As the sun set and the darkness of night descended upon the Hinata House, the current female residents made their way into the hot springs.  The mood was more quiet, with a sort of sadness lingering in the air.  After all, the dorm manager had just recently been shot and was currently recovering in the bedroom of one of the tenants.  Everyone was largely silent as they proceeded to scrub their bodies by the cleaning stations before dipping into the hot calming waters of the hot springs.  Within minutes, the waters worked their magic and the group began letting out sighs of relief as their muscles relaxed and the stiffness in their joints began to fade away.

From an outsider's perspective, the sight was an outright feast of feminine beauty for any red-blooded straight man (or woman sexually attracted to other women) to behold.  In that moment, the ladies of Hinata were sporting large, perky bosoms, shapely thighs, noticeable pectoral muscles, plump rear ends, incredibly smooth skin, and an extra shine in the hairs of each one of them.  By this point, they had become outright supermodels when it came to their bodies.  Kaolla's little concoction had worked a miracle on their figures, transforming women who were either cute or beautiful before into something that was a mix of seductive, sultry, intoxicating, tempting, and downright hot.  In this case, with regards to the little bottle that helped cause all of this to begin with, the old saying that "Big things come in small packages" certainly held true.  And these women certainly were big, in both their proportions and in their size all around.

It was this view that Amalla feasted her eyes upon while she relaxed in the waters of the hot spring.  While earlier she was just as concerned as the rest of them regarding Keitaro's physical condition and safety, now that he was recuperating in Kaolla's bedroom she could breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy the bath waters in peace, even with the lingering tension hovering in the air.

‘This really is a sight to behold,' thought Amalla as she looked upon all the female flesh laid bare before her eyes.  The sight of so many generous bosoms, shapely thighs, slender necks, and legs that seemed to stretch on forever was making Amalla percolate harder than a coffee pot working overtime.

‘If I was just a few years younger, I'd probably be surrendering to the urge to ravish them here and now.  The sight of so many sexy naked female bodies just lounging about me and I'd lose all inhibitions.  Even now, I want to ravish the whole lot of them, and have an orgy lasting well into the morning and perhaps all the way into the next night.  If only Keitaro were here in the baths with us, then this truly would be PERFECT.  Hopefully, that'll be rectified in a few days.'

Sure enough, as was the case in crowded situations, conversation was bound to kick up sooner or later.

"I hope Keitaro-senpai is okay," said Shinobu as she stared downwards into the steamy waters of the hot springs.  The worry in her voice was all too apparent, given her delicate nature.

"He'll be fine, Shinobu, I promise," responded Kaolla as she wrapped an arm around her closest friend.  "I made sure to look over his body very closely as I examined him, and I swear to you, Keitaro will be up and at it in a few days."  Upon finishing this reassurance, Kaolla encircled Shinobu from one side while Nyamo encircled her from the other.  And so there was Shinobu, sandwiched between the two dark-skinned girls who consoled her with their warm embrace.  The sight of it brought a warm, fuzzy feeling to several of the women present, knowing that the girls looked after one another in times of emotional duress.

"Yeah," said Sarah, "the dork has taken his lumps in the past.  Even with a measly little old bullet to the guy, he'll come out swingin'.  He always seems to bounce back no matter what comes his way."  While that was not Sarah's best attempt at uplifting reassurances - since it referenced all the times Keitaro received physical punishment from either Naru or Motoko - the sentiment was generally appreciated, since the ladies knew that Sarah meant well enough.

"Indeed," added Motoko, "though it may not be obvious in his appearance, Keitaro has a stronger constitution that one may expect of him.  It can be...quite remarkable, at times."

"I'd have to agree with ya on that one," commented Kitsune.  "Keitaro is made of sturdier stuff than he looks.  It's rather somethin', to say the least."  She proceeded to down her third shot of sake upon finishing this statement, yearning to drown her worries in Japanese liquor after enduring the worries over Keitaro's survival.

Kitsune wasn't the only one partaking of generous amounts of liquor that night.  Haruka, Tsuruko, Amalla, Mutusmi, Kanako, Motoko, and Naru all helped themselves to shots here and there throughout the night, in order to calm their nerves after enduring the fright of Keitaro not surviving the ordeal in the marketplace earlier that day.  While Kitsune was glad that she brought out three bottles of sake that night, it became apparent that even that might not be enough to sate the thirsts and worries of the assembled women.  For with their increased sizes came a higher tolerance for alcohol, so chances were good that all three bottles would be finished before long.  Kitsune made a mental note to get the largest bottles of booze she could find on the next shopping trip, as she figured that it would be safest to simply give each girl her own bottle to drink from, especially if they kept up their rate of growth.

After several minutes of drinking and smalltalk, Amalla decided to lay her cards on the table.  While it was all well and good to keep up pleasantries, she figured that it was best to address ‘the elephant in the room' as the term went.  She had already laid out her intentions among several of the women at Hinata House already, so this wouldn't come as much of a surprise among those she spoke with earlier.  After taking a deep breath (and downing her share of sake as well), Amalla decided to lay out her cards on the table before all.

"Listen, everyone," said Amalla, "what I have to say is for all of you to hear, as it pertains to all of you.  Well, actually, it pertains to all of you and one other person, but unfortunately, that person cannot be with us right now as he needs his bedrest."  The not-so-subtle implication as to who Amalla was referring to was clear enough, and the other twelve women looked upon her with bated breath as they waited for what she was about to announce to them all.

"I don't want to beat around the bush on this topic any further, and I figured it would come to a head sooner or later, so I felt it best to simply let you all know what my intentions are and what all of you should expect."  Amalla really had a way with being blunt, especially when it was about something she had her eyes set on.

"I'm in love with Keitaro Urashima," said Amalla, pausing to watch for even the slightest of reactions to her statement.  Sure enough, there were plenty to go around.

Naru was wide-eyed and her breath caught in her throat.  Even though Amalla had let out her intentions earlier to her and several other girls, it was still something of a shock to hear Amalla say the words.  Given how emotional a woman's heart could be (especially a woman in love), it was certainly something from Naru's perspective to hear this tall Molmolian seductress confess her feelings for Naru's boyfriend in front of everyone so casually, with no sign of embarrassment on her face whatsoever.

Shinobu blushed upon hearing this.  It was mostly as a result of knowing that there was yet ANOTHER love rival for Keitaro's feelings, which made Shinobu in turn feel inadequate.  Her body may have grown and developed significantly over the last several hours, but she still felt out of her league compared to someone with Amalla who showed natural grace and firm resolve.

Mutsumi simply smiled with a blush on her cheeks.  While the Okinawan girl would always have strong feelings for Keitaro and yearn for him to return her love for him, she held no grudge at hearing another woman confess her love for the man in front of others.  Mutusmi was simply too kind and compassionate to feel threatened or embittered by the prospect of another woman vying for Keitaro's affections.

Kitsune briefly choked on her shot of sake, not expecting Amalla to be so forward at that particular moment.  The burning sensation hit the back of her throat monetarily before she briefly inhaled and exhaled through her nostrils to relieve herself of the sensation.  Maybe it was the ‘liquid courage' in Amalla's system that helped propel this confession, but even so, the Molmolian girl was more confident and to-the-point than Kitsune gave her credit.

Motoko was alarmed the same way as was Naru and Kitsune, blinking rapidly in surprise at Amalla giving away her intentions before everyone assembled.  While she had heard this talk earlier in the hallway, the shock was still enough that it made her heart flutter a tad at hearing it once more.  Her emotions regarding Amalla were a mix of concern over another love rival on top of the growing number of contenders so far as well as a touch of envy for being brave enough to spill her heart out and cast the proverbial die, as it were.

Sarah and Mei simply blushed in shock upon hearing this, being younger women who were still rather pure of heart and innocent when it came to matters of love and romance, while Nyamo's reaction was more akin to Mutsumi's reaction by comparison.  The dark-skinned islander girl's smiling face was practically saying, "I know you are, and I'm not mad at you for being so."  It was a sentiment that Amalla appreciated in turn, returning it with a grin of her own.  Apparently, Nyamo was far more mature than would be assumed for a woman her age.

