Vol. 3 Chapter 1.2 – The Beginning

Kin kon kan koon—a very orthodox school bell rang out. It was a bell with a special meaning that signaled the release of Kaga Ryousuke and the others from their prison.

At the very least, until the day when they would face the judgment that separates Heaven and Hell, anyone was free alongside that bell and allowed to sing the praises of their youth.

Yes, the final exams before summer vacation were finally over!

Forget about boring things like whether it felt good or bad!

“It’s over──────!”

Next to Ryousuke, who was basking in the deep emotion of the moment, Lisara Restall, who was secretly infiltrating Momozono Academy while hiding the fact that she was a first-class Shinigami, tossed her mechanical pencil aside, stretched her body while thrusting both hands toward the ceiling.

Lisara Restall, a young lady of the prestigious Restall family—one of the most elite in the Shinigami Realm—and a candidate for the next family head. She possessed red hair and a face so beautiful it could be stated as fact, along with a slender waist and perfectly shaped legs, making her an undeniable beauty. However, when it came to her bust, it was regretfully and hopelessly flat.

Even so, there was an undeniable healthiness to her beauty, and Ryousuke, seeing her stretch, couldn’t help but hope for a glimpse of the navel seated proudly atop that glorious waistline.

No—since her arms were raised toward the ceiling, the mystery of the armpit peek also held divine allure!

Ryousuke, realizing the potential, boldly began to challenge the limits of human biology, wondering if he could see her armpit with his left eye and her navel with his right, separately.

It was impossible.

His eyes stiffened awkwardly, and his lips twisted weirdly.

No—couldn’t this very expression be called the sacred face of one lone human named Ryousuke, challenging the limits set by the gods?

“What kind of stupid face are you making?”

The response to such a noble act was brushed off with a single word『interesting』by Lisara, who was still stretching her body.

“I was challenging whether I could break free from the shackles of the flesh.”

Ryousuke obediently decided to just look at her navel. Between the gap of her skirt and shirt, a small sliver of her belly button was visible.

A wet navel in swimming class is great too.

But the fleeting glimpse he caught this way had an eroticism akin to the wabi-sabi that the Japanese have pursued for centuries.

Noticing his gaze, Lisara hurriedly covered her navel with her shirt and glared at Ryousuke.

“Ryousuke, how can you, as a human being, shamelessly throw lewd looks at a girl like that?!”

“It’s fine, because it’s you, Lisara. And it’s not like anything’s gonna decrease.”

“My composure is decreasing!”

“Ugh, yeah that’s definitely a problem. You didn’t have much to begin with.”

“WHAT DID YOU SAY?!”

“See, you’re already snapping… hmm?”

Feeling triumphant, Ryousuke suddenly sensed a sharp killing intent behind him and turned around.

Current high school gravure model Fukumine Iria—whose true identity is Iria, a first-class Shinigami directly under the Melro Life Insurance executive unit was aiming the tip of her mechanical pencil at Ryousuke with a smiling face…

“That thing’s gonna stab me!”

“Ahaha, but you see, Ryousuke-kun, even though Iria was calling you, you didn’t notice at all♡”

“Don’t stab me over that, you damn fak──”

“Here, answer sheets. Pass them forward quickly, okay♡”

Iria pressed a stack of answer sheets to Ryousuke’s face, as if to shut his mouth. Yes, Iria’s seemingly massive breasts were actually fake.

Using a unique technique of hers as a first-class Shinigami, she made padded breasts appear and feel indistinguishable from the real thing.

By the way, during the recent swimsuit contest, her fake chest was exposed in front of the entire school. However, it seems she had erased everyone’s memories with the help of Paoi Malbec, her subordinate and a fourth-class Shinigami who also serves as a contract lecturer.

“Ryousuke-kun, if you don’t pass the sheets, Ranbashi-sensei’s gonna get mad, you know?”

The voice came gently from Ookura Mina in the seat in front of him. She was his childhood friend and, unlike Iria’s flat chest or Lisara’s unmistakably flat one, Mina possessed genuine, certified massive breasts.

She was, after all, one of the top three busty girls in the school’s second-year ranking (according to the School Girls Observation Club “Mankokapakku Party”).

“Mmgh…”

Snatching the answer sheets away from Iria’s persistent pressing to his face, Ryousuke stacked his own on top and handed them to Mina.

“Thanks. How did it go for you?”

“Leave it to me. I probably dodged remedial lessons!”

“That’s good to hear.”

Mina smiled brightly, added her own answer sheet and passed the bundle to the seat in front.

“You know… is that really something to be proud of?”

Lisara gave Ryousuke a deadpan look, resting her chin in her hand.

“My usual grades are way worse. But hey, if I have to take remedials, that means I lose part of my precious summer vacation—one of youth’s irreplaceable pages. So, I studied just enough to avoid that fate.”

“That’s still not something to brag about.”

“You think? Studying just the bare minimum and spending the rest of your time on hobbies and fun is a super efficient use of time, right? Estimating the minimum required is hard, you know. I can’t beat Sugira-senpai who scores exactly sixty-nine every time, though.”

“Oh, one of the Eight Weirdoes. Sigh… since that senpai is a Singular One candidate, I have to look into him too. Honestly, it’s depressing.”

Singular Ones—humans said to possess spiritual energy equivalent to ten million normal people.

To the Shinigami Realm, which relies on human spiritual power for survival, such beings were drool-worthy targets.

That’s why upper-ranked Shinigami, from first to third class, form exclusive contracts with these rare individuals—geniuses or heroes—and support them for life. Then, when they die, they obtain the crystallized spiritual energy: the Life Jewel.

