Chapter 5: Miracle

What could happen in a week?

For Mika Uehara, every week seemed ordinary: maybe there was a new magazine she wanted to read, or a new episode of a program she liked, or she would go out shopping once with her friends; but in her life, extraordinary events were uncommon .

However, in the past week, she had deeply ingrained into her mind that miracles could indeed happen within the space of a week .

That was right—a miracle!

It happened right in front of her, to that formerly fat otaku, Seiji Haruta .

At first, she discovered that Seiji Haruta had begun exercising .

Even on the days when he was working at his full-time job, the fat youth kept exercising unceasingly—he jogged every morning, exercised in his room each night, and he was almost always caked in sweat .

In the beginning, Mika Uehara was moved . After a while, she became impressed as it was obvious he was taking it seriously—even though it must have been difficult, he never gave up .

If she had to work a full-time job, could she still be able to keep exercising every day? She truly didn't know the answer to that question .

However, on the fourth day, she suddenly discovered that he had changed greatly .

And when she finally noticed the change, she felt that she had been blind before for failing to notice!

Seiji Haruta, that otaku whose weight was definitely over 100 kilograms before, had become skinnier after exercising for only a few days .

Not just a normal level of skinnier—it felt like he reduced himself by almost an entire layer!

His stomach that once jutted out had disappeared .

His formerly flabby arms were now muscular .

And his chubby face and neck were now contoured .

When did it all start?

No, he was changing every day . It was just that for some unknown reason, she had been too ignorant to notice!

"Haruta-kun seems to be getting more and more handsome . " If it wasn't for her mother coincidentally saying this, she probably would've stayed ignorant, lost in her own delusions .

And then the fifth day, the sixth day, and the seventh day passed...

In the evening, when she opened her door, she was greeted by a handsome guy with a shy smile . He had a cool and bright face, a strong and well-built body, a slightly messy hairstyle that seemed carefree, and wore a jacket and jeans, which caused Mika Uehara's eyes to become completely unfocused .

This was Seiji Haruta, the fat otaku?

No matter what, she was unable to connect this clean, manly, handsome guy in front of her with the otaku in her memory, who liked to shut himself in his dark room and wear filthy clothes . The otaku who reeked of mysterious stenches, had a protruding beer belly, and unkempt, ragged hair with a dreadful expression in his eyes .

There was no mistake; this was a miracle!

A true miracle!

It took only one week .

The fat otaku, who stood right before her, had transformed magnificently!

"Miss Uehara? Umm... Do these clothes look that bad on me?" Seiji nervously tugged on the clothes that he had bought just earlier today .

Because his body shape had changed so much, his former clothes wouldn't fit him anymore, so he was forced to go shopping for some new clothes . Of course, they were all cheap ones .

"No... not at all!" She finally regained her senses, and her cheeks flushed deep red: "They don't look bad at all... my apologies for not inviting you in, please... please come in!"

Seiji nodded lightly before following her in . Although it wasn't his first time here, since the landlord had formally invited him to eat dinner together this time, he was somewhat nervous .

Nozomi Uehara had invited him as she felt that expressing her gratitude verbally was insufficient, so she decided to treat him to a good meal to show her gratefulness .

Seiji felt like all this was rather unnecessary; if they truly wished to thank him, the easiest method would be to give him a discount on the rent . Of course, he felt too embarrassed to say that out loud .

Okay, at least he got the opportunity to eat together with the beautiful mother and daughter pair, so he couldn't complain .

"Welcome, Haruta-kun... Oh my, you've become quite handsome . " Nozomi Uehara came out of the kitchen, and her eyes began sparkling when she noticed the sturdy youth .

Even if she had sharper senses than her daughter and was mentally prepared, she could only mentally exclaim at the fat youth's magnificent transformation that was a veritable miracle .

The shadow of that fat otaku from just two weeks ago was completely gone now . Just what had happened to this young man for him to have changed so much?

"I just lost a little weight, that's all . " Seiji scratched his face awkwardly .

Even he felt disgust at the way he was pretending how this had happened . Even though he had expected this to occur, when he actually saw his own changes, he was shocked at how strong his system really was . But there was no helping it; in front of his elder, no matter how difficult it was for him to act, he still needed to keep up the pretense that this was just "ordinary" weight loss .

That's just not possible!

Mika Uehara felt like yelling that out loud . Right now, there was a mishmash of emotions in her heart, and she wasn't sure what she was feeling .

The dreadful appearance of that fat otaku, and the clean, cool appearance of this handsome boy in front of her kept swirling around in her mind . She just couldn't decide what to make of it .

So miracles were indeed possible .

The ugly duckling was capable of turning into a majestic swan .

That was when she had appeared to realize one of life's maxims...

Dinnertime .

Nozomi and Seiji were chatting happily .

Although Seiji was an NEET in his past life, he also used to be an acceptable government worker, so he knew how to entertain guests . If he made an effort, he wouldn't let those conversing with him feel bored .

Nozomi was slightly shocked inside; she didn't expect that she'd be able to have such a deep conversation with Seiji, considering that he was still a youth . Right now, he felt more like an adult her age .

Mika ate in silence . It wasn't that the other two were leaving her out of the conversation . It was that her indecisiveness caused her to be unable to talk, but every so often, she snuck furtive glances at his face, and the light red blush on her face didn't fade .