As for the Urashima women, Haruka's reaction was somewhat alarmed while Kanako's was more subdued.  Whereas the older Urashima woman was blushing with wide eyes and suddenly craving a cigarette to help calm her down, Kanako was staring downward, the blush on her face not as pronounced as Haruka's.  Having heard this talk before (and being intimately cornered in the hallway by Amalla while hearing it), Kanako wasn't nearly as shocked as her older cousin, though the ache in her heart was still pronounced enough that she couldn't maintain eye contact with Amalla after hearing the confession.

‘It's not fair,' thought Kanako as she submerged her body as much as she could in the bath waters.  ‘She's in love with a man I've known my entire life.  I've been by his side since childhood and I've come to love him so much that it makes my head spin whenever I'm with him.  I should be raging over this, but I'm not.  Why is that?  Is it because I sense she's being completely honest?  She's not a bad person...a little mischievous, sure, but not a malicious person in the big picture.  And then of course, there's the other stuff she said afterwards...wait is she going to bring that up here as well?'

Tsuruko's reaction was somewhat confused upon hearing Amalla's declaration.  After all, she was still wallowing in the guilt she placed upon herself for Keitaro's injury, even though everyone else beseeched her not to blame herself for it.  But even there and then, the feelings of shame and responsibility for what Keitaro went through in the market weighed on her conscience, and Tsuruko was certain it would take time for her to forgive herself and let go of whatever blame she imposed upon herself over the incident.

Upon hearing Amalla's confession, Tsuruko stared wide-eyed with tears streaming down her face at the older Su sibling.  ‘She's...in love with Keitaro?  Dear me, that seems to make a growing number of contenders for that man's affection.  I mean there's Naru, of course, and also Motoko and Kanako obviously, but from what I understand, it seems that several of the women here are also smitten with him.  I'd wager that Mutsumi, Kaolla, Nyamo and Shinobu seem to hold feelings for him, and as for Haruka and Kitsune, I've sensed a sort of natural attraction they hold towards the man as well, given the state of their chi.  If it happens to be of an intimate or even romantic nature, that will simply grow the number of rivals for Keitaro's love.  The only ones I'm not really sure of yet are Sarah and Mei, but I know they look at Mr. Urashima in a positive light at the very least.  Whether that evolves into feelings of romance or not, I do not yet know.'

Whether or not Amalla was a mind reader or simply good at reading people's facial expressions is a mystery that the world may never know, unless Amalla decides to openly declare which it is.  But in that moment of gauging Tsuruko's reaction to Amalla's words, the Molmolian monarch cracked a smile as she made an educated guess as to what Tsuruko was thinking.

‘You're probably wondering who is already in love with Keitaro aside from myself and a few others you already know about,' thought Amalla as she gazed upon Tsuruko's countenance and read the woman's facial expression closely, especially her eyes.  ‘By the time my plan comes to fruition, that group of Keitaro's lovers will entail EVERYONE, my dear Tsuruko...which includes you.'  Just the thought of such a pervy dream come true was starting to make Amalla increasingly hot and "in the mood" as the term goes.

Kaolla simply sat in the baths with a smile on her face, her cheeks lighting up with a rosy hue.  Her mindset was similar to Amalla's after all, so there was absolutely no sign of shock  to find whatsoever on the young Molmolian girl's face.  She simply sat there with contentment, looking upon her older sister with a smiling face and a nod, as if she were saying "Go on ahead.  Everything's moving according to plan."

"I tell you this now so that you all can prepare yourselves for what is to come," said Amalla with a calm voice and a deep breath afterwards, resting her arms against the rim of the hot springs pool and sexily crossing one long leg over the other.  Whether she was pushing out her bosom to emphasize her enlarged mammaries on purpose or by sheer instinct was anyone's guess, though it certainly was making all the other women blush to varying degrees in response (as well as feeling hot under the collar and moist between the legs).

"And...what is it exactly that you're speaking of, Amalla?" asked Haruka with a blush that refused to leave her cheeks...and it wasn't from the sake.

"Well now, my dear Haru-chan," replied Amalla who cracked a grin at her statement making the Urashima woman's blush deepen even further, "while I have my eyes set on Keitaro, he's not the only one I'm after."

"What do you mean?" asked Tsuruko, curious as to what Amalla was getting at.

"Here we go..." muttered Naru, Kanako, Kitsune, and Kanako at the exact same time, knowing what was coming.

"I've also taken a fancy to another person, or more accurately other people here since my arrival," said Amalla with a toothy grin akin to that of the Cheshire Cat from the story of "Alice in Wonderland".

"And...who exactly would those people be?" asked Haruka with a cocked eyebrow, with a gut feeling that she knew what the exotic foreigner was about to say.

"Well, simply put," said Amalla, "the other people I'm talking about are all in these baths with me...all twelve of them."  The finished with that iconic, sultry "come over here" look on her face.

"You can't possibly mean..." said Mei with wide eyes.

"Oh indeed I do, my sweet little Mei-chan," replied Amalla, before moving her eyes over to the young blonde girl seated near her.  "And don't think I'm leaving YOU out of this either, my feisty little Sarah-chan.  I'm hungry for companionship, and I've just found thirteen wonderful additions to add to my family of lovers,"  The American girl was caught off guard by this remark, her entire face turning red with the greatest of embarrassment at having just been hit on right there on the spot.

"L-listen, Miss Amalla..." began Sarah before she was cut off.

"Just Amalla will do, or preferably ‘Ama-chan' if possible," replied Amalla.

"W-whatever," grumbled Sarah in response, "I don't swing that way, no offense.  So I'd rather you not include me in this little...thing you've got going on, okay?"

Amalla responded by walking over towards Sarah and stopping just a foot or so before her, standing tall before all the women gathered, her body glistening and dripping with water as her figure stood immaculate, oozing, emanating, and practically dripping with sexual temptation.  The dark-skinned woman showed no qualms whatsoever with baring her naked body before all to see, which gave everyone varying degrees of blushes (even Kaolla and Nyamo whose blushes were among the tamest of the bunch).

"Sarah-chan?" asked Amalla.

"Y-yes?" replied Sarah with a startled voice and wide eyes.

Amalla proceeded to bend at the waist, placing her hands upon her smooth round hips, and letting her breasts hang and dangle like gigantic ripened fruits for Sarah to feast her eyes upon.  Kaolla could tell that this was all part of her sister's strategy: to win over someone with the overbearing power of Amalla's natural-born seduction.

‘Amalla could turn the straightest woman in the world into a raging lesbian with enough charm and enticement,' thought Kaolla with a smirk.  ‘And with the powers of my growth hormone, that charm has been amplified to levels that border on the divine.  Poor Sarah-chan won't stand much of a chance against her, if there even was a chance to begin with.'

"Do you not like me, Sarah-chan?" asked Amalla with big, puppy eyes and her trademark pout.

"Uhh...I uh...well..." Sarah was at a loss for words, barely keeping her composure together with this dark-skinned amazon casting her shadow over her.  Amalla was definitely utilizing all 7 feet 6 inches of her height to disarm and overwhelm Sarah in that moment.  It was as if Amalla was a hungry lioness and Sarah was a weakened gazelle, just waiting for the killing blow to be felled upon her.

"It's not that I don't like you, Amalla," said Sarah with a raging blush and bated breath.

"Do you not think I'm pretty?" asked Amalla, pressing her offensive.

