[Warning 15+]
Part Two~Save That Old Energy Only For Me, Seriously!~Chapter 45Being a Maiden in Love is Such a Pain
The moon hadn't even climbed into the eastern sky yet.
Even without the moonlight, the streetlights kept the night path from being pitch black.
"Huff, puff, huff, puff...!"
A lone girl was sprinting down the road. Her long hair was a total mess as she ran flat out.
Honestly, it was a pretty weird sight.
The girl's face was beet red all the way down to her neck; If it were daytime, she definitely would've had everyone staring at her.
"I'm home!"
Haruki tossed out her usual greeting into the darkness and dove straight into the changing room. She didn't even notice, but this was the first time she'd ever skipped waiting for a "welcome back."
Haruki chucked her sweat-soaked blouse and everything else straight into the washer and cranked the shower, taking the freezing cold water right to the head before it even had a chance to warm up.
"Friggin' cold!"
Yelling the obvious, Haruki stayed under the shower as the water finally started to warm up. All that sticky sweat was long gone and her body felt totally refreshed, but that weird fog hanging over her heart didn't show any signs of clearing up, no matter how long she stood there.
Honestly, lately even the smallest things have been tripping her up like this.
"Ugh..."
Even Haruki's self-aware enough to realize she's been acting and talking totally out of pocket sometimes.
But despite all that, Hayato hasn't really changed since they reunited, which lowkey pisses Haruki off for some reason.
The only thing keeping Haruki sane and balanced was the fact that Hayato's clearly not used to girls; She felt like she had the upper hand—a total trump card—knowing she could make him flustered just by getting a little bold with the skinship.
But today at noon, something happened that totally shook that confidence.
That happened right after Haruki managed to dodge that "interrogation session" from the girls in her class and bailed.
Haruki headed over to the secret base, but it was totally empty. So, she figured Hayato'd be at his usual spot—the veggie flowerbed—and sure enough, there he was.
"Haya... ...Kirishi—"
Haruki was about to call out the second she spotted Hayato, but for some reason, the words just wouldn't come out.
With a bag of fertilizer in one hand, Hayato was tending to the garden like a pro, and every now and then, he'd help out that girl from the Gardening Club—Mitake Minamo—using this super gentle tone of voice.
It looked like Minamo really leaned on Hayato, too, asking all these questions to make sure she was doing things right.
It was a side of Hayato that Haruki had never seen before.
(Oh, right... ...Hayato has always been the type to look after people...)
The promise they made at the secret base to eat lunch together from now on, that time Hayato practically forced himself to walk Haruki home, and how he stubbornly insisted she stay over because he didn't want her to be alone—all those memories came flooding back to Haruki.
To Haruki, Hayato was an irreplaceable buddy, and what he was doing right now was just one of his many virtues that she was usually proud of.
But for some reason, Haruki felt this sharp little sting in her chest.
Torn by her own reaction, Haruki started sizing up Mitake Minamo.
Since they went to different middle schools, Haruki barely knew anything about the girl. Minamo seemed quiet and was a good head shorter than Haruki, but d*mn, Minamo's curves were something else.
Plus, Minamo had this "small animal" vibe—a kind of cute, girly charm that Haruki just couldn't pull off when she was around Hayato.
(W-Wait...)
Haruki got this nasty feeling. But she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.
Watching them have a blast playing in the dirt together, Haruki's irritation just kept building and building.
And when Hayato's face went beet red after catching a glimpse of those things that were way bigger than Haruki's, Haruki hit her limit and charged right between the two of them.
Haruki knew she was being totally childish after that. She was basically just throwing a tantrum.
That's why, even though Himeko caught Haruki off guard, Haruki was actually grateful. Despite the lingering weirdness, Haruki's plan was to just reset her feelings and go back to normal by tomorrow—at least, that was the plan.
'Ahaha, tell me about it. Honestly, Hayato should've just settled for me and been happy with th—...at...'
Out of nowhere, a stray thought from their mindless convo smacked Haruki with the answer to that weird vibe she'd been feeling.
(I actually thought someone was gonna steal Hayato from me!)
It wasn't just some petty jealousy; It was more like straight-up possessiveness.
