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Story Notes:

This history will be narrated from different perspectives, denoted with a name between two minus signs (-). For example, -Tatsuo-


Author's Chapter Notes:

The story is divided into two chapters, the first will introduce the characters and make a little background while the second will have all the fan service; so if you are not interested in the story and want to jump right into the interesting business, you can go straight to chapter 2~


-Tatsuo-

The way to school, boring as always~

—Hey Makoto.

—Tatsuo!

Meeting on the way to school was not unusual for us, indeed we had been doing it since kindergarten but even so Makoto and I have not been the only ones walking together all these years.

—Guys! Waiiit!

—Look who woke up a little earlier today!

—Stop bothering!

The three of us started walking together in the direction of the school halfway there. A figure that was already etched in my mind and was practically impossible to remove.

On my left side Inaba Makoto was laughing out loud while the girl on my other side was "upset." Brown hair, darker complexion than the school average and gray eyes accompanied by his usual glasses, a shy boy and not very talkative if he’s not with us but who likes to talk about any amount of trivia when being with his closer friends. If I had to point out anything about him, it would be his height of 1.67 meters which is quite low compared to me and even several of the girls in our class.

To my right, Matsukaki Ryoko pretended to be upset with us while trying not to catch Makoto’s laughter. Her pale blue hair down to the level of her armpits dancing to the rhythm of her every step and was blown away by the occasional spring winds, her lavender eyes were quite calm even though she pretended to be annoyed with me for having reproached her and it took away the credibility of her performance, these details together with her fair skin gave her a quite fresh and clean look of cold colors, passing Makoto with her 1.74 meters, she was one of the highest girls in the classroom being only surpassed by Riedel and her magnificent 1.77 that held her up as the tallest girl in our class.

—Come on come on~ it was just a joke, relax a little, Ryoko.

Between the two of them, with orange hair shaved strictly and an earring in my left ear, grayish blue iris and milky skin, I straightened up to 1.82 over the two dwarves with pride; Shinsato Tatsuo, third best member of the Sakura Densetsu school kendo club and childhood friend of these two, those are all the titles I need in this school and in this life to be more than happy without needing anything else.

—Did you see the last chapter yesterday?

—Ryoko, you know I don't watch anime... so that question is only for Makoto, right?

—Of course I saw it! I wouldn't have missed it for anything in the world!

—You… you were talking about it until late in our LINE group, you said that the protagonist almost died but in the end he manages to defeat his enemy… hey, are you wanting to leave me out of the conversation on purpose?

Cherry blossom petals fell from side to side on this path, bathing the pretty brick road that looms before us. Those petals that always announced the beginning of the school year… this year they would do it for the last time to us since this is the first day of our third year of high school.

—Damn, he found out!

—Ryoko...

A casual conversation and scenery; there was nothing out of the ordinary on this completely usual day that announced the beginning of our final stretch as childhood friends in this school. So… this is the end huh…

***

“Will Riedel-sama give this year's speech again?"

This panorama between the boisterous murmurs of the audience and the frank words full of expectation and firmness of the girl at the head was usual in all the ceremonies of this school, of course... whenever Riedel spoke all the monkeys of this high school lost their minds.

—In this new year there is beauty, promises that have been made years ago are yet to be fulfilled and many new ones will be born in this very place, when we finish our journey… —The almost heavenly girl with long pink hair standing on the stage was giving highly motivational words to all the students.

"Isn't it obvious? The beauty of Riedel-sama must participate in all the ceremonies, be it the start of the year, summer vacation..."

"But I heard she was dethroned by another girl in her class last year, what was her name?"

“You mean that Hanazawa girl from her class? Certainly her grades are perfect but her weak physical performance seriously weakened her."

"Apparently... the gap between those two is so small that due to having such a poor grade in physical education, Riedel-sama was able to steal her honor student title."

"Riedel-sama is amazing… she excels in everything she does."

