"...Blegh."
"Are you okay?"
"Ah, Yu Siwoo."
A few minutes had passed since I’d been dry-heaving in the bathroom, suffering.
Maybe he’d heard me retching with his sensitive body—Yu Siwoo was standing outside the bathroom, watching me with a worried expression.
"I’m fine."
"Sorry. I heard you haven’t had much of an appetite lately, so I tried making something... Guess it was a waste."
"No, it was delicious."
The reason I was dry-heaving like this was simple.
I’d forced myself to eat even though I hadn’t really wanted to.
"If it’s hard to eat, just don’t..."
"How could I not eat it when you made it for me?"
Yu Siwoo had gone out of his way to cook for me because I hadn’t been feeling well lately. How could I not eat it?
...Though forcing it down might have made me feel a little worse.
But it really was good. Truly.
"Maybe just take today off and go tomorrow..."
"No, I’m fine..."
I shook my head at his concerned gaze.
Even if I wasn’t feeling my best, I really wanted to go to school with Yu Siwoo today.
"I don’t want to miss the opening ceremony."
"Hmm..."
He still looked like he thought skipping would be better, so I gave him a slight smile.
Yu Siwoo no longer had a pressing reason to grow stronger like he once did, but still.
He’d wanted to be a hero.
If I took the day off, he’d probably insist on staying home to take care of me instead of going to the Academy.
I smiled to reassure him, and in the end, Yu Siwoo gave up trying to convince me.
"...Fine. But if you feel worse, you have to tell me."
"Don’t worry."
I gave a noncommittal reply and opened the wardrobe. The Academy’s school uniform, which I hadn’t seen in a while, greeted me.
It feels nostalgic.
Maybe it was because I hadn’t had any reason to wear it since the Author disappeared?
Seeing the Academy uniform after so long made me feel like I’d gone back in time.
Well, “so long” was only about three months, but still.
Maybe because I’d been wearing nothing but hospital gowns and casual clothes for a while?
"Eek, it’s c-cold..."
I tossed aside the dolphin pants and white tee I’d been wearing to put on the uniform.
Yu Siwoo was right in front of me, but...
Well, we’d seen everything there was to see. Neither of us cared about changing in front of each other anymore.
Though Yu Siwoo seemed to care about something else.
He started scolding me as he watched.
"I keep telling you to wear underwear..."
"But this is more comfortable."
"It might still be cold. Spring or not, it’s still chilly."
"I’m a superhuman, what’s the big deal."
Yu Siwoo really does worry too much about unnecessary things.
There’s no way a superhuman like me would catch a cold.
"It’s fine as long as I wear something when I go out, right?"
"But a leotard isn’t exactly what most people would call underwear…"
"So what? It’s comfortable, so who cares?"
Siwoo shook his head like he had a headache, which only annoyed me more.
It’s not like I was walking around naked.
I wore a leotard when I went out, so wasn’t that good enough?
I decided to strike first before he could start nagging about dressing more neatly.
"…And even if I bought underwear, most of it would just end up in the laundry basket anyway."
"Ugh."
"You beast."
…Alright, I won.
Siwoo just stood there, face flushed red, unable to respond to my sudden remark.
As if sensing that something bad would happen if this continued, he hastily left the room.
"Hmph, well… I’ll get ready first. Come down when you’ve calmed down."
"Okay."
After Siwoo had hurriedly left,
I started changing clothes again.
I slipped into the leotard, which had become so familiar it felt like a second skin, then put on the blouse.
Skirt…?
"Huh…?"
Click.
Click, click.
Huh.
That’s strange.
…The clasp on the skirt kept slipping, no matter how many times I tried.
"T-This can’t be…"
No matter how many attempts I made, the result was the same.
The skirt wouldn’t fit.
There’s no way the skirt shrank…
This was the same school uniform I’d worn before, and I was sure it had fit perfectly back then.
So why wouldn’t it go on now?
N-No way…
"A-Ah, ah, ah, it won’t fit—!"
Clank, clank, clank.
I even considered the possibility of the skirt tearing, but I kept trying to force it on without adjusting the waist.
And every attempt ended in failure.
Finally, I couldn’t deny the horrifying truth any longer.
"D-Did I gain weight?!"
Memories of the sudden break period flashed through my mind.
Eat, sleep, go out.
…That was all I’d done, wasn’t it?
I wasn’t the type to exercise, so I hadn’t done any of that.
No need to use mana, no need to use abilities—just cooped up at home, cooking the whole time.
I had made a ton of food, driven by the single thought of wanting to feed Siwoo something delicious…
"Did I… eat too much?"
Maybe the problem was all the taste-testing I’d done, one bite after another.
Somehow, I must’ve put on weight.
"Arte! Are you ready yet? We need to leave soon!"
