The walk from the Takamiya household towards Tougetsu Academy was rather uneventful overall.  Like the last time, the Ivory Quintet kept their distance from Honoka, Ayaka, and Kasumi, with the only difference being that the trio walked in front of the quintuplet this time around.  As Honoka, his little sister, and Ayaka walked side-by-side, Kasumi couldn’t help but occasionally glance at Ayaka as they walked.  While Kasumi was well known to cling to and give her attention to her big brother, she couldn’t help but shoot a look at (more accurately upwards at) Ayaka as the group of three walked to school.  Given Ayaka’s more than seven feet in height at this point, it was a rather understandable reaction, given the circumstances, even if the general public didn’t seem to pay it no mind (what with their minds being somewhat altered by the forces of magic and whatnot).

As Honoka, Ayaka, and Kasumi walked towards school, the youngest of the trio couldn’t help but speak her mind over the state of things.

“So, Hime-sama,” began Kasumi, “any chance you’d like to explain what exactly is going on?”

“Whatever do you mean?” asked Ayaka in a calm voice as she looked straight forward without so much as turning her head towards Kasumi as they walked.

“You know damn well what I mean, Hime-sama!” replied Kasumi intensely whispering so as to not alert the Tower Witches walking only a few paces behind them.  “What in the hell is up with you sprouting up a foot or so in the span of the last twenty-four hours or so?”

“Technically, according to Takamiya-kun, I haven’t grown a whole foot up to this point,” countered Ayaka.  “As of now, I’m only 7’2’’ at the moment, so I’m still a few inches shy of-”

“Don’t go giving me that crap, Hime-sama!” Kasumi quietly growled.  “Whatever height you’ve shot up to, the point remains the same.  You’ve managed to suddenly sprout up several inches in practically no time at all, and I’m very curious as to why that is.  So I’d like to know both why and how you’ve shot up like you have, if I’m not being too out of place in asking.”

“I suppose the simplest answer I can give you, Kasumi-chan,” replied Ayaka, “is that for the time being, you need not worry or fret over the state of things.   And that’s all you’re going to get from me, understand?”  The tone In Ayaka’s voice indicated that she simply wasn’t going to entertain answering any of Kasumi’s questions.  And given the power disparity between Ayaka and Kasumi, there was little (if anything) the latter could do to force an answer out of Ayaka Kagari under the current circumstances as they were.  Ayaka’s mere presence tended to be enough to force most people to acquiesce to her desires, especially when standing in such close proximity as to force others to crane their necks in order to make eye contact with her.  Such a move was amplified even more so, now that Ayaka had passed over seven feet in height.

“Rrrrgh…fine,” grumbled Kasumi, “but don’t expect me to think that everything is now hunky-dory and completely okay.  How exactly do you think others at school are going to react when they see you?”

“About the same as others on the street are reacting, Kasumi-chan,” replied Ayaka.  “Feel free to look around and observe their reactions.”

Kasumi did just that and was surprised to find that none of the everyday civilians they passed on the way to school were staring at Ayaka with alarm or wonder.  Aside from the occasional quick glance, nobody paused to marvel at the 7’2’’ Ayaka walking casually down the sidewalk alongside Honoka and Kasumi.  To everyday observers, they looked at Ayaka as if her height was completely normal and nothing special, which made Kasumi go slightly wide-eyed at their lack of surprise or shock.

“Hime-sama, what exactly did you do?” asked Kasumi.

“Care to elaborate exactly?” replied Ayaka.

“I mean why are people not freaking out and staring at you while they pass by us?”

“Minor memory alteration spell,” answered Ayaka.  “I’ve tweaked their memories so that the sight of me comes off as completely normal.  Aside from that, nothing else has been altered in any way whatsoever, so there’s no need to worry how others will react, whether at school or anywhere throughout Tougetsu City.”

“When exactly did you cast such a spell?” asked Kasumi with a cocked eyebrow.

“Does that really matter?” countered Ayaka.  “The point is the spell is cast and there’s no need to be concerned, at least among those who don’t know about or use magic.”

“So then those like Rinon-chan, Mikage-sensei, and the principal…” said Kasumi, thinking it over.

“Yes, they’ll be aware of the changes,” answered Ayaka, “but you needn’t worry about that either.”

“How can you be so sure that they won’t raise concerns though?” asked Honoka.