I don't think it's a problem... but sometimes it becomes a bit annoying that these idiots don't have anything else to talk about. It's true that when I met her that day in middle...

"Do you think she likes someone?"

"I doubt there is a mere mortal who can make her fall in love, do you know how many boys she has rejected? One! In these three years of high school there was only one brainless idiot declaring his feelings.”

Seventh grade? Of course... I don’t know her for that long, sure? We didn’t even studied in the same middle school. Her appearance at this high school gave a lot to talk about, I don't know why I mentioned something nonsensical like that.

I remember perfectly that many knew about her since her person was not only glorified in her own secondary school but also through all the secondary and preparatory schools in the city… who knows? Maybe even in the country.

"Now that I remember it...! They say she rejected him saying something like she liked someone else."

"Nah, most likely she said it to not to hurt his feelings since there is no one in the world worthy of her love, not even the most popular or daring boys here are capable of trying to sully his holy figure!"

"And from what I heard, I think that person was challenged to declare his love, although he certainly liked her... it was a kind of punishment from his friends..."

"Riedel-sama is so good to everyone..."

An unattainable, relentless beauty and someone I never want to get close to emotionally, she is completely out of my batting area... even my area of r03;r03;understanding, it’s impossible to understand what she thinks and although that only makes her more beautiful...

Sometimes it is scary.

—So… let's do our best this year to graduate together! Let's achieve the goal that we have all engraved in our hearts and let's be proud of it!

A thunderous "YEEEES!!" resonated throughout the gym causing many of the students to stand up; hey hey... we haven’t graduated yet, leave that euphoria for the year-end speech...

—I'll see you all with your diplomas in this very spot once the cherry trees are in full bloom again! And if not... I'll look for you and pull your teeth out!

This time the "YES!" started out strong but it weakened in a second, causing many to lower their arms dubiously, having realized that they accepted something that might hurt them. Everyone took their seats and the majestic girl left the stage and the director took her place.

“Her speeches always have their unorthodox part at some point huh?

"I can't wait to hear what she have to say in our graduation!"

—Graduation huh… —I muttered.

—Motivated by the encouraging words from "Riedel-sama"? What do you say? —Mimicking the way she heard that surname whispered more than once all around the place, Ryoko seemed to found funny taunting Riedel's devoted followers.

—It's... it's hard not to get motivated with a speech like that. Riedel should have run for the presidency of the student council at least once, she would have revolutionized this school with her brilliant leadership qualities —Makoto next to me was not another loser like the rest of the boys yet he had deep admiration for Riedel.

Although I don't blame him for that, not idolizing her is almost like a crime in the eyes of some God, destiny, karma, or whatever they want to call it.

—No... not particularly, I was just thinking that if everything goes well... in the blink of an eye we will be up there receiving our diplomas —I indicated with my finger the place discreetly so that the director would not see me point him out.

—Yes... I think I understand what you mean, what do you think you will do after achieving it? —Ryoko's voice lost all its previous malice and was filled with a melancholy feeling that was transmitted to me.

—I think I'll stick with the plan to go to college, my grades are stable enough to get into a decent one.

—And after that? —On the other side, Makoto said what I didn't want to hear coming from Ryoko, but not from him either—. What will you do next?

—I'll probably become a samurai, I'm good at kendo... or maybe a shogun wouldn't be bad —I laughed silently, covering my mouth with one hand—. I leave it to your imagination.

That conversation that I don't usually like came up so I tried to assassinate it as quickly as possible, luckily it seems that my attempts paid off since my two friends remained silent.

Just before I closed my eyes to rest for a bit, the last thing that came into view was Wakahisa's strange expression a couple of seats in front of me.

Ah... that face he makes every time he loses himself watching Riedel, that specific look is a totally different one from all the others, even mine. A look that under no circumstances I’m able to understand. Unlike all the hungry wolves that stare at Riedel or the inflated image we all have of that girl… Wakahisa's gaze is completely different.