"What the...of course you're pretty!  For cryin' out loud, you're smokin' hot!  Why would you even ask a thing like that?"  Sarah wasn't sure what Amalla was getting at, but before she could say anything more, her lips were automatically assaulted upon by Amalla's lips as Amalla encircled her arms around Sarah's waistline, forcing the younger girl to stand as the two women's torso's and bosoms pressed into each other, with Amalla bending her head down as much as needed to maintain the kiss.  The taller woman had ensnared the younger woman's mouth, soft lips mashing against soft lips which threw Sarah over the edge and she could barely register what was going on as the Molmolian sex goddess began assautling her in a pleasure-based offensive.

The other women sitting in the baths stared at what was unfolding with wide eyes and heavy blushes, even Kaolla and Nyamo at this point.  While Kaolla knew that Amalla tended to be feisty, she at least would engage in a little bit more foreplay before going in for the kill, so to speak.  Yet here and now, Kaolla witnessed her sister going to town on Sarah's mouth, pressing her tongue as far as she could to taste every inch of the cavern of the young girl's mouth, tongue, and throat.

‘What the hell!?' thought Sarah as this tall, dark-skinned, silver-haired, blue-eyed enchantress pushed her advantage and shoved her tongue as far down as she could into Sarah's mouth.  While she was initially shocked and a bit offended by this woman's brazenness, those feelings were soon taken over by calmness, elation, and pleasure bordering on...what was the word...ecstasy?  After a few seconds of Amalla's offensive, Sarah found herself inadvertently returning the favor and playing a brief tongue war with Amalla as  result, which made Amalla VERY happy in return.

‘Oh yes, she'll do nicely,' thought Amalla.  ‘Still young and needs a little more maturing and guidance, but she'll make a fine addition to the family, no doubt.'  Eventually Amalla let up and removed her mouth from Sarah's, with both women panting heavily for air after the French kiss they ended up giving everybody a front row seat to.

"So then," replied Amalla as she licked her lips, "do you REALLY not want to be together with me then, Sarah-chan?" asked Amalla.  The Molmolian queen maintained her hold on Sarah's back and waistline, holding the young lady against her own body as if they were long-time lovers.  Amalla scanned the vicinity of the baths, taking in the sight of all the other beautiful women who were witnesses to the steamy scene that had just occurred.

"Let me revise that statement:  Does anybody here not want to be together with me and Keitaro and form one big, happy family?"  She scanned the assembled women who were seated in the hot springs, most of them looking up at her with stupor and at a loss for words.  "If anyone here has any qualms or shows reluctance at joining the family, I can try to convince you otherwise.  My wives and husband back home tell me that I'm quite the charmer and a really good kisser."  She finished that statement with a super sexy smile and a seductive licking of her lips, implying she had another deep-throated tongue kiss ready for any potential naysayers in the group.

"W-well, Amalla," said Haruka, "that's a rather odd proposition you're putting out there.  I mean, you decide to spring this on everyone here that you want to make some kind of a...a"  The notion of saying the word ‘harem' made Haruka flutter her eyes, before Amalla did it for her.

"A harem, Haru-chan, yes," Amalla replied with a smile.

"I'd have to agree with Haruka on this, Amalla," replied Tsuruko.  "You can't seriously expect to just say that you want to have everyone in some big group marriage and have us acting like husband and wives right off the bat like that, right?  Love is something that shouldn't be rushed, after all.  Otherwise, it's almost doomed to fail."

"Oh, I'm not trying to rush anything, Tsu-chan," replied Amalla.  "I simply want everyone to be honest and open with their feelings, that's all.  I understand that this is something that can't be brought about to happen in just one night.  As the saying goes, "Rome wasn't built in a day."  I just want to bring out something that I'm pretty sure exists in every woman here already.  I like to think of it as cultivating a flower garden of sorts, only the flowers in this case are the lovely ladies I see before me, that's all."  Once more, Amalla finished her explanation with a smile that was dripping with both confidence and downright sexiness.

"And how exactly do you think this proposal of yours would work, Miss Amalla?" asked Mei, who was somewhat flabbergasted by it all.

