Ema could feel the oddly fluffy atmosphere in the kitchen. Those terrible senpai were loitering around; none of them seemed to be all mentally there. That should have been a good thing for him, but...
Doesn't that make me more of a target for them?
None of them seemed to be paying any real attention to him. But as he moved closer, he could see a plate and bowl that had been kept warm. When he looked up, he saw Yuki pointing to the plate and bowl.
"That's for you. I made sure it wouldn't get cold, in case we left before you woke up."
"...Thank you."
It was only after Yuki had said that that he realized just how late he had actually woken up.
Just how tired was I?
A lot had happened in the span of a few minutes last night, but it must have taken more out of him than he had thought.
A few more seconds passed by before everything came back to him, and when it did, he could only do one thing.
"...!"
"Ema sure has been having interesting reactions lately."
"It's the process of growing up."
"And how would you know that?"
A spoon attack had come from somewhere, but Ema was too busy dealing with his blushing face to think about it.
I didn't do anything wrong! So why am I getting this embarrassed!?
Last night, before falling asleep, he had held on to Mitsuteru. He was certain that Mitsuteru had fallen asleep before doing anything, but it was still embarrassing to think about.
Their talk had been short, but it hit the points that both of them wanted to get out. Because of that, he could only think about how he had suddenly let the emotions of the night take over, leading to his actions right after.
I hope I didn't stay like that the whole night! He got up before me, so I don't even know!
This would haunt him for as long as it stayed in his mind.
I have to know!
.
Ema quickly pulled out his phone and opened a private chat.
Yuzu: "Hey, was I doing anything strange when you woke up?"
Daybreak: "Strange? Like snoring or something?"
Yuzu: "...Yeah. Something like that..."
Daybreak: "Well, you weren't snoring or sleep talking. There was a bit of drool, so I cleaned that up for you."
Okay, that's still pretty embarrassing.
But it was something he could live with. There had already been times when he needed to clean up his drool after waking up.
"Phew... I'm in the clear."
The others looked at him, but he ignored them.
Then another message came in.
Daybreak: "Oh, but speaking about things you were doing."
He froze as the next set of text came through.
Daybreak: "You give really good hugs. I seriously didn't expect you to be clinging to me like that. I really had to try to get up without waking you up."
"—!"
.
Kageura watched with interest as Ema's face went back to being completely red. It was followed by him clutching his phone and squatting down to cover his face.
The conversation he had overheard last night came to mind, making him grin a bit.
"Something come up?" he asked, knowing what it might be.
Murakami smiled as well, but he had said nothing.
"...How do you wipe something from your memory?"
"I've been wondering that since seeing Yuki's ass right in my face."
"Did you really have to say that...?"
"It's fine. He isn't paying attention anyway. See?"
He pointed to the crouching Ema, and, true to his word, there had been no reaction to his words.
The red that he saw on Ema's face had reached his ears and contrasted nicely with his green and white shirt.
Tenryū wears some pretty plain clothes, doesn't he?
How easily it fit Ema was also something he noted. Yuki had said his student's clothes were on the smaller size, but they really did fit Ema well.
"What are we supposed to do about this exactly?"
"Don't you have a kid? Shouldn't you know?"
"Shobu's my student, not my kid. Although having a kid like him would be great. For sure, adorable."
When he thought about it, that age group did have some good kids. The worst was Midorikawa, but even he had his moments. Only his attitude at times was a real problem.
A few more seconds passed by, with them remaining silent. I didn't think Yuki or Kanda could go this long. Good job. Once those seconds went by and Ema started to regain his composure, he stood up with some red dusting his cheeks.
It had to be either because of Amatori or because of what happened last night.
When everyone had been asleep, he had gotten up to use the bathroom. The hallway was carpeted, so he didn't need to worry about making any noise. Due to that, he had walked through without any problems. It was on his way back that he noticed something.
There was a door with a sign that read "Oshiro" and had a drawing of the Ninomiya Squad Gunner on it. It had taken everything he had to not punch the sign with all of his might. Even so, he had decided to turn the sign around so he would not have to see it after waking up again.
When he moved closer to the door, he was able to see inside. And what he saw was...
To think Yuzuru could be that clingy with that guy. At this point, he's just being tsundere about it all.
On the bed was Ema, one arm wrapped around Araike and the other being used as a pillow for him. Ariake's head was pressed to his chest, and his arm was held up to his own chest.
Forgoing his original plan, Kageura had closed the door without waking them.
"Anything you want to say?"
Ema took a few deep breaths and shook his head.
"Right now, I don't have anything to say."
That was considered a good thing for all of them.
None of them doubted that the sudden reaction was from Ariake. The only thing they wondered was what Ema's feelings towards it were.
"Both for this and for him... I don't really have anything to say."
He was probably referring to the conversation they had last night. As someone who had listened in, there was no room for him to say anything. Instead, he ruffled Ema's hair and guided him towards his seat.
He moved back over and patted Murakami on the back.
These two have the biggest connection to Ariake. Seeing them like this is better than last night.
All he could do was watch and support them all from a distance.
The repeated sounds of a gun being fired were heard throughout the room. It was rhythmic and continued to go off every few seconds. The start of the sound was smooth, but the end of the sound came with something else.
A hole.
A perfect hole was made in a dummy that would come up every few seconds.
A score was displayed on a clear screen to the side. The score was gradually going higher, along with other statistics displayed around it.
"His firing rate's slower, but he's hittin' the target more."
"This is more like what I saw back then."
"That guy's really something else at times, ain't he?"
Two people watched from a distance as the one firing the gun did so while in his own world. Nothing around him seemed to keep his attention away from the targets that would repeatedly appear a distance away from him.
The sound from the gun continued on until the timer on the screen to the side went to zero. Following that were other numbers that grew larger until the screen was filled with nothing but numbers. To the side were two graphs.
As for the one who had been firing the gun...
"..."
He let out a breath from his mouth and nose.
"So shifting it to the side before firing didn't work, but firing at the moment of firing let it trail off that way. Single lines create this kind of pattern, while parallel ones leave it more open in the middle. I see... Okay. I think I understand now. I need to understand..."
The two watching from a distance began moving forward as the one who had fired the gun let out another breath.
"Hey, Tokyo. Ya sound like you're havin' fun here."
"Huh? When were you two here?"
.
Oki raised a hand while Tonooka looked ready to walk away.
"Were ya so focused on firing that ya didn't notice us this whole time?"
"'This whole time'...? Wait, were you guys seriously here the whole time!?"
It was embarrassing to think that these two had been watching him practice the entire time he had been here.
It's been an hour since I started... No way they were watching the whole time!
"I got here half an hour ago. Tono came in ten minutes after that."
"We were planning on doing our own things, but we ended up watching you."
"Why didn't you two just start practicing!?"
They looked at each other before turning to him and shrugging.
Neither one of them had a good reason for watching him practice for half an hour. Mitsuteru found that it was both funny and embarrassing to know that they chose to watch him instead of joining him. The reason he had come by early to the base was so that he could practice before most people came in, so it wasn't like there had been no spots for the two of them. Even the ones to his right and left had been open the whole time.
He gave a light laugh and met up with them. When he was close enough, he high-fived Oki and bumped shoulders with Tonooka.
"So what's up? You two wanting to ease your minds or something?"
"Something like that." Oki started moving, making both him and Tonooka follow along. "I wanted to see what was goin' on here. Really to just see who's getting in some practice before the exam starts."
"I was passing by before going to the operating room."
That made sense. From what he knew, Yuba Squad had defense duty later in the morning. It must have been an actual coincidence that Tonooka had decided to stop by here.
"So what's up with that snipin', Tokyo?"
"What do you mean?"
"Yer snipin' there was pretty on point. It ain't like you to take that long to shoot, and you're even keepin' track of it. Ya usually go along with whatever ya get in the end."
"You noticed that stuff?"
"Tono here did."
"Kazuto did?"
"He did. Make sure to thank him like a good senpai."
He saw Tonooka try to escape, so he made a sudden movement and grabbed him by the shoulder. Making sure he got a good hold, he threw his arm around Tonooka and pulled him in close. With nowhere to escape, he swung his body from one side to the other, dragging Tonooka along.
The sound of laughter could be heard on his other side.
Without warning, he threw his other arm out and pulled in Oki as well.
"Nyawwwww~ Kazuto really pays that much attention to me? It makes me so glad to have a kōhai like him! And Kōji's so nice that he lets me know about these sorts of things!"
"It's hard to miss when Tokyo starts doin' something that's unlike him. There's usually a bad thing happenin' right after."
"And this is when I do this!"
With a single movement, Mitsuteru let go of Tonooka and threw his entire body onto Oki. We wrapped his arms around his neck and threw his legs up.
Oki followed this up by grabbing hold of his legs to make sure he would not fall. He lifted a hand to take the hat from his head and place it on Mitsuteru's head.
The two of them laughed as Mitsuteru threw his arm forward.
"Onward!"
"Yes, yes. Gotta do what the king says, right?"
"I take good care of my steeds!"
.
Tonooka watched Oki start to run towards the door and began to move as well. The unexpected movements from Mitsuteru and Oki caught him off guard, making him stall as they ran forward.
It's always like this...
They would always run ahead of him. While he would try to keep up, the two of them would end up rushing forward. The actions they took were always adlibed and strange to the point of leaving him in a daze for a moment.
Then it was up to him to catch up to them.
"Hey, wait up!"
"No can do, Kazuto! We're on the ride of our lives! Living our best life before we become as crazy as our former senpai! Yes! We need to remember that we're going to be the crazy ones next year!"
"You two are already crazy! And from the sound of things, you're the worst one of them all!"
Had all the crazy people in their lives finally converted Mitsuteru into a lunatic? Things like this tended to happen with cults or overly zealous religions, but he had never known for it to happen in an organization.
Now that I think about it, Misaki is pretty Shinto, isn't she? Following that, Suzaku-senpai also seems pretty Shinto, while Shigenaga-san might be a Buddhist. I think Asagi was saying something about her wanting to turn into Bishamonten before, so I don't really think she can become a Buddha. If anything, she might turn into the Demon King after leveling up her oni status a bit.
Then what exactly did that make Mitsuteru? The two of them were close.
Oh, and there's also Murakami-san and Tsukiko-san, who are a black wolf and a white fox. From what I heard, England has its own black wolves, but they go by a different name. So maybe it's not a cult or religious thing after all. Ah! He's going to turn into some monstrous legend, isn't he!?
Yuba has muttered some things like that about both Mitsuteru and Takato before, and Obishima had spoken about the younger Taiyōko sister like she was a legend herself. If those kinds of people remained around someone for a long time, then it could have started to become a strange influence.
This strange phenomenon could have started affecting Mitsuteru as well.
"Don't do it, Mitsuteru! Don't turn into some weirdo!"
"You're the one bein' a weirdo!"
It hurt to hear that from someone from Ikoma Squad, but the other two just laughed it off.
"Hey, hey, Kōji! I have an idea!"
Tonooka watched as Mitsuteru whispered something into Oki's ear. The two of them slowed down until they came to a complete stop. He used the chance to catch up to the two of them.
Mitsuteru got off of Oki's back, and the two of them started to turn back toward him.
Once he was a few feet away from them, he could see the two of them with matching grins.
Crap! I can't top my momentum in time!
His feet continued to carry him forward while he tried to stop himself from moving towards them. Something he had learned long ago was to never trust crazy people who wore smiles like them.
There was a good reason for that.
.
"Up you go!"
Fully expecting them to do something to him, Tonooka prepared to hit the floor or be tossed to the side. Instead...
"...Eh?"
They lifted him into the air with his own forward momentum. From there, they moved so that they would be below him, Oki in the front and Mitsuteru in the back. Their hands were held out so that his feet would be standing on them.
"Let's go show off Kazuto now! Our adorable kōhai will be making his way through now!"
"Enjoy the ride, okay~? We're making a this a special treat, just for ya!"
"Put me down! Hey, don't start- Wait!"
They started running before he could get down.
"Hah... Things may get a bit boring soon. Rather, there won't be someone who understands my situation for a while."
Arisa looked at the ceiling above her. The lights were bright, but she could see just fine between them all. The ceiling was high enough that the lights did not hurt as much as they could have if they were closer to the floor.
The light din surrounding her had been going on since she had gotten to Border's base. The morning had been rather slow, but things had started picking up the more she stayed.
"Put me down already!"
"Kazuto just needs to enjoy the ride!"
"Yeah! Just let the horses do the work here!"
A trio of strange boys ran by, but she didn't look away from the ceiling.
There are always strange people in Border.
This was nothing new to her.
But I do wonder what I'm going to do about this situation.
She had been told by Maki that he and Hyuse would be taking part in an exam for Border. Due to it being important, he could not go into too much detail, so she only nodded with Futoyuki by her side.
Along with the mention of the exam came the realization that neither one of them would be around for a while. At the time, Futoyuki had quickly gone to find Hyuse and mess with him while he had the chance. Maki and stayed with her so that the two of them could talk before needing to go deal with the other two.
That was just yesterday. Now that I'm fully accepting it, I realize how boring things might end up being for me. The branch members are nice and all, but Maki and Hyuse are the only ones outside of the branch who I really talk to. I haven't been able to get out of my shell much since joining.
The only other person besides herself that she had to worry about was her mentor. The man who had helped her out before and taken her away when she became desperate for some relief. It was because of him that she found some freedom. It was only after coming to Mikado City that she found herself truly free.
She closed her eyes to hide herself from the light.
The noise from the three boys could still be heard in the distance, but she ignored that as the image of her mentor came to mind.
...I miss him.
But she could not go with him. He had left for a place beyond where she could go. A place that she knew she would not be able to handle if she went with him.
Even so, I really do miss him. At the same time, it's better that I didn't go with him. For both of us.
He had been kind to her the entire time she stuck with him, even when she had gone by his late wife's name for a brief amount of time. The pain from hearing that name always showed, but she could never find it in herself to change her name.
That name was the only reason I could stay by his side. But...
But...
I can't use that name as an excuse anymore. It holds a lot of meaning to a lot of people in my life now. Using it would be an insult to both them and my mentor.
So she had changed her name again. She was no longer a stranger using someone else's name. The name she had decided for herself had come about after making the clear choice to stay in Mikado City, the place where her mentor had once lived.
The feeling of unease still sat inside her chest a lot of the time. Even if he had left, there were still people around her who knew about the name she had gone by for a brief moment. Sometimes she could tell that they were looking at her, remembering that time before she had joined them.
Except for one person.
The image of her mentor had started to slowly transform. No longer was it a man who was twice her age. Now the image in her mind was of a handsome boy who was only two years older than her. The smile she was so used to seeing on his face was lower than usual, but it held a kindness in it that she felt only she had seen before. All the times he was around others, he would be loud, but she had gotten to know a quieter side to him, one that wanted to take in the things around him.
There was a sudden thump.
Arisa's eyes opened quickly as heat started to rise to her cheeks. Her neck and ears felt warm as well.
W-w-w-wait a minute! Hold on now! What was that!? The AC is on in here, right? Then why do I feel so warm!?
She covered her cheeks with her hands and sat up straight.
Then a certain conversation came back to mind. Along with it was a sentence that the boy had spoken to her.
But I was the one who said to fall for me first!
It was all her fault.
She had not paid attention to what she was saying and ended up telling him to do something ridiculous. But he said I should be ready for him to fall for me! She was at fault, but so was he.
That was why she could only accept this as reality and make a decision for herself.
...Do I also want to fully fall for him?
And would it be because her mentor had left her?
She did not want that to be the reason. It would be rude to that boy if she only went to him because her crush had rejected her.
Taking a deep breath, she started to calm herself down and think through everything properly.
Once she did, she nodded.
That's what I'll do. As troublesome as it is, I need to do something about myself.
.
"Right! Even if Maki and Hyuse will be busy, I need to do something for myself!"
Arisa pumped her fists and looked down.
"Looks like someone is energetic."
"Eeep!?"
A sudden voice to her side made her jump in her spot.
"Whoa, whoa, calm down now," the voice said.
Arisa looked over to find...
Boobs!?
A pair of breasts stared back at her, both bigger than her own. The sudden realization of her own size made her slowly move her hands to her chest.
That's right! I don't even know what kind of boobs he likes! Or if he's even a boob guy in the first place! He could be a butt guy, for all I know! Maybe I can go down a list of people to see if he could align with any of them. Let's see...
Yuki-san likes butts; Kei-san is also a butt guy; Wakamura has been staring at Hoshi's boobs and butt before, so he's probably both; Yuki-san has said that Akasora-san is a boob guy; Hyuse and Maki have their own thing going on; Ikoma Tatuhito-san can work with either; and Shiraishi Chisato-san is most definitely a butt girl. Wait...when did she count here? Oh, but I guess I have been seeing her grab Ikoma Tatsuhto-san's butt a lot of the time, haven't I? Maybe she would let me grab his butt some time to figure out why she does that? That would be nice. It does look like it's sturdy but also soft. Actually her butt also looks like that a lot of the time too. Now that I think about it, maybe I can get Hoshi to let me touch her boobs and butt too; that way, I can help out Wakamura a bit. He isn't a bad guy after all.
Oh, that's right! There's a good pair of boobs right in my face! What do I do about that!? And aren't I staring at them too much!? But they look bigger than mine! I never cared about this stuff, but what if he does!? Maybe my boobs and butt aren't to his liking? How do I work on that...? Could I ask her? Ah, but I barely know her! I only know her name!
"Um, hello...Kumagai Yūko-san."
"That's so stiff and formal. Just call me Kumagai, or even by a nickname, if you want."
"Then please...do the same. Oh, but just go with any name you want. Yuki-san told me how you are, so it's all fine."
