142 - What is a Cheat Day?

RAW

After the short homeroom at the end of the day, the classroom became lively as classmates left for club activities, prepared to go home, or stayed behind to chat with friends.

In the midst of this, Haruto approached Ayaka’s desk.

She was talking with her friends, but when she saw Haruto coming toward her, she greeted him with a bright smile.

"Haruto, are you heading home already?"

"Yeah."

Hearing his reply, Ayaka wrapped up her conversation with her friends and began packing up.

Just then, Tomoya and Saki joined them.

"Haruu~ I'm starving~ Buy me something on the way home~"

"Why would I?"

"Akagi-kun, aren’t you always hungry?"

"The stomach of a high school boy is infinite, Aizawa-san."

Hearing Tomoya’s words, spoken as if explaining a fundamental truth, Ayaka glanced at Haruto.

"Now that you mention it, Haruto, you don’t eat that much, do you?"

"No, that’s not true. I think he just eats way too much."

"Haruto, you need to eat properly, or you won’t grow big!"

"If I eat any more, I’ll just grow sideways."

"A chubby Haruto… I kind of want to see that…"

Ayaka looked up slightly as if picturing Haruto with a rounder physique.

Saki, seeing her expression, spoke in an exasperated tone.

"Ayaka, I swear, anything is fine as long as it's Otsuki-kun, huh?"

"Well, don’t you think he’d be really soft and cuddly if I hugged him? Like, super comfy?"

"Hmm… I mean, I guess…?"

As Ayaka's eyes sparkled with excitement, Saki gave a half-hearted agreement.

Haruto let out a wry smile at their conversation.

"Cuddly? I’m not a stuffed animal…"

"From now on, I’ll call you ‘Teddy-Haru’!"

"Don’t."

Tomoya, having listened in, immediately jumped in to tease Haruto, who quickly shut him down.

Amidst their lighthearted chatter, the group left the classroom.

Ever since Haruto and Ayaka’s relationship became public, they often spent time together with Tomoya and Saki. During lunch breaks, Shizuku would join them as well.

As they descended the stairs toward the entrance hall, Saki struck up a conversation with Tomoya.

"But you know, Akagi-kun, you’re pretty skinny, aren’t you? I envy how you don’t gain weight despite eating so much."

"Holding back hunger causes stress. Stress leads to weight gain. To prevent stress, I eat a lot. I’m satisfied and happy. Happiness burns calories. Therefore, I don’t get fat. Okay?"

"Ohh! Got it! That logic is flawless!"

Finding Tomoya’s ridiculous reasoning amusing, Saki clapped her hands in agreement.

As Tomoya smugly basked in her reaction, Haruto quipped, "Do you even know what stress is?" Meanwhile, Ayaka turned to Haruto with a serious expression.

"Hey, Haruto. Is it true that being happy makes you lose weight?"

She looked completely serious.

Haruto internally wondered if Ayaka was the type to fall for shady diet products.

"No, no, don’t believe Tomoya. Ninety percent of what he says is nonsense."

"Hey, Haru! That’s too harsh! At least say seventy percent!"

"How about you try being truthful half the time, at least?"

As Haruto shot back, Ayaka looked a little disappointed.

"So it’s not true… But if it were, I’d be losing weight like crazy right now…"

She mumbled, looking down.

Saki, noticing this, smirked.

"Ayaka, was that a casual humblebrag about how happy you are?"

"Huh? N-No, that’s not what I meant…!"

Ayaka blinked in confusion for a moment, then realized what she had just said. Her cheeks turned red, and she frantically waved her hands.

Saki, now putting on her shoes in the entrance hall, spoke up.

"But, you know, stress really does contribute to weight gain."

"Really?"

Ayaka and Saki walked alongside Haruto and Tomoya as they headed toward the school gate.

"Yeah. That’s why there’s a dieting method called ‘cheat day’ to counter it."

"Oh, I’ve heard of that! It’s the day you can eat whatever you want, right? But does it actually work?"

Ayaka tilted her head and looked at Haruto.

Noticing her expectant gaze, Haruto answered, "Well, it’s true to an extent."

He then explained the concept of cheat days.

"When you’re on a strict diet, your brain thinks your body is in starvation mode. Basically, your body switches into an energy-saving state."

Humans have survived through centuries of food scarcity, and our bodies have developed mechanisms to conserve energy. However, in modern Japan, where food is abundant, this mechanism can be counterproductive.

"To tell your body it’s not in starvation mode, you have a cheat day where you consume more calories than usual. This helps boost your metabolism and makes it easier to lose weight."

Listening to Haruto’s explanation, Ayaka’s eyes sparkled with interest, while Saki nodded in understanding.

"So, eating a lot on a cheat day actually helps with weight loss, right?"

"Yeah."

As Haruto nodded, Ayaka and Saki became visibly excited.

"Maybe I should make today my cheat day!"

"Me too!"

"Oh, we’re on the same page, Ayaka! There’s a new crepe shop near the station. Want to check it out?"

"Yes! Let’s go!"

Practically skipping with excitement, the two girls turned to Haruto and Tomoya.

"Otsuki-kun, Akagi-kun, want to come too?"

"Sounds good! I’m always in cheat day mode."

Tomoya readily agreed.

However, Haruto looked apologetic.

"Sorry. I have practice at the dojo today."

Hearing this, Ayaka’s expression turned slightly forlorn.

"Oh… so you’re not coming to my place either?"

"No, I’m heading home today. I need to clean the family altar."

"That’s true. You have to take care of your parents and grandfather’s memories."

"Sorry. I’ll come over tomorrow."

Haruto smiled gently.

Ayaka, looking pleased, leaned in and held his hand softly.

"Okay. I’ll be waiting."

As Haruto and Ayaka walked down the street, spreading their sweetness everywhere, Tomoya and Saki exchanged exhausted glances.

"…Akagi-kun, let’s buy some coffee before getting crepes."

"Yeah. Gotta chug a sugar-free one first."

Just as they sighed at their overly affectionate friends, Shizuku suddenly appeared behind them.

"Public display of affection detected."

"Ahh?! Shizuku?!"

Ayaka yelped in surprise.

"Holy—! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Holding her chest, Ayaka looked at Shizuku, who merely narrowed her eyes.

"You, who can mentally break a guy, shouldn't have such a weak heart."

"Huh? Mentally break…?"

"There’s a rumor among the first-years that you snapped and turned a guy into a husk."

"I never did that! Right, Haruto?"

"Uh… y-yeah… sure…"

Haruto awkwardly looked away.

Shizuku turned to him and continued.

"Thanks to that rumor, insulting Haru-senpai is now a schoolwide taboo."

"Well, I mean, people shouldn’t badmouth others to begin with…"

"Tojo-san’s influence is insane. As expected of the school idol."

While Haruto wore a stiff smile, Tomoya chuckled.

Saki then invited Shizuku to join them.

"We’re heading to that new crepe place. Wanna come?"

"Crepes! Ah, but I have practice today…"

Her excitement faded quickly.

"Oh right, since Otsuki-kun is practicing, you have dojo too. My bad."

"It’s fine. Let’s go another time."

"Okay! We’ll scope it out today."

"Got it!"

Shizuku playfully saluted, and Saki returned the gesture with a grin.

As they parted ways, Haruto added a final note.

"Oh, by the way, cheat days only work if you’re usually on a strict diet."

At this, Ayaka and Saki froze.

"U-Um, we’ll just start dieting… tomorrow, right, Ayaka?"

"Y-Yeah! Tomorrow for sure!"

Haruto smiled wryly as he and Shizuku headed for the dojo.