"A medical condition?"
That answer caught Yukino completely off guard.
She pursed her lips, realizing something was off with Yoru's reaction. She understood her words had hit a nerve.
She had always assumed Yoru was fat just because he was lazy, gluttonous, and didn't like to exercise.
She hadn't expected there to be more to it.
Yukino didn't ask further. Instead, she cleared her throat and quickly tried to think of something else to say.
"Ahem… um… how's your cat doing?"
"You mean San-san?"
Yukino looked at Yoru's side profile and spoke gently, as if afraid of upsetting him further.
But just thinking about the cat made her feel a little envious of the fat otaku in front of her.
So lucky, to just pick up a stray with such high charm stats.
Sometimes she'd try to approach strays to pet them, but they'd always run away like she was a plague.
"She's doing well. Gained more weight too…"
"You like cats, don't you?"
Yukino nodded as she replied.
"Yeah, but the apartment I live in doesn't allow pets. It's a shame." Yukino quietly sighed in relief.
'I live in an apartment too. What kind of crappy apartment doesn't allow cats?' Yoru thought, but didn't say anything out loud. He wasn't really in the mood to chat anymore.
A few minutes later, the train reached the next station.
Yukino stood up, and after exchanging polite goodbyes, got off.
"Looks like she lives close to school. Just one stop away."
Yoru watched her leave the car.
It was around 5:30 when Yoru returned to his apartment.
At the front door of Gabriel's place, he saw her talking to a purple-haired girl wearing a Shuchiin uniform. He greeted them.
"This is my classmate, Vignette."
"And this is my neighbor and friend, Kitakami Yoru."
Gabriel introduced the two.
"Nice to meet you, Vignette." Yoru nodded politely.
"Nice to meet you, Kitakami-senpai." Vignette had heard the name before. She glanced at him curiously but replied courteously.
Still, she figured Gabriel was an angel. She wouldn't make friends with a bad person, so she let it go.
"Did something happen with Gabriel?" Yoru pulled out his key and unlocked his door.
"No, I just rushed home and forgot my bag. Vignette brought it over for me." Gabriel laughed awkwardly.
She'd hurried home to play games and totally forgot her school bag.
Seriously, how do you forget something that big?
"Well, see you tomorrow." Vignette waved and turned to leave.
"Bye." Gabriel waved back but didn't close the door. Instead, she turned to Yoru.
"Kitakami-kun, do you have time this weekend? Could you go shopping with me?"
Her big eyes sparkled as she invited him.
Yoru had already made plans with Megumi this weekend.
But it wasn't like he was going out two days in a row, so he agreed.
"Is Friday after school okay?" Gabriel added.
The game Yoru had lent her was fun, but it didn't have much replay value.
She wanted to try an online game—something popular, like Genshin Impact.
Yep, she wanted to play Genshin!
"Are you in a hurry, Gabriel? What are you buying?" Yoru asked while changing shoes.
"A computer."
Gabriel answered immediately.
Rather than being in a rush, it was more like she was excited.
Yoru shrugged indifferently.
After putting on his slippers and closing the door, he walked inside.
In the living room, San-san lay quietly on the couch, pawing at the air.
When she heard footsteps, she immediately stood up and stared with her big eyes like she was greeting Yoru home.
Yoru plopped onto the couch and let out a long sigh, looking a little tired.
He turned on the TV, picked up the cat teaser stick from the table, and stroked San-san's plump body while waving the toy.
"Meow~"
San-san's eyes sparkled and she was instantly hooked.
The teaser stick swished again.
"Meow meow~"
San-san cried out excitedly, waving her little paws trying to catch the toy.
Yoru kept playing with her.
After a while, San-san was still full of energy, but Yoru was exhausted.
It was getting late.
He went to turn on the water heater and headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
But when he opened the fridge, there weren't many supplies left. Probably not enough for the next few days.
"This weather's getting gloomy again. Better go shopping now, before the weekend rain forces me to order online."
Yoru wasn't well-off. He saved wherever he could and never spent recklessly.
Except when going out with Megumi.
The only unnecessary expense he indulged in was a can of cheap black coffee every lunch.
Japan's convenience store culture was among the best.
Many working people got all three meals from them.
Bento boxes from the assembly line weren't that expensive and saved time and money compared to cooking at home.
Because cheap bento existed, the need to cook dropped.
Which meant fewer grocery stores around.
Convenience stores didn't sell produce. Some small supermarkets didn't either. Only medium-to-large supermarkets carried vegetables and meat.
So Yoru had to walk back to the station, ride one stop, and head to the nearest store with groceries.
"Lucky. Discounts are starting now."
Carrying a shopping basket, Yoru noticed store staff putting discount stickers on bentos.
He sped up and went to the vegetable section.
While on a diet, vegetables—regardless of type—were basically free to eat.
Yoru liked onions, lettuce, and potatoes.
He grabbed about two pounds of each, then tossed in a few unfamiliar greens for variety.
The discounted shelf was almost empty.
While browsing, he ended up at an empty broccoli display—and ran into Nanami.
"Kitakami-kun." Nanami spotted him first and instinctively called out.
As soon as she did, she looked at the bulky Yoru standing in front of her, and Sorata's words from lunch echoed in her mind:
He's approaching you with bad intentions. Makes you let your guard down. Brings you food. Then one day, he'll drug you.
Originally, Nanami had decided not to overthink it.
But those words were like nails hammered into a board. Even after they were pulled out, the marks remained.
And her heart was that board.
"You're shopping for discounted veggies too, Aoyama-san?" Yoru glanced at the basket in Aoyama Nanami's hands.
It looked like she had come late—she only managed to grab some scraggly bits of broccoli.
Nanami nodded absentmindedly.
"The discounted veggies are mostly gone. I've got some here—want a bit?" Yoru casually offered.
"Huh?!"
"N-No… I'm good, thanks…"
Nanami's heart tightened. She shook her head quickly, her thoughts tangled.
"Mm-hmm."
Yoru waved and walked off.
After stocking up on daily essentials, he also bought two boxes of discounted, clean sushi for dinner.
After his bath and dinner, Yoru turned on his desk lamp and began reading the notes Yukino had lent him.
They still seemed to carry the scent of a girl.
If he put them up for sale, there'd probably be guys willing to pay good money.
Yukino had said that if he could keep up with the weeklong study plan, he might stand a chance of breaking into the top thirty before the end of term.
Time passed quickly, and it was already Friday.