Haruki gets that Hayato is a healthy teenage boy, and she totally understands how that stuff works. In fact, that's exactly why she teases him. She was also 💯% sure that he trusted her and knew she got him.
But even so, seeing Hayato get all flustered over some other girl just didn't sit right with Haruki at all.
(I mean, it's not like mine are that small either...)
The second that thought popped into her head, Haruki tried to drown it out by cranking the shower up, but it was already at max blast.
"Ugh, forget it!"
Desperate to shake off that nagging feeling, Haruki started scrubbing her whole body like crazy until she was covered in suds, but her heart just wouldn't stop racing.
Looked like this shower was gonna be another marathon session.
◇◇◇
"Man, it's scorching..."
Haruki's body was basically on the verge of passin' out from staying in that hot shower way too long.
Done with the heat, Haruki grabbed some ice cream from the freezer, bolted back to her room, and cranked the AC.
"Ow, brain freeze! But d*mn, this is good!"
Taking a massive bite out of the ice cream gave Haruki a k*ller headache, but it only lasted a second before she went right back to inhaling it.
Since Haruki still had all that mess weighing on her chest, this was basically just a straight-up stress-eating session.
(Anyway, it's all Hayato's fault!)
After mulling it over with her head spinning, that was the only conclusion Haruki reached. She knew she was just being petty and taking it out on Hayato, but she couldn't help herself.
That's just how much of a wreck Haruki's heart was right now.
Even though Haruki was still being j*rked around by her feelings just like before, she knew deep down that things couldn't just go back to the way they used to be. She felt that realization right in her gut.
But at the same time, part of Haruki didn't think this was all that bad—and Haruki was honestly mostly fed up with herself for feeling that way.
"I wish we could just stay like this forever."
Haruki let the wish slip out under her breath.
But Haruki knew from past experience—whether she liked it or not—that things never actually stay the same.
~~~~~♪
"!"
As if to snap Haruki back to reality, her smartphone let out a loud notification ping.
'...Haru-chan.'
"Hmm, oh, it's just you, Hime-chan. Wh-What's up?"
'...Are you okay, Haru-chan?'
"Eh, okay with what exactly...?"
Himeko's voice was weirdly dark and sounded dead serious.
Haruki felt like her inner thoughts from a second ago had been read like a book, and her heart started racing whether she liked it or not.
'...My weight went up by — kg.'
"—!"
And just like that, Haruki was speechless. Mostly because she knew exactly why that happened.
'Haru-chan, you totally went for seconds again tonight, didn't you...?'
"A-A-A-Ah...!"
Lately—specifically since Haruki started having dinner over at Hayato's place—the food has just been tasting way too good.
Unlike before, when Haruki just ate mechanically like she was fueling a machine, sitting around the table and chatting with everyone made her keep reaching for more until she was asking for seconds every time.
And to make matters worse, Haruki's been having more of these nights where she comes home, gets all up in her feelings, and starts stress-eating ice cream.
'What about you, Haru-chan?'
"Wait, hold on, I'm probably fine? Yeah, for sure."
'Let's face reality, okay? Let's fix this before it's too late. Weigh yourself right now.'
"A-Ahaha, I'm telling you, I'm fine..."
Even as she said that, Haruki couldn't ignore the "suspicious" vibes she'd been getting from her waistline and her upper arms lately.
Talking as she headed back to the changing room, Haruki set her smartphone on the vanity and hesitated before stepping onto the scale. Then, she suddenly stripped off every single stitch of clothing until she was buck naked.
It was a pathetic last stand, hoping to shave off even just a few hundred grams.
"Mya~?!?!"
But reality is a cold-hearted beast. Just like Himeko, Haruki's scale showed a growth rate of nearly +10% compared to her last weigh-in.
'Fufu... ...looks like the Diet Alliance is officially formed, huh?'
Himeko's voice echoed from the smartphone on the vanity, sounding dark and determined to drag her comrade down into the abyss with her.
Haruki's body was definitely changing right along with her heart, and those budding maiden feelings were only gonna get more and more complicated from here on out.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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The moon hadn't even climbed into the eastern sky yet.
