Chapter 2:
Haruka had just finished her shower, and was about to get dressed into her school uniform, when she stopped and looked at something on the ground. What caught her attention was the bathroom scale. The large, white square stared up at her. As if beckoning her to stand on it. Haruka weighed herself religiously nearly everyday, and the scale often determined how the rest of her day was going to go. However, on this particular day she didn't feel like weighing herself. Besides, she felt that she had been doing well and didn't need to step on the scale.
"Skipping one day of weighing won't kill me."
Haruka thought. She then started to get dressed. However, as she did so she couldn't stop thinking about the scale. No matter how many times she tried to convince herself that not weighing herself was not that big a deal, the more of a deal it became.
"Fuck it."
Haruka finally said, throwing down her pants and stepping onto the scale. She looked up at the ceiling as she did so. She couldn't stand to watch the numbers change. After a few agonizing minutes, she braced herself to look down at the number displayed on the scale.
"Please don't be a high number, please don't be a high number, please don't be a high number."
Haruka pleaded. She then looked down and saw what she didn't want to see. There it was, the number 120 displayed on the scale. Staring up at her. Mocking her.
"Shit."
Haruka whispered, stepping off the scale and feeling the tears well up. The number had not been the one she wanted to see.
"I'm so fat."
Haruka thought bitterly, pinching her side. She was disgusted with herself. She felt fat, ugly, and useless.
As she stood in the bathroom hating herself, her thoughts drifted to breakfast.
"Looks like I'm gonna have two pancakes instead of four."
Haruka thought. She then finished getting dressed, and headed downstairs to join her family.
"There you are. We were wondering what was taking you so long."
Michiru said.
"Sorry, but you know I do all my best thinking in the shower."
Haruka then took a seat next to her girlfriend, and gave her a good morning kiss. She then turned her attention to the stack of pancakes in front of her.
"They smell so delicious. Maybe I can eat all four. It won't be that bad if I do, right?"
However, just as Haruka was about to take a bite of pancake, her mind drifted back to the scale and the number she saw displayed on it.
"If I eat all four I'm gonna get fat."
Haruka then took two of the pancakes off her plate, and placed them onto the empty plate in the center of the table.
"Is something wrong with the pancakes?"
Setsuna asked.
"No, I just decided I only wanted two."
Setsuna raised an eyebrow at Haruka, but otherwise didn't question her statement.
Everyone then tucked into their breakfast, and had casual conversation while doing so.
Once breakfast was finished, Haruka got ready to drive herself, Michiru, and Hotaru to school. She would be dropping Hotaru off at the local middle school, then driving herself and Michiru to the local high school.
"Ready to go?"
Haruka asked, addressing the two people that would be riding in her car.
"I just need to go upstairs and grab my backpack, then I'll be ready to go."
Hotaru said, placing her plate in the sink then running upstairs to grab her backpack. A few seconds later she returned.
"Okay, I'm ready."
Haruka then grabbed her keys, and she along with Michiru and Hotaru headed out, saying goodbye to Setsuna as they did so.
End of chapter 2: