Rinon growled as her fist connected with the punching bag in the training area, slamming hard into the firm leather and making the bag sway by a good six inches or so.  She continuously bobbed around the punching bag, lightly bouncing to and fro as she pummeled the bag with a series of quick jabs and following through with an occasional haymaker.

The punching bag swayed here and there as the green-haired workshop witch went to town on it, giving more effort than would normally be the case.  It had been a while since Rinon had time to get a good workout in, and an even longer time since the last time she had clashed with either a tower witch or some loud-mouthed delinquent in school, so she felt overdue a somewhat strenuous workout session, even if it was only with a punching bag.  Sometimes she’d use a speed bag or try to get one of the other kids in school to serve as her training partner and use those blocking pads to brace against her punches, but sadly most of the other kids were too afraid of Rinon to partner up with her for that sort of thing, given how ferocious she was known to be when she got serious.  Her reputation made it so that only the bravest and most in-your-face type of hoodlums would dare to try and take her on, either in a friendly sparring match or in an all-out brawl.

Now that she was more than ten feet in height, she wagered that literally NOBODY in school or in town would dare stand up to her for a good old-fashioned round of fisticuffs, save for Ayaka and Kazane of course.  

Admittedly, she wasn’t really expecting to shoot up in height so fast the way that she did.  While she entertained the possibility of increasing in size like Ayaka and Kazane had done, she thought it might be a foot in height…two at the absolute most.  Yet here she was in the gym, nearly double her original height less than twenty four hours ago.  While your typical school girl would probably freak out at such a thing, Rinon was more annoyed than panicked over this latest change in stature.  She was content enough with her previous size, given that she found it to be an advantage whenever engaging in a fistfight with someone, with her smaller frame giving her the chance to bob and weave more effectively when going up against someone who was around six feet in height, give or take a few inches.

Now that she was over ten feet tall, Rinon figured that she’d have to adjust her fighting strategy, now that most opponents would stand somewhere between her hips and just below her bosom, which Rinon also noted had increased somewhat in overall size.  Before the growth spurts, Rinon measured at a healthy B-cup in breast size.  Now however, she wagered that if she were her original size with the boobs she had now, she was at LEAST a C-cup in cup size…maybe even a modest D-cup now, but she wasn’t quite sure just yet on that.

While Rinon didn’t take issue with having breasts, she felt that having boobs that were too big hampered her fighting ability overall.  Trying to effectively dodge and strike with such cumbersome sacks of fat on one’s chest was something which Rinon dreaded having to go through.  Having such oversized mammaries could throw off a fighter’s game, trying to maneuver with so much extra weight hanging off a girl’s chest and all that, which was the main reason why Rinon was perfectly content with her breasts being the size that they were.  She wasn’t obsessed with trying to make them bigger for reasons involving vanity or trying to impress some boy with something as petty and skin-deep as good looks.

‘Of course, Hime-sama is able to maneuver and fight effectively with those big jugs on her chest,’ thought Rinon as she continued to pummel the punching bag.  ‘The same probably goes for her okaa-san as well, given her reputation and all that.  Even so, they’re probably more the exception than the rule on the whole ‘fighting while having big boobs’ thing and all that.’

Rinon’s routine of going at it with the punching bag continued for a solid fifteen minutes.  She was starting to get a little bored and considered switching things up by either moving to the speed bag or maybe hitting the weights for a bit, just to mix up the routine to something other than punches.  It just so happened that as she was finishing up, she heard someone entering the training area, and turned to see who it was.

“Well well well,” grinned Rinon, “to what do I owe the pleasure, especially being graced by Hime-sama of all people?”

“Please, Rinon,” replied Ayaka as she gently set Honoka on the ground and stood back up straight, towering over the green-haired, purple-eyed girl, “no need for titles or formalities when we’re at home.  We ARE basically family from this point on.  Just ‘Ayaka’ will do.”

“Alright then…Ayaka,” replied Rinon.  “But more on to my main point:  What are you doing here?”

“I thought I’d humor you with a friendly sparring match, since you brought it up earlier during breakfast,” Ayaka answered.  “Figured that you’d be thrilled to go a round or two.”

“You’re not wrong there,” grinned Rinon.

“Please, just don’t get TOO into it,” Honoka spoke up.  “I don’t want anyone getting injured, especially during a sparring match of all things.”

“Of course, Darling,” replied Ayaka, “no need to worry yourself.  Like I said, just a friendly sparring match between fellow workshop witches, that’s all.”

“Exactly,” Rinon added, “so please stop worrying so damn much already, will you?  We may be girls, but we’re not such delicate little flowers after all.”

‘They certainly aren’t LITTLE anymore, that’s for sure,’ thought Honoka.

“So then, do you wanna square off right here and now or should we get changed into something more appropriate?” Rinon asked Ayaka.

As luck would have it, two of the maids had entered the training area, each one carrying a folded-up set of gym clothes for both Ayaka and Rinon, consisting of a standard white t-shirt and matching set of black gym shorts.  As they placed the clothes (fit to match Ayaka and Rinon at their current sizes) on a nearby bench, they let Honoka know that they would be back shortly with a pair of gym clothes sized for him as well.

Once Ayaka and Rinon had changed out of their standard clothes and into their gym uniforms (not bothering to do so in a changing room or bathroom, much to Honoka’s embarrassment), they picked a wide open area within the training room and stood apart about ten feet or so, squaring up their footing as they faced one another.

‘I swear, why are they comfortable with changing in front of me like that?’ thought Honoka moments before.  ‘Doesn’t it bother them even a LITTLE to be stripping down in front of a guy?  Partner or not, you’d think it might be just a tad embarrassing to be exposing themselves like that.’  He took a seat on the earlier-mentioned bench to watch the sparring match that was underway, sitting a solid thirty feet or so away from the two amazonian beauties, each of them squaring their feet and taking a fighting stance.

“Ready?” asked Rinon with a grin.

“On you,” answered Ayaka.

“As you wish!” growled Rinon as she charged forward, her eyes widening as she dashed directly towards Ayaka, shortening the distance between them in an instant.

The shorter amazon came forward with her right fist cocked back, aiming straight for Ayaka’s torso.  A headshot would have been more surprising, but Rinon figured going for Ayaka’s stomach would have been the easier target, given the height difference between the two of them.  However, Ayaka expected as much and quickly reacted by bringing her left arm down quickly to parry Rinon’s attack, blocking it successfully.

Rinon followed through with a swing of her left arm, aiming higher towards Ayaka’s bosom, but Ayaka pivoted somewhat, bringing her right shoulder back and thus making her stand sideways and perpendicular to Rinon in a split second, with Rinon’s arm going through empty air.

“Not bad!” smirked Rinon as she continued her assault, swinging back-and-forth from one arm to another as she tried to strike Ayaka from numerous directions, trying to keep the taller girl on her toes.

“I certainly wouldn’t want to disappoint you,” replied Ayaka as she alternated between a series of blocking motions and quick dodges, with Rinon missing by only inches here and there.

From what Honoka could gauge, Rinon favored going on the offensive when fighting, whereas Ayaka preferred relying on parries and countermoves when fighting, letting her opponent make the first move and reacting accordingly.