In a way it reminds me of someone who sees a painting... longing for the content portrayed in it.

But what does that matter? I closed my eyes while still listening to the boring speech of the director.

What am I supposed to do after all this?

***

Upon entering our designated classroom I took the first seat that came into view and that was free, after all they would be assigning us different ones later so it didn't matter where I sat now, I just looked in which there were two free seats close.

Just when my friends took their seats (one in front of me and one to the right), I did one of my usual hobbies which consists of searching the desk compartment for something that someone else might have left behind. Naturally it's not like I'm a thief, if I can find the owner I'll obviously return it, but...

—Huh?

That never worked... until today.

—Is something wrong?

—No, I just found something down here...

Taking the elongated circular object, I pulled it out to have a look at it. What was in my right hand was nothing that far from my mental image. A transparent elongated toothpaste tube looking-like object but… what struck me was its sparkling blue content.

—What is this?

—Did Tatsuo found something after all these years?!

—Come on, shut up for a moment Ryoko, this is something quite strange.

Upon close inspection of the object I saw a cap equal to that of a toothpaste tube as what I initially thought it to be but there was not label or brand to which it belonged, as if someone had made this container and put something there.

—What did you find?

—I have no idea but… it's strange.

—Why don't you sniff it a little? “sniff-sniff” —Moving her nose, Ryoko mimicked the sniff of a dog.

—Nice try but I'm not a hound, heh... —Although I should try to smell what the hell it contains, I've never seen anything glow like this.

As I unscrewed the cap and brought my nose close to the opening, an intense peppermint smell burned my nostrils causing me to cough a couple of times.

—Bah! It's just mint essence!

—Mint essence? Really?

—So does anyone have smelly breath around here? Who will it be? —With a wicked grin, Ryoko started looking around looking for someone she clearly wouldn't find.

—For burning my nose I think I'll have some, Makoto, Ryoko, would you like a bit?

—I-I think I'll pass… yes, thank you but no —the usual reserved brown haired boy politically refused.

—Are you crazy? No, not at all, I don't want something that I don't know where it has been previously... what if the last person who consumed it was sick?

—Don't be so paranoid...

Squeezing the content of the small container I dropped some of the shiny paste on my tongue and then moved it across my mouth.

—Mmfgph!

—Is it poisoned?

I'm worried that Ryoko might ask that so nonchalantly when she saw my face wrinkle but it's not like it was poisoned, swallowing, I spoke agitatedly.

—IT BURNS!

—Can't handle a little peppermint?

—No no, that thing is not normal peppermint, I have tried many mint candies in my life but none even comes close to the intensity of this cream... anyway... —As I screwed the lid, I kept the object about 4 centimeters long in my pocket—. I'll report this missing item later, meanwhile… look, class time.

The teacher entering the classroom along Riedel put some books on the wooden desk while Riedel went straight to the last available seat.

It is interesting enough indeed to see that all the classes that have never studied alongside Riedel see her as some kind of deity, referring to her as “Riedel-sama.” On the other hand, the people who have studied with her certainly idolize her but we can have a more personal treatment, in fact, she gets along very well with Tomoe and Wakahisa with a good relationship that lasted for a couple of years now.

And so our first teacher began to speak.

***

The last class was hell.

After our second class, my mood and general composure had dropped for no apparent reason; I have been dizzy, somewhat agitated, tired and even feel feverish... did I really got sick the first day of school?

When the teacher of our second subject of the day left the classroom, I requested permission to go to the infirmary from the class delegate Shiraishi Kotone.

—Shiraishi… can I go to the infirmary? —Having gotten up from my seat, I approached her desk—. I feel terribly bad...

—Huh? Shinsato, are you sure this is not one of your tricks to escape from the next class?

—What? No!

—Tatsu- —Ryoko who had been behind me came over touching my back and making me turn to her—. You’re pale!