Unlike ordinary Shinigami who make contracts with multiple humans and offer broad support, this was a finely tuned and heavily responsible form of contract.

Naturally, a Shinigami with an exclusive contract gained considerable fame within the Shinigami Realm.

This was exactly why Lisara had infiltrated Momozono Academy after acquiring ultra-classified information about a Singular One.

By the way, the standard contracts made with ordinary humans—what we call regular Shinigami contracts—usually involve one Shinigami being linked to many people at once. Because of that, the support each person gets ends up being pretty half-hearted.

“Really? I think any guy who sticks to scoring sixty-nine because he likes the phrase『sixty-nine』is brimming with manly spirit.”

“Boys at this school are all perverts…”

“Boys are always perverts. Anyway, weren’t you supposed to get info out of Iria?”

“…………”

Lisara went silent.

“Remember that bet you made with Iria during the swimsuit contest? About getting info from her on the Singular One affiliated with Melro Life Insurance!”

“Yes. I wagered the『Broken Sword Gram』lodged in your soul, didn’t I?”

“Don’t say it like that. You’re the one who stabbed it into me! Just to extract spiritual energy from me so you could remain in the human world!”

“I couldn’t help it. Normally we use the technique《Existence Bond Raise》, which lets us gather spiritual energy from multiple humans we’re contracted with so we can stay here.”

“Oh I know all about that. But you—because you came here without permission from the Restall family—you don’t have any planned source for that energy.”

“Well, yeah, I got the info on the Singular One and made a dash for it. Of course I wasn’t prepared.”

“And you got tricked by Kyuru too!”

“Mou,, don’t be so mad. I’m just lightly stabbing your soul with Gram and drawing a bit of energy from your life force, that’s all.”

“You’re draining the one thing that gives my life meaning—my perverted desires! It’s making me empty, it’s making me sad!”

“I never imagined someone’s life force would actually be their horny spirit…”

Lisara shook her head in exasperation.

“S-shut up. Anyway, since you won the bet with Iria, get the damn evidence already about the Singular One being in Momozono Academy.”

Lisara clammed up again.

“Don’t tell me…”

“Tehe, I was so focused on studying for exams that I totally forgot about the bet♡”

“You—! Do you even realize that Gram and I are one and the same now?! That means you bet me along with the sword! Do you know what I’ve been going through because of that sword?! Constantly having my lust drained, becoming a shriveled-up husk of a man and suffering in countless ways!”

“Mou, boys shouldn’t sweat the small stuff.”

After giving Ryousuke a few light pats on the shoulder, Lisara looked toward Iria in the seat behind.

“Anyway, how about we head to the rooftop?”

“Eh? Iria doesn’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, smiling cutely with both fists pressed under her chin.

Lisara approached Iria and whispered in her ear.

“What would you do if I said I’ve already deciphered the technique cast on your breasts?”

“Wha—y-you wouldn’t dare to use such cowardly tactics, would you, Lisara-san?!”

“Oh my, I’m the kind of person who doesn’t care about means when it comes to Singular Ones. Especially against someone like you—who betrayed the Restall training academy after becoming a Shinigami and ran off to Melro.”

“Ughhhh…”

“So, what’ll it be? Gonna talk? Or should I go ahead and dispel the illusion magic from your fake chest right here?”

“Uhh… Rooftop it is then. Yup, Iria understands now!”

She gave a crisp salute.

To Iria, it seemed the value of her fake chest far outweighed Melro Life Insurance’s interests. No contest.

※ ※ ※

“Uuu, why do I have to be here too…”

Summoned by just a single phone call from Iria, Malbec sat directly on the rooftop in seiza position, shoulders slumped.

Paoi Malbec. A fourth-class Shinigami affiliated with Melro Life Insurance, she teaches Shinigami contract theory at Momozono Academy and possesses an abundant, voluptuous figure. She is also Iria’s directly subordinate underling—her junior.

“Well, if I was going to talk anyway, I figured it’d save time to have Malbec-san hear it too, all at once.”

“So that means… there are things you haven’t even told Malbec-san?”

At Ryousuke’s question, Iria gave a wide, smug grin.

“Well, if she ran away after hearing it, that’d be a pain, right?”

“Eek, i-is it really that dangerous of a mission?”

“Thaaat’s something you’ll have to find out after hearing the story, teehee.”

“Whatever it is, just get to the point already.”

Crossing her legs on the bench, Lisara tapped the backrest with her finger in irritation.

“Geez, Lisara-san, you’ve been suuuper impatient ever since Shinigami training school at Restall.”

“Oh my, I’d think someone who got scouted into Melro immediately after graduating is even more impatient.”

The two exchanged smiles while glaring at each other.

“Aaah, Onee-samas are acting like children again.”

Kyuru Zeria gave them a fed-up look. A relative of the Restall family and daughter of the also-prestigious Zeria family.

She looked like a doll with her slightly wavy chestnut-colored hair and adorable face, but her personality was twisted and scheming.

Though not yet an official Shinigami, she aimed for Lisara’s seat as the next family head. She tried to use the info about the Singular One to kick Lisara out of the human world and trap her.

As a result, Kyuru’s scheme ended in failure due to the rampage of Gram that was stabbed into Ryousuke’s chest. She too was forced to remain in the human world.

Currently on leave from Shinigami training school, Kyuru is infiltrating the middle school division of Momozono Academy while continuing to search for the Singular One. She turned to Mina to seek agreement.

