The Heroines All Regretted It

Yae gave Yoru a quick tour of the unfinished café.

The staff break room, kitchen, restroom, emergency exit...

The place wasn't small—about the size of two classrooms, maybe more.

"The rent must be pretty expensive."

Yoru followed behind Yae, keeping his gaze respectfully low and proper.

But that large, round, bouncy butt... it was way too tempting.

A while later, Yae led him to the rough counter area and pulled out a business plan, motioning to him.

"Yoru-kun, could you help me take a look at this business proposal?"

"I have two cafés already, but they're not aimed at students. Now I'd like to get your opinion."

She opened a sketch of the layout.

Yoru leaned in slightly, maintaining distance. His nose was filled with that unique fragrance from her body.

'Yuigahama-san's mom smells so good~'

He mentally braced himself and finally looked at the sketch.

The diagram simply and clearly outlined the layout of the café and seating arrangements.

Yae said she wasn't a beginner and had plenty of experience. Judging by the sketch, that was definitely true.

"Hmm..."

Yoru started thinking seriously.

Yae didn't rush him. She just watched him with a gentle smile.

Noticing this, Yoru's muscles began to tense. He was getting shy again...

"It's okay. Come a bit closer..."

Yae definitely noticed his awkwardness. She smiled and waved him over gently.

To her, Yoru was just a slightly older kid—the kind she could easily be a mother to.

"It's okay, I can see just fine."

Yoru's body jolted slightly as he quickly shook his head.

After saying that, Yoru immediately pointed at the floor plan and shared a few suggestions.

"I think, since the café is located near a commercial street, the main business will come from Shuchiin Academy students. They're the ones spending the money."

"Eighty percent of the customers will be them."

"There are some nearby residents and passersby, but not many."

Yoru looked at Yae's mature and lovely face, his tone a bit rushed and uncertain.

Damn, Yuigahama's mom is seriously beautiful... and so young...

From the very beginning, a strange feeling had been stirring inside Yoru.

The source of that emotion was none other than Yae.

Mostly shyness, awkwardness...

He couldn't quite explain it. It just felt weird.

"Keep going."

Yae pulled out a small notepad and a pen, flipping to a fresh page, ready to take notes.

"As for the seating, I think you can scrap the single-seat tables. Most of the students come in pairs or groups."

"And then, right over here..."

Yoru pointed toward the wall and walked over.

"What about this spot?" Yae asked.

"You can mimic fast food restaurants and install a long bar counter here, sectioned into individual cubicles—perfect for solo customers."

Yoru touched the unpainted, raw concrete wall, then moved toward the corner and looked at Yae.

"Near the counter, but away from the entrance—in this slightly quieter corner—you can set up a private booth for two to four people."

"It can be a little secluded space for couples on dates, or close friends who want to chat in private."

"That's a great idea. Anything else?"

Yae was genuinely taking notes seriously.

You keep learning all your life.

Even PhDs, professors, and experts are always trying to improve themselves.

Let alone someone like her—a helpless widow who lost her husband early.

"Hmm..."

"You could also place a free bookshelf at the entrance, somewhere obvious when people walk in. Stock it with popular manga and light novels..."

Yoru scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed, as he looked at Yae.

"That's wonderful, really helpful advice. Thank you, Yoru-kun..."

Yae beamed, closing the notepad.

"No need to thank me, Manager Yuigahama. Honestly, just having you here is enough to guarantee steady customer traffic..."

Yoru nodded, sneaking another glance at Yae while grumbling internally.

After a short break, Yae began explaining Yoru's actual tasks.

They were pretty simple.

Since the café was under renovation, she needed someone to help with basic labor and odd jobs.

Like fixing a faucet and handing over a wrench.

Helping with layout setup and holding a ladder.

Sometimes pitching in physically, or just supervising.

Professional work would still be done by hired experts.

When there's nothing to do, he could just rest somewhere.

There were no other responsibilities.

After going over everything, and answering Kasui's questions while keeping up the respectful junior act, the café's new signboard arrived.

They stepped outside together.

Two workers from the sign company, dressed in blue uniforms, began installing the shopfront signage.

"Angel Café?"

Yoru looked at the simple black sign with white lettering and muttered.

The workday ended in the afternoon.

Yoru headed home.

He changed into slippers, turned on the TV, and picked up Sansan to cuddle.