“The only one who I really need to be concerned with is Okaa-san,” replied Ayaka, “but like I said, don’t worry about that.  It’ll probably come down to a one-on-one conversation in her office and I doubt anything serious will come as a result.  So both of you can stop fretting over this, okay?”  The tone in Ayaka’s voice was calming, yet firm at the same time, indicating that the matter was settled and done as far as she was concerned.  Deciding not to  press things any further, Kasumi simply sighed and continued walking alongside the other two.

While that was going on, the KMM Gang kept their pace about ten feet or so behind the trio walking ahead of them.

“Man, I can’t get over how big she is,” said Mei, eyeing Ayaka with a blush on her cheeks, marveling at the Hono no Majo’s stunning figure as she walked.

“I know,” said Kanna, “it’s both amazing and scary at the same time.”

“You think her power has grown along with her size?” asked Kotetsu.

“It’s quite possible,” answered Kanna.  “She certainly doesn’t look weak or fatigued by the size increase, which is kind of surprising, given that people who undergo such growth tend to have difficulty moving around the bigger they get.  But then again, she was always powerful - both physically and magically - even before the growth spurts.  So chances are good that her power has only grown alongside her.”

“Just great,” grumbled Tanpopo.  “That’s going to make nabbing Takamiya-kun even harder.”

“We’re still trying to do that?” asked Kotetsu incredulously.

“It’s our job, isn’t it?” Tanpopo shot back.  “After all, we’re supposed to grab him and bring him to Medusa-sama as we were instructed.”

“I don’t know if she still wants us to do that or not,” said Kanna.  “She hasn’t given us any commands for a while, beyond simply following around Takamiya-kun and keeping an eye on him.”  Rin quietly nodded along in agreement at this.

“Maybe,” said Mei, “though she hasn’t told us to stop trying to nab him either.  Though even if we were able to get him when the Hono no Majo is not around - which may be impossible - we’d still have to deal with the other workshop witches at the school, including the principal, and she’s just as tough as her daughter.”

“You’re saying it’s hopeless then?” asked an irked Tanpopo, not liking the defeatism that seemed to be growing in her group.

“Just being realistic about this is all,” answered Mei.  “If we were to make a play and grab the guy, we’d probably need a whole lot more witches on our side.”

“Maybe those three tower witches we see on occasion, the ones who hang out with that llama?” asked Kotetsu.

“Not sure how much help they would be honestly,” answered Kanna.  “And even if we did manage to grab Takamiya-kun with their help, we’d probably have to deal with them right afterwards, since they’d want to take him for themselves.”

“Maybe Chronoire-sama?” Mei suggested.  “She’s a pretty powerful tower witch.”

“Maybe, but even with her help, we’d be in a real pickle if the principal and her daughter teamed up together, and that’s assuming that she’d even be willing to help us,” replied Kanna.  “From what I can tell, she’s taken a more lax approach recently, ever since she was brought on as vice-principal at the school.”

“She’s actually working alongside a workshop witch?” asked Tanpopo.  “Why in the world would she do that?”

“Supposedly, they have a long history,” answered Kanna.  “They’ve known each other for centuries.  In a way, they’re sort of like “frenemies” as people put it.”

“So then she may very well not help us, given how things are between her and the chairwoman,” stated Koutetsu.

“After all that business involving Weekend, the two of them seem to be on relatively good terms at the moment.  Chronoire might make a little mischief here and there, but my gut feeling is that she’s neither going to pursue Takamiya-kun nor go head-to-head with either the chairwoman or her daughter,” Kanna replied.

“Great,” grumbled Tanpopo sarcastically.  “So then what do we do from here?”

“Maybe nothing,” replied Rin quietly, which made the other four members of the group turn to look at her, given how rarely she spoke in general.

“Nothing?” asked a skeptical Mei.  Rin nodded before speaking again.

“Until Medusa-sama gives us orders, maybe we just stay at their place and go about our lives.  At least…that’s what I think we do for now anyways.”

Deciding that the status quo was acceptable (even if it frustrated Tanpopo occasionally), the KMM Gang decided that Rin’s suggestion was the best option, given the power disparity between themselves and Ayaka, which had most likely widened with Ayaka’s growth spurts.

………

Making their way to school, Kasumi bid Honoka farewell as she gave a peck on his cheek before heading off to the middle school, leaving Honoka with Ayaka once more.  The KMM Gang made a habit of generally keeping their distance from Honoka more times than not, given how protective Ayaka had become of him.  And so the usual humdrum of high school life commenced once more at Tougetsu Academy.

