Chapter 9 - The Mob Heroine Just Needs a Good Push
It had only been a week since summer vacation started. A bit of light exercise early in the morning wasn’t enough to change one’s weight much.
In fact, Mogami-san herself said that her weight hadn’t gone down significantly. Even so, she still took off her baggy tracksuit.
The fact that she never took it off before, not even for a second, no matter how hot it got... looking back, that was a clear reflection of her psychological state. Showing herself to others scared her. That was why she wore extra layers, as if to protect herself, even just a little.
But now, she had taken those off and was wearing a t-shirt.
That could only mean one thing. She was slowly starting to change.
"Is... this really a good thing...?"
"Yeah. It's an amazing thing. Mogami-san, thank you for being born."
“Uuuh… y-you’re thanking me so earnestly, it’s kind of overwhelming.”
Even as she said that, she didn't seem bothered in the slightest. If she was the type who hated this kind of topic, she'd definitely be making a much more unpleasant face.
Surprisingly, Mogami-san seemed rather tolerant toward dirty jokes.
…No, I shouldn’t just assume that. Better ask her directly.
"Hey, um... I know it's a little late, but... are you bothered by, like... dirty jokes? If you are, I'll try to be more mindful."
“Dirty jokes…? Was what you said just now considered one?”
Apparently, she hadn't even considered it as one.
“I don’t think I mind, really. At least, when it’s you saying it, Sato-kun, I don’t feel uncomfortable.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. I mean, books can have way more intense ones than that.”
I see, that made sense. Mogami-san loved reading, especially romance novels. So she must’ve been used to those kinds of descriptions.
"I see, that's a relief. I was just... so thrown off a minute ago that my honest feelings just slipped out. I was worried that if you hated it, I should probably be more careful about saying that stuff—"
"—Then just tell me your honest feelings."
…Huh?
That was unusual for her. Normally, she wasn’t the type to speak her mind so directly. But now, she was shaking her head firmly in response to my words.
"Dirty jokes, or... comments about my body... even if it's hard to say, I want you to tell me, Sato-kun. If I'm really uncomfortable, I'll be sure to tell you. So... please... just tell me what your honest feelings are, okay?"
I see.
As expected, Mogami-san wasn’t doing this half-heartedly. She was genuinely trying to change herself. Therefore, it was only natural that she didn't want me to hold back around her.
“…Alright. Got it. I’ll say whatever I need to. Just leave it to me.”
I steeled my resolve all over again.
Honestly, I like Mogami-san so much that sometimes I couldn’t help but soften my words around her. But she had just made it clear that she didn't want that. In that case, I have to honor her resolve properly.
Holding back… was unnecessary.
"There's one thing I've been wanting to say. You ready?"
"Yeah! Tell me anything."
“Then, let me just say this properly… You keep saying you’re fat, but to me, you don’t look like that at all. If anything, I actually prefer how you are right now. So, please stop putting yourself down.”
It had been bugging me this whole time. I just didn’t want her to hate on her own appearance anymore.
This whole ‘I can't take off my tracksuit because I'm fat’...! What a load of crap! She wasn’t fat at all, she was just secretly stacked this whole time, and she's been suffering for nothing. So, yeah... I'm actually a little angry about it.
“Please don’t put down the body of my beloved Mogami-san so much.”
“S-so you… love it?”
“Yeah. I love it. So, apologize.”
“Eh? Apologize?”
“Yeah. Say, ‘I’m sorry for hiding that I’m not fat, just secretly stacked.’”
“W-why?”
"Because you surprised me! You were already so attractive, and yet you were hiding such a secret weapon… Apologize! Say, ‘I’m sorry for being so stacked!’”
"Hic! I-I'm sorry!!"
Once again, my intensity must’ve overwhelmed her. She flinched and trembled, blurting out an apology.
And with that little flinch... her chest gave a soft jiggle. Her 'mekakure' trait was already S-tier... but to think she also had the 'secretly stacked' trait...!
At this rate… maybe we could move on to the next phase. There was nothing wrong with her figure at all.
So next up… would be her hairstyle—.
