Atelier Tanaka

Book 6: Chapter 2 (4)

Sickness Unto Death

We were seated for dinner on the same day I started running.

Ah, Im sorry, but Im finished for the day. Could you please take back the rest?

Sensei spoke to one of the maids serving us. The servants of the Fitzclarence family served us a full course meal every night. Based on what we were fed yesterday, were not even halfway through the meal and yet Edita Sensei is finished.

Edita-san, are you feeling unwell?

N-No, its nothing like that.

We were in the dining room which was located higher up in the airship. Just like our bedrooms and every other room on the ship, this room could easily be at home in a noblemans manor. The view of the cloud top through a large window was spectacular. All of the tables, chairs, and other furniture looked like they cost a fortune.

The main dish hasnt even been served yet.

Im just not that hungry. I had some snacks earlier!

Sure.

RIght after her declaration, her stomach began to growl.

The sound was beautiful.

It was loud enough that it even caught the ear of Goggoru-chan who was sitting on the floor eating her meal across the room. Hearing the cute grumbling of Edita Senseis stomach, Goggoru-chan, who was intently focused on the food in front of her, looked up and locked eyes with Sensei.

Incidentally, I made sure to arrange a separate table and chair for Goggoru-chan, but, for some reason, she decided on her own to eat her meal on the floor.

Maybe she decided to do it after reading my mind and learning how excited I got watching her eat on the floor like a slave. But that cant be helped, can it? That slave side of Goggoru-chan is too cute. I get excited every time I see her display it.

The maids that were trying to serve us looked unsure of what to do.

.

Edita-san?

Sensei didnt respond.

Her face started to turn bright red out of embarrassment.

Even a busamen like me that has limited social experience can understand what shes doing when she does it so blatantly. Edita Sensei has started a diet and shes taking it to the extreme.

E-Excuse me!

Sensei stood from the dining table and made to leave.

I know shes the type of person to throw herself into something wholeheartedly. Its clear that shes determined to give everything now that shes started.

But I was at a loss for what to tell her.

As I was struggling for the words, Edita Sensei disappeared into the hallway.

the Elf is hungry.

Yes, even I could tell that.

Thank you for the info, Goggoru-chan..

I kind of liked seeing her panic like that.

However, this is a dangerous situation.

This could be the end of my Senseis plump thighs.

***

Senseis diet continued to the next day and she was taking it to the extreme still.

She continued her reduced food consumption. She cut down on the size of all of her meals and looked like she was constantly in pain at the dining table. It was somewhat amusing watching her struggle as she sipped her tea with her stomach growling while avoiding all of the food set out on the table.

Even now I can hear her stomach grumbling.

Edita-san, why dont you at least eat something for breakfast?

Nope, I dont need it.

Are you sure?

Ive clearly already had enough breakfast. Just look.

Sensei started pinching at her exposed belly fat.

This is what appeared to be her primary concern. It was a beautiful loli belly with plenty of feminine charm suitable for someone her age. This virgin is in love with her belly, but she seems to have a problem with it. Shes still pinching and pulling at her belly fat.

Her new diet seemed to exclude breakfast altogether. She only allowed herself a cup of tea with no food to be seen. This confused the maids as they were still preparing the full course meals for her as she had been eating heartily just the day before.

Its not good for you to push yourself so hard.

Im not pushing myself at all, this is normal. Im eating a healthy amount for a normal elf.

.

What exactly is a normal elf?

Her diet also included exercise after breakfast. After she finished her tea, she followed behind me as I made my way to the deck to start my run.

As I started stretching, Sensei lined up alongside me and did the same.

Shes always lived an introverted lifestyle and this sudden increase in exercise was too much for her small body to handle. Wed only run for a short while before she started panting heavily with her mouth hanging open. The way her saliva coated lips glistened in the sunlight made me want to kiss her no matter the consequences.

This exercise is no longer filling its purpose. I started doing this to destress and now Im being constantly tortured by this loli so close to me but I cant lay a finger on her. Im feeling even more stressed than before I started. Why am I even running?

Edita-san, you can run at a slower pace thats more comfortable for you.

Wha~at? T-This is nothing!

Ive heard that its better to run at a slower pace for a longer period of time if your goal is to lose weight.

Eh, really?

I remember hearing that somewhere before.

really.

After hearing my words, my Sensei slowed to a trot.

Edita Sensei loves snacks.

She is exceptionally fond of sweet snacks. Up until yesterday, she never missed her afternoon tea time. Of course, shed always accompany her tea with something sweet. Maybe a cake with a mound of cream on top or a tart with tons of fruit on it. This was how she maintained her perfect level of fat until recently.