Just like Ayaka had stated, nobody in school (who wasn’t learned in magic) acted surprised or shocked when they saw the towering beauty gracing the halls with her presence.  The students and school faculty simply looked at Ayaka as if she had always been 7’2’’ and nothing was odd about that.  Many of them simply waved at her or smiled in her direction, with the occasional “Hime-sama!” coming out from gushing fangirls now and then.

Upon arriving at their lockers (Ayaka made sure her locker was right next to Honoka’s locker), Honoka couldn’t help but marvel at how much Ayaka had to kneel now in order to access her locker, and how small the dial looked in her elegant fingers as she turned it.  It really was something to behold this amazonian super-beauty interact with the world around her, with everything significantly smaller to her now.

Of course, Ayaka’s school uniform still seemed to fit her oddly enough.  If Honoka were to guess, she might have very well used magic to adjust it in order to fit her larger frame, though it did look just a tad bit tighter, accentuating her curves and especially her bust as the vest snuggly hugged her chest.

“See something you like, Honoka-kun?” Ayaka asked calmly.  Feeling embarrassed, Honoka averted his eyes and went back to tending to his own locker.

“S-sorry, I shouldn’t stare,” he stammered, feeling slightly ashamed for looking at Ayaka’s figure.

“You never need to apologize for looking at me, Honoka-kun,” she replied.  “It’s perfectly fine if it’s you.”  The tone in Ayaka’s voice was firm, but not overly commanding.  While she exuded confidence and power, she could speak in a way that was calming and not too direct or forthcoming.  That was one of the character traits like Honoka couldn’t help but be marveled at when it came to Ayaka.

As corny of a concept as it sounded, for a witch, Ayaka was particularly…bewitching.

Once they wrapped up at their lockers, Honoka and Ayaka went about their usual class humdrum from one period to the next.  A lecture here, a quiz there, an educational video, a different lecture, a breakdown of an upcoming test covering multiple subjects, a free period for studying, lunch, and so on and so on.

It was during their lunch period that Honoka and Ayaka were visited upon by a somewhat distinct group…

…none other that the student council.

“Hime-sama!” called out Touko Hio.  The blue-haired, super friendly vice president of the student council (also a workshop witch with a bosom that rivaled Ayaka’s) waved to Ayaka as she and a few other students came near her.  “By chance, could we join you for lunch today?”

“It’s fine, so long as nobody is rude to Takamiya-kun,” replied Ayaka, reminding them not to come between her and the young man who she tailed like a hawk.  That got a few anime-style sweat drops out of some of the other students, knowing that Ayaka didn’t make empty threats.

“O-of course not,” said Touko.  “We’d be happy to have him along as well.”

A moment later, Touko took a seat near Ayaka, along with around a dozen or so other students.  Among the student council members were the Kanae Hozuki (who alongside Toukou served as one of Ayaka’s caretakers in her younger years) and the student council president herself (ironically her name being Seito Kaichou, which in Japanese translates to “student council president”*).

[*For the record, I don’t know if the student council president’s name really is Seito Kaichou or not, but I figured that she has to have some kind of name other than her title.  I got the info from the Witchcraft Works wiki, so that’s what I’m going with.]

The meal was pretty typical and largely uneventful, mainly consisting of Ayaka’s fangirls gushing over getting to be in the presence of their darling, wonderful “hime-sama” as they ate.  For her part, Ayaka took it all in stride.  While she would have preferred to have her meals alone with Honoka, she quietly relented when he told her to let other students eat in her presence, figuring that there was no harm in doing so.

While they ate, Touko (who happened to be sitting the closest to Ayaka out of all the student council members) leaned in towards Ayaka’s ear to whisper something to her.

“Say, Hime-sama,” Touko quietly began, “I couldn’t help but notice that you’ve really…”

“I’ve really…?” asked Ayaka with a raised eyebrow.

“You’ve really…well…blossomed, so to speak,” said Touko, being extra careful with her words.  She didn’t want to outright imply that Ayaka had grown fat or anything remotely indicating as such.  She could have simply said, “Whoa, Ayaka, you’ve gotten big!” but that might come off as implying that Ayaka had put on weight in the wrong sense of the word.

To be fair, Ayaka’s larger size most certainly meant that she was heavier as a result, though her body proportions stayed the same, giving her that flawless supermodel style figure with sinfully delicious curves in all the right places.  It was simply that with her increased scale that everything about her had become so much bigger, now that she was more than seven feet tall.