"So she's really Yuigahama's mom... she's way too young."

"Don't you think so, San-san?"

Yoru gently stroked San-san's round little head as he spoke.

Sure, his own mom was also young—but that was more in terms of looks. The vibe was totally different.

Yuigahama's mom not only looked young, she had a face that was both youthful and mature, and her figure... well, it was truly something else.

"So jealous of Yuigahama's dad~"

Thinking like that was rude and disrespectful.

He had to control himself.

...

Last day of July.

Early morning—only 6:00 a.m.

Yoru's internal clock woke him up right on time.

Starting today, he had updated his running distance to 1500 meters.

He flipped out of bed, tossed aside the thin blanket, put on his slippers, and left the room.

He never understood why his parents always insisted he make the bed every morning.

It's his room, his bed. Who's even going to see it?

And at night, he just had to open it up again anyway.

To Yoru, making the bed was dumb. He never did it.

"Gargle gargle—"

"So today they're laying down the flooring at the café, right?"

Yoru spit out his mouthwash and neatly placed the toothpaste and brush back.

It had been a little while since he started working at the café.

He was gradually getting used to being around Yae.

After brushing his teeth, he scratched his hair, which had gotten long enough to cover half his face.

"I'll cut it after I slim down. Once I really shed the weight, I wanna see a new me."

He sighed and headed to the kitchen.

Yoru looked at the recently renovated kitchen space he had cleared out for himself, along with all the new cookware he'd bought earlier.

He hadn't missed a thing.

He opened the fridge, drank some barley tea, and pulled out a sealed container of beef tenderloin.

It was a whole piece he had prepared yesterday.

He sliced it into thick, chopstick-sized beef strips and let them sit.

Then he took out the oven tray, laid down parchment paper, sprayed on a little oil, and spread the beef on top before sliding it into the oven.

Top heat: 200°C. Convection. Bottom heat: 180°C. Bake for 30 minutes.

While waiting for the timer, Yoru poured cat food and water for San-san and scratched the still-sleepy cat's head.

"Time for deworming soon. And a booster shot too..."

Ten minutes later...

A delicious aroma of beef mixed with spices filled the kitchen.

Yoru filled a thermos with cold water, washed some grapes, and picked out a green apple.

He changed shoes, grabbed his gym bag.

It was 7 a.m.—the sun still warm but not hot.

Tokyo was just beginning to bustle.

Yoru walked to the park, ready for his usual run.

He left his bag at his usual spot and started warming up.

The green trees swayed gently in the breeze.

It was a pleasant scene.

Breathing the fresh air, Yoru jogged slowly, clearing his mind.

At 1200 meters, he couldn't keep it up.

He just wasn't fit enough to run the full 1500.

So for the last 300 meters, he walked.

For someone like him, a borderline chubby guy, that was already a decent result.

After a short rest, Yoru lifted his shirt to help cool down and casually made his way back.

Meanwhile, Fujiwara Chika was at the park's artificial lake.

She had a habit of morning runs too, and needed to take Pess out, or the dog would go wild at home.

"Pes, I'll let you off the leash, but don't eat random stuff again, got it?"

"What if someone put poison in a sausage, or hid chocolate inside? You'd be tricked and that'd be it..."

Chika crouched, one hand gripping Pes collar, the other wagging her finger as she solemnly warned her dog.

Pes was a bit of a glutton...

Woof... woof woof...

Pes barked rhythmically, staring at Chika with wide eyes.

"Go on. Just don't scare anyone."

After glancing around, Chika let Pes go.

Woof!

The dog barked and bolted.

Yoru was walking back when he suddenly heard a bark behind him.

"You again?"

He turned around, surprised to see the familiar Pes rushing toward him.

Whose dog was this, again?

He had already run into it three times.

Aside from the time Yoru fed it a sandwich, he had also encountered Pes once during his morning jog the day before yesterday.

What Yoru didn't know was that although Pes didn't get walked as frequently as Yoru jogged, it still got taken out three to four times a week.

Pes ran up to Yoru, tongue out and tail wagging, circling around him non-stop.

The dog was well-behaved and smart, so Yoru didn't feel the need to chase it off.

He walked back to where he had left his shoulder bag and sat down for a drink of water.

Pes obediently lay down at Yoru's feet, panting and drooling in anticipation.

The smell of meat… so good~

"Don't rush, you'll get some. Sit!"