"How do you get away with that while also speaking like a guy?"
"What about you? Your stance and presence reminds me more of a man. Your boobs are pretty big, though, so it's easy to tell that you're a girl."
"Are they that big? I think they are pretty normal in size. Ones like Misaki and Suzkau Squad's Operator have way bigger ones."
"I guess that's true. Oh, but I've only met Misaki Suzumebachi-san before, so I only know how big those are."
Sometimes life was just that unfair. To her, though, it felt better to be stuck like this. Having less on her chest meant that she didn't need to worry about more weight that could slow her down.
Then again, Misaki Suzumebachi-san never seems to slow down with the size of her boobs. If anything, her dances only look like they speed up when she swings around with those pointlessly large things.
Realizing what she was thinking, she mentally shook herself and focused on something else.
Just how is she so capable...? I had heard about what she did during the incident a few nights ago from Yuki-san, so...
.
Kumagai noticed the strange girl staring while she was looking around the room.
This girl was one she had only seen around a few times, and most of the information on her was from the former Unneededs. And...
...Huh? Is she still looking there?
It almost looked like she was still staring up at Kumagai's chest from below. But...
...Eh? Is she still wondering about it?
I know I have a pretty good chest by certain standards, but that's all there is to it. I don't know the measurements, but I'm pretty sure Katori's are bigger than mine. Plus, as far as I know, she's interested in that weird guy who also joined the Yagura Branch. Maybe it has something to do with that? I doubt it, but there's always the chance, considering how that branch is.
...Anyway, what is this about? Maybe I'm mistaking what she's staring at. And I am the same age, so...
"Hey, Misawa? If something is bothering you, I might be able to help."
She held up her phone close to her body to create a wall between her and Misawa's gaze. Then Kumagai checked the 3D shape of Misawa's chest.
...There's nothing there. Wait, maybe there's a little...no, there's not...except that isn't quite true. But it isn't enough to say otherwise either.
It depended on how she observed it. Was this some kind of chest-related uncertainty principle?
...But why is Misawa staring at my chest like that?
.
Arisa realized she had grown distracted by Kumagai's chest.
She was not going to absorb any of its power by staring at it. If anything, she was worried Kumagai's would absorb what little power she had.
...And I may have been staring, but that isn't what matters.
She had been trying to ask about the techniques Kumagai was using. She seemed to be using ones that Arisa had been unaware of, but...
...That means she's grown a lot from when she could be considered weak, doesn't it?
However, there was no hesitation in the way she operated the screen on her phone. Even that much had taken some skill to use without issue.
Arisa belatedly wondered when the girl had learned to do that.
They were in the same year when it came to school, so it was time to decide on a future for themselves. Arisa would prefer to move past it, but she had only recently come to Mikado City after having been left here. Thanks to that, she needed to join them all in the next school year instead.
She had run into a major setback.
She would be starting as a third year in high school. She had yet to figure out what she would do, so she had decided to simply do her duty as a member of Border and live an ordinary life so the others would not worry about her. That was how she envisioned her new life.
Kumagai was a B-Rank member, and they were similar in the way they spoke, so they could probably get along.
But it was that sort of similarity that made the well-practiced movement and idle stance come as such a surprise.
"When did that happen?"
That girl had skills Arisa had not known about, and she had a role of her own in a job beyond being a student.
I'm probably just jealous, thought Arisa as she asked a question.
"How did you get to be like that?"
.
Kumagai was not immediately sure what Misawa meant.
...Like that?
Like what? Was there anything about her worth questioning in that way? Could it be...
...My boobs!?
Was that why Misawa had been staring?
Had she been so bothered by Kumagai's chest that she felt the need to ask about it?
"––––––"
Kumagai was dumbfounded, but she belatedly realized something.
Misawa must have been staring at her chest because of their sheer size. That was kind of an embarrassing thought, but since Misawa had only recently come to Mikado City, she had not had a chance to see Kumagai's chest before now.
The information about her arrival was hazy at best, and most of it came from Yuki, Denji, or Murakami, so this would have been her first time noticing Kumagai's body for the first time in her life.
...In that sense, it might really come as a surprise.
But that was not a bad thing. It was unclear what had triggered this bout of insanity in Misawa, but it also meant she was actually looking at Kumagai for the first time ever.
There had been a chance that they could even be friends with their similar speech patterns.
Then Misawa had asked that question.
"How did I get to be like this?"
How had she done it?
...Is she asking what she can do to make hers bigger?
Kumagai shuddered as she considered that question. This came down to knowledge on increasing one's bust size, but...
...I don't know how you do that!
Oops. But c'mon, there are some things not even a fighter like me knows. Still, this is not good. I did say I might be able to help. So...
"W-wait just a moment, okay?"
She quickly opened an internet tab and made a search.
[Search Terms: Chest, Growth, Make Bigger, Embiggen, Shinto: Begin]
She had an answer in 2 seconds flat.
[Not possible. By, Suzaku.]
...That was fast. And why is Suzaku-senpai the one answering!?
This must have been a frequently asked and very important question, even for someone like him. That seemed somewhat contradictory, but whatever. Such is life.
But when she glanced over, she saw Misawa looking back at her.
That look of expectation and slight tension made Kumagai sweat.
What was she supposed to do?
She had just checked on Misawa's chest situation, so she understood why the girl was asking. I wish I could just tell her that this excess size is entirely fruitless...well, I guess some people figuratively refer to them as fruits, but that's not the point. Regardless, this feels like such a hairy issue. A hairy chest issue? Wait, what am I saying? Hairy chests are a guy thing.
"Kuma?"
Oh, she actually adapts to that kind of stuff quickly.
When her mind was snapped back into focus, Kumagai reflexively responded with a professional smile.
"What is it? You can count on me."
"Then," said Misawa while pointing toward Kumagai's chest through the phone in between. "Right. How did you level up with those things so much?"
I'm really not sure what to tell you.
.
Arisa pointed at the phone opened near Kumagai's chest and continued her question.
"How hard did you have to work to manage that?"
"Eh!?" Kumagai tilted her head. "Well, um, uhh, the thing is...i-it wasn't really about hard work."
"It wasn't!?"
If she had managed to fulfill her current role and job without putting any hard work into it, was it an issue of natural talent?
If so, that was even more impressive.
"So when did you gain that kind of skill?"
"Um, skill? I'm not sure that's the right word here." Kumagai raised her right index finger. "If anything...yes." She nodded. "You might find it hard to believe, but this just happened on its own."
Arisa was stunned.
...On its own!?
They did say people were raised by their environment, so was a B-Rank agent just surrounded by so many Border-related things on a daily basis that she had picked up skills without even trying?
Arisa on the other hand...
...I might be in the Yagura Branch, and I might still have trained under Sen-...Seidō-san, but...
She had been neglecting that training since coming here. Of course, the position of branch member was more of a formality than anything, but she had still turned her back on trying to move forward.
She felt ashamed and spoke with a self-deprecating smile.
"I'm such a failure compared to you."
.
Oh, no! thought Kumagai with panic in her heart.
She had hesitated while trying to figure out how to explain that Shinto had no boob-buffing ideas, but that hesitation had done damage to Misawa.
She knew she had to fix this somehow because these things could scar people for life. Like with Akane.
So she quickly spoke up.
"D-don't worry, Misawa! You still have a chance!"
"A chance?" Misawa wrinkled her brow in a troubled way. "What are you saying I should do?"
"Y-you mean, specifically?"
"Just as much as you know."
Oh! realized Kumagai. I can manage that much. For example...
"Well." She put a hand on her chin and went with one of the commonly-cited methods. "It apparently helps to drink lots of milk."
.
"Milk!?"
Arisa was stunned again.
When you wanted the skills and proficiency needed for your job and role...
"It's important to drink milk!?"
"Y-yes, it is. I mean, look at...ah! Hoshi. You probably see her chugging down milk every day."
That was true enough.
...And she has just started down her path as a Kotowari Squad member.
Hoshi had seemed to have found her want for being in Border, and she had truly started going over everything she could to make sure it stayed this way. But...
"I-I find it hard to believe milk can help with that."
"R-really? I thought this was common knowledge."
...Common knowledge!?
Arisa was stunned for a third time. When did their society become so milk-focused? Now, she had no real problem with drinking milk, but...
"I had no idea you drank lots of milk, Kuma."
"Oh, I don't drink very much myself."
"Then why even bring it up!?"
"B-but it came naturally for me, so I didn't have to! But if you want to do it artificially, then you have to resort to milk!"
Arisa had no way of refuting that logic.
And it was true that Kumagai was something of a special case.
"As far as I can remember, it's something else you're drinking, not milk. According to Yuki-san and Kei-san."
"Wait, wait. I don't drink anything weird. After my teacher stopped me before, I've been trying to only drink at home. With an exception at lunch, of course."
"So it's something like sake, then? I guess we aren't that far in age for the age of dirnking."
"No, don't be silly. Today it was last year's batch of umeshu."
