There was concern in her voice. Though she had heard about the Reduction the previous year and had seen a few male upperclassman go through it before, seeing me go through it made her worried. I appreciated the thought, but the 14 cm difference between us made me silent. It was a strange feeling to be the one looking up. Was this how the view was for her normally? 

Normally, I’d be a head taller than Yae, but now it was getting to be the opposite.

“Touya?” Yae leaned down so as to look me in the eye and called my name.

“It’s hard to get used to this new height when I keep getting shorter,” I frowned and stepped away from the door. I shook off my thoughts. “Well, no sense in getting bothered by it until I can’t avoid it. C’mon, Yae. Let’s eat.”

“Sure,” Yae agreed as we returned to the desks we had pushed together. Yae bounced forward and took a seat first, opening up her bento while placing mine right beside it.

I was about to get to my desk but was quickly yanked back by an unavoidable force. A chin landed on the top of my head.

“Hey, can I join in?” Takahashi asked with bread from the store in her right hand. She was using her left hand and leg to hold me close to her.

“Takahashi, you’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“Yup. You’re the perfect height to rest my chin on,” the girl bluntly admitted. “I want to do this while I can because you’ll be too small later.”

She was certainly honest, I couldn’t help but chuckle. Takahashi was both Yae’s and my friend since middle school. True to her desire, she enjoyed sleeping, eating, and playing, especially sleeping even though she always looked tired. 

“I am so getting you back for this later,” I warned her.

“I’ll be waiting until next week then,” Takahashi knew I wouldn’t be able to this week and took full advantage of it.

“Aoi-chan, you should stop,” Yae giggled at the sight of us but wanted Takahashi to stop as much as I did. “Come on, you two. We need to eat.”

Agreeing, Takahashi finally let me go and I was able to make it to my chair. With my smaller size, I had to admit my lunch felt a lot more filling than before. I had a laugh as Takahashi started poking fun at Yae for not wanting to eat the tomatoes her mother packed in her lunch. Lunch thankful passed uneventfully enough for me to take note of the others.

A number of the boys had actually gathered together to talk and hang out. The group number made it less likely for the girls to butt in. I would have joined in, but I had to admit I preferred Yae’s company. I could tell Eguchi and Arai felt the same. They also still chose to be with their respective groups despite Eguchi looking a little more henpecked due to the clingy Satou and Arai having his boasts dismissed by his friends. 

Still, much like myself, the other boys also stayed in the classroom. That was going to remain a constant because it was heavily suggested by Sasakura-Sensei. Not many of us wanted other students to meet us with Reduction in process because it would become even more of a hassle. To me, Yae and Takahashi were enough to deal even with the Reduction just starting. I was going to have to bring my own lunch for the week to keep it that way.

Slam!

“Senpai!!!”

“Grk!” I visibly winced the moment I heard the door slam open and a shrill voice follow. Turning my head, I saw long dark hair and a bandage. “Okazaki.”

Nao Okazaki, my junior in the health committee, had barged into the classroom as loudly as ever. To be completely honest, Okazaki was short. Being 145 cm and having a baby face made her get mistaken for a middle schooler and a primary schooler before. She acted like one on more than one occasion, admittedly. While in the health committee, Sasakura-Sensei often asked that I show her the ropes which led to her relying on me on multiple occasions.

This was not a time I wanted her to come to me for help, however.

“Aha! There you are!” Okazaki spotted me sitting at my desk and approached. “Senpai, you’ve got to help me. Sasakura-sensei’s asking me to do too many things!”

There were other committee members to turn to, but to pick me, that narrow-mindedness is what makes Okazaki… well, Okazaki.

“Takahashi, I thought you were supposed to be my substitute. Isn’t this your job?” I asked the girl who was trying to sneakily take Yae’s last meatball.

“Eh? I’m starting already?” Takahashi was surprised.

“Aoi-chan, don’t tell me you forgot…,” said Yae as she swatted Takahashi’s hand away.

“Substitute? Senpai, why do you need a substitute?” Okazaki tilted her head. Either she didn’t get the memo or she got it and then promptly forgot about it.

“You mean it isn’t obvious?”

“No?”

“Wow…,” I couldn’t help but utter. More than her height, it’s that one-track mind and obliviousness that makes people mistake Okazaki for a child. Even sitting in front of her, she didn’t notice anything different.

“Touya… you might want to show her,” advised Yae.

Sighing, I nodded. Getting out of my seat, I stood up, getting to my present full height of 145 cm, having lost another 1 cm since I was eating. Okazaki’s eyes widened at the sight of our gazes lining up.

“Whoa. No way! You’re the same height as me now Senpai.”

“You’ve got that right,” I asserted. “Sensei told you about the Reduction, didn’t she? I won’t be doing any committee work this week, so you’ll have to ask the other members for help.”

“Reduction? That was today?” Okazaki blinked. She then looked around and saw the other boys in the classroom. She was bright-eyed. “Uwaaah… No way... Am I actually taller than people for once?”

Standing up, Takahashi joined me, and much to my dismay, used my head as a chin rest again. “Surprised? Don’t worry. Your year will do the same thing next year. The Magnification too.”

“So Senpai’s small for a week?”

“Yeah. Isn’t it cool?” Takahashi spoke with her head still on mine. 

Okazaki nodded before she turned her attention to me. “This is amazing! Senpai, do you want to make a Shorty Alliance?”   

“You mind not treating me like an exhibit?” I asked before jumping. It was a last resort, but I pushed Takahashi’s relaxed jaw up swiftly and painfully. She recoiled back and let go of me. “Okazaki, you should get back to your own class. If you need any help with the work, just let Takahashi here know later. She can get her work done even if she doesn’t look the part.”

“So mean, Kirishima-kun…,” Takahashi nursed her injury.

“You left your guard down.”

“C’mon, Senpai! Shorty Alliance! Oh, but I guess, you’ll be getting shorter if it’s the Reduction…”

“You’re not serious are you?”

“Fufufu...” 

I heard Yae giggle. I turned to see she had stood up and moved between myself and Okazaki. She was ready to enter the conversation.

“Okazaki-chan, was it?” she started. “I’m sorry about your alliance and your committee work, but you may want to make it clear with the nurse about the rules.”

“Rules?”

“It’s strongly suggested to leave students from classes in the middle of Reduction week alone,” Yae clearly stated. “I know you mean well, but Touya and the others are basically in the middle of a class so it’s rude to bother them and might cause trouble.”

Why was it that people listened to Yae more than they did me? It was because Yae was a very calm speaker despite how soft-spoken she looked.

“Besides, you might be giving yourself more work because the health committee has to deal with all the Reduction details,” my childhood friend added.

This hit home for Okazaki. “Urk. Right.”

Ping! Pong!

And, that was the bell that marked the end of lunch. Right on time.

“Uwah. I got to head back,” Okazaki realized. “Sorry, Senpai. I’ll see you another time, then.”

With a bow, Okazaki left. Really, that girl was a storm, just coming and going as she pleased. I didn’t think I would’ve gotten through to her without Yae around. 

“Thanks Yae,” I told her.

“Anything for you, Touya,” she replied before turning to Takahashi who was still nursing her hurt chin. “Um… Aoi-chan, should I get you some ice for that?”

“That’d be great, thank you.”

(4) Day 1 Simple Walk Home (145 cm > 140 cm)

Even at the end of the day, Reduction still kept going. Being a week long process, even though I was going home, I would still be getting shorter. That was why the nurse wanted all of us boys to make proper arrangements for when we were even smaller. The school provided the absolute necessities, but for anybody desiring more could get Sasakura-Sensei’s approval.

I let her know that I would be going to and from school with Yae the entire time. Though I didn’t need the approval for now, Yae and I had let Sasakura-Sensei know long ago because we always went together. It was a benefit from being neighborhood childhood friends.

“Still, this really is a pain. I didn’t think the first day would be this surprising,” I told Yae as we walked together. I was power walking forward while Yae walked around 3 steps behind me.

“I can’t believe it either,” she agreed. “I didn’t think I’d get to see a small Touya. I’m not sure what to think.”

“I’m not sure either,” I turned around to look up at Yae. Now that I was 140 cm, the 20 cm difference between us was identical to the original height difference between us. So this was how tall I looked to Yae. Well, to me, she looked over 2 m tall. She was still the cute Yae I knew, but I definitely preferred it when she was shorter.

“Touya?” Yae noticed me staring when we arrived at a stoplight.

“It’s nothing,” I told her. “I just thought you definitely look cuter when you’re shorter than me.”

Those words turned Yae’s face red again. “C-Cute? There you go again, teasing me. If anything, you’re the cute one now.”

To emphasize her point, Yae placed her hand on my head and pulled me toward her chest. Though modest in size, they were remarkably soft. “Mph! Hey!”

“W-What am I doing?” Yae let go, having flustered herself further. “Sorry. I don’t know what got into me.”

Rubbing my tingling nose after that experience, I mumbled. “And Takahashi wonders why we’re only childhood friends...”

“Seriously, that was unlike me… How embarrassing...”

I shrugged. “Sensei did say Reduction teaches both the boys and the girls, so maybe this is something you’ve got to figure out.”

Yae put some thought into those words. “Something to figure out? I guess this is deeper than just getting used to different heights.”

“Well, it has taught me that I can count on you to deal with Okazaki. That girl never listens. I was surprised you got her to today,” I complimented Yae as the streetlight turned green and we crossed.

“I was just doing what I thought I should do,” Yae was embarrassed from the compliment.

“Well, that’s good because I’ll have to rely on you all week anyways. You’re fine with that, Yae?”

The girl giggled and began to fiddle with her pink hair clip. “You’d be useless without me anyways, Touya. Even at regular height.”

“Hey, I resent that.” 

The first day of Reduction was coming to an end as the sun set, but there was still 4 more days to go. I had already lost 40 cm in height during school, but I was certain the remainder was going to be even more impactful.