Even without the moonlight, the streetlights kept the night path from being pitch black.
"Huff, puff, huff, puff...!"
A lone girl was sprinting down the road. Her long hair was a total mess as she ran flat out.
Honestly, it was a pretty weird sight.
The girl's face was beet red all the way down to her neck; If it were daytime, she definitely would've had everyone staring at her.
"I'm home!"
Haruki tossed out her usual greeting into the darkness and dove straight into the changing room. She didn't even notice, but this was the first time she'd ever skipped waiting for a "welcome back."
Haruki chucked her sweat-soaked blouse and everything else straight into the washer and cranked the shower, taking the freezing cold water right to the head before it even had a chance to warm up.
"Friggin' cold!"
Yelling the obvious, Haruki stayed under the shower as the water finally started to warm up. All that sticky sweat was long gone and her body felt totally refreshed, but that weird fog hanging over her heart didn't show any signs of clearing up, no matter how long she stood there.
Honestly, lately even the smallest things have been tripping her up like this.
"Ugh..."
Even Haruki's self-aware enough to realize she's been acting and talking totally out of pocket sometimes.
But despite all that, Hayato hasn't really changed since they reunited, which lowkey pisses Haruki off for some reason.
The only thing keeping Haruki sane and balanced was the fact that Hayato's clearly not used to girls; She felt like she had the upper hand—a total trump card—knowing she could make him flustered just by getting a little bold with the skinship.
But today at noon, something happened that totally shook that confidence.
That happened right after Haruki managed to dodge that "interrogation session" from the girls in her class and bailed.
Haruki headed over to the secret base, but it was totally empty. So, she figured Hayato'd be at his usual spot—the veggie flowerbed—and sure enough, there he was.
"Haya... ...Kirishi—"
Haruki was about to call out the second she spotted Hayato, but for some reason, the words just wouldn't come out.
With a bag of fertilizer in one hand, Hayato was tending to the garden like a pro, and every now and then, he'd help out that girl from the Gardening Club—Mitake Minamo—using this super gentle tone of voice.
It looked like Minamo really leaned on Hayato, too, asking all these questions to make sure she was doing things right.
It was a side of Hayato that Haruki had never seen before.
(Oh, right... ...Hayato has always been the type to look after people...)
The promise they made at the secret base to eat lunch together from now on, that time Hayato practically forced himself to walk Haruki home, and how he stubbornly insisted she stay over because he didn't want her to be alone—all those memories came flooding back to Haruki.
To Haruki, Hayato was an irreplaceable buddy, and what he was doing right now was just one of his many virtues that she was usually proud of.
But for some reason, Haruki felt this sharp little sting in her chest.
Torn by her own reaction, Haruki started sizing up Mitake Minamo.
Since they went to different middle schools, Haruki barely knew anything about the girl. Minamo seemed quiet and was a good head shorter than Haruki, but d*mn, Minamo's curves were something else.
Plus, Minamo had this "small animal" vibe—a kind of cute, girly charm that Haruki just couldn't pull off when she was around Hayato.
(W-Wait...)
Haruki got this nasty feeling. But she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.
Watching them have a blast playing in the dirt together, Haruki's irritation just kept building and building.
And when Hayato's face went beet red after catching a glimpse of those things that were way bigger than Haruki's, Haruki hit her limit and charged right between the two of them.
Haruki knew she was being totally childish after that. She was basically just throwing a tantrum.
That's why, even though Himeko caught Haruki off guard, Haruki was actually grateful. Despite the lingering weirdness, Haruki's plan was to just reset her feelings and go back to normal by tomorrow—at least, that was the plan.
'Ahaha, tell me about it. Honestly, Hayato should've just settled for me and been happy with th—...at...'
Out of nowhere, a stray thought from their mindless convo smacked Haruki with the answer to that weird vibe she'd been feeling.
(I actually thought someone was gonna steal Hayato from me!)
It wasn't just some petty jealousy; It was more like straight-up possessiveness.
Haruki gets that Hayato is a healthy teenage boy, and she totally understands how that stuff works. In fact, that's exactly why she teases him. She was also 💯% sure that he trusted her and knew she got him.