Drinkers could be weirdly particular about these things, but Kumagai apparently had more to say.
"Now, to get back on topic, um, there is one other way."
"Eh?"
What other way was there to acquire and master the skills required for your role?
Kumagai blushed but raised her eyebrows a little as she spoke in a serious tone.
"Getting guys to, uh, massage you apparently works too."
.
"Massage you!?"
Arisa was not sure what Kumagai meant, so she bluntly stated her thoughts.
"Kuma! To put this as softly as possible, are you crazy!?"
"Huh? Isn't that a little hard-hitting to be putting it softly? But anyway." Kumagai held her hands out to tell Arisa to calm down. She was also blushing. "Listen. A lot of people claim it's true. It's especially common to hear it from married people."
"Married people!?"
Arisa was not sure why being married was relevant to this discussion, but maybe it just meant they were older.
...They would have more social experience.
That was when she realized what Kumagai was trying to say.
So she doesn't mean a literal massage.
"I get it now."
...She means getting "massaged" by the harshness of a masculine society, doesn't she!?
With Triggers, Neighbor attacks, social development, and social guarantees, the genders had equal rights in Mikado City in all things outside of bathrooms.
But women were still the ones who gave birth and tended to handle more of the childcare, which took up a lot of their time. And as a city that came into contact with a lot of danger, Mikado City had a lot of heavy-lifting jobs. Thus, Mikado City's labor force tended to be more male.
So you had to understand things on the worksite to know how the world worked.
Thus, Kumagai was saying to take the plunge into that kind of social group and let it "massage" your skills.
...I understand now!
"Kuma! I apologize for calling you crazy. If you were crazy, how could we be having such a serious conversation like this?"
"Misawa, I'm not sure this conversation qualifies as serious."
"Don't worry about it." Arisa waved a hand dismissively because she had a question. "So did you end up like this thanks to the 'massaging' of a bunch of guys?"
.
Kumagai briefly imagined that scene, but the men ended up just being a faceless mob in her head.
...Oh, just like in one of Misaki or Wagner's doujinshis.
Yeah, that isn't realistic at all, she thought with a bitter smile. Besides, that isn't how it worked for me.
"No, Misawa. Like I said, this came naturally for me, so I didn't need anything like that. Besides, who exactly do you think I would go to for that?"
"Murakami-san maybe?"
Kumagai briefly imagined that scene. The faceless mob suddenly all had his face.
...Wow!
It felt much more real all of a sudden. But you can't actually make multiple copies of the same person, can you?
[Search Terms: Individual, Splitting, Multiple, Copies, Shinto: Begin]
[Yeah, that one you can do. By, Suzaku]
Oh, no. Why did I look that up? And I sort of even got a Shinto man's approval for it. Does Shinto have no shame? Also...
...Wow.
"Kuma! Kuma! Why are you sitting there blushing and wiggling around!?"
"I-I just took a direct but very unexpected hit is all."
Kumagai lightly struck her own head to drive out the naughty thoughts. Once was not enough, so she struck herself a second and third time. Then a fourth, for good measure.
"Kuma! Kuma! Those are some pretty solid hits from the heel of your palm!"
"Oh, I-I'm fine, I'm fine! I got them all out!"
Right now, she needed to help out her new friend, not fantasize about being the protagonist(?) of a doujinshi.
She had apparently provided a solution for that friend's worries because Misawa's face had lit up.
However, something about the girl's words had Kumagai worried.
So just to be sure, she asked about it.
"Um, Misawa? Who do you intend to go to for this massage?"
"Eh?"
Misawa tilted her head with a look that said "you have to ask?"
"Right. Well, I figure it would be best to go to some place where a lot of experienced men work and have them 'massage' me."
Kumagai briefly imagined that scene. Then she placed her hands on Misawa's shoulders.
"Rethink this! Th-that plan is dangerous!"
.
Arisa was not sure what Kumagai meant.
To put it softly, that girl was crazy. To put it normally, she was nonsensical. So Arisa calmed herself down and asked about this.
"Wh-why should I rethink it? What's wrong with going to a male-dominated workplace and having them massage me and get rough with me?"
"Y-you need to calm down! Massaging is one thing, but if they get too rough, it will have the opposite effect!"
Arisa was still unsure what Kumagai meant, but she could tell the girl was worried for her.
"I'll be fine. I'm actually very tough, after all."
"Yes, but...but you need to calm down. Reality can be very harsh and sexual."
The Attacker slapped Arisa's shoulders and then placed a hand on her own chin. And after a pause...
"Why not start with some simple practice?"
"Like with just one person? But who?"
