"Ardan-ojousama went to the hospital again..."
Watching Mejiro Ardan rush off after saying goodbye and leave the Shopping Mall, Nice Nature couldn't help worrying about her senpai's health.
"Don't worry, Nature. Ardan-ojousama is just going in for a checkup. It's nothing serious."
Kagura explained the situation to Nice Nature. After all, in school she was practically Mejiro Ardan's guardian—she knew her condition best.
"By the way... I kept forgetting to ask earlier—um, what was that blue-haired little girl's name again?"
"Twin Turbo! Senpai can just call me Twin Turbo!"
Yeah, figures. That's a name that's Uma through and through—doesn't sound like a human name at all!!
Even though Kagura felt like she'd seen her fair share of bizarre names—Air Groove, Nice Nature...—"Twin Turbo" still hit her hard enough that she almost lost it.
"Then... Twin Turbo, want to walk around the mall with your big sister?"
"I really wanna hang out with you, senpai... but Twin Turbo still has class today... ehehe... I'm heading out first!"
"Huh?"
Before Kagura could say anything, the little kid finished talking and bolted. Kagura lowered her head and checked the time on her phone—past nine. Yeah, no matter how you looked at it, that kid was definitely running back to school to earn herself a nice long punishment stand.
"Hey, Kagura, do you want to shop with me for a bit? Um... I still haven't bought a swimsuit. Will you come help me pick one out?"
Finally getting a rare chance to walk around with Kagura, Nice Nature didn't want to let it slip. She scooted closer and looked at Kagura expectantly.
"Just so you know, my taste is awful, okay? Otherwise I wouldn't have needed to bring Ardan-ojousama out with me."
"It's fine! I just need someone to give me a reference! I can't exactly ask Trainer Minamizaka to help me pick a swimsuit, can I?"
As she spoke, Nice Nature pointed toward Trainer Minamizaka, who was far off to the side buying tea leaves. Seeing Kagura and Nice Nature look over, Trainer Minamizaka simply smiled and waved in greeting, then turned right back to his tea.
"Nature... is Trainer Minamizaka here today to pay for you?"
"I—I tried to refuse! But Trainer Minamizaka really... doesn't leave me much room to say no."
Catching the slightly barbed look in Kagura's eyes, Nice Nature hurriedly waved her hands, explaining that she hadn't meant to bring a walking wallet along.
He really does look out for Nature...
To Kagura, Trainer Minamizaka felt like a young dad: bringing his young daughter out to shop for clothes, letting her go play with her friends while he stayed off to the side doing his own thing—only popping out when it was time to pay.
Kagura had already bought her swimsuit. After thinking it over, she figured she was free today anyway, so she left her things with the cashier for the moment and went back with Nice Nature to pick one out.
The moment Nice Nature walked into the shop, she got hit by the same shock Kagura had earlier—the cow-print swimsuit. It couldn't be helped. It was so abstractly loud it was impossible to ignore, and there was even a label underneath it for emphasis: "Race Outfit!" Kagura had a feeling this monstrosity was some kind of signature product for the store.
Tracen's rules aren't that loose, are they...?
Even after being stunned once already, seeing it again still made Kagura grumble inwardly.
Flushed bright red, Nice Nature hurriedly dragged Kagura to a different section. Unlike Kagura—who'd taken forever and still couldn't decide—Nice Nature quickly found a style she liked. In Kagura's eyes, for a student their age, a two-piece like that seemed a touch mature... but for Nice Nature's already full, rounded figure, it also didn't really feel out of place.
Honestly, there's no way a middle or high schooler would have a chest that huge... Uma bodies are wild. When am I going to hit honkaku, anyway?
While waiting outside for Nice Nature to change into the swimsuit, Kagura lifted a hand and measured against her own chest, then let out a deeply regretful sigh.
After a while, Kagura noticed the rustling of fabric inside suddenly stop. She thought Nice Nature was about to come out, but half a minute passed without the door opening. Instead, she heard Nice Nature's faint voice from inside:
"Um... Kagura, could you help me with something? I think I grabbed a size just a little too small... I can't fasten the clasp on the back!"
"Huh?"
Kagura had assumed Nice Nature would check the size before taking it. She hadn't expected this to happen.
She knocked on the door. Nice Nature opened it just a crack to let Kagura slip in. Kagura found Nice Nature blushing like a cooked shrimp, hunched forward and struggling to fasten the back clasp. The slightly-too-small swimsuit showed off every curve of Nice Nature's body to the fullest.
Damn it!! What a figure!! When do I get to experience that "my chest doesn't fit" feeling too!?
Kagura gently patted Nice Nature, signaling for her to turn around. As she tied the straps and worked on the fastenings, she couldn't help thinking jealously to herself.
With her back to Kagura and her hands braced against the wall, Nice Nature went rigid as she felt Kagura's hands glide slowly across her skin. All of a sudden, she thought inviting Kagura in to help might not have been the smartest decision.
Ahh... I'm so embarrassed!! Kagura saw me like this... She's definitely laughing at me in her head!!
Her cheeks felt hot enough to burn, but at the same time, Nice Nature couldn't help thinking... maybe letting Kagura touch her a little more wasn't so bad. Though what she really wanted was to try helping Kagura put on a swimsuit...
No, no—what am I thinking!? That's so mortifying!!
She hurriedly shook her head, throwing those messy thoughts out of it. And right then, Kagura finally finished tying the straps and fastening the clasp. She gave the strings a small tug; the springy strap snapped lightly against Nice Nature's jade-white back with a crisp sound.
"Eep!?"
Already nervous as it was, Nice Nature let out a tiny, involuntary whimper at the sudden movement.
"Okay, you little dummy. How long were you planning to stay in that pose? Next time, make sure you grab the right size, okay~? You're still growing, Nature, so it's normal for your measurements to not match what you remember. Personally, I'd say you should just switch to a size that fits—this one's way too tight. It's uncomfortable and it doesn't look appropriate."
With a soft sigh, Kagura offered the reminder from a grown-up's experience, then carefully stepped back out of the changing room.
"O-okay..."
Ugh... in the end, she still treated me like a kid...
---
T/N: TWINT URBO???????????
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
discord.gg/wisetl
patreon.com/wisetl