Chapter 89

During the summer school, whenever they spotted me, the Chalapias would sit near me. Chalapia's name was Ume Wakaba, but Chalapia was enough.

"Hey, hey, Kishouin, isn't Ruiran supposed to greet with 'Ohayou gozaimasu'? Say it to me, 'Ohayou gozaimasu.'"

Annoying.

From the next day, I brought in problem sets and reference books to avoid any gaps in my schedule where they could talk to me.

I had hoped to make friends other than improving my grades, but not with these people.

I just focused on solving problems.

"Wow, Kishouin, you're so serious. Oh, that's wrong."

Tch!

After the morning lecture, there was a lunch break. Most students either bought from convenience stores or went out to eat.

I had a bento made by the Kishouin family's chef, but the Chalapias seemed to go out.

"Kishouin's bento is amazing! It looks like it's from a high-end restaurant!"

...I should have opened it after they left. Today's bento was a beautifully balanced kaiseki-style box.

"Looks delicious! Can I have a bite?"

Idiot. Who would give it to you? I'm very particular about food. I actually wanted more, but I was dieting and conscious of others, so the bento box was slightly smaller. There was no way I could share.

"Ume Wakaba~. Let's go quickly."

A short-haired girl called out to Chalapia impatiently. Look, they're calling you, go quickly.

"Hey. See you later, Kishouin."

Go, go, and don't come back.

I enjoyed the delicious but slightly insufficient bento. The simmered fish was delicious and went well with the cold gyokuro tea.

After that, I spent the rest of the break solving problems.

One day, a significant incident occurred.

One of my chakin sushi was taken by Chalapia!

"This is so delicious! Is your family a high-end restaurant?"

Chakin sushi. There were only two, and they were my main dish. Ah, chakin sushi...

"Huh? Kishouin, you're frozen. Are you shocked? How about I treat you to lunch as an apology?"

I silently packed my things and stood up, then left the classroom and made a call. My favorite guy was busy, so I called the guy I kept on standby. "Come and feed me something delicious right now!"

I rushed to the main office building in a taxi, and the standby guy, Tanuki, welcomed me eagerly.

"Rika, I'm so happy you came to the office. Please, sit down."

"Father, I only have a 90-minute break. Let's go to the restaurant quickly!"

"Oh, right."

I hurried Father along by pulling his arm.

As we were led down the corridor by the secretary, I ran into my top choice, my older brother.

"Rika? Why are you at the office?"

"Rika wants to have lunch with me, so she came all the way here."

Father emphasized the "with me" part and looked smug.

But I'm sorry, Father, you're just a convenient guy for me.

I was made to endure Father's father complex as he boasted to the employees, "My daughter begged me to have lunch with her," and I became a bit of a spectacle. For a guy on standby, that was a bit much.

Father took me to a Chinese restaurant near the office. It was on a high floor with a great view, and we had a private room, so no one would bother us.

I was impressed that he managed to get a reservation in such a short time. As expected of Father's capable secretary.

"Go ahead and eat as much as you like."

I ordered my favorite shrimp in chili sauce, shark fin soup, and seafood okoge. Father ordered whole shark fin and Shanghai crab fried rice. Quite a feast for lunch, Father. We also ordered some dim sum, making it a very filling lunch.

But today was special. Because I was going on a fast with Mother starting tomorrow. I felt like it was my last supper.

"Rika, how's the cram school?"

"I'm doing my best."

I had to eat quickly to make it to the next class.

By the way, Father was so easy to reach with just a phone call. Is he not working? I hope the company is okay. The employees I passed all looked like top-notch professionals.

"Father, are you working properly?"

"What are you saying, Rika? I'm working hard, aren't I, Sasakami?"

Sasakami, the secretary, was also sitting at the table. I initially refused, wanting a father-daughter moment, but there was a lot of food, and I planned to leave the restaurant quickly after eating, so I asked him to join us.

"Yes, the chairman is extremely busy every day."

Of course, Father's secretary would say that. But he said Father was extremely busy, not that he was working.

"Brother has been learning from Sasakami since his student days, right?"

"Yes. Takaki is very talented and is now involved in the sales department."

I see. The brother I met earlier seemed busy. I wonder if he has time to eat lunch.

After talking about my brother for a while, Father got a bit sulky. How childish, Father.

After eating my fill, I thanked Sasakami for adjusting the schedule and stood up. Father tried to stop me, but if I lingered, I would be late for the next class. Father should eat quickly and return to the office.

Goodbye, Father! Even if you try to tempt me with almond tofu, I won't stay!

When I returned to the classroom just in time, most of the seats were already taken, so I sat in a corner. Being away from the Chalapias made me feel calm. My stomach was uncomfortable, though.

I hid my stomach from prying eyes with my bag and scarf. The side view was especially dangerous.

The next day, I was going on a fasting plan with Mother.

I initially imagined a fasting retreat in a remote mountain dojo, but we were taken to a top-tier hotel.

We were to spend two days in luxury, enjoying the jacuzzi, spa treatments, and walking in the hotel's garden.

Most of the other participants were upper-class madams known to Mother. It seemed Mother couldn't refuse the social invitation, so she brought me along. After all, Mother is already slim and doesn't need to fast.

It's quite a hassle to have to fast for social reasons.

After a brief medical check-up, we received an explanation of the plan in a hotel room. The basic diet was the hotel's prepared drinks and porridge, with water or tea as beverages. We were free to spend our time as we pleased, and the hotel had a pool and gym.

The madams immediately started booking spa treatments, and I was also booked as Mother's companion.

One particularly plump madam brought her equally plump daughter. The daughter, Seifu Ayumi, was 20 years old. She and I were the only young participants. Mrs. Seifu asked me to be friends with her daughter, so I greeted her with a smile. Ayumi bowed from behind her mother, looking down. She seemed shy and a bit weak. I won't bully her, I promise.

At that moment, Daidōji-san entered the room confidently, making the room instantly more vibrant.

Indeed, this hotel was part of the Daidōji Group. Upon hearing we were participating in the fasting plan, she came to greet us.

Of all places, a Daidōji hotel... That was my first thought.

Just staying here would be one thing, but a fasting plan felt like a public declaration of my desperate dieting. How embarrassing...

I didn't want Daidōji to know, and especially not the dashing Daidōji Papa. That's the delicate heart of a young girl.

After greeting everyone, Daidōji-san spotted me hiding and approached with a smile.

"Rika, I'm glad you came! It will be tough for two days, but please do your best! I'll be cheering for you."

"Yes, thank you..."

Embarrassing. It felt like I was admitting to being fat. But my BMI was classified as underweight when I measured it earlier!

Being cheered on by Daidōji-san drew unwanted attention from the madams. I managed the situation with a forced smile.

Daidōji-san then spread her smile to the other madams and left the room like a breeze.

Well, let's move to our rooms now, shall we?