Shirase really hadn't meant to laugh.
Hiratsuka Shizuka had shown up looking dead serious—like she was about to discuss something life-changing—only to suddenly blurt out, "I want to lose weight."
And she'd said it to him, her student.
That kind of absurd, whiplash-inducing shift—how was he supposed to keep a straight face? He couldn't. He burst out laughing.
"Hey, hey, what's so funny about that?" Hiratsuka snapped, her face flushing red. Her composure cracked, and she immediately started regretting it. Maybe she really shouldn't have said something like that to him.
Still chuckling, Shirase said, "Come on, isn't it funny? What kind of teacher just goes up to her student and says 'I want to lose weight'? Don't you think that sounds ridiculous?"
"Keep laughing and see what happens," Hiratsuka growled through clenched teeth.
But Shirase was unfazed. This was a man who had survived Kirisu Mafuyu's chokehold—would he really be afraid of a little Hiratsuka Shizuka?
…No, correction. A big Hiratsuka Shizuka.
Of course, despite her threat, Hiratsuka didn't actually hit him. She just clenched her fists, visibly annoyed. "Stop laughing and talk properly."
"No problem. Go on." Shirase raised a hand, inviting her to continue.
"Go on about what?"
"About your thoughts. Because hearing Hiratsuka-sensei suddenly tell me that—I honestly can't make sense of it. Naturally, I'm curious. Why would you think that way?"
"Because…"
Hiratsuka's voice faltered.
She couldn't possibly tell him she'd failed multiple blind dates, was pushing thirty, and was starting to panic about still being single.
For men, thirty was still their prime—a time to rise in their careers. For women, thirty meant drifting further away from youth and beauty.
Taking a deep breath, Hiratsuka forced herself to sound calm. "I have a friend…"
"Pff—ahahahaha." Shirase laughed again, utterly shameless.
Her brows shot up. "And what are you laughing at now?"
"Nothing. Please, continue."
"…"
Her cheeks burned. She knew too well how cliché that "I have a friend" excuse sounded—fake and unintentionally funny.
Just then, Shirase stepped aside politely. "Come in and sit down first. Standing in the doorway for a whole conversation isn't exactly comfortable."
Hiratsuka didn't refuse.
But when she stepped into the living room and saw the table full of food, she froze.
The rich aroma hit her next, and her empty stomach immediately protested.
Shirase noticed and handed her a pair of chopsticks. "Whichever dish you like, help yourself. These were meant as gifts anyway."
"Gifts? Why?" Hiratsuka frowned. Just from the smell and presentation, she could tell the food was incredible.
"Because I've been practicing my cooking. Got a little too into it and… ended up with way too much."
"I see."
She held the chopsticks but didn't start eating.
Piecing together her earlier words, Shirase guessed her thoughts. "Hiratsuka-sensei, I don't think you need to lose weight. Your figure's already great."
She gave him a teasing smile. "Oh? You're even evaluating your teacher's figure now?"
"I'm just being honest."
"Is that so?"
Her tone was casual, but her eyes lingered on the food.
Shirase went on, "You know what they say—'You have to eat well to have the strength to lose weight.' Starving yourself's terrible for your health."
"'Eat well to lose weight'? What kind of nonsense is that?"
"Everyone says it."
She clearly didn't buy it.
But she was starving—and since he'd said it so matter-of-factly—she finally sat down and started eating.
"This fish is amazing…"
"Huh? What's with this pork rib? Why's it got that hint of sweetness?"
"It's so good… if only there were a beer to go with it, that'd be perfect."
Once Hiratsuka started, she couldn't stop.
Shirase's cooking—polished again and again through the system's boosts—was better than what she'd tasted even in high-end restaurants.
She remembered dining once with a woman named Takanashi Tōka at a fancy place. Even compared to that, Shirase's food won hands down.
When she finally leaned back, full and content, she sighed lazily. "You're right. You really do need to eat well to have the strength to lose weight."
Shirase bit back a grin. "So then—why exactly does Hiratsuka-sensei want to lose weight?"
That question reignited her energy. She straightened and said, "Not me—my friend."
"Ah, your friend," Shirase echoed, humoring her.
A faint blush colored her cheeks as she coughed. "She's been reading a lot of fashion magazines lately. And with all those streamers and vloggers—well, the women who get the most likes are always tall and slim. So she's starting to think that must be the standard—the mainstream ideal."
"Utter nonsense," Shirase said flatly.
"Eh?" Hiratsuka blinked. "You don't agree?"
"Of course not. Aesthetic sense is personal. You can't call something 'mainstream' just because most people happen to like it. Besides, from my perspective, those twig-thin bodies with stick legs—there's nothing beautiful about them at all."
"Is that so?" Seeing his seriousness, her wavering heart started to shake again.
"It is. And I'm a guy. I'm not interested in letting public taste dictate what I find attractive. I've always thought women look better with a little flesh on them—more natural, more balanced."
"Then what do you personally think of Yukino's figure?"
…Perfectly average A.
Of course, Shirase didn't say that aloud.
"Yukinoshita-san is very beautiful."
"That's all?"
"That's all."
"…"
Hiratsuka fell silent.
At last, Shirase figured out what was really bothering her. So that was it—it was about her figure.
He suspected a certain movie had played a part too. Hiratsuka Shizuka—almost thirty and still unmarried—had probably gotten hit by that emotional "substitution effect" while watching a story with a perfect romantic ending.
But that same identification had also stirred something else—urgency.
That was what had really shaken her.
Seeing her still lost in thought, Shirase said gently, "Hiratsuka-sensei, everyone's tastes are different. Especially when it comes to beauty—it's subjective. Every person is unique. A soldier is rough, a woman gentle, children naïve, city folk greedy, the common man dull and ordinary. You can't just read a few online comments and decide they must be right. Isn't that a bit spineless?"
Even someone as worldly as Hiratsuka Shizuka was thrown off by being lectured so calmly by her own student. She stammered, "Th-then what should I do?"
"It's simple—and difficult." Shirase pointed at himself. "Just follow your heart. Some people get lost in life because they grow impatient over certain worries. But me? I'm only taking a walk in this world—so I haven't lost my way yet."
---
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