Thanks to the engaging discussion about Criminal68, Nia's workout was over in the blink of an eye.
"Well," Nia started. "Today wasn't so bad."
"Glad to hear that," Yuel said. "As you can see, your mental state plays a big role in this. You'll feel like the workout is hell if you focus too much on the muscle pain that comes with the process. On the other hand, you can also feel like it was very easy if you don't think about it too much."
"Yeah, sure looks like it." Nia nodded. "The human brain is so weird. Much mysterious."
"You could argue the entire system of the human body is like that. The fact we still have to exercise in this day and age is proof enough of how convoluted the evolution process was."
"Yep," Nia agreed. "Also, now that I'm actually paying attention to my condition again… I think I don't feel so good." She collapsed on the ground. "Halp pls."
Yuel sighed. "Are you going to make me carry you to the station after every single session?"
"Yep."
"Great…" Yuel rolled his eyes. Her muscles better start adapting soon or I'll end up with a broken back…
Left without any choice, Yuel picked up the skinny girl and mounted her on his back.
"Yay~ Go, my noble steed!"
Yuel made a face. "I'm THIS close to dropping you off."
"Pls no."
Despite the threats, Yuel faithfully carried Nia to the station and escorted her home again.
"Pizza time?" Nia asked with puppy eyes.
Yuel gave her a look. "I'm not a pizza factory, you know. I don't have infinite coupons."
"Tch." Nia pouted. "Oh well. Guess I'll live off chocolate as usual."
"You don't have any proper food today either?"
"Nope, not that I know of."
"Huh." Yuel frowned. "Is this normal?"
"Yeah, kinda." Nia shrugged. "Most days, I'm on the assumption I won't be eating dinner."
"That's not healthy."
"Yeah, I guess. I've been living like that for years, though."
"Yes, and you're almost all skin and bones thanks to that," Yuel said. "I wouldn't be surprised if this is the reason you're always sleepy."
With this kind of diet, Nia's body surely wasn't getting enough energy to function. So, sleepiness must've crept up on her as a "solution". It cut off her energy consumption during the afternoon to preserve energy for the evening.
If that's true, then exercising will not improve her situation by much In fact, it might make it worse. Yuel frowned. Her body will try to generate more energy, but it's impossible to do that without fuel.
The body converts food into energy. So, when there was no food, no energy could be generated. A girl who frequently skipped dinner couldn't properly partake in this process.
"Out of curiosity," Yuel said. "Do you skip breakfast as well?"
"Yeפ, I never have time for it."
"Huh…" This is getting worse by the moment…
In other words, Nia was practically starving on a daily basis! How was this girl even still alive!?
No, wait. She does eat something every day… Chocolate. This hamster was stuffing her cheeks with it every day. Was that how she gained short-term energy to function? Truly bizarre.
Yuel could only sigh. "On second thought, let's order pizza again."
"Really? Yay!" Nia pumped a little fist. "Ah, but you said you don't have any coupons, right? So, how are we going to pay?"
"Actually, I do have one more coupon," Yuel said. "I was planning to save it for later, but I'm also pretty tired right now. After all, I had to carry a certain somebody. So, I feel like eating something good as a reward."
Actually, it was a lie. There was no coupon. Yuel was going to cough up the cash from his own pocket money. But it felt necessary in this case.
I know my diet isn't exactly the healthiest either, but this girl is on a whole other level. I have to do something about this.
It turned out that fixing Nia's issue was even more complicated than expected. Just how deep did this rabbit hole go…?
The plan was to make her regularly exercise in addition to practicing in the club, but I doubt she's going to have enough energy for both with that diet…
This was a complicated topic, far outside the scope of what a middle schooler could possibly solve. Nonetheless, Yuel had to find a solution.
The fastest way is to speak with her mother and explain how bad the situation is. Yuel thought. But what if the mother says she doesn't have the money?
That sounded very likely, judging by how empty the house was. There was almost nothing here except the bare necessities, which was unusual in this day and age.
But, guessing blindly is a waste of time. I have to start taking action. Yuel decided. "Say, when is your mother coming home?"
"Um, probably around 10 pm?"
"Huh, that late?" Yuel frowned. My mom will kill me if I tell her I need to return home so late. But I'd better have this conversation in person.
Discussing this over the phone didn't sound good enough. Yuel had to convey the urgency of the situation to Nia's mom directly.
I could stay overnight, but it's a bit embarrassing. Yuel scratched his cheek. It'd be fine if it were a boy's house, but…
Staying the night in a girl's house felt awkward, even if it was just Nia. He could already see his mom pestering him with questions. Sigh.
So, the only realistic option is to stay late to meet her mother, and then return home. I'd better discuss this with Mom. He dialed up and explained the situation to the best of his ability.
"Hrm. It sounds like a delicate issue," Leona said. "This isn't the kind of problem a middle schooler should be handling."
"Yes, I'm aware, but…"
"Leave it to me," Leona said matter-of-factly. "I'll clarify the situation with the mother. There might be some sensitive issues in play that she won't feel comfortable discussing with kids. So, I'll talk with her."
