Honoka and Ayaka navigated through the halls of Tougetsu Academy, with Ayaka keeping within arms reach of Honoka at all times, as if she were his personal bodyguard. Granted, given the developments over the last few months, it was quite understandable for her to act in such a way around him, given how adamantly numerous Tower Witches had pursued him in that time - and all because of the “white stuff” he had inside of him.
To elaborate, before some of you start having dirty thoughts over the term “white stuff,” in this case, it was a poor understanding among most Tower Witches of the power residing within him.
In the case of Honoka Takamiya, the “white stuff” was a sort of catch-all term used as a substitute for the entity who went by the name of Evermillion, who also bore the title of Shirohime or “White Princess,” hence the term “white stuff” being brought up in conversation. It was Evermillion - who had been locked away and sealed within Honoka many years ago - that was the true target among the Tower Witches. Supposedly, whoever managed to get a hold of her power could create massive calamities that would greatly change the very world and cause unimaginable levels of destruction and chaos. That was why the Workshop Witches within Tougetsu City, especially Ayaka Kagari, were tasked with keeping a close eye on Honoka and to act as his protective detail at all times, given how much of a high-priority target he was in the neverending struggle between Workshop Witches and Tower Witches.
As for Evermillion herself, Honoka had met her very few times. From what he could gather of her, she was rather enigmatic in some ways. Like Ayaka, she was a towering, large-bosomed beauty, easily standing 7 feet tall if not past 8 feet in height. She dressed elegantly and wore fine jewelry, including a crown atop her head (though comically far too small for her size). While she was colored white in her overall appearance (both her skin and her dress), she had a mild pinkish hue mixed in with the white. She had pointed ears which made her look elf-like, pronounced canines among her pearly white teeth, very long hair that went down to her ankles in length, ruby red eyes, and insanely long fingernails that appeared rather pointed, effectively making her hands look like super-thin and very sharp claws. Supposedly in ancient cultures, having very long fingernails was a symbol of power and authority, given that in order to grow one’s nails to such a length meant having excessive amounts of leisure time and not having to do strenuous work.*
[*Consult the Witchcraft Works wiki on the whole fingernails piece if you don’t believe me.]
Regarding Evermillion’s character, she appeared generally playful and easygoing, if perhaps a bit teasing and mischievous here and there, though not to the point of having ill intent. She once made an offer to Honoka that she would help Ayaka recover from an episode of petrification if he simply gave up his eyeballs in exchange. While some might hesitate to agree to such a thing, Honoka accepted it without a second thought on the matter. Such an immediate response surprised Evermillion at how willing the young man was in giving up something so vital to save another person.
Perhaps it was Honoka’s instinctive kindness and sense of sacrifice that made Evermillion take a liking to him. Whatever the case, while she was willing to help lend her power to him whenever he was in a bind, she advised him not to rely on her too much unless it was a full-blown emergency. Why that was the case was anybody’s guess, but there was perhaps one theory at work to explain that warning.
You see, when Evermillion ended up being sealed within Honoka, there were five seals used to anchor her to Honoka’s very being. In the months between Honoka learning about magic and the present day, three of those seals were broken. And with each successive seal being broken, there was the worry about Evermillion effectively being unsealed from Honoka and living independently on her own. With such a powerful magical being effectively loosed upon the world, what would happen as a result? Would Evermillion bring forth a series of calamities and chaos all on her own? Would the Tower Witches capture and control her for their own nefarious purposes? Perhaps Evermillion would even willingly team up with the Tower Witches to bring forth all sorts of magically-related mayhem and destruction all over the world. The possibilities were as frightening as they were endless to say the least.
Supposedly, after a particularly dangerous entanglement with a Tower Witch who went by the name of Weekend, the contract which anchored Evermillion to Honoka was effectively reset and the seals were restored. But if there ever was the chance that the seals started to become undone one by one, the lingering possibility of Evermillion becoming free again would start to make its way to the forefront of everyone’s minds once more.
In the worst case scenario, it could end up with Honoka himself being sealed away in either some heavily locked and well-guarded chamber for the rest of his life, or even being imprisoned in some sort of magically created pocket dimension in order to be restrained and kept separate from the broader outside world.
