An Amateur's Appetite
"You're an amateur."
Not pleased with that assessment, grrrrowl. "Huh…?" grrrrowl. "Ahem." "Hmm?"
Just as Sunmoon's confidence began to return thanks to the stylish clothes, his stomach let out a loud growl. The sudden turn of events had made him forget his hunger, but his body was now loudly reminding him that it needed food. Grrrowl.
At the repeated sound of his stomach clock, Diola shot him another pitying look.
"Haah… Hungry?"
Nod nod.
With the secret already out, there wasn't much Sunmoon could do. His face slightly flushed, he nodded.
"Good grief… Come on. Let's eat first."
Diola sighed at him, but still headed off to get food. Right now, Barcelona and Real Madrid were tied on points. She figured she could at least do this much for the player who had taken two points off Real Madrid.
"How about over there?"
"I'm fine with anything."
Grrrowl.
"I just… need to eat something…"
It was still a little early for dinner, but fortunately some places were open, and the one they found was decent. It was the kind of establishment that required decent clothes to enter, but Sunmoon, dressed in the sharp outfit Diola had picked out, walked in without feeling out of place.
"How many in your party?"
"Two, please."
"Just a moment… Ah. Right this way."
Sunmoon and Diola followed the waiter to their table. He seated them in a rather secluded spot, and the moment Sunmoon found himself alone with Diola, his face flushed again.
"Um… Why?"
Sunmoon felt a little awkward being alone with a woman like this. As he hesitated, Diola spoke up again.
"Have you thought about what you want? They serve quite a bit of traditional Barcelona food here too. What are you in the mood for?"
Diola asked with a strangely meaningful look in her eyes. Sunmoon, who had been fidgeting, brightened a little at her question. After checking the menu, he picked the most familiar dish.
"I'll have paella. It's my favorite, so I'd like to try the paella here too."
Diola's brow twitched slightly at his answer.
"Paella? Hmm… So that's what you're thinking of eating…"
"Uh… Yeah?"
[Hmm? Something feels off.]
Harrison reacted as well, sensing a sharp edge in Diola's tone.
"A little disappointing."
"Ahem."
"What do you usually eat? Do you eat paella all the time?"
Caught off guard by the unexpected attack, Sunmoon rolled his eyes.
"I do eat paella a lot… It's my favorite food, after all…"
"The club hasn't given you any dietary recommendations?"
Diola's tongue grew sharper with each question.
[Ah~ What's our kid gonna do? The girl he's interested in is questioning his professionalism. Oof~]
Harrison seemed rather pleased to see Sunmoon getting scolded over food. After all, Sunmoon had completely ignored his advice about high-protein meals, so watching him get thoroughly grilled was quite entertaining.
"Hmm… Paella really is my favorite… Uh… Usually I…"
Sunmoon quickly racked his brain and recalled what Harrison had told him.
"I eat beef or pork! Like steak."
[Kekeke. Finally, it's come to this!]
Harrison grinned at Sunmoon's words.
"Red meat?"
But that wasn't what Diola wanted to hear.
"What about drinks?"
"Um… Cola… Probably not, right?"
Realizing even as he spoke that he was digging his own grave, Sunmoon glanced at her nervously and tried to backtrack. Diola's expression darkened again at his answer. Zap.
"Cola? Cooooola?"
"No… Uh… That was just a joke!"
"Are you ready to order?"
Just as Sunmoon started breaking into a cold sweat, a server arrived to take their order.
"Yes, we'll order now."
Diola looked ready to completely ignore Sunmoon's preferences.
"What would you like to drink?"
"Just water is fine."
"And for the gentleman?"
"Water for him too."
Sunmoon tried to answer, but Diola cut him off.
'Ugh…'
[Looks like he's finally met his match today. Good for him.]
"Understood. And what would you like to eat?"
"Do you have any fish dishes you'd recommend?"
"We have salmon steak."
"That sounds good. One of those and some jamón, please."
"Certainly."
Diola seemed to know more about proper athlete nutrition than expected.
"The club's at fault here. They're not doing their job."
"Ugh… Huh?"
"How could they neglect a player's management like this?"
"Uh… Well, I'm still a youth player…"
"Aren't youth players still club players? How can they skip even basic dietary management?"
No excuse worked. Diola's words felt like a punch to Sunmoon's solar plexus.