Yoru looked down at Pes and snapped in a firm tone.

Woof!

Pace barked once and immediately sat down, staring up at Yoru obediently.

"Open your Mouth!"

Yoru pulled out a few slices of juicy, flavorful grilled beef from his bag.

Woof! Woof!

Pace held back its cravings, barked twice in a friendly tone, and opened it's mouth.

"Good. Well done."

It wasn't Yoru's first time training a dog. He had trained a little golden retriever this same way long ago.

Pes raised its head, barked once, and wagged its tail wildly at Yoru.

Yoru tossed two pieces of grilled beef to it, then finished off the rest himself.

After eating a few grapes and a green apple, he left the park.

Pes ran back to find Fujiwara Chika.

"Pes, you snuck food again?"

Chika's expression darkened as she noticed something off.

Woof... woof... whine...

Pes whimpered guiltily and began pawing at itself, trying to convey something.

It wanted to say, it didn't sneak food—someone kindly fed it.

"Alright, you're grounded for three days. No going out."

But Chika wasn't a dog and couldn't understand what Pes was trying to say.

Later that afternoon—

Yoru put on a baseball cap and headed out to work at the café.

When he arrived, workers were laying down tiles.

It was just a café renovation, probably only two or three days' worth of work.

"Yoru-kun, I'll leave it to you to keep an eye on things. Make sure nothing goes wrong. Once the workers leave, just lock up."

Yuigahama Yae had thrown on a long outer coat, probably to avoid getting her clothes dirty.

But it didn't cover her curvy figure at all—in fact, the contrast only added to her charm.

"Got it."

Yoru nodded. Getting paid to sit around all afternoon? Easy money.

"Here, the key."

Yae handed over a key.

Yoru reached out and took it immediately.

"Thanks a bunch."

Her mature, cute face wore a gentle smile. Before Yoru could respond, she stepped past him.

A faint fragrance wafted by.

Her soft, fair hand gently patted Yoru's shoulder.

It was an unintentional gesture from Yae as a Senior.

Yoru instinctively stood straight, his muscles tensing up.

...

August 7th.

Yoru was in the shower after finishing his morning jog and some additional cardio, washing himself off.

In front of the full-length mirror, he rubbed his damp hair with two fingers.

"175."

That was his current weight—just measured, fresh and exact.

"It gets harder the further you go," he muttered in dissatisfaction.

Still, his weight loss speed had been insane.

From a 300-pound behemoth who couldn't even run straight, to a mildly chubby guy hovering just above the average line—it hadn't taken long at all.

If it were about gaining weight, not even pigs bulk up as fast as Yoru had.

And yet, he still wasn't satisfied.

"My face is still fat. The stubborn fat just won't go. My waist and thighs too..."

Yoru sighed softly, turned off the shower, and dried himself off.

After getting dressed, he walked out.

In the kitchen, he looked for some fruit to eat.

The fridge was empty.

So he decided to head out and buy something.

He grabbed some cash and his phone and went out without locking the door.

While scrolling through the news on his phone, Yoru headed downstairs.

At the stairwell corner, he ran into Nanami.

"Morning, Aoyama-san. Haven't seen you in a while."

Yoru was the first to greet her.

Though they lived in the same apartment building—he on the fourth floor and she on the second—their daily routines were different. They didn't run into each other often.

"Morning! Where are you off to?"

"And wow, you've really slimmed down, Kitakami-kun. So fast too."

Nanami wasn't in a hurry. She looked at Yoru, whose damp hair hung down and covered much of his face.

Her mind wandered back to the first time she'd met him.

"Back then, he was really fat..."

She recalled his earlier kindness to her and how she had misunderstood him.

That lingering guilt and her desire to make up for it had never quite gone away—she had only buried it temporarily.

"Well, I've been working hard to lose weight. But it's getting harder and harder. The fat on my face is especially stubborn."

"My body still looks kind of fat."

As he spoke, a droplet slid down from Yoru's hanging hair.

Here's a simple analogy:

Say a person's normal weight is 120 pounds. If they binge and gain 50 pounds quickly, most of the fat accumulates around the belly and waist, and the face doesn't change much. Their facial features aren't dramatically affected.

But—

If someone weighs 300 pounds, they're fat everywhere. The stubborn fat builds up all over—not just around the waist and belly.

So even though Yoru had lost a lot of weight, his situation was very different from others'.

There's a difference between someone slowly gaining to 170 pounds and someone slimming down to 170 pounds.

Looks are mostly determined by facial features.

And if your face is fat, how can that look good?

In all his years, Yoru had never seen a fat person who was truly good-looking.

"Being fat ruins everything." That held true worldwide.

"No worries. You're already pretty slim—hardly a fatty anymore."

Nanami looked him over. Compared to those pot-bellied middle-aged office workers, Yoru was only slightly chubby.

He was no longer that exaggerated sumo-sized guy.

"Thanks."

Yoru nodded slightly. As he spoke, another droplet fell from his hair.

"Tch..."

A little annoyed, Yoru brushed his hair back and pushed it over his head.

He stood right in front of Nanami.

"Eh..."

She hadn't been paying close attention, but once she saw his face clearly, she froze.

All her attention locked onto Yoru's face.

How to put it—

Still a bit chubby, but his clean, defined features were beginning to show.

Handsome. Charming.

He was already a good-looking guy.

Nanami thought seriously about it—despite his still slightly round face, his looks already surpassed many of the boys at school.

"What's wrong?"

Yoru noticed the pretty girl in front of him spacing out and asked curiously.

"N-nothing..."

"I just remembered something about my voice acting exam. Zoned out a bit..."

Prideful and a little shy, Nanami wasn't about to admit she got distracted because Yoru had become handsome.

"An exam? Good luck, then."

Yoru didn't have much else to say, so he simply encouraged Nanami.

"It's still early. I've got at least a few months to prepare."

Nanami shifted her gaze away from Yoru's now-handsome face and smiled shyly.

"Well, see you. I'm heading out to buy a few things."

Yoru waved and walked downstairs.

Nanami didn't go straight home. Instead, she stared at Yoru's back and muttered under her breath, "He really became a handsome guy... If he slims down all the way, just how hot is he gonna get?"

Not to mention, what kind of crappy hairstyle was Yoru even keeping right now?

If he just cleaned himself up a little, his face alone would rival Hayato.

For some reason, Nanami found herself looking forward to it.

But right now, Yoru hadn't fully realized his own attractiveness.

He was slimming down way too fast.

Just two months ago, he was still a big guy.

Even for someone without an easy-to-gain-fat body, a result like his would take at least a year of solid effort.

And that's assuming very serious commitment.

Because of this, while Yoru's appearance had undergone a major upgrade, his sense of self still lagged behind, stuck in the past.

Humans are visual creatures.

Sometimes, you look in the mirror and think, "Hey, I'm kind of handsome."

Other times, you stare into the same mirror and wonder, "Who the hell is that ugly dude? When did I become so gross?"

And don't even get started on the difference between a mirror and a phone camera—it's like night and day.

After a shower, when his hair's still wet, Yoru might feel super good-looking.

But the truth was, having been overweight for so long, he carried a deeply ingrained self-loathing.

He'd instinctively brainwashed himself, forming a fixed image.

Just thinking of himself or catching sight in a mirror triggered thoughts like: "I'm just a disgusting, ugly, fat loser."

He never saw any value in his looks, and didn't know how to evaluate himself.

It's like how someone from one culture might find beauty in features that someone from another culture wouldn't.

In Yoru's mind, all he could see was that his face was still kind of chubby, still packed with stubborn fat.

Therefore—ugly.

But in reality, even though he hadn't slimmed down completely, his current looks already rivaled the most handsome guys at school.

Guys like that were rare in Shuchiin Academy.

Surrounded by girls who constantly flocked around them.

Even if Yoru stopped losing weight right now, just by getting a haircut and showing up to school with his current face, he'd attract tons of admirers.

…

Yoru went to the supermarket and bought two bags of food—mostly meat, seafood, vegetables, and fruit.

No snacks. He still didn't dare eat those.

Back home—

He pulled out the handwritten notes Yukino had made for him and studied them seriously.

Even during summer break, he carved out two hours a day for review.

With his tenfold boost, he was making rapid progress.

He had basically self-studied and mastered all of last semester's material.

After finishing his daily routine, it was around 11:30 a.m.

Yoru had a simple lunch, played with San-san for a bit, then headed to Angel Café for work with his long hair still down.

The café's renovations had already finished two days ago.

The latex paint was dry, the tile floors laid.

Now it just needed final touches—furniture set up, booths arranged, equipment installed...

Everything would be ready by the start of the new semester.

Wearing a black baseball cap and a loose short-sleeved shirt, Yoru left the house.

Around 12:30, he arrived at the café right on time.

At the door—

Woof woof~!

Yui's dog Sablé barked happily at him.

It still remembered the beef jerky treats Yoru had given it.

"Who is it?!"

Yui rushed out from the staff room after hearing the barking.

When she saw the slightly chubby guy wearing a black cap with his face hidden by long hair, she was first startled, then puzzled.

"It's me, Yuigahama-san, haha..."

Yoru gave a sheepish but cheerful smile.

Had he slimmed down so fast even Yuigahama couldn't recognize him?

"K-K-K-K-Kitakami-kun?!"

"You… you..."

Yuigahama's eyes widened in disbelief.

She'd known he was losing weight before finals, and his changes were already noticeable.

But now, after just over a month without seeing him, the transformation was shocking.

"I'm fine. Just a body type thing. I gain weight fast, but I lose it fast too."

Yoru made up an excuse.

He had worked hard for it, drop by drop of sweat, with time to transition.

Sure, others were surprised, but no one would think it unnatural or scary.

Now if he had slimmed down overnight? That would be terrifying.

They might've even dragged him to a government lab for research… a walking meat-sample goldmine.

"Really? Well, congrats then."

Yui swallowed nervously, then laughed and accepted it with a grin.

"Yaha! Yoru-kun's here?"

Yuigahama Yae came out, standing behind her daughter.

In that moment, the vibrant and cute Yui seemed to fade into the background—just another ordinary girl.

Yae was the true jewel, radiant and rare.

Next to her, her daughter paled in comparison.

Any man would know exactly who he'd pick.

"Manager Yuigahama."

Yoru looked at Yae and gave an awkward little bow.

"It's fine. There's still some time. You two chat. I'm going to watch my romance dramas."

Yae waved them off and went back to the break room.

"Hu~"

Yoru took off his hat, letting his hair breathe as he sighed in relief.

He always felt tense and pressured around Yae.

His classmate's mom...

Yeah...

"Want something to drink?"

Yui offered.

"Thanks."

Yoru nodded and brushed a handful of hair back, revealing his face for a few seconds.

Yui turned away at first but turned back around, her soft pink lips parting slightly and her eyes blinking rapidly.

Was she imagining it?

She thought—

Did he just look... super handsome?

As she secretly muttered in her heart, her eyes locked onto Yoru's face, practically burning through him.

But his hair fell forward again.

She couldn't see.

That little glimpse sparked a burning curiosity, an itch she just had to scratch.

Yui waved a hand and headed to the kitchen to get Yoru some water.

After all, drinking meant tilting your head back a bit, right?

Soon, Yui came back with a drink and walked up to Yoru.

He was sitting in a backed chair, just as she hoped.

"Thanks."

Yoru had the ability to read minds, but he didn't abuse it—and definitely didn't keep it on all the time.

Yui didn't leave right away. She crossed her arms and tried to hide her curiosity, watching Yoru casually.

She hadn't gotten a good look before.

Click—

The bottle cap popped.

Yoru ran his fingers through his hair, brushing it aside to reveal his full face. He leaned back slightly and took a sip.

"So handsome!"

Yuigahama Yui stared wide-eyed at him, then suddenly gasped, realizing what she'd just thought.

She quickly turned around and covered her mouth.

She had seen clearly—Yoru had become super handsome!

'No way, seriously?!'

'It's only been just over a month and he lost that much weight? He really turned into a hottie...'

'His face is still a bit chubby, but once school starts, no one's going to call him a disgusting fat otaku pervert anymore, right?'

'He'll probably be super popular...'

Yui took her hand off her mouth and slowly turned her head, trying to catch another glimpse of Yoru's face from the corner of her eye.

And then...

'Ah, never mind. He let his hair fall down again.'

'Yoru-kun must be really happy right now, suddenly turning into a handsome guy~'

Not being able to see Yoru's face anymore, Yui relaxed.

Strange, really.

Some girls go weak in the knees when they see a handsome guy and can't help but scream in excitement.

Meanwhile, Yoru, quietly sipping his drink, was completely unaware that his good looks had already left two beautiful girls stunned today.