Of course, given how protective Ayaka was towards Honoka, the odds of her simply letting such a thing happen were literally zero percent. She would do everything in her power to keep such a thing from happening, even if that made her an enemy of the Workshop Witches in the process. Such was the level of commitment she carried towards Honoka Takamiya, as his guardian, his mentor in magic, and as someone who desired to be something…more with him.
In any case, for the time being, the seals were supposedly reset and re-strengthened, so there should be no concerns about them coming undone for the foreseeable future. That meant going back to the everyday humdrum life of high school, puberty, and coming of age during one’s teenage years.
Honoka and Ayaka made their way into the classroom before the bell sounded off less than a minute later. After homeroom period had come and gone, things resumed to their usual, typical, unexciting sense of normalcy. While most students would be bored to death by such everyday humdrum of highschool life, Honoka was actually rather thankful for it. After going through numerous escapades involving Tower Witches chasing after him, worrying over the seals in his body being undone one after another, and a few close calls and brushes with death, he was relieved to experience the calm, predictable, boring state of everyday student life. Between being bored and being either scared to death or worried for himself or those around him (especially Ayaka), Honoka took boredom ten times out of ten.
The one thing that Honoka was somewhat grateful for was that where initially the other students would give him grief for being too close to Ayaka or spending too much private time with her, now they had stopped with the snide remarks and mean pranks against him. For example, there was a time not so long ago that he somehow found his locker stuffed full of letters. While some might expect them to be love letters from somebody holding a romantic crush, those letters all had phrases like “Die,” “Drop dead,” “Leave Hime-sama alone!” or several different types of threats and/or rude remarks and comments directed towards Honoka.
One of the worst moments was when a bunch of students cornered him out of public view and had one of the male members of the clique beat the crap out of him. And all because one time when he dropped an eraser off his desk, Ayaka bent down and picked it up for him before returning it to him. In the eyes of Ayaka’s devoted followers, having their beloved Hime-sama lower herself by picking up something belonging to some nobody commoner like Honoka was an insult to her position as the shining star of Tougetsu Academy. To them, only the most devoted and adoring of followers had the right to be graced by Ayaka’s presence. Back then, if somebody wanted one-on-one time with Ayaka Kagari, they normally had to endure a waiting period as if they were booking reservations at some fancy, high-end restaurant.
Ayaka ended up putting all of that over-the-top fandom in its place when she decided to declare that nobody in school was allowed to lay so much as a finger on Honoka. While there was temporary pushback from Tougetsu Academy’s student council - well, mainly the student council’s president more than anybody else - with them trying to have Honoka separated from Ayaka, Ayaka simply responded by having the student council president relieved of her position (AKA fired) during a public announcement to the broader student body. She then followed through with having Honoka serve as student council president and herself as vice president, effectively making the two of them the masters of the student council. Eventually, Honoka talked down Ayaka from her heavy-handed approach of simply getting her way by force. After a brief heart-to-heart with the student council, it was agreed that the former president could have her position back on the condition that the student council no longer targeted Honoka or insert themselves between him and Ayaka.
Needless to say, an understanding was reached and nobody gave Honoka anymore crap after that. Given that Ayaka - as Tougetsu Academy’s “Princess” - was the 2nd highest ranking authority within the school (just below the school’s principal, her own mother, Kazane), none of the faculty, staff, or students could effectively tell her what to do. In a sense, Ayaka was essentially their boss, so to speak, with the power to fire any teacher or staff within Tougetsu Academy or have any student suspended or expelled if she so desired. So long as the principal didn’t overrule her, Ayaka effectively had free reign to do as she saw fit.
The point of the whole matter was that after Ayaka effectively put her foot down before the entirety of Tougetsu Academy, nobody gave Honoka a hard time afterwards. That being said, Honoka tried to smooth things over by insisting that Ayaka give some of her free time to the other students who still adored and revered her. He simply didn’t want to feel like he was hoarding her all to himself and rubbing it in everyone else’s face while doing so. In response, Ayaka offered a compromise: Honoka would stay by her side during lunch period and free period while other students formed small cliques to spend time with their beloved Hime-sama, making smalltalk with her while they got to be in her presence. It seemed a fair enough deal, given that Ayaka had no intention of Honoka being away from her side, but still allowing the masses among the students to get to spend time with the one whom they revered as a borderline goddess.