“Mina-san, don’t you think so too?”

“Eh, well… I just think we should probably move the conversation along…”

“Exactly. If we waste time under this blazing sun listening to Onee-samas’ dumb fight, we’ll end up sunburnt.”

Saying so, Kyuru spun her parasol in lazy circles.

“Haah, it all started around this time last year, you know.”

Turning her gaze away from Lisara, Iria began speaking while glancing around at Ryousuke and the others.

“For just one moment, really just an instant, Melro’s latest radar detected several massive spiritual power signals.”

“Wait a second, Iria. Several? Are you saying there are multiple Singular Ones here? That’s ridiculous.”

At Lisara’s remark, Iria shrugged her shoulders.

“Even Melro thought the same thing. Like maybe the new radar was malfunctioning. Buuut you know, we still had to do a proper investigation just in case. So we dispatched about five Shinigami to this area. And then…”

Iria lowered the tone of her voice.

“One of the Shinigami assigned to investigate this Momozono Academy… went missing, you know.”

Malbec-san let out a frightened gasp and scooted back on her knees.

“And what’s more, they were in the middle of their mission on campus when a sudden transmission came in. It cut off right when they said,『Underwear robbery… among the students…』So of course, Melro couldn’t just ignore it.”

“Maybe they just got beat up chasing after an underwear thief or something?”

At Ryousuke’s comment, Iria made an openly disgusted face.

“You’re really gonna turn it into a story where a Shinigami gets taken out by a panty thief? How pathetic would that be?”

“Well, if you hear it normally, it sounds like that’s what happened.”

“But it’s not normal. This was a mission report, okay? That means it definitely had some deeper meaning.”

“Is that really how it works?”

“That is exactly how it works!”

“So, did you figure out what that meaning was?”

“Ugh…”

Iria was at a loss for words.

“But Ryousuke, if the radar really did react,and Iria’s saying this seriously, then she’s got a point or even two” Lisara said, chuckling softly to herself.

“Well, yeah, maybe. Who knows? Maybe the underwear thief—or was it robber?—is the Singular One.”

“We did try looking into that angle. But over the past year, there hasn’t been a single reported victim of underwear theft at Momozono Academy.”

Iria responded with a weary sigh.

Well, it’s possible some girls wouldn’t go to the police about underwear theft…

Still, the idea that someone committing underwear theft would have the heroic-level spiritual power of a Singular One was hard to accept.

Ryousuke felt a little bitter about it. He was a pervert with gentlemanly restraint, never committed any crimes, and still had below-average spiritual power.

“Haaah… well, anyway. The normal conclusion is that one of the students here is the Singular One, right?”

“I agree with Ryousuke. I just don’t understand why the Shinigami sent to investigate went missing.”

Lisara crossed her arms.

“Exactly. Melro came to the same conclusion—that there’s a high possibility a Singular One is among the students at Momozono Academy.”

Iria paused and glanced across everyone present.

“Putting the underwear robbery aside, the part about the disappearance is still suspicious. Even if they were a Singular One, there’s no way a normal human could overpower a Shinigami, right?”

“Of course. Humans can’t directly turn spiritual energy into power. The size of their spiritual energy may influence their potential, but still.”

Lisara nodded, and Iria agreed.

“That’s right. So Melro determined that the Singular One is at the academy, and something else is going on around them. And that meant the usual investigators couldn’t handle it.”

“That makes sense. The ones usually assigned to Melro investigations are fifth or sixth-class Shinigami. At that level, they can barely use combat-oriented spell techniques.”

Fourth-class Shinigami Malbec, who manages the lower-ranked ones, added this explanation with a strangely nervous tone.

“Exactly. That’s why an investigation order was sent to Melro’s Special Affairs Division under direct control of the executive unit, Eastern Branch, where Iria is the branch chief. Got it?”

“W-whether I get it or not, no one told me this was such a dangerous mission! There’s a Shinigami who’s gone missing! I’m only a fourth-class, you know?! Even if I can use combat techniques, it’s only just a little! My 《Binding Attire Disurard》 is still incomplete! If I get attacked, I’ll be in serious trouble for sure!”

Malbec looked up at Iria, trembling. Iria threw a cold glance at her and stated as if it were only natural.

“If I told you, you’d just run away.”

Suddenly, Iria’s speech slipped into dialect.

At those words, Malbec’s face turned pale in an instant.

Hailing from the deep countryside of the Shinigami Realm, Iria’s native dialect was firmly rooted in her speech. Ryousuke and Lisara often thought it would be fine if she just spoke like that normally, but out of pride, she insisted on using cute language. When she got angry or surprised and lost her composure, her real way of speaking would suddenly burst out.

Of course, anyone could see that she was furious right now. Seriously pissed off.

“U-uhm, no, I-I would never disobey the branch chief’s orders or anything, but, uh, b-but…”

As Malbec stammered, Iria suddenly smiled sweetly.

“Fufufu, there’s no need to be so scared, you know? See, the other investigators came back safe and sound too.”

“Y-yes, but, isn’t it possible the one who went missing was eliminated for getting too close to the truth… maybe?”

“Yup, Iria thinks so too♡”

“Hiiiiiiiiiii!”

“But but, Iria doesn’t think Malbec-san is capable enough to get anywhere near the truth in the first place. That’s why it makes things easier if you just do some light scouting around, okay?”

As Malbec stared at Iria’s smiling face, her entire expression became a mass of question marks.

“So basically, you’re saying you don’t expect anything because I’m incompetent. Haa, what a terrible personality.”

