"Well now," said Keitaro as he tried not to sound flabbergasted at the awkwardness of the situation, "we're certainly the center of attention right now."

At the moment, Keitaro Urashima was sitting on the local bus which made its round throughout Hinata City.  Upon arriving at the usual stop just outside of Hinata House, Keitaro made his way on board the bus, finding a seat once he had paid his bus fare.  The difference was that in this case, he was accompanied by four lovely ladies who were joining him on this bus ride.

And of course the fact that all four ladies towered over him and everybody else on board the bus.

While there might have been the occasional passenger who was around 5'9" or 5'10" seated among various spots on the bus, not a single one of them could match Keitaro's "little" sister Kanako in height...and she was the shortest woman in the group.  The sights of Motoko, Amalla, and Tsuruko made several of the passengers stare in wonder at the sight of the lovely ladies before them as they entered the bus.  Their figures alone (particularly their enlarged bosoms) caught the eyes of several men on board the bus, but it was their heights that truly made everyone minus Keitaro stare in wonder at them, especially those of Amalla and Tsuruko.

‘How can such a lovely woman be so BIG and so TALL?'  This was the thought that was on several of the passengers' minds as they watched these towering beauties make their way through the bus to find either an open seat or a place to stand and grab onto one of the hand rails once the bus began moving.

What really made everyone stare in wonder was the fact that both Amalla and Tsuruko's heads were brushing up against the ceiling of the bus, which had a maximum height of 6'6".  This left the two of them bending at either the neck, waistline, or knees to keep from pressing their head into the roof as they chose to stand, since finding a bus seat at their current size would be difficult to say the least.  Motoko herself found her hair brushing up against the ceiling, a reminder to the woman who was already self-conscious about her height before these growth spurts just how much she had grown in the last twenty-four hours.

After a quiet bus ride into town, Keitaro and his female companions got off at their stop and proceeded to make their way to the nearby open-air market in town.  As they left the bus, there were a series of whistles from the men remaining on the bus as they watched the quartet of tall beauties saunter off the bus, some of them ogling at their asses as they made their way out of the vehicle.

"Freakin' supermodels, I swear," muttered one man.

"Was that guy their agent or something?" asked another.

"Maybe he's their gay friend or something.  I'm tellin' you, if he's banging ANY of them, he's the luckiest bastard I've ever come across.  I mean, did you see the size of the melons on those chicks?  I bet the smallest among them was a D-cup if I had to guess."

Amalla couldn't help but chuckle overhearing the gossip among the random strangers aboard the bus as the group took their leave.

‘If only you fellas knew,' thought Amalla with her trademark smirk, ‘how lucky our little fella is gonna be in the coming days, at least if I have anything to do with that.'

While Keitaro and the girls who went with him were off to market, the other ladies of Hinata House were busy with their everyday tasks in the dorms.  While the dorm manager was away fetching groceries for the dorm's growing number of growing ladies (pun intended), Naru and the others decided to do their part and assist where possible.  After the one-on-one session between Naru and Kitsune, each woman swore that she would do her part to help, both for the sake of the dorms as well as penance for their past actions against Keitaro.

Naru and Shinobu were currently gathering clothing from the hampers and baskets with the intent to bring it to the washing machine, while Kitsune was gathering trash from both the disposable bins and the recycling.  Mei was busy giving the windows a thorough cleaning as she worked with a bottle of glass cleaner in one hand and a cloth rag in the other.  Mutsumi was out sweeping the front porch for any excess leaves and twigs, clearing the stone steps as she did so.  While initially reluctant to help, Sarah ended up waxing the floors in the dorm hallways to give them a new shine and luster, since it had been a while since their last waxing.  Nyamo offered assistance for Sarah, partly to help her finish the task and to help keep her company, even if she wasn't particularly chatty.  Haruka was busy enough tending to the teahouse, and Kaolla was tinkering in her lab on a potential antidote of sorts to counter her growth hormone.  However, every hour or so, Kaolla would leave her room and make for the kitchen to grab a snack or to check on the others to both keep them company and to assist wherever possible in the day-to-day house chores.  All in all, things were running surprisingly well, given the circumstances.

As Kaolla strolled through the dorm hallways, she was taking in the changes that had occurred over the last day or so since the big group pow-wow among all the women of Hinata House.  It was rather surreal, to say the least.  While she was somewhat disappointed in having her experimental growth hormone snatched out from under her, she was glad that the tincture had shown positive results, if perhaps a bit more than what Kaolla was expecting or hoping for.  Being the test subject for one of her own experiments wasn't something that the Molmolian girl usually engaged in, though she certainly wasn't complaining about the end results.  She just needed to be mindful of the amount of time between growth spurts, so that she may better understand the rate of growth that both she and the other ladies would experience over time.

‘In any case, no point in worrying about things for now,' thought Kaolla as she made her rounds.  ‘Might as well see how the others are faring while Keitaro is away.  I just hope Amalla isn't getting too frisky with him, given how she is.'  Kaolla knew her sister well enough to know that the older Su sister would make some kind of play for Keitaro's attention, given her nature.  The only consolation was that Kanako would serve to help keep her in check, given how obsessive she was for her adoptive brother's attention.  It was a silver lining of sorts, in its own odd way.  Kaolla also deduced that with the Aoyama sisters nearby that Amalla wouldn't try anything too brazen when it came to making a move on Keitaro, at least not in public anyway.

Kaolla was rounding a corner down the halls when she came across Naru and Shinobu, who were at that moment tending to laundry.

"Hiya there, guys!" chirped Kaolla in her usual, upbeat tone of voice.

"Kaolla," responded Shinobu, "hello there.  And how are you?"

"I'm well," answered Kaolla.  "How are you and Naru getting on?"

"Well," replied Naru, "while we are finishing up the laundry, I must confess that it feels like a pointless endeavour."

"How so?" asked Kaolla.

"Well...look at us," responded Naru, gesturing to herself along with Shinobu and Kaolla.  "At our current size, all of our clothing will be inadequately small for any of us to wear.  It's as if we're washing and drying clothing meant for toddlers or small children.  You agree with me, right Shinobu?"  Naru turned her head to the blue-haired, blue eyed girl to make her point.

"Naru does have a point, Kaolla," responded Shinobu.  "While I'm certainly happy to help out with the laundry, it feels like a pointless endeavor if none of our clothes end up fitting.  Maybe we're just better off donating them to charity if we can't ever wear them again."

"Silly Shinobu," replied Kaolla.  "What did I tell you earlier this morning?  Whatever clothes we can't wear we can simply recycle into my 3D clothing printer.  It'll modify the color, fabric type, and any other accessories so that you'll have something to wear that fits you when I print it out.  So you don't have to worry about having clothes to wear in the future.  And like my sister said before she left, she's having a massive shipment of cloth and fabric coming in by tomorrow, so you won't have to worry about clothing that fits you if you end up getting bigger."

"Don't you mean WHEN we end up getting bigger?" responded Naru, figuring that Kaolla was not being entirely open in her explanations.  Kaolla simply responded by giggling, realizing that Naru was more perceptive and deductive than Kaolla assumed of her.

"In any case," Kaolla continued, "you can just take whatever clothes you've finished washing and drying and hand them over to me.  I'll have them recycled into my machine so that you'll have new clothing ready for you whenever you end up having another growth spurt."

After hearing this explanation regarding wardrobe considerations, Shinobu sighed in relief, grateful that she wouldn't have to worry about bursting out of whatever clothes she was wearing, at least for a few hours at a time anyway.

"Well then, if you guys are finishing up, I'll leave you to it and go check on one of the others," said Kaolla in her usual cheery tone.

"Wait a minute," said Naru, trying to intercept Kaolla before she strolled off.

"Yes, Naru?"

"Have you made any progress with creating an antidote or serum of some kind for your little ‘growth hormone' since we last spoke?"

"It's too soon to tell yet, Naru," responded Kaolla.  "I've taken blood samples from everybody  the first time we entered my bedroom and begun analyzing them in my lab.  Even so, this will take several hours if not a few days to properly isolate and reverse engineer the chemical compounds of my growth hormone formula.  Like I told you earlier, I never tested this batch on a living organism up until that night in the baths."  Kaolla momentarily paused in her explanation before chuckling and resuming her talk.

