"How have they been since then, those girls?"
"They're working earnestly, though they grumble about it."
A few days after the protests subsided.
Aisha, who regularly checked on the students, told me about the subsequent condition of the girls.
"They aren't the type to abandon a given role. It's just that having this happen without warning made them emotionally unstable, and their high pride took a turn for the worse. ...Though, that's perhaps not for me to say, as a teacher who couldn't guide them completely."
"Even if you are a teacher, Ms. Aisha, it's impossible to look after every student in a situation like this."
"Thank you. But I have to do everything I can."
Aisha smiled as she said this.
The girls in question were all given separate jobs. Since their work involved live-in arrangements and a five-day, full-time schedule, they didn't have much free time. With eyes on them, it was difficult for them to gather and talk, except on holidays.
The Sage had made an impossible demand, saying, "Clear the 20th floor in one year," but of course, we couldn't have them accept that challenge and attempt a reckless dungeon run.
The people who took them in would check to make sure they didn't try to go into the dungeon alone or in small groups, and they would be instructed not to do anything dangerous.
Of course, going on a holiday with a proper party would be fine, but for a while, the fatigue from work would likely make even that difficult.
"It probably won't be easy for them to gather companions, either..."
The four girls who initially wanted to conquer the dungeon refused to team up.
"Because that girl acts so arrogant. It's just a nuisance when someone acts like 'they're the best' when everyone's trying to survive together."
I thought if they understood that much, they wouldn't need any more guidance, but when I mentioned it, they begged, "Just a little longer! At least until we clear the third floor!"
After clearing the third floor, it might be a good idea for the four of them to start over from the first floor together.
Ren agreed to this and decided to dive into the dungeon with them for a little while longer.
Regarding the girls, I also spoke with Sho and Ken, the native-born boys from the other world who had, for various reasons, come to idolize me before.
Both of the dates we had scheduled were now complete.
During the second date, they bravely confessed, "I love you!" and my reply of "You two are good juniors" effectively rejected them. That was a good memory, I suppose.
The boys were apparently in shock for a while afterward.
"Ren-san, can't we do something about those people?"
When I ran into them in town a while later, they asked me that question, sounding indignant.
Apparently, the girls had even gone to Sho and Ken to badmouth Ren. Sho told me, a little proudly, "We told them to stop being ridiculous and sent them away."
"Those guys were angry too. They said you're not the type of person who flirts with just anyone."
They are currently gaining experience under the guidance of Ren's original party members.
Their party apparently became even livelier after two of their childhood girl friends joined. These girls were infatuated with Sho and Ken, and for a time, they had been hostile towards Ren, but now the hard feelings were gone. In fact, they held a strange respect for Ren as "the perfect senior to lecture us on the male heart."
Judging by how Sho and Ken spoke about the girls with slight embarrassment, their own confessions must have gone well.
When I patted their heads and said, "Thanks," the boys blushed, saying,
"We're not kids anymore!"
To that, I simply smiled and nodded, saying, "You're right."
"But, if that's the case, you should be more careful about where you look. You two keep staring at my chest."
"H-How do you know that!?"
"Women are sharp about things like that. And if you keep looking at me in such a lewd way, you'll be treated the same as stray dogs or something, not human."
"What is that, that's too scary."
Ren agreed with the sentiment, but now that she had become a girl, it felt a little complicated.
"Now is the time for them to stabilize their lives in this other world, so it'll be difficult to invite other kids. If they relied on the older generation, they could explore, but if they can't show respect to their elders, it won't last."
"I just wish they would get a little more humble after being mentored."
This was something that would just have to run its course.
Ren was also trying not to go outside unless necessary, and since Furi, Iris, and Mei were mostly taking care of the shopping, there weren't many opportunities to run into them.
(Though, it's true I have many necessary outings for consultations and other things.)
Once my new house is complete, our paths will hardly cross, so I hoped they could endure until then.
-----------------
Dungeon conquering with Shion was going smoothly.
After easily clearing the first floor, we were progressing at a pace of clearing one floor with every dive.
Leveling up was also steady, and the way the simultaneous target count for magic and the elemental magic attack power increased with every new skill was truly astonishing.
She was beginning to be able to single-handedly half-destroy a boss-battle enemy by expending most of her MP.
"Looks like Shion-chan is a proper fighting force now~"
Though we refrained from making it a weekly affair, we occasionally celebrated. Furi, glass of wine in hand, said cheerfully at a Western-style restaurant we went to for a post-dungeon meal.
Shion, who was being fed small pieces of bread, hamburger steak, and French fries by the idle Mei, replied with embarrassment, "Oh, no, not at all."
"Since I'm not useful in other areas, I want to at least be able to defeat the boss by myself."
By the way, Western-style restaurants generally do not allow pets. However, since Shion was formerly human, she didn't bark, didn't run wild, and was omnivorous, so the owner gladly allowed her in.
In fact, the owner reportedly said that Mei, who only drinks water, would be "refused entry if she came alone."
Anyway.
Iris, while eating her venison grill, said to Shion,
"That said, the boss battles were truly tough when I went. The fact that it ends so easily now is amazing enough."
"When it was Iris's turn, we—I was low-level, too."
Ren ordered red wine, bread, and cabbage rolls.
The food was delicious as always, but when she let her guard down, focusing on the taste, she would accidentally slip and say "ore" (the male pronoun). To compensate, she was also trying to be more careful about her tone and intonation.
"I was a great help right from the start."
"You really were a great help, but Mei-chan is an exception."
"You may praise me more."
