---

Nakatsu Shizuru's anxiety had grown even stronger and deeper.
And the cause of it all was the hidden folder she found in the D drive of the laptop that Tennouji Kotarou had brought and left in the club room.
Incidentally, it was password-protected, but when she tried entering the four-digit number 0502—which is Kotarou's birthday, the folder was simply unlocked.
She would bear in mind that Kotarou's sense of security was so concerning, but the contents of the folder had concerned her above all.
"......"
Nakatsu Shizuru analyzed the content in a very calm manner.
(I can't believe it...)
The sexy and raunchy image files stored inside the folder were... They were all bazooms and gazongas.
These sexy and raunchy images certainly were not collected for others to see.
In other words— Tennouji Kotarou favors bouncy and jiggly enormous boobs.
Nakatsu Shizuru could only fall into despair if that's the matter.
Nakatsu Shizuru was just a maiden in love.


"Shizuru's anxiety?"
"Yes... You're the only one I can trust about this, Tennouji-kun."
"Uh..."
I thought it'd be unusual for Nishikujou-sensei to fetch me alone, and it turned out that she'd discuss such a thing.
She really is a Shizuru supremacist.
"But, her anxiety, huh...? How I see it, she appears just the same as always, so I don't feel like she has some kind of problem..."
"Of course, she's not going to make it apparent when you're around. She doesn't want to make you worry."
"Oh..."
I see.
Then, it must be a problem so serious that she would absolutely hide from me.

"Please tell me about it."
Spontaneously I asked her in a serious tone.
"The truth is... Shizuru's boobs are... small."
"......"
"I have already told her that I think it's part of her charm, but... She doesn't buy it. She believes that it's not what the typical men in our society would think."
"Can I just go home now?"
"Wait!"
She clung onto my arm with tearful eyes.
"To begin with, it's your preferences that caused her this anxiety!"
"Didn't you say that it's just what typical men in our society would think... Well, I'm just another typical man in our society."
"That's right.... You're just the very typical man who saves the pictures of women with big boobs into your computer once you see it."
"Wait! How come you would come to such—"
Was it Shizuru!? She knew it from Shizuru, didn't she!?
"I have no other choice! This is all for Shizuru-chan!"
"Well, I still have tons of questions waiting to be answered by you!"
I received a double shock when I knew that Shizuru found my secret folder and this teacher even knows about it!
"I'm asking you to declare to this world that you like flat-chested loli until Shizuru believes it!"
"Seriously, don't push such fetish to me as if it's just a simple porn recommendation! To begin with, Shizuru isn't quite what you think she is! She is not a loli!"
"But... you're a lolicon, Tennouji-kun... in more ways than one....."
"To begin with, you treat her like a loli... I mean, like a little kid! That's why she always runs away from you."
"Gaan!!!"
She fell to her knees.
"I- I just... think that Shizuru-chan is cute... So I..."
"......"
I didn't know whatever with her, but I made my escape at that point.
(But, Shizuru's troubled over it, huh...)
I wish she wouldn't be so anxious over such a silly thing...

✻ ✻ ✻ ✻ ✻
I headed to the club room.
What just happened took quite a lot of time, so by this time I'm sure everyone had gathered.
[Of course she's not going to make it apparent when you're around.]
Suddenly I got concerned by those words.
(That reminds me, I have Prez's hidden surveillance camera over there...)
I found it being installed in the club room, but just in case, e.g. this kind of situation, I modified it so that I can have reception on my side, then I put it back right where it belongs.
By the way, it seems that Prez cut off the power when she was alone in the room, so the camera had not much use so far...

"Let's take a peek..."
I decided to monitor the club room from an empty classroom a room away.
[Here comes the choco pie!]
[Chii-chan, three of them is quite...]
Chihaya munching food, Kotori meddling, it was the usual situation in the club room projected on the monitor.
Shizuru sat next to Lucia soundlessly.
But, her gaze was...
[......]
Shizuru's gaze was focused solely on one thing, which was Lucia's chest.
"She's really bothered about it..."
Shizuru's odd behavior was downright easy to understand.
Shizuru's targets, which were Lucia's boobs, were jumbo-sized.
They're just as valuable as Dream Lottery, Green Lottery, Autumn Lottery and even as far as 300 million yen.^[1]
In other words, they were the symbol of hope.
For Shizuru, they would be a godly precious sample.
But, after losing herself in thought for a while, she looked away with a disappointed look.

So it means,
[If anyone ever asks, "Luci-san, how come your boobs are so big? You have any secret about it?" Lucia surely will answer honestly but Lucia herself seems to be bothered by her own chest to the point that it could be called traumatic so that would be uncalled for. As her best friend I won't let that happen. That's disappointing but I have no other choice but to reject that plan.]
that's how she concluded.

[......]
That being the case... She looked towards the other three, but her face couldn't hide her wonderment.
[I want to ask the owner of the biggest one here, but who is it? I can't really know if they're covered under these clothes... I'm such a troubled maiden...] was what would likely be written all over her face.

(Shizuru... Among those three, the biggest one is Prez....!)
I tried telling her from my heart, but if I ever tell her in the face, Shizuru probably would think...
[This guy really only looks at boobs over all things! He could even have superscanning BOOBY EYES!]
...and that's making me sad.
To put it simply, the only thing I could do over here was just cheering her in my head.

After a short pause, Shizuru stood up.
Seemed that she had come up with something.
She began to distribute tea in individual cups to everyone.
(What is she...?)
I couldn't imagine what she had planned at the time.
[Hm... Thanks.]
Prez obediently took the cup to her lips.
The others immediately started to drink once they were offered the tea.
In the meantime, she nonchalantly manipulated the air conditioner with a remote controller.
[It really makes me warm~...]
[I'm starting to sweat...]
When such conversations started out, Shizuru's eye sparkled and shone like a hunter watching her prey getting trapped, and said...
[Let's all go to public bath to wipe away our sweat!]
(Huuuuhhh!?)
I don't know their breasts size > Seeing them straight and up-close is the best > The only legal way is a public bath > When they get sweaty they will want to get into a bath > Carry out the plan at once... What a truly plain and simple train of thought.

✻ ✻ ✻ ✻ ✻
And then... every of the Occlub members headed to the bathhouse in the town.
Although she could smoothly get to an agreement with the other three, Prez had a problem with it.
Shizuru couldn't convince her, but without a moment's delay, I appeared...
[Hey prez! If you don't sweat enough you're gonna turn into an old hag in no time! A salt sauna is the best, you know! It'll be a waste for whatever skin care products you're gonna use if your skin is piled up with dirt and pollution!]
As I told her passionately, even no matter how suspicious it was, I successfully managed to take her here.
"Kotarou-kun, how could you know that Shizu-chan suddenly invited us to public bath?"
"...just somehow."
If I told her, Kotori would find me suspicious, so I decided to stay silent.
Personally, I think it'd be great if this could be one of our Occlub get-together events.
Getting to know each other bare and exposed would make people naturally open their hearts to each other.
Not only for Shizuru but for everyone at the Occlub, it's great to have such events like this.
"...by the way, the public bath in this town has a certain legend..."
Kotori started to narrate a story.
"Huh? What's that?"
"In the men's bath, no matter what time you come in, a ghost of a public bath old man will be there..."
I found another haunting old man ghost in Kazamatsuri.

We parted into two groups in front of the reception.
Obviously, the male group and the female group.
"All by myself...."
I undressed all alone in the changing room, then headed into the bath.
At first glance, it looked like an old-fashioned bathhouse, but apparently, they had a Jacuzzi, an electric bath, and sauna-kind of facilities installed inside.
And the small part of the wall right below the ceiling is open, so voices from women's baths could be heard.
Although for now, I could only hear old ladies' voices...