"Please, just Amalla or Ama-chan, my darling Mei-chan," replied Amalla, which made Mei blush as a result.  "And as the question you posed, I know it's going to sound rather corny and somewhat oversimplified, but my answer to that is this:  I'm a fairly good judge of character.  I see before me twelve fair maidens who have good hearts and increasingly beautiful bodies that grow in beauty as they do in size.  The sight of such a thing alone gets me hot under the collar, and even now I wish to ravish the whole lot of you in one massive free-for-all of passionate love making.  But I don't want to rush things or make anyone uncomfortable with the suddenness of it all, so that's why I'm trying to be considerate and let you all know in advance of what I intend, as a show of love and respect among wives-to-be, as it were."

"Now hold on there, your majesty," replied Kankao with sarcasm in her voice upon that title she used to refer to Amalla.  "We aren't your wives or anything even close to it.  I get that you're trying to be extra friendly and maybe you even mean well, but it's a little presumptive of you to think that you can simply pull off something like having the whole lot of us roped into becoming your marriage partners.  And how exactly would you get Keitaro to go along with this little hair-brained scheme you've got going on anyway?"

During Kanako's rebuttal, Amalla kept her ground, not backing down for an instant while the younger Urashima woman presented her retort to Amalla's love proposal.  She also kept Sarah firmly secure in her arms, sensually holding the girl in her embrace like a lover of many years (which was making Sarah very red in the face out of embarrassment from such intimacy).

"Well now, my dear sweet little Kana-chan," replied Amalla, "I'm going to rope Keitaro into this as much as all of you.  After all, I did say at the beginning of this that this topic involved him as much as it did all of you.  And something I wish to address with everyone, but with you specifically?"

"And what would that be?" asked Kanako with a cocked eyebrow.

"I'm gonna wager that everyone here is either madly in love with Keitaro or on the periphery of falling in love with him.  Am I wrong?"  Amalla scanned the hot springs for everyone's reactions to that question.

Sure enough, there were strong (even raging) blushes on the faces of Naru, Kanako, Motoko, Kitsune, Shinobu, Mutsumi, Haruka, Kaolla, and Nyamo, while the three remaining girls - Sarah, Mei, and Tsuruko - had lesser blushes on their faces, which still stood out enough for Amalla to spot easily.

"As I thought," said Amalla with glee.  "And another thing I'd like to bring up, my dear Kana-chan.  While I understand that you're in love with Keitaro, do you intend to try and snatch him away from Naru, who I'm told is his official girlfriend?  Do any of you for that matter want to break up Keitaro and Naru so that you can be Keitaro's lover in her stead?"

The reactions around the hot springs were rather telling.  Naru herself quickly eyed the group, trying to figure out if any of them were plotting to make Keitaro break up with Naru so that one of them could swoop right in and take her place.

"I'd never do anything to hurt Naru-chan or Kei-kun," replied Mutsumi with calmness and maturity.  "I do love Keitaro, with all of my heart, but I wouldn't make a move on him if that meant breaking up him and Naru in the process."

"I'm the same way," said Shinobu.  "I love Keitaro-senpai so much that my heart hurts, and I'd be so happy that I could faint if he wanted to be my boyfriend.  But if that meant betraying Naru, then I'd gladly let the chance pass so that the two of them could be together."

"Naru's my closest friend," replied Kitsune, "so I know I'd be a complete piece of crap if I tried to seduce Keitaro behind her back and act like nothin' was wrong.   I'm pretty sure I couldn't look her in the eye anymore if I sunk to something like that."  She finished her statement with another shot of sake.

"Naru is Keitaro's partner," responded Motoko.  "So sacred honor forbids me from resorting to nefarious means to try and make him my lover and divide the two of them.  It would be outright shameful for me to try something so underhanded as a hidden affair with Keitaro behind her back.  That being said, if Naru was okay with me being Keitaro's mistress, I'd happily..." Motoko's face reddened at the end of her response, the embarrassment on her face all too apparent (which made Naru's eyes widen and her eyebrows instinctively raise up as high as they could go at hearing this revelation).