But even so, seeing Hayato get all flustered over some other girl just didn't sit right with Haruki at all.
(I mean, it's not like mine are that small either...)
The second that thought popped into her head, Haruki tried to drown it out by cranking the shower up, but it was already at max blast.
"Ugh, forget it!"
Desperate to shake off that nagging feeling, Haruki started scrubbing her whole body like crazy until she was covered in suds, but her heart just wouldn't stop racing.
Looked like this shower was gonna be another marathon session.
◇◇◇
"Man, it's scorching..."
Haruki's body was basically on the verge of passin' out from staying in that hot shower way too long.
Done with the heat, Haruki grabbed some ice cream from the freezer, bolted back to her room, and cranked the AC.
"Ow, brain freeze! But d*mn, this is good!"
Taking a massive bite out of the ice cream gave Haruki a k*ller headache, but it only lasted a second before she went right back to inhaling it.
Since Haruki still had all that mess weighing on her chest, this was basically just a straight-up stress-eating session.
(Anyway, it's all Hayato's fault!)
After mulling it over with her head spinning, that was the only conclusion Haruki reached. She knew she was just being petty and taking it out on Hayato, but she couldn't help herself.
That's just how much of a wreck Haruki's heart was right now.
Even though Haruki was still being j*rked around by her feelings just like before, she knew deep down that things couldn't just go back to the way they used to be. She felt that realization right in her gut.
But at the same time, part of Haruki didn't think this was all that bad—and Haruki was honestly mostly fed up with herself for feeling that way.
"I wish we could just stay like this forever."
Haruki let the wish slip out under her breath.
But Haruki knew from past experience—whether she liked it or not—that things never actually stay the same.
~~~~~♪
"!"
As if to snap Haruki back to reality, her smartphone let out a loud notification ping.
'...Haru-chan.'
"Hmm, oh, it's just you, Hime-chan. Wh-What's up?"
'...Are you okay, Haru-chan?'
"Eh, okay with what exactly...?"
Himeko's voice was weirdly dark and sounded dead serious.
Haruki felt like her inner thoughts from a second ago had been read like a book, and her heart started racing whether she liked it or not.
'...My weight went up by — kg.'
"—!"
And just like that, Haruki was speechless. Mostly because she knew exactly why that happened.
'Haru-chan, you totally went for seconds again tonight, didn't you...?'
"A-A-A-Ah...!"
Lately—specifically since Haruki started having dinner over at Hayato's place—the food has just been tasting way too good.
Unlike before, when Haruki just ate mechanically like she was fueling a machine, sitting around the table and chatting with everyone made her keep reaching for more until she was asking for seconds every time.
And to make matters worse, Haruki's been having more of these nights where she comes home, gets all up in her feelings, and starts stress-eating ice cream.
'What about you, Haru-chan?'
"Wait, hold on, I'm probably fine? Yeah, for sure."
'Let's face reality, okay? Let's fix this before it's too late. Weigh yourself right now.'
"A-Ahaha, I'm telling you, I'm fine..."
Even as she said that, Haruki couldn't ignore the "suspicious" vibes she'd been getting from her waistline and her upper arms lately.
Talking as she headed back to the changing room, Haruki set her smartphone on the vanity and hesitated before stepping onto the scale. Then, she suddenly stripped off every single stitch of clothing until she was buck naked.
It was a pathetic last stand, hoping to shave off even just a few hundred grams.
"Mya~?!?!"
But reality is a cold-hearted beast. Just like Himeko, Haruki's scale showed a growth rate of nearly +10% compared to her last weigh-in.
'Fufu... ...looks like the Diet Alliance is officially formed, huh?'
Himeko's voice echoed from the smartphone on the vanity, sounding dark and determined to drag her comrade down into the abyss with her.
Haruki's body was definitely changing right along with her heart, and those budding maiden feelings were only gonna get more and more complicated from here on out.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
If you like our work, please consider supporting us on Ko-fi. 🙏
Support Us: https://ko-fi.com/ninjacross
Donations are very much appreciated.
Your donations really support us to finish this novel from here until the end, so please consider to support us.
Follow Our Official WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaRa6nHCsU9OAB0U370F
Read in other languages: