Chapter 6: Children are Merciless

Chapter 6:
Children are Merciless

 

“YOU KNOW, I really think I lack dignity,” Vivi remarked as we watched the store.

“I mean, do you really need it?”

“Of course! I’m a spirit. If I had a more dignified aura, people wouldn’t underestimate me so often.” She looked somber. I wasn’t sure how to reply.

I guessed that Vivi was saying this because, three days ago, some neighborhood kids had swung by while she watched the store. They’d bullied her, teased her, and basically just given her grief. She made the perfect prey, since she was always pessimistic and wore her heart on her sleeve. Hell, if I were a kid, I’d probably pick on Vivi too.

I’d eventually managed to chase the kids away. By that point, though, Vivi was already on the verge of tears.

I sighed. “How about astounding people with some advanced magic, since you’re a spirit and all?”

“I can’t use that magic unless I’m at the lake.”

“Hunh. But you can use astounding magic? What kind?”

Vivi giggled. “Spells that human mages only dream of using!”

“Whoa! Now you sound all-powerful.”

“For instance, my magic purifies the lake water!”

I hesitated. “Man…where’re all the customers?”

“Why did you just ignore what I said about the lake water?” Vivi pulled my sleeve, annoyed. “It’s safe to drink for animals, monsters, and humans! The fish are peppy every day! There probably isn’t a lake like that anywhere else in the world! I’m amazing, right? Hey!”

“Look, could you give me some space? Your hand’s pretty cold.”

“Oh, sorry. Wait—hey! You’re a jerk!”

“How come? You’re a lake spirit, so you have to stay cool or you can’t retain your human form, right?”

“That’s not what I meant! Couldn’t you, like, react? Ask questions about my magic! I’m up for answering anything! Oh—wait, I get it. You’re hiding how surprised you are!” Vivi kept boasting about her lame lake magic, grinning.

If her magic just filters the lake, she can kiss “dignity” goodbye. “You’re coming off as kind of desperate, Vivi.”

“Don’t sneer at me! Yes, I’m desperate, okay?! I don’t want kids to bully me anymore!”

“Hmm. Let’s set the whole ‘magic’ thing aside for now, then.”

“Huh? Why?!”

“Hmm. How about an ace up your sleeve…?” I mumbled, brainstorming.

My words seemed to trigger something in the unfortunate spirit’s brain. She gazed at me respectfully. Yup, her eyes are pure and innocent. Sparkling, even. And her magic won’t help, so a trump card would be handy.

“Let’s approach this whole ‘dignity’ thing from a different angle,” I suggested. “How about giving off an aura that makes you unapproachable?”

Vivi apparently drew a blank. “What do you mean?”

Okay, give her an example she can work with. “You know how it’s hard to talk to someone who looks cranky?”

Vivi nodded. “My aura will be more dignified if I’m grumpy?”

Hrm, not quite. Still, that might work against the kids. “Just keep telling yourself you’re an all-powerful spirit. You’re so strong, you could blow away any human with just a breath, and some idiot’s polluting your lake!”

Vivi growled. “I’m so pissed off!”

Mina popped her head into the drugstore. “I’m about to make lunch, Vivi. Would you care to help? A while ago, you said you wanted to try cooking.”

“Who cares about cooking?! I’m fed up! Why the hell did that fool dirty my lake?!”

“All right. I’ll take that as a no.” Mina smiled awkwardly and retreated.

Vivi gaped at the spot where she’d been, then turned to me. “Reiji…”

“Yeah?”

“I think I just slipped up.”

She had; she’d lost her unapproachable aura. “I had the same thought. What a coincidence.”

“It’s not a coincidence!” Vivi smacked me lightly, sending a chill up my arm. “I bet that grumpy aura upset Mina!”

“Well, how about we try changing your look instead?”

“I should grow a beard!” she exclaimed.

I tried to imagine it. “Uh…that’s not working for me. A beard would come off as a joke—like you were wearing a disguise.”

“Then how about making myself taller?!”

“Oh! That might actually work. You’d seem intimidating, rather than dignified.” I got behind Vivi and stuck my head between her legs. Holding her thighs, I lifted her upward.

“Whoa! Wh-what’re you doing?!”

“Feel taller?”

“Oh, gosh! I’m so high up. I am taller! Tee hee! Wait, this isn’t more dignified—it’s just fun!”

“Isn’t that good enough?”

“We’re shooting for intimidating, Reiji! Sitting on your shoulders doesn’t make me taller. Come on—prescribe me something for height!”

“That’s too much hassle.”

“Don’t be like that! I’m your employee! Are you really okay with a bunch of kids bullying me? You told Gyao you’d protect me, right?” Vivi yanked at my hair.

“Ow, ow! Okay, fine, I get it! I’ll make you something! Stop!” I immediately put her down. I could tell she’d keep lashing out if I didn’t help.

“I’m counting on you!” Vivi bowed her head.

“I guess I have no choice,” I grumbled to myself, heading for the lab. Spotting Mina, I told her what’d just transpired.

Time to get down to business.

An extra thirty centimeters would change Vivi’s image. The formula wasn’t too difficult, so I finished quickly.

 

Bigger Biggest: Enlarges body. Growth depends on amount consumed.

 

This is almost like doping. Anyhow, prescribing Vivi one dose of the bigger-biggest treatment should scare those brats into submission.

“Yo, Vivi! I’m done!” I called, returning to the shop. I found her dealing with customers—five kids, in fact.

“Ew! Negative Nancy’s working again!” one shrieked.

“What’re you doing, lady?”

“You sure seem bored!”

“Why’re you so whiny all the time?”