To the chest-puffed Mei, Ren offered compliments like, "Of course," and "You're always a lifesaver," before saying,
"Even if you call it an exception, being with all of you makes me feel like 'everyone's an exception.'"
"Well, yeah~. Ren's weird too."
"Furi, watch how you say that. ...But, well, maybe so. The non-human races are all strong, I guess."
Humans are strong when pushed to their limits, and while non-human races might struggle if their class compatibility is poor, having nearly double the number of skills is still a cheat.
"In other words, Shion-chan is strong, too. I'm sure you'll be a great help on the 10th floor and the 20th floor."
"The 20th floor, in particular, will be very reassuring with Shion-san there."
"The 20th floor is truly frightening, isn't it?"
Shion, hearing this again, began staring at the wall with a distant look.
Ren quickly reassured her, "It's still a long way off." On the other hand, Ren was also hoping to re-clear up to the 20th floor by the end of this year at the latest.
"That aside, it's almost summer now."
Before we knew it, the calendar had turned to July.
The temperature was steadily rising, and it was the season for shaved ice.
Iris then said happily,
"It's the lake's turn again!"
"The lake?"
"Didn't we tell you, Shion-chan? We don't have a sea or a pool here, but we can swim in a lake in the forest instead. Iris-chan made it."
"Ms. Iris did? That's incredible..."
"Oh, it's nothing major... But it was tough when I created it."
Iris's parents usually take care of the lake's management.
According to Iris, who occasionally goes home, the lake will be open this summer, alternating between men and women every week. Since switching daily would likely result in too many people mistakenly showing up on the wrong day, they decided to switch to weekly.
"It will be nice to be in the water on a hot day. It's a shame I can't swim with this body..."
"You can probably splash around, can't you? I'm not planning to swim either."
"Oh, Ren, you won't swim? Ah, is that because of the wings and tail?"
"Yup, the wings and tail are why. So just dipping my feet in should be enough."
It would be perfect to stay with Shion. The tiny Shion might get lost in the forest otherwise.
"Speaking of which, can Mei-chan swim? I don't remember seeing you last year."
"I've never tried, so I can't say. However, I suspect this body may not have enough buoyancy."
"Seriously? Then it'll just be me and Iris-chan. Well, it can't be helped."
"It would be a crisis for our party if there was a floor completely underwater."
Fortunately, no such floor has been found so far.
While Ren was lost in thought about countermeasures for underwater combat, Furi let out a sigh of "Hmm."
"The 20th floor in a year... We'll definitely be here for another two or three years, so maybe I should get a swimsuit made."
"Oh, are swimsuits being made?"
"The demand started last year, so they're gradually making them. Most are custom-made and expensive, though."
Rubber is, after all, a valuable commodity.
Especially for clothing, the demand is high because many people miss the high-quality items from Japan. Rubber boots are also essential for farmers, and there are countless other uses. However, the supply is currently insufficient, and improvement is needed in this area.
Many products are facing a labor shortage, and since personnel not assigned to a dedicated class are unreliable as a workforce, the shortage hasn't been easily filled. However, with this year's transferees being distributed across various fields, things might get a little better.
"A swimsuit, huh. It's better than wearing underwear."
"Oh, Ren, are you surprisingly enthusiastic?"
"Well, if I'm by the lake, I'll probably get splashed again. My clothes would get unnecessarily wet if I wore them. But I don't want to wear tattered underwear in front of people."
If it turns into a water fight, strange movements could speed up exhaustion, and I don't want to wear good underwear, either.
In that case, wouldn't it be better to have a dedicated item?
"But I don't know if I'll be able to wear it next year..."
She sighed, looking down at her increasingly larger chest.
The problem of frequently having to change bras has been slightly eased thanks to the cooperation of the ladies of the night, but the growth hasn't stopped yet.
She easily entered a D-cup, and now she's starting to think, "This is definitely going to E."
She will certainly be a size bigger next year, so it's hard to say, like Furi or Iris, "Oh well, it'll last a few years."
Furi looked at Ren with a deadpan stare:
"I'm happy that Ren is finally acting like a girl, but you're being so unbelievably extravagant with your worries that I'm a little jealous."
"I also feel a little envious when I look at you, Ren-san..."
"No, bigger isn't always better. I think Furi is cute just the way she is, and Iris is slim, so if only her chest got bigger, it would throw off her balance."
In fact, whether a girl's chest is big or small, I think her body is beautiful.
If a girl with small breasts truly looks like a boy, it's either a skeletal issue or simply being too thin.
Mei looked down at the little fox, Shion, in her arms and asked,
"Shion-san, what do you think about your Master's 'chest armor'?"
"Eh, what...!? No, well, I don't have any particular thoughts... If I had to say anything, being held by Ren-sama makes me feel safe. I wonder if this is what it felt like to be held by my mother when I was little."
Ren realized, only now, that when she held Shion, she was inevitably pressed against her chest.
If it made her feel safe, then it wasn't uncomfortable. That aside, Ren was a little envious. Well, it was her chest, so it was a strange feeling.
"Shion is so nice to hold. I want to hug her and sleep."
"That would... I think I'd fall asleep, too."
"I think that's fine, but Ren hugs pretty tightly, so given Shion-chan's size, it might be too much. Shouldn't you wait until her body gets a little bigger?"
"In that case, let's sleep together, Shion-san!"
"Hey, that's not fair, Iris-chan, me too!"
No one can resist the charm of soft and fluffy warmth.
As Ren smiled fondly at the popular Shion, Mei stared intently at her.
"Should I switch to my cooling body soon?"
"Ah, maybe."
If she did, then maybe hugging Mei to sleep would be an option.
============
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