The fighting got rather intense - or at least more intense that Honoka was comfortable with, given his aversion to violence overall - and was going on for longer than he would have expected.  Honoka guessed that the match would last maybe upwards of five minutes at the most, but as it turned out, the match was going on for more than double that amount of time with neither Ayaka nor Rinon tiring out.  At the most, Rinon was a tad bit winded and had broken a sweat, but she still had plenty of fight in her.

Things took an interesting turn when Rinon decided to alternate between punches and kicks in her routine, but Ayaka had managed to catch on quick enough after the first few kicking attacks.  At one point, Rinon did a leg sweep to knock Ayaka off her feet and fall onto her side (making Honoka instinctively tense up and worry for Ayaka’s sake).  Upon hitting the ground, Rinon balled up her right fist for a direct strike on Ayaka’s face, roaring as her face zeroed in towards  Ayaka’s head.  It ended up making contact…

…with the palm of Ayaka’s left hand, with her long fingers wrapping around Rinon’s balled fist.  Ayaka managed to intercept the strike and now held Rinon’s fist secured firmly in her own larger hand.

“A for effort,” Ayaka said as she secured her grip over Rinon’s fist.  Rinon grunted as she tried to pull her balled-up hand from Ayaka’s own hand, but it was all for naught.  Ayaka proceeded to stand upright once more, looking down at Rinon, still securely holding her hand in Ayaka’s own hand.

“Give up?” asked Ayaka.

“Really?” scoffed Rinon.  “You think so little of me?  And please don’t crack a size-related joke in response.”

“Not at all,” replied Ayaka.  “I know you’ve got plenty of fight in you, but as things stand, I’m not so sure you can break free from my grip, which means you only have one arm to attack and defend yourself at this point.”

“I could say the same for you,” grinned Rinon.  “You’ve sacrificed one of your arms to deny me one of my own, so the way I see it, we’re still evenly matched in the big picture.”

“If that’s how you wish to see it,” replied Ayaka, “but there’s something you probably haven’t considered, my dear Rinon.”

“And what is that?” she asked in amused curiosity.

A moment later, she got her answer when Ayaka bent slightly at the knee so that her own head was level with Rinon’s head.  Then she brought her head back a few inches and then abruptly charged forward, with her forehead making contact with Rinon’s nose, making a distinct popping sound as the headbutt she gave the smaller girl successfully connected.  A second later, Rinon shut her eyes tight and growled as blood started trickling out of her nose, breathing through gritted teeth so that the blood flow wouldn’t speed up if she breathed through her nostrils.

“Ah…smarts!” growled Rinon in response.

“So then, Rinon,” said Ayaka, “having second thoughts then?  You now have a broken nose, and if you want to keep the blood from pouring out, you’ll want to pinch your nose tight, and you only have one free hand to do so at the moment, since I currently have your other hand in mine.  So…have you had enough?”

While a part of Rinon was tempted to continue the fight to the bitter end, given her combative nature, she let the logical part of her mind win out and decided to let things end where they stood.

“Alright, alright,” grumbled Rinon, nodding her head, “I yield.”  Ayaka let go of Rinon’s fist and took a step back in response.

“You know, that was a dirty move you pulled,” Rinon said, pinching the bridge of her nose and tilting her head back as she tried to stem the blood flow.

“In an all-out fight, everything is permitted, especially when it’s a battle to the death,” replied Ayaka in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

“I’ll bear that in mind during our next match,” Rinon grumbled in response.  “Don’t hold it against me if I try something underhanded like that on our next go-around.”

“Duly noted,” said Ayaka.

“Are you okay?” asked Honoka as he made his way over to the pair.  Given his nature, he couldn’t help but worry for others, even someone like Rinon who once upon a time challenged him to a fistfight in front of the student body not so long ago.  He just didn’t have it within him to hold grudges or bitterness towards others, no matter what happened in the past.

“Ughh…I’m fine,” grumbled Rinon.  “Nothing that won’t heal.”

“But you’re bleeding!” declared Honoka.  “Hold on, I’ll go get a first aid kit and then…”  Honoka was getting ready to run off in search of medical equipment, but was cut off by Ayaka who gently snatched his own wrist and stopped him dead in his tracks.

“Honoka-kun, it’s alright,” she reassured him.  “Rinon’s made of tougher stuff than you may think.  She’s handled worse than a busted nose, and besides…”

“Besides what?” Honoka asked.

“Well, Rinon?” Ayaka asked, gesturing for the green-haired, purple-eyed witch to demonstrate.

“Yeah, yeah…I’m on it,” grumbled Rinon in response.  “You know I’m not big into using spells, right?”

“You ARE a witch, so you’re expected to know a couple here and there,” Ayaka countered.

Somewhat confused as to what Ayaka was getting at, Honoka got his answer when a moment later, Rinon muttered some magic words he couldn’t quite make out and her hand which was pinching the bridge of her began emanating a light green glow.  In less than a minute, Rinon’s nose popped back into its proper position before getting busted by Ayaka’s headbutt and the blood flow cut off right there and then.  Honoka simply stood in wide-eyed wonder at what he witnessed.

Looking down at the young man standing like a deer in the headlights, Rinon simply grumbled in response.

“Healing magic,” she said.  “It was just a busted nose, so the injury wasn’t too severe.  I would have been fine with simply setting my nose back in place without magic.  Really it was done more to stop the bleeding than to set my nose.  It’s really reserved for things like serious cuts, internal organ damage, or broken limbs, that sort of thing.  In any case, stop worrying so damn much, alright?”

“I…I’m sorry…” Honoka quietly muttered, feeling as though his concern was making him appear rather annoying.  Rinon caught onto this change in his character and in turn felt awkwardly embarrassed at dampening his mood.  After all, he was only concerned for her well-being after getting her nose busted up, and if she weren’t a witch capable of using healing magic, his concerns would be far more justified under such circumstances.

Kneeling down so that her head was level with Honoka’s head, she gingerly brought out a hand and gently rubbed the top of Honoka’s head, lightly scuffing up his hair in the process.

“Hey, look…sorry if I came off as lashing out…” muttered a now-embarrassed Rinon.  “I know you meant well and all.  I just…I’m not big on people…fretting over me like that, that’s all.  I’m kinda…new to all of this, being partnered up and all that, so…no hard feelings?”

Honoka simply looked up into Rinon’s eyes and smiled afterwards, nodding in agreement.

“Water under the bridge,” he said with a calming grin, which made Rinon feel a little funny at her core, as if she was feeling just a tad warm and fuzzy in reaction to his smile.

‘You know,’ thought Rinon as she gazed at him, ‘when I look at him like this…he is…kinda cute when he smiles like that.  And given his size relative to my own now, he makes me…kinda wanna…pick him up and…hold him, like some kind of teddy bear or large stuffed animal and all…and…and…’

“Rinon, are you blushing?” asked Ayaka aloud as she stared with hawk-like precision at the green-haired girl kneeling down and staring intently at Honoka.

“W-what?” replied a stammering Rinon.  “Don’t be ridiculous!  I was doing no such thing.”  She stood upright and turned away, making sure that neither Honoka nor Ayaka could see her face at that moment…which Rinon had to admit was feeling just a tad bit warmer than usual.

“Oh?” asked an amused Ayaka as she raised an eyebrow.  “Because I couldn’t help but notice that your cheeks appeared just a tad bit rosier than usual as you were looking at Honoka-kun, or am I mistaken?”

“You most certainly ARE mistaken!” grumbled Rinon, still not bothering to turn around.  “Look, I’m gonna go get a quick drink and then hit the speed bag for a little bit, okay?”  Without giving either Ayaka or Honoka time to respond, Rinon stormed off to go fetch a water bottle or sports drink.

“Is she okay?” asked Honoka.

“She’s fine,” answered Ayaka.  “Just having difficulty coming to terms with her feelings, that’s all.”

“Feelings?” asked Honoka, sensing something of a serious nature around the corner.

“Yes, Darling, her feelings,” Ayaka elaborated.  “If I were to guess, she comes off as a bit of a tsundere when it comes to things like this.  She just needs some time to clear her head and make peace with the reality of the situation, plain and simple.”

‘Tsundere?’ thought Honoka.  ‘You mean Rinon…she actually…she really feels…that way?’  While a part of him was flattered at the idea that she actually felt that way about him, assuming Ayaka was giving an accurate analysis of the situation, he was also partly dreading things if that ended up being the case.

WIth the whole setup of everyone being partnered up with him the way that was explained in the living room, if it ended up being the case that all eight women now bonded to him had feelings for him the way that Ayaka and Kasumi had towards him, then he figured that he was going to end up being pulled in eight different directions, especially if they weren’t in a sharing mood.

‘I suppose if push comes to shove, I’ll have to take a firm stance and let them know that I want to be with Ayaka-chan above everyone else, and just hope that they are accepting of that.’  While he figured that those like Kazane, Touko and Natsume would probably be okay with that arrangement, he wasn’t so sure with those like Kasumi and Rinon, depending on if the latter had STRONG feelings for Honoka.  Mix that with her brawler-style attitude, and things could go sideways very, very quickly.  Honoka just hoped that Rinon’s bark was worse than her bite…maybe even dared to hope that her violent brawler demeanor was mostly just a front when it came to friends and acquaintances, but until things developed further he couldn’t really be sure either way.

“Well then, Honoka-kun,” said Ayaka, “what say we do a few exercises while we’re here?”  She gestured to the bits of workout equipment in the training area.

“Sure,” answered Honoka.  “I could kill a good hour keeping busy with one of these.”

The two of them made their way over towards the bits of workout equipment, examining which type they would end up using.  Before that though, they proceeded with some warm-up stretching routines, stretching both their arms and legs as well as getting their necks and torsos nice and limber.

During the stretching routine, Honoka could swear that Ayaka was going out of her way to visually tease him.  One example consisted of Ayaka standing upright and proceeding to bend at the waist all the way down in order to touch her fingers to her toes.  Given that she was more than double Honoka’s height at this point, this meant that Honoka had a great view of her ass - snuggled into a rather form-fitting pair of particularly short gym shorts - as she stood directly in his line of view and proceeded to do her stretches.

Another stretching exercise consisted of Ayaka resting on her knees and arching her back as far as she could manage while planting her hands firmly on the floor, giving Honoka a splendid view of her G-cup bosom as she slowly bent backwards.  Even in something as typical and standard as a white t-shirt, Ayaka cut a stunning figure in pretty much ANYTHING that she wore.  No matter what the attire, Ayaka seemed to make it look rather form-fitting, which given her enlarged size was exacerbated only more so.

Eventually, after getting enough stretches in - and getting Honoka rather hot under the collar in the process - the pair went over to the workout equipment.

Honoka decided to do some reps with the lighter dumbbells on the nearby weight rack (which Ayaka had mercifully shrunken down to his scale).  Ayaka in turn decided to stand nearby and do some reps with a barbell scaled to her size.  While Honoka was content with the two ten-pound weights he was working with, he marvelled in awe at the amount of weight Ayaka had racked up on her end.

From what he could tell, Ayaka had racked on a solid five hundred pounds of weight on each end of the barbell.  Adding the weight of the bar itself, that meant Ayaka was dealing with over a thousand pounds altogether, and while there was Ayaka’s larger size to take into consideration, it was quite phenomenal that she could carry so much weight with little effort, as if she were hauling a basketful of laundry or something along those lines.  Whether or not she was using magic to amplify her strength or if it was the result of her hardened training under her mother, Honoak wasn’t sure, but either way, the very fact that Ayaka could lift half a ton under little or no duress was both impressive and alarming in equal measure.

Honoka proceeded with some standard back-and-forth curls, alternating between his left arm and and right arm, while Ayaka followed suit with basic curls with the barbell.  This went on for around fifteen minutes or so.  While Honoka made sure to keep at his own reps, he couldn’t help but marvel at the fact that Ayaka could curl over a thousand pounds with rather little effort, making no more than an occasional grunt every now and then during her lifts.  He had a feeling that if Ayaka were serious, she could probably bench press an entire car or even a garbage truck like it was nothing.  Hell, if she went all out, she could probably lift a tank or a train car over her head, especially if she was using magic to amplify her strength.

After going through basic curls, Ayaka alternated her routine.  She mixed things up by doing a few overhead presses, followed by a set of deadlifts, a set of squats, and a set of bent-over rows.  It was during these exercises that Ayaka decided to adjust her position relative to Honoka.  During the curls, Ayaka stood a few feet off to Honoka’s side, but once she was done with those reps, she repositioned herself so that she was standing a few feet directly in front of Honoka with her backside facing him.  At her size, this effectively meant that Ayaka was the main thing taking up Honoka’s field of view.

During the deadlifts, squats, and bent-over rows, Ayaka was effectively giving Honoka a spectacular view of her legs, backside, and especially her ass as she did her sets.  With each exertion, Ayaka was giving her beloved a front-row center viewing of her derriere every time she bent over or assumed a squatting position, given that she was more than twice his height now.  While Honoka tried to keep his composure, he could make out the swell of Ayaka’s buttocks well enough, given how form-fitting the gym shorts appeared to be on her.  He could even spot both her buttcrack and the slightest hint of camel toe within said gym shorts during Ayaka’s barbell exercises, which of course was eliciting a response within Honoka’s own gym shorts the more he looked as Ayaka did her sets.

At this point, Honoka would have bet a million yen that Ayaka positioned herself like this on purpose so that Honoka would get a perfect showing of her ass as she did her workout routine.  Given how enamored Ayaka had become with him at this point, it was a safe bet to assume that she would go out of her way to give the boy she loved wholeheartedly a primetime viewing of her body in any way she could conceive.

“How are things looking, Honoka-kun?” asked Ayaka to the young man behind her.

‘I can’t help but think that there’s a double meaning somewhere in that question,’ thought Honoka in response.

“You mean with the workout, right?”  Honoka asked.  By this point, he had done over fifty reps with the dumbbells and had lost count, given the show he was witnessing.

“Sure, that among other things,” replied Ayaka with a small grin, clearly implying on the double meaning, as if she was reading Honoka’s mind.  “Want to keep up with weight training or would you like to do something else?”

“Well, I wouldn’t mind doing some running, but I figured that the two of us on the running track wouldn’t be fair to you,” Honoka answered.  “At your size, I’d have no hope of keeping up with you, and I don’t want to hold you back and make you slow down on my account.”

“No problem there, Darling,” Ayaka replied, finishing up with her reps and placing the half-ton barbell on the ground.  “We can just use the treadmills stationed here.”

“You sure?” Honoka asked.  “I mean, I’ll go as fast as I can manage, but I doubt that I can keep up with the same speed as you, and again, I don’t want you to have to slow down on my account.”

“It’s perfectly fine, Honoka-kun,” Ayaka chuckled.  A moment later, she touched one of the treadmills and shrunk it down to Honoka’s scale.  “Just go with the speed that you’re comfortable with, whether it’s a light jog or a brisk run.  Either one is fine.  Just do your best and you have nothing to apologize for, least of all to me.  I’ll go at my own speed alongside you, that way we can run together, alright?”

“Well…alright then, if you’re okay with that,” Honoka quietly replied.  A moment later, Ayaka knelt down and planted a kiss on Honoka’s lips, palming the back of his head in her massive right hand as she smooched him.  She pulled back and simply grinned at him before speaking.

“No need to feel like you’re holding me back in any way whatsoever, Darling,” Ayaka gently replied with little more than a whisper.  “Just do your best and give it your all, okay?”

“Okay,” Honoka responded.

A moment later, both Honoka and Ayaka were each on their own separate treadmill (right next to each other, of course).  Honoka decided to start at a brisk walk, with Ayaka adjusting her speed to match Honoka’s in turn.  For a good ten minutes, the two simply walked at a brisk pace, somewhere between walking and jogging.  Afterwards, Honoka turned up the speed on his machine to the point where he had to jog a bit, with Ayaka following suit.  This went on for a solid twenty minutes or so, with each of their feet gently pounding against the treadmill belt as they continued on.

“You can go faster, if you want,” Honoka said through mild puffs of breath.

“I’m fine where I am,” Ayaka replied.

“I just…don’t want you…to have to hold back…on my account,” a somewhat winded Honoka elaborated.  “I know…you can go…a lot faster…than this…without even…breaking a sweat.”

“I’m perfectly fine where I’m at, Honoka-kun,” Ayaka replied, keeping her jogging pace in line with Honoka’s.

The jog went on for another ten minutes, at which point Honoka felt the need to prove something - both to himself and to Ayaka - and increased the speed a little bit more, to the point where he moved from a jogging pace to modest running pace.  It wasn’t a full-blown sprinting type of run, just something akin to that of a slightly faster pace of jogging.  Ayaka adjusted her speed to match Honoka’s once more.

Of course, Honoka was cognizant that if the two of them were running on a track or a road right now, Ayaka would have left him eating her dust a long time ago.  Given her longer legs, Honoka would have to jog where Ayaka could get by at a brisk walk, and Honoka would have to sprint like crazy where Ayaka could get by with a modest jog.  While Ayaka’s larger stature was certainly a factor in this particular setup, Honoka knew that even before the growth spurts, Ayaka was at the top of her class when it came to feats of strength and endurance.  After all, the one deemed Tougetsu Academy’s “prince” or “princess” was expected to be a shining example of both academic and physical excellence, and Ayaka had both of those things down in spades.

Perhaps it was simply the need to prove himself to Ayaka that Honoka simply couldn’t let up and felt the need to push himself on the treadmill.  While he knew that Ayaka far outclassed him in terms of strength, agility, and endurance, he wanted to show that he was worthy of being partnered up to her all the same.  Even with his leg muscles starting to burn a bit and his breathing becoming more and more winded, he pushed on, not wanting to appear pathetic to the girl who cared for him with such intensity.

A few more minutes of running pass, with a somewhat winded Honoka pushing ever onward, trying not to let the soreness in his legs nor the heavier breathing in his lungs get to him.  By now, he had become focused and dead set on running until he simply couldn’t run anymore, more out of a sense of pride than anything else.  After watching the sparring match between Ayaka and Rinon, Honoka felt a sort of compulsion to give it his all with the simple act of running, and while he was admittedly a bit tired out from the weight-lifting exercises from earlier, he didn’t want to use that as an excuse to bow out right now.

“Make sure not to overexert yourself, Honoka-kun,” said Ayaka as she glanced down at the young man giving it all on his treadmill.

“I’m…okay…Ayaka-chan,” he replied through winded breaths.  By this point, stubbornness had overtaken him, wanting to prove something to himself as much as to Ayaka.

But, as the old saying goes in the Book of Proverbs within the Bible, “Pride goeth before the fall,” and in this case, the fall ended up being quite literal on Honoka’s part.  Having pushed his legs to their utmost during his running session, Honoka wasn’t able to reach for the dial in time to lower the speed on the treadmill, tripping over himself and falling down hard on the treadmill’s belt, getting ready to fly off the treadmill’s back end…

…or that WOULD have been the case had Ayaka not immediately scooped him up with one arm and prevented him from both falling down hard and being ejected off the treadmill, holding him against her like it was nothing.  Given that she could lift a barbell carrying a thousand pounds, carrying Honoka around must have been childsplay for someone like Ayaka, especially now that she was eleven-and-a-half feet tall to boot.

“You okay, Honoka-kun?” she asked the young man held securely in her arms (all while maintaining her speed on her own treadmill).

“Y-yeah, I’m alright,” he muttered, the embarrassment easy enough to pick up in his voice.

“You really need to know your limitations, Darling,” she gently chided.  “You shouldn’t push yourself more than you can manage.”

“I’m sorry…I…I just wanted…” Honoka quietly muttered in shame.

“Wanted what?”

“Nothing…it’s dumb…”

Ayaka proceeded to get off her own treadmill, still holding Honoka securely in her arms as she focused onto him like a hawk.

“Darling…please, talk to me.”  The tone in Ayaka’s voice was sincere and too heartfelt for Honoka to simply brush it off.

“I just…I wanted to be…worthy of you, you know?” Honoka confessed.

“How do you mean?” replied Ayaka.

“I don’t like feeling like a deadweight compared to you, if that makes sense.  You’re so strong and athletic, capable of amazing things, even without the use of magic.  Even before you started getting bigger and taller, you were always able to do everything with so much ease.  You can lift hundreds of pounds, run a marathon and barely break a sweat or get winded, perform gymnastics or swim like a professional athlete, and do so many other kinds of things like that.  Compared to you, I’m…I’m…a joke, and a bad one at that.  And when I think about that, I just can’t help but both pity and hate myself a little bit in the process and mmphf-”

Before he could get another word in edgewise, Honoka was lifted up until his lips were assaulted by Ayaka’s own heavenly soft lips, with her tongue going to town on his mouth, French kissing the living daylights out of him.  Initially, Honoka tried to resist, but within seconds, he had succumbed to the feel of Ayaka’s luscious lips and tongue doing their magic onto his mouth while her bosom pressed against his torso, her hands gently caressed him during the kiss, and her wonderful aroma assaulted his nostrils.  Within thirty seconds, Honoka was drawing in bliss.

“No more putting yourself down, okay Darling?” said Ayaka matter-of-factly.  “I don’t like seeing you put yourself down like this.  As long as you give it your all, you have nothing to feel ashamed about.  There are very few in the world who can match me at my level, Honoka-kun.  The only ones who come to my mind that are around my level are Okaa-san, Chronoire Schwarz, and maybe that Medusa woman, and for the last two in that group, that’s if they’re using magic to amplify their strength.”

“What about Rinon?  You don’t include her?” asked Honoka.

“Rinon’s not quite up to my level to be frank,” Ayaka replied.  “She makes for a good training partner among the local workshop witches, and maybe in a few years she can give me a REALLY good workout to the point of making me put some extra effort in, but for the time being, she’s below me in overall fighting ability.  I don’t say that to gloat, Honoka-kun.  It’s just an accurate assessment of the situation as it currently is, that’s all.”

“Even so…I can’t help but feel a bit down,” said Honoka.  “I just want to be someone that you can rely on as much as I rely on you, that’s all.  If we really are partners, then we should be able to count on one another to watch each other’s backs, rather than just me being the damsel in distress waiting for you to come save me and all that.”

“You’re making progress in your magic training,” said Ayaka reassuringly.  “Just keep to your studies in that and I know that in time you’ll be a competent wizard who can protect not just himself but others, including me.  And while I’m touched that you want to be all you can when it comes to learning magic and becoming stronger, I’m partly against such a thing as well, contradictory as that sounds.”

“But…why?” asked a confused Honoka.  “Why would you be against me trying to become stronger and bettering myself?”

“Because I don’t want you to have to fight,” Ayaka quietly replied.  “I don’t want you having to resort to raising your hand in an act of violence, even when it comes to protecting yourself or others.  I want you to live a peaceful, easy life where you need not sully yourself and have to raise a hand against others.  That’s simply not who you are at your core, Honoka-kun.  You’re kind, gentle, soft…and I love you all the more for it.  So I’d rather you leave the fighting to me and the others so that you need not resort to fighting and violence at all, or at least resort to it only if you have no other option.”

“But Ayaka-chan…” Honoka insisted before being cut off.

“That being said,” Ayaka interrupted, “I understand that you don’t want to feel like a burden or that you’re somehow not worthy of being my partner - which you are, of course…meaning you both ARE my partner and certainly WORTHY of being my partner.  So while I’d rather you not need to fight, I’ll acquiesce here and there so that you have at least some rudimentary skills in both physical capabilities as well as magic.”  Ayaka finished her little explanation with another kiss on Honoka’s lips (this time with no tongue) before setting him back on the ground.

As this was going on, Rinon had entered the training area, water bottle in hand and sipping from it as she neared the pair.

“Did I miss out on anything?” asked the green-haired workshop witch as approached the two lovebirds.

“Just a little heart-to-heart, that’s all,” replied Ayaka while Honoka just blushed, his eyes veering off to the side.  Rinon stared at them in curiosity, more so at Honoka than Ayaka, but decided not to push or prod any further and simply shrugged in response.

“Well then, care to join me for some more training?” Rinon offered.

“If you’re talking about another sparring match, then I’ll decline this time around,” Ayaka replied.  “But you’re welcome to join us here in the training area on one of the machines here if you so desire.”

“I suppose I can mix things up a little bit,” grumbled Rinon, who decided to busy herself with the speed bag and keep her tempo up with her punches.

As for Honoka and Ayaka, Honoka decided to spend some time on one of the cycling machines (shrunken down to his size) while Ayaka worked out on a nearby elliptical machine alongside him.

Honoka was at least happy to know that even if he crashed in terms of stamina and endurance, he wouldn’t end up embarrassing himself by falling off like he did with the treadmill.  He also couldn’t help but notice that Ayaka had pulled the elliptical up slightly forward so that she was within Honoka’s general view, just on the right side of his peripheral vision.

Once the pair got deep into their exercises, Honoka had a good inkling as to WHY Ayaka dragged the elliptical machine forward a bit:  She wanted to give Honoka another killer view.

Like with the barbell exercises, Ayaka was effectively giving Honoka a rather stimulating show of her legs, backside, and buttocks as she maneuvered with flawless grace on the elliptical.  With every motion, Honoka got a good view of her calves and thigh muscles on full display, while Ayaka’s hips swayed slightly with each motion, accentuating an ass that had the perfect mix of firmness with plumpness, being hugged quite nicely in the pair of rather short gym shorts she was wearing.  Even Ayaka’s bosom could be noticed, gently swaying here and there while she moved.  Even if she generally had her back towards Honoka, Ayaka’s G-cup bosom was large enough to spot from the side if she lifted her arms up, giving a tantalizing view of side boob when she moved.

‘I swear, I’m almost certain that she does this to tease me on purpose,’ thought Honoka.  Given how increasingly frisky Ayaka had grown (along with her size, pardon the pun), that wasn’t too far-fetched of an idea to consider.

Trying not to fall too into sexually-themed temptation, Honoka kept his gaze directly forward as he peddled, trying not to catch a glance too often at the show which Ayaka was presenting him.  That being said, he WAS a healthy young man with appreciation for the female form, and someone like Ayaka Kagari sported such a form in peak condition.

Every so often when Honoka snuck a quick glance, he was almost certain that Ayaka was looking over her shoulder at him, smirking in response when she saw him watching.  Whereas some women would scoff in disgust or mutter “pig,” “pervert,” or “creep,” at being ogled, Ayaka merely smiled in response at knowing that the one she cherished wholeheartedly was checking her out.  Of course, if it was some other guy doing what Honoka was doing, she’d probably give him a look that said, “Keep undressing me with your eyes and you’re gonna be in a world of hurt very soon.”

Ayaka and Honoka proceeded exercising on their respective pieces of workout equipment, while Rinon went from the speedbag back to the punching bag.  If there was one thing the hotheaded workshop witch was known for, it was her love for throwing a punch, and thus a punching bag became her go-to piece of workout equipment over all others.  There were times when Honoka worried that she’d hit the bag so hard that she might actually break the chain which it hung from.

‘If she uses magic to amplify her strength, I have a feeling that that’s not only possible but highly probable,’ thought Honoka as he sweat-dropped in nervous contemplation.  Fortunately, Rinon didn’t take things that far, content with getting a good flow in as she bobbed from side to side and punching the bag from different directions.

Eventually, after a solid thirty minutes of working out between the three, they decided to call it a day for physical activity.  Honoka wiped himself with a towel and was contemplating on whether or not he should get a shower.  Ayaka decided to make the choice for him when she picked him up and declared that they were going to shower together (getting a blush from Honoka in the process).

“Would you care to join us, Rinon?” Ayaka asked her fellow witch.

‘She’ll say no,’ thought Honoka, figuring that Rinon wouldn’t want to shower with a guy, even if it was someone she was paired up with in the same way as Ayaka and all the others were now via the sealing process and all that.  She simply COULDN’T be interested in him like Ayaka was, there was just no way of that happening.

“Sure, sounds good,” Rinon replied, walking alongside Ayaka as the two made their way towards the nearest bathing facility on their floor.

“B-but Rinon,” said Honoka, “if you’re gonna shower with Ayaka-chan, then I’ll just shower separately.  You wouldn’t wanna shower alongside a guy now, right?  I mean, that’s just not appropriate and all…”

“You’d be right if it was just some typical, run-of-the-mill guy, Takamiya-kun,” replied Rinon, “but you and I are partners now, just like you and Ayaka are partners, so there’s no problem.”

“But…”

“Takamiya-kun, you and I are showering together and that’s final,” Rinon declared matter-of-factly, making it clear that the matter wasn’t up for debate or any further discussion.  Her tone of voice wasn’t menacing in and of itself, but it did carry a weight of seriousness to it all the same, basically saying to the young man, “We’re getting naked, wet, and in close proximity, so make peace with that, got it?”

Fast-forward to all three in the nearby showering stalls just down the hall from the gymnasium/training area, all of them wearing nothing but their birthday suits and standing under shower heads as they cleaned themselves.

It was during this time that Honoka tried to keep his eyes either closed or focused towards the floor.  While he was fairly certain that Ayaka wouldn’t be upset in the slightest if he were to look upon her body (quite the opposite if anything), he was far from certain as to how Rinon would react if she saw him looking at her naked body.  Even though she had laid out the whole “we’re partners now” spiel not so long ago, he didn’t want her thinking that he was some horndog who felt entitled to gaze upon her body, especially now that she was completely in the buff.

A few minutes passed before Honoka felt a pair of hands upon his own body as he was currently scrubbing his scalp with some shampoo.  What threw him off was that he could tell that it was more than just one pair of hands doing the touching.  Looking over his shoulder, his suspicions were confirmed.

Behind him were both Ayaka and Rinon rubbing and scrubbing all along the contours of his body, from his neck down to his knees as their hands gently washed and caressed his skin.

“Ayaka-chan,” said a startled Honoka, “what are you doing?”

“Washing your body, Darling,” she replied calmly.

“B-but why is Rinon doing so as well?” Honoka further asked.

“Because I offered her to join in and she said yes, of course,” Ayaka replied with a small grin.

“Really?” asked Honoka, not believing what he was hearing.

“Really,” replied Rinon matter-of-factly.

“B-but Rinon, you REALLY don’t have to do this,” Honoka stated, trying to offer her an out in all of this.  “We might be partnered up now through the sealing process, but that doesn’t mean that you have to wash me or anything like that.  I don’t want you feeling like you have to-”

“Takamiya-kun,” Rinon interrupted, causing the young man to seize up momentarily.

“Y-yes, Ma’am?” he asked somewhat nervously.

“Two things,” she resumed.  “First off, don’t call me “Ma’am” ever again.  My name is Rinon, so call me either that or “Rinon-chan,” got that?”  Honoka nodded in response.  “And secondly…”

Rinon leaned in while closing her eyes and planted her own lips onto Honoka’s lips, her breathing slowing down significantly as she pressed her lips against Honoka’s for a good ten seconds or so.  While there was no tongue involved, Honoka was blown away by the forwardness of said kiss, and could make out the increased rosiness of a blush forming on Rinon’s cheeks as she kissed him.  Once she broke off the kiss, she had those distinctly purple eyes with white crosses in lieu of pupils squarely onto Honoka’s own eyes, giving him her full attention.

“I’m your partner, just like Hime-sama here, got that?” Rinon said firmly yet with undertones of a nervousness in her demeanor if the blush was anything to go by.  “And as your partner, this sort of thing is normal, from what I understand.  So stop being so namby-pamby about all of this and just go with the flow, okay?”

Honoka simply stared wide-eyed like a deer in the headlights, still processing what he just heard her say.  It was certainly not like Rinon to be open to the idea of both bathing with and kissing another person.  While he wasn’t sure as to what her sexual orientation was specifically, Honoka figured that Rinon didn’t have a particularly high opinion of men in general, so it was certainly surprising to see her bathing alongside him, as well as caressing his body alongside Ayaka as well as literally smooching him to boot.

As if she were reading his mind, Ayaka knelt down further and caught Honoka off guard with a quick smooch on the lips before speaking.

“Honoka-kun, it’s like Rinon-chan here just told you:  Just go with the flow, okay?” Ayaka said with a grin afterwards.

“B-b-but…I…I just can’t go and straight-up cheat on you, Ayaka-chan,” Honoka countered.  “I’m not going to be unfaithful to you like that.”

“Honestly,” Ayaka sighed before palming the back of his head and French kissing the living daylights out of Honoka, inhaling deeply through her nostril as she smooched him.  After a solid twenty seconds of kissing, Ayaka pulled back and spoke once more.

“You’re too sweet and considerate for your own good, you know that?” Ayaka asked Honoka with a grin.  “It’s not infidelity or being unfaithful if I’m not only letting you do this, but INSISTING that you do this, understand?”

“I…I beg your pardon?” asked a bewildered Honoka.

“You heard me, Darling,” Ayaka grinned.  “I intend for you to be with each and every woman partnered with you…in every sense of the word.”

“When you say “be,” you don’t honestly mean…” replied Honoka in an increasingly quiet tone of voice, the blush on his face increasing in intensity.  A moment later, his chin was lifted up by Ayaka’s fingers as she tilted his head up and French kissed him once more, lasting another ten seconds or so.  What surprised Honoka was that he only got a few seconds to breathe before his mouth was assaulted with another French kiss…this time by Rinon.

While not as dexterous in comparison to Ayaka’s kiss, Rinon certainly put her heart into it all the same, given how strongly she latched her mouth onto Ayaka’s mouth as her tongue invaded his personal space.  The second round of kissing lasted another ten seconds or so before the younger workshop witch broke it off, panting significantly as she broke eye contact in a rather adorable display of full-blown tsundere character portrayal.

“Indeed I do, my darling Honoka-kun,” Ayaka chuckled.  “Kasumi-chan is already on board with this whole thing, obviously, but I intend to have EVERYONE have a turn with you before long, including dear Rinon-chan here.  And it makes me happy to know that she’s already doing her part to make this relationship setup work out in the end.  So know that you don’t have to hold back when it comes to furthering and strengthening bonds with the others in our family, as I intend for you to do so in the days to come.  After a few weeks, I intend for every witch bonded to you to love you wholeheartedly with the same kind of intensity to which I love you, understand?  So by all means, love them with the same kind of passion with which you love me, for I’ll accept nothing less than that, Darling.”

“Exactly,” added Rinon.  “Look, it’s sweet of you to be considerate the way that you are and all that, but please, for once in your life, just take a gift when it’s offered to you.  Other guys would kill or go through hell to be where you are, getting to be with as many women as you have partnered up with and whatnot, and Hime-sama here has pretty much given you her blessing to go ahead and enjoy yourself fully, so stop feeling so guilty about all of this, alright?  And stop thinking “I’m not worthy” or anything along those lines either, because you are, got that?”

Honoka simply stood there in wide-eyed stupor, thinking himself in a dream state at the moment.  There was just no way a group of young women collectively say to you “You’re in a harem and each and every one of us are going to love you both romantically and intimately for a very, very long time and all, okay?”.  It just didn’t happen, unless Honoka had somehow woken up one day and found himself teleported into some wackadoo pervy, super ecchi harem-themed universe like those found in certain anime and manga.

Being knocked from his thoughts, Honoka found himself being gingerly lifted up from underneath his armpits by Rinon as she repositioned him.  Rinon herself took a seated position and proceeded to begin cleaning Honoka’s body from head to toe, starting with his head and shoulders and working her way down along his arms and torso.