"J-Just a second, I'm going...!"
Ah.
I felt like I was about to lose my mind.
W-Why didn’t Yu Siwoo tell me sooner?
Had I gained weight so gradually that I didn’t notice?
I had no choice but to accept the fact that clothes I’d worn comfortably just a few months ago no longer fit.
"Oh, it’s been a while. You two."
"Ah, Teacher Claire."
"Are you feeling better now?"
"Yes, thank you for your concern."
I barely registered the exchange between Yu Siwoo and Teacher Claire.
My entire focus was on my waist.
...Why hadn’t I noticed?
Ha, right.
Maybe it was because leotards were stretchy.
And the clothes I usually wore at home... were loose.
I probably wouldn’t have noticed even if I’d gained a little weight.
"...But Arte, you don’t look well."
"Ah, yes. She’s been feeling unwell lately..."
"I hope it’s not lingering effects from battle."
"I hope so too..."
I’d gained weight.
Enough that I couldn’t wear clothes that used to fit perfectly.
Was I so shocked by that fact that it showed?
Even Yu Siwoo and Teacher Claire, who had been talking, were now looking at me with concern.
"I-I’m fine... Ha, haha..."
"Hmm..."
"S-Shall we head to class?"
"Sure."
I didn’t remember much after that.
I was too busy holding Yu Siwoo’s hand, racking my brain over how to lose weight.
"Oh, it’s been a while. So you’re... not okay?"
"Ah, yeah."
"Why is Arte acting like that?"
"She hasn’t been feeling well lately..."
"...Is that it? Feels like there’s something else going on."
Ah, it’s Amelia.
If it’s her, she might know how to diet.
Yeah, that had to be it.
"...Uh."
"What?"
"I-I gained weight..."
My hands and feet trembled.
I was so embarrassed to say it that I couldn’t lift my head.
But maybe because I was so ashamed, I desperately wanted to confide in someone.
So I blurted out to Amelia,
"H-How do I lose weight and keep it off...?!"
"Huh? You gained weight?"
"Y-Yes...! My waist, my waist doesn’t fit...! W-What do I do?!"
"Ah, that’s why you were late today..."
"Shut up for a second."
But the mood was off.
I’d asked about weight management, but Amelia scanned me from head to toe, her eyes sharpening.
"You don’t look like you’ve gained weight, though?"
"B-But I really did...! I-I’m serious! My waist doesn’t fit!"
"What? It’s not easy for a superhuman to gain that much weight... Wait a second."
After giving me a once-over, Amelia suddenly spoke to Yu Siwoo.
Her voice was colder than usual.
"Hey."
"Uh, yeah?"
"Arte, you said you haven’t been feeling well lately, right?"
"Yeah, I did."
"Have you been nauseous, or… struggling to eat, or complaining about being tired?"
"H-how did you know…?"
"Fucking hell."
With that, Amelia urgently stood up and started rushing out of the classroom.
"A-Amelia, where are you—"
"You all stay right there! You hear me?! If any of you move a single step, I won’t let it slide!"
…She even used her Ability. What the hell was going on?
Maybe she saw Amelia leaving.
Dorothy entered the classroom a little late and greeted us.
"Oh, it’s been a while."
"Hey."
"…Why did Amelia leave? She even used her Ability. Class should start soon."
"No idea. Maybe something came up…"
"I’m back!"
"J-Jesus, you’re fast as hell…"
Had she pushed her Ability to its limit?
Amelia was panting as she handed me something.
"…What’s this?"
"Go to the bathroom and piss on this."
"What the—suddenly?"
"Hurry up!"
"O-okay…"
What was this thing?
It was white and long…
…She wanted me to pee on it?
As I stared at the object in my hand, I realized it looked like some kind of test kit.
Then I remembered Amelia’s frantic reaction.
Could it be… some kind of disease I didn’t know about?
Was that why she was so desperate?
A terrifying thought struck me, and I bolted for the bathroom.
After doing what Amelia told me to, I stared at the kit in my hand.
"…There’s an extra line now."
Since I hadn’t gotten any explanation, I had no idea what two lines meant.
Was I sick? Or not?
Anxiety gnawed at me, and I hurried back to the classroom.
"Arte? Is something wrong? What’s that in your hand…?"
"Amelia! I’m back! There are two lines, and—"
"You son of a bitch!"
As soon as she heard me, Amelia smacked Yu Siwoo on the head.
Everyone, including Teacher Claire, gasped in shock.
Then she dropped the bombshell.
"What if you got her pregnant, you idiot?! You didn’t use protection?!"
"W-wha…?"
Pregnant?
But I’ve never even had a period…
I glanced down at the stick in my hand.
Now that I thought about it… it did look like a pregnancy test.
…Seriously?