...Hime's awkwardness had clearly faded.
I feel like she seems completely different before and after coming to the principal's office.
My cheeks are still a little red, but I no longer feel like I'm being avoided.
"Yohei, would you like more?"
Even after I'd finished the third piece of pork cutlet, Hime still wanted me to eat more.
However, her stomach had been growling earlier... and after hearing that sound, I couldn't just eat without hesitation.
"I have my share too, why don't you have some Hime too?"
"...I agree"
With a small nod, Hime brought the tonkatsu closer to her mouth without offering it to him.
Up until now, he had been trying to forcefully get me to eat, but now he seems to be more obedient.
"I can't let Yohei hear any more of my stomach noises."
I see. That's why.
No matter what, Hime seemed embarrassed.
Of course, I would be happier if she ate it herself. Hime is only eight years old and growing. I really want her to eat a lot and grow up healthy and strong.
"Amu"
Hime is gobbling down a pork cutlet.
...Now that I think about it, it's an indirect kiss, but I wonder if that's okay.
When it was Kiyoshi-san, I was extremely careful not to put my mouth on his food. I was a little careful when Hime was feeding me, but there was a limit to how much I could do... and it was starting to seem a bit strange to be so conscious of such things.
This much is fine. Besides, the other person is an eight-year-old girl.
It's one thing if you're talking to someone your own age, but you don't feel as nervous when talking to a young child. It's best not to be too conscious of this child and just try to act naturally.
That's why I decided to eat my own lunch without saying anything.
I bought a hamburger bento from a convenience store. The familiar taste was a bit comforting.
"Hime-chan, if you don't eat a lot, you'll never grow up like me, okay?"
Perhaps Kiyoshi also noticed that his sister had calmed down.
He'd been quiet until just now, but now he spoke to me as usual. I was grateful that there had been a lull in our conversation. Thanks to that, the atmosphere was smooth.
Although Kiyoshi seems like he's not thinking about anything, he's actually quite good at reading the atmosphere.
Once again, he helped me connect with Hime, and I was truly grateful.
"Large?"
"Oh, it's big!"
"Can it grow bigger?"
"Yeah. If you're not careful, it'll get really big... I wonder how it is that you gain weight so quickly."
No, it seems like the targets are completely different.
Hime was staring at Kiyoshi's torso. Perhaps that was why Kiyoshi mistakenly thought that it was her belly that was getting bigger and was covering her belly button with her hands... but this only emphasized the fact that her belly button was getting bigger.
Seeing that, Hime looked over at me for some reason.
"Yohei, do you like bigger ones?"
This is bad. They've dragged me into this.
It's a touchy subject, so I pretended not to know, but it seems that wasn't allowed.
Well, I don't dislike it.
However, it's not like I particularly like it... well, I guess you could say I like it, but... there's no way I could explain something like that to an eight-year-old.
"I don't really care about size..."
So I gave a vague answer.
I think that's the best answer. Hime nodded in agreement. However, she was the only one who looked a little dissatisfied.
"You're lying! But you like it when people are skinny, right Yo-hei? You don't need to worry about it. You know your body shape!"
No, I'm not talking about weight.
Kiyoshi misunderstood and was sulking. Hmm, that's difficult.
I don't think I'm fat at all.
It's just that you're big. Specifically... your breasts and thighs.
So I don't think you need to worry about it.