“H-hey, what are you doing?” asked a flustered Honoka.

“You were just standing there like a statue, so I decided to take your silence as a ‘yes’ to everything we just said,” answered Rinon.  “Even if the silence was meant to be a ‘no,’ it wouldn’t matter either way, as we would just overrule it and make it a ‘yes’ right there and then.  So then I’m just proceeding accordingly and washing your body, Honoka-kun.”

‘Oh no, now she’s using the -kun suffix too,’ groaned Honoka inwardly.  ‘Looks like she really IS a tsundere at heart.’

Ayaka joined Rinon seconds later, with Rinon seated behind Honoka while Ayaka knelt in front of him, giving him a full display of her entire body as she washed him, especially her massive bosom dangling oh so enticingly front and center as she scrubbed him down from the front while Rinon followed suit from behind.

Inevitably, given the amount of attention Honoka’s body was getting, along with the fact that he could both see and feel Ayaka’s and Rinon’s naked bodies against his own, his ‘little buddy’ decided to show his gratitude for all of that attention.  Honoka instinctively reached down to cover it the best he could, only to have his wrists snatched by both Ayaka’s and Rinon’s hands within seconds.

“There’s no need to cover yourself, Darling,” Ayaka reassured him.  “You have absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about nor the need to hide yourself.”

“Exactly,” added Rinon, “and besides, you get to see all of us, so it’s only fair that we get to see the same from you.”  Once they felt Honoka’s arms loosen up, they slowly released his wrists and let his arms fall gently to his sides.  Seconds later, Rinon’s large (but still femininely delicate) fingers began touching and rubbing Honoka’s ‘eleventh finger’ slowly, which of course got slow heavy breaths from Honoka in response as his body shivered with pleasure.

“Remember, Rinon-chan, be delicate,” cooed Ayaka as she proceeded to alternate between washing Honoka’s chest and shoulders above and his thighs and calves below.  Rinon focused on the area consisting of Honoka’s lap along with his stomach in turn, giving the young man a full body washing session between these two sinfully sexy amazons.

“Yeah yeah, I understand,” muttered Rinon.  If only Honoka could turn around at that moment, he would have appreciated the raging blush that was on Rinon’s face as she cleaned him from behind, pressing her chest and torso against his back as she cleaned him (she was kneeling at this point so she could be low enough to do so).  While she was cleaning Honoka’s ‘little buddy,’ Rinon’s own heartbeat picked up in both speed and intensity.  The way she cleaned in a back-and-forth motion was practically akin to giving Honoka a handjob; if she gripped just a little bit tighter, she pretty much WOULD be giving him a handjob, at at that moment her mind was torn between sticking to cleaning and moving straight into far steamier territory.

After a minute or two of cleaning, Ayaka and Rinon switched places…well, more accurately speaking, they rotated Honoka so that Ayaka was behind him and Rinon was in front of him, with them switching where they cleaned the young man.  That gave Honoka a full-frontal view of Rinon’s body, and while Rinon wasn’t as gifted in the chest department as Ayaka was (very few could match Ayaka in that category), her body was nothing to sneeze at either.  If Honoka were to guess, Rinon’s breasts would probably be a healthy C-cup (if she were her original size and not over ten feet tall), and her physique was very fit and trim overall, given her propensity to fight and keep in shape regularly.  He could make out the musculature in her biceps along with the definition in her abdomen as well as her thighs and calves.  Out of all of the women currently paired up with him, Honoka would have wagered that Rinon was probably the outright fittest of the bunch in terms of muscle definition (well, aside from Ayaka and Kazane perhaps).

The cleaning session went on for several minutes more, with both Ayaka and Rinon getting to know EVERY detail of Honoka’s body in terms of touch.  It was something of a miracle that Honoka didn’t straight-up lose it right there and then, given that both of them had gotten well-acquainted with his more delicate body parts during the washing session.  He was still befuddled that Rinon would be rather willing to touch him, especially down there of all places.  Apparently, she was dead serious about the whole partner setup between them at this point.

“Alright then, Honoka-kun,” said Ayaka, pulling him out of his train of thought, “would you be so kind as to wash the both of us now?”

“Seriously?” asked the young man.  “You really want me to wash both of you now?  I’m sure you’re both more than capable of doing that yourselves, and you’ll finish a lot quicker than having me do it for you.”

“Don’t worry about timing or anything like that, Darling,” Ayaka replied with a warming grin.  “Honestly, the longer it takes, the better as far as I’m concerned.”

“And you, Rinon?” Honoka asked the other witch.  “You’re REALLY okay with this?  Because you’re certainly free to opt out if you want, no pressure or anything.”

“Oh, for Kami’s sake,” grumbled Rinon, “stop being so damn overly considerate and clean us already!”  She followed through by kneeling down, grabbing Honoka by the shoulders, and planting her lips on his mouth, French kissing the hell out of the young man for a good ten seconds before coming up for air (blushing furiously all the while).  Once she pulled back, she bored her eyes directly into Honoka’s own eyes before speaking once more.

“Now stop being so freakin’ nice and sweet like that and wash us!” she pseudo-growled while her eyes slightly trembled as she gazed down at the young man in her grasp.

Slightly intimidated by Rinon’s demand that he clean her alongside Ayaka, Honoka gulped before proceeding to do as he was told.  Given his size relative to these women, Honoka stood up while Ayaka and Rinon sat on small buckets (scaled to their size) flipped upside down for them to sit.

Honoka first started with Ayaka, washing her back and shoulders, then proceeded to follow through with her neck, arms, hair, collarbone, and the sides of her torso.  It took a little gentle goading on Ayaka’s part to get Honoka to follow through with washing both her buttocks and her bosom, insisting that Honoka place his hands on EVERY part of her while he cleaned her.

“After all, it’s only fair, Darling,” Ayaka told him.  “We DID touch every part of your body when we were cleaning you, so we’re just returning the favor.”

Once Ayaka coaxed him out of his shell, Honoka followed through and proceeded to wash EVERY part of Ayaka’s body, including her bountiful breasts, her stomach, her waist, her thighs and calves, and her ‘maidenhood,’ so to speak.  While Honoka was certainly flustered at touching all of the aforementioned parts, it was really Ayaka’s breasts which he found the most joy in washing, given how large they were as well as their bounciness, firmness, and softness too (minus her nipples, which had become quite hard and erect at this point!).  There was just something about Ayaka’s breasts that appeared almost otherworldly in their beauty and splendor, as if they were the breasts of a literal goddess.

During the washing session, Ayaka occasionally grunted and stifled a moan here and there as Honoka’s hands ran across her skin.  Honoka in turn caught onto these noises and paused in his ministrations.

“Are you okay?” he asked her.  “I’m not going too rough, am I?”

“Not at all,” Ayaka replied calmly.  “By all means, please continue.  You can even press a little harder if you so desire.  It’s almost massage-like.”

Surprised that Ayaka was thoroughly enjoying it, Honoka continued as requested, pushing ever so slightly more into Ayaka’s skin as he cleaned her.  While Honoka continued, Ayaka inwardly chided herself for almost letting the cat out of the bag and moaning or squealing any louder than she did, not wanting Honoka to freak out at just how damn orgasmic his touch was to her.  The last thing she wanted at that moment was for the good time she was experiencing to come to an abrupt end.

