Chapter 129: Who Taught You Two to Do This!
Afterward, the others also took their respective pieces of meat according to their training rankings. Since Womyn and Remus had been eliminated, Mahiro still gave them a small portion to fill their stomachs.
Only Gin and Poney were left staring enviously at the others, feeling utterly dejected.
Especially when they smelled the rich aroma of the roasted meat, their mouths watered uncontrollably, and their stomachs felt even more uncomfortable. They deeply experienced the feeling of hunger and firmly resolved to train desperately next time.
As former members of the elite group who had survived in the wild for three years, they were already proficient in wilderness survival skills. Roasting meat was no difficult task for them—cooking it thoroughly was no problem.
But the three from the Enhancement Unit were completely at a loss.
Even Kurome's roasted meat turned out disastrous—charred black on the outside and still half-raw inside.
However, when they were starving, who cared about the taste?
Even so, when they caught sight of Mahiro's cooking, it was a completely different sensory experience.
"(╯▽╰) So fragrant~~"
The sisters Akame and Kurome smelled the aroma of the roasted meat from his side, and their cravings were instantly stirred up. They almost followed the scent right over to him.
They saw Mahiro smoking two pieces of thigh meat, the surface of which had turned a golden color. Fragrant oils gradually seeped out!
A pot was also set over the fire, bubbling with stewed, chopped meat.
From time to time, he picked up jars and bottles nearby and sprinkled seasonings into it. The aroma of the spices alone was enough to captivate everyone.
They kept swallowing their saliva, suddenly feeling that the roasted meat they were chewing in their mouths was no longer appetizing.
Akame compared the remaining half of the charred meat in her hand and felt it was hardly fit for human consumption.
Wuwuwu, so envious...
"Um... Lord Yotsuba? In the future... could you please teach us how to cook as well?"
The big sister Cornelia looked at Mahiro and softly made the request on behalf of the others.
The rest also gazed at him with hopeful eyes.
"Hmm, why? What you're roasting seems pretty good too, doesn't it?"
Mahiro casually glanced at the roasted meat in their hands.
Not to mention the others, the roasted meat in Cornelia's hand was already quite good, and Nahashu's was cooked to perfection.
"Uh... but compared to you, we're still far behind."
Especially with those jars and bottles of seasonings—some of which they had never even seen before.
"Alright, as long as your training reaches a level that satisfies me, I don't mind teaching you."
"That's great! Thank you. Then it's settled, okay?" Cornelia's pretty face broke into a playful smile.
She realized that although he was strict during training, Lord Yotsuba seemed quite easygoing in everyday life!
Upon hearing this, the others immediately burst into cheers.
As for Poney and Gin, who could only go hungry, they lay half-dead under the large tree. Having endured the hellish aroma of roasted meat, their bodies had no strength left.
"Here, yours."
Mahiro tossed the two leftover bones in front of them. "Remember, this is a one-time only occurrence. I won't give you food next time, understood?"
"I... I understand..."
He said this to Gin, but it was equally meant for Poney. Mercy would be granted only this once.
However, the single-minded Poney completely missed the underlying meaning. Instead, her eyes lit up at the sight of the meat bones, and she immediately swallowed her saliva before picking one up to gnaw on.
Not to be outdone, Gin followed right after!
"Mmm, how wonderful to taste food personally prepared by Lord Yotsuba," Kurome muttered through a mouthful of charred meat, while Akame nibbled on her remaining bone, savoring the lingering aroma in the air. Both sisters wore expressions of envy.
"Yeah... right, it smelled so delicious earlier. I wonder how it tastes," Tsukushi pouted.
"Delicious!"
After taking a bite of the remaining meat shreds on the bone, Poney's simple eyes suddenly shone with dazzling brightness. Ravenously, she gnawed it clean.
Though the meat left was minimal and tough to chew, it at least eased their stomachs somewhat—far better than starving.
As for Gin, she was in the same state, utterly speechless.
Cornelia watched them, speechless herself.