Fast-forward to lunch period during the day…
Honoka sat next to Ayaka as some fawning schoolgirls gathered around near her, gushing over being allowed to simply sit in her presence. Many of them had faint blushes on their cheeks and stars in their eyes as if they were at some concert for the latest rock band or pop sensation, on the verge of cawing in delight if Ayaka so much as answered a question or made eye contact with them. They most certainly had that sort of “screaming groupie fangirl” vibe about them, no doubt about it.
‘It’s fine,’ thought Honoka. ‘Let them have these moments.’ The way he saw it, he had plenty of time to spend alone with Ayaka given that she had been living in his house for quite a while now. While there were other people to factor into back at the Takamiya residence - Kasumi as a jealous love rival and the KMM Gang for attempting to kidnap Honoka - all Ayaka had to do was give them a mean look and/or a stern warning in order to make them back down and the matter would be resolved (for a little while anyway).
As he ate, Honoka couldn’t help but feel like something was a bit…odd, when he glanced over at Ayaka. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but something felt off in some way. Was there something different about Ayaka’s clothing? From what he could tell, she was wearing the same uniform she always wore. Did she try experimenting with perfume perhaps? He never bothered to try and sniff her to verify (from what Honoka could tell, Ayaka smelled great no matter what). That probably wasn’t the case either.
‘Maybe I’m overthinking this,’ thought Honoka. ‘I’m sure it’s nothing. I’m just being paranoid, I guess.’
“Takamiya-kun, lunch is almost over. We should get going.” stated Ayaka firmly. Of course, that response got several “awwws” from her adoring fangirls who wanted to spend just a little more time with their wonderful and perfect Hime-sama. Anytime their lunch sessions were over, it always ended up being a bummer indicating that the good times were sadly coming to a close.
“Alright then,” replied Honoka as he proceeded to put away the bento boxed lunch which Ayaka prepared for him (it was something she did regularly for him). As the two of them stood up, that was when Honoka felt that familiar feeling about something being slightly off. A few seconds later, it clicked.
You see, Honoka had been in close proximity to Ayaka enough times to know how tall he stood relative to her. Given that he was 5’4’’ and she was 6’5.5’’, that meant that the top of his head would be level with her shoulders and her collarbone. It was one of those things that you pick up on after spending enough time in close proximity to another person.
Yet now, Honoka could have sworn that Ayaka’s shoulders seemed to be slightly higher relative to where they would normally rest when the two of them were standing up and next to one another. It was subtle and small, but from what Honoka could discern, it appeared like Ayaka’s shoulders maybe stood another centimeter or two over the top of his head now. It wasn’t just that, but also in the way that Honoka had to crane his neck ever so slightly in order to maintain eye contact with Ayaka. Again, it was one of those things a person picks up on when spending a lot of time in close proximity to others.
To put things simply, it appeared that Ayaka Kagari was…taller.
Either that, or Honoka had somehow shrunken by a smidgen. Given the existence of magic, that wasn’t too far-fetched of a notion to consider. But from what he could tell, Honoka’s clothes didn’t feel too big or spacious on him. So assuming he hadn’t shrunken slightly, the only logical conclusion was that Ayaka had grown slightly.
‘It’s not too wacky of a thing to consider,’ thought Honoka. ‘I mean, after all, we’re in high school, and puberty can still happen at our age. Kagari-san could just be finishing up a growth spurt. Maybe she went up a few more centimeters and I just never really noticed until now. I suppose she could top out at 2 full meters or even a little over. It would certainly make her really tall, but then again, Kagari-san has always been really tall for as long as I’ve known her. Maybe I’m just overthinking this.’
“Takamiya-kun, are you okay?” asked Ayaka, curious as to why Honoka seemed lost in thought. “You seem rather preoccupied.”
“Huh? Oh, I’m sorry, Kagari-san,” replied the young man with a chuckle. “I was just daydreaming, that’s all. Nothing to worry about. We should get going.”
