Inexplicable Growth

 

In the span of over nine hundred years,

I devoted my life to the study of medicine, and the conclusion I reached was:

There is no surefire method in this world to make one's chest bigger.

 

"I mean, sure… I'd noticed our little one was a bit slow to develop, but…"

"Wait, don't tell me none of you realized?!"

When I looked around at the others in response to Rin's words, both Nina and Yuuka wore pained expressions.

It seemed that was, indeed, the case.

"What about you, Yuuka? I can understand Mentor and Nina not noticing, but…"

Nina clutched her head, apparently shocked at being lumped in with the hopeless cases.

Though it might have been less about the grouping and more about being grouped with me specifically.

"I mean, well, I don't really remember what I was like when I was little…"

"Neither do I, but still."

Rin sighed, looking genuinely exasperated.

"Right… Now that you mention it, human babies start walking within about a year, don't they?"

"There's individual variation, sure, but either way, no child should still be this much of a baby after two years."

As Rin poked at Chryse's cheeks, the child squealed with delight and flashed her most charming smile.

I'd once been human myself, and yet lately my sense of time had eroded considerably. Ten years, twenty years passed in the blink of an eye. One or two years might as well have been a single month.

"And it's not just humans, either. Quadrupeds, giants, lizardmen, elves too. I've never seen a race whose children can't stand on their own after two years."

Come to think of it, even I, a dragon who supposedly lives for tens of thousands of years, had been walking within a year of hatching. Growth rate and lifespan didn't have much to do with each other.

"… Then what is this child?"

Nina clutched Chryse tightly and glared at Rin.

"No idea. She looks human, though."

Together, we all peered at Chryse's face. Her ears weren't pointed. She had no gills, no tail, and she wasn't covered in fur or scales.

"… Hm?"

Nina was the first to notice.

"Hey. This spot here… isn't it a bit pointed?"

It was on the edge of Chryse's forehead. Just above the temple, right around the hairline.

"You're right. Now that you mention it… it does seem pointed."

The skin was slightly raised, and when I touched it, I felt something hard underneath, like bone.

"This kind of protrusion isn't normal… right?"

I found myself reflexively touching my own head. Looking around, I saw Rin and Yuuka doing the same. On reflection, not a single one of us was human, so it was a rather meaningless check.

"No. Humans don't have protrusions there. Neither do elves, giants, or fairies."

Nina declared with the authority of a physician. The protrusions came in a pair, one on each side. Far too symmetrical to be a disease or a swelling. If they'd been any larger, they would have looked just like an ogre's horns.

"… Did any of the people around those huts back then have horns?"

"I don't think so, but…"

Nina furrowed her brow. Both she and I had excellent memories, but that didn't mean we remembered everything. Things we hadn't noticed at the time, things that never registered in our awareness, those we couldn't recall no matter how good our memories were.

I remembered the faces and forms of the dead, but whether any of them had had horns as subtle as these small bumps, I couldn't say with confidence.

"… It doesn't matter. This child is this child. I don't care whether she's human or anything else."

After deliberating for a while, Nina reached her conclusion.

"If she were going to die young, that would be one thing. But if she's simply not aging, isn't that actually better?"

"That's true."

Academically, it was intriguing, but for the purposes of raising her, it posed no problem at all.

After all, the one thing we had in near-infinite supply was time.

"Well then, shall we eat? I made stew today."

"Yes! I'm absolutely starving!"

When I lifted the pot off the magitech heater, filling the air with its wonderful aroma, Yuuka let out a cheer.

We kept a large stock of goat's milk on hand for Chryse's meals. The amount she drank each day varied, though, so cream stew, made by simmering whatever milk was left over, had become a trusty standby. Even when extra people showed up on short notice like today, it was easy to stretch.

"Help yourselves to whichever you prefer, bread or rice."

"I'll have bread, then."

"Rice for me!"

"I'll go with rice too."

Nina reached for the bread while Yuuka and Rin went with white rice. I was just thinking I'd have bread myself when Chryse patted at my leg.

"Yes, yes, let's get you fed too, Chryse. Yuuka, sorry, but could you handle the serving?"

"Sure thing!"

"Oh, I'll help too."

"Then could you grab the spoons from that drawer over there?"

Yuuka visited often enough to know our home as well as her own. While the two of them got things set up, I warmed some milk and mimicked what Ara had done earlier to feed Chryse.

"Wait, what's that? Where did you learn to do it like that?"

"Ara taught me."

While Nina and I were having this exchange, Chryse reached from my lap toward the stew on the table.