She understood the instructor's intention perfectly: to humiliate them by making them eat food tainted with his saliva and dust, thereby motivating them to strive harder and avoid falling behind.
But Lord Yotsuba, you've miscalculated completely.
We really don't care about such trivial matters—we only regret not filling our stomachs.
Especially when it comes to the fool among us, the single-minded Poney, who never even considered such complexities.
Instead, it felt more like a punishment for their side, given that the food they made themselves was truly mediocre.
Even the leftovers were worlds apart from what they had.
Mahiro naturally noticed this too. Why did it inexplicably feel like a reward?
After the meal concluded, Mahiro assigned them another task—
Building shelters.
The goal was three houses.
For resting at night and sheltering from rain.
After all, the group included both boys and girls, and he wasn't reckless enough to have these youths crammed together.
However, having just undergone a long-distance forced march, their stamina hadn't fully recovered. Now, starting heavy labor while still wearing weighted gear was clearly arduous.
Amid the sweat-drenched work, Gin couldn't hold out long before collapsing, utterly drained.
"Gin, are you planning to slack off?" Mahiro stood over her, his gaze cold as he looked down.
"Sorry... Lord Yotsuba, but I truly have no strength left. I ate too little earlier..." Gin replied with a pained expression.
"Oh? Then how is Poney, who had about the same portion as you, fine? Why are you the only one with problems? And don't forget, originally you weren't supposed to get any food."
"That's because the weight loads are different..."
Gin pouted with a hint of grievance, her competitive spirit making her cheeks puff up slightly. "While I don't believe girls are inherently weaker than boys, this morning's special training is particularly disadvantageous for me!"
"Are you suggesting I deliberately weighted you down?"
"N-no... It's not really your fault, Lord Yotsuba. I... I'm talking about another reason."
Gin inexplicably grew shy, her eyes darting nervously before she lowered her head and whispered:
"I... I carry about one or two pounds more than others. Though it doesn't usually matter, it makes running much more exhausting!"
"?"
Mahiro slowly formed a question mark with his expression. "Could you elaborate?"
"I... I can't explain it well. Please see for yourself, Lord Yotsuba..."
Gin suddenly grabbed his hand and brought it beneath her substantial bust.
Though separated by a thin layer of clothing, an irresistibly soft sensation transmitted through.
Not only that—it completely filled his palm with substantial weight!
"I didn't notice before, but when I realized, it had already grown so big. When I run, it bounces around like this, making it much more tiring than for others!"
Gin demonstrated with a few troubled hops, causing the weight to bounce cheerfully right before his eyes.
Hiss—
Truly terrifying.
But...
"But that shouldn't be an issue, right? Tsukushi is similar to you, yet why is she faster?"
Mahiro pointed at the busty loli chopping wood nearby in an adorable posture.
Perhaps because Tsukushi had a more petite frame, hers appeared even more spectacular than Gin's!
"N-no, Lord Yotsuba! In the previous test, she only ranked slightly ahead of me and was similarly affected. Besides... hers is much smaller than mine, so naturally she can run faster!"
Gin insisted earnestly.
"Is that so?"
"It's true! If you don't believe me, Lord Yotsuba, I'll call her over to confirm!"
Seeing his continued skepticism, Gin weakly called out to the cute loli about ten meters away, "Tsukushi, Lord Yotsuba wants to see you!"
Tsukushi blinked adorably and turned toward them.
Noticing Mahiro actually waiting there, she obediently trotted over to him!
"Lord Yotsuba, did you need something from Tsukushi?"
"Gin claims you beat her because your... breasts are much lighter than hers. I wanted to ask if that's true?"
"I was only stating facts," Gin muttered, puffing her cheeks.
"Of... of course there's some effect, but I disagree that Gin's being much larger than mine affected the race results! Clearly mine are the same size as hers!"
Tsukushi declared righteously. As someone not originally strong in physical endurance among the elite group, she had given her all in today's special training to secure her ranking. Being told it was due to physical advantages was unbearable!
