Volume 1 Chapter 5 The Effect of the Skill
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”See you tomorrow, okay?” Hibiki said, her tone light and teasing, fingers flicking a lazy wave.
”Yeah… thanks for today—wait, why am I the one thanking you?” Hirose rubbed his neck, the corner of his mouth twitching.
”‘Cause maybe you did something worth thanking for?” she shot back, dimples flashing. “Hehe—tehe!”
Later that night, after Hirose used his mysterious Skill on Hibiki, her insistence carried them through the rest—right to the end.
Hibiki knew her own cuteness like a weapon, polished sharp through years of trial. Hirose, meanwhile, couldn’t believe a guy like him had touched someone like her—someone radiant, untouchable. Maybe that’s why ‘thank you’ slipped out.
It had been her first time too. She’d joked that her stomach hurt, but her smile never faded. Wrapped together in a blanket, bare skin against warmth, she pressed close to his arm, whispering small truths into the dark.
He told her about his dream of being an adventurer—how it had crumbled. She didn’t say anything comforting, just reached out and patted his head. It said enough.
She confessed, in turn, that she’d been teased back in grade school. Maybe jealousy, she said. So she changed—hair, makeup, clothes—until her reflection matched her strength. Now, beauty was her armor, her faith.
”When your Skill really kicks in,” Hibiki murmured, “I’ll thank you again.”
”Yeah,” he said simply.
Then he left her house, walking home under quiet streetlights.
* * *
Weeks passed. Twice a week became almost every day—half excuse, half invitation.
Experimenting, Hirose discovered he could stack Skills: ‘Skin Quality Improvement’ and ‘Fat Burning’. They kept it up for a month.
* * *
One morning—”…Huh?” Hibiki blinked at her mirror.
She poked her cheek. Pinched it. The reflection didn’t lie. Hirose’s Skill had finally taken effect.
”My god—baby skin!?” she gasped.
Her face glowed—smooth, dewy, poreless. Even the faint redness was gone. Her skin looked paler, almost luminous.
When she ran a hand across her cheek, she could tell instantly—it wasn’t last night’s face anymore. It was new, reborn, perfect.
”Then that means…”
She stripped down to her underwear. “Knew it!” she squealed. Arms, legs, stomach—all slender, toned, soft to the touch. No scale needed; she could feel it.
”Yesss! Yes!” She danced in place, laughing.
It wasn’t unhealthy thinness. Hirose’s thoughts must’ve shaped it—beautiful, but still real.
* * *
”Hey, Hibiki, what happened!? You’re, like, super cute all of a sudden!”
”Yeah! And you look thinner—your skin’s all bouncy!”
At school, her friends Himari and Kairi surrounded her, eyes wide, hands grabbing her arms, her cheeks, her waist.
”Hey, that tickles! Don’t touch me there!”
”But seriously—right, Umi (Kairi)?”
”Totally! Spill it—what’d you do?”
They were all top-tier girls, the queens of their class. Yet Hibiki’s sudden glow left even them stunned.
”Oh, y’know,” Hibiki said breezily. “Changed makeup brands, dieted a little. I tried, you know?”
It was a complete lie.
She’d done nothing but lie in bed and lose one thing—her virginity. And that had been her idea. No need for money, no need to starving, and no need an effort.
”Liar! No way that’s all it took!”
”Wait… Himari—what if…” Kairi gasped, shaking her friend’s shoulder.
For a heartbeat, Hibiki froze—had they guessed about the Skill?
Then Kairi smirked. “You’ve got a boyfriend now, don’t you?”
”…Huh!?”
Kairi’s sudden claim froze them both—Himari and Hibiki. But their surprise wasn’t the same. Himari’s was pure gossip shock; Hibiki’s came from being hit right where she hadn’t expected.
”Hibiki! Wait, is it true!?”
”No, no! It’s not like that—come on, Umi, if I had one, I’d totally tell you guys!” she protested, cheeks puffed with mock irritation.
”But they say girls get prettier when they fall in love!”
”Yeah, I’ve heard that too, but… I’m—uh—single, okay?” Hibiki looked away. Her voice softened, eyes flicking aside. She didn’t have a boyfriend. But she did have someone close.
Since that night, she and Hirose had met many times. Every visit ended the same way—bodies together, but no words like ‘let’s date.’ Maybe if they said it, it would become real. Maybe that’s why they couldn’t.
”Ah! You hesitated!” Kairi crowed.
”Then it’s settled. We’re dragging you to the family restaurant after class for interrogation!”
”There’s nothing to tell! Besides, I’ve got plans today!”
”Exactly! A date!”
”It’s not!” Hibiki’s cry was half exasperation, half laughter.
By the end of the day, she was exhausted—cornered by two relentless best friends who’d already written their own romantic script.
* * *
”I was waiting, Hirose~!” Her sing-song voice greeted him at the door.
After school, Hirose arrived at Hibiki’s house—her invitation, of course. The reason? Gratitude.
”Hirose, thank you! The Skill worked! Look! Don’t I look cuter? Huh? Don’t I?” she chirped, bouncing lightly on her toes, hair swaying.
He couldn’t help smiling. “Yeah. You’re really beautiful. You were before too, but… now it’s different. Lighter. And—wait, you’re wearing less makeup, right? You still look amazing.”
She beamed. “You noticed! Yeah! I used to hide redness with concealer, but now my skin’s clear, no pores, nothing! Just light foundation, and boom—it’s perfect.”
That was exactly what Himari and Kairi had been freaking out about. They’d even poked her cheeks just to believe it.
”I’m just glad you’re happy, Hibiki.”
”Uh-huh. So, today… I wanted to give you a reward.”
”Eh?” He blinked.
She caught his hand, leading him upstairs.
Once inside her room, Hibiki said nothing. She simply began unbuttoning her uniform. Fabric slid from her shoulders until she stood in soft pastel lingerie.
”Uh…”
”Don’t act shy now. You’ve seen me before, haven’t you?” she teased, voice warm and close.
”But—I didn’t use my Skill today, right? So suddenly…”
”I wanted you to see it. Not just my face. My body too. It changed.”
His breath hitched. The difference was undeniable—her skin gleamed with smooth vitality. Every curve looked sculpted yet alive. He stared, entranced.
”D-don’t look so long… It’s embarrassing,” she murmured.
”You’re the one who told me to look.”
”Heh, true. …Hirose, really—thank you.”
Still in lingerie, she hugged him. For a heartbeat, he froze. Then he felt her warmth, her citrus perfume—real, grounding. He hugged her back.
”Now,” she whispered, “take yours off.”
”Wha—?”
”A reward’s a reward, right?”
”Oh…”
He knew what she meant. Slowly, he shrugged off his blazer, then let her fingers unfasten each button of his shirt, gentle and deliberate.
”No Skill today, huh? That means you’ve got energy to spare,” she murmured.
”Guess so…”
They always met when using the Skill, so this—this quiet moment—felt strange, unshielded. When his shirt finally fell, their eyes met. Faces drew close. Their breaths mingled. Lips trembled, ready to meet—
—DING-DONG.
The doorbell shattered the air.
”Ah…” she exhaled, voice breaking.
”Maybe… you should get that,” Hirose said softly.
”Ughh, Hiroseee…” Hibiki pouted, shoulders slumping, frustration melting into laughter.
It was the first time anyone had ever interrupted them at her house.
”Alright, I’ll go. Wait here, okay?”
”Yeah…”
She threw her uniform back on, smoothing her hair, then padded to the door. “Comiiing~” she called, pulling it open with practiced cheer.
”Hey! Long time no see!” came the bright voice of someone Hibiki knew all too well.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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