You started speaking up, fighting off the lingering aches in your body. Some sweat still residing over you stung your tongue.

"What?" Yukari mouthed out silently, staring with greater intent. Her pupils grew wider - or was that just her face getting far too close? Instinctively, your hands gripped her sandal for support, fingers squeezing the spongy landscape. Its owner, a landmass in her own right, bent down and reached for it, too. Her palm formed a roof over you. A faint bit of moisture falling from the lines made you reel back slightly - but trying to escape now would prove fatal. She lifted the sandal up, lifting you from the ground like an elevator. An unsteady, confused elevator that required you to keep holding, lest you fall to the asphalt.

The wobbling didn't stop when you reached your destination; if anything, getting a close-up of her uninvited passenger only made her shake more. A distinct shiver went down your own spine, too. Seeing every little detail on her face as she examined you was nothing relieving, and neither was the warmth of her slow breaths on your minuscule face. But the only other directions you could gaze showed how dizzyingly far down the ground was - or gave a view of the teacher's bosom.

No - you had to keep eye contact, stay on her good side. You tried speaking again.

"GYAH!" She flung her hand back in surprise - and flung you in the air. As if your body was lighter than helium, you ascended with alarming speed. Your fall was anything but balloon-like, though. It was like you were moving downwards at hundreds of kilometers per hour, getting exponentially faster.

It took a second for Yukari's reflexes to kick in; she ran towards you, trying to catch you. You hit the side of her right hand, bouncing off it. She made a grab with her left hand. With your speed, and its slight angle, you rolled off the side of it. Despite her desperate, hurried clutching, she could do nothing but watch as you landed squarely into her chest. In fact, your speed was enough to tuck you pretty tightly inside the cleavage.

Your experiences with her backside and sole showed you how much warmth Yukari had accumulated. Her chest was no different, the sweat and heat reducing friction even more as you slid in. You could faintly feel the lacy touch of a bra behind you. With much more freedom of motion here than you'd had in some time, you tried to climb out, sinking your fingers firmly into the skin.

Unfortunately, the soft, dewy surface was too smooth to get a good hold.

You suddenly felt her jerk her arm to the right, reacting to your climbing attempt. Her chest - and you - swung with it. "Hey, what's the big idea?" Her shout was an intimidating roar that made your ears ring... At normal size. Now, it was unthinkably powerful. You could almost feel her vocal chords' movement against your skin as the words exited, rumbling across your body. "Look, can you just stop squirming? I can handle this." Her breaths sounded deeper, longer. "This is unreal..."

A thin ray of light broke through from the sky, shining on you like a dramatic shot from a movie. Yukari's fingers blocked it out quickly, reaching for you. They clumsily brushed your hair; then tugged your left hand with horrific strength, leading you to scream; then slid away before the index finger tappped your face uselessly. With every motion, her wrist pressed against one pale mound or the other, making you wobble slightly. She drew the hand out with a low mumble.

"If I do it out here, it'll look like I'm groping myself..." You could hear her click her tongue in frustration, before feeling her march forward. "Hold on, you're coming into my apartment."

Compared to the bumps in the car ride, the up-and-down motion here was far gentler. Almost soothing. The remaining heat was making you feel rather lethargic, come to think of it. But the situation's sheer absurdity prevents you from getting TOO comfortable. You didn't think you'll ever look at your teacher's shirt the same way again.

Finally, it stopped. You felt her right arm move down, then forwards, then twist. It came as a bit of a shock that you could tell her exact motions, even when stuck in darkness - this was far closer than you'd ever imagined being to Yukari. She took a few steps forward. Then, like a curtain rising, she peeled off her shirt. Your senses nearly shut off from the sudden flood of experiences. Light, light all around. It was the shape of a standard living space, but the walls, ceiling, and floor extended unbelievable distances. The smell of salty instant meals took over your nose. A blast of cool air from the conditioner gave much-needed relief. When you opened your mouth, you could taste the freshness in the air. And finally, you felt the resident's slender index and thumb resting on either side of your ribs, pulling you out and placing you down on a table.