"Nonsense! We just compared—mine are clearly bigger than yours!" Gin retorted indignantly.
"They're practically the same!"
For a moment, Tsukushi's temper flared too.
"Hmph, if you insist on saying that, then let Lord Yotsuba judge for himself!"
No one knew which screw had come loose in Gin's head, but she abruptly placed his right hand directly on Tsukushi's chest!
His other hand was placed on her own body.
Tsukushi looked down at the large hand on her body, then lifted her head to blink at Mahiro as if she hadn't quite processed what was happening.
After a moment, realization seemed to dawn, and her adorable face instantly flushed a deep crimson.
"Id... idiot! What are you doing!!!"
Tsukushi was so embarrassed she seemed on the verge of tears, yet she didn't dare push Mahiro's hand away.
However, Gin completely ignored Tsukushi's tearful complaint and immediately put her hands on her hips to ask: "Lord Yotsuba, whose is bigger?"
What an inexplicable competitive spirit...
He had actually noticed this earlier, and after a day of observation, he discovered that Tsukushi sometimes became very shy and nervous, though not in the timid way Remus did.
As for Gin, she had that particularly competitive personality.
But really, was this something to be competitive about?
Mahiro only experienced the sensation briefly before releasing his hand.
Though Gin kept looking at him with expectant eyes, hoping for a judgment, he didn't give a direct response, instead saying:
"Never mind, I'll find a way to help you solve this."
"Eh? Really?!"
"Is that true? Lord Yotsuba?!"
Both Tsukushi and Gin were overjoyed at this news.
After all, their chest problem had been troubling them for a long time, and they hadn't found any solution.
Tsukushi had even heard that squeezing might make them smaller, but no matter how she tried, nothing worked.
Hearing that there might be a solution now, how could they not be happy!
"Mm, follow me."
Mahiro stood up and led the two girls deep into the forest.
Truth be told, their sizes were indeed beyond standard—at least not what girls their age should have, enough to make Mine die of envy.
And they were really quite soft.
"Alright, this should do."
Mahiro brought them to a secluded corner of the forest. He sat on a fallen log and gestured for the two girls to approach.
"Remove your weights and take off your tops."
"Yes, Lord Yotsuba!"
Gin obeyed without hesitation, removing her weights and taking off her top, her ample bosom immediately springing free.
Though Tsukushi's face remained as red as a little apple, she still followed his command and slowly removed her clothes and weights, ending up in the same state as Gin.
Their fair skin immediately broke out in goosebumps as the breeze brushed against it.
Mm, quite nice.
Gin had the teardrop shape.
While Tsukushi unexpectedly had the upright watermelon type, quite round and full.
After appreciating them for a short while, Mahiro lowered his head and said:
"I'll begin now."
"Lord Yotsuba, ple... please!"
Originally, Mahiro had planned to use alchemy to create two bras for them to wear, which would significantly reduce their burden.
But unexpectedly, when he looked up after completing the transmutation, his mouth was immediately blocked.
A sweet, fragrant scent directly assaulted his senses!
"Mmm..."
Gin's delicate body trembled slightly, and her face, usually so bold, unusually showed a blush.
"So... so that's it, Lord Yotsuba is going to help make them smaller by sucking."
The bashful Tsukushi finally had an epiphany. After Gin finished, she stepped forward and imitated Gin's earlier actions, clumsily copying her movements to cover Mahiro's mouth.
"Mmph... Lord Yotsuba, this is... so strange. It actually feels even fuller than before. Did... did you blow air into it?"
Tsukushi whimpered softly, her eyes already veiled by a hazy mist of tears.
"That's right, Lord Yotsuba, how... how could there be no change?" Gin's face flushed crimson as she lowered her head to curiously examine herself.
She had clearly followed the instructions in the book exactly—how could it not work?
"Nonsense! You two idiots! The method I mentioned wasn't this one!"