"Really? Do you have enough time to get involved in something like this?"
"Frankly, no, I do not," Leona admitted. "But my son is trying to help one of his friends, so how can I ignore that? This is a top-priority case as far as I'm concerned."
Yuel smiled. "Thanks, Mom!"
"Don't mention it," Leona said. "Besides, you just made me realize I haven't been an exemplary mother, either. I've been letting you eat unhealthy food just because I couldn't find the time to prepare a proper meal."
"It's okay, Mom," Yuel said. "That's still far better than the situation over here."
"That's no excuse," Leona asserted. "You're a growing young man, and you're working out on a regular basis. You must eat healthy meals. I'll make sure to fix this, too."
"Thanks for everything, Mom."
"No problem," Leona said. "Make sure not to stay late."
"Got it." Yuel nodded. "Bye."
"Bye." On that note, Leona ended the call and sighed. Kids grow up so quickly. I feel like I can't keep up.
Yuel was only a middle schooler, yet he volunteered to help a friend with such a complicated, adult problem. It sounded like he didn't even think of asking for Leona's help.
I suppose that's his way of being considerate, but it hurts a little. Leona frowned. Am I such an unreliable mother? Perhaps that's the impression he developed, considering how busy I am…
Evidently, Leona was negligent in raising her son, seeing as she failed to pay attention to something as elementary as food. Good meals were the basis for a healthy mind and body, yet she allowed her son to eat unhealthy food like instant noodles and pizza multiple times a week. This undoubtedly makes his performance suffer.
At this rate, if he fails to win the regionals, he could very well blame it on me. Leona sighed. Yet, he hasn't complained at all. He's working hard toward his goal despite this setback. I suppose he inherited this competitive attitude from his father...
Leona had already made a terrible mistake in the past by not paying enough attention to her husband's condition. So, she wasn't going to repeat the same mistake with Yuel, or with any of his friends who had similar circumstances.
Therefore, the very next day, Leona arranged a meeting with the mother, who was supposedly neglecting her child. As expected, there was a delicate story behind it.
Marianne was a fellow single mother, but with a far lower income. She worked until late every day for a meager salary.
Naturally, this made her cut costs in any way possible. And, unfortunately, her daughter's meals were among the things that were cut out.
"Oh, is it really that bad?" Marianne asked innocently. "Nia never complained about being hungry, so I thought it was fine."
"Not all children at this age complain when there's a problem," Leona explained. "If they understand that there are difficult circumstances, then they might just keep quiet and get used to it."
"Yes, I suppose you're right." Marianne nodded. "I understand the situation. I'll try to buy more food from now on, as well as prepare proper meals."
"Please do," Leona said. "The health of a growing child is a delicate matter. Poor nutrition at this age might lead to bigger issues later down the line."
"Yes, I understand." Marianne nodded again. "I'll try to adjust my spending accordingly..."
"You do not sound very confident about this."
The woman chuckled dryly. "Haha, I'm afraid self-confidence isn't exactly my forte."
"Is that so?" Leona frowned. She couldn't tell whether her words were getting to the worn-out woman in front of her.
Marianne looked like a nice woman, but not the type to make the sharpest decisions. Leona saw many cases like these in her line of work. Many people out there ruined their own lives just by not being attentive enough to what they were doing with their lives. As they say, the path to hell is paved with good intentions.
"I understand this will take a toll on your finances," Leona continued. "To make your life easier, I suggest you reach out to the following support services." She handed out a printout. "In this day and age, there are many ways for a single mother to get financial support, especially in circumstances such as yours."
"Oh, I never thought of something like that."
"I suspected as much," Leona said. "These groups tend to be limited in their reach, so you have to take the initiative and appeal to them yourself. However, that requires being aware of their existence in the first place, and unfortunately, they're not famous enough to advertise themselves thoroughly."
"Oh, is that so?" Marianne listened attentively and nodded at every word. "I have to say, you are very knowledgeable about many things."
"It comes with the job," Leona said. "I'm a lawyer, so I've been exposed to all sorts of cases."
"I see. Your time must be very precious, isn't it?"
"Yes, quite."
"I'm very sorry." Marianne lowered her head. "I'm not sure how I can repay you for this informative consultation."
"No need," Leona said. "I'm doing this to help my son, so there's no need to feel indebted. He was planning to tackle this problem on his own until I stepped in."
"My, he sounds like a very mature boy."
Leona smiled wryly. "Yes, he is quite mature. Probably too mature for his age."
"I haven't met him, but I've heard he's been helping my daughter a lot in the club," Marianne said. "It's really nice of him. I wonder if there's romance in the air, hmhm~"
"I believe they're too young for 'romance'," Leona argued. "Besides, they have an upcoming tournament they have to win, so I hope they're not being distracted by such matters."
"I suppose you're right."
On that note, the conversation died down, and the two single mothers went their separate ways. After this heart-to-heart, both were determined to support their children even more than before.