"How do you usually eat?"
"Uh… I just have cereal in the morning… During training I eat whatever's there, and for dinner I go to a restaurant I know."
"And at the restaurant, you mostly just eat paella?"
Nod nod.
"That's not good. High-carb foods like paella should only be eaten the day before a match, or you should go for whole wheat pasta instead."
"I… I was going to start doing that."
"And fish dishes like this are much better for athletes than red meat. Players who manage themselves properly don't eat much red meat either."
[Kuhhh… So that's how it is? They don't eat much red meat either?]
Harrison was slightly taken aback by Diola's words. Back in his playing days, not drinking after matches had been considered impressive. But this was a different era, one with far stricter dietary standards. The regimen Harrison advocated was nowhere near as rigorous as what top players followed now.
"If you want meat, eat chicken instead. Breast meat only, nothing else."
"Do I really need to go that far?"
"It's fine now because you're young, but you never know what'll happen later. Building good habits now is for your future."
Under Diola's relentless assault, Sunmoon had already collapsed, and even Harrison was starting to feel the shock.
"Right now, I'm disappointed in you, and I'm explaining why. This is the second time I've been disappointed in you, and honestly, this one stings more. You seem so amateurish. I'm disappointed."
Sunmoon's head spun. Diola's words felt like she was saying he wasn't professional, that he had no business being a pro if he lived like this. And he could clearly feel her saying she didn't like him because of it.
[Sorry, kid. I… wasn't enough either…]
Harrison tried to console Sunmoon, who looked dejected.
"Sunmoon, I'm interested in you because you're a footballer. A player in La Liga's first division, no less. I grew up here, so I love footballers. Of course I'm interested in a first-division player like you."
[Whoa… She's really straightforward.]
At Diola's words, hope began to well up in Sunmoon again. Thump thump.
'So she is interested in me after all. Whew… That's why she agreed to meet me, right?'
Tap tap.
"Your food is ready."
The server finally arrived with their meal. Delicious-looking jamón with bread, salmon steak, and a small salad were placed on the table.
"Thank you."
"Thank you."
"Wow… This looks amazing."
"Eat slowly. I know you worked hard in the Real Madrid match. This kind of food will do you good."
Nod nod.
"So I can only see you like this because I'm a player?"
"Yes. And you played well in that match. You showed great skill, and I'm just keeping my promise."
"Right. Ahem. Yeah."
Sunmoon's confidence returned.
"But there's one thing I really hate."
"Hm…?"
Sunmoon looked up from his first bite of salmon steak.
"Footballers who can't manage themselves. I really hate that."
"Cough."
"They can't even handle basic diet management. Drinking at the club, hitting on girls at the beach…"
Harrison stared quietly at Sunmoon. Sunmoon was now struggling to swallow his salmon steak. The happiness he'd felt five seconds ago had been smashed back into the ground.
"Why? Feeling guilty?"
Nod… Nod…
"So eat well and do better. That's all you need to do. You just haven't had anyone tell you how to manage yourself until now."
"Th… That's right?"
"So I'm telling you, at least."
Sunmoon's mood lifted again.
"That doesn't mean I want to meet you, though. I'm just keeping my promise."
Once again, Sunmoon's mood crashed to the floor.
"Alright, I won't nag you anymore. Just eat. We still have shopping to do…"
* * *
A little later, having enjoyed a healthy meal thanks to Diola, Sunmoon stepped outside with her. With his stomach full, it was now time to work it off, and Sunmoon followed Diola in a daze from her earlier verbal assault.
"You don't have much to do. Just carry my bags while I shop, that's all."
"Ah… Got it."
Even that proved difficult for Sunmoon.
"How about this outfit?"
"Um… It's pretty?"
"Are you sure? What makes it pretty?"
"Uh…"
Every time Diola picked out clothes, she asked Sunmoon for his opinion, and he had to work hard to give good answers.
"But I think you'd look good in anything…"
"Hmm… Alright. That's cute."
Diola turned out to be more meticulous and picky about clothes than expected. Still, she didn't dismiss Sunmoon's compliments. They continued shopping together until late into the night, and a certain girl happened to witness the scene.
"Th… That guy, why is he with a girl…"
Annie felt strangely upset seeing the pretty girl standing next to Sunmoon.