Volume 1 Chapter 3 The Skill ‘Fat Burn’
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Morning light spilled across the living room as the TV chattered about the latest dungeon conquest. Three shining girls from the <Tenchi (Heaven & Earth) Guild> had cleared another A-class labyrinth in Shinjuku, their beauty and strength stirring headlines everywhere.
Hirose sat quietly at the table, chopsticks poised midair, the sound of the broadcast pulling at the edges of a fading dream. Just days ago, watching news about adventurers had been his daily joy. He’d imagined himself among them—fighting, earning, shining.
”Still brooding again, huh? Mental Heal.”
A soft green radiance cascaded over him. His mother, Honoka, smiled from across the table, her finger raised like she was brushing away the storm inside his head. The gloom lifted, leaving behind a faint, clear calm.
”Thanks, Mom.”
”Don’t bottle things up, sweetheart,” she said, her voice a balm in itself. “It’s okay to let it out.”
”Yeah… I know.”
Honoka’s Gift—Tranquility—spawned a Skill called Mental Heal, a subtle art that soothed hearts rather than wounds. She sometimes used it at the local clinic, helping others find peace the way she helped her son.
She didn’t need to ask what Gift Hirose had received. The look on his face when he came home from appraisal had said enough. Not every Gift was meant for adventuring. And she—without words—had been healing him ever since.
Maybe I can use mine to heal people too… he thought. His heart didn’t ache as sharply now. He wasn’t meant to fight monsters—but maybe he could help someone, just like his mom. Like yesterday, when Hibiki had smiled because of him.
* * *
At school, Hirose and Rindou Hibiki passed each other as usual, eyes meeting for a flicker of recognition before silence filled the gap. They hadn’t spoken once in the six months since high school began. But somehow, that brief glance felt like connection. Moments later, his phone chimed.
‘See you after school, okay?’
He blinked, startled. His Skill didn’t need to be used that often—twice a week was enough. Why today? Still, his fingers moved on their own.
‘Got it. Where should I meet you?’
‘Come to my house directly.’
His pulse skipped. Two days in a row, at her place. For someone like him, that was almost unreal.
At lunch, he overheard her chatting with the girls from the top social tier.
”Hey, does my skin look any different today?” Hibiki asked, half-teasing.
”Not really?”
”Why? Did you switch makeup or something?”
”Hehe… maybe~♪”
Her laughter sounded effortless, but Hirose could tell she was checking for change. He knew the Skill’s effects didn’t show that fast—but watching her smile anyway, he couldn’t look away.
* * *
After school, Hirose stood at Hibiki’s doorstep. The doorbell chimed; she appeared in casual clothes, brightness personified.
”Hey! Come on in!” she said, waving him inside.
”Th-thanks for having me…”
Her room was tidy, sunlight filtering across a low table where snacks and a two-liter bottle of juice sat. “I realized I’ve been using your Skill for free,” she said. “So I thought I’d at least get you something to snack on.”
”Oh, that’s kind of you—but really, you don’t need to.” He smiled awkwardly.
(Just being here is reward enough…) he thought, heart racing.
For him, this small ordinary moment—her trust, her warmth—was more valuable than any Gift. She was helping him find a new dream.
”So?” she grinned, pouring the juice. “Let’s get started again.”
With every exchange, Hibiki’s image in his mind began to shift—from unreachable idol to someone human, kind, and near.
He had always imagined that those folks at the top of the social caste would simply look down on everyone below them, treating lower-ranked people like dirt. Hirose had seen people like that in other classes, so merely being high-caste was enough to make him feel admiration, yet his overall impression wasn’t exactly positive.
However, the Hibiki right in front of him was conversing as an equal, and she didn’t seem to be the type to exploit his Gift for selfish gain. It was only natural that his whole perspective would shift.
Afterward, they munched on snacks and sipped juice while they got around to the topic of the day.
”I’d like you to use the ‘Fat Burning’ skill today, yeah?”
