Nina dropped her backpack in the corner of the changing room, unzipping the front pocket and rummaging around in it as Hime stood awkwardly behind her.

“What did you want to show me in here Nina, I thought we were gonna go swimming? You’re freaking me out with how upbeat you are today…”

“I told you, I don’t wanna spoil it. Just do what I told you; think about any boys you think are cute and open it.” Nina muttered.

The two girls had changed into their gym swim uniforms, though Nina had little intention of actually going in the pool; she just needed an excuse to bring Hime somewhere quiet and private.

“Ok- promise me you aren’t gonna tell anyone about this, k?” Nina demanded, clearly barely able to contain her excitement.

“What is it even, are we gonna get in trouble from it?” Hime turned back to the locked door behind her.

“Just promise me, ok?” Nina demanded again.

Hime sighed and nodded, looking anxiously as Nina drew the lacquered little jewelry box from her bag and holding it up proudly in her palms. Hime stared at it confusedly and looked up with a raised eyebrow at Nina.

“It’s- a little box…”

“Open it, silly!” Nina chirped excitedly. “Just think about any boys you like and open it.”

Hime squinted at the tiny box skeptically, but sighed, gave a moment of thought, and opened the lid. She silently regarded the contents before a confused look crossed her face.

“What are those? Are those toys or something? Wait, they’re moving! Are they bugs, what is that Nina?” She nervously edged a step back.

“No, no, no, look real close at them Hime, I promise you’ll think it’s awesome.” Nina grined.

Hime hesitantly leaned in and squinted at the contents of the box. After a moment of confusion her face suddenly flushed red.

“N-Nina, what is this? What did you-“She stuttered.

“It’s exactly what it looks like. Well- not quite; they aren’t really our classmates, just… some kinda copies of them or something, it doesn’t matter. Isn’t it crazy cool? I got it like a year ago and it’s been so awesome.” Nina belted out in an excited blur.

Hime looked apprehensively at the collection of tiny boys staring up at her from the red lining of the container. Sure enough the boys from class whom Nina had asked her to imagine were replicated their tiny faces, proportions, and school uniforms leaving no question of their identity.

“Wh-what do you mean awesome? What do they do, do the guys in there know you do this?” She queried shyly.

Nina looked a bit surprised at this question. “Eh- no of course not! I wouldn’t tell them about this kind of thing! They’d try to take them away, or yell at me to stop using it. I’ve only ever shown or told you about it anyway.”

Hime’s apprehension had settled, but her curiosity remained. She looked down into the box and hesitantly glanced even more closely at the diminutive students inside.

“But what they do?” Nina replied. “It’s less what they do and more what you can do with em’ that’s fun.” Nina grinned.

“Huh, what do you mean? You aren’t hurting them or anything are you Nina?”

“Hee- sit down and let me show you.” Nina laughed, gently prodding Hime onto the little padded bench of the changing room.  

The booth was a claustrophobic box, barely big enough for the two of them to sit comfortably side by side. Nina leaned in close to Hime and held the box in between their laps.

“I know, at first I was thinking what this could possibly even be made for. Once I realized they aren’t really the people they look like I figured there wasn’t anything wrong with messing with them. Remember a few months back when you caught me putting ‘ants’ in the other girls shoes as a prank? Well it was actually these guys. “

Hime looked quizzically at her.

“At first it was all just stupid prank stuff or crushin them or something.” Nina ignored Hime’s surprised look at her casual admission to crushing the miniature people.

“But after a few months I… well you remember what I told you how I started feeling about some of the boys in our class. But there was no way those idiots would ever do that kind of stuff with me like I wanted so- so I tried to make some of them with the box. Well I was messing around with them one day and one sort of… fell… down there.”

Hime’s didn’t register her meaning for a moment, then reddened in a blush to match Nina’s, and the two stared down at the little box for a moment.

“Oh. So you’ve been… Oooh.” She whispered, the idea sinking in for a long moment.

“And- is it good?” Hime shyly asked.

Nina looked her in the eyes and a smile grew across her face.

“Oh… is it.”