"Pwhaaa. Surprisingly, it's delicious" Yuuji said, surprised after drinking the milk.
Instantly, he could feel in real time how his body grew and changed slowly, it did not turn him into a muscular monster in the Hanma style, but it was true that his body became much more refined, like that of someone who works out every day leaning toward superhuman, similar to Spider-Man from the comics.
Something that did not surprise Yuuji, after all, to give some examples, Yuuji has abilities such as Water Stream Crushing Rock, a martial art that, while not directly responsible, helped someone push their body to such a limit that it turned them into one of the most powerful heroes in a society full of superpowers using only their body, or also Keikaku, which is literally an extra organ that a ghoul has, and since a ghoul is a supernatural creature, it is clear that their body is several times superior to that of a human.
Like those, he has several more abilities that should have long ago made Yuuji's body far better if it were not for the limit of human potential.
"Incredible, I feel an incredible strength inside me, like a raging ocean. But even more impressive is that I have total control over my strength and capabilities.
It even makes me want to train a bit to test my limits"
[Seriously?!]
"Yes, but the feeling already passed, I'm going to sleep" Yuuji said with a yawn as he went to bed.
[I knew it]
"Mmm, I'll need new clothes" he muttered as he felt how tight his current clothes were, he even took them off, remaining only in boxers due to the discomfort. "Mona"
[I'll handle it, master]
"Good"
With everything settled, Yuuji finally went to sleep, however, this only lasted a few minutes.
♪Forever we can make it!
Forever we can make it!
Koisuru otome-tachi no...♪
"And now who?" Yuuji grabbed the D-Dial with annoyance and answered.
Only after answering did he realize it was a video call.
"Yuuji, good evening!...Waaah! Why are you naked?"
"What? A video call?! Ah, it's Lala. Then it doesn't matter"
Yuuji was surprised when he realized he had answered a video call and was about to get dressed quickly, but upon seeing it was just Lala he relaxed.
"What do you mean it doesn't matter? You shouldn't go around n-n-naked" Lala replied with red cheeks.
"I'm not naked, I just don't have anything on top" Yuuji answered.
"O-oh. That... does that make it better?"
"I don't know, you tell me"
"I-I... I don't know! So this is how Rito felt when I didn't wear clothes?"
"No, it's not the same, it's not that strange for a man to not wear anything on top, but for a girl to do it is perverted"
"W-what?! What kind of strange rules does Earth have? Why is it fine for men but wrong for girls?" Lala complained.
"Well, don't ask me. I'm not sure either" Yuuji shrugged, deciding he did not feel like discussing things Lala would not understand anyway. "By the way, what did you want?"
"Ah, right! Well, tomorrow we're going to the water park, do you want to go together?" Lala remembered.
"Sure" Yuuji agreed. "Speaking of that, I was thinking of bringing Yami"
"Yami?" Lala asked, confused.
"Yes, she's been working for a couple of days already, so it's fine for her to take a day off. Besides, I have the feeling that if I don't treat her well, mom is going to blame me"
"Mmm? Why would she blame you?"
"Ah, it's a long story, but in short I know my mother well enough to know that" Yuuji replied.
"I see, then maybe we should invite Mikan too, she seems to be very close to Yami"
"Are they? Even though it's only been a day?"
"Has it only been a day? It feels like it's been longer" Lala murmured to herself.
'Right, don't try to understand time inside a comedy anime' Yuuji thought.
Although he had not seen things like Detective Conan happening, where one day it is winter and the next it is summer, one day Christmas and the next they are starting classes, even so, sometimes time seemed to behave strangely in that world.
Yuuji decided that not thinking about it was the easiest way to deal with the strange passage of time, so he chose to do exactly that.
"Alright, then I'll invite Mikan and you bring Yami" Lala said.
"Sounds good, see you then" Yuuji said goodbye with a yawn.
"Ah, wait! One thing before hanging up"
"What is it?"
"Well, you... don't you have more muscles than before?" Lala asked after hesitating a bit.
"Just a sudden growth, it's nothing much" Yuuji lied.
"Of course it is! Just yesterday you were like a normal person who takes care of their body, but today you're like... like..."
"'Like'?"
"Like a Greek god!"
Yuuji looked at the blushing Lala for a second, repeating in his mind what he had just heard, until after a few seconds he finally reacted.
"Pffft hahaha! Where the hell did you hear that expression?"
"I... I read it in a manga, isn't it appropriate?"
"Appropriate, appropriate, you have no idea how much hahaha"
Actually, since Hercules is a Greek god, or demigod, and he also drank Hera's milk just like Yuuji, Yuuji thought the term might actually be quite appropriate.
"T-then why are you laughing?" Lala protested, blushing.
"Nothing, I just didn't expect to hear something like that from you" Yuuji replied, finally calming down.
"I learned it while studying romance manga, you know? Don't make fun of me"
"Yeah, manga tend to use those exaggerated expressions" Yuuji admitted.
"What's wrong?" he asked, noticing that Lala looked uneasy.
"It's just... now I feel like I shouldn't be looking at you. Does that make me a pervert?"
Yuuji looked at Lala for a second in confusion, thinking about what to answer, finally he decided on the truth.
"Lala, there's something I have to tell you"
"Y-yes? Why so serious?"
"Lala, the truth is... you are definitely a pervert"
"...what?" Lala took a second to react. "I'm not! I just don't understand Earth's culture"
"That excuse won't work forever, you know? And you immediately understood what I meant.
It's fine, I don't mind that you're a pervert. Also, looking at me doesn't make you one, so don't worry, although I would get annoyed if you looked at others too"
"Don't worry, I only want to look at Yuuji! No, wait, I'm not a pervert!"
"Are you sure?" Yuuji said with a sly smile.
"Sure!" Lala declared confidently.
"Alright, if you say so"
"Why do I feel like you don't believe me?"
"I believe you, I believe you, don't worry.
So let's call it settled and see each other tomorrow"
"Okay, ah! But Yuuji..."
"Yes?"
"Well, since I saw your chest... should I show you mine?" Lala wondered, but although at first glance it might seem like her usual innocence, after the previous conversation it was impossible to make that mistake. Also, the red color on her cheeks while she looked away gave her away.
"...Lala"
"I-it was a joke! A joke! See you tomorrow!" Lala waved her hands in embarrassment and quickly ended the video call.
Yuuji just smiled and finally went to sleep.
A few seconds later, the screen lit up along with the sound of a notification.
"Mona, is that an image?" Yuuji asked, recognizing the notification sound.
[It is] Mona nodded before muttering in surprise to herself, [waaah, so my creator might be a pervert]
Yuuji got up one last time to check the message, saved the image, and then went back to sleep.
...
The next day, by the time Yuuji woke up, all the clothes in his closet had already been replaced with the exact same designs, but in a larger size to fit his growth.
Yuuji took it naturally, not surprised by his family's efficiency and, after choosing clothes not as casual as what he usually wears at home but not too formal either, he got dressed.
After completing his usual morning routine and having breakfast, Yuuji left his house heading toward Rito's.
...
Ding Dong!
Seconds after the bell rang, the door opened revealing three figures.
"Yuuji! How do I look?" Lala asked, spinning around to show her outfit.
A loose red short-sleeved blouse with a delicate white trim at the neckline, combined with a short, flared white skirt tied with a light blue ribbon that highlights the outfit, resulting in a simple and comfortable look.
Her hair, usually loose, was tied into two low twin tails falling to the front, giving her a fresh appearance.
"Beautiful" Yuuji replied out of reflex but without lying.
"Hehe" and Lala smiled, satisfied.
"By the way, where's Yami?" Lala asked, noticing Yuuji was alone.
"Isn't she coming?" Mikan asked from the side, only to become embarrassed the next second and apologize for not greeting him.
Yuuji brushed it off, telling her it was fine and that they could talk on the way.
"Yami is working, so we'll pick her up on the way"
"On the way? Yami works at your company as security, right? Are you sure that's on the way?" Mikan asked.
"Yes, don't worry"
"Now that I think about it, your company is also on the way to Mikan's school and our high school, right? What a coincidence" Rito commented.
But Yuuji shook his head. "It's not a coincidence, it's what's called a commercial zone"
"Commercial zone? Like in games?" Rito asked, recognizing the term.
"Exactly, although the commercial zone itself no longer exists, its concept hasn't disappeared.
The truth is that most commercial places tend to be in a straight line or in nearby areas. This is meant to act as bait, if you go somewhere to buy something, you probably have money on you, so other stores make sure to be nearby so you can see them as well while you carry that money, that's how commercial zones worked in the past.
Nowadays it works more like routes, after all, most people are in a hurry or use cars, so they don't walk through an area anymore but rather follow paths. Because of that, stores and similar places tend to be in a straight line not only with each other, but also with other crowded places such as high schools.
Chaos Studios follows the same principle, so it's aligned with both Sainan High School and the water park we're going to, as well as many other popular places."