"Hmm." Kumagai finally offered a name. "I guess it would have to be Futoyuki."
"I-I couldn't possibly trouble him with something like this. And...does he really have the strength to properly massage me and get rough with me?"
"Y-you want to know if that guy could massage you and get rough with you!?"
"Yes," said Arisa. She had heard that the workplace could be a cruel place.
...Greedy people hoping to steal your pay will squeeze you for all you're worth and suck you dry!
So...
"I'm prepared to let Futoyuki get rough with me, to squeeze me, and to suck me dry."
"––––––"
Kumagai wobbled on her feet. She was apparently feeling dizzy.
She staggered and nearly fell onto the floor, so Arisa quickly propped her up.
"A-are you okay, Kuma!?"
"Oh, sorry, I just have a nosebleed is all."
Arisa had never before seen an Attacker turn toward her with a handkerchief in her nose.
But she went on to slap Arisa's shoulders several times.
"I-I had no idea you were so serious about this, Misawa! You might be willing to take this even further than Akane!"
"I-I am not quite sure what you mean, but I am willing to do what I can! Also..."
Arisa took a breath.
Speaking with Kumagai about her thoughts had helped resolve the problem within her.
"I feel like I found a solution to the problem I've kept hidden in my heart for a while now."
"Well, we still don't know if this solution will work."
"Even so," said Arisa. "I am much less worried about it now. You really never know what will help you get over your worries, do you?"
But...
"You have my thanks...Kuma."
She nearly used Kumagai's given name like she wanted to, but she chose not to.
She felt like it was too soon for that, but was that a sign of growth or was it just a momentary whim?
Still, Kumagai nodded and responded with narrowed eyes.
"Don't worry, Misawa. Resolving people's worries is something a lot of us try to do."
Kage: "..."
Black Wolf: "..."
Kage: "I'm pretty sure those two are have two very different conversations over there."
Shige-ko: "How do those two even manage to communicate like that?"
Kage: "You know, I kind of feel like that gratitude Misawa's showing is a bit tainted."
Shige-ko: "Not an uncommon occurrence around here."
It was sad how true that really was.
"!"
Kageura looked to his right to see Murakami walking away with both hands over his face.
We barley get here, and this is what we're greeted with.
Border members really never did change. They only increased the amount of craziness they had around them.
After getting themselves ready for the day at Yuki's house, Kageura had gone with Murakami and Ema to the base for the day. They had wondered if Yuki would be joining them, but he had only waved them off and told them that he would talk with Kanda some more.
Maybe he's just afraid of what Shitokei will do to him if she sees him here.
In all honesty, he was glad Yuki chose not to come. Any responsibility for that would fall on him and Murakami, meaning they would also get a harsh scolding.
He could only sigh at the thought of having to deal with Yuki and his girlfriend.
"So you really were nearby. I wasn't sure if you were hearing that dangerous conversation from a distance or not."
A sudden spike stabbed him from behind.
"—!"
"I'm sure you can tell from that what I'm feeling right now."
Kageura was quick to turn around and assume a fighting stance. His eyes were wide, and his hand was already in motion to fight.
There, standing before him, was someone he had recently become familiar with.
The pair of dark glasses obscured her eyes, but her emotions came through due to his Side Effect. Along with those emotions came the voices of those around them.
"Isn't that Meishō Squad's oni girl?"
"Isn't she a Strike Forcer for them too?"
"Crap! Ariake just passed by! Someone go call him over!"
"Hey, isn't she looking pretty hard at Kageura-san right now?"
"You're right. Maybe... Huh! Is she...?"
"I think she is."
"It can't be!"
"I thought she didn't think like that!"
The girl nodded once at everyone's words, causing them to collectively gasp.
Kageura refused to lower his stance. The two of them had fought during the B-Rank Wars, so he understood what it meant for her to be here.
And so did everyone else.
"She's going to confess to Kageura!?"
"That isn't it, idiots!"
Kageura blinked twice and remembered exactly where he was.
"Honestly... Bunch of idiots. Where do they get off coming up with something like that?"
"Your response was just as fast. Aren't you just as bad?"
"Coming from someone in your age group? I don't want to hear anything."
That was fair. The people in his age group tended to be the worst kinds of people.
The oni girl gave a sigh and lowered her shoulders. From that, he could tell that she had settled down a bit. The emotions being thrown at him weren't as bad as before.
"In any case... Kageura. I want something from you."
"I can tell what it is."
The oni girl nodded again and held her hand out to stop everyone else from speaking.
"That's right," she said. "I want you to fight me."