The first thing of all, I washed my body quickly, then headed toward the bathtub.
"Phew...."
I put a small towel on top of my head and stretched my body like a snow angel.
The undoubtedly comfortable spaciousness gradually healed my whole body.
(Oh, this is awesome....)
"The best of the best way to heal a warrior's body is to spread his wings in a large bathtub," such words that I felt like hearing from someone crossed my mind.
I soaked myself in this relaxing and comfortable feeling for a short while.

But...
"The girls are taking it slow..."
Unlike men who just go naked and in, they surely need a lot of preparation.
Bath time for women is long for a number of reasons.
If I waste my time without entering the tub, I would awkwardly wait for the girls alone until my heart was left frozen and even the soap turned stiff and crackling on my skin.

(Let's check the open-air bath so I won't get dizzy here...)
I headed to the open-air bath.
"When you gooo onnn a jouurrrnneeeeyyy~"
Some kind of splendid singing voice resounded from the open-air bath.
I took a peek and...
"Oh! Isn't it Gen-san!?"
"Oh? Oh! Hey there, my boy! Fancy meeting you here!"
He came to me straight away without covering a thing.
"Y- yeah, really! What a coincidence!"
"Gahahahahaha! Well, we gotta refresh our mind, ain't dat right!? We gotta get to the bath as we feel the wind against our bare selves like this, ain't dat right!?"
Gen-san put her hands on his hip and looked up to the sky.
His figure from behind looked nothing but manly.

"Um.... Can we actually go there, letting it all hang out... like that?"
I wonder if they all can see us from outside...
"Are you seriously asking dat? Dis is the best way to go, my boy!"
He stretched his arm with his thumb up.
Gen-san radiantly smiled from ear to ear, bathed in westering sunlight.
(I also... want to have such a radiant and brilliant smile like that...!)
I went right next to Gen-san.
"Excuse me!"
"Yeah! Bring it on!"
"Letting it all out is the best!"
"Gahahahaha! Letting it all out is the best weapon! Dat's just the common sense in England!"
"Just like in role-playing games!"
"Yeah! Swing it hard as you like it!"
"You bet! I'm swinging it like crazy!"
For a short while, my whole being was... in full swing in the open-air bath.
"Speaking of which, you had entered the sauna yet?"
"Ah, no, not yet."
"Das no good! After feeling the wind to your heart's content, it's time for a manliness test! Aight! Let's go immediately!"
"Yessir!"

I headed to the sauna as I was told.
(Sauna, huh....)
We had a sauna in this place since my elementary school era.
In my memories, when adults go inside, they would sit down with serious expressions on their faces.
It's not like there's any specific rule about this, but one should never exit when no one's coming in... Think of it as a closed space where you would risk your life with such unwritten rules for real men.
It really is a closed space to test a real man.

"Alright."
I put my hand on the door.
As the heat from inside grazed upon my body, a single man who had just finished his battle raised his face.
"....Yoshino?"
It was Yoshino Haruhiko, who then swiftly stood up.
"T- Tennouji, you!? Why are you here!?"
"The answer to that question will be very long... But anyway, why are YOU in a place like this?"
"That goes without saying. Public bath... The men who had been wounded and fallen down in battle are always eager to knock on that door... to that one-hour healing space. For those who always fight, for those duelists who want to recharge, they would return to this bloody warzone again. Obviously, it's so natural for a wolf like me to be here."
"But you are far from a smelly bad boy. You're quite a hygienic one, in fact. But I didn't expect to have an encounter with a character like you in the bath..."
"I feel offended hearing that from you..."
"Well, excuse me."
I sat on the recline for the time being.
"Wait... You're going to stay in the sauna?"
"That's the plan."
"......."
And he sat next to me with a thud.
"Do you want to get along bare and stark with me that much?"
"Don't say such revolting things.... I just had rethought that this is still not enough for me."
"....don't push yourself, buddy."
He was just looking for competition, huh?