"Well, that is, I didn't test this batch on a living organism, right Shinobu?" asked Kaolla with a chuckling smirk as she eyed her close friend.  The ordinarily timid, blue-haired girl became greatly embarrassed as her face lit up like a freshly reddened chili pepper.

"What is she talking about, Shinobu?" asked Naru with suspicion in her voice.

At this point, Shinobu figured that the game was up, so she ended up spilling the beans as to how Kaolla's growth hormone ended up leaving her bedroom.  While Shinobu elaborated that it was Sarah who actually made off with the bottle containing the growth hormone, she considered herself at least somewhat guilty for not intervening and insisting that the semi-rebellious American girl return the bottle to Kaolla's room.  During the explanation, Kaolla simply smirked as her best friend explained how the bottle ended up journeying across the hallways of the Hinata dorms before making its way out front.

"But I don't know how it ended up making its way into the baths, I swear," cried Shinobu as tears started welling up in her eyes, reliving the events of that night and feeling guilty in the process.  Kaolla simply responded to this explanation-turned-confession by walking over and embracing Shinobu in a hug.

"Shinobu, I'm not mad at you one little bit," whispered Kaolla into Shinobu's ear.  "So please don't cry anymore, okay?"

"But...but..." replied Shinobu, sniffling in the process, "because of what Sarah and I did that night, we're now all turning into giants.  If I just stopped her by force, or called for someone nearby, or made a grab for the bottle, or something else...then maybe things would be different.  Maybe we wouldn't be getting bigger and taller and scaring Keitaro-sempai in the process.  I should have done more.  I should have-"

By this point, Shinobu becomes embraced by both Kaolla and now Naru in a sort of ‘hug sandwich,' with Kaolla hugging her from the front while Naru hugs her from behind.  Shinobu ends up being momentarily shocked before turning around to face Naru.

"Shinobu," said Naru, "I'm basically in agreement with Kaolla.  Don't beat yourself up over this.  What's done is done and so far, Kaolla seems to have certain countermeasures in place to help us out during this transformation.  So please don't go tearing up and blaming yourself for what has happened.  If anything, I'd say that Sarah is mostly to blame for this, given how mischievous she can be at times.  But even so, I'm not going to thrash her over this.  Maybe give her a stern talking to, but that would be the extent of it."

‘Though I imagine that if Haruka finds out Sarah was behind this, then SHE might give the girl a little taste of corporal punishment...at the very least a karate chop to the top of her skull.' thought Naru in self-reflection.

"Naru's right, Shinobu," responded Kaolla.  "I don't want you feeling like this is all your fault, because it isn't.  I'm sure you insisted that Sarah return the formula and that the whole lot of you made an effort to retrieve the bottle that night.  The only thing I cannot quite figure out is how the bottle ended up making its way from the front porch area of the dorms to the hot springs all the way in the back.  Well, however it did so, it's like Naru said: ‘What's done is done,' so best not to worry about how we got here and simply make the best of things as they are now."

After getting the necessary pep talk from the two girls hugging her from each side, Shinobu calmed down and wiped her eyes of whatever tears had accumulated during her minor emotional breakdown.

"Thanks, you guys," said Shinobu.  "You know just how to get me to calm down when I go to pieces like that."

"Anytime," Naru responded with a smile.

"Of course," said Shinobu, "after all, we're practically like family, aren't we?"

Shinobu chuckled at Kaolla's forwardness in describing their relationship as she thought to herself on that declaration. ‘I suppose in a way that we're all kind of like sisters...in a way of looking at things.  We certainly have been there for each other when we've been at our low points or going through difficult times.'

Then, upon Kaolla's mentioning of the word family, Shinobu briefly seized up in alarm, with her eyes wide open.

"What's wrong, Shinobu?" asked Naru.

"I just realized something," responded Shinobu.

"What is that?" inquired Kaolla.

"What are we going to tell our families about this whole ‘growth hormone' situation we're going through?"  The question was followed by a momentary pause in silence as the girls weren't quite sure how they were going to explain to their relatives as to how they've all shot up in height by several inches in less than a day.  Deciding to break the ice, Kaolla tried a touch of sarcastic comedy.

"Well, we could just tell them that we're just getting a super dose of puberty, I suppose.  After all, we are all young and GROWING girls, you know." joked Kaolla.

While Kaolla was catching up with Naru and Shinobu, Mei decided to take a momentary break from window cleaning and grab a quick drink from the kitchen.  As she poured herself a rather tall glass of water, she paused for a moment to take in the difference in scale of everything around her.  The glass she held looked smaller and felt lighter.  The refrigerator appeared less imposing than previously.  The cabinets were all well within her reach now as opposed to twenty-four hours ago, even the highest among them.  The whole experience felt surreal.  It was as if she had fast-forwarded in maturity into a fully grown adult woman, only the transformation had occurred over the span of one night and the early hours of the morning.

And if Kaolla's calculations and predictions were accurate, which Mei had no reason to assume that they were not so, then everything would be even shorter, lighter, and smaller in perspective in the days to come.  The thought of it all was as exhilarating as it was worrisome.

After all, while Mei certainly didn't mind being taller and having a more developed figure, she didn't want things to go overboard in terms of her overall size.  She wouldn't mind being on the high end of the five foot range, even into the low-to-mid six foot range.  But going beyond that would make her stand out like a freshly swollen sore thumb, and daily life for her would be full of inconveniences, if not outright difficult to live in an ever-shrinking world, surrounded by people resembling children to her relative in size and buildings that would slowly become akin to playhouses relative to her increasing stature.

These were the thoughts that troubled Mei's mind as she toured the hallways of Hinata House, when soon enough she ended up bumping (quite literally) into Sarah as the girl was focused on her task of waxing the floors.

"Oomph...hey, what gives!?" bellowed Sarah at suddenly colliding with someone while she was in the middle of her house chore.

"Ugh," grunted Mei in response, "Sarah?"

"Oh!  Uh...sorry about that, Mei.  I didn't see you there."  By this point, Sarah had lost her edge and was apologizing for the surprise encounter, her face lighting up with a blush signaling her embarrassment.

"N-no trouble there, Sarah," responded Mei as she rubbed her noggin from the impact.  "How are you getting on with your work?"

"Uhg" groaned Sarah, "it's sooo boring.  I can't believe I actually said 'okay' to doing this kind of stuff.  It's only because Haruka told me that if I didn't do something during the day, that she would make me pay for it in one way or another, and since I didn't feel like pushing my luck with her, I figured that I'd take a crack at doing the floors so that she can't say I was lazy the whole time."

"Well," said Mei with a chuckle in response, "I'm glad that you're doing something productive during the day, and I'm sure that Haruka and the others will appreciate it the next time they take a stroll through the halls."

"Yeah, yeah," groaned Sarah as she rolled her eyes.  "I'm just glad that Nyamo offered to help me out with this stuff.  Otherwise, it would have probably taken me twice as long to get the job done."

"More help makes the work go faster," responded Nyamo, getting to the point in her usual fashion.

"Well, I can give you guys a hand soon," replied Mei.  "I'm nearly finished with the interior of the windows by this point, so if you guys still have a lot of floor left to cover, then I can assist you in the next half hour or so."

"Hey, I'm not gonna turn down any extra help," chuckled Sarah.  "But since you're here, I thought I'd ask you something."

"What's that?" asked Mei.

"How are you feeling about all of this?"

"About what?"

"You know, the growth spurts.  Isn't it freakin' amazing?!"  Sarah's eyes lit up at this point, as if there were twinkling stars emanating from her pupils.  Mei paused for a moment before responding.

"I don't know.  I mean, I'm certainly glad that my body is filling out, as I'm sure that you're just as happy if not more so that your body is doing the same thing.  And it also doesn't hurt having a few extra inches in height as well.  But..."

"But?" said Sarah with a cocked eyebrow.

"But how much bigger will we end up getting?" continued Mei.  "We are now all well past five and a half feet in height, and I'm just referring to you, me, Shinobu, Nyamo, and Kaolla.  The other girls are even taller than that by a good amount; heck, Amalla and Tsuruko are closing in on seven feet tall as it stands.  If Kaolla's formula is as strong as she believes it is, and we keep having these growth spurts at a regular pace, then how big are we going to be by tonight?  Or by tomorrow night?  Or a week from now?  The thought of such a thing has me concerned.  What if we all end up over ten feet tall?  How are we going to function in day-to-day life?  Everything would be far too small for us to use, and I'm not just talking about things like clothing or cups and dishes.  I'm talking about sleeping arrangements, vehicles, and even buildings"

"You think it'll get that bad?" asked Sarah with some caution in her voice.

"Do you think you could fit into most rooms around here without bumping your head into the ceiling if you tried to stand up straight?  I'm not talking about right this minute, but in the coming days, on the off chance you end up a good ten feet tall or higher.  So much of your everyday life would change drastically.  You probably would be barred from any public school out of fear for the safety of other students and the teachers."

"That's ridiculous," replied Sarah, "I wouldn't hurt anyone, unless they attacked me first or were hurting someone else."

"Your size alone would be reason enough in their eyes," countered Mei.  "If you were so big that you couldn't stand upright indoors, then that alone would be of concern to everyone else in school.  In their minds, they might wonder what would happen if you had a full-blown temper tantrum and started attacking students or the teachers and faculty members.  Would they be able to stop you at such a size?  Maybe if they all teamed up on you, and even then that might not be enough, especially if you continue growing bigger and bigger.  Now imagine that times five if you factor in Shinobu, Nyamo, Kaolla, and myself alongside you.  The idea of five girls who towered over everyone else in school could very well be frightening in their eyes, even if we all meant well and were as peaceful as we could possibly be."

"I...I guess I never looked at it like that..." muttered Sarah in a moment of self-reflection, her tone rather deflated by this point.

"Then of course, there's the situation with your personal life," continued Mei.

"What are you getting at?" replied Sarah.

"Sarah..." said Mei, pausing for a moment so that she could choose her next words carefully, "do you believe your dad would be okay if you ended up towering over him?"

At this question, Sarah was taken aback somewhat.  Her adoptive father, Noriyasu Seta, was a solid 6'1" in height, so at the moment, he was still taller than her.  But if Sarah kept at it with the growth spurts, that height difference would soon shift in Sarah's favor.  She would end up towering over her dad, first by a few inches, then several inches, then several feet depending on the effects of Kaolla's experimental growth hormone.  The thought of such a thing left her bewildered and just a tad bit frightened the more she dwelled on it.  Would her dad be afraid of her if she was 8 feet tall?  Or 9 feet?  Or 10 feet?  Or more than double Seta's height?  As her mind went down the hypothetical rabbit hole, Sarah started to tear up and her lips began to tremble at the thought of such a thing.

"W-w-what have I done?" said Sarah, more to herself than to anyone else.

"Sarah?" asked Nyamo with concern, picking up on the blonde haired girl's sudden change in mood.

A moment later, Sarah fell to her knees and started sobbing, burying her face into her hands to hide the tears that were now trailing down her face.  She didn't want the others to see how pathetic she must have looked by that point.  Of course, Mei and Nyamo knelt down and placed their hands upon her back and shoulders to console her, trying to calm the girl down.

"I...I didn't think...that...something...like that...could happen..." said Sarah between sobs, barely able to get the words out as she instinctively choked up from her sudden breakdown after hearing Mei's logic-based concerns.

"Hey, Sarah, it'll be okay," said Mei in a soothing tone of voice.  "I know I said I was concerned about what might happen, but I'm sure Kaolla will think of something to fix things before then."

"B-but...but what if you're right?" asked Sarah.

"Right about what?" asked Mei.

"Everything...you said...just earlier.  What if...we get...so big...that we can't...sleep in...our rooms...anymore?" Sarah choked out between bouts of sobbing.  "What if...my dad...doesn't...love me...anymore?  What if...we all...end up...being...taken...away...by the...government...or military...and studied...like lab rats?"  Even with the consolation from the other two girls, Sarah could barely keep her composure as the tears were now streaming like waterfalls from her eyes, while snot was dribbling down her nose.

At this point, Nyamo instinctively wrapped her arms around Sarah in a tight embrace.  Whenever someone was at an emotional low point, the dark-skinned islander girl resorted to the simplest act of human contact to help relieve them of their inner pain and worries.  It was an act that Mei followed soon after, wrapping her arms around Sara from the opposite side.  For a minute or so, Sarah was flanked on each side in a firm, warm embrace from the other two girls.

"Please don't cry, Sarah," whispered Nyamo.  "I don't like seeing people sad."

"Yeah," added Mei.  "I'm sorry that I worried you with my concerns.  I didn't mean to upset you or make you feel responsible for this in any way."

"But I AM," replied Sarah.  "I'm the one who snatched that bottle.  I'm the one who took it outside of Kaolla's room.  If I had left damn well enough alone, then none of this would be happening.  I...I just wanted to be a little taller...and have a nicer figure, that's all.  I didn't think this might get out of control, honestly."  Sarah had begun to descend from her emotional climax, as the tears and snot began to wane somewhat from her breakdown point.

"Sarah, I know you didn't mean to do any harm in what you did," replied Mei as she continued embracing the free-spirited American girl, "you were just acting in the spur of the moment, and things simply got out of hand, that's all.  I'm not mad at you, and I like to think that most if not all of the other girls don't hold a grudge against you either.  Right, Nyamo?"  Nyamo nodded her head in response before speaking up.

"I'm not mad at you, Sarah.  And I don't think Shinobu or Kaolla will be mad at you either.  It was an accident, and if you apologize to everyone, I think they will forgive you.  Maybe Haruka will be a little mad at what you did, but I don't think she'll hate you for it."  Nyamo always had a way of checking off all the boxes in getting her points across.

"You...you really think nobody's gonna hold a grudge against me for this?" asked Sarah.  If there was one thing she truly feared in life, it was being completely alone, with nobody there for her to turn to for support.  The very thought of both her father and everyone at Hinata hating her for what she did put her in a very fragile emotional state.

"I truly believe that everyone at Hinata will forgive you for what happened," answered Mei.  "Maybe they'll be a little upset with you for running off with the bottle, but if you truly show that you're sorry, I think that they will let it go, especially if Kaolla comes up with a way to fix this little ‘growth problem' of ours.  In time, it'll simply be ‘water under the bridge,' as the old saying goes."  There was another momentary pause until Sarah responded, now in a much more stable emotional state.

"Thanks, guys," she said.  "I really needed that."

"Hey, what are friends for?" replied Mei with a grin.

"Want to take a break?" asked Nyamo.  "Maybe grab something to eat real quick?"

"Sure, I'm game," replied Sarah.  "I could use some comfort food right about now...maybe some chocolate or some cookies if we have any."

"No harm in checking," said Mei.  "But please don't gorge yourself on those kinds of things too much.  You'll spoil your appetite for dinner otherwise."

"Geez, Mei," said Sarah with an eyeroll, "you really know how to be somebody's mother sometimes, you know?"

"I'm just looking out for my friends," Mei retorted.  "What's so wrong about that?"

"Oh nothing," said Sarah with a chuckle.  "I know that's just your way of showing you care."

Soon after, all three girls made their way down the hallway towards the kitchen to grab a quick snack during their break from house chores.

"So then, how are things ‘round here so far?" asked Kitsune with a grin.

"About as well as can be hoped for, given the current circumstances," replied Haruka.

At the moment, Kitsune and Mutsumi (both of whom had finished their house chores) had joined Haruka on her smoke break outside the cafe/teahouse.  All three women were standing behind the cafe to avoid the number of eyes on them.

Sure enough, when Haruka entered the teahouse to begin her managerial duties, her presence raised several eyebrows and brought forth even more questions than that.  While Haruka wasn't exactly short in stature, the fact that she had shot up by nearly a foot in height made people instinctively curious as to just how she had grown so much in so short a time, especially given that she was a woman who was 30 years old at that, and thus well past her pubescent years.  Haruka tried her best to answer these questions without drawing too much suspicion and a myriad of follow-up questions.

"Basically, one of our tenants up at the dorms had a science experiment go bad and what you see is the end result."  Those were Haruka's words to any of the regulars who asked just how she had shot up in height along with breast size.  Given that Haruka was usually easy to get along with, people around the cafe wouldn't ask too much into the sudden size change that the woman had gone through.  Aside from the regulars who visited the teahouse from time to time, not many people were familiar with the older Urashima woman, so while the sight of a 6 foot 4 inch beauty was certainly eye-catching, most of the customers there didn't seem too alarmed by it.

"So, other than the occasional stares and the regulars lookin' real shocked at the change, are things okay otherwise?" asked Kitsune.

"Well," continued Haruka, "the staff are obviously taken aback by the new me, especially Kentaro.  I've noticed him doing a sideways glance at me, probably checking out my chest or my rear when he thinks I don't notice."  Haruka rolled her eyes at this announcement.

"You want me to find him an' set him straight?" asked Kitsune.  She figured with her new elevation, she could put the semi-perverted little playboy-wannabe in his place.

"No, he's harmless enough," replied Haruka.  "So long as he keeps to his work and doesn't make any over-the-top sexual comments or physical advances - which I seriously doubt he would try -  then I say it's just best to leave him be.  I don't mind if he takes a quick peak for a second or two.  It's like an old saying I once heard:  ‘Checking out someone's body is like staring at the sun - a small glance for a second or two is harmless, but keep staring and you'll be in trouble.'  Figured the same logic applies in this case."

"Well, you're certainly more restrained than I would be on that topic," replied Kitsune.

"Would you like some extra help around here?" asked Mutsumi.  "Kitsune and I are finished with our chores, so we figured you could use some company.  I certainly don't mind helping around the shop wherever you need assistance."  The Okinawan girl kept her warm, matronly disposition as she spoke, radiating a softness that others would instinctively find charming and welcoming.

"I won't say no to any help you wish to offer," replied Haruka as she finished the last draw of her cigarette.  "You can help out with waiting on tables if you like or with cleaning cups and dishes in the back.  With the nice weather we've been having, we're getting more customers than average, so that'll certainly have this place pretty busy throughout the day."

"What do you say, Kitsune?" asked Mutsumi with a smile.

"Well, sure I suppose I can stick around for a bit an' help with the little things.  I'm not sure how good I'll be at waitin' tables, but I'll give it a shot.  If need be, you an' me can go back n' forth between tendin' customers and doin' dishes.  Sound good?"

"Oh, you'll do fine, Kitsune," replied Haruka.  "All you really need to worry about is getting the right orders to the right customers.  I'll have Kentaro work the dishes in the back, so the two of you can focus on waitressing throughout the cafe.  I figure with two tall towering beauties walking throughout the shop that word will spread and we'll get some increased foot traffic coming along here."  Haruka finished this statement with a coy grin.

"Well then, why don't YOU join in on bein' the eye candy as well, Haruka?" asked Kitsune with a minor blush upon hearing Haruka's suggestion.

"I need to manage the counter and work the register.  If need be I can assist you two if things get really busy, but for now the two of you should suffice.  I also have others in the back assisting Kentaro with dishes and other maintenance-related tasks, so I can call out one of them if you need further assistance."

"Alright then, well shall we get started then?" asked Mutsumi.

"Sure thing," replied Haruka as she put out the butt of her cigarette and tossed it into a nearby ashtray.

With that, the three women made their way back inside the teahouse, with Haruka managing the counter and working the register, while Kitsune and Mutsumi waitressed tables, and getting a few perverted stares from among the male clientele.  After all, it isn't everyday that a man is greeted by a woman in the six foot range who has a model-like figure, especially when it comes to the breast department.  Ogling aside, neither Kitsune nor Mutsumi were subjected to any groping or out-of-line catcalls.  The customer base figured that between the three towering beauties working in the shop, that the likelihood of being thrown out on one's ass was fairly high if they acted out of place.

Meanwhile, back with Keitaro and company in the shopping district.

"So Keitaro, what do you think about these melons, huh?" asked Amalla.  The girl was standing just inches away from Keitaro as she held a pair of watermelons in her arms.  Of course, given her proximity to the man, she was standing so that when he turned around, he was greeted by the sight of her bosom hovering proudly within his field of vision, her mammaries hanging spectacularly in front of him.  When he turned around, Keitaro instinctively gulped, his breath seizing in his throat.

"Umm...why uh...they look quite nice, Amalla," said Keitaro as he glanced down at the watermelons underneath Amalla's ‘melons'.  Of course, this is what Amalla had planned to happen, hoping to get a rise out of Keitaro and loving every second of it.

"So then, should we add them to the cart then?" asked Amalla with a smile.

"S-sure thing," responded Keitaro with a heavy blush on his face.  "I'm sure that the other girls will enjoy it as a snack.  If I remember right, I believe Mutsumi is particularly fond of watermelon, so I know she'll be really happy we got some."

"Now, now, Amalla," replied Tsuruko as she walked over towards the two of them, "I'm sure Mr. Urashima would rather you not tease him so much, right sir?"  She turned her lovely gaze towards Keitaro at the end of her statement-turned-question.

From Keitaro's viewpoint, the experience he was having was really quite something.  All the women of Hinata House were tall, but Amalla and Tsuruko were the twin towers of the bunch.  Standing between the two of them, Keitaro felt like a child standing between older siblings or parents.  Their proximity was as charming as it was intimidating.  And aside from the closeness of their bodies (and their bosoms basically level with Keitaro's face), there was also one other thing that was driving Keitaro wild deep inside: the smell.

At that moment, Keitaro couldn't help but think back to that one movie starring Al Pacino.  What was it called again?  "Scent of a Woman," right?  That seemed to match what he was experiencing perfectly.  Being in the presence of so many women who were both tall and physically alluring was tempting enough, but it was the scent that they gave off that REALLY made Keitaro fight his primal urges.  The numerous smells that emanated from them made Keitaro try his damndest to stave off wanting to inhale deeply and take in the richness of their scents.  While it varied from woman to woman, the smells were all equally enticing.  Sometimes it was the smell of tropical fruits like watermelon, oranges, pineapple, or mangoes.  Other times it was the soothing smell of incense sticks and scented candles.  Still other times it would be plants like mint, juniper, or lavender.  Each scent would bring out something base within Keitaro's being, and alongside the curves that ALL of these women were sporting alongside their dominating heights, it took everything within Keitaro's will to not want to jump on them like a dog in heat.  He could never live with himself if he resorted to acting on impulse, and he was sure that the women would all resent him for trying such a thing, which he believed that they would be in the right to think such of him.

This is what was going through Keitaro's mind as he stood in close proximity between Amalla and Tsuruko.

"Mr. Urashima?  Mr. Urashima, are you okay, sir?" asked Tsuruko as she stared down at Keitaro with concern on her face.  This made both her and Amalla instinctively lean in closer to examine him, which in turn made Keitaro's face light up redder than a burning hot piece of coal.

"Uhh...yes, I'm okay, Miss Tsuruko," stammered Keitaro, whose face was now inches away from both towering beauties who stared at him with laser-like focus, worry apparent in their features.

"Alright then," replied Tsuruko, "if you are sure.  You just spaced out while I was speaking to you, so I wasn't sure if you were physically well or not.  And please, feel free to simply call me Tsuruko."

"Uhm...sure," replied Keitaro.  "And if you like, you can just call me by my first name instead of ‘Mr. Urashima.'  I figured it's only fair if I'm allowed to call you ‘Tsuruko,' after all."

"Why then, I shall gladly take you up on your offer, Mr. Ura-...I mean, Keitaro."  Tsuruko's cheeks had increased with a rosy hue upon her lovely features - a sight that Amalla was cognizant of as she glanced sideways at the swordswoman.

‘Well now,' thought Amalla with a smirk, ‘this is helping things move in the right direction.  With a little more nudging, I can get her into the harem in practically no time.  So long as this chemistry keeps up its pacing, she'll be nicely folded into the group in just a few days at most.  I couldn't hope for a better outcome.'

"So then, what else shall we purchase while we're here?" asked Amalla.

"Well, given that we have a larger group at the dorms compared to a few days ago, I'd say that it would be best to stock up on pretty much everything." said Keitaro.

"Should we contact Kaolla soon so that she may send her mechanical turtle to airlift our goods out of here?" asked Tsuruko.

"In a little bit," responded Keitaro.  "Let's take a look over at the vegetable stands and see what's available.  I'm also thinking of getting some more meat, as I know we're running low on those as well.  Maybe we can make a big pot of something, like stew or some kind of hot pot dish."

"That sounds delightful, Keitaro," replied Amalla.  "In any case, I'll add these watermelons to the cart.  I'm sure they'll make a nice snack between meals."

Keitaro, Amalla, and Tsuruko proceeded their way through the market stalls, grabbing people's attention as they made their way through the crowd.  It was obvious enough as to why: the sight of Amalla and Tsuruko was something almost otherworldly.  Here were two women with supermodel figures and nearly seven feet tall walking through the marketplace as if nothing was out of place.  The only times their heights served as an inconvenience was whenever they had to bend over somewhat to get a better look at the various food items on display, which in turn presented their prodigious bosoms to the vendors and a sight of their rear ends to anybody who happened to be behind them.  Once more, the presence of these two sexy amazons near Keitaro made him rather red in the face with embarrassment and repressed sexual tension.

The trio proceeded to make their way towards Motoko and Kanako, who were looking at the different loaves of bread on display, along with numerous types of cheeses and dairy products in the neighboring stands.

"How are you two making out over here?" asked Tsuruko.

"These cheeses appear to be of a fine enough quality," replied Motoko.

"And there's a wide enough selection of breads over here," answered Kanako.

"Well then, let's take a look at them, shall we?" replied Amalla.

As the ladies proceeded to sample the different breads, cheeses, meats, and vegetables, Keitaro was once more in awe of the sight before him.  Standing before both Amalla and Tsuruko made him feel small; now that Motoko and Kanako had joined the group amidst the shopping trip, he felt even more so.  While Kanako was the shortest of the bunch, she was still over six feet tall now, which made Keitaro feel like the runt of the group.  In the presence of these four amazons, Keitaro was as humbled as he was cautious.  He figured that if any one of them were to launch an attack at him, that he would be in serious trouble, and if all four ganged up on him, he'd be in really, REALLY deep trouble, especially since two of them were trained swordswomen and Amalla had sufficient training in hand-to-hand combat.  Even Kanako would easily be a match for Keitaro in a fight, if not his superior, as she had proven herself a capable enough brawler in her early highschool years.

After an hour or so of shopping, the group figured that they had a big enough haul of groceries, and so the word was put out.  After a brief phone call with Kaolla, she had dispatched one of her giant mecha-Tama transportation craft to Keitaro's position, so that the groceries could be loaded onto it and then simply airlifted straight to Hinata House where everyone else could begin the unloading process.

By this point, the sun was beginning its descent over the horizon and Keitaro decided that the group had accumulated enough groceries for the time being.  It was at this point that Amalla decided to spring the news to Keitaro.

"Oh, from now on, you won't have to worry about another shopping trip like this, Keitaro," said Amalla.  "I have a special delivery on its way.  It should be arriving at Hinata House sometime tomorrow, judging by its trajectory and current weather conditions."

"Huh?" responded Keitaro, shock written all over his face as he stared up at Amalla.

"I figured that it was the least I could do for you, given that you have new tenants and our GROWING predicament.  Consider this your last shopping trip for quite some time, though it was certainly nice to get out of the dorms and take in the surrounding area for a while.  And there will also be incoming staff from Molmol alongside the food and other supplies arriving, so you won't need to worry about dormitory chores either for quite some time."

Upon hearing all of this, Keitaro was taken aback.  Here, Amalla had just decided to unleash a bounty of assistance unto Hinata House and Keitaro was at a loss for words.  Apparently, given his reaction, Amalla couldn't help but chuckle at it, finding it rather adorable.

"B-b-but Amalla," said Keitaro, "how are we going to be able to store all this food you're bringing in?  The refrigerator is only so big and there's not a lot of space in the downstairs food pantry.  If you brought too much, it would be a pity to see it go to waste, especially if it needs refrigeration."

"No need to worry on that front, Keitaro," replied Amalla.  "Once again you can thank Kaolla for the solution to that little problem.  My sister really does think ahead by multiple steps, just like a grand wizard playing chess.  Alongside the foodstuffs and servants, Kaolla has had portable refrigeration technology placed on board the mecha-Tama, so any and all food that requires refrigeration or freezing can simply be stored aboard it until it's ready to be prepared and eaten.  I'd wager that around half of the food being transported from Molmol requires refrigeration, so the other half will simply need storage space without worries over refrigeration requirements."

Amalla's explanation of Kaolla's genius was an outright deus ex machina of sorts.  Whatever concerns Keitaro had regarding supplies, it was as if Kaolla had read his thoughts and had countermeasures prepared well before the concerns even crossed his mind.  All Keitaro could do was stare at Amalla with a deer-in-the-headlights look as he was blown away by the minor miracle she had just laid before him.

"W-well then, Amalla, I suppose that all I can say to both you and Kaolla is ‘thank you.' Truly, from the bottom of my heart, I cannot thank you enough for your assistance in this.  It'll certainly help out the Hinata House regarding our food budget with the aid you've brought us, and so once again, thank you."   Keitaro finished with a customary bow, as was tradition in much of Japanese society.

Amalla simply responded by glomping onto Keitaro as he lifted his head.

"Oh, you little cutie," replied Amalla as she buried Keitaro's head into her bosom, "there's no need to thank me for such a thing.  I'm more than happy to assist you in whatever way possible.  After all, you are my caretaker during my stay here, so I feel it's only right to reward such hospitality in whatever way I can."

Keitaro would have responded, had his face not been buried in the boobflesh of Amalla's generous bosom.  All he could do in that moment was muffle a response, which ended up tickling Amalla's skin, much to her delight.  A moment later, Keitaro was yanked free from Amalla's grasp, only to find his face being buried into another bosom.

"Hey!  Hands off, queenie!" replied Kanako.  "You may be royalty and all, but don't go getting too chummy with MY Keitaro!"  Upon this declaration, Kanako had ended up smothering her adoptive brother into her bosom, which while it wasn't as large as Amalla's was still quite generous and pleasing, at least from Keitaro's perspective, limited as it was being smothered in the soft darkness of her breasts.

"Oh?" responded Amalla with a grin.  "YOUR Keitaro, you say?  Are you now engaged to him, my dear sweet Kanako?"

Amalla's question made Kanako turn a deep crimson, such was the power of her blush.  It would seem that Amalla was only all too keen to try and flush out Kanako's true feelings for Keitaro right there and then.  The younger Urashima girl simply stood there on the spot, frozen in place while Keitaro's head was sandwiched in between her E-cup sized breasts.

"Now, now," Tsuruko declared, deciding to intervene, coming forward, gently grabbing Keitaro's right arm, and inadvertently pressing her bosom against the right side of Keitaro's head, "I believe that's enough teasing, as Keitaro is clearly being flustered by all of this."  Whether she meant to or not, Tsuruko was only exacerbating Keitaro's sexual angst, now making contact with two sets of breasts.  Unfortunately for him, his time in marshmallow hell was not quite over just yet.

"I agree with Tsuruko," said Motoko, making her way closer towards the group.  In the process, she had flanked Kanako's right side and placed her arms upon Keitaro's left side, which placed her bosom up against the left side of Keitaro's head.

"We should let up on Keitaro," said Motoko, inadvertently doing the opposite as her breasts ended up joining the others in pressing up against three sides of Keitaro's head now.  "I'm sure he's been teased enough already for today."

