Chapter 416

Side Story: Growth

“Huh? That’s weird…”

Illuna tilted her head in confusion as she spoke. She had pulled a slightly older pair of pants out from the back of her dresser, only to find that they no longer fit.

Like everything worn by the dungeon’s residents, it was summoned through one of Yuki’s mysterious powers. Shii’s clothes were the only exception, in that they didn’t exist. The vampire was well aware that three sets of clothes was all anyone ever needed, but Yuki loved to let them dress in whatever way they pleased. Both Illuna and Enne had dozens of different outfits. Lefi had warned him that he was spoiling them, but he refused to budge, stating that it was a parent’s job to provide their children with such luxuries.

That was why she had an absurd number of pants, as well as why she had forgotten about the pair in question.

The first thought that crossed her mind, as she stared at the trousers, was her waistline.

“O-oh no, have I gained weight?” she thought.

It was a reaction prompted by conversations she often overheard. Her sisters, Nell and Lyuu, often discussed the ins and outs of managing their diets and accidentally overeating. The food served in the dungeon was always incredibly delicious, so Illuna herself would often ask for seconds. And that was why she was starting to suspect that she had started to gain weight.

She remembered hearing that it wouldn’t be a problem so long as she exercised enough to work it all off, and she thought that playing outside and exhausting herself day in and day out would more than suffice, but all the evidence seemed to point to the contrary.

“Le-lefi!”

Undersized pants in hand, she ran across the room and approached the person rolling around in her bed.

“What is it, Illuna? Your appearance is unseemly. Yuki may not be present, but you must wear your clothes.”

“Uhm… well… that’s the problem! They don’t fit anymore! Did I suddenly get really fat!?”

Puzzled, the dragon looked the girl over with a scrutinizing gaze.

“It appears not,” she said. “But I may have come to see why they fit no longer. Stand with your back straight.”

“Umm… okay.”

Though a bit confused, the child did as instructed and straightened her back. Lefi stood up in front of her and quickly compared their heights. The vampire was incredibly nervous and awaited the verdict as she would a death sentence, but the dragon was much more casual.

“There is no mistaking it. You have not gained weight, but rather grown. You stand taller now.”

“R-really?”

Though she didn’t feel any taller, looking around, she did find that some things did seem a little smaller than they’d been before. However, the differences were so subtle that she had thought that she was just imagining it.

“Worry not, it is not the sort of matter that you are likely to notice. It is only natural that they fit you no longer. You would do well to wear a newer set, as you shall catch a cold should you remain in your undergarments.”

“R-right!” said Illuna, as a smile slowly crept its way on her face. Her two closest friends, Shii and Enne, began to clap as the news finally hit her.

“Illuna’s biggur now! We need to sell a brate!”

“Mhm. It’s good news. I’m jealous.”

“Thanks!” giggled the vampire. “If I keep growing like this, then can I get as tall as Lefi? Or maybe even Leila?”

“I’m shure you will!” said Shii.

“Mhm. Master says that eating a lot, playing a lot, and sleeping a lot makes you grow up. I’ll grow up too, soon.”

“Me two!” said Shii.

As the children spoke innocently among themselves, two of the adults standing nearby wound up suffering from the accidental attack that had been launched on their psyches.

“Darn it… ‘course it’s Leila that they’re lookin’ up to,” said Lyuu. “And it ain’t like I don’t understand. She’s rockin’ a way better body than us two.”

“Voice not your thoughts, Lyuu. True as it may be, it pains me to hear it,” muttered the dragon. “The fault is mine. I failed to modify my humanoid form in its creation.”

“Wow, you can do that? Now ain’t that somethin’.”

“I cannot. This form’s appearance is fixed and lies beyond my control. Not even its height can be subjected to my influence.”

“Then that means you’re stuck wishin’, just like me,” said Lyuu. “It’s all her boobs’ fault. They ain’t nothin’ but an incarnation of filth ‘n evil.”

“I cannot agree more.”

“Uhmmmm… Personally, I would prefer to be more slender, like the two of you,” said the person on the receiving end of all the unjustified hate.

“Stick it, Leila! It ain’t right for you to be sayin’ anythin’! You ain’t got any clue how flatties like us feel! Why don’t you go ‘n do something else, like seducin’ Master with that lewd body of yours or somethin’ instead!”

“A point well made,” said Lefi. “Broaden your horizons and listen, Leila. I offer you nothing but my blessings in your budding relationship with Yuki. However, there remains a matter to be spoken of. His preference lies not with breasts but thighs. If you wish to bed him, then you would do well to lift your skirt and seduce him through the revelation of your thighs!”

“R-right…”

Though Leila thought her friends were being rather annoying, she put up with it as would any other well-mannered adult. With an awkward smile on her face, she nodded along and waited for the storm to pass.

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