I called out to her.

“Um, is something wrong? Did something happen?”

“…I…”

“Huh?”

“I gained weight! And it’s… seriously no joke!!”

When I asked what was going on with her unusual aura, she practically shouted back at me in what sounded like a mix of desperation and resignation.

At first, I thought Is that all? – it didn’t seem nearly as dire as her expression implied. But then I reminded myself that, for a girl, weight and body shape are very serious matters, so I decided to listen carefully.

“I know exactly why…! Lately… no, honestly, it’s been this way for a while, but I’ve been going out for ramen and sweets buffets all the time… And during the cultural festival preparations, I ate so many takoyaki… I thought all that running around would burn the calories off, but…!!”

“U-uh… yeah… that sounds rough…”

I barely managed to swallow the merciless truth that burning off all those calories would take way more exercise than that. Trying to grasp the situation better, I asked her:

“Just out of curiosity… how much weight did you gain?”

“…Yuusuke-kun? If you ask that question again, you’re getting this.”

With a threatening glare, she grabbed her chest and jiggled it up and down in a mysterious act of intimidation.

Ah, I’ve seen this kind of thing online a lot lately… I thought absentmindedly. Almost certainly it had a lewd implication, but more importantly, I realised this was a topic she absolutely didn’t want to discuss.

“I don’t see any difference at all…? I really don’t mind, and honestly, I don’t think you need to worry about it so much either.”

“Of course I worry about it! That kind of complacency is exactly what leads to disaster!!”

She didn’t look overweight at all to me. In fact, some say girls look cuter with a little bit of softness.

Not that her body type changing would affect how I feel about her anyway… I tried to convey my honest thoughts, but to her, this seemed like a life-or-death issue. With a desperate expression, she began explaining fervently.

“Winter’s coming, so I can hide my body a bit with heavier clothes, but just think about what happens when spring arrives!? All the fat I’ve stored up through autumn and winter will burst out like a bear waking from hibernation!! And when summer comes and I have to wear lighter clothes… I… I don’t even want to imagine it!! That hopeless future is too terrifying!!”

Clutching her head, she collapsed to the floor on all fours, her voice trembling with fear.

“I know, Yuusuke-kun… I know you wouldn’t care if I gained a little weight… But, but listen! Remember how we talked about maybe doing a cosplay showcase sometime soon!?”

So she really was serious about that… I thought, silently listening as she continued.

“Just imagine me wearing something tight like a bunny girl outfit!? My waistline would be completely exposed! From the side, it wouldn’t just be my boobs and butt that look big – my stomach would be sticking out too…! That’s what it would look like!!”

“Isn’t that… maybe overthinking it a little…?”

“Imagine me wearing bloomers and my tummy squishing out over the waistband!? Imagine someone seeing my love handles squished out at the sides!? If you, Yuusuke-kun, even thought for one second ‘Huh… Hiyori-san’s body is a bit chubbier than I thought…’ – I would run away to some faraway place and never come back, you know!?”

“C-calm down. Okay? Hiyori-san, let’s just… take a deep breath.”

Breathing hard and shouting with tears in her eyes, she looked ready to break down. Desperately, I tried to calm her down.

After all, we were still at her house. If Mutsumi-san or Goro-san overheard this, it would only cause unnecessary worry.

But before I could say anything else, Hiyori-san clenched her fists and spoke with unshakable resolve.

“I have to go on a diet…!! If I don’t, I’ll go from being the ‘small but big’ Hiyori-san to the ‘round and overall big’ Hiyori-san…! I have to do something before that happens…!!”

As a guy, I knew it wasn’t my place to say much about these girl-specific worries. But still, I couldn’t help but feel concerned.

Hiyori-san tends to get a little carried away – once she sets her mind on something, she goes all in without stopping… I thought anxiously.

And then, as if to sweep away my concerns, she declared:

“Which is why… Yuusuke-kun… I… I won’t be eating at your house for a while…!!”