Amalla saw all of this unfold and couldn't help but join in the fray, deciding it was simply too much fun to pass up.  Right after Tsuruko and Motoko flanked Keitaro and pressed their own bosoms into his head, which left him being smothered from three sides now, Amalla decided to turn the triangle of boobs into a square and flank Keitaro from behind, pressing her bosom into the back of Keitaro's head and completely trapping the hapless dorm manager.  Now he was pressed up against four amazons, with their breasts pressed up against all sides of his head and his body pinned against theirs, feeling their soft skin mixed with the firm musculature of their torso and legs.

To say that Keitaro was in a torture chamber of pleasure would have been an understatement.  In that moment, it took every fiber of his being to not pass out from sensory overload from all of the pleasure he was experiencing.  The feeling of so many female bodies pressed up against him was temptation enough, but the mix of all their scents now bombarding him was bringing him close to the edge.  In a few more seconds, Keitaro would either pass out from a nose bleed or the simple shock of so much pleasure from being sandwiched on four sides by the amazons who currently had him pinned.

"Mphf lds mf m mmm" said Keitaro through the muffled breasts he currently found himself in, with his face pinned in between Kanako's breasts specifically (much to both her pleasure and embarrassment).

"What was that Keitaro/Keitaro/Keitaro/Big Brother?" said all four women at the same time as they eased up their grip on him and gave him room to breathe while still holding him firm against their bodies (all four of them).

"I said ‘Ladies, if I may,' or was trying to anyway," said Keitaro, still red in the face from embarrassment, but now thankful that he could breathe now that his head wasn't being squished from all sides by boobflesh.

Before he could elaborate any further on the situation, there was a sudden disturbance within the marketplace, which drew everyone's attention to the source of said disturbance.

"I told you, old man, pay up now or there's gonna be trouble, YOU HEAR ME!?"

These words came from the lips of a rather unsavory individual, a man over six feet tall wearing biker clothing and who didn't care much for bathing.  He had a spiked mohawk, piercings and tattoos across his face and arms, wore a black leather vest with torn blue jeans and black leather boots.  On his fingers were numerous rings and around his neck were numerous chains, some of them gold plated.  His demeanor was rather nasty and he was apparently in no mood to be trifled with.

"I told you, I don't want your so-called ‘protection' anymore," said an older gentleman.  His appearance was rather frail looking, given his age.  The man had gray hair, wrinkled features, and wore a black long-sleeve shirt with matching black pants, a white apron, and a simple straw hat.  His stall was sporting numerous kinds of fish and seafood, so clearly he worked the stand where he sold his catches.

"I've told you for weeks now," the old man continued, "I don't want to pay you thugs anymore!  I've paid enough already, now leave me be!"

At the moment, the old man's stall was surrounded by a dozen or so thugs like the one who shouted at him.  Some were dressed up in similar biker attire like the big, mohawk-haired brute, while others wore business suits in shades of black, blue, or gray.  Clearly, this was some kind of local criminal gang who decided to strong-arm this fish vendor into accepting their "protection" for a hefty fee, and apparently, the vendor had enough of their intimidating him.

"I don't think you get it, old man," said the mohawk-haired biker, "you're out when we SAY you're out.  You're in no position to be making demands of any kind.  So either pay what you owe, or else, we're gonna help ourselves to your stand.  What do you say fellas?  In the mood for some fish for dinner tonight?"  The thug gestured to his comrades, who in turn hollered in approval at the idea of robbing the old man of all the seafood at his stand.

"This is bad," said Keitaro.  "We should call the police if someone hasn't done so already, but I don't know if they'll get here in time before something really bad happens."  Before he could say another word, Amalla, Tsuruko, and Motoko had already broken off from their embrace of Keitaro and were making their way towards the group of thugs.

"Say, what's going on here, fellas?" asked Amalla with a grin on her face as she led the other two towards the gang of ruffians.  "You wouldn't happen to be the ones causing a ruckus around here now, are you?"  The presence of these three towering women brought a collective hush among the gang members, as they stared up in awe at the sight of these towering beauties.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?  Haven't seen somebody like YOU around here in all my days.  You certainly are an exotic one, aren't ya?  What are you?  Indian?"  The biker thug couldn't help but notice that this woman towered over him by several inches, which made him a bit worrisome on the inside, though he did his darndest not to show it.

"Never you mind where I'm from," replied Amalla.  "All you need to know now is that I'm here, as well as my friends," she said, gesturing to Motoko and Tsuruko, "and the whole lot of YOU were just leaving."  Amalla's message was received well enough, though the thugs weren't in any mood to back down from such a statement.

"Say babe," replied the mohawk-haired ruffian, "how about I show you a good time?  Ain't everyday that I meet a chick that I have to look UP to, ya know.  Me and my boys can show you and your girlfriends a good ole time out on the town, really liven things up for ya, you know?"

The brute's attempt at flirting amused Amalla, thinking to herself ‘As if you EVER had a chance with me.'  Motoko and Tsuruko simply stood by, disgust clearly written on their faces at the notion of spending time with this bunch of brutes, ruffians, and hooligans.

"Thanks for the offer," said Amalla, sarcasm laden in her voice, "but I'm already spoken for."

"Oh really?  Who then?  Certainly not that little twerp over there, you mean?" asked the brute as he pointed towards Keitaro.

At this gesture, Kanako was ready to shout something in return.  ‘How dare he insult Big Brother's honor!' she thought to herself.  Yet before Kanako could shout in response to the ruffian's statement, Amalla had beaten her to the punch.

"Don't you DARE belittle that man in my presence ever again, you hear me!?" Amalla bellowed as she got right up in the ruffian's face as she stared straight down at him.  "He is ten times...no...a hundred times the man you will ever hope to be!  And he knows how to treat a lady, I'll let you know.  Between you and him, I'd choose him every single time without a second thought, so don't waste your breath trying to hit it off with me.  I'd sooner be torn apart by wolves or bears than spend a night in bed with the likes of you or your goons."  Amalla's point was made clear enough, only the thug didn't take too kindly to the insult.

"So..." said the thug, "you'd rather be torn apart by wild animals than have a good time with us, huh?  Well, I ain't got no wolves or bears at the ready, but maybe WE can do instead.  You think you're too good for us?  Too good for ME!?"  The rage in his voice and face was all too apparent by this point.

"I don't THINK we're too good for the likes of you; I KNOW we're too good for the likes of you." declared Amalla, as Motoko and Tsuruko nodded in agreement with her declaration.

"Well that does it then," hollered the thug.  "You know, growing up, I was told not to hit girls...but in your case, I'll make an exception!"  Upon this statement, the thug cocked his right arm back and prepared to slug Amalla with a fist right to the face.

"Amalla, look out!" shouted Keitaro as he witnessed the biker thug ready to clobber the tall Molmolian woman.

‘He worries about me even though I tower over him by more than a foot.  He really is such a sweetie-pie.'  These were Amalla's thoughts as she easily intercepted the brute's fist in her hand, wrapping her fingers around it as she did so, before starting to twist his whole arm back against him to show the clear dominance in raw strength between the two of them.  He grunted in response, clearly not expecting this tall, dark beautiful stranger to overpower him in a show of strength.

"You...bitch!" he grunted as Amalla twisted his arm as far back as it could go.

"Now, now," Amalla replied, "is that any way to talk to a lady?"  She followed up on her question with a solid strike to the thug's stomach, knocking the wind out of him as well as pushing him back a few feet in the process.  The move surprised the entire crowd of thugs and gangsters, as well as everybody else in the vicinity of the market.

"Oh that does it!" hollered another of the gangsters.  "This overgrown chick wants to rumble?  I say let's give her something to rumble over!"  The declaration was followed by a collective roar from the other thugs and brutes within the group, some of whom started pulling out knives, tonfas, and brass knuckles to prepare for combat.  All this did was elicit a grin from Amalla, who turned towards Motoko and Tsuruko in the process.

"Care to join in on the fun, ladies?" she asked the Aoyama sisters.

"I certainly don't mind showing ruffians and vagabonds the error of their ways," replied Tsuruko as she stepped forward, brandishing her katana and unsheathing it from its scabbard before flipping it over in her grip, which reversed the sharpened blade and the duller backside, allowing her to strike without cutting through a human body.