✻ ✻ ✻ ✻ ✻
On the other hand, in the women's bath, Nakatsu Shizuru overviewed the surroundings with her excellent hunter-like eyes.
By the way, Nakatsu Shizuru had dipped herself into the electric bath.
It seemed that she liked the rippling sensation shaking her body.
As a result of observing various things from there, she found out that her specs were about the same as seventh-grader girls, and that made her feel down.
"Ah, this is so great.... I'm revived back to life..."
"Say, don't you think it looks as if we can swim in here?"
Both Kotori and Chihaya already had themselves relaxing in the bathtub.
"Swimming here would be bad manner. And you can't come into the tub with your towel on."
Lucia was taking a shower a little bit farther.
"Aw, come on. Don't be so strict..."
"Class rep, get in here too!"
"I- I'm fine! I'll soak myself later!"
She was still wrapped in a bath towel.
She shouldn't have worried about the poison because she had taken the new drug. Even so, the reason that she refused to get in the same tub with everyone was because of her shyness above all else.
"Come on, it'll be fine! It feels so good here, you know?"
"Then it leaves me no choice but to take you by force..."
Kotori approached Lucia with her fingers twitching.
"Eeek! Wha- what are you—!?
"Be prepared, Luci-san... Me can't take me eyes from young girls' soft and smooth skin..."
Kotori grabbed Lucia's bath towel.
"H- hey! Stop it!"
"It would be a bad manner to come into the tub still covered in this!"
"Gh..."
Lucia faltered a little listening to that sound argument.
"Come on come on come on!"
Kotori tugged on Lucia's towel yet again.
"St- stop! Alright, alright! I'm coming in!"
Lucia finally took off her bath towel and left it on the shelf, and she quickly entered the bathtub.
"Y- You happy now?"
"....I never knew that boobs can float."^[2]
"It's Jumbo-ree..."
"I knew you would say so! That's why I didn't want to come in yet!"
Seemed that the three get along very well.
Nakatsu Shizuru watched upon her best friend Lucia with a caring face like a mother.
Around the same time, she had confirmed the chest area of Akane who had come in later, and she had settled the boobs hierarchy in Occlub.
(Lucia > Prez > Kotori > Chii...)
And thus, it would be decided that Nakatsu Shizuru would target Senri Akane.
This would be her strategy.
The first thing of all, she would approach Akane by offering to wash her back, and obviously, she would check Akane's chest following that.
With compliments like "They're so big and soft", she would complete her mission.
"Hey, Prez."
She approached and called out to her target immediately from behind.
"I'll wash your back."
"Thank you, but... no. I can do it by myself."
"Hmm..."
Akane's defense was tough.
But for her objective, she couldn't afford to back down now.
"I want to wash your back."
"No, I told you I can...."
"......."
"A- alright then..."
Her deep straight staring gaze brought her to victory.
"Well, there goes."
She rubbed the soap against the towel.
And then...
(......)
"Eek!?"
She slipped her hands through Akane's armpit.
"......"
"Wh- Wha...."
Nakatsu Shizuru herself realized that she had moved her hands in a way she didn't think of doing.
Incidentally, because of Akane's resistance, her hands had rather touched Akane's belly instead.
But... Nakatsu Shizuru thought like this:
(Oh, well, whatever.)
"So big and soft..."
"...are you perhaps talking about the flabby fat on my belly?"
"So white and smooth..."
"Are you saying that my belly is quite like a squid to you...?"
Akane stood up right away.
"Prez, where are you going?"
"I'm gonna work out my belly in the sauna....."
She disappeared quickly.
"I can't believe it..."