‘I’m sure it’s nothing,’ thought Honoka to reassure himself. ‘It’s probably just the end of puberty, that’s all. I just hope I’m able to get a few more centimeters coming my way. Not saying that I need to be Kagari-san’s height, but maybe 170 cm in a few years, give or take a cm. I like to think that’s not too much to ask.’
Honoka and Ayaka made their way back inside the building, since they had taken their lunch out on the grass in a picnic-like fashion since the weather was nice. They then proceeded to continue with the usual, everyday humdrum of lectures, videos, quizzes, and all other types of menial and forgettable types of tasks associated with highschool life.
Fast-forward to physical education (AKA gym class)...
Normally, in this situation, the boys would be kept separate from the girls no matter what sport the students were engaged in. Whether it was basketball, dodgeball, volleyball, tennis, running track, or any other activity one would expect in the world of highschool-related sports, the males were kept separate from the females for pretty obvious reasons.
Of course, in Tougetsu Academy, where the student bearing the title of “prince/princess” effectively had carte blanche on school grounds, that basic rule didn’t apply to Ayaka Kagari, who of course was paired up with Honoka and the rest of the boys in gym class. In this case, the boys were assigned to run along the outside running track, given that the weather was nice. The girls meanwhile would play volleyball instead.
While many of the boys would have loved to watch Ayaka play volleyball from afar, they ended up becoming rather giddy and hot under the collar when they found out that she would join them in running laps around the running track. Of course, it would have been quite the tantalizingly pleasurable sight to watch the school’s Hime-sama partake in volleyball. With all of the jumping, dashing, spiking, and everything involved in that sport, the chance of watching Ayaka’s massive bosom swaying and bouncing as she moved along the volleyball court would be a heavenly thing to witness. Of course, the rest of her body - hips, thighs, tushie, etc. - would be just as wonderful a sight to witness as she played, given her supermodel-like figure. And no doubt she would end up on the winning side after the game’s end, given how naturally gifted she seemed to be in terms of athleticism.
Even so, Ayaka decided to run with the rest of the boys, getting no pushback from the coach (for obvious reasons). While many of the boys were ecstatic that they got to be in close proximity to the towering beauty, they also knew that Ayaka only had eyes for Honoka when it came to romantic pursuits. It was pretty obvious that she only wanted to join in with the boys so that she could stay in close proximity to him. Hell, even Honoka was aware enough by this point to tell that she gave the vast majority of her time to him out of anybody else in the entire academy.
As the boys proceeded to run laps around the track, Honoka kept at his own pace, which of course meant that Ayaka kept at the same pace alongside him. This made Honoka feel a bit awkward, given that he knew he was holding Ayaka back in terms of overall speed. While he wasn’t exactly out of shape, Honoka knew that there were plenty of others in school who were far more athletic than him, whether that was in terms of strength, speed, agility, or endurance. And of course, Ayaka was the top-ranked student in terms of overall athleticism. Even so, despite the difference in their physical abilities, Ayaka kept her pacing with Honoka all the same. Whenever he picked up the pace, she followed suit. If he slowed down a little bit, she did the same seconds later. No matter what his running ability, Ayaka always made sure that she was never more than an arm's reach away from him.
Wanting to not feel like such a burden or handicap to Ayaka, Honoka put at least a decent amount of effort into the run, keeping at a steady jog, which of course Ayaka could match easily. Sometimes other boys wanted to run alongside Ayaka, most of them wanting to enjoy the obvious eye candy which Ayaka’s body presented. After all, given that Ayaka was around 6-and-a-half feet in height with G-cup breasts and a stunning physique overall, she pretty much made anything she wore look sexy, even a simple white t-shirt and a pair of gym shorts (which Honoka couldn’t help but think looked a smidgen shorter on her as she ran and at risk of exposing the lowest portion of her buttocks if she ran too quickly).