After finally regaining his freedom, he gave each girl a sharp knock on the head.
They crouched on the ground clutching their heads, emitting soft sobbing sounds.
Thankfully, this was about solving a weight issue—if it had been about dealing with menstrual problems, wouldn't he have been forcibly pushed down by the two of them?!
Really now...
It seems I'll have to give them a physiology lesson in the future!
Afterwards, he handed the two completed bras to them.
"Here, try these on."
"Huh? What is this?"
Gin looked up at the strangely shaped garment being handed to her, not immediately understanding its purpose.
Even Tsukushi was equally clueless.
During their previous training, Gozuki had never taught them about such things.
"Sigh..."
Mahiro felt both helpless and relieved at the same time.
Fortunately, no one had taught them about this aspect.
Unfortunately, no one had taught them about this aspect.
And so, he personally helped the two girls put them on.
After watching him personally help her into the beautiful garment, Gin smiled happily and deliberately jumped vigorously a few times, discovering that it really stayed in place!
No more bouncing around causing loss of balance and wasting extra energy!
"It's true... it really stays in place. Lord Yotsuba is amazing... and it's so comfortable..."
Tsukushi said admiringly, as the garment had instantly solved her problem.
"Alright, problem solved. You should resume your training now." Mahiro patted their backs, urging them.
"Yes! Lord Yotsuba!"
Tsukushi and Gin quickly adjusted their clothes, put their weighted vests back on, and returned to the group from the depths of the forest.
It's so nice. Lord Yotsuba is different from both the cold, heartless minister and our previous father—he doesn't treat us as tools and clearly cares about us.
However, when the others saw them emerging from deeper in the forest with Mahiro, all eyes naturally fell on them.
How strange.
Why do they look so happy? And why are their faces flushed?
The most mature among them, Cornelia, seemed to realize something and immediately blushed.
No way?
Lord Yotsuba wouldn't do that kind of thing with them, would he?
Lack of physical strength would affect training...
...
Soon after, the tree-cutting training was completed.
Under his direction, everyone systematically trimmed the excess branches and cut the trunks into neatly shaped planks.
Everyone worked together harmoniously to build their own little cabin!
Although it might not be perfect in shape since it was their first time, it would serve perfectly well as shelter from wind and rain and a place to rest.
Moreover, Akame subtly noticed that despite the hard work, they were much happier compared to their previous training.
Poney, who had been sulking before, no longer resisted and happily joined in.
It gave her the feeling that this was what a real home should be like, especially with her younger sister staying together with her.
Even though it was hard work, it felt inexplicably warm...
Nighttime.
Mahiro left them in the two temporary cabins they had built, while he returned to the Imperial City.
"How was today's training, Vice Minister Yotsuba? How did it feel?"
"Barely passable."
Facing Director Bill's menacing grin, he offered only a perfunctory response.
"Oh? It seems Vice Minister Yotsuba's standards are quite high."
The term "barely passable" was actually good news for Bill—it meant Gozuki's training was far inferior to Mahiro's. Even the elite squad received such an evaluation, let alone the Enhancement Unit.
"Oh, by the way, Director Bill, I forgot to mention something. Regarding Remus and Womyn, they couldn't keep up with the training at all and had to be eliminated from the squad. I'm taking them back to my residence. Any objections?"
"Oh, I actually anticipated this! Their assassination rankings are in the thirties—hardly outstanding even in the Enhancement Unit. They lack talent, so do as you please with them. Anyway, the headquarters has plenty of ordinary kids like that!"
The bald director chuckled, then turned to the two girls. "Don't make Vice Minister Yotsuba angry, understand?"
"Y-yes..." Womyn and Remus nodded like chicks pecking at rice.
Bill was satisfied with the girls' reaction.
This was a form of recycling waste.
If these rejects could help pull Mahiro over to the assassination department, it would be a huge win!
Otherwise, their only value was as test subjects for experimental drugs, eventually dying from side effects.
They were merely tools to be used and discarded in batches.