Kikyo confronted her mirror, and pinched the flabby fold that hung over her belt. She had put off thinking about her weight because she thought it wasn't all that noticeable, but now she had no choice. Even her loosest outfit showed that her midsection rounded outwards. What surprise her was that she didn't hate the look, on the contrary she thought the little potbelly was cute. The real problem though was her rear. She had been making do with skirts and one-piece dresses, but she was afraid to even try to wear her old pants.
All of this said, she rarely left her apartment to begin with. Occasionally she would go out with Maji, or Nagi would invite her to play with Komomo at the park, but her other endeavors outside were met with failure or a barrage of ill fortune. She had taken up drawing, in her own opinion she had a long way to go, but Nagi said she should try to find some way to make money off of it.
“I dunno...” Kikyo said, turning over a leaf of paper with a character doodled on it, “I still think I need more practice.”
After playing on her S4ND 7 and lounging around for a while, she decided she would go to the shopping district for a change of pace, it had been a while after all.
She stopped by a clothing shop and found to her delight, though perhaps it should have been dismay, that she had moved up to the largest size available at the trendy little shop. She found it oddly exciting, sensing a kind of victory in being the biggest perhaps.
She bought and changed into a frilly top an comfortably fitted pants before heading out into the shopping district proper. She wandered around without any particular goals, saying hello to the shop owners she knew. Eventually she found her way back to the dimly lit electronics shop and found a couple of new games for her S4ND 7.
By the time she had made her way from one end of the district to the other, she was beginning to feel peckish. She recalled the restaurant Nagi had introduced to her, recalling the smells and tastes caused her belly to rumble loudly.
“Alright, alright! I hear you,” she said, scolding herself jokingly.
She entered the restaurant, and noticed a new sign inside: 'Finish Our Special Course Within an Hour and It's Free!'
She approached the waitress she had met last time, “Toko-san, is that sign for real?”
Tomonuma Toko smiled brightly at her, “It sure is, you interested?”
Kikyo nodded emphatically.
“Well, then take a seat an I'll be right with you!”
Kikyo sat obediently, wondering what would come from the kitchen. She didn't have to wait long, soon Toko-san returned, using a cart to ferry a bowl almost as big as the table she soon placed it on. It was full of noodles and chunks of meat, vegetables, and mushrooms. It smelled heavenly.
“This is course one of three, boss is a tough nut to crack. No one's been able to even get past course one yet!” Toko-san said with a cheery smile.
Kikyo swallowed hard, it certainly was an enormous bowl, but the table was also small, it wasn't an impossible feat, if it was just this bowl of noodles alone. Considering that there were two more courses afterwords, Kikyo wasn't sure she would be able to do it. She swallowed hard.
“I'll give it a shot! Worst case I just have to pay, right?”
“That's right! Good luck!”
That last line stung a bit, but Kikyo was a hard worker, even if the thing she was working hard at was silly. She set her mind to the task, and began slurping down the noodles.
Only twenty minutes had passed, and she was down to the broth! But her belly was already starting to feel the strain. It wasn't painful yet, but she was very keenly aware that she was full.
She took a couple deep breaths, then downed the broth as well. She practically felt the distension as it hit her stomach.
“Haah...I-I'm ready for the second course!” she called. This drew the attention of the other customers, who had yet to see someone finish even the first course.
Toko-san looked excited, “Coming right up! Boss!” she disappeared into the kitchen.
Kikyo took a few sips of tea as she waited. A few moments later, Toko reappeared armed with a tray of fruits. It was smaller then the noodle bowl, but definitely a larger portion than a normal person would be likely to eat in one sitting. No less after said noodle bowl.
“Course two, started at twenty five minutes into the challenge! Enjoy your meal!”
Kikyo did another course of calming deep breaths, and then attacked the fruit platter from the largest pineapple rings, down to the grapes. The last grape went down with a great deal of effort, and Kikyo had change the way she was sitting, otherwise the pressure from her legs on the underside of her belly sent waves of nausea through her.
“Eueh...” Kikyo shifted slightly, “I-I'm ready for the third course...”
She wasn't ready, but she got the feeling the longer she waited the less likely it was she could actually pull it off.
Toko-san looked absolutely elated, and the other customers looked even more invested, hushed conversations taking place around the small restaurant.
“Here you are, the third and final course!”
It was a piece of chocolate cake, it was definitely larger than a single serving, but only about twice as much. Compared to what had come before it, this would be a piece of cake. Kikyo laughed at her own lame pun, until she taste it.
It wasn't any ordinary chocolate cake! It was the kind of rich decadent sweet that make each bite filling, especially after a large meal.