 Huh? Is it my imagination or did Ryoko grow up a bit?

—Well... I'll let the next teacher know that you're in the infirmary, you can go —writing something in a small notebook, she gave me permission to go.

—Thank you…

When I tried to take a step to go to the sliding door at the back of the room I felt like my legs gave out and I stumbled, had it not been for Ryoko who was in front of me at that moment and held me, I would have fallen to the floor.

—Are you okay? —Shiraishi sounded somewhat alarmed from behind.

—Shiraishi, I'll take him to the infirmary, okay?

—A-ah sure... thanks Matsukaki.

When the girl with pale bluish hair helped me to stand up, I saw Makoto jump from his place.

—I'm going with you!

—Don't be silly Makoto, you'll miss the class… stay for us and take notes so that later you can notify us of what we missed, okay? Also… Tatsuo is strangely light, I'll be able to carry him myself.

She had a point, there was nothing he could argue against so he reluctantly nodded “Okay.”

We both left the classroom while the dizziness and fever only kept getting worse.

...

—Tatsuo… is it my thing or are you getting shorter and shorter?

—Huh… am I starting to hallucinate or did I actually hear you say that ridiculousness?

—Hey! You're not supposed to talk like that to someone who is helping you walk!

—I'm sorry... I'm just worried that I'm starting to hear things...

—Tatsuo apologizing? I better hurry up before something serious happens to you.

Ryoko increased the speed and constancy of her steps, dragging me with her.

***

—Is anyone here? Damn... it seems that the teacher is not he…re?!

That exclamation pulled me out of my partial sleep.

—Why… are you screaming?

—Tatsuo! You’re my size now!

—Eeeeeh...?

I think I have started to lose my mind, hearing Ryoko babble such nonsense must be part of the hallucinations generated by my brain due to the excessive heat, my eyes were burning and my consciousness was barely managing to stay awake, I don't even have the strength to play her game along.

Uh... no... I don't think I can stay awake at this point...

The heat, the dizziness... the world spins around me... I see... I see colors and spirals even when closing my eyes.

Tsch, after all if I'm hallucinating, at least I’m able to be aware that I have started hallucinating but... it feels funny to hallucinate... hehe... hehehe...

—Ha...

—Tatsuo?

—Tamagoyaki… mom… bring me breakfast…

—W-what are you saying?!

—Nggh!

The lights of my world went out with a flash.

 

-Ryoko-

The body attached to my arm was losing weight at an alarming rate as if it had suddenly started to disappear, becoming terribly scrawny. Seeing it, however was not the case, instead of losing muscle mass or something like that, what he was losing was just size, his appearance remained exactly the same.

Tatsuo fell forward and if it hadn't been for me holding him, his forehead would have hit the bed.

—Control yourself!

Deep down I was not sure if I shouted that for him who lost consciousness or for myself, I must clarify that my stomach turned over, seeing how something inexplicable was happening to the boy I like in front of my eyes and right in my arms was something terribly scary. While he lost more weight I picked up the delinquent-looking boy and placed him on one of the empty infirmary beds.

—Is anyone here?! I need help! Something... something strange is happening to Tatsuo! —Without any response, I began to be alarmed when I saw that the rate at which his body was losing mass increased exponentially, losing approximately one centimeter per second—. SOMEONE HELP!

But no one answered, there was no one here or in the vicinity although that is normal, we are in the middle of classes... but why isn't the teacher in charge of the infirmary even around here?!

—Tatsuo! Tatsuo! Answer me!

Panic began to take over my mind as I watched him being reduced to an alarming speed, the boy who was quite a bit taller than me now must have been half my full size and kept losing size with every second that passed. Not having any answer I lost my calm, is he dead? How long will he continue to lose size? What's going to happen to Tatsuo!?

The clothes he was wearing were starting to be too big for him since his body was the only one losing size, he looked like a child wearing his uniform.

No… no… what is this!? What's going on?