"I wasn't preparing for visitors today," she said after a pause. And for once, it didn't sound distant and uncaring, or close and overpowering. Loud, yes, but not alarmingly so. "In fact, I was kinda hoping to have the weekend to myself, since my mom's out for a few days." She gazed tiredly around the messy entrance for a second, before blushing. "Whoops, did I say that out loud? Well, I guess it's only fair if you..." Suddenly, she jumped forward, grabbing your tiny shoulders with both hands. "...Tell me your dirty secrets! What were you doing in my shoe? How did you get so small? Hey, did I borrow your bike a while back?"

The sudden motion dazed you - not just because of her scale, and your unfamiliar surroundings. Yukari was all but topless, only a bit of frilly underwear hiding her torso. You struggled to keep contact with her burning eyes. Was she that scatterbrained - or that shameless?

You started to explain your experiences. The sense of coolness - and your newly regained ability to walk - both put you at ease. It's undone slightly, however, by the teacher's looming face. She'd put on the same expression she does when Tomo gets in trouble, or Osaka asks for more time. Only this time, your size magnified her gaze multiple times. It feels like a spotlight looming above you.

A few times, she nodded and placed a finger on her cheek, as if to say "so THAT'S what that itch was." At about the halfway point, she interrupts you with a tap to the face. "Wait a minute. You were AFRAID of me?"

You'd never seen her so confused since she took that test with your class. Trying to stay on her good side without lying, you say she might've mistook you for an insect.

"What? What are you implying about my eyesight, shortstuff?" She pounded a hand on the table, shaking it under your feet. "But... When you shiver like that, you kinda do look like a nasty little pest... Alright, carry on."

It was hard to tell if you dodged a bullet, or just opened up a new package of them.

By the time you reach the last bit of the explanation, the aching in your joints had quieted down some. Yukari was looking more disoriented and confused than when she started, tapping the top of her forehead. "Why would this happen to someone like you? You don't stand out as the kind of person who'd have a family curse or an ex with a shrink ray or anything." She leaned in closer, tapping your shoulder. "In fact, you don't stand out, period."

With that blunt remark, she took a step away, leaving you facing her backside - like before. "I could drive you home..."

You froze, able only to shake your head in refusal. She turned to you and blinked, confused, before shrugging. "Okay, then, I'll call your parents. Don't go sneaking around anywhere I mark papers."

She steps into the distance, her bare foot effortlessly compressing a discarded box. The teacher sat next to a few mountainous piles of papers and books. She scanned its valleys and canyons for a moment, pulled one sheet out, and brought the rest crashing to the ground. She glared towards you as if you were to blame for the great mountain range's fall.

She stepped into another room. You can hear the sound of phone dials being pressed, followed by a trace of the teacher's voice with a layer of sweetness on top. A long, disquieting pause followed, which made you wonder if your teacher would just leave it at that. You vaguely remembered your parents saying something about going out. There was another beeping sequence, before silence reigned over the room again.


When Miss Tanizaki finally came back into view, she'd changed into casual wear: a tank top, simple shorts, and a tired frown. "Nope. I tried them by cell, home phone, but... Nnnope." She let out a sigh, as if she were the one who'd just been suffering under extreme pressure for the past several kilometers. "I don't know about you, but I had nothing planned this weekend. And I was really looking forward to it, too!"

She paced around behind you slowly, rubbing her temples, and examining you as if you were some sort of experiment. "I can't keep a pet around, either." You stared back to her, almost used to these comments by now. "Do you think you could survive outside?"

She totally ignored your answer, gently squeezing your arm in her hand. "No, you really couldn't." Shaking her head, she puffed her chest up and said: "Well, out of the kindness of my heart, I suppose I COULD keep you inside. For the evening, maybe. In exchange for goods or services. I'm sure things won't seem so crazy in the morning."

You agreed. It wasn't the most pleasant situation, but at the very least, the immense woman knew you were human, and wasn't angry. Lazy, yes, almost to the point of indifference - but not actively trying to murder you. Yet. It might be an okay night.

Yukari suddenly let out a faint smile, letting her hand out for you to climb in. "Now, with that out of the way - time for the first thing I had scheduled tonight..."