Honoka proceeded to wash Ayaka’s body from head to toe, getting every part of her as instructed.  Given Ayaka’s body was far larger than his, he had a LOT of surface area to cover, which of course Ayaka was thrilled at such a reality.  A solid half hour had passed by the time Honoka had finished up with cleaning Ayaka, by which point Rinon’s turn came up.

The green-haired workshop witch positioned herself seated on her own bucket, her back towards Honoka as she slightly dipped her head, signalling him to proceed.  Within seconds of Honoka’s hands touching her neck and shoulders, Rinon immediately bit her lower lip and pressed her thighs and knees together, fighting the urge to gasp in orgasmic bliss at Honoka’s touch.

‘For Kami’s sake!’ thought Rinon in that very moment.  ‘How is he so freakin’ GOOD at this!?’  Rinon’s breathing picked up in intensity, her nostrils slightly flaring as she willed herself to breathe slower and not lose it right there and then.  Once more, this caught Honoka’s attention after a minute or so.

“Umm…are you okay, Rinon?” he asked.  “If you’re not enjoying this, I’ll stop right now and…”

“Don’t you dare fuckin’ stop!” Rinon interrupted, feeling embarrassed at raising her voice like some barking dog.  She took a deep breath to compose herself before resuming.  “S-sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you like that, honestly.  I just…wasn’t quite prepared for this, that’s all.  Please…continue.”

“You sure?” asked Honoka.

“Yes, please continue,” answered Rinon.  “I WANT you to do this.”

Nodding in acquiescence, Honoka proceeded with Rinon’s request.  Like with Ayaka, he started with her neck, back and shoulders, then proceeded with her arms.  While washing her arms, he took note of her biceps, which retained a fine balance of muscular definition tempered with feminine appeal.  As mentioned before, Rinon had her own appeal and charm, like that of a G.I. Jane type of woman or a very fit Wonder Woman or Lara Croft with a touch more definition to her muscles.

“You have very well-defined muscles, Rinon,” Honoka said, hoping she’d appreciate the compliment.

“Chan,” she replied.

“Come again?” asked a confused Honoka.

“Call me Rinon-chan from now on, okay?”

“Are you sure?” asked Honoka.

“I’m your partner, so yes I’m sure, now say it…please,” Rinon responded, slightly blushing at the end.

“Okay…Rinon-chan,” said Honoka.

“Th-thank you,” she muttered, “for saying that…and for the compliment as well too.”

The cleaning session continued, with Honoka going over every detail of Rinon’s body, just like with Ayaka’s.  As he got a closer look at her bosom, Honoka was pretty sure about his original guess as to her bust size.  While Rinon’s breasts weren’t as big as Ayaka’s, they certainly weren’t nothing to sneeze at either.  She was probably around a C-cup if he were to ask her (definitely no smaller than a B-cup at bare minimum), and given that she was in her teenage years, that put out the possibility of her maybe going up another cup size in the years to come.

Of course, the rest of Rinon’s body was just as impressive overall, especially with regards to how fit and toned her musculature was all around.  Her shoulders, her biceps, her calves, her thighs, her abdomen, her glutes all of it was a smorgasbord in its own regard.  It was at that moment that Honoka couldn’t help but subconsciously speak his mind.

“You’re…very pretty, Rinon-chan…” he practically whispered.

While he tried to hide the statement, Rinon picked up on it easily enough and ended up being increasingly flustered to the point that her face was on the verge of becoming a strawberry in color.  She ended up being caught at a crossroads between letting Honoka continue with cleaning her and acting somewhat more impulsively.  

After a few seconds of mulling it over, impulse ended up winning out over temperance.

While Honoka was cleaning Rinon’s front, running his hands along her thighs (and feeling the warmth emanating from her maidenhood), he was suddenly lifted up from under his armpits by Rinon’s own hands, and brought up to face her, staring into those white crosses where pupils would have been within those purple eyes of hers.

“Rrrrgh,” Rinon quietly grumbled, “honestly, why are you so fuckin’ sweet and considerate and kind and gentle and…rrrggh…it straight-up INFURIATES me sometimes!”

“I…I’m sorry if I’m annoying you,” said a startled Honoka (since he was lifted off his feet at the moment.  “I honestly didn’t mean to offend you or make you angry in some way, really I do-mmmphf!”

Sure enough, Honoka Takamiya was silenced as Rinon crashed his lips into her own, French kissing the hell out of him for a solid thirty seconds, pressing the advantage for all she could.  During that time, Honka had to resort to breathing through his nose, given how much Rinon’s tongue was filling both his mouth and his throat during the makeout session.

Once the kiss broke off, Rinon stood there, panting heavily as she gazed at the young man in her arms, who in turn just stared back, his own breathing slow and heavy (and his little buddy standing full at attention after what just occurred).

“Well well well, dear Rinon-chan,” said Ayaka with a grin, “looks like you’re finally getting on board with the plan in full, and I’m glad that you are.  The sooner everyone makes peace with this arrangement, the better off we’ll all be.  That being said, we should hold off on taking things to the next level for the time being.  At the very least, let’s wait until the others are up to where we are for now, okay?”

Rinon was at a mental/emotional crossroads upon hearing that.  On the one hand, she wanted to wrap her arms around Honoka and have her way with him (and him have his way with her in turn) for an indeterminate amount of time.  Though on the other hand, she figured that Ayaka had something of a point, not wanting to rock the boat within the broader group dynamic and get an unfair lead in the derby race, so to speak.  She also figured that it would be risky to make a move of such magnitude in front of Ayaka, figuring that the Princess of Tougetsu Academy wasn’t going to let some other woman have first dibs on her man like that (not without an all-out brawl in the process anyway).

So erring on caution, Rinon fought against her more animalistic instincts and held back on jumping Honoka in the baths for the time being.  Nodding her head, she simply took a consolation prize in the form of one more smooch on Honoka’s lips before setting him back on the ground, with Ayaka nodding in approval of Rinon’s restraint, as if she were saying to the younger witch “very good.”

“So then,” said a flustered Honoka, surprised that Rinon was on the verge of taking things to the next level right there and then, “what do we do now?”

“I’d say we’ve had plenty of time to clean ourselves up, so what say we dry off and see what the others are up to?” replied Ayaka.

“Sure, sounds good,” said Honoka.  “What about you, Rinon-chan?”

“I’m…gonna go take a walk for a little while, just to clear my head,” she replied, a small blush still lingering on her cheeks as she grabbed a towel and proceeded to dry herself off.  “I’ll catch up with you guys later.”

Rinon was first out of the baths, wrapping herself in a towel as she left the premises.  Honoka and Ayaka took their time to dry themselves more thoroughly, wrapping themselves adequately in their towels before leaving.  Once they were ready to leave, Ayaka scooped up Honoka in her arms and proceeded to walk out towards their bedroom for a fresh change of clothes.  Honoka told Ayaka that it wasn’t necessary, but Ayaka simply responded that she enjoyed carrying Honoka around as much as possible, so he simply relented and closed his eyes as he gently rested against Ayaka’s torso and large bosom, letting her body heat and heartbeat lull him into a very brief nap as she made her way back to their room, her footfalls making small thuds as they hit the floor with each step.