"No, no. You can't eat this yet."

"Uuuu."

When I moved the plate away, Chryse let out a displeased little grumble. But the moment I brought the milk to her lips instead, she seemed to settle for it, at least for the time being.

"A little stew wouldn't hurt, would it?"

"Absolutely not. The salt content is far too high for an infant. It would strain her organs."

When Yuuka scooped up a spoonful and waved it enticingly, Nina shut her down without hesitation.

"Want me to take over, Mentor?"

"Would you? That would be a big help. Please do."

Rin offered to take over after Chryse had drained about half the cup, having already polished off her own stew in record time. At last, I could eat.

Mm. Quite good, if I did say so myself. It had cooled a bit, but the savory flavor of the vegetables had seeped in thoroughly, and the rich, thick white sauce was sublime. The two-wing chicken had melded in beautifully as well, its savory presence making itself known with every bite.

The meat, the carrots, the potatoes, the onions, even the wheat and the milk for that matter, were all substitutes that merely resembled their Earth counterparts in taste and appearance. But it worked out surprisingly well.

"Ahh, that was delicious. Sorry for mooching dinner off you."

Yuuka said with an apologetic look, though her eating here was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Since you're already here, why don't you both stay the night?"

Nina made the offer. Perhaps she was happy to see Rin again after two years. Or perhaps she'd realized how convenient it was to have extra hands to help with Chryse.

"If it makes Chryse happy, then I'd be glad to have you."

Under their expectant gazes, I gave my answer, and Yuuka and the others nodded happily.

 

＊　＊　＊

 

"The bath's ready!"

I tested the temperature of the water I'd drawn in the tub and called out to Nina.

Houses with baths were still uncommon. For one thing, procuring water was an ordeal in itself. Water conjured by magic vanished without a trace once the spell wore off, ten-some minutes at most. Well, I couldn't manage even a single second, but that was beside the point. So real water had to be hauled in.

Thanks to the efforts of Lufelle and other engineers, a waterworks system was being laid out, but it only reached the main parts of the village. Extending it to every individual home was still a distant goal.

And even once you had the water, heating it was another labor entirely. You could use a magitech heater, sure, but warming the roughly two hundred liters needed for one person took a considerable amount of time. After all that effort, a single use meant you had to change the water. Even if you cut corners by skimming off the grime and reusing it, you'd have to reheat the whole thing again the next day.

For those reasons, the standard practice in Scarlet these days was to visit the public bathhouse when you wanted to bathe.

But our household was different. I could grab the entire tub, fill it with water, and breathe fire like a boiler to have hot water in no time. A fire dragon truly seemed like a creature designed for the sole purpose of drawing baths. Thanks to that, we enjoyed the luxury of a leisurely home bath every single day.

"Coming."

"Wait, hold on, Nina!"

"Nina, Mentor's in there!"

There seemed to be some commotion outside. I poked my head out of the bathroom into the living area and found Nina, already undressed and carrying Chryse, heading straight for me.

"What's the matter?"

"Uh, well…"

When I asked, Yuuka and Rin exchanged glances, their faces a picture of bewilderment.

"Oh. I know it's rude to go before our guests, even if it is just Yuuka and Rin, but I need to bathe Chryse first. Excuse us."

"No, that part's fine, but…"

"Wait, big bro, you take baths together with Nina?!"

It wasn't until Yuuka spelled it out so plainly that it hit me.

"What are you going on about? We've been doing this for the past nine hundred years."

While I was still deliberating how to respond, Nina answered without a shred of self-consciousness.

Right. It was far too late to worry about that now.

For the first hundred years, maybe two hundred, I think I was still embarrassed about it…

But somewhere along the way, Nina's bare skin had simply ceased to register, and by now I had no reservations whatsoever about bathing together.

"Besides, you two used to join us back in the—"

I caught myself mid-sentence and shut my mouth. The two of them tilted their heads in confusion.

No. That was different. The time we'd bathed together was four hundred years ago.

With Yuuki, and with Rin before she'd lost her memories.

"Is it, um, not really a thing anymore? Men and women bathing together?"

"Not really, no."

I was shocked by Yuuka's answer.

What a development. I was fairly certain that as recently as three hundred years ago, the public bathhouse hadn't even had separate sections for men and women. While I'd been enjoying my private home bath all this time, the world had apparently moved on without me…

"I mean, 'man' or not, it's him."

Nina said, making no effort to cover herself. She was equally desensitized to my body. Then again, she saw naked bodies as a matter of course in her practice, so she was probably accustomed to the human form in general.

"… Well, when you put it that way, I guess you have a point."

"Yeah, when you think about it, Mentor's practically a thousand-year-old grandpa on the inside."

After exchanging a long look, Yuuka and Rin seemed to arrive at some form of acceptance.

I wasn't entirely sure how to feel about that, but it was better than being looked at with contempt. In any case, someone had to hold Chryse in the bath or she'd drown, and washing yourself while cradling an infant was no easy feat. Bathing with Nina was simply unavoidable.

"Then I guess we might as well just all go in together."

"Yeah. Let's get it over with."

What I had not anticipated was both of them starting to undress right then and there.

 

＊　＊　＊

 

"Wow, it's huge!"

Yuuka's voice rang out in delight. A tub too small would be unwieldy to carry in dragon form, and a larger one made it easier to adjust the water temperature, so our bath was quite spacious for just two regular users. It was nearly the size of a small public bathhouse.

So four adults and one baby fitting in together posed no problem at all, but…

"Come here, Chryse. I'll wash you."

"Ooh, then I'll scrub your back for you, Yuuka!"

The two girls splashed about without a care in the world, and the sight was decidedly hazardous. I averted my gaze on reflex, only for it to land on the flatland I'd seen more often than my own parents' faces.

"… What."

Nina gave me a kick and half-heartedly shielded herself when she noticed where I was looking. It was probably just the hot water making her flush, but seeing her cheeks turn red like that made my heart skip a beat. I wished she'd stop.

"… She won't just stay this small forever, will she?"

Nina murmured, almost to herself.

Honestly, if a thousand years hadn't changed things, it might be time to give up hope. Aqua had been far more voluptuous than Nina at only around a hundred years old. I steeled myself and delivered the truth.

"I wouldn't get your hopes up. But size isn't everything. I think it suits you, Nina."

"I'm talking about Chryse!"

The kick that followed was considerably harder than the last. It genuinely hurt.

"The truth is… deep down, I'd noticed that Chryse's development was slow. But I pretended I hadn't. There's nothing wrong with her body. She's energetic, she has a healthy appetite. She's the picture of health, so there's no problem… that's what I told myself. But… I missed something so obvious."

Eyes downcast, Nina hugged her knees to her chest.

It had been a long time since I'd seen her look this anxious.

"It'll be fine."

I said, in a tone breezy enough to probably earn me a scolding.

"Slowly but surely, Chryse is growing. We know that better than anyone, don't we? She just learned to crawl today."

"… You're right."

Nina allowed herself a small smile, looking just a little reassured.

The next instant, a towering column of water erupted and drenched us both from head to toe.

"What are you two getting all cozy about over here?"

Yuuka had cannonballed straight into the tub.

"We weren't getting 'cozy' at all. More importantly, you, stop acting like a child."

Just like that, Nina was back to her usual self, wiping her face and scolding Yuuka.

"Ehehe, sorry. Hey, Rin, come on in too! The water's great!"

Yuuka laughed it off without a care and beckoned Rin over.

"Okay. Here, Mentor."

Rin handed Chryse back to me and stepped over the edge of the tub, dipping one leg in. The next moment, her foot slipped and she plunged under the water.

"Oh, honestly, what are you doing too?"

Nina grumbled, shielding her face from the splash.

But Rin didn't resurface.

"… Rin?"

I came to my senses with a start and hurriedly pulled her up.

Rin had been drowning in the bath.

 

＊　＊　＊

 

A soft patting against my forehead gradually drew me back to consciousness.

My body felt strangely heavy. What had happened again…?

Ah, right. After pulling Rin out of the bath, I'd tended to her and put her to bed.

Our bed, built on the assumption that I'd be sleeping in dragon form, was absurdly large. In my human shape, all of us could sprawl across it with room to spare. That should have been more than enough, and yet…

For some reason, Yuuka had my left arm locked firmly in her grip, Rin's head rested on my right arm, and Nina lay on my chest, breathing softly in her sleep.

As a fire dragon, my body radiated warmth even in human form. During the cold winter months, they'd often pile on top of me like this. But if they were all sleeping on me, then who had been patting me awake…?

Pat, pat. My forehead was tapped again, and I looked up.

"Tummy… grumbly."

There, perched by my pillow, was a small girl with golden hair. She was tiny enough to be a doll, and yet… unmistakably larger than an infant.

"Wanna… eat breakfast."

"She… she talked?!"

I cried out at Chryse's halting little voice.