That afternoon—

A large delivery truck pulled up with six workers, carrying chairs, tables, and booth sofas for the café.

The workers were responsible for moving the booth sofas inside and roughly positioning them where you wanted them.

But they weren't going to take the time to consider aesthetics or precise spacing and do fine adjustments.

So now, it was time for Yoru to lend his strength.

That was also why Yui had come over to help this afternoon.

The regular chairs were rattan-woven with wooden frames—not very heavy.

The heavy stuff was the tables and booth sofas.

Yae had even taken Yoru's suggestion and added a row of single-seat bar tables along the wall, like in a fast-food place.

Holes had been drilled in the wall, with grooves left in the floor to support them.

Under Yae's direction, the workers brought everything in piece by piece.

After half an hour, it was finally time for the three of them to get to work.

"These booth sofas are pretty heavy. Yoru-kun, I'll be counting on you to help me push them into place, okay?"

"Yui, just take care of the chairs."

Yae smiled sweetly at Yoru, lips curved softly. There was no room for refusal.

Yoru responded by walking to the opposite side of the sofa from Yae and placing his large hands on it.

"Let's push it together, up against the wall should be fine."

Yae kept her gentle, cute expression as she got ready to push with effort.

"No problem, I'm pretty strong."

Even back when Yoru had been obese, he was strong.

During his weight loss plan, 70% had been cardio, but the other 30% was strength training.

Losing fat while building muscle—otherwise, your skin would get all saggy.

Things were going well. None of the bad outcomes he feared had come to pass.

Together, Yoru and Yae pushed the several-hundred-pound booth sofa into position.

The café was pretty spacious.

It could easily seat an entire class of students.

Yui didn't have the strength for this kind of heavy labor, so Yoru and Yae had to handle it together.

But that didn't matter.

There wasn't too much to do—half an hour tops.

The real point was that Yoru was constantly walking and working alongside Yae. If they weren't lifting things face-to-face, they were close enough to feel each other's breath while moving furniture.

Yoru wasn't all that tired. No flushed face, no shortness of breath.

His usual training hadn't gone to waste—it was paying off now.

In the end, Yae was still a woman. Even with a bit more strength than most, it wasn't enough.

Soon, her gentle, mature face turned bright red.

Her perfect figure became even more apparent as she moved, her full lips parting slightly as she panted.

Beads of fragrant sweat gathered on her face, soaking her tied-up orange hair.

Yoru started to feel uncomfortable.

Yae could easily be his mom's age!

She was his classmate Yui's mom.

And Yui was standing right there.

Holding back a wave of temptation, Yoru couldn't help but feel an odd, forbidden thrill every time he looked at Yae.

Thankfully, the work was finally done.

Angel Café was starting to take shape.

"Yoru-kun, you've really lost so much weight."

"Whew~ When we go back to school, everyone's going to be shocked!"

Yui panted slightly as she sat down beside Yoru to rest.

"Really?"

Yoru smiled, clenching and then relaxing his fists.

'If Kasumigaoka Utaha and everyone at school finds out I'm not the one who stole the panties and stockings, they're gonna be even more shocked.'

'I wonder if Eriri has spoken to Kasumigaoka yet. School's starting in just over twenty days.'

'And there's still another golden treasure chest! One that hasn't appeared yet...'

'I used to think only bad girls had those treasure chests above their heads, but Megumi didn't, and neither did Hayasaka, and they never hurt me.'

In Japan, high school is divided into three terms.

April is the start of the first term, September the second, and January the third.

"That gift you were talking about earlier—did you get it? Is it for Yukinon?"

Yui fanned herself with her small hand.

"Yeah, I've got half of it ready. It's not just for Yukinoshita, but also for Hiratsuka-sensei..."

Yoru didn't mention Fujiwara Chika.

"Hiratsuka-sensei, huh... I see. That's... complicated."

Yui turned back around and nodded slightly as she rested.

Yoru was thinking about the golden treasure chests.

Megumi's had given him the power of mind-reading and time reversal.

Eriri's had two crazy buffs.

One let him lose weight, study, and cook at an insane pace—like a tenfold return on effort.

The other was a little "Good Luck" buff.

It gave him bursts of good fortune, helping him avoid accidents and misfortune...

That luck showed up in all kinds of ways.

Most obviously, Yoru had won a pair ticket for a two-night, three-day trip in Kanagawa.

