Chapter 13: How to identify a person(5)

“Ugh, it’s greasy. I’m full.”

I put my fork down next to the bowl.

Since Yu-ah said it was delicious, I ended up ordering cream pasta too.

I should have had aglio olio instead.

Yu-ah, who was inhaling pasta, turned her head to look at me as she complained about my side dish in a childish tone.

Then, she looked back and forth between the pasta that was left on the plate and me.

She swallowed the food in her mouth and asked me incredulously.

“Did you just put your fork down?”

“Because you finished it?”

“Ugh… If you eat like that, you won’t gain weight. Eat a lot. Eat a lot.”

“Don’t nag like your mom. You’ll get PTSD.”

I hear the same things I’ve heard at home since I was little.

My mom always said to me, “Preparing you for food is the least rewarding thing.”

When I think about it, it’s really too much.

What kind of parent would say that to their child?

Yu-ah said as she watched me playing with the pasta plate with my fork.

“I understand how your mom feels. Who would want to cook for you if you eat like that?”

“Who would want to cook for you? You don’t even need me to prepare it for you, because you eat well by yourself?”

“Ugh. This burning sea bream.”

The so-called sea bream.

That was one of my bad eating habits.

It’s a habit that’s completely ingrained now and hard to break.

Since my stomach has become so small, I’d eat a little bit and throw the rest away.

That was also the reason why I was so skinny.

That’s why Yu-ah didn’t like eating with me.

She said that she didn’t eat much, but she looked like she was eating a lot when she was with me.

“What’s the point of eating a lot? You’ll just get fat like you.”

“Hey. Where’s my fat? Didn’t you see me at the gym earlier? It’s all muscle. Muscle.”

“Yeah. That’s true. But I should’ve put on some weight in my chest.”

It’s too bad.

It was quite a shame.

But since her small chest is Rikyuel’s charm, maybe the red potion would be better that way.

“Ugh!”

A joint flew under the table and I let out a sob without realizing it.

Shit.

I’ve only ever been beaten by my seniors in the military…

I can’t help but shed tears at the pain I’ve felt for the first time in a long time.

“Tsk. Did you really hit me just now?”

“They say lions are really serious when they hunt rabbits.”

“I don’t think that’s the right time to say that… you punk?”

“Mmm~! Ummm! Cream pasta, as expected. It’s delicious.”

She doesn’t even listen to what I say and starts eating again.

She scrapes the bowl of noodles with that rich white broth.

If you ask who likes to eat between me and Yu-ah, it’s obviously Yua.

She’s serious about eating, while I find the act of eating itself annoying.

I push the bowl of pasta I couldn’t finish towards her.

“Eat more if you want.”

“…… Really? Can I eat?”

“Your eyes are like those of an animal that’s already eaten. Are you saying things like, ‘I can eat anything?'”

“Heh. Then I’ll eat well.”

If I leave it behind anyway, it’ll be a waste of money, environmental destruction, and loss for everyone.

It’d be better to just put it all in that little vacuum cleaner-like thing’s body.

Her body is small, but her fuel economy is really bad.

I wonder where all that food goes in her small body.

Is there some kind of black hole in her stomach?

“…You eat well.”

She muttered in a voice that only she could hear.

It was an exclamation that came out without me knowing.

It would have been okay if she were a mukbang YouTuber instead of a v-tuber.

Seeing her eat deliciously made me hungry without me knowing.

No matter what, it was nice to see her eat well.

People say that people envy things they don’t have.

I thought maybe that’s what it was.

While I was absentmindedly watching her mukbang show, Yu-ah suddenly stopped eating and started using her fork.

Then she rolled her eyes and looked at me.

I say something to her rabbit-like face.

“What? Why are you eating so well?”

She asked me carefully after swallowing the food in her mouth.

It was different from her usual confident appearance.

How should I put it? She seemed a bit timid and squirming.

“…So how was your day? Gym?”

Yu-ah is not the type of person to ask questions like this.

So I felt strange.

This is like a conversation between lovers sharing impressions.

When would friends have such delicate conversations?