However, the Sensei in front of me now is sipping tea by itself.

do normal elves not eat cake?

Thats right. Elves have no need for cake.

.

Even Goggoru-chan cant help but comment.

By the way, were on something like a terrace on the deck right now.

We were seated at a table in the centre of the room with a tray of sweet snacks in front of us. I sat across from Goggoru-chan who picked at whatever sweet caught her eye. I was eating some of the sweets as well. There were a few airy and sweet sponge cakes that were reminiscent of chiffon cake filled with fresh cream.

Edita Sensei was doing her best to endure resisting her urges, but you could tell how desperately she wanted to eat the entire tray. In an effort to resist, Edita Sensei had reversed her position with Goggoru-chan. She was now the one sitting off on her own in the corner of the room.

Its alright if you eat just a little

Cake is for children. An adult elf like me has no need for such a thing.

Really?

Really.

I sometimes forget how old Edita Sensei is due to her childish behaviour. Maybe shes forgetting her age as well.

Dont you think its rude to the sailors and maids that helped prepare this

Is it really that difficult to make an extra serving if youre already making the batch?

The ingredients all cost a lot and some of it is likely to go to waste now.

That may be true.

Ive learned that all of the garbage and other waste generated on the airship is tossed overboard without much thought to where it may land.

Tea is plenty for me. Aah, its such a wonderful, filling tea.

Edita Sensei tilted her cup back.

I wouldnt expect her to lose a noticeable amount of weight in such a short time, however, she does seem to have less energy and lost a lot of vigor since starting this new diet. Shes lost a lot of what makes her her.

Edita Sensei being true to herself is important.

I think shes just fine the way she is. Id honestly hate it if she lost all of her cute fat by exercising and dieting too much. From the first day I met her until today, she has always had the perfect amount of body fat.

Id hate it if Sensei lost all of her cute body fat. Id be sad and forced to change my life path and become a cook whose life goal is to develop the most sweet and tasty snacks that she cant ignore. Senseis plump thighs would be a dream worth dying for.

You know, Edita-san, these snacks are actually quite special.

What makes them different? They look like ordinary sweets to me.

These are made with a special ingredient that wont increase your weight no matter how many you eat.

W-What did you say!?

Her eyes shot open.

This is obviously a lie. This is the type of sweet that will definitely make you fat if you eat a ton of them. Something like a low-calorie artificial sweetener doesnt exist in this world. Even something more basic, like protein or amino acids are complete unknowns in this world. However, I had to do whatever necessary to get Sensei to eat.

W-What are you trying to say? Is something like that even possible!?

Yes, it is very possible, Edita-san.

H-How is that possible? T-Tell me.

As Im sure youre aware, Edita-san, a persons body gains weight based on the amount of food one intakes through the mouth. This food is converted to energy that the body then uses; anything leftover is stored for future use.

Y-Yeah, that sounds right.

So, no matter what the food, it wont add fat to your body if its not digested. Whether or not the food is digested and whether or not the food is sweet are two unrelated things.

Eh!?

This is also a lie.

But I need Sensei to eat the sweets.

Dont you agree?

Thats right! I think thats true!

So, please, eat this cake.

I picked up one of the larger cakes for Sensei. I dont know how the people of this world process food and store energy. However, I find it hard to believe that eating something like this wont cause someone to gain weight. Which is why I didnt finish my first cake.

After hitting the age of thirty, it becomes much harder for men to maintain their weight. An ikemen colleague of mine who was known throughout the company for his macho body told me that he skipped dinner every day once he hit forty. I wonder why humans torture themselves like this to achieve some misconeived form of happiness.

But Ill still digest this cake, right?

.

Why are you concerned about that, my thick thighed blonde Sensei?

I thought she was willing to believe the lie.

it will, wont it? I ate a similar cake on the first day and I dont remember anything about not digesting it. In fact, you say that cake is special, but the cream and the dough are the same as what I ate earlier.

Id expect nothing less of you, Edita-san.

Thats a strange thing to compliment, even coming from you.

Im just worried about you, Edita-san.

Theres nothing for you to worry about. I still have plenty of fat on me, so I can easily keep living like this. Elves are not so fragile creatures that skipping a few meals would cause them any harm. They are much stronger beings than humans.

But I can tell youre in pain, Edita-san.

I could say the same for you.

what does that mean?

What is she trying to say?

That caught me off guard and I was left speechless.

What does she know about me?

Im going to my room to do some thinking. Im sorry to cut our conversation so abruptly, but Ill leave you to your own thoughts.

Ah, sure.

Sensei stood from her seat and quietly left the terrace without looking back.

***