Sitting to the side, Daijin remained silent with her head down, her hands clasped around her knees and her chin resting on them.
This silent atmosphere between them lasted for a long time, making Kazuo feel a bit awkward.
He thought for a moment, then spoke, "Things should be much better than before, right?"
To his tentative question, Daijin nodded lightly and hummed in affirmation.
"That's really great then…"
"Mm…"
Then, they fell into another mysterious awkward silence.
Why did it turn out like this?
Kazuo smiled bitterly in his heart, then scratched his head and said, "Anyway, no matter what, it's really great that you can continue to stay here."
Continuing to pursue everything, for Daijin now, it was a brand new beginning.
She silently turned her head away from Kazuo, seemingly intending to answer with silence.
Only—
Looking at the unfinished energy bar in her hand, Kazuo couldn't help but frown, a little puzzled:
"Why are you eating this? Aren't you going to eat a proper meal?"
Although Koji often said, "A plump Uma Musume has no problems," and sometimes Uma Musume needed to control their weight and physique when necessary, however—
These two points, by no means, could be equated with the little one in front of him, could they?
At one meter forty-five, and Kazuo at one meter seventy-five, there was a full thirty-centimeter difference in their heights. If he were to pick Daijin up like a "piggyback ride"—
He would definitely get kicked.
He would absolutely get kicked.
Although she showed a hint of displeasure for a moment, Daijin was clearly much better-tempered now than before. She slowly said, "Because… I heard someone say that eating this kind of thing can help absorb nutrients better and strengthen one's physique… And then—"
Although she was hesitant, for some reason, Kazuo had already guessed her intention.
"So, you think eating this can replace meals, and you probably don't just eat one bar per meal, do you?"
When Kazuo got serious, he still had a teacher's authoritative presence. After all, he had helped her before, so Daijin was indeed in a passive and relatively subdued position.
She lowered her head and said, "Just two…"
"You're lying, it's definitely more than that."
At this moment, Kazuo's intuition was exceptionally sharp.
Tsk—
Daijin completely avoided eye contact with Kazuo, even letting out a soft click of her tongue.
Looking at the items he had confiscated from her clothes, Kazuo couldn't help but widen his eyes.
A full six bars—
"So many... are you planning to eat them all in one go?"
Kazuo was genuinely shocked, and he instantly seemed to understand something.
"You're not thinking that doing this will prevent overeating, are you...?"
One bar is equivalent to the nutrition of one meal, yet one bar doesn't provide much satiety... so eating a few more is fine, and this way she can absorb more nutrients—
She absolutely thought that, Kazuo was certain of it in an instant.
Although they hadn't spent much time together, he could now easily guess what Daijin was thinking.
So, for the next ten minutes, Kazuo thoroughly explained the dangers of overeating, why energy bars shouldn't be treated as meals, and how excessive intake wouldn't increase nutrient absorption.
He informed her of everything. Daijin's face grew increasingly unsightly as she was lectured.
"Ah, ah, ah, I get it! I won't do it again, okay?!"
She never expected Kazuo could sometimes turn into a nagging mother-like figure, chattering endlessly by Daijin's side for ten minutes, making Daijin feel like she'd met her third mother!
You ask who her second mother is? Just look at who her roommate is.
There was nothing she could do. Daijin, whose temper had finally improved significantly, was now forced to explode again. She stood up directly and walked over without hesitation.
She forcefully shoved all the remaining energy bars into Kazuo's arms.
"I won't do this again, alright!?"
Although she seemed a bit sulky, she had genuinely taken it to heart.
While Daijin still occasionally threw minor tantrums, overall, she was much better than before.
Being able to take advice, even if she wasn't entirely frank yet, was still progress.
Stepping out of her previously closed-off world still required an adjustment period, and Kazuo believed Daijin could achieve all of this.
She was like a bristling kitten, threatening but not aggressive.
On the contrary, if Daijin wasn't as timid as before, Kazuo found it much easier to get along with her.
Seeing Daijin shove these at him, Kazuo knew she was somewhat sulking.
He immediately took out the pineapple bun he had bought from his bag and handed it to her.
"Right now, you just need to plan your diet reasonably. Don't push yourself too hard. As I said, you're better suited for steady progress, step by step. I told you, didn't I, not to apply their standards to yourself."
He didn't need to think twice to know that Daijin must have seen the results of other Uma Musume and was secretly comparing herself, but her method was, to say the least, extremely reckless.
"This... why are you giving it to me?"
Looking at the package Kazuo offered, Daijin asked blankly.
"Why... Because you're a student, and I'm a teacher? You're still growing, so it's not good to refuse to eat anything out of spite. At least eat this. In the evening, depending on the situation, eat some vegetables and protein-rich meat products."
At this moment, Kazuo brought up his identity.
After all, he was a teacher, or at least a student teacher, wasn't he?
It was only natural for a teacher to look after a student.
Of course—
Kazuo, who had just recently been lectured by Xiao Hai Wan about his own diet, now had to teach Daijin in this manner.
Of course, this was the right of an adult when facing a child.
It was like how parents, despite staying up late every night, demand their children go to bed early—
This was the so-called leeway of adults.
Seeing Daijin still in a daze, not reaching out to take the pineapple bun he offered.
Kazuo didn't waste words and directly put it into Daijin's hand.
"Consider it a food exchange. I'm not particularly fond of this kind of bread anyway; it's too sweet. These energy bars are more suitable for us office workers."
Kazuo said casually. To prevent Daijin from saying anything more, Kazuo immediately tore open the package and took a bite.
The dry, astringent feeling in his mouth was like chewing on a dried wax block, making a crunching sound with every chew.
He took a gulp of bitter coffee, and these two flavors inexplicably reacted in his mouth, creating an indescribably sticky and bitter taste.
Kazuo chewed for a long time but couldn't swallow it. Yet, even so, he forced a smile and praised:
"Hmm, it's quite nice to eat this kind of thing occasionally, besides being a bit difficult to swallow... Hmm, crunch, crunch, crunch, hmm... Well, it's very chewy... crunch, crunch, crunch, it's acceptable... crunch, crunch, crunch..."
How clumsy was he, this clumsy person, this clumsy gentleness—
Daijin, who had somehow already moved closer to sit beside him, now turned her head away, no longer looking at him.
Looking at the limited-edition bread in her hand, which required daily rushing to buy, Daijin muttered in an almost inaudible voice:
"...Baka..."
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
patreon.com/TripleCrown07
If you guys wanna check it out.