"Haruta-kun, how long do you intend to remain absent from school? Actually, you should be able to go back home and continue going to school, right?" Nozomi brought up a sensitive topic .

Seiji was surprised for a moment .

"Well, I've been considering it recently as well, but... really, my previous mistakes were incredibly severe . Even though I've decided to change myself, I think it may be difficult for them to accept me if I decide to return in my current state . "

'They might find it difficult to accept him for another reason . ' Mika silently thought to herself as she listened intently . After all, anyone that once knew him would definitely find his current state inconceivable .

"Then what do you intend to do?" Nozomi propped her chin up on her hands and stared directly into Seiji's eyes, showing the appeal of a mature woman .

"Then what do you intend to do?" Nozomi propped her chin up on her hands and stared directly into Seiji's eyes, showing the appeal of a mature woman .

"I still don't know yet . Maybe... I can find a new job—one with a higher salary—and then buy some gifts for my family..."

His body type was normal now... Okay, both his body type and appearance now had improved to "not bad," so now he didn't need to wear a full-body costume anymore . Looking for a better job was definitely viable now, especially considering that it would allow him to save up some money .

"How considerate of you—I'm sure that your family will be delighted to see the way you are now . " Nozomi nodded .

"Surely you jest . "

"I'm not joking—you've become so handsome now . Haven't you already noticed that Mika's been blushing this entire time?"

"Mom!" Mika was suddenly ambushed by her mother teasing her, and her face became even redder as she shrieked in a tender voice .

Seiji could only smile awkwardly .

"By the way, that blondie... no, that hoodlum actually dropped out of school . Isn't that great news, Miss Uehara?"

"Call me Mika!" She wasn't happy about always being called Miss, so she unconsciously said it out loud . Immediately afterwards, she noticed what she had said, and her face turned bright red to the roots of her ears .

In Sakura Island, calling someone directly by their name was considered quite intimate—only family members or close friends would do this .

She was just being teased by her own mother, and now she immediately let Seiji call her own name! Mika truly felt like she was digging her own grave!

"It... it's just that if you call me Uehara, it's confusing to know who you're talking about, so... so that's the only reason!" She didn't even know what she was saying anymore .

"Oh my, oh my..." Nozomi glanced gently over at her daughter acting shy .

*Cough!* Seiji forced himself to fake a coughing fit: "Well, for it to all end like this is the best we can hope for . "

Two days ago, Mika told him that the blondie had suddenly dropped out of school because his father's company went bankrupt, and his family was no longer powerful, thus causing him to be too ashamed to stay at school anymore . Besides, his family was apparently forced to sell their home to pay their debts, so they had moved away as well .

Did all of this have something to do with the student council president? Neither Seiji nor Mika knew the answer to this, as this was all they had to go on .

"Mm... That is wonderful..." Mika considered it calmly and thought about something else that would happen, which caused her to turn slightly unsatisfied .

"Mika, were you thinking that it's nice that you won't have to be scared, but Haruta-kun doesn't need to take you to school anymore, so you were disappointed?" Nozomi didn't pull any punches with her daughter and continued to tease her .

"Mika, were you thinking that it's nice that you won't have to be scared, but Haruta-kun doesn't need to take you to school anymore, so you were disappointed?" Nozomi didn't pull any punches with her daughter and continued to tease her .

"Not... not at all!" Having her inner thoughts pointed out, Mika felt a mixture of anger and embarrassment, and her face turned a deep red hue while her eyes became slightly teary .

'Even... even if he lost weight, even if he was more handsome, he's still an otaku . I... I absolutely won't fall in love with him, humph!' She desperately tried to conceal her inner feelings in her heart .

"Ha... haha, auntie sure loves to joke around..." Other than laughing foolishly, what else was Seiji supposed to do?

And so, the bountiful, delicious meal ended with an ambiguous atmosphere .

Not long after, Seiji took his leave .

Right after he left, Mika instantly jumped on her mother like an angry kitten .

"Mom, what are you saying in front of him!?"

"I don't think I was wrong, hehe..." The young woman covered her mouth as she chuckled, showing her profound experience in life .

"Everything was wrong! I'm not..."

"Then why was your face so red—look, it's still red even now . "

"I'm... I'm just angry!"

"You're not honest with your feelings at all . You're my daughter; of course I know what you're thinking . " Nozomi gently touched her daughter's cheek before saying, "Haruta-kun used to be quite a terrible person, but now he's changed to become much better, and he even saved you . Besides, he didn't mind protecting you for all this time; it's only natural for you to be moved . "

Mika shyly lowered her head and twiddled her fingers .

"But from your mother's perspective, Haruta-kun is trying his utmost to change himself; he might not even be interested in you... And your mother has a premonition—this may only be the beginning . Perhaps he'll become even handsomer . . . Hehe... no matter what Mika thinks, if you're serious about it, you can't let this opportunity escape . "

"Mom..." Mewling like a kitten, Mika tugged on her mother's shirt, "Just... what should I do?"

"Think about it yourself; just don't do anything overboard—boys... even good boys have times when they become beasts . Just remember to be careful about this . "

"Mom..."

It seemed that the beautiful mother and daughter's secret conversation was going to continue on for quite some time .