"Yes, I will join you in this lesson on manners," answered Motoko.  "These scoundrels could certainly use a little education in humility and proper etiquette, and who better than us to educate them in such things right here and now?"  The younger Aoyama sister did the same as her sibling, unsheathing her sword and flipping it in her hand to place the dull side forward so as to avoid fatal sword strikes.

A moment later, the whole group of thugs charged the three towering beauties with intent to harm (if not outright kill).  However, it was all for naught on the thugs' part.  Amalla began with a series of roundhouse kicks, knocking back a thug here and there as her foot made contact with their bodies.  She then proceeded with a series of karate chops and elbow strikes, moving from one target to the next.  Her movements were as graceful as a ballet dancer, flittering among the ruffians with a natural dexterity and poise that left nearby spectators in awe.

While Amalla was showing what her fists and legs were capable of, Motoko and Tsuruko were putting their sword skills to the test, striking any nearby opponents with the backside of their blades.  One after another, a thug here or there received a devastating blow to the arm, leg, or torso as Japanese steel collided against flesh, bone, muscle, and sinew.  There were the occasional sickening crunches from the sound of the Aoyama sisters' swords colliding hard against the thugs' bodies, making bones crack and/or pop out of sockets from the sudden impact.

Keitaro and Kanako merely stood by in awe as the three amazons made short work out of the gang of ruffians, with none of them taking any hits in the process as they devastated their opponents.  It was like something straight out of a Bruce Lee action thriller.  Most of the henchmen had either been knocked out cold, unable to continue fighting, or brought to their knees panting hard from the fight, while Motoko, Tsuruko, and Amalla had barely broken a sweat in comparison.

Realizing that the fight was not going in favor of the gang of thugs, one of them decided to play particularly dirty.  As the Aoyama sisters and Tsuruko were engaging in serving hard blows to the band of ruffians and brutes, one of them reached his hand behind his coat suit, brandishing a revolver and taking aim at Tsuruko, figuring that bringing down the tallest of the group would have the psychological impact of demoralizing the others.  As he took the gun in both hands and aimed at Tsuruko's torso, he cocked back the hammer before preparing to fire.

"Take this, you overgrown bitch!" he growled as he slowly squeezed the trigger.

At that moment, Keitaro saw what was unfolding and acted on pure instinct.  The very thought of someone close to him getting seriously hurt, even killed, was simply unacceptable to him, especially if it was a woman.  Perhaps it was some old sense of chivalry that was pounded into his head from his early childhood years, but whatever the reason for doing so, Keitaro's body simply lunged forward at the thug holding the gun.  When that occurred, the thug turned towards Keitaro, who made a grab for the man's gun.

"Don't you dare do it!" hollered Keitaro, wrestling the revolver out of the gangster's hands.

"Let go, you little worm!" the man shouted in response.

A moment later, a shot rang out and all eyes were focused on Keitaro and the other man.  Within a few seconds, Keitaro had slumped down, holding his left side with both hands as blood began pouring out from his abdomen, drenching his fingers in the crimson fluid.

"KEITARO!" screamed Kanako as she lunged forward, her fist colliding with the shooter's face hard, cracking his jaw and knocking one of his teeth loose.

Amalla, Tsuruko, and Motoko stared wide eyed at what had just occurred, as their manager and the man they held affection for had fallen to his knees, doing his best to stop the bleeding from the gunshot wound he had just sustained.

"You bastards!" yelled Motoko as she brought her sword forth in a wide sweeping arc upon the remaining goons who were still standing.  The impact from her attack knocked all who came into contact with her sword back by a good four or five feet.  Tsuruko joined in the fray, using a mix of both her sword's backside and the handle to bludgeon all enemies who still remained standing.  In that moment, the bloodlust within her urged her to flip her sword back so that the blade was facing forward, allowing her to slice through these vermin who had dared to harm Keitaro.  But her cool-headedness won out in the end, making her stick to non-lethal retaliation instead.  She was only too thankful that Motoko had shown the same level of restraint and refrained from flipping her sword as well, otherwise there would indeed be a bloodbath throughout the marketplace.

Within a few seconds, the remaining goons and thugs were decimated, all of them lying on the ground nursing broken bones, bloodied faces, and fresh bruises.  The ones who got the worst of it were the mohawk-haired biker and the one in a matching suit who shot Keitaro.  Each of them had a face swollen from getting struck so many times that it began to inflate somewhat from all of the bruising.

While the thugs were licking their wounds, all four women had gathered around Keitaro, kneeling by his side as they stared at him with worry on their faces.

"Keitaro!  Keitaro!  Big Brother!  Please don't die!  PLEASE!" weeped Kanako as the tears began streaming down her face.

"Keitaro!  Hang in there!  You can't die on us!"  declared Motoko as her eyes began tearing up.

Tsuruko could only stare down at the small man who was bleeding out of his side as he lay there on the ground before them.

‘He saved me,' thought Tsuruko as she stared long and hard at Keitaro.  ‘That bullet was meant for me, and he jumped in to save me from being shot.  He's so much smaller than me, but that didn't stop him from jumping in to save me.  This man, this SAINT of a man, jumped into the fray to save me.' Tsuruko's thoughts were jumbled somewhat at this revelation of what had just occurred.  A moment later, she had a thought of ironclad resolution, which ironically enough, Amalla had the same thought at the same time:

‘I refuse to let this man die.'  These words echoed in the minds of both Amalla and Tsuruko.

It was at that particular moment that an old familiar sensation decided to return right there and then.

Back at Hinata House, all of the other girls were gathered at the teahouse/cafe.  They had all finished their house chores and decided to mingle among one another in the teahouse.  The sight of so many women, all of whom were either over six feet tall or close to it, was certainly eye-opening for the few male patrons who remained amidst the tables scattered throughout the cafe.

The topic of conversation shifted from one thing to the next.  Whether it was how everyone was faring with their house chores, or how things were at either school or their personal lives, or moments of self-reflection about the last day or so since the hot spring incident, the conversation kept all members occupied for quite some time.  The mood was good all around, even Haruka was cracking a smile and chuckling alongside everyone else.  Things seemed rather jovial for a time.

Until an old familiar sensation decided to return.

Within seconds of one another, all nine women began to feel light-headed and increasingly warm as waves of pleasure began crashing down upon their minds, drowning them in euphoria.  Even Kaolla and Nyamo weren't faring particularly well, given that each of them managed to keep a cool head in dire circumstances for the most part.

"Oh no!" moaned Shinobu.  "It's happening already?"

"Dammit, not now." muttered Haruka.

"Oh my goodness!" declared Mutsumi.

"This is bad!  This is really, really bad!" said Naru.

"Ya know, that's kinda funny," responded Kitsune.  "For somethin' that's supposedly so bad, it certainly feels like quite the opposite."  She finished that statement with a lightly suppressed moan as she could feel her body expanding.

Sure enough, before all the other patrons and staff in the teahouse, the group of nine Hinata women began to ascend in height while their clothing began to make tearing noises in various spots.  The growth spurt unleashed its fury, bringing the women higher and higher as orgasmic waves of euphoria drowned their minds, making it so that they could barely think straight.

After a minute or so of unrelenting, pleasurable growth, the sensation began to die down and the group of nine Hinata women regained their composure.  Breathing and panting heavily, the whole lot of them looked around the cafe as they saw all the patrons and staff stare at them with wide eyes and dropped jaws.  They had never seen anything like this after all.  It wasn't everyday that you saw a group of drop-dead gorgeous women ascend in height and further amplify their already spectacular figures.  Before the growth spurt, they were all towering lovelies.  Now, after this latest growth spurt had run its course, they were living goddesses, both in height and beauty.

"So, Kaolla," asked Shinobu as she panted heavily from the pleasure she had just experienced, "any news on an antidote?"

"Sorry, Shinobu," responded Kaolla, "but I do have the latest size data if any of you here are curious."

"I'm not sure I want to know right now," replied Haruka.

"Well, we're gonna find out about it sooner or later, so might as well be now," said Kitsune.

"Does that happen to include Motoko, Tsuruko, Kanako, and Amalla too?" asked Mei.

"Yes it does," responded Kaolla.  "After taking blood samples from everyone, I made a device that kept track of everybody's size data in real time.  That way, I wouldn't have to measure everybody each time we have a growth spurt.  Plus I figured that it would be more fun to find out in advance and all."

"I'm glad you're in such a good mood about this, Su," grumbled Naru with obvious sarcasm in her voice.

"Well Naru," responded Su, "you know what they say: ‘No use crying over spilt milk.'  What's done is done, so the best thing we can do is move forward and make adjustments where and when necessary."

After hitting a few buttons on Su's measurement device, she scrolled through and revealed the updated size data for all of the Hinata House ladies:

• Naru - 6'10", F-cup breasts

• Kitsune - 7'0", G-cup breasts

• Shinobu - 6'7", E-cup breasts

• Kaolla - 6'7", E-cup breasts

• Mutsumi - 6'10", H-cup breasts

• Haruka - 7'0", F-cup breasts

• Nyamo - 6'8", E-cup breasts

• Sarah - 6'7", E-cup breasts

• Mei - 6'6", E-cup breasts

• Kanako - 6'9", F-cup breasts

• Motoko - 7'2", F-cup breasts

• Amalla - 7'6", G-cup breasts

• Tsuruko - 7'7", G-cup breasts

As the data was read to all the girls in the teahouse, Haruka decided to address the issue regarding the group of nine ladies suddenly growing out of their clothing in front of all the staff and patrons and shooting up towards the ceiling in the span of one or two minutes with a few simple words:

"We're closing early today.  Everybody out."

Sure enough, all the customers and staff began leaving the premises.  After all, who wants to get into an argument with a seven foot tall woman?

Meanwhile, back at the marketplace...

As the larger group of ladies were experiencing their growth spurt at the Hinata teahouse/cafe, the remaining four ladies were experiencing the same feeling in the presence of everyone at the market stalls, including the thugs they were fighting, the various street vendors, and the general public.

Even while resting on the ground and tending to his wound, Keitaro could tell from his position that the four women who joined him on this little shopping trip were beginning to enlarge, and significantly at that.  As their clothing began to tatter and shred, and their bosoms and buttocks began inflating once more at a slightly accelerated rate, Keitaro laid there in awe at what he was witnessing.  Witnessing a living being increase in size so rapidly was always considered the stuff of fantasy from what Keitaro understood.  Even an embryo in the human womb can only grow so fast, but THIS type of growth he was witnessing blew that kind of growth rate out of the water in terms of speed.  From Keitaro's pont of view, it was as exhilarating and erotic as it was alarming and frightening.

From the perspective of the thugs who were fighting against Motoko, Tsuruko, and Amalla just moments before, the sight of growth was equal parts amazing and terrifying.  Before the fight, these women were big; now, with this growth spurt they were all having, they were downright huge.  Their height alone could make them sports stars on any basketball team or volleyball team in the world.  Hell, three of these women were over seven feet tall by the looks of things, and the fourth one was just a few inches shy of seven feet.

While under normal circumstances, the gang of thugs would have scurried off and ran for their lives, by this point, they were all immobilized from the beating they received.  The ones who remained conscious from the thrashing they got simply looked on as they watched these four amazons become even bigger than they were before.  When the growth spurt finally settled, the four lovely ladies stood about the market stands, towering over practically everything and everyone nearby.

‘No time to reflect on growth right now,' thought Amalla as she leaned in and scooped up Keitaro in her arms, noticing that he felt much lighter than the last time she carried him.  ‘Must save Keitaro.'

"Wait," declared Tsuruko as she made her way over towards Keitaro, holding up her hands and making fast-paced hand gestures.  It was as if she was casting some kind of spell or something related to magic from what Amalla could discern.

"Motoko, please help me," said Tsuruko as she focused her hands onto Keitaro's bullet wound.

"Of course," replied Motoko as she made her way over and did the same hand gestures before placing her palms over Keitaro's wound, same as Tsuruko.  Within seconds, a light green aura began emanating from the Aoyama sisters' hands over Keitaro's wound, and within seconds, the blood flow began to die down to the point that it was little more than a trickle.

"Minor healing incantation," explained Tsuruko.  "Our school uses it for whenever we incur injuries in battle.  It won't heal him completely, but it'll stop the bleeding for a while, maybe an hour at the most."

"I appreciate that," said Amalla with a grin.  She then proceeded to stand up and look towards the Hinata House dorms up the hill in the distance, just a mile or two from their current position.

"Wait, where are you going?" asked Kanako with grave seriousness in her voice.  "Where are you taking him?"

"I'm taking Keitaro back to Hinata House to properly heal," said Amalla.

"Shouldn't we take him to a hospital?" asked Motoko.  "Surely, the doctors there would be able to treat a bullet wound, no?"

"I don't know where the hospital is off the top of my head," replied Amalla.  "And besides, Kaolla's lab should have technology and equipment equal to if not better than most hospitals in the world.  That's why I'm making my way back with Keitaro.  I figure that if anyone can save his life, it's my sister."

"Very well then," said Tsuruko.  "Let's make our way out of here.  I'm right behind you."

"As am I," said Motoko.

"I'm coming with, obviously," declared Kanako.

"Wait here," responded Amalla.

"What?  Why!?"  replied Kanako.

"You're not fast enough to keep pace with me and the Aoyama sisters.  Besides, you need to wait here for the mecha-Tama to arrive so you can load the groceries onto it.  Otherwise, all the food we purchased today will either be stolen or go bad in the open air."

"I am NOT leaving my brother behind while he's seriously injured," declared Kanako with tears in her eyes.

Upon hearing this, Amalla stepped forward and looked down upon the Urashima girl, using her height to her advantage like usual.

"Kanako," said Amalla with a stern voice, "I PROMISE you that I will bring Keitaro back home safe and sound.  I know you care about him, more than as just a sister.  The thing is that I care about him that way too, and I'm pretty sure that nearly everyone cares about him that same way, which is all part of my plan.  The point I'm making is that Keitaro is MY cherished person just as he is YOUR cherished person, so I'll be damned if I let him die, understand?"

Kanako stared up at the older Su sister's eyes, trying to look through the windows of her soul to see if there was any deception or wavering of any kind during Amalla's declaration about preserving Keitaro's physical well-being.  Much to Kanako's surprise, she found none.  Amalla was as resolute as it came when the issue was matters of love.

‘She really IS in love with Keitaro,' thought Kanako.  ‘It's not just some game to her.  She loves him the same way I love him, so I can't bring myself to fully despise her.  I know she's telling the truth when she says she'll protect Keitaro and keep him alive.  In a way, that makes me a little bit happy...to know that he has someone other than just me to look out for him.'

"Alright, Amalla," said Kanako.  "I yield.  Go get him back to Hinata and make sure he's safe."  Kanako proceeded to stroke Keitaro's hair as Amalla held him in her arms.  Both women looked at the smaller man with a sort of soft-hearted longing, as if the expression on their faces said, "Oh, my love, don't worry.  I'll make everything better, I swear to you."

"Thank you, Kanako," replied Amalla.  "Just hitch a ride back on the mecha-Tama once you've loaded it up.  Kaolla should have the coordinates for Hinata House on the unit's GPS, so just punch that in once you've loaded up everything.  I'll see you back at the dorms.  Ready, ladies?"  On this last part, Amalla was gesturing to Motoko and Tsuruko.

Both Aoyama sisters nodded their heads in agreement, ready to head out and make tracks.

"Alright then, let's go!" shouted Amalla as she suddenly leapt into the air and onto a nearby rooftop before going into a full sprint, hopping from rooftop to rooftop in the direction of Hinata House just up the hill.  Both the Aoyama sisters flanked Amalla as they matched their pace and proceeded to sprint along the rooftops toward Hinata House, eager to get Keitaro back home as soon as possible.

"Hang on, Keitaro my love," whispered Amalla to the small man cradled in her arms.  "We'll be home soon.  And I promise you, I'll make sure that you're both well-rested and want for nothing during your time of recovery.  Just leave everything to me."  She finished her statement with gentle kiss on Keitaro's lips before focusing back on her path towards Hinata House, picking up the pace once more.