[TSSIM] Chapter 456: Swimsuits?

'Cooking is just a skill for making dishes, right? So why did this random skill pop up out of nowhere?!'

'And it just had to be when I was thinking about biology! I mean, anyone would think this is some kind of advanced biology skill, right?'

'If I hadn't tried to remember how the skill came up, I might not have even realized it!'

Feeling a bit flustered by the appearance of a new skill called 'Dissection', Homura finally calmed down and realized that it made sense for this skill to be at such a high level.

Cooking had shown him the best way to handle a knife, while Tai Chi and Massage had given him a deep understanding of the human body's structural details.

If these three skills combined with the biology knowledge he had learned at school, it was not surprising for Dissection to appear.

He found that its emergence had no flaws at all!

"Homura-kun… Homura-kun! What are you thinking about?"

Fumino's voice pulled Homura's attention away from the System.

"I... was just tutoring you guys and ended up thinking about other things..." Homura replied, his mouth twitching. "With knowledge in Cooking, understanding of the human body from Tai Chi and Massage, plus some basics in biology, I suddenly realized I'd mastered a new skill..."

Upon hearing this, the three girls exchanged confused glances, and as they processed his words, their expressions quickly turned a bit strange.

How did he combine all that unrelated knowledge together?

Was that why he had so many exceptional skills?

Maybe they should try mixing some things together one day?

With puzzled looks on their faces, the girls thought about these strange ideas.

However, they immediately shook their heads and decided to stop thinking about such odd things.

"By the way, Homura-kun…"

Fumino suddenly remembered something, probably interrupted by what Homura had just said.

"Since we're going to an island, there must be a beach, right? Can you come with us to help pick out swimsuits?"

As Fumino asked this, not only did she blush, but Rizu also did, and of course, Uruka was even redder.

"Right now?" Homura asked reflexively, feeling a bit surprised. 

Had they already planned this, or did they talk about it while he zoned out?

"Yeah, right now." Fumino nodded. "It's perfect since you're free, and who knows if you'll have time later?"

"I should be able to..."

Homura wasn't entirely sure, but given what happened today, they would probably want him to tag along to buy swimsuits, so he would likely clear his schedule for today.

"Well… let's just go now." Homura nodded, then remembered something. "By the way, is Miyako home?"

"Miyako…" Fumino shook her head. "She's not home; she went shopping."

"Shopping?" Homura raised an eyebrow. "Is she buying swimsuits too?"

'Huh? Is that possible?' Fumino thought speechlessly.

"If she's buying swimsuits, why didn't she tell us?" Uruka asked, raising a reasonable question.

"Well, there could be lots of reasons..." Homura shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe she's not going to buy swimsuits, maybe she didn't want to interrupt your studying, or maybe… she's just shy and too embarrassed to shop with you guys? In any case, you guys get ready to head out, and I'll ask her myself."

Following this, Homura shook his phone.

"I'll also check on Mafuyu and see if she's free."

Upon hearing this, the three girls nodded and started gathering their study materials before Fumino headed to her room to change.

Homura dialed Miyako's number, and she picked up quickly.

"Homura? What's up? Why are you suddenly calling me?"

'Homura?' Homura thought in surprise, raising his eyebrows.

He was quite surprised by the sudden change in how she addressed him but decided to let it go.

"Well, I'll get to the point. I'm at Fumino's place right now. Guess why I'm calling you?" Homura chuckled.

"...How am I supposed to guess that?"

"Alright, I'll just tell you. Fumino and the others are going to buy swimsuits. You in?"

Silence.

'Maybe I guessed right?' Homura thought, feeling amused.

"I'm already at the mall..."

After a while, Miyako finally replied, sounding a bit shy and surprised.

"Heh, I figured as much." Homura remarked, almost laughing out loud. "Are you going to join us?"

"Um, I guess I'll come..." Miyako mumbled softly. "I mean, I'll have to see them eventually…"

'So that's what she was thinking...' Homura nodded with a smile. "Cool, so where are you at?"

"Fumino knows, but I'll send you the location anyway."

"Okay, just wait for us." Homura said before ending the call.

Seeing that Uruka and Rizu were already ready, but Fumino still hadn't come down, Homura decided to keep the call going.

"Mafuyu, are you busy?" Homura immediately asked as soon as his call was picked up.

"No, I'm at home."

"Fumino and the others are going to buy swimsuits. You should come along, Mafuyu."

"...What about you?"

"Me? I'm just tagging along." Homura chuckled. "Come on, you have to buy one, right?"

"...Fine, I'll go."

"Great! When you head out, come toward Fumino's place. We'll meet up and then go to the mall together."

"Understood. See you soon."

After hanging up, Fumino happened to come downstairs.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting..."

"No worries, I just finished my call anyway." Homura replied with a smile.

However, as soon as he glanced at Fumino, he noticed something off about her expression.

"Why do you look so troubled, Fumino?"

As soon as Homura asked this, Fumino's expression got even worse.

Fumino tilted her head with a hopeless look, her eyes brimming with tears.

"I forgot… I shouldn't have gone with everyone…"

Homura: "…"

Rizu: "…"

Uruka: "…"

What happened?

Homura, Rizu, and Uruka were confused for a moment before they realized something.

Was it about her cup size?

In their group of six, aside from Homura, who was a boy, four out of the five girls had larger cup sizes, with Rizu even having the biggest of them all.

However, Fumino?

Compared to them, she definitely seemed a lot smaller, especially when it came to buying swimsuits, which made it pretty obvious.

'Maybe she only realized it when she looked at herself in the mirror while changing...'

Homura smiled wryly, feeling helpless.

'What to do? Should I call Sagiri or Elf? But Sagiri is only twelve! Elf is just fourteen! Comparing sixteen-year-old Fumino to them would be way too much of a blow, right?'

'In that case, what about calling Eriri?'

Homura tried to imagine Eriri's figure before he shook his head.

'No, forget it... I just feel like if I actually called her, she'd attack me with her hair.'

As Homura was lost in thought, trying to find a solution, Uruka suddenly spoke up, attempting to comfort Fumino.

"It's okay, Fuminocchi! Having bigger ones isn't that great. Your shoulders get tired easily!"

'Is that supposed to help?!' Homura snapped out of his thoughts, feeling speechless.

"I'm serious! When you run, people stare at your chest, and it's so annoying!" Uruka continued with her so-called 'comforting' words. "Swimming is an even bigger hassle, you know! Even wearing a dress feels weird because the front looks shorter than the back!"

'Shut up, Uruka! Don't you know your words are like a thousand arrows piercing Fumino's heart?'

Homura's right eyebrow twitched.

"Okay, Uruka, stop."

Seeing that Fumino was really about to cry, Homura hurriedly interrupted Uruka before she could say more.

'Good grief, I guess I should say something...'

Homura sighed helplessly.