NTR Kousuke

Chapter 28

Obon is over, summer break is nearing its end, and the new semester starts tomorrow.

The last day of summer break is a day off from club activities and cram school.

I'm tagging along with Tomonaga-san to head out to the terminal station.

Tomonaga-san showed up at the meeting spot wearing a large white T-shirt, a thin gray three-quarter-sleeve knit cardigan over it, and a blue long skirt.

As for Tomonaga-san's diet progress...

Apparently, the average weight for a woman who's 158 cm tall is 54.9 kg.

To reach a so-called beauty weight that looks good, it's supposed to be around 50 kg.

Her current weight as of yesterday was...

72 kg → 61 kg.

That's a 10 kg drop in just over a month since late July!

She really put in the effort.

But while she had a lot of excess fat to lose before, from here on out, it'll probably get harder and tougher to shed more.

Once school life starts again, there'll be more temptations, and she won't be able to focus on her diet as much as she does now.

Since she's cutting calories while also doing strength training, it must be pretty tough.

According to some books I've read, it's more efficient to build muscle first before starting to cut weight for a diet.

...But since Tomonaga-san was quite plump and lived a completely sedentary lifestyle, even a little exercise helps build strength and drop weight. Considering we're documenting this whole diet project to present at the cultural festival, there's never enough time.

"Haha, I'm the kind of sloppy woman who's no good unless someone's watching me..."

She says it with a bit of self-deprecation, but isn't everyone like that?

If no one's watching and you don't care about others' opinions, you'd just live lazily and fall into bad habits.

"...A sloppy woman would just get mad when someone says something like that the other day, and wouldn't put in this much effort..."

That's what I think.

"Kousuke-kun, you don't talk much usually, but you're so good at saying supportive things like this!"

Tomonaga-san pats my shoulder with a 'pom!'

"...So? What's up today? Your clothes don't fit anymore, right?"

She loosens her expression into a goofy grin,

"Ehehe! That's right. My old blouse is all baggy now... But! I'm gonna lose even more by the cultural festival!"

The joy of losing weight, getting slimmer, and becoming prettier.

As a guy, I can't really understand this kind of joy that's unique to women.

"I'm gonna lose more by the cultural festival, so I just need a few things for now, okay?"

Ah, so that's why she brought me along?

...Why me?

"As a thank you for hanging out with me during summer break, I'll treat you to a meal! ...And it's a reward for me too!"

Girls sure love giving themselves rewards right away, don't they?

Well, I guess that's fine.

Alright! Let's go!

The area around the terminal station is the only urban spot in our prefecture.

The opposite side of our high school is exactly that urban area.

We head toward the department stores and large shopping complexes from the station, taking our time walking as exercise.

At the ladies' floor of a large shopping complex, she buys two plain white blouses with no frills.

We pass by bookstores, electronics stores, and accessory shops, making detours along the way.

After that, I watch her buy a few outfits at a popular, well-known brand store.

When she buys a casual top for going out, she looks a bit shy and asks,

Tomonaga "...By the way, Kousuke-kun, do you prefer flashy cute or plain cute?"

"...Plain cute."

Tomonaga "Fufu! Good!"

Tomonaga-san smiles and heads to the cashier.

(What even is 'plain cute'?)

I can't help but wonder.

People change, and they end up changing.

You can't stay the same forever.

Tomonaga "Sorry for the wait. Alright, let's go."

Tomonaga-san suggests we head to a restaurant inside the complex.

Today is a break day, so she's not putting strict limits on herself.

If you keep cutting weight non-stop during a diet, your body senses something's wrong and decides it shouldn't lose any more weight.

To trick it, you make a so-called cheat day every now and then, where it's okay to eat.

So, we eat pasta together at the restaurant.

Tomonaga "Ah, ah, aaaaaah."

Her face looks like she's high on carbs and sugar.

We share a pizza to eat.

Tomonaga "Piiiizza!"

She mutters that one word with her eyes closed.

Tomonaga-san eats some gelato.

Tomonaga "So goooood."

Is she slipping into a dialect?

We settle the bill and head out of the restaurant.

We ended up talking quite a bit.

Well, it was more like Tomonaga-san talking 70% and me 30%.

"Ahh! I'm so happy!"

"...You look so happy getting sweets and carbs after a long time on a cheat day."

Watching a girl smile like that is pretty fun.

After that, we keep walking around the shopping area for exercise while chatting leisurely.

Before I know it, it's already evening.

We take the train and head home together.

Tomonaga-san and I are on the same line.

Her station is two stops away, while mine is one more after that.

While waiting for the train,

Tomonaga "...Actually, going out with a guy... this is my first time..."

Tomonaga-san turns bright red and looks embarrassed.

Shou said something about how a girl turning bright red and looking shy is super cute.

...Yeah, it really is.

Strangely, I don't feel my fear of women kicking in with Tomonaga-san.

What does this mean?

"...If you lose weight and get prettier, I'm sure you'll get more invitations."

That's what I think. Even now, I already think she's pretty cute.

If she loses a bit more weight, I can confidently say she'll be a really cute girl.

At that moment, someone suddenly taps my shoulder.

Tomonaga-san's tap was a gentle 'pom!', but this one is a sharp 'bashin!'

? "Isn't that Kousuke-kun! Long time no see!"

Long, silky bob hair and rimless glasses with no bottom frame.

Dressed in a sharp, businesswoman-like pantsuit.

Sharp, cool eyes on a refined face.

A classmate from middle school, the class president of Class 3 back then, Chika Obata. Her nickname was 'Queen.'

"Obata-san, long time no see! We get on and off at the same station, but we never run into each other, huh?"

Obata "I've run into Tanaka-kun about three times though, haven't I?"

The two of us burst into laughter.

Oh no, I completely forgot about Tomonaga-san!

I hurriedly introduce them.

They greet each other, but the air feels tense.

Obata-san seems to pick up on something.

Obata "Kousuke-kun and I were in the same class and fought through events together. Oh, and I've got a boyfriend, so no worries!"

Refer to my story of falling for the class rep in the main story.

Obata-san and Kousuke fought intense battles with the main story protagonists during their third year of middle school.

Tomonaga "Eh? Ah?! ...Ah, yes!"

Tomonaga-san, flustered at first, became more natural after that.

Tomonaga-san parts ways at Toko Station.

Obata-san and I get off at the next stop, Shinkawa Station.

Obata "I heard a little from Tanaka-kun and the others, but it sounds tough."

"...Yeah, well. But it's in the past."

Obata "Is that girl from earlier your new girlfriend?"

"...No."

The answer came instantly. Yeah, I'm not ready for a girlfriend yet.

Obata "She seems timid, but she was glaring at me, you know? She looked away when I glared back, though."

"...Hey, don't glare at her."

Obata "Girls can be pretty messy inside, so you'd better be careful, Kousuke. Smart people especially get tricked by logic, you know?"

With a chuckle, the cool yet quick-tempered Queen walked off briskly.

I don't have romantic feelings for her, but a girl like Obata-san is the most trustworthy, right?

Serious, loyal, hardworking, and with her own vulnerabilities.

Does Tomonaga-san look like my girlfriend...?

It feels kind of strange.

Not in a bad way, though I don't really feel it.

What do I even want?

And so, summer comes to an end, and the second semester begins.