As someone who had been a huge fan of gravure idol Iria, Ryousuke couldn’t hide his disappointment. Her real personality was twisted and to top it off—

“They’re fake tits, too…”

Ryousuke muttered solemnly.

Ryousuke was firmly in the big breast faction but he also fully understood (in the theater of his own mind) that small breasts had their own charm. And yet, for her to not only stuff padding in but even use a technique to make them look and feel real—this was an unforgivable betrayal of the sacred being known as Oppai-sama!

Even Lisara’s breasts, which looked like they’d been leveled and concreted over, possessed an authentic beauty not found in fakes. To deceive others with such things was bound to bring divine punishment from Oppai-sama.

Yes, Ryousuke truly believed that.

“Ryousuke, whose breasts did you just say look like leveled concrete?”

“Deceit… fufufu, what could a man like you possibly understand about breasts, Ryousuke-kun?”

Before he knew it, Ryousuke, who had been lost in thought while sitting on the bench, was being stared down from both sides by Lisara and Iria.

“You two… you read my mind?!”

“Ryousuke-kun, you started mumbling about betrayal, you know…”

Mina leaned forward slightly to inform him. Just that tiny movement caused her natural big breasts to sway. Ryousuke didn’t harbor any romantic feelings toward his childhood friend Mina but when it came to her Oppai-sama, he couldn’t help but be impressed. Seriously amazing. Incredibly amazing breasts.

“Compared to these two, this breasts… its volume is on a whole different level. It’s not even a fair comparison.”

“U-uhm, Ryousuke-kun, you’re saying it out loud again…”

Mina said, blushing. And then, Lisara and Iria, still flanking Ryousuke, stared hard at the now red-faced Mina.

“Considering Iria’s situation…”

“I don’t think a human could have that kind of technique, but…”

Murmuring quietly, both of them reached out their hands.

“U-uh, I mean, wait a seco──Kyaaaan!”

Mina let out a cute cry. Lisara and Iria, each with a hand, were squeezing one of her breasts.

“Hyaaan! U-uhm, Lisara, ah… nn… I-Iria-san too…!”

Mina cried out in protest. But Lisara and Iria didn’t care in the slightest and continued thoroughly and firmly kneading.

“Onee-sama, I don’t think you’ll get a proper result doing it like that.”

Kyuru had somehow appeared behind Mina without anyone noticing.

“If we really want to check whether they’re real or fake, this is the proper method.”

Kyuru’s hands began fidgeting behind Mina’s back.

“Eh, w-wait, Kyuru-chan?!”

“Ei!”

Kacha—the sound of something being unhooked. At the same time, Lisara and Iria slid Mina’s bra upward from over her clothes.

“Hyaaaaaan! N-no, you mustn’t, a-any more than this is…!”

“U-uhh, what is this softness? It’s so fluffy and squishy.”

“This is… gulp… this warmth and smoothness, so soft yet with a definite bounce and elasticity… Seems like Iria’s illusion technique still has room for improvement~”

“Ah, nn, s-stop it please, aahh, Ryousuke-kun, help me…!”

Twisting her body as Lisara and Iria seriously groped her breasts, Mina looked toward Ryousuke.

And Ryousuke, the man of the hour…

“S-so this is the so-called yuri fusion… The all-girls paradise that every man dreams of, the forbidden yuri, now unfolding before my very eyes… I am truly, truly blessed.”

He was praying, hands pressed together, as he worshipped the scene in front of him. Of course, his eyes were wide open. Bloodshot, even. He stared without blinking so that he could replay this moment forever in his memory.

“Ahhh, I knew it, but he’s completely useless.”

“Ugh, no matter how you look at it or touch it, they’re definitely real. That… that part’s even starting to get hard.”

“Yeah, they’re the real deal. Ahhn, these are amazing, I want them too.”

“Unlike these… which are fake.”

Kyuru gently stroked Iria’s breast.

“Eh, ah… w-what are you doing?!”

With a flash of light, Iria’s bust rapidly shrank—no, disappeared. It returned to its original state: a completely flat chest, nearly identical to Lisara’s.

“Indeed, with that chest, it’s easy to understand why you’d be jealous of Mina-san. But if you go too far, Ryousuke-san might spiral out of control again, you know?”

Even though she was the one who unhooked Mina’s bra, Kyuru let out a sly chuckle as if she had nothing to do with it.

“R-remember this, I’ll never forget this, you damn loli big-boobs!!”

“That sounded like a compliment to Kyuru, you know?”

“Uuwaaaaahh! Stupid oppaiiiiii!!”

Pressing down on her chest pads, Iria ran off teary-eyed.

“Ah, wait, Branch Chief!”

Malbec hurried after her in a panic.

“Where’d she go?”

Ryousuke asked, and Lisara shrugged as she answered.

“Probably to go boost her bust size again with a spell.”

“Iria sure is desperate about her hollow chest… Hmm, hollow chest… maybe that makes her a Kyonyuu of emptiness.”

“That’s not clever at all.”

Lisara, who shared a similarly leveled chest, pouted slightly.

“In contrast, Kyuru and Mina-san have proper, full oppai. Well, even Kyuru can’t compete with Mina-san’s boin-boin…”

Kyuru gazed at Mina’s breasts with envious eyes. Ryousuke and Lisara, drawn in, also stared intently at Mina’s chest.

“H-hold on, uhm—!”

Mina tried frantically to cover herself but Lisara and Kyuru held down her hands.

“Why are you doing this?!”

