The reason Hiratsuka Shizuka was so conflicted wasn't solely because she'd suddenly concluded that "a woman needs to be slim to attract men."
Just five minutes ago, she'd called Kojima Kana under the guise of colleague consultation. Although Kana had been out shopping, she still patiently answered Shizuka's questions.
When Shizuka subtly brought up the topic of women's figures, Kojima Kana couldn't offer much solid advice—after all, she herself was the plump-and-curvy type.
Kana's charm, though, lay precisely in her candidness and openness toward colleagues. After Shizuka's careful probing, Kana, who also lacked dating experience, gave a very uncertain answer:
"Fashion magazine cover models all seem to be tall and slender, don't they?"
At that moment, Hiratsuka Shizuka became enlightened.
A sudden clarity, like Batman gaining insight at Tibet.
Yet her deep-rooted love for ramen remained, leading to nearly ten minutes of hesitation in the ramen shop, without placing an order.
The owner wasn't anxious at all. Hiratsuka Shizuka was a regular, frequently visiting every few days. Over all this time, she'd never had any conflict with other customers. For an owner like him, customer conflicts were the worst thing imaginable, while customers like Shizuka—regular visitors who always generously praised his ramen—were ideal.
After serving other customers' ramen, seeing Shizuka still staring distractedly at the menu, the owner gently asked, "Hiratsuka-san, is something troubling you?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka snapped back to attention, startled. "Why would you say that?"
The owner, a middle-aged man sporting the hairstyle of a strong warrior—also known as baldness—smiled kindly.
"Usually, you order right after entering, but today you've been staring at the menu without deciding. I figured something in life or work was bothering you."
Shizuka gave an embarrassed smile. "It's indeed something personal."
The owner nodded, wisely not prying further. The last thing he wanted was for a regular to feel uncomfortable due to his curiosity.
However, Hiratsuka, desperate for advice, hesitated briefly before whispering, "Owner, do you think men nowadays prefer slimmer women?"
She'd been troubled for too long and unable to find anyone trustworthy for precise advice. After much hesitation, she'd asked this question of the ramen shop owner she visited so frequently.
Hearing the question, the owner's expression immediately turned grave.
So, it's romantic troubles after all?
This was definitely a razor-sharp topic—one that required walking on thin ice.
The owner carefully considered his response and cautiously said, "Actually, I don't really know much about that area, but my wife has been complaining about losing weight recently. Perhaps what you're suggesting has some truth…"
He quickly avoided speaking too definitively, adding, "Of course, personally, I don't advise impulsively going on diets. I've seen plenty of stories online about people severely harming their bodies trying to lose weight. Health always comes first."
After a moment's silence, Shizuka smiled brightly. "Thank you. Then I'll just have my usual chashu ramen."
"Coming right up."
Watching the owner bustle away again, Hiratsuka Shizuka decided to indulge herself one final time. After today, she'd begin seriously watching her figure and calorie intake.
When the ramen arrived, Hiratsuka inhaled the familiar aroma, and her appetite soared.
Ramen really suits me best after all.
With satisfaction, she picked up her chopsticks. But just before she could reach the bowl, she sharply sensed someone standing behind her.
She reflexively turned around and saw Shirase Haruto standing right there. After a moment's shock, she smiled, "You're here for ramen again?"
Yet, to her surprise, Shirase didn't sit down to order like last time. Instead… he suddenly stretched out both hands.
Yes—stretched out both hands.
Very quickly.
So quickly Hiratsuka froze for a second.
In that single second, she watched Shirase Haruto snatch up her bowl of chashu ramen, turn around, and sprint away.
Hiratsuka Shizuka: "???"
What is he doing?
What am I doing?
Did my eyes just deceive me?
"Hey! What are you doing?!" The owner noticed and quickly chased after him.
But Hiratsuka came back to herself and stopped him. "Owner, no need. He's a student from my school, and I know him."
Hearing this, the previously angry owner's voice softened, "Oh, he's your student? Then was he… playing some truth-or-dare game, like my daughter says young people do nowadays?"
Even though the ramen and bowl were gone, the owner wasn't worried. With Hiratsuka here as a regular, he knew this was a trivial matter.
"No, he's probably not playing truth-or-dare. Rather…"
A bitter smile appeared on Hiratsuka's face. "My friend must've told him about my desire to lose weight, so that hot-headed boy rushed over here to find me."
The owner listened with visible confusion. "What do you mean?"
Hiratsuka lightly laughed, "Perhaps he took my friend's advice and decided to help me lose weight."
Question marks appeared all over the owner's face.
Hiratsuka didn't elaborate further. She took out her wallet, paid the bill, and offered to leave a deposit for the bowl, promising to return it shortly.
The owner waved it off with a smile, trusting Hiratsuka fully, and only accepted payment for the ramen.
Hiratsuka stepped out of the ramen shop. Watching young couples joyfully passing by, chatting warmly and intimately, she smiled to herself.
"Seems my thoughts were way too obvious. Kojima probably already figured out what was on my mind and just didn't say it on the phone earlier… But sending Shirase over here to snatch away my ramen is a bit too extreme."
She assumed her subtle hints earlier had revealed her worries, and Shirase's sudden appearance at the ramen shop was Kojima Kana's doing.
Although their interactions hadn't been frequent, Hiratsuka Shizuka genuinely wanted to become closer friends with Kana. Precisely because Kana had such good instincts, she clearly was a warm-hearted person.
On another street far away, Kojima Kana—currently happily picking out lingerie with Kirisu Mafuyu—had no idea she'd suddenly become "someone incredibly insightful" in Hiratsuka's mind.
"What did Hiratsuka-sensei call you about earlier?" Kirisu Mafuyu casually asked while examining a purple lingerie set.
Kana smiled carelessly. "I'm not quite sure myself, but she brought up something about women's figures. When I mentioned fashion magazine cover models, she suddenly spoke less. So my guess is she probably has a crush on some female model lately."
"Huh?" Kirisu Mafuyu was completely bewildered.
Kojima Kana confidently explained, "Think about it. When I brought up models, she went suddenly quiet. And if we link that to online fan arguments over their favorite idols, isn't it possible she ran into a similar problem, so she called me to get advice?"
Kirisu Mafuyu pondered briefly before replying, "That…makes some sense. But also not very much sense at all."