Hibiki crunched loudly on potato chips, the exact opposite of what she was declaring.
”……”
”Oh, I bet you were just thinking I’m totally contradicting myself, weren’t you?” she teased. “Like, snacks are definitely gonna make me gain weight, duh.”
”Not today! This is my last supper!”
Hard to believe, but the snacks had been meant for Hirose. He decided to take her at her word—for today only.
”But… are you sure about this?”
He remembered yesterday: the unbuttoned shirt, the glimpse of lace, the way the skill demanded skin contact.
”…I’m only going through with this because I trust you, Takanashi-kun,” she muttered, suddenly shy.
”……!”
Her cheeks warmed. His heart stuttered.
”I’ve never stood in front of a guy like this… Even I’m embarrassed, you know?”
”A-Ah… well…”
”Ugh—! You just thought, Ah, she doesn’t have a boyfriend, didn’t you?! Well, yeah, I’ve never had one! So there!” She stuck out her tongue, playful and defensive.
Hibiki was volunteering information unprompted. Hirose couldn’t help thinking even that small gesture was unfairly charming.
”…You didn’t try anything weird yesterday, even when I was a mess. If you were some sleaze, you probably would’ve…”
”I-I wouldn’t! Using a Gift like that is a crime. I’m never doing it!”
”Right… You’re a gentleman, then,” she whispered.
Hirose, dead serious about becoming a proper Adventurer, couldn’t tolerate misuse of power. The law was clear: abuse a Gift, go to jail.
”I don’t know about ‘gentleman,’ but… I haven’t had a girlfriend either. I don’t know how to act around girls.”
”Ooooh, really? Hehe,” she giggled, sly.
”What’s so funny?”
She covered her mouth, shoulders shaking. It felt like teasing, but he didn’t mind.
”I’m the same as you!”
”…Is that supposed to be a good thing?”
”Who knows? But… maybe it’s good for me right now that you’re not used to girls,” she said softly.
Translation: she didn’t have to worry about being taken advantage of. Yet the memory of her yesterday—disheveled, flushed, breathtaking—still burned behind his eyes.
”…Arms, stomach, legs. Hips, and… my butt, too,” she listed, voice small.
He swallowed.
”Well then, shall I start?”
Hibiki stood from the rug, untied her ribbon, and let the shirt fall. The skirt followed with a soft rustle. She stood in simple white underwear—different from yesterday’s set.
”…………!”
”This is so embarrassing… Say something.”
”W-What am I supposed to say?!”
Yesterday she’d worried about her stomach; today he saw only the clean curve of her waist, the soft strength of her thighs. The swell of her chest rose and fell with nervous breaths. He looked away, then back, then away again.
”How about… ‘You’re cute’?”
”Do I really need that for the skill?”
”Ugh… Yes! Just saying it makes a girl happy!”
She wanted a gentleman who wouldn’t cross lines—yet demanded compliments while nearly bare. Hibiki didn’t understand her own contradiction either.
”…You’re cute.”
”~~~~~~!”
”W-Why are you blushing now?!”
Her face flamed. His skin prickled with heat.
”…Just hurry up and do it already!”
”I don’t get girls…”
Conversation cut short, Hibiki climbed onto the bed and lay back against the pillow. Hirose joined her, settling near her feet.
”Do whatever you need… I won’t resist,” she whispered.
”Got it.”
The words sounded intimate, but he pushed every stray thought aside. Meeting her trust, he focused.
Both hands settled gently on her thigh.
”—Skill Activate: Fat Burning.“
Pale light bloomed beneath his palms, and the quiet work began.
Notes:
• Rindou Hibiki – Hirose’s cheerful, bold classmate who is the first to request his Beauty skill. Hibiki (F, pink bob hair, 158cm, F-cup) is outgoing, expressive about her interests, and quickly becomes Hirose’s girlfriend after an explicitly intimate scene. Her reactions help set the adult tone of the story.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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