(1/2)
"Eh?"
Everyone's eyes turned to Ran.
Sonoko stared at her for a moment before suddenly lunging from behind.
"Ah!"
The sudden attack startled Ran, making her instinctively step back.
"Sonoko!!"
She glared at her best friend, who was now staring at her hands in shock.
"So… so big…"
Sonoko's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Ran, you've grown again?!"
Ran's face turned scarlet.
She had just realized the changes in her body yesterday after reading the diary and doing a self-check.
She absolutely did not want anyone else to find out!
"Sonoko!!!"
Her voice rose as her embarrassment reached its limit.
Sonoko, realizing what she had just blurted out, quickly tried to laugh it off.
"Hey, isn't this a good thing?"
"Plenty of girls wish they could grow like this!"
Ran's expression darkened.
That wasn't the point!
It was fine if she was the only one who knew about her growth.
But thanks to Sonoko's big mouth, now everyone knew!
She really wanted to teach Sonoko a lesson.
Meanwhile, Kaguya was watching closely.
Hayasaka, her ever-calm maid, silently observed Ran's entire figure with a keen gaze.
Nagi, on the other hand, was having an existential crisis.
At thirteen years old, she was still technically in her growth period.
But here was Ran, only three years older, and she had already hit a second major growth phase.
The difference in body proportions between them felt like an unbridgeable gap.
She still looked like a child, while Ran looked like a fully developed adult.
"…This is unfair."
Nagi muttered to herself, feeling a deep sense of injustice.
Sonoko, still staring at Ran, tilted her head.
"Strange… how did you do it?"
It wasn't that she didn't understand Ran's growth pattern.
After all, Ran had always been an anomaly in that regard.
Ever since she turned thirteen, her entire body had been developing rapidly, almost like an explosion.
But this… this was still weird.
Sonoko's gaze moved toward Ran's arms and legs.
Then, without warning, she reached out again.
"Pah!"
Ran, still blushing, reacted instantly and slapped Sonoko's hand away before it could touch her leg.
"…Sonoko."
Her voice carried a clear warning.
Caught in the act, Sonoko let out a nervous laugh and quickly retreated to stand beside Ren.
"Amamiya, what's going on with Ran?"
Ren didn't respond immediately.
Instead, he activated Spiritual Vision, examining Ran's etheric body.
It was unusually active.
Her body was in an incredibly healthy state.
Her fat levels were decreasing, while her muscle density was rapidly increasing.
"…I see."
Ren nodded to himself as he processed the information.
"Ran's body is absorbing and digesting calories at an accelerated rate."
"That's causing a rapid increase in muscle density."
"And since her body is using up all the stored fat, she looks like she's shrinking."
Fat was the body's way of storing energy.
But Ran had now fully converted that energy into muscle.
That was why she appeared slimmer even though, in reality, her weight had increased.
He glanced at Ran, who was still waiting for an explanation, and decided to break the bad news.
"Mouri, even though you look thinner…"
"Because your muscle density has increased, your weight hasn't gone down."
"In fact, it's gone up quite a bit."
Ran's expression froze.
Her mind immediately flashed back to yesterday's nightmare.
Just a few days ago, she had gained five kilograms in such a short time.
Now, who knew how much more she would gain?
Sonoko quickly picked up on Ran's distress.
"Ohhh~"
"Ran, so you really have gotten heavier lately!"
"No wonder you've grown so much."
"And no wonder your body feels… firmer."
With a teasing grin, Sonoko's hands made a mock squeezing motion in the air.
Ran backed away.
This pervy aura was dangerous.
"Hehehe~"
Sonoko smirked but didn't push further.
Instead, she turned back to Ren.
"Amamiya, based on your guess…"
"How much weight is Ran going to gain in the end?"
Ren thought for a moment.
"Well, I think it'll stop increasing once her muscle density reaches an optimal level."
"At that point… I'd estimate her final weight will be around 65 to 70 kilograms."
"…What?!"
Ran almost fainted on the spot.
Seventy kilograms?!
"Are you serious?!"
"Well… it's just my estimate."
"Mouri, there's no need to panic."
Ren tried to reassure her.
"The denser your muscles, the stronger your explosive power."
"Besides, you don't have to worry about getting bulky."
"Your body is adapting to this change in a balanced way."
Despite his explanation, Ran still looked like she was on the verge of tears.
It was obvious she wasn't convinced.
Ren sighed, rubbing his temple.
He needed a better way to explain it.
Suddenly, an idea came to him.
"Snap!"
A holographic projection began to take shape in the air.
It was a visualization of what Ran would look like at 70 kilograms.
The figure had thicker legs, but they looked well-toned and round.
Her waist remained slim, maintaining an hourglass-like balance.
Her arms had more definition, but still looked soft rather than bulky.
Her hips were more pronounced, and her bust… had obviously expanded further.
The overall impression wasn't fat, it was full, curvy, and well-proportioned.
It radiated the mature beauty of a well-developed physique.
"…!!"
The entire clubroom fell silent.
All the girls stared in shock at the projection.
Even Ran, the person in question, was completely stunned.
Ren examined his own projection, nodding in satisfaction.
"This is probably what it'll look like."
"You won't look fat at all."
"If anything, it'll make you seem more… well-rounded."
"…Well-rounded?"
He struggled to find the right term, but that was the best he could come up with.
"In fact, I think this evolution is the most balanced adaptation possible."
Sonoko suddenly jumped up, pointing directly at the bust of the projection.
"Strength and flexibility are one thing…"
"But why the hell did this grow so much?!"
"…It's fat."
Ren sighed.
"Growing here only makes movement harder."
The skinnier girls in the room all nodded in agreement.
They had no words.
Ren had no logical explanation for it.
After a pause, he finally spoke.
"…I think this is just part of Mouri's natural genetics."