Fushimi Roku squinted, looked up and down, and asked, "What's up? Are you feeling unwell?"

The "Minamoto Tamako User Manual" failed again, which was a major crisis indicating that Minamoto Tamako had undergone an unknown change.

As Minamoto Tamako walked, she shook her head, intentionally swinging her arms vigorously and taking big steps, just to burn more calories while walking: "No, I'm just trying to lose weight recently."

"Lose weight?"

Fushimi Roku found the term very unfamiliar.

Tamako had mentioned it once before, but he didn't take it seriously, thinking she was just being jealous in her daily life. But now it seemed she was serious about it.

"Yes, I've gained quite a bit lately," Tamako confessed.

She was dressed in formal attire: trousers, a shirt, and a blazer—the professional three-piece suit that was quite inconvenient. Swinging her arms would tug at her armpits, and taking big steps would pinch her crotch, making her walking posture look very stiff, like a robot walking briskly.

Fushimi Roku followed beside her, leisurely. His legs were longer than Tamako's, and his stride was bigger, so he only needed to take slightly larger steps to keep up with Tamako's brisk pace.

"Where are you fat?" His eyes fell on Tamako's chest and then lifted to her small face: "Absolutely no change."

"I'm definitely fatter. If you can see the change, then it's too late, meaning I've already turned into a short chubby stump!"

Tamako said seriously, "We see each other every day; it's hard to notice each other's changes. If my mom saw me, she'd definitely say I've gotten fat."

The logic was valid; after all, being together every day means subtle changes happen, and the brain automatically corrects memories. Over time, things become very different from before without even noticing how they changed.

Fushimi Roku admitted he hadn't thought it through and asked, "So, how many pounds have you gained?"

"Not telling you," Tamako raised her little eyebrows, "A girl's weight is a secret."

With the conversation over, Fushimi Roku didn't inquire further.

Passing by a convenience store, Tamako bought a scale, planning to check her weight changes every day. When she got home, she eagerly took off the switch and kicked Fushimi Roku and Taira Sakurako out of the room to weigh herself.

Still one hundred twelve pounds.

Tamako felt a bit anxious; she'd been working out for a week now, yet her weight hadn't changed at all... Where was the problem?

She waited until the scale turned off before leaving the room. Sakurako and Fushimi were waiting at the door like family outside a delivery room, and the first question they asked when someone came out was:

"How did it go?"

Tamako didn't want to tell the truth and chose to lie: "Just... like that, it's pretty good. I didn't sneak any food, so I must have lost weight..."

Fushimi Roku and Sakurako exchanged glances; both could tell Tamako was lying.

"Actually, I think you're fine like this," Sakurako comforted, "Don't have body anxiety. Fushimi and I wouldn't mind if you gained weight."

That comment hit Tamako's nerve, and she mumbled, "Miss Mutsumi might have thought the same way! If I just give up, I'll definitely turn into a short chubby stump..."

Her voice got lower as she spoke, and the rest became inaudible.

Fushimi Roku thought that this girl had been greatly impacted by the Kuroda couple and decided he needed to counsel her before she got into a rut.

He activated his counseling skill, took a conversational stance, and sat down beside the sofa, saying: "Tamako, I know what you're worried about."

"Uh?"

Tamako had just taken off her blazer and was slightly stunned by his words, casually placing the jacket on the sofa: "You know?"

"Of course, you're my girlfriend. How could I not empathize with your feelings? You're definitely worried that we'll end up like the Kuroda couple, right?" Fushimi Roku said softly, fingers interlocked.

Tamako nodded, then shook her head, and then nodded again, realizing something was amiss.

Such gentle words from Mr. Fushimi? What happened? Did the "Fushimi Roku User Manual" malfunction?

"Sure, but why would you say these things..." Tamako squinted at Fushimi Roku, sizing him up: "Are you feeling unwell?"

"No, I'm just caring about you," Fushimi Roku said.

"Alright."

Tamako reluctantly accepted the fact that Mr. Fushimi had become a good citizen, and upon reflection, she felt somewhat happy. After all, as a girlfriend, feeling cared for by your boyfriend was a joyous thing.

Fushimi Roku continued to comfort her: "You don't have to worry about that happening. We'll never turn into the Kuroda couple."

Tamako was slightly surprised and sat down beside Fushimi, asking, "Why do you say that? Have you discovered some secret method?"

Fushimi Roku propped his chin solemnly and said: "When incompetent people are together, they only become more incompetent; when excellent people are together, they both become more excellent."

Tamako vaguely understood his point but didn't fully get it: "What about when an excellent person and an incompetent person are together?"

Fushimi Roku intended to say 'that's not the point,' but realized Tamako had automatically classified herself as the 'excellent person' and put him in the 'incompetent person' box, hence asking about the combination.

How infuriating.

He wanted to say a few comforting words.

Considering Tamako was in a rut, Fushimi Roku didn't bother arguing with her, correcting: "I mean, we're both excellent people. Together, we'll only become more excellent."

"Oh! I see now!" Tamako suddenly understood.

"Yes, notice how you've started losing weight now. That's different from Yakai Mutsumi, so why would you turn out like her? Besides, everyone's personality is unique; why reference someone else's life to live your own?"

Fushimi Roku, turning into a philosopher, offered Tamako a motivational speech.

Tamako nodded heavily, then asked, "What about you? You don't seem to have changed much."

Fushimi Roku was increasingly annoyed, motioning to his body: "Take a good look; can't you see the changes I've undergone recently?"

Tamako recalled carefully: "It seems... you are indeed a bit gentler, more understanding, and less petty."

Fushimi nodded repeatedly: "That's right, this is what I meant by excellent people positively influencing their partners."

Tamako felt enlightened, her spirits invigorated again. Sitting on the couch, she kept complaining about how tiring weight loss was, how she hadn't slimmed down in recent days, not knowing where she went wrong.

Fushimi Roku listened for a while, his patience wearing thin, and began to fob her off. Just then, Taira Sakurako's stomach was hungry, providing him an excuse to make lunch and slip into the kitchen.

But Tamako was not ready to let him go, following him into the kitchen, helping wash and cut vegetables, preparing ingredients while chattering:

"I don't think I've been eating much, so why can't I slim down? I thought I should see at least one or two pounds difference after a week..."

Before she finished speaking, she saw Chef Roku pouring a large spoonful of salad oil into the pan, then adding the mixed eggs. In an instant, the eggs absorbed the oil, making the entire spoonful vanish.

"...This..."

Tamako just started asking, but before she could elaborate, Fushimi Roku poured in tomatoes, adding tomato sauce, sugar, MSG, and salt.

A few minutes later, a bowl of seemingly fresh and healthy tomato and egg stir-fry was finished.

Tamako finally understood why she was getting fat.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.