While Ayaka wasn’t one to show a particularly wide range of emotions generally speaking, she most certainly was able to convey annoyance towards others when she deemed it appropriate. Some of the other boys who jogged alongside or near Ayaka she politely told them to give her some space, whereas with the more lecherously-minded types, she simply gave them a mild scowl, as if the look on her face simply said “Back off.” In the case of the more perverted, horndog-type of boys who tried to get a peek in here or there, Ayaka’s scary expression did the job. It certainly helped that she was effectively the tallest person in all of Tougetsu Academy…well, second tallest, given that the school principal (Ayaka’s mother) had another inch or two in height over her.
“You don’t need to slow down on my account, Kagari-san,” said Honoka as he jogged. “I know you can go much, much faster than this speed. Don’t let me hold you back.”
“It’s no bother or trouble in any way whatsoever, Takamiya-kun,” replied Ayaka. “I’m just glad to be alongside you, that’s all. And I can tell that you’re putting the effort in. That’s enough for me.” Though she didn’t really crack a smile, Honoka could tell that Ayaka seemed both at peace and even somewhat happy by the tone in her voice. Given that Ayaka wasn’t much in conveying emotion via her facial expressions, Honoka became cognizant of what her mood was depending on how she spoke and in what tone of voice. When it was calm and somewhat monotone, it usually meant that Ayaka was in a generally good mood (most of the time anyway).
“I appreciate that, Kagari-san,” said Honoka with a grin. “I just know that you could run a full kilometer in probably half the time that most of these guys here could run, and probably without breaking a sweat while doing so. I just wish that I could keep up with you and be a worthy running partner, that’s all.”
“Don’t worry about it, Takamiya-kun. To be frank, there are very few at this school who could keep up with me when it comes to this kind of stuff. Rinon might be a training partner who could give me a good warm-up, but even she would have a hard time keeping up to my level. The only other one I can think of is Okaa-san (“Mother”) as far as keeping up with me. All you need to do is your best, and as far as I’m concerned, that is enough. And if anybody gives you a hard time over it, I’ll make them sorry they did so.”
“Please don’t go thrashing any of the other students or raising their body temperatures rapidly,” Honoka chuckled nervously, given that those were the kinds of things Ayaka could do with the greatest of ease.
“I promise to be on my best behavior, Takamiya-kun,” replied Ayaka as she continued her jog alongside him.
As they continued their laps around the track, Honoka couldn’t help but gaze at Ayaka from time to time. She tended to either keep neck-in-neck with him or jog just slightly in front of him so as to be within his field of vision. That made him wonder as to whether or not she was playfully teasing him…if perhaps she wanted him to “check her out,” so to speak. The way her bosom bounced and heaved as she jogged, the way her hips swayed and her buttcheeks bounced and jiggled ever so slightly, the graceful movements of her thighs and calves, the way her hair waved gently in the breeze as she moved…all of it made her just so damn appetizing to the human eye.
Given the time he had spent with Ayaka for the past few months, Honoka was pretty sure that she was effectively telling him “Go ahead and look all you want. It’s perfectly fine if it’s you, Takamiya-kun.” After all, ever since that kiss at the front gate earlier in the day, Honoka had come to the full realization that Ayaka wanted to take their relationship to a more serious and intimate level. She wanted to be more than just friends or classmates or even teacher and student when it came to matters involving magic and witchcraft. She wanted to be his and for him to be hers.
Aside from the occasional ogling which Honoka couldn’t help but be tempted by every few seconds, there was that nagging feeling that he had as he glanced at Ayaka. Just like earlier at lunch period, he couldn’t help but feel that Ayaka seemed not just more physically appealing and sexually ravishing…but also taller. And not just taller in general, but taller than she was during lunch break. Maybe by a few more centimeters at most, but it seemed pretty apparent (to Honoka anyway), that Ayaka had become slightly larger, even if it was only by a smidgen.
As the run came to its end, Honoka couldn’t put off the feeling any longer.
“Kagari-san?” he asked, looking up into her beautiful, yellowish-green eyes.
“Yes, Takamiya-kun?” she respond, looking down over her tremendous bosom right back into his brown eyes.
“Could you do me a small favor?”
“What is that?”
“Could you just hold still for a moment? It’ll only be a few seconds. Oh, and please be sure to stand up tall while you do so, if it’s not a bother?” Ayaka simply nodded in response, standing straight up in all of her splendor and beauty.