“This chef is an ogre!” Kikyo thought in a loud whisper.
Each bite was a trial, and her remaining time was ticking down! The tension in the crowd that had started to form had begun to build, and when Kikyo was down to her last five minutes and still had a chunk of cake left they watched with bated breath!
In the last thirty seconds they began to countdown aloud, and as they reached one, Kikyo tooke her last bite. She leaned back in the chair, and raised one fist, too stuffed to move anymore. The crowd broke into a wild cheer, and Kikyo couldn't help but smile. Until the button on her new pants suddenly shot off, nailing Toko-san in the forehead.
Kikyo blushed deeply, but Tomonuma Toko wasn't so easily defeated.
“When you can move again, bring those busted buttons to me, I'll sew them back on for you,” she said with a big smile.
The chef, an older man with several scars on his right arm came out from the kitchen and gave Kikyo an approving nod.
It took the better part of the day for Kikyo to recover, but somehow it remained a fun experience in her mind. The journey home was the hardest part, walking was even harder than it had been when she had gone with Nagi the first time!
Unsurprisingly, over the next few days while most of the swelling went down, it seemed to crop up in other places as soft padding.
“It'll be a while before I do that again...” Kikyo said, her potbelly dangerously close to growing too large to be categorized as such. That said, she appeared more bottom heavy than chunky.
She decided it might be best to watch her diet for a little while and increase her time at the park from 'every so often' to 'nearly every day.'
Riho had found herself in a similar position in terms of weight, though for entirely different reasons. Work at the Dawson convenience store was tedious, as usual, but Akiho had started talking to her more frequently, and Riho found herself opening up to her more. They had finally reached a stage where one would invite the other to go eat somewhere after work.
After the ramen episode, Riho had been careful about the amount she ordered and ate when she wasn't at home. Akiho however always ordered way too much and passed her leftovers to Riho, who hated to waste food and had the appetite for it. She began to notice her uniform was oddly tight before any really noticeable changes occurred.
“Riho-chan, you have a really balanced figure,” Akiho commented one day.
“What are you saying, all of the sudden? I've put on weight, I'll have you know,” she was embarrassed about that fact, but Akiho tended to be a little spacey so she genuinely might not have noticed. She hoped if she brought it up Akiho might stop ordering so much and actually let her go on a proper diet.
“Really? I don't think so...” Akiho replied, tilting her head and narrowing her eyes.
Riho pinched her arm, pulling down, “This wasn't like this until I started working here,” Riho was a little surprised, though it stretched like mochi, underneath was a tough layer of muscle as well. That worried her in a different way. She had kept up her training regimen, which meant the only thing that had changed was what she was eating which probably meant she was essentially doing what sumo wrestlers did. She blanched a little at the thought, if that was the case it would be fairly tedious to lose the flab.
Akiho felt her other arm, causing Riho to flinch at first, “Wow! I'm jealous, I bet you can lift the soda cases without any problems!”
“Er...I mean, that's true, but anyone should be able to do that much...” she shook her head, Akiho's listlessness never failed to throw her off, “That's not the point! Feel what's on top of the muscle! That's not just skin!”
“Girls should be soft, I don't see the big deal,” Akiho said, causing Riho to sigh deeply. Knowing her, she actually meant that.
“What about you then?” Riho tried.
Akiho flashed her a winning smile, “I'm on the heavier end of the healthy range for my BMI!”
Riho facepalmed, “Why do you look so proud of that?”
“Why not! Boy like curves!”
Riho blushed but countered, “That's not the point...besides what do b-boys have to do with this!”
Akiho wouldn't let that stutter go.
“Oh? Oh ho ho? Riho-chan, you always act so tough, but could it be you're actually a pure maiden?”
Riho crossed her arms huffily, “I don't want to talk about that.”
Akiho looked disappointed, “Tch, too bad.”
“It's not like you're interested in anyone right now anyway,” Riho said exasperatedly.
“You don't know that!” Akiho countered, obviously flustered.
“I have someone I'm interested in...but they won't even look my way,” Ikue Airu joined the conversation suddenly. It was a slow day, and she had finished up all of the pressing managerial work so she came to see how the sales floor was doing, when she overheard their conversation.
She looked to Akiho, “Is it true that guys like curves? I'm actually on the lower end of my healthy BMI range...maybe I should put on some weight...”
Akiho looked troubled to have that comment taken so seriously.
Stolen novel; please report.
“Ikue-san leave her alone,” Riho said, “You're scaring her. Also don't take putting on weight so lightly! It'll be annoying to get rid of later if you change your mind!”
“But if it's in the acceptable range-” Airu began.