Why the hell is this happening to Tatsuo?! It is impossible... it’s impossible for this to happen to a human, never in history has occurred something like this, this situation has no public precedent, is it a condition that he has? Something he at-

—The blue cream! —I quickly reached my hand into the pocket in which Tatsuo had kept the mysterious tube of bright blue cream, pulling it out—. This... is this what caused everything that is happening? There's only one way to found out —stepping away from the bed where the boy was constantly losing his size, I took the lid off and squeezed it a little so that the pasty content came out onto an empty water bottle on the table.

After about five seconds, the paste that was still on the bottle began to glow brighter and was absorbed by the surface of the bottle without leaving a trace.

—Ha?!

It was definitely that, now I am completely and totally sure that the culprit of all this is nothing more and nothing less than this mysterious blue cream, that clearly was not a normal reaction of anything you can get yourself in broad daylight in a school. To confirm my theory I should see if the bottle begins to shrink but considering the reaction of Tatsuo, it might take a little more tim-

The bottle began to shrink rapidly.

—This is not…

In about ten seconds the bottle had apparently disappeared from my sight, as I approached the table and squinted, I saw something very tiny.

—This is... —Taking a nearby magnifying glass conveniently placed I focused on the place where the reduced object was and to my surprise that thing was the bottle that had stopped shrinking—. Impossible!

A chill ran through my entire body, the size of that bottle must be less than a centimeter now, it is even smaller than an ant... I have made a terrible discovery but at the same time ... I felt some relief to see that it don’t kept shrinking indefinitely.

—Tatsuo… Will he end up this size?

But why did the bottle shrank so quickly? Perhaps it is because it reacts differently with living organisms, perhaps they offer resistance? And if so, does that mean I'm not sure that Tatsuo will stop losing size, what if he keeps shrinking indefinitely? N-no!

Tatsuo… Tatsuo… Tatsuo!

Running to the side of the bed where my childhood friend lay, I saw that his body was beginning to lose itself under his clothes which at this point were not that they were baggy but that they would not fit on his body for anything in the world.

—If I don't take off his clothes...

Huh?

My cheeks heated tremendously when I said that, what the hell did I just said!? Take off his clothes!?

Of course I did! This is a life or death situation and I can't get carried away by emotions, if I don't take off his clothes he will end up buried under a mountain of cloth and I won't be able to find him later!

It's... Is it normal that I'm accepting this whole situation so quickly?

—Forgive me… —Putting a open palm in my face and leaving some space between every finger that subtly let me see what I was doing, I started taking off his uniform.

First his shirt, then the T-shirt he was wearing underneath, pant and belt… I made sure I hadn't brought him with me in any of those objects but luckily he was still in bed… only now naked as he continued shrinking.

—I almost forgot his earring! —I moved closer once more and carefully removed the earring from his left ear.

Turning away from him, I gave a couple of encouraging slaps to my cheeks.

—Ryoko... control yourself, this is an abnormal situation and you must remain calm...

There is certainly nothing that I can do to stop what is happening, all I can do is to keep myself as calm as possible and help him from now on. His reduction will eventually stop and I will take him home with me while we look for a way to cure him, it will all work out!

—So leave the embarrassment behind for a moment… if he keeps shrinking and I lose sight of him, that will be a real problem!

I got surprised when I saw myself accepting all of this as quickly as fact, something so unreal was difficult to process but if someone I love is in danger I would have no choice but to go over it quickly and treat the problem even if it was with the nails.

When I turned around again I saw Tatsuo's small naked body on the bed of white sheets, his current size must be that of a baby of a few months and yet he didn’t stop; quite muscular and...

—H-how masculine he is...

Don't think about it, idiot!

Bringing a small bench to one side of the bed, I sat next to him watching his sleeping body.

—The fever… is almost certainly caused by that thing, I hope… I hope it clears up when the shrinking process stops…

If he stops shrinking in the first place.