“Is that so?” asked Ayaka.

“Indeed, you look even more radiant than before, Hime-sama,” replied Touko.  “Not to offend in any way whatsoever, but by chance have you gotten…taller?”

“I suppose it’s possible,” said Ayaka as she sipped from her bottle of green tea.  “We are in high school after all, so going through puberty is expected.”

Honoka fought the urge to fall over in comical exasperation upon hearing Ayaka’s response.

‘Sure, Ayaka,’ he thought sarcastically, ‘it’s perfectly normal for teenagers to just shoot up several inches overnight and crest over seven feet tall.  Who else here hasn’t gone through that?’

“I gotta say, Hime-sama, that’s quite the growth spurt you’re having,” said Touko with a slightly nervous smile in response to Ayaka’s reply.  “Are you sure that it’s only puberty?”

“Touko,” Ayaka said calmly, which made the girl tense up a bit.

“Y-yes?” she asked.

“If you wish to continue discussion on this matter, what say we have it in more private settings, okay?  There’s no need to bring it up in front of others.”

“Uh…sure, that sounds good,” said Touko in semi-nervous agreement before proceeding back to her meal.

“Touko, what are you whispering about to Hime-sama?” asked Seito with a cocked eyebrow.

“N-nothing, Madam President,” Touko chuckled.  “Nothing to fret over.  I just uh…just wanted to see if Hime-sama could help me out with a little at-home matter, that’s all.”  Touko needed to find some kind of cover to keep from making the others curious.  She figured what better way than to use home matters (given that she had several younger siblings to help support) as a cover.

“Fine then, if you say so,” said Seito, not wanting to push the matter.

The rest of lunch went without a hitch, with more of the typical schoolgirl banter among the females of the group (Ayaka being the exception, of course, given her usual stoic demeanor).  Once the lunch period ended, the students started to take their leave and proceed back to their regularly scheduled classes.

It was on their way to the next class that Honoka and Ayaka were intercepted by a member of the school faculty:  Kyoichiro Mikage, the science teacher, assistant school staff member to the student council, and undercover mage/wizard working alongside the workshop witches.

“Oi!  Takamiya-san!  Kagari-san!” he hollered out, trying to get their attention.  “Could I have a quick word with you two?”

As he neared the pair, Mikage-sensei couldn’t help but marvel at (a) the sheer difference in size between Honoka’s modest 5’4’’ up against Ayaka’s 7’2’’ and (b) Ayaka’s size in general.  While Mikage was certainly on the tall side for a Japanese male at 6 feet even, he felt utterly dwarfed standing before the statuesque Ayaka.  Even before the growth spurts, she had nearly six inches in height over him, but now he felt almost childlike standing in her presence, with the top of his head being an inch or two below her chin.

“What is it, Mikage-sensei?” asked Honoka.  “Is something the matter?”

“Oh no, nothing at all!” he replied with a chuckle.  “I just wanted to convey a message to the two of you while I had you for a moment.”

“What would that be?” asked Ayaka in a plain tone of voice.

“It’s nothing serious.  Just got a notice from the chairwoman a short while ago.  She wants to speak with the two of you after school, in her office.”

“Did we do something wrong?” asked Honoka.

“Not at all, dear boy, not at all,” replied the friendly mage.  “It basically has to do with a little matter which I’m sure the two of you are obviously aware of, that’s all.”  The look on Ayaka’s face showed the tiniest hint of minor annoyance, feeling that this meeting would evolve into a somewhat tiresome conversation.

“I see,” she said.  “When you see Okaa-san next time, let her know that we’ll be there.”

“Very well then,” said Mikage with a smile.  “I’m sure she’ll be glad to hear that.  Well, don’t let me hold you up.  It was good talking to the two of you.  Take care now!”  And with that, the tall, lean workshop mage headed off.

“What do you think the chairwoman is going to say when we meet?” asked Honoka a bit nervously.

“Nothing you need to worry about, Honoka-kun, nothing at all,” said Ayaka in her usual calming demeanor.

Deep down, she already had an idea as to what Kazane was going to bring up when the met face-to-face, and she wasn’t nervous so much as she was disgruntled about the prospects of a sit-down with her mother, given Kazane’s generally “down to business” and “no nonsense” approach when it came to these sorts of things.  But like it or not, such a thing was like going to the dentist:  You may not like going, but it was one of those things that you basically had to do.

‘Guess we’ll find out one way or another,’ thought Ayaka as she and Honoka headed off to their next class.