Hmm...

He met Ichinose Honami on that trip and accidentally overheard a conversation between her and that girl San-san. That probably counted?

And that silver-haired cold beauty from middle school—he didn't know her, but they'd had a brief encounter.

Then there was...

Yoru touched his still slightly chubby cheeks.

In the mirror, he still saw a round face.

But maybe that charm that makes the girls like you more as you grow—that was the typical light novel protagonist aura.

That, and the powers of a certain doujin main character.

And finally, a strange magical force with no clear description...

Yoru really had no clue what it was.

Totally matched the vague name of that buff, though.

Still lost in thought, Yoru stood up and walked toward the restroom.

The door was closed, meaning Yae was inside.

Keeping a respectful distance, Yoru leaned against the wall, idly playing with his long hair.

He grabbed it, loosened it, let it fall again.

In his mind, he still saw himself as a gross fat otaku, his face still too round.

But what Yoru didn't realize was that his features were no longer squished together under 300 pounds of fat. He no longer had that revolting mess of sagging skin.

Now in the mildly overweight range, his proportions were starting to balance out. His facial features had begun to emerge, showing hints of extraordinary attractiveness.

No matter what country you put him in, Yoru's face now met the local definition of handsome.

Right now, he was like a rare flowerbud, just starting to bloom.

He just needed a little more time to fully blossom—and amaze everyone around him.

Clunk—

Yae opened the door and saw Yoru standing outside.

Come to think of it, Yoru-kun's weight loss progress was insane. He'd visibly slimmed down.

She wondered what kind of diet and workout plan he'd used. Could she try it too?

Maybe they could exercise together?

Yae still cared a lot about maintaining her perfect figure. Lately, she'd been feeling it was getting a bit too full.

She was about to speak when Yoru grabbed his hair again, revealing a slightly chubby but undeniably handsome face as he walked toward the restroom.

"Eh? Yoru-kun?"

Yae's lips parted slightly in surprise.

Not long ago, Yoru's face had been too pudgy to see his features. Could someone like that even be good-looking?

But now, just from slimming down a bit, he'd become incredibly handsome. It was shocking!

"What's wrong, Manager Yuigahama?"

Yoru stepped in front of her, slightly turning his body, avoiding direct eye contact.

"You've lost so much weight~"

Yae, knowing Yoru was heading in, leaned against the wall and stepped out of the way.

She hadn't expected that she'd gotten so exhausted earlier and had to sit on the toilet a bit longer to recover.

The floor near the restroom was slick and a bit damp—hard to keep her footing!

Uae lost control of her body and stumbled forward, falling directly toward Yoru.

Yoru hadn't dared to look at her.

They were already standing just a step apart, and he didn't react in time.

His attempt to catch her came too late.

Yae, driven by instinct, flailed her hands toward Yoru to grab something.

Likewise, Yoru's first reaction upon seeing someone fall was to reach out and catch them—but he was too slow.

In the narrow hallway—just wide enough for two adult men to squeeze through—Yae ended up tackling Yoru.

It all happened in less than half a second.

Yoru instinctively tried to brace himself with one arm behind his back, hoping to soften the impact and avoid injury.

But in a flash, Yae had pushed him to the floor.

Yoru fell mostly straight, the back of his head lightly bumping the ground. One palm hit the floor, with his elbow barely holding him up.

He hadn't absorbed much of the shock.

His other hand flailed against the wall, totally helpless.

Yae, meanwhile, landed squarely on his abdomen, knees hitting the ground, body leaning forward. One hand clenched tightly onto Yoru's shirt, the other hung in the air.

Their faces were practically touching.

Yoru's hair spilled down, brushing his ears, with a few strands covering his slightly plump but handsome face.

He froze, mind blank.

All he could feel was the soft pressure of two heavy mounds weighing down on his stomach—pleasant, but heavy.

Those two mounds were... really substantial.

And his nose was filled with Yae's sweet, almost intoxicating fragrance.

"You're... you're crushing me..."

Yoru's lungs felt like they were being twisted and compressed, his breath growing shorter.

If she sat on his face, he might actually suffocate.

Hearing the strained groans from below, Yae didn't react right away.

From above, her wide, watery eyes stared dazedly at the young face beneath her—his hair loose, his features youthful and striking.

He looked just like the male leads in the romance dramas she liked.