“Yeah, this is honestly unfair.”

“Indeed. It cannot be anything but non-existent oppai.”

“I keep telling you they’re real!!”

Mina shouted with a voice that was nearly a scream.

“No, these are definitely real.”

Ryousuke declared calmly and composedly, like a professor continuing his observations under a microscope.

“Ryousuke-kun… Hii!?”

Mina looked suspiciously at Ryousuke and froze.

Ryousuke had brought his face close to Mina’s breasts and was staring at them intently. He wasn’t touching them like Iria or Lisara. He was simply gazing. Not surveying the whole bust. Just staring quietly, deeply, directly at what seemed to be the center of her oppai.

“What… exactly are you doing?”

“Yes, what are you doing?”

Lisara and Kyuru stared at Ryousuke with eyes that looked at him as if he were some unknown creature.

“You two don’t understand?”

“We’re asking because we don’t.”

“Same here.”

“This is enlightenment. Every phenomenon has meaning. That includes oppai. Which means, by closely observing the curve of Mina’s oppai, there must be a contour that no ordinary oppai should possess.”

“That makes no sense.”

“Same here.”

“You still don’t get it? The one area where the soft curve of oppai suddenly shifts… that is, this central part.”

He pointed without touching.

“This means that this spot is not part of the oppai. Which means…”

Ryousuke swallowed his words once. These were sacred words. Words that referred to a place so filled with mystery, a man dare not touch it lightly.

But Ryousuke summoned his courage.

Through the school uniform’s living fabric, he could feel it. It was on a spiritual plane far higher than a bra faintly showing through the back. It was the dream of all middle and high school boys around the world. Now, as their representative, Ryousuke had to proudly declare that this dream could, in fact, become reality.

“Yes… I can clearly make out the shape of her nipple through her uniform!”

He bit his lip, sniffled, shed tears and without moving his gaze, Ryousuke declared it.

“The nipple bump… it really existed.”

“Ryousuke…”

“…Wait, what’s with those faces? You’re looking at me like I’m a used tissue in a trash can.”

“Maybe I should start purging your filthy soul every morning…”

“N-no! It’s not filth! This is… the radiant light of youth!”

He was glared at with terrifying intensity.

“…Uhm, I’m sorry!!”

“Then first, turn around!”

“Yes ma’am!”

Without resistance, Ryousuke turned his back. Lisara placed a hand on Mina’s shoulder.

“Mina, let’s get your bra fixed first. Leaving you like this is like feeding that beast. Also, you’re allowed to be mad about this, you know?”

“Um, I-I was just too shocked…”

“You better stay on guard. Unlike me, Mina, you can’t extract Ryousuke’s pervy soul if he tries to pounce.”

“Ryousuke-kun never does anything like that to me though…”

As she fastened her bra again, Mina murmured softly with a slightly lonely tone.

“I mean, I wouldn’t really mind, but he only does it with Lisara and stuff, it’s not fair…”

She continued in a low whisper.

“Eh? I couldn’t hear that.”

“Ah, ahaha, it’s nothing.”

Finished adjusting her bra, Mina smiled.

“Hmm, with that bust, Kyuru really thinks you never know what could happen in the future.”

“Right? You could totally get attacked.”

Kyuru smiled bitterly.

“Honestly, really now. Right, Mina-san?”

“Uhm, well… let’s just pretend none of this happened.”

Mina looked down, face red and Kyuru smiled gently with a shrug. Lisara, meanwhile, just stood there with a giant question mark on her face.

“So, can I turn around now?”

“You may. As long as you don’t stare at her bust.”

At Kyuru’s words, Ryousuke waved his hand lazily and turned around.

“Honestly, I’m used to seeing Mina’s chest. I wouldn’t be staring unless it was a situation that abnormal.”

“Yeah… I know…”

Mina let out a sigh.

“Honestly, what a luxurious complaint. Even in the Shinigami Realm, this level of kyonyuu is extremely rare.”

“U-uhm, Kyuru-san, in a few more years, I think yours will…”

Mina, flustered, tried to cover her chest, her face turning red as she spoke.

“Do you really think I’ll grow that much in just a few years?”

“Come to think of it, Mina’s chest did grow all at once, didn’t it?”

“Eh, did it?”

Mina tilted her head and at the same time, Kyuru leaned in excitedly.

“Could it be… milk? Was it milk after all? The mysterious human-world spiritual bust-enhancing elixir, milk?!”

“B-bust enhancing…?”

Mina’s face stiffened in discomfort.

“In the Shinigami Realm, it’s well-known. There’s a rumor that in the human world, there exists a spiritual elixir that grows breasts, called milk. Even Melro knows of this rumor. That’s why they use Moo-Moo Rabbit, decorated with cows and milk bottles, as their emblem.”

[TL:Reallly reminds me of Kyonyuu Fantasy]

“You’re serious?!”

“It’s true. Growing breasts also connects to fertility and prosperity.”

Lisara nodded gravely.

“But wait, don’t you guys drink tea and stuff too? That means you’ve got milk in the Shinigami Realm too, right? I mean, you’re drinking milk here, aren’t you?”

“Is milk and cow’s milk not the same thing? Like, only the ones in bottles are cow’s milk?”

At that response, Ryousuke instinctively clutched his head.

“Sure, mine at home comes in cartons labeled ‘milk’… but seriously, isn’t the knowledge you guys have in the Shinigami Realm way too biased? Like, thinking all human men love big breasts and that exam subjects include bust size or whatever…”

“Oh my, is that so? Then, are you saying the Milk Myth is a lie?”