Honoka proceeded to walk right up towards Ayaka’s left side, getting as close as he could to her arm before coming to a stop. He then took his right hand and placed it palm-down on top of his scalp, then slowly brought his hand across his head and towards Ayaka’s left arm. Assuming that she was the same 6’5.5’’ she had been for some time (and he was the same 5’4’’), his hand should rest level with her shoulder. He slowly dragged his hand across his scalp until his pinky finger made contact with Ayaka’s body. Walking back slowly, he took in the sight before him and his breathing briefly seized up as his eyes slowly widened.
Whereas he expected his hand to be level with the top of Ayaka’s shoulder, he found that it was now resting at least a full inch below her shoulder (maybe even two inches!). While this was admittedly an imperfect means of measurement between the two of them, it basically confirmed the suspicions which Honoka had now for much of the day. He would have to wait until they got home and broke out some measuring tape or one of those old-fashioned folded measuring sticks (assuming they even had one back at the Takamiya household), but unless Honoka had somehow shrunken in the last twenty-four hours, the only possible explanation to the new height comparison between the two was that Ayaka had indeed grown.
If Honoka had to make an educated guess, he was 99 percent certain that Ayaka had cleared 2 full meters in height now (or 6 feet, 6.75 inches). That would basically put her dead even with her own mother, more or less. While it wasn’t a tremendous change in height (from an outsider’s point of view, anyway), the revelation certainly gave Honoka pause.
‘It could all just be puberty,’ he thought to himself as this new information soaked in. ‘She could just be undergoing a growth spurt and I never paid it any mind up until now. No need to panic or fret over it all…not right now, anyway.’
“Takamiya-kun, is everything okay?” asked Ayaka as she gazed down intently at him.
“Um…y-yeah, everything’s fine, Kagari-san,” he chuckled slightly nervously.
“Why did you feel the need to do that?” she inquired, obviously referring to Honoka’s impromptu measurement.
“Oh, um…” Honoka took a moment to think over his response. “I just…had a feeling that you looked…taller, that’s all.”
“That so?” asked Ayaka with a cocked eyebrow.
“Yeah, that’s all. It could be that you’re just finishing out puberty or something. I’m sorry if I weirded you out with that whole thing. I just had this sort of nagging feeling at the back of my mind, that’s all.”
“Takamiya-kun,” said Ayaka firmly and directly.
“Y-yeah?” he asked, a tad nervously.
A moment later, Ayaka leaned down and seized his lips within hers as she tenderly wrapped her left arm around his backside and her right hand around the back of his head, pulling him in for another passionate kiss, this one even more intense than the last one at the start of the day. During the kissing session, Honoka was overwhelmed by the smell of her fragrance and the softness of both her lips against his and her massive bosom pressed against his chest. He was also shocked by how brazen Ayaka was acting by kissing him in front of the other students, but then again, he had been around her long enough to know that she didn’t really care what others thought of her.
Once the kissing session was over, Ayaka stood up to her full height once more and gazed longingly down at Honoka once more.
“Takamiya-kun, you need never apologize to me, understand?” she stated plainly, “Especially over something as harmless and trivial as that. Now we should get going. School is almost over and we should get ready to head back home, so come along now.”
Honoka simply stood there like a deer in the headlights for a few seconds before rapidly shaking his head to get out of the stupor he found himself in. His mind was still trying to register what had just happened a few seconds ago. Ayaka Kagari - Tougetsu Academy’s glorious “Hime-sama” - just initiated a makeout session with him in front of several students. No doubt word would get out about her unabashed display of affection towards him, which would almost assuredly make several of the students (both male and female) raging with envy as a result.
In any case, from Honoka’s point of view, it would be best to head back to the locker rooms, change out of their gym clothes and switch back into their school uniforms. After school Honoka could look for some measuring equipment to verify his gut feeling. He was pretty sure that Ayaka was now over 6-and-a-half feet tall and not just close to that mark anymore.
The one thing lingering in the back of his mind was this: Would Ayaka be the same height by the time they returned home? And if it turned out that she was still growing, then how fast was her rate of growth? And when would it end?
Or…
What if it had no end?