“No means no!” Riho said.
Akiho changed the subject, “So, who are you interested in, Ikue-san?”
Ikue Airu blushed and became more flustered than usual, “Oh, um, well, I don't think he even knows I exist...He works for HQ and sometimes comes to inspect locations...He doesn't talk much, but-” Riho stopped listening in detail, feeling one of Airu's rambling rants coming on. Akiho at least made an effort to interject with an 'I see,' or 'Wow!' every now and again. Riho found herself thinking over their conversation, and realized that she might actually be the one in the wrong. After all, the two beside her took things in stride and seemed fine, whereas she was trying to be so serious about losing her unwanted weight that it might be coming back to bite her. She tended to eat more when she was stressed to begin with, so if she was stressing out over it, she'd only get bigger.
“What a vicious cycle...” she said aloud without realizing.
“I know right!?” Ikue Airu responded emphatically.
Riho flinched, “Huh?! Oh, um, right...Aha ha...”
Riho heard later from Akiho that Airu had been talking about how she would always try to close the distance between herself and the man from HQ, but while waiting for an opportunity to talk to him someone else would come along, or when she did get a chance she couldn't find anything interesting to say so the conversations ended too quickly.
“Hey, what do you say the three of us go out for Korean Barbeque after work today?” Akiho suggested.
Riho gave her a horrified look, not only was it expensive but the kind of place that for that very reason it was common manners to eat as much as one could to balance out the cost with the experience.
Airu looked touched to the heart, “You're inviting me?! I'll definitely go!”
Riho took a step back back, if she backed out now Ikue Airu would definitely be hurt, she was oddly sensitive to things like that.
“I'll cook the meat for you Riho!” Airu said with a big smile the likes of which Riho hadn't seen cross her lips since coming to work at Dawson. That really took the word 'refuse' out her dictionary for the day.
“Fine, but I'll need to stop at my apartment on the way.”
“Got it! It's a date then!”
“Whoo!”
Riho sighed, then smiled wryly, “Whatever. If I get any bigger I'm blaming you though.”
That was what Riho had said at work anyway, but when she returned to her apartment she changed into a long one-piece dress that sat loosely.
“The fact that I'm taking countermeasures means I already have a good idea as to how this ends, doesn't it?”
“What is the problem? Go out and have fun, the more thee worry about it the worse it will become,” came an unexpected answer from Lasrefel.
“But that feels like I'm losing!”
Lasrefel chuckled, “Thee most certainly won't be if those two have anything to do with it.”
Riho puffed out her cheeks childishly.
“Well, the only real losers are those who fail to enjoy the time spent with those willingly wishing to spend time of their own with them.”
Riho didn't have a good response for that. Looking at things through another lens, the fact that she was currently at a place where her biggest concern was her weight said a lot about how far she had come since arriving on Earth.
“You win this time...But as my pact partner stop me before it gets to the point it can't be undone, okay?”
Lasrefel chuckled, “Of course, leave it to me! But if thee continue thy training menu it probably won't come to that.”
She arrived at the Korean Barbeque restaurant just after the other two, and they entered together. Ikue Airu was restless, Riho wondered how long it had been since she had received an invitation. She was generally an oddball, but a sincere oddball. Despite the dark bags under her eyes, she had a bright smile and plenty of energy. Even if most of the time it was nervous energy.
They were soon seated, and ready to begin grilling.
“As promised I'll grill for you Riho-chan!” Airu said, making no effort to hide her excitement.
“Ikue-san do mine too!” Akiho said, raising a hand.
“Do it yourself! You're never this motivated at work,” Airu countered.
“Yes ma'am...” she replied while pulling a sad face.
Akiho was sitting next to Riho, while Riho sat across from Airu.
“Maybe I'll give you some, like you always do to me!” Riho said with a wicked smile.
Akiho's face lit up, “Really?”
“Don't spoil her, she'll never let you forget that you did!” Airu said while plating some cooked meat for Riho and herself.
“Ah! You've already started!?” Akiho let it go and began cooking some meat for herself.
Riho sighed then smiled, “You sounded happy, but look where it's gotten me!” she gestured to her lap, while sitting the loose one piece didn't do such a great job at concealing her rounded frame.
Akiho looked then wiggled her fingers creepily, “But that's what's so great!”
Riho leaned away from her wriggling fingers, “That's unsettling,”
Airu stuck a piece of meat in Akiho's open mouth, “She's right, mind your manners you're an adult!”
“Yef mau'm...” Akiho said through the mouthful.