“Yes, Kyuru also wants to hear more about that in detail. Unlike my stunted, leveled plains chest like Onee-sama’s, I still have plenty of room to grow.”

“Kyuru… what did you just say?”

Lisara’s voice dropped low. So low it seemed to echo from the depths of Hell.

“U-uhm, I meant a modest, efficient, wonderfully streamlined chest.”

“That doesn’t sound like a compliment at all!!”

“Ahaha haaa…”

“Kyuruuuuuu!!”

“Now that you mention it, Mina always did like milk, didn’t she?”

At Ryousuke’s muttering, both Lisara and Kyuru forgot their fight and stared at Mina.

“W-well, it’s nutritious and healthy, and it tastes good, so I like it, but it’s not like I drink it for the sake of my bust or anything…”

“Still, we can’t deny the possibility that it worked thanks to Milk-sama.”

“Yes, absolutely. Without a miracle from Milk-sama, this bust wouldn’t be…”

Before anyone realized it, both of them were referring to milk with『sama』. Ryousuke, dumbfounded, began to wonder just how deified milk was in the Shinigami Realm.

Pin pon pan pooon—a school chime rang and the broadcast echoed across campus.

“Third-year Class C student Igarashi-san, Class D student Onizaki-san, second-year Class B student Ookura-san, Kaga Lisara-san, Kaga Ryousuke-kun, Fukumine Iria-san, and first-year middle school student Kaga Kyuru-san. You have been summoned by the Executive Committee of the Final Exam Vacation Festival. Please come to the Student Council Room.”

Igarashi and Onizaki—those names belonged to the upperclassmen known among the Eight Weirdoes of Momozono as『Chaste Beast of the Fields』and『Pretty Monster』.”

Igarashi served as the tea ceremony club president, while Onizaki was the president of the girls’ pro wrestling club. Although Onizaki looked like a beautiful girl, he was actually a boy—an experience that had traumatized Ryousuke when he unknowingly voted for him in the beauty contest.

“Ryousuke, what’s this Final Exam Vacation Festival Executive Committee supposed to be?”

“Exactly what it sounds like. It’s the committee that oversees the student council-hosted festival during the post-exam vacation.”

Ryousuke answered Lisara’s question as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“What is this festival…?”

“Well, during the vacation after the final exams before summer break, everyone just sticks with their usual friend groups, right?”

“Well, that’s probably true.”

“So during the time before summer break, everyone’s too busy studying for exams to even think about summer. That means, inevitably, there’s no chance to make new connections heading into summer break.”

“Wait… don’t tell me…”

“Yeah. In order to create those new connections for summer, the student council voluntarily hosts an event every year called the Final Exam Vacation Festival. They get official approval from the school too.”

“Isn’t this school just full of people whose heads are completely pink inside…?”

“Well, it is called Momozono after all!”

“That wasn’t clever at all…”

---

TL Note:

Lisara says: “This school is full of people whose heads are pink.”

Ryousuke responds: “Well, it is called Momozono!”

He’s joking that the school’s name, “Peach Garden”, fits perfectly with the school being full of perverts or people with dirty minds, since “peach” + “pink” = lewd thoughts.

So it’s a double pun:

桃 (peach) = pink = erotic/pervy

園 (garden) = a place full of it

Together = “Peach Garden” sounds like a pervert sanctuary.

---

Lisara sighed and slumped her shoulders.

“But it’s fun every year. Making new friends is a wonderful thing.”

Mina smiled brightly but Lisara shook her head at that cheerful face.

“Mina, that might be true for you but Ryousuke doesn’t care about making friends.”

“Eh?”

“His head is stuffed full of『pervy fantasies』.”

Lisara stared at Ryousuke with a flat look.

“Ugh, how did you know?”

“Ryousuke-san, the fact that you thought no one would notice is what’s truly strange…”

Even Kyuru was staring at him with the same dull gaze.

“Wait no, come on, this is normal, right? People always say summer makes girls more open and free. So naturally, I just want to ride that wave and take a step into adulthood. That’s a totally reasonable desire. Before and after summer break, I want to show everyone the more mature version of me. And to do that, I need new encounters. A summer fling, that’s what I need!”

Ryousuke passionately declared, trying to shake off the cold stares clinging to him. To express the heart and drive of a youth in the middle of his adolescence.

“Huh?”

Before he realized it, there was no one left around him to receive that heart and drive.

“But it’s a strange group, isn’t it? Even people from the Eight Weirdoes were summoned.”

“Yes, and strangely enough, Sugira-senpai,『Number 69』 wasn’t included.”

“Tamano-senpai wasn’t called either. Well, I suppose we’ll find out once we’re there.”

Lisara and the others were already walking briskly toward the stairs.

“I only said incredibly wholesome things, damn it. Come on, at least accept a boy’s pure heart! That kind of kindness is what matters, that’s what makes a girl cute! Ugh… kindness, please…”

Ryousuke couldn’t keep ranting with no one to listen, so he grumbled under his breath while following after Lisara and the others.

Honestly, he felt pretty miserable…

And when they reached the student council room—

“Hey, thanks for coming.”

Tamano Hikaru greeted them with both arms raised. Tamano Hikaru, heir to a wealthy family, was the boxing club captain and the biggest playboy at Momozono Academy. For that reason, he bore the nickname『Pink Boxer』and was one of the Eight Weirdoes—undeniably one of the school’s most attention-grabbing figures. Though, it had already been revealed that, like Ryousuke, his spiritual power was extremely low.