They just eat and part ways.

“It was just like that? It wasn’t bad or good.”

“Hey…how can you say that?”

“Then how can you say it? Are you making up lies?”

“Anyway, there must have been at least a little bit! Like you liked it or you didn’t like it.”

I think about her persistent questions for a moment.

If I think back on what I did at the gym today…umm…

I admired my breasts and butt.

And I rode the treadmill for 5 minutes.

Finally, I did 3 sets of let-fall downs and then collapsed because my blood pressure dropped?

Wait a minute.

There’s nothing that would be a good memory no matter where I look.

“But what? It was pretty fun because you taught me?”

“…So? You mean it was okay?”

What is that?

That tone that makes me want to beat her up.

It was like a timid loner looking out for the people around them.

I feel frustrated, so I just ask her directly.

“So what do you want to say?”

“…Huh?”

“Stop whining and get to the point. You have something to say, right?”

“…”

She shut her mouth for a moment at my words.

Then I said in a barely audible voice what I really wanted to say.

“…So will you come with me next time? To the gym.”

I could see Rikyuel’s timid moment overlapping with that hunched appearance.

Maybe it’s because I usually thought Rikyuel’s lonerness was a moe point.

Somehow, Yu-ah looked cute as she looked up at me with her small eyes even while sitting on the chair.

It was like her eyes were like those of a stray dog afraid of being rejected.

Seeing her for the first time, my thoughts became clouded for a moment.

Normally, I would have said that I would never go to the gym again.

For some reason, I couldn’t say that.

“Well, if you keep telling me, I’ll think about it.”

A simple conversation that doesn’t easily occur between Yua and me.

I scratch my cheek, feeling awkward for no reason.

Then, her brown eyes that had been shaking slightly become quiet and then widen in an instant.

The corners of her eyes curve in a graceful curve, and a small smile that she couldn’t hide forms on her lips.

… It was a look of joy that anyone could see.

“…Then come out tomorrow too.”

“What?”

“And starting next week, let’s just meet in front of the gym. The time is the same as today.”

“Hey. Hey. Wait a minute. My progress is too fast, Professor.”

The professor seems to be so excited that he’s taking over my schedule.

I panic and try to control her tension, but Yu-ah looks at me with cat-like eyes and subdues me.

“What? You said I’d come out if I told you? Are you lying?”

No… didn’t say I was going to come out…

I said I’d think about it…

You really do listen to what you want to hear.

But how can I avoid those bright eyes?

Her face looked like she’d be upset if I said no now.

I eventually gave up and raised the flag of surrender at her.

Just like you can’t stop a dam that’s already burst.

For some reason, Yu-ah continued to pour out her honest feelings to me.

“To be honest, it’s not fun when I do it alone. I just do it because I have to.”

“Oh. Is that so?”

“Yeah. But I realized it while working out with you today.”

“..”

“I think it’ll be a lot of fun if I work out with you in the future.”

Even though I have a thumping, I am embarrassed by a girl who is not usually seen.

It was a good thing to do with my eyes.

Is it really creepy?

Another flying joint kick, this time I skillfully shift my foot position.

I won’t get hit twice.

Am I stupid?

I watch her swing her foot in the air and grumble in frustration.

“Nice. Strikeout. Na Yu-ah, you look regretful?”

“…Shut up. Eat quietly.”

“You should eat. I don’t have anything to eat.”

“How could you not say a word? Seriously.”

As she said that, she lowered her head as if burying it in her bowl and continued eating.

At that moment when the sound of singing in the restaurant stopped, I could hear her mumbling in my ear.

“To be honest, what are you doing…? That guy is the one who accepts me… Mr. Lee.”

Pretending not to hear her grumbling, I let out a deep breath without her knowing.

It was to calm my still-pounding heart.

…Honestly, it was a bit dangerous just now.

Yu-ah. I almost fell for you.

I almost confessed because I had a strange misconception.

Thinking that way, I looked forward to tomorrow.

Thinking that if I met Rikyuel on my day off, my loss of liking wouldn’t disappear.