"You know where I stand on that, dear sister," said Kaolla with a calm grin.  "I love Keitaro just as much as you do, and I don't intend on hurting Naru or anyone else in the process of pursuing that love.  In fact, my response is for the group in general:  I'm basically in league with Amalla's proposal.  I don't mind if all of you are in love with Keitaro.  Quite the opposite, I'd be outright ecstatic to hear that.  It simply means that we can all love each other and be one very big happy family as a result."  Upon hearing the word "big," the other women felt a tingle in between their legs and up their spines.  After all, this ever-growing harem that seemed to be forming was growing in more ways than one.

"So then, Kanako," resumed Amalla, "do you want Keitaro bad enough that you'd drive a wedge between him and Naru so you could have him all to yourself?"

Kanako simply sat there with a blank look on her face.  Could she be cold and self-serving enough to try and outright split up Keitaro and Naru or even have Keitaro cheat on Naru with her?  What would Keitaro think of her for trying to pull off such a stunt?

Deep down, Kanako felt that she already knew the answer to those questions, especially the second one.  Keitaro would despise her for trying to do such a thing.  He was in love with Naru, Kanako knew that, even if he was a little too embarrassed at times to openly show his affections.  And she also knew that Naru loved Keitaro back in just the same way, and that she was even turning over a new leaf in not hitting him anymore over misunderstandings like back in the bad old days when they first met.  Could Kanako really be so vindictive as to try and tear the two of them apart, knowing that they were starting to turn their relationship around for the better?

Right there and then, in that moment, Kanako looked towards Naru, who stared back at her in turn.  And with tears running down her face and a sad smile adorning it, Kanako gave her response:

"No...I can't do that.  I'm in love with Keitaro too, and I want to grow old with him and have a family with him, but I just can't bring myself down to such a level and do something so...wrong.  I want him to fall in love and find genuine happiness, even if it...if it..." Kanako started choking up at this point, with the tears now pouring down her face.

"If it can't be with me," whimpered Kanako as she buried her face in her hands and started sobbing hard.  Upon seeing this breakdown, Amalla was ready to walk over to Kanako and embrace her tightly, to help soothe her and bring her back from her emotional low point.  However, someone else ended up beating her to it.

A moment later, Kanako was indeed embraced...by none other than Naru Narusegawa, who held her firmly yet softly and let the younger Urashima girl cry her heart out into Naru's bosom.  The sight was rather moving to all the other women, many of whom were starting to tear up at Naru's act of compassion towards Kanako's turmoil over snuffing out her own desire for romantic love in order to let Naru have a chance to grow and develop her own.

"I'm sorry," whispered Naru as she hugged Kanako.  "I'm sorry how things turned out and that I ended up falling in love with your brother.  I didn't know up until that point how much you loved him, and I really didn't mean to hurt you in the process."

"That's just it," sobbed Kanako as she returned the gesture and instinctively wrapped her arms around Naru and hugged her back.  "You have nothing to apologize for.  If anything, it's my own damn fault for not being brave enough back then.  If I just told him how I felt about him before he came here and took the job of dorm manager...If I just followed my heart back then, then maybe...maybe...things could have been so different.  And now that ship has sailed and he loves you instead.  And I know it's genuine love, and I just...I just...I just can't be the one to take that away from him.  I'd sooner die than do that to him."  Kanako finished by screaming her heart out into Naru's chest, while Naru in turn tightened her embrace of Kanako and brought her hand around the crying girl's head, holding her as close as she could and crying in turn while she did so (but not nearly as strongly as Kanako by comparison).

"Well then," chimed in Amalla, "this is where my plan comes into play then, ladies."

Both Kanako and Naru turned to her with confused looks on their faces at what she had just said.

"What are you talking about?" asked Naru.

"My harem plan, dear silly Naru-chan.  Have you been asleep the entire time we've been in the hot springs?  I know the bath water can be quite soothing, but please take care not to nod off and go under the water now."  Amalla cracked a grin upon finishing her attempt at light-hearted comedy.

"We're back at that thing again?" asked Kanako.

"Don't you see?" said Amalla as she finally let go of Sarah and made her way over to Naru and Kanako, placing a hand on each of their shoulders and leaning in with a big smile on her face.