Riho realized that today Ikue Airu might be her ally. Akiho was usually listless and dreamy, but sometimes she would fixate on something, usually something odd, and Riho could never quite figure out how to shut her down without hurting her feelings. Maybe Airu knew those boundaries! Riho thought back on Airu's behavior and decided that was probably not the case, and that Ikue Airu was always simply Ikue Airu, and since the two had been working together for a while they had an intuitive sense for it.
Some time into their meal, Akiho left to use the bathroom. The table was quiet for a moment, until Airu spoke without warning.
“Did you meet your pact partner?”
Riho nearly choked on the meat she was eating. Once she had regained her composure, she asked “How did you know?!”
“Your manapressure suddenly got a lot stronger, so I was just wondering if maybe that was the caaase.”
Riho stared down for a while, “Who exactly are you?”
“A former Magical Girl. I switched over to Otomi Mao's side after I saw what happened to Yashiro Hina...”
“What!?” Riho and Lasrefel said at the same time, the thaumikitsune unable to stay silent as his original contractor was mentioned by an unfamiliar face who he had assumed up until that moment was just another human.
“But, that should have been centuries ago!” Riho said in a fierce whisper.
“It was, but, well...It would be faster for you to see for yourself. By the sounds of it you already know that Mazoku aren't the ones responsible for the disappearances of Magical Girls, but you still don't know what happened to them, yes?”
Riho nodded slowly, “I...I have a suspicion, but that's about it.”
Airu leaned back and held up one hand. In it, a spark appeared, and then took on the shape of a frog emblem, much like Riho's fox emblem. Riho could feel the mana quality was different from Lasrefel's, and not just in that they were two different thaumikitsune, but in that whatever was connected to Ikue Airu's emblem was likely a different kind of contracted being.
“Monmoku, show them the Darkened Thread.”
A somber voice full of regret and lamentation answered, “As you wish, Ikue-sama.”
Riho opened her mouth to ask a question when she felt an overwhelming magical presence embrace her and Lasrefel. It was a gentle embrace, but from it came a wave of information directly into her head. Had she not experienced this before with Lasrefel, it would have been quite the unpleasant experience. This fact was only aggravated by the tragic information the being had to offer her.
She saw a dark endless space, a kind of magical crossroads on the border of the Ethereal Sea, the only other noteworthy sight was a deep purple thread, almost as thin as spider silk that trailed along the ground. She felt she should follow it, but she was jostled back into her own body before she had a chance.
“W-what was that?” she asked in shock.
“I wish I could tell you in detail, but all we've been able to find was that purple thread. No matter how long we followed it, we never could find the end. But that's not the only one. We've confirmed six others for a total of seven, those dark worlds I mean...” Airu explained.
“I am Monmoku, the spirit who shares a pact with Ikue-sama. From the perspective of a magic bearing being like myself, these dark worlds should be mirrors of this one. Why they have turned into such void-like expanses where only colored silk threads, bearing the traits of the Magical Girls they once were, exist is currently beyond my understanding.”
Airu began to speak, but noticed Akiho returning, “Let's pick this up another time,” she whispered quickly before shoving a piece of meat into her mouth. The frog emblem was nowhere to be seen.
“I'm back～! Did you miss me?” Akiho asked playfully.
Riho forced herself to make a convincing smile, “You were barely gone for five minutes!”
Akiho giggled, “I guess you're right, anyway, meat time!”
Two hours later she had regrets about even considering that line about Ikue Airu being her ally. All three were stuffed, but Riho couldn't help but notice that her stack of plates was twice as tall as the others.
“Didn't you tell Akiho to mind her manners?” Riho said, staring ruefully at her engorged middle.
“I'm sorry! You just looked so happy when you were eating I wanted to give you more...”
Riho's face turned redder than any beet, all the way up to her ears. To say she didn't enjoy the meal would be an outright lie, but she felt some measure of restraint would be better for her.
“I tried to keep up at first, but you're too fast Riho-chaan～!” Akiho said, nursing her own over-stuffed stomach.
“It's no problem, it was fun right? Right?” Airu asked. Riho guessed Airu thought she might be the only one who had been having fun.
“You're both coming running with me sometime,” Riho sighed.
“Ehh, that doesn't sound fun...” Akiho began to complain.
“Why not? I'm in!” Airu said, taking Riho's threat as an invitation to hang out again.
Riho smiled, “Well that's one volunteer,” both turned their gaze on Akiho.
“Okay! We'll run together! That's all I have to do, right?!” Akiho cried.
The next day Riho stepped onto her scale. She had an idea but actually seeing the larger number displayed gave strength to the sigh she released. She clapped her cheeks with her hands, deciding to accept this as part of the price she was paying for turning her back on Priripon.