“You’ll never make friends acting like that, wimp!”

The kids had only just entered, but Vivi was already holding back large tears. “I-I’m in the middle of work! Go home!”

Damn, she’s weepy. Still, I can’t blame her if they bully her like this.

“Hey, brats!” I snapped. “Show her some respect! I’ll have you know a Negative Nancy can be damn popular with customers! We don’t sell candy here—get your butts home!”

“Shut up, old man!”

Excuse me?! I cracked my knuckles. “I’ll have to show you brats what happens when you mess with an angry geezer!” The kids screeched and rushed out. Sighing, I headed back to the counter. “Dumb brats.”

“Thanks for saving me, Reiji.”

“No big. You do realize they pick on you because you don’t have your guard up, right? Anyhow…” I handed her the bigger-biggest liquid. “This should make you taller.”

She gazed at it happily. “If I drink this, they won’t bug me anymore?”

If Vivi was still thin-skinned once she was taller, the kids might continue to tease her. But if her body grew, maybe her attitude would change too.

Vivi popped the cap off the bottle, downing the formula in one go. “Whew! Yum!”

“Whoa, wait!” She drank it all before I could explain anything! I watched Vivi rapidly grow taller.

“Huh? Whoa! I’m growing!”

Thonk! Her head smacked the ceiling three meters up.

“Owie!”

She stopped growing at that point, but her body was several times taller and wider. I actually had to look up to see her face. She’s huge. She changed from spirit to titan!

“H-how’re you feeling?”

“Incredible! I can see so much more!”

Fortunately, her clothes had grown with her; she was totally covered. However… “Uh, Vivi…this’s kinda hard to say, but…”

“What?” She looked down at me.

“No matter where I stand, I can see your underwear.”

“Eek! Don’t look!” Vivi immediately crouched; her knees and elbows brushed the shelves, and one bottle after another fell to the floor.

“Whoa! Hold up! Go outside for now! You’re too big for the drugstore!”

“Gosh, I’m sorry!” Holding her skirt hem modestly, Vivi glanced at me. “Don’t you dare look!”

She slowly exited. Of course, as she did so, her butt faced me, and she exposed herself completely. Sigh. It wasn’t a big deal; her panties were bigger, and honestly, they just looked like a huge blanket. Kinda hard to feel anything about an enormous bedsheet.

“AAAH! A GIANTESS!”

Hearing children’s screams, I rushed outside. The brats from earlier were pointing and yelling at Vivi.

Yeah, she’s sure big. She’s about as tall as a two-story house.

“Heh heh! How do you like me now?” Vivi shrieked. “If you mess with me again, I’ll forehead-flick you into oblivion!”

Her tone had changed. I guess the extra height did help. You’ve grown, Vivi. Physically, anyhow. Vivi had begun her counterattack in earnest—or so I thought.

“We gotta protect our town!” one child squealed.

“Yeah!”

“Split up!”

“Aye aye!”

The kids surrounded Vivi. As they flitted about, she seemed lost. “Huh? What’s going on?”

They whipped out small wooden swords. “Attack!”

“Yaaaah!” They struck at Vivi’s legs.

“W-wait! Stop! That stings!”

“This is our town!”

Seeing the brave kids protect Kalta from the titan, I found myself moved. This town’s future is safe and sound.

One kid looked upward. “Whoa! I can see her panties!”

“Hey, don’t look!” Vivi pressed her skirt down.

It was too late. Like the piranhas of the Amazon River, the kids smelled blood.

“Even her panties are huge!” one squealed.

“Miss Big-Panties!”

“Why’re your panties black?”

“Eaugh! She pooped herself!”

“Ain’t you too old to do that?”

The lake spirit was wearing dark underwear, so the kids had gotten the wrong idea. “She pooped herself! She pooped herself! She pooped herself!” they chanted, clapping along.

Talk about devastating psychological warfare. These kids are vicious.

“I didn’t poop myself!” Vivi shrieked in embarrassment.

My ears rang; I covered them instinctively while the kids laughed their asses off at Vivi’s volume.

She crouched, sobbing. Bucket-sized tears fell to the ground one after another, producing a small river.

Hunh. I feel like I watched something exactly like this back in grade school.

“Aren’t you supposed to be grown up? Why’re you crying like a baby?!”

“What’re you crying about, Miss Big-Panties?”

“Why’re your panties that color?”

Vivi hadn’t stopped bawling.

“This is boring. Let’s go home.”

“We’ll be back later!”

The kids left, tired of Vivi. The poor lake spirit was all choked up, her eyes completely bloodshot.

“I honestly think they just want you to play with them,” I told her.

I figured it was similar to a kid teasing a kid they liked. Children didn’t pay attention to people they didn’t want to deal with.

“Even if that’s true, I hate it!”

The bigger-biggest liquid’s effects wore off, returning Vivi to her normal height. I stroked her head gently.

“Look, next time they come by, try playing. We always chase them off, so they’re mad, and they get back at us.” Sure, we could’ve just scared the kids away for good, but that would’ve been tough for Vivi. “Operation Friendship, got it? If being strict isn’t working, let loose a little. Who knows, it might work out.”

“That…could be fun.” Vivi giggled, and I smiled back at her.

 

***

 

A few days later, the kids came by the drugstore while Vivi was working. She extended an olive branch, and they played together. It sounded like they had a lot of fun.

When I thought about it, the kids only showed up during Vivi’s shifts. I was sure they saw her as one of the neighborhood’s older girls; I totally understood why they wanted her attention.

Despite that happy ending, wimpy Vivi still didn’t like being underestimated. “Reiji, I want to be more dignified!”