✻ ✻ ✻ ✻ ✻
Her strategy was done to no avail.
And evening came.
It seemed that Kotori and Chihaya truly had enjoyed the experience, while Lucia vaguely looked quite content.
Prez somehow looked disheartened, nevertheless, her face was one of a human who had accomplished something.
On the other hand, Yoshino had himself knocked out and rescued by Gen-san. After being scolded by Gen-san saying "Das ridiculous to compete on such trivial matters," it seemed that he had grown a lot in a certain way.
(It seemed like the plan was roughly good enough, but....)
Shizuru who was walking next to me seemed vaguely down-hearted.
"...You guys look like having lots of fun."
I was meaning to ask "Was that fun?" But looking at this situation, I could see clearly that it must be the case.
She nodded.
And then she faced forward and walked hastily.
(....I wonder what's with her?)
I remembered those words I heard from Nishikujou-sensei before.
Shizuru's growth has something peculiar about it.
It seemed that her current appearance roughly looks the same right after she reached the age of eight.
Comparing her current appearance with the average girl that age, she certainly had a surprisingly rapid growth.
But her growth spurt had stopped right there.
They said it was because of her using her special abilities.
Shizuru had attained a superhuman physical ability from an early age, but she had lost her chance to grow like a normal person at the price.
Whatever you get, there must be a price you must pay, as if it's a curse tailing you.
But that's...
(We can't do anything about that....)
The law of this "well-made" world is absolute, and at the same time, ruthless.
"Kotaro."
"Hm?"
"......"
She kinda looked uncomfortable facing me.
By that, I knew what she was trying to say to me.
"....I found out, Shizuru-san."
I mean, what she's getting so troubled of.
"......"
She got dejected even more as she dropped her shoulders.
"I can never meet your expectation, Kotaro..."
"No, no."
"It's not like I put my whole expectation into your boobs or anything," was what I was about to say, but... As soon as my lips moved, I suddenly noticed.
It flashed to my mind that she might be troubled by the fact that her whole body is no longer able to grow.
That would be common anxiety for ordinary girls.
Even though it's quite different in Shizuru's case.
(.....and it was all for me, huh...)
I was quite moved.
"......you're fine the way you are, Shizuru."
I said concisely.
I pat Shizuru's head.
And looked into her eyes.
I smiled at her.
She smiled back at me.
With only so few words exchanged, we could roughly understand each other.
Who would ever hate such sweet and innocent Shizuru?
That's what I thought from the bottom of my heart.

✻ ✻ ✻ ✻ ✻
The next day.
Nakatsu Shizuru was feeling complicated.
She found another password-protected folder in Tennouji Kotarou's PC, but this time the password was 0618... The password was changed to Nakatsu Shizuru's birthday.
And this time...
"......."
There was no longer bazooms and gazongas pictures. They all had turned smooth and flat.
Nakatsu Shizuru was unable to analyze the content in a perfectly calm manner. She had been overcome with indescribable complex feelings, something akin to jealousy.
Nakatsu Shizuru was simply a maiden in love...

[Fourth Chapter - End]

---

Translation notes:

[1]This line is referencing to Takarakuji Lottery (宝くじ, lit. "Fortune/Treasure Lottery"). Takarakuji Lottery is already like a tradition in Japan and it's held a few times a year. I guess it's like "legal" gambling where you buy lottery tickets for a few hundred yen and hope to win a fortune (and yeah, if you win, it's a hella lot of money and it's really something if you win. You can win around 100 million yen or more, (that's around 1 million US$ for you 'Muricans)). The most popular and the largest paying lottery is the Jumbo-kuji/Jumbo Draw which they held the drawing around 4 or 5 times a year. Dream Lottery is held in June, Green Lottery is held in March, and Autumn is held in October. This is probably more about making a statement that Lucia's boobs are jumbo-sized and having them is a great miracle itself..^{[^]}

[2]As bizarre as it sounds, this is actually true. Boobs are mostly fat, fat is less dense than water, and just like how oil and fat would behave in the water, they float. The bigger they are, the more buoyant they will be. I think. ^{[^]}

---

Analysis:
Well, this is something I didn't know just by reading the VN alone. A lot of people were wondering why Shizuru in the VN ending scene looked the same (not aging) even though time had passed, but this answers that. My problem though... is the visual of loli Shizuru in the anime and VN shows that she actually grew up even for a little, but this side story said she hasn't grown at all since acquiring her superpowers. I guess Rewrite is really full of inconsistencies.

Color codes for the characters in this chapter: