[Early Access] Reduction Week 1:2000 What-If Ch0

(The intro to the 'What-If' Shorts)

(General Premise: 'What if Reduction Week had the characters shrink down to 1:2000 scale all at once')

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School Nurse - Kikue Sasakura 1

1:2000 What-If Intro: Before Reduction

Reduction Week - When it came to strange school programs, this was likely one of the two extraordinary events that a high school student would ever go through. 

“Sasakura-sensei… Are you really sure this is safe? I’m a bit worried about how this will end up for Touya…”

“You’re quite the concerned girl, Asano. Your girlfriend is so caring, Kirishima.”

“G-Girlfriend?!” 

“Yae and I are not dating yet, Sensei.”

“Hm? ‘Yet’? There’s a story behind that and I’d love to hear the details, but let’s save that for another time. In any case, there’s no need for any concern. This is a government mandated program that’s been carefully tested and used nationwide. This technology is guaranteed safe. And if that doesn’t ease your concerns, the entire health committee here at Sakuragawa will also be supporting class 2-D this week.”

Sakuragawa High School was no ordinary school. It was a school well known for its huge health committee which supported clubs and students in just about everything. Being a member of that very committee, I had known for a long time how crazy our activities could get, but Reduction Week was something we had no say in. The government had planned this 5 day long curriculum thoroughly. And now, my class was going to take part in the first Reduction Week of the school year.

Yawn!

“And I’m supposed to take Kirishima’s place while he’s with the other boys? Is that right, Sasakura-sensei?” Standing beside my childhood friend, Yae, was our close friend, Aoi Takahashi. Sasakura-sensei had asked me to pick a girl from my class who I believed would be a good substitute for me in the health committee while I was going through the program. Although she was chronically sleepy, Takahashi was a genius. She would certainly get the job done well (also, it would get her to stay awake more - something all of the other teachers appreciated).

“Yes. I’ll run you through the details later, Takahashi,” our school nurse nodded before turning her attention back to me and Yae. She lifted up her left arm and gestured to her wrist. She was telling us to check the metal wrist band that she wanted me to wear and the watch that she wanted Yae to wear. “Before that, though. Asano, Kirishima. Since you two signed the contract for the ‘special exemption’, please make sure to wear those items on you at all times. It’s okay for Asano to take it off when she takes a shower or goes to bed because it’s mostly just a tool for her to monitor things, but Kirishima, you should not take that off. Understood?”

“It doesn’t look like there’s any way for me to take it off in the first place, Sasakura-sensei,” I inspected the wristband. It was definitely a piece of technology, but I could not recognize what it did at all. The design was sleek and a part of it glowed.

“That will be how Asano will be able to monitor you among other things. Considering you will be skipping out on some of the ‘overnight stay’ days of this week-long program, that Band is a must-have. The other boys might have one too but I’ve specifically changed the settings on yours to unlock some features because of your exemption.’

“Really? I wonder what it does.”

What kind of crazy school program required a futuristic looking wrist band and a watch designed to track it? Well, another question would be ‘what kind of crazy school program required the sci-fi-esque machine that was in the room that Sensei, Yae, Takahashi, and I were all in? This was a machine given to our school by the government. What could it do?

“Hm… Just to confirm, your height is 180 cm tall, correct, Kirishima?”

“That’s what it said when you measured me five minutes ago.”

“Let me remember to log that number in then. It’s important to keep track of heights and scales when it comes to using Alteration technology after all. And it seems that Kamiya and the other health committee members have finished inputting the heights of all the other boys who are waiting in line, so at this point, we’re kind of keeping them waiting.”

Reduction technology, just one type of Alteration technology, was technology designed to change the size of things, including people. It was something that our society was steadily getting more accustomed to seeing all over. For one school week, the second year boys were going to experience Reduction and get shrunken down. And Class 2-D was going to be going first.

“I’m a bit worried about the scale that you told us the boys would be at, Sensei,” Yae expressed her concerns. I wondered what scale it was. Although I was a part of the health committee, I wasn’t able to find out. Apparently, it was something Sasakura-sensei kept a secret from everyone except for Kamiya-senpai, who was my committee’s chairman, and Yae, who had signed the exemption contract with me. Apparently, Sensei instructed Yae not to tell me either.

“It’s good that you’re concerned, Asano. We need more girls to learn about that sense of worry. There’s still a bit of unfairness in how Reduction can only be used on men at the moment.”

It was true - only boys were allowed to be Reduced. Due to government policies being slow to update, there was still a restriction placed so that only men could be Reduced for official programs. I was going to have to learn how to look up to my female classmates after I shrank.

At the very least, with Yae joining me as my partner in our ‘Special Exemption’ to some of the after school parts of the program, I knew I had someone I could count on. I knew she wasn’t going to be the only person helping out either. Takahashi taking my place in the health committee meant that she’d be able to contact any of my fellow committee members for me if I needed it. And a number of those committee members would be more than happy to help me out if I needed it.

“Okay. we should be good now,” Sasakura-sensei finished typing down the last bit of information that she needed and turned back towards the three of us students. “Well, your class is going to be the first batch to get Reduced, so I’m sure I’ll get used to adjusting the settings for the other 2nd year classes in later weeks.”

“I would’ve liked it for our class to have gone second at least. Then I could get some pointers.”

“You’re going to be the one giving pointers later. That’s why I picked your class first, and why I had you come here first.”

“That’s what I get for being part of the health committee, Sasakura-Sensei.”

“It makes you a lot calmer than most students at least,” she laughed before standing up. She gestured for me to walk up to the metal platform and then gestured for Yae and Takahashi to head towards the door. “Let’s get started then. Takahashi, Asano. I’ll have you two head back to the classroom and explain the curriculum plan to your classmates. Yanase should be there to help if you need some assistance explaining things to those girls. Kirishima, I hope you’re ready. Considering you’re a committee member, I expect to hear your feedback on this whole experience, alright?”

“No problem, Sensei. I can write a good report,” I nodded and turned to see Yae and Takahashi leaving the room. Before the door closed, I spotted the line of my fellow male classmates outside waiting for Sensei to call them in.

Turning my attention back to Sasakura-sensei, I saw on the monitor of the device she was sitting in front of that had my height displayed on it: 180 cm. Upon seeing this, I realized this was going to be the last time in a while where I would be able to look down at the 169 cm tall school nurse much like how earlier was the last time I’d be able to look down at my 160 cm childhood friend and 170 cm classmate too.

“Alright, Kirishima,” Sensei asked me as she inserted a key into the device. I had thought that the key unlocked a safety lock on the machine, but the machine started to ‘hum’ and ‘whirr’ loudly the moment she turned it. It was as if she had started up a car by turning the key. “Are you ready for your first experience at a smaller size?”

Smaller size. I had no idea what experiencing Reduction was going to be like, but it was about to happen.

“As ready as I’ll ever be, Sensei.”

“Good. Then please head to the connecting room.” Sensei pointed at the door that shared the same wall that the Reduction device was hooked up to. I nodded and walked into the pitch black room that had no lights. Even the windows were blocked. Turning around, I saw Sasakura-sensei open the other door to the hallway to call in the other boys. “Okay, boys. Please follow Kirishima inside.”

As my fellow male classmates joined me, all of us anxiously waited with curious and concerned thoughts. How small would the Reduction make us and what would it be like? To adjust for the use of size altering technology’s commonplace use in the workplace, all of us boys and girls had to be taught how it was at different sizes. Being mandated by the government to go through Reduction for a week was going to be a strange time for all of us.

When the last of the class 2-D boys entered the adjacent room, Sasakura-sensei shut the door.

“Please prepare yourselves, boys. We will begin the Reduction process soon.”