 

-Makoto-

This is something that had never happened before, at least not that I remember... even with all the time I have known Tatsuo I have never seen his face so deteriorated by illness.

What intrigues me the most is the fact that his condition practically worsened from one moment to the next, when we met him this morning, at the start of year ceremony, when we arrived at the classroom… he was perfectly fine; however at some point when Ryoko and I started ignoring him in the middle of class, he caught a cold to a point where it looked like he was about to die.

—I wonder if he's okay...

The natural thing would be to think that he will recover, also, Ryoko went with him and she of all people is the most apt to take care of Tatsuo in times of difficulty like this, after all she is madly in love with him.

But Tatsuo's strange illness is not the only extremely rare event that would drive me out of my mind today...

—Hey Inaba~

The voice I heard was from one of the last people I envision speaking to me in a normal class, that angelic and magnificent voice that so many dream about and glorify on a daily basis in this high school...

—R-Riedel!?

Even if I tried, hiding my impression was impossible and I ended up sounding somewhat alarmed when I called her by her last name… I hope I didn't sound rude. Unaware of my unfolding dilemma, Riedel took the seat that belonged to Tatsuo and sat in any way that couldn't be cataloged as correctly.

—The one and only~ hehe... hey, can I ask you something?

Judging the way she used to garnish that “title” she gave herself, it sounded like she was saying it as a joke... but I don't think any of her fans believed that it was a joke.

—Mm? Oh right, what is it?

—Matsukaki went out a moment ago… I could say that carrying Shinsato with her, is everything okay?

Was Riedel watching when all this happened? Well… it wouldn't have been strange for her to notice since Tatsuo made quite a stir when he tripped.

—Apparently he got sick suddenly… it's the first time I've seen him so bad since I've met him…

—Same goes for me me... do you know what it could be? Getting sick suddenly is not a good sign at all —despite her relaxed expression, there was some concern in her voice.

—What could it be? No... I really don't think I can figure something out.

—Maybe… he ate something in bad state?

—I don't think so, Tatsuo has a tough stoma- —I paused as I went, remembering a vital point that my mind had missed until now—. Now that you mention it… yes, he ingested something weird indeed when we entered the room. He had been perfectly fine… up to that point.

—It could be a coincidence... or it could be that indeed that was the cause, what was it?

—I'm not sure... but it was a kind of bright blue cream in something like a tube of toothpaste that he found on his table, when he smelled it he said it was mint essence but then when he put a little in his mouth he said that it was the strongest mint flavor he'd ever tasted.

—I see... you better keep that in mind, it may be something to take into consideration —putting a more serious expression, Riedel got up from the seat, making her very long hair flap a bit—. Hope Shinsato gets better soon then~

—Yes, I hope so too… thanks for worrying.

Giving me a smile in response, Riedel walked away from my place and took her own seat next to Wakahisa, they both started talking as soon as they got closer. They are really close...

Our next teacher walked into the classroom and there was no sign that they were coming back anytime soon.

...

After half an hour, the class was interrupted.

—Sensei! Can I go to the bathroom? It's... it's an emergency...

The teacher who wrote things on the blackboard turned around and when she saw Riedel she was a little surprised, it is not something that she does often asking for permits and it is well known by everyone, even by the professors.

—Ah... of course you can Riedel.

—Thank you!

The beautiful girl with long pink hair and long stockings over the knee rose elegantly from her place, her prominent height among the girls and the perfection of her chest did not stop captivating us all as well as the proportions of the rest of her body.

The seemingly perfect girl withdrew from the place as the class continued its course.

Chapter End Notes:

Maybe I wanted to let my desire to replace the hair of these characters with a box of watercolors fly a bit this time… but what is an anime without one or more ridiculous hair colors?

You can contact me via discord, my tag is Exosaur#7911; you can also follow me on twitter like @ExosaurX where I’ll publish stories updates. If you like my work don‘t forget to leave a review!

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