Presenting the Ring to Rokuko

I know that presents like rings set up flags. If you don't hand them over right away, you never will.

So, as embarrassing as it was, I decided to hand it over quickly.

Even if I started thinking things like, "It's not really worth calling her over just to give it to her…" No. Once I decided to give it, I had to follow through and summon her.

So, to eliminate the option of not giving it to her, I sent a message: "I finished that thing I promised, so I'm giving it to you. Come to my room."

"Kehma! I'm here!"

She arrived in three seconds. That was fast.

If she had a tail, it would probably be wagging right now.

I rummaged around and…

"So, Rokuko. Here, the thing I promised you."

"A box? … Ah! Can I open it?!"

"Yeah."

No sooner had I said it than Rokuko quickly took out the ring.

"Ooh… A red gem? It's so clear and beautiful. There's something sparkling inside it too."

Then she immediately tried to put it on her finger… and stopped.

… Then she kept glancing over at me… What, you want me to put it on you? That level of service wasn't part of the plan. Just handing it over was embarrassing enough.

"… Kehma. I heard from the hero that at times like this, it's normal for your partner to put the ring on you. P-put it on me?"

She's begging me to…? Damn. Fine then, I'll take that challenge.

I took the ring back from Rokuko, gently took her left hand, and aimed.

… When I looked at Rokuko's face, she was staring intently at the ring, tense.

Thinking to myself that Haku-san was probably going to kill me for this later, I slid the ring onto Rokuko's ring finger… It was loose. Well, I made it without measuring her size, so of course.

But this was within my expectations. I have [Create Golem].

In fact, since I had planned to adjust it from the start, I deliberately made it loose. It would be more of a problem if it wouldn't go on at all.

Rokuko touched the loose ring with her right hand, spinning it around and around.

"Muu, it's loose… I know!"

"Hm?"

Just as I was about to adjust it with [Create Golem], there was a flash! Rokuko started glowing.

When the light faded, in Rokuko's place stood a blonde girl who looked like a grown-up version of Rokuko.

And on the ring finger of her white left hand, the red ring I made fit perfectly.

Who are… no, it's Rokuko. Logically, it couldn't be anyone else. Well, logically, no one should be able to grow up in an instant either, but Dungeon Cores aren't exactly normal.

"If the ring is loose, I just need to get bigger! Ehehe, it fits perfectly. How is it? Does it suit me?"

"Y-yeah… You're Rokuko, right?"

"Hm? What's wrong, Kehma? Captivated?"

Rokuko grinned and puffed out her chest. Something like meat buns bounced with a soft jiggle.

Her apparent age had clearly gone up. If she looked like an elementary schooler before, now she was around middle-to-high school age. Kids these days sure develop fast, hahaha.

… I almost found my eyes drawn to her legs, but I desperately stopped myself and looked away. It would have been dangerous if Rokuko hadn't been wearing shoes.

"… Um? Rokuko, what's with that appearance?"

"Oh, come to think of it, is this the first time I've shown Kehma? What do you think? Oops, whoa…"

Rokuko twirled around to show off, then lost her balance from the momentum and fell over. Her shoes even came off.

"Owow. I lose my balance when I suddenly get bigger."

"Hey, be careful."

I settled back down.

OK, let's calm down. I saw white and a particular detail and all sorts of things, but I'll pretend I didn't… Kuh, those white knee socks are so alluring! My eyes went there involuntarily! Don't point the soles of your feet at me. That makes my heart skip a beat!

But I mustn't stare. With legs that shapely and no age concerns to hold me back, I might accidentally fall for her.

If that happened, I could easily imagine being slaughtered by Haku-san, so I desperately held myself back.

"R-Rokuko, can you change back?"

"Yeah, I can. Actually, maintaining this form uses up a bit of DP."

"Good. Change back for now. I don't want to die yet."

"Eh?! Me being like this will kill Kehma?! Got it, I'll change back right away… There, I'm back!"

I peeked. She had properly returned to her small form.

Phew, that was close…

"Alright, now let me adjust the ring… huh?"

"Hm? Ah, it fits perfectly now."

Rokuko said while putting her shoes back on. Looking at her left ring finger, the ring that had been loose now fit the small Rokuko just as perfectly as it had fit the big Rokuko.

… Come to think of it, her clothes, shoes, and knee socks had all adjusted when she became the big Rokuko. Wait, those shoes came off just now, didn't they? Huh? They adjust even when not being worn?

Alright, let's not think too deeply about this. If I start consciously thinking about the law of conservation of mass, there's a chance the adjustments will stop working.

Rokuko gazed dreamily at the ring on her finger.

"Ehehe, it's so pretty. Is this a gem? It's red and transparent and beautiful."

"Yeah. I'm pretty proud of how it turned out."

She must have been really happy, turning her hand this way and that to admire it from every angle.

I'd finally calmed down too. Seriously, she had me on edge…

"What's this sparkling thing inside the gem?"

"That's orichalcum."

"Heh, so this is orichalcum… Isn't orichalcum supposed to be super rare?"

"That amount cost 10,000 DP."

"Heh… So that much is ten Kehmas…"

Hey, don't use me as a unit of measurement. And besides, that would make Feni worth more than me.

"Ehehe."

"Well, I'm glad you like it."

"Yeah, thank you, Kehma! I love you!"

Two seconds after saying that, Rokuko's face turned bright red. It seemed she'd realized what she just blurted out.

Then she ran off saying, "I-I'm going to show off to Niku and the others!"

… I couldn't help but think that was cute.

No, this is just… I'm just feeling warm and fuzzy because she liked my present. That's all it is…!