On top of that, after trying to flirt with Lisara, he had been manipulated by Kyuru and nearly ended up dead.

But thanks to that, he became one of the very few people at this academy who knew that Lisara and the others were Shinigami.

“Why’s Tamano-senpai here?”

At Ryousuke’s question, Lisara and the others nodded.

“Hahaha, of course I’m here. After all, I’m the chairman of the Final Exam Vacation Festival Executive Committee!”

“You were also the chairman of the Pool Opening Festival Committee, weren’t you…”

“That’s right. I just love these kinds of festivals! And when I’m the one running them, I can tailor them to my taste, making the chance for a summer fling even more guaranteed!”

“O-ohhh, I get it now!”

Without thinking, Ryousuke clasped hands firmly with Tamano.

“You’re aiming to win over your favorite girl in your ideal setup and secure your ideal summer romance, right, senpai?”

“Exactly, Ryousuke-kun. Dress the girl you like in an outfit of my choosing, charm her with an event arranged to enhance my appeal—this is the perfect opportunity!”

“You’re impressive, senpai. But you know… I’ve already figured out what you’re planning.”

“W-what did you say?”

“When it comes to summer, it’s got to be yukata. Nothing captures the Japanese heart, the spirit of wa
和¹, like the nape of the neck peeking out from a yukata. That’s what makes summer girls most beautiful!”

“Hohoh, as expected of you, Ryousuke-kun. Well said… but you’re still not there yet.”

“Not there yet?”

“Yes, exactly. That only lets you watch and enjoy. But that alone won’t spark a true summer fling!”

Tamano pointed straight at Ryousuke.

“Damn ittttt!”

“You’re soft—far too soft!”

Tamano looked down triumphantly at Ryousuke, who clutched his head in defeat. Watching the little performance between the two, Lisara stared coldly and said:

“Hey, I’m seriously fed up. Can I go home now?”

She threw the words out coldly once again.

“Wait, just hear me out. For this year’s Final Exam Vacation Festival, I absolutely need your help.”

“Even if you say that, you know we’re busy searching for the Singular One, don’t you, senpai?”

With her arms crossed, Lisara flatly turned him down. Though from Ryousuke’s perspective, he felt like pointing out that she had completely forgotten about it while caught up in exam studies.

“Yeah, I know. But I believe this proposal of mine could actually help with the search for the Singular One.”

“Help with it?”

“Exactly. After all, the Final Exam Vacation Festival is an event with an attendance rate that’s practically one hundred percent every year.”

“But regular class attendance is just as high, isn’t it?”

“That’s where it’s different. This event makes it easier to check each person one by one.”

Tamano nodded confidently. Ryousuke narrowed his eyes at him.

“Wait a sec, senpai. Don’t tell me… this year too…”

“That’s right. This year again, we’re holding a haunted house test of courage!”

“This year again? You’ve been doing the test of courage every year since you entered middle school, haven’t you?”

“Yeah. It’s just… I still haven’t experienced that ‘Kyaa! I’m so scared!’ moment where someone jumps into my arms.”

“…Yeah okay, that can’t be helped.”

“Right?”

Ryousuke and Tamano nodded in agreement. Watching the two, Lisara spoke up in irritation.

“So how does this relate to the search for the Singular One?”

“It’s simple. The people I called here today will play the role of the ones doing the scaring. That way, we can check each person individually.”

“But the student body is quite large, isn’t it?”

Kyuru asked with a frown and Mina answered her with a smile.

“It’s split across three days, two grades per day.”

“Three days… that sounds extremely exhausting.”

Kyuru showed her clear dismay on her face.

“But if it’s two grades at a time, then using the haunted house setup to search for the Singular One might actually be doable.”

Lisara nodded repeatedly and muttered to herself.

“And being on the scaring side isn’t so…”

“Lisara, don’t tell me you’re scared?”

“No. I’m not scared at all. Why should I, of all people, be afraid of fake ghosts? No way I’m scared. Absolutely not. Totally not.”

She repeated it over and over with fierce nods as she declared it with conviction.

“Speaking of which, I heard that ghost stories and tests of courage tend to attract real spirits.”

At Ryousuke’s words, Lisara and Kyuru both shouted at the same time,『Hii!』.

“I still can’t believe that a Shinigami would be afraid of ghosts…”

“That’s completely different! Don’t lump us Shinigami together with that kind of superstition!”

“Yeah yeah, I get it. So then, Tamano-senpai, is this group really here to help with the search for the Singular One?”

“Hmm, well, that’s part of it, I guess.”

Tamano gave a vague answer.

“But Igarashi-senpai and Onizaki-senpai were called too, weren’t they? Even though they’re not here.”

“Those two were in their clubs and I couldn’t reach them. I’ll explain everything to them later.”

“Why call them in the first place?”

“Every year in this haunted house test of courage, it’s always the pretty girls who play the role of the ones doing the scaring. Getting scared by a beautiful girl is quite a refined experience, don’t you think?”

“That’s because you’re a masochist, isn’t it…”

“E-excuse me?! I have other reasons to enjoy this! Yes, like the noble mission of scaring cute girls and making them go『Kyaa!』with adorable screams. And then, I’ll gently extend my hand to the trembling girls and let them say ‘It was so scary!’ while relying on me. What do you think of this exquisitely calculated plan?”

“And every year you try that and fail…”

“Yeah. For some reason, even when I offer my hand, they all run away screaming.”

Tamano slumped down, depressed.

“That’s probably because you can’t hold back your excitement and end up breathing heavily while approaching the girls.”