"This is a way for both of you - for EVERYONE - to find love and happiness.  The way I see it, every single woman here deserves a chance at finding that special someone who makes her head spin with joy and her heart burst with happiness.  What I'm offering is a way to make that happen, and much of the groundwork has already been done.  We already have our special someone at the center of it all, our collective "prince charming" in a way of putting it.  Now we just need to let everyone here have some quality time with Keitaro and things will take off the way they should soon enough."  Amalla really had a way of waxing poetic at times like these.

"You really think we're going to be able to manage a 14-way relationship without things falling apart in the end?" asked Kanako.  "It's practically guaranteed to come undone."

"Do you love Keitaro?" asked Amalla.

"Yes, I do," responded Naru.

"Of course," said Kanako.

"Are you willing to share Keitaro?" asked Amalla.

There was a pause lasting a few seconds before their answers.

"Yes," said Kanako.

"Huh?" said Naru as she stared wide-eyed at Kanako.

"You heard me, Naru," replied Kanako.  "If I have to share Keitaro so that I can be by his side, whether as a wife, mistress, lover, or whatever other title gets used, then so be it.  It's not my dream scenario, but I'm willing to compromise."

"Well, well, well," said Amalla, "look who's grown up in more ways than one, eh Kanako?"  Amalla's playful jab made Kanako blush in embarrassment at getting the girl to jump aboard with the harem plan.

"Alright, miss Queen of Molmol, you've had your fun and got me to do something I didn't expect myself to do.  Happy now?" replied Kanako.

"Indeed I am, Kana-chan," replied Amalla before turning back to Naru.  "Well then Naru-chan, how about it?  I'm not doing this to separate anybody; quite the opposite in fact.  I'm just trying to strengthen the bonds between Keitaro and all of us.  Is that really so wrong a desire?  I don't want to come between you and Keitaro.  If anything, I'd want Keitaro to come between you and I, preferably in a big, plush bed with some scented candles."  Amalla finished with a smirk and a sexy wink.

Now it was Naru's turn to be taken aback and stare with a shocked expression.

‘This girl is dead serious about forming a harem, and putting EVERYONE HERE into it!  This is insanity!  Like Kanako said, how exactly would this work in the big picture?  Won't there be infighting sooner or later?  Are we ALL really going to be okay with Keitaro being our community husband?  Would Keitaro be okay with that?  Ugh, my head is spinning just thinking about all of this craziness...argh!'  These were Naru's thoughts as she pondered just what she was going to say to Amalla in response.

Before Naru could get a word in, there was a distinctive loud, high-pitched beeping going off within the hot springs.  A moment later, everyone turned towards the source of the noise and saw what it was:  Kaolla's transmitter had activated, meaning Keitaro had stirred awake.

What happened next was quite surprising, given the circumstances.  Amalla was about to volunteer to go inside and upstairs to check on Keitaro so everyone else could continue relaxing in the hot springs, but apparently somebody else wouldn't even stick around to hear her speak.

In a flash, Tsuruko Aoyama had darted from the hot springs, not even bothering to grab a towel in the process.  The 7 foot 7 inch tall beauty had immediately made for exit, bending significantly to pass underneath the doorway as she opened it and rushed further inside.

"Whoa, she's certainly in a hurry," declared Kitsune as she saw what just happened.

"You can say that again," added Haruka with a shocked expression at what she just witnessed.

Before another word was said, several women decided to take Tsuruko's lead and follow her inside, knowing what she was probably up to.  The women in this case consisted of Naru, Kanako, Motoko, Kaolla, and Amalla (naturally), and as a kicker, not a single one of them grabbed a towel either, desperate as they were to pick up the pace and intercept Tsuruko as soon as possible.

And so it was that a half-dozen amazons stormed their way into the Hinata House, their footsteps pound the floors with such force that if one closed their eyes and simply listened, they would have sworn a herd of buffalo was stampeding its way through the building, and straight towards Kaolla's bedroom.