"Mmm, all done~ They look adorable. Not just Tomori's art, but the shapes themselves are quite cute."
After filling both girls, Rin knelt before them to admire his handiwork. He sealed them with plain bandages first, then carefully placed the penguin-drawn ones over the top.
"Pervert! Don't talk about a girl's 'shape' being cute!"
Taki grit her teeth, wanting to punch Rin, but she didn't dare move too much... if the seal broke, she didn't want to go through the process a second time.
To Rin, the look on Taki's face—wanting to bite him but unable to do anything—was peak cuteness.
Rin reached out and gave her a playful flick.
Taki instinctively curled forward to cover herself, but her pose only exposed her rear. Rin gave it a firm squeeze... Teasing a tough, serious girl like Taki is just too much fun.
"You—"
Taki started, but Rin cut her off.
"Time is short. Check yourselves. If a single drop is visible on your uniform, you'll have to move to another planet."
Hearing this, Taki hurriedly helped Tomori check for leaks.
After the session, they hadn't showered again, instead using wet wipes to clean any stray mess. Even a "waterproof" bandage might lose its grip if the surrounding skin was too wet.
Once they were satisfied, they pulled on their lingerie and uniforms.
"Is it... really okay?"
Taki stared down at her own stomach, feeling incredibly self-conscious. Logically, she knew no one could see a trace of it through the thick school fabric.
But being filled to the brim made them feel like they were bloated and obvious. Every step felt like a gamble.
"I'm heading out. Call me if anything happens... Oh, and remember what Hitori said: if you really have to pee, just peel it off. You won't lose much. If you hold it until you explode on stage, it's game over."
After dropping them near Ring and warning them not to repeat Bocchi's mistakes, Rin left to pick up Mutsumi from school. Picking her up was trivial, but he had one question... She could have come with Soyo. Why did she insist I pick her up?
Likely another one of Mortis's little schemes.
"Are we heading straight to Ring?" Rin asked the expressionless Mutsumi.
"We are picking up Sakiko."
Rin's eyebrows shot up. Insisting I come along just to pick up Sakiko...? What's the angle?
Despite the mystery, Rin drove to Haneoka to wait at the gates.
They arrived at the school gates and waited. Anon had bolted for Ring the moment the bell rang, but Sakiko usually stayed late in the music room to play piano.
A grown man with a girl in a Tsukinomori uniform was quite a sight at a high school gate. If Mutsumi wasn't there, Rin felt the security guards would have moved him along.
Finally, the elegant blue-haired girl emerged. The moment she saw Rin standing next to Mutsumi, she frowned.
A manager appearing with his talent wasn't strange, but today was her old band's live show. Why was he with Mutsumi?
And... they were standing quite close.
Mutsumi walked straight toward Sakiko, with Rin following a step behind.
"Saki. Let's move."
"Mutsumi, why is he here?"
To Sakiko, this was a Crychic matter. Rin was an outsider. He could watch the show, but why was he glued to Mutsumi?
"He signed Tomori's band."
"Eh?"
Mutsumi's tone was flat, but Sakiko was stunned. She didn't even know who was in Tomori's band, and Rin had already signed them?
Besides... she knew the others might be okay.
But Tomori's skill level...
Sakiko had invited her because "Haruhikage" was Tomori's song and only she could truly sing it. Sakiko knew exactly how raw Tomori's talent was.
A talent agency?
"It's just a symbolic contract," Rin explained. "Tomori wanted a 'lifetime band', so she begged me to sign them... It's just an encouragement contract."
Rin's words hit Sakiko like a physical blow.
He didn't mention Crychic, but every word was a direct reference to it—a mockery of the damage she had done.
Sakiko looked away from Rin and Mutsumi.
"Let's go."
While Rin, Mutsumi, and Sakiko were en route to Ring, Tomori and Taki had already met up with Soyo and Anon.
Only Rana was still missing.
"That stray cat... where is she? She never replies to texts." Taki was pacing, her patience wearing thin. But when she looked at Tomori, her expression softened. "Don't worry, Tomori. We still have time. She won't miss it."
They only had one song in their slot. As long as Rana arrived before they were called, it would be fine.
"Exactly. Rana-chan is like a cat—impossible to track," Soyo comforted them with a smile. "It's the day of the live; she won't be late. Shall we go to the rehearsal room for a final warm-up?"
"Yes, yes!" Anon nodded eagerly, a smug grin on her face. "Hehe, let me show you the results of my all-night practice sessions~"
The four of them headed toward the elevators. As they passed the second-floor cafe, they saw a silver-haired girl with heterochromatic eyes walking in, sucking on a lollipop and carrying her guitar case.
"Rana-chan~!" Soyo waved from the balcony. "We're coming down!"
Phew...
Taki let out a breath of relief seeing Rana, though she still spoke up in annoyance once they reached her.
"You're twenty minutes late."
"I'm sure she had a good reason. Let's not waste time; straight to the rehearsal room." Soyo tried to smooth things over.
But Rana didn't offer an excuse about traffic or school. Instead, she stepped directly into Taki's personal space, getting so close Taki could feel her breath.
"Wh-What are you doing? You want to fight?"
"..." Rana didn't answer. She closed her eyes and tilted her head, sniffing the air around Taki's face, then her neck, and finally her chest.
Taki instinctively backed away from the weird behavior. Rana didn't pursue her; instead, she moved toward Tomori.
"Eh...? R-Rana-chan?"
Tomori also took a step back. Rana looked back and forth between Tomori and Taki.
"You two... you smell strange. You smell like... queens." (Note: 'Queen' refers to a female cat in heat).
Anon & Soyo: "????"
Tomori & Taki: "!!!!!"