“Ugh…”

Kyuru’s words hit the mark, and Tamano clutched his chest. Clearly, she nailed it…

Leaving the idiot to sulk, Ryousuke turned to Lisara.

“So, what do we do?”

“Well… I’ve been honestly struggling with how to search during exam break and summer vacation, and based on what Iria said, it seems almost certain that the Singular One is at this academy. Maybe I’ll go along with it.”

“But didn’t she say there’s a chance of trouble surrounding them?”

Kyuru pointed out, and Lisara gave a sly smile.

“Kyuru, don’t group me together with Melro’s investigators. If it’s just a little trouble, I can handle it with one twist.”

“I certainly hope so.”

Kyuru started to say something in response but swallowed it and just gave a bitter smile. She was probably about to say something like『still overconfident as ever.』And honestly, Ryousuke kind of agreed with her.

“So, is everyone settled?”

At Tamano’s words, Lisara nodded.

“So the members are us here, plus Igarashi-senpai, Onizaki-senpai and Iria, right?”

“Each club will handle the minor tasks. As for the ones playing the role of the scarers, it’ll be everyone we just mentioned, plus Ranbashi-sensei and Malbec-san.”

Ranbashi-sensei was the homeroom teacher for Ryousuke’s class. Despite being nearly thirty, she still had such a youthful appearance that students affectionately teased her with the nickname『Immortal』.

“Isn’t that kind of low on male participants?”

“You think so? I mean, I don’t have any fun hanging out with guys.”

“No, I don’t think anyone meant it like that…”

“Well, Onizaki-kun is technically a guy anyway, so it should be fine.”

“Ugh… p-please don’t remind me of that horrible memory…”

Ryousuke winced as the scar on his heart throbbed—brought back to the time he accidentally voted for the male Onizaki in the beauty contest.

“So when is the test of courage happening?”

Lisara asked, prompting Tamano to briskly begin his explanation.

“The final exam vacation period runs until the closing ceremony next Friday. The event itself will be held on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Rehearsal is on Monday. Until then, the Executive Committee will handle prepping the stage design and costumes. All the details are written in this booklet.”

Tamano handed out booklets. The cover read:『Final Exam Vacation Festival Staff Guide.』As Ryousuke flipped through it, he saw the names of himself and the others clearly listed under the staff section.

“Senpai… you never considered the possibility we might say no?”

“Of course not. After all, it’s me who’s asking.”

Tamano declared confidently, leaving Ryousuke with nothing but a sigh.

“Tamano-senpai, may I make one request?”

Kyuru, having closed her booklet, looked up at Tamano.

“What is it, Kyuru-kun?”

“Would it be alright to let Caesar participate as well?”

“Caesar… oh, you mean Ryousuke-kun’s dog. If I recall, he’s quite the handsome guy—unlike his owner.”

There was no need to add『unlike his owner』Ryousuke thought silently. A totally unnecessary jab.

“Yes. A manly, powerful dog with strong spiritual energy who bears no resemblance whatsoever to Ryousuke-san. If we do find the Singular One, there’s no telling what might happen that day.”

“『No resemblance whatsoever was uncalled for too』 Ryousuke muttered internally again. Why didn’t he say it out loud? Simple. Because it was the truth. A painful, undeniable reality.

“Will Caesar really be useful?”

“Just like Lisara-onee-sama stabbed her《Broken Sword Gram》into Ryousuke-san’s soul to siphon Spirit Money, my《Dragon-Slaying Ridill》is stabbed into Caesar’s soul. I use that to replenish my Spirit Money. That’s why I want to bring him along. And with how smart Caesar is, he could easily handle being one of the ones doing the scaring.”

“I see. He did a solid job judging the swimsuit contest too. Should be fine, I suppose. Though, being around another lady-killer who could rival me in charm doesn’t exactly thrill me.”

“Fufufu, Caesar is not your equal, Tamano-senpai.”

“Oh, is that so? Hahaha, yes, yes, indeed. Very well then. Caesar-kun may participate!”

In a very good mood, Tamano nodded and scribbled Caesar’s name onto the form. Watching him, Kyuru muttered under her breath.

“Unlike Tamano-senpai, Caesar actually has depth. Saying they’re equals would be too cruel… to Caesar. Kusukusu.”

“I agree,” 

“Yes, so do I…”

Lisara whispered and Mina nodded gently.

Women are scary. That’s what Ryousuke honestly thought.

---

※Note: This is『Dakara Boku wa, H ga Dekinai. 3.』There is no mistake.

To correct the world.

How easy that sounds when put into words.

But in reality, it is a tremendous undertaking.

I must begin by changing the very mindset of the fallen Shinigami.

That is why I have continued my research.

Yes, I have persistently sought technological innovation.

And now, that very technology is yielding results that fulfill me.

Once this research is complete, Shinigami will no longer be forced into servitude through Shinigami contracts with humans.

They will rely solely on this spell formula I have developed.

Some humans will surely welcome this spell with open arms.

Everyone desires to be freed from the restraints that bind them.

Everyone, in truth, despises suffocating pressure.

Yes, even for the one watching, it is painful to see.

To be so tightly confined like that, there’s no other word for it but pitiful.

That is why I, with my boundless compassion, shall take this opportunity to correct the Shinigami Realm and liberate the human world as well.

Yes, I shall strip away the bras that oppress and squeeze the breasts of humans.

There is no bra in existence that my spell cannot tear away!

※Note: See? Told you it was『Dakara Boku wa, H ga Dekinai. 3.』