After Hayashi finished her bath, for some reason, the two of us ended up sitting across from each other in the living room.
I was sitting cross-legged.
And Hayashi was… for some reason, kneeling in formal seiza. Furthermore, as if she were hiding something shameful, she kept her head down, looking thoroughly uncomfortable.
"…Yamamoto-san, about what we were discussing earlier."
Hayashi was using polite speech. That was rare.
"What about it?"
"Would it be okay if… the food gets a little bland for a while?"
"…I don't particularly mind."
"Thank you very much."
Hayashi bowed her head slightly.
"So, how many kilos did you actually put on?"
I’d asked out of pure curiosity, but even as the words left my mouth, I felt a twisted sort of pride in how perfectly they captured my complete lack of tact.
"…Well, that doesn't really matter, does it?"
"It does. I’d like to know how long I’m going to have to suffer through tasteless meals."
"…"
Hayashi looked down, then slowly held up a single finger.
"…I see."
She wouldn't have let out a scream like that for a mere one-kilogram gain. Which meant…
"That’s quite… a jump."
"But I used to have the kind of body that never gained weight…"
Hayashi looked like she was about to burst into tears.
"Why? What did I do wrong? How did I get fat…?"
"Is it not because you did zero exercise, ate three square meals a day, and then pigged out on snacks in between?"
"I never gained weight before, even when I did that!"
"Hah."
I scoffed at her flimsy excuse.
"W-What’s that for?"
"Hayashi, there’s no such thing as a person who can eat whatever they want without gaining weight."
"B-But… I really didn't use to."
"There are two possibilities. Either you were active enough in the past to burn off more calories than you took in, or you actually weren't eating nearly as much as you think you were."
"It’s definitely not the latter."
"Are you sure?" I continued with a triumphant look. "Didn't you often skip breakfast because you woke up feeling groggy, or skip dinner because you were already full from snacks? I bet things like that happened all the time."
"…N-Now that you mention it."
It seemed I’d hit the nail on the head.
"In all likelihood, you didn't actually eat that much back then. Now you're just eating away while living a sedentary life, so of course your weight is going up."
"…No way."
"I told you before… I might not look it, but there was a time when I was obsessed with the gym. I spent all my time researching how to build muscle online and tried everything under the sun. In the process, I picked up a decent understanding of how to lose weight, too."
"R-Really!?"
"Yeah. For a while, I even made all sorts of demands for my meals, insisting on a specific PFC Balance. My sister, Shiho, had a very clear reaction to that."
"What did she say?"
"‘Gross.’"
"I… can't really argue with her there."
A heavy silence filled the living room.
…W-Well, looking back, I realize I was being incredibly selfish by making those demands when I wasn't even the one cooking. I can understand why Hayashi and Shiho felt that way now.
"Anyway, if you want to diet, I can teach you a few things," I said, trying to steer the conversation away from my embarrassing past. "Though… even knowing that you've gained weight, do you really need to lose it? Your current weight is about avera—ugh!"
A strangled sound escaped my throat.
The reason was simple.
"Yamamoto-sensei! Please help me!"
Hayashi, who had been sitting right in front of me, had lunged forward to beg for help, half-sobbing.
I was tackled backward, the back of my head slamming hard against the flooring.
The pain in my skull was secondary, however.
Instead… my cheeks felt like they were on fire.
"H-Hayashi! Get off!"
I shouted because, in the process of being tackled… something very soft had pressed firmly against my stomach.
"I get it! I get it already!"
Dammit!
This girl has absolutely no sense of restraint! To go this far just to force me into helping with her diet…
Does she have no shame at all?
"…Thank you."
"I-It’s fine. It’s just a diet."
Honestly, I really didn't think she needed to lose weight…
She’d gained some compared to before, but as I’d tried to say, her current weight was probably right around the average for an adult woman. In fact, she still felt like she was on the thinner side to me.
"…Stop staring."
Hayashi caught me looking.
"Sorry."
"…Is it really that obvious?"
"Huh?"
"Did I… really get that fat?"
"Well, you definitely put on weight."
Even if I don't think you need to lose it.
"…I see."
Thinking about it for a second, I realized I’d phrased that poorly.
"I’m definitely going to lose it."
I should have emphasized that I didn't think it was necessary.
"I’m going to get my Model Physique back, no matter what…!"
"…Good grief."
I held my head in my hands.
After living with her for several months, I knew all too well that once Hayashi got like this, she wouldn't listen to a word I said.