Side Effect: Breast Expansion (2)
I had considered the possibility that there might be side effects. And given how powerfully my buff had worked on Astra, I was worried that the backlash might be equally severe. But this? Breast expansion? I never in a million years imagined something like this would happen.
So… her breasts would just keep growing? That alone was absurd enough to be listed as a side effect, but the condition required to stop it was even more ridiculous.
“The chef must massage her breasts with care for ten full minutes…”
The “chef” here obviously meant me. Me? Touching Astra’s breasts? The same woman who had thrown herself into danger to protect civilians, who had even shown consideration for my situation?
“W-what the hell is this…”
I stole a quick glance at Astra. She was clutching the torn remnants of her suit against her chest, desperately trying to cover herself while clearly panicking. How was I supposed to explain this? And more importantly, would she even believe me?
But I couldn’t just stay silent either.
No limit…
Every side effect I’d experienced from buffing myself had been temporary. At worst they lasted a couple of days before fading naturally, even if the release condition wasn’t met. But the one now affecting Astra had no time limit listed. It simply said no limit.
If I take that at face value, it means her breasts will keep growing forever unless the condition is fulfilled…
Right now it had only torn her clothes, but if they continued expanding? That would quickly become far more than an embarrassing mishap.
“Um… Astra?”
“Ugh… What is this? They feel even bigger than before…”
I turned to explain the side effect as quickly as possible, but the moment I saw her I whipped my head away again. With one arm pressed over her exposed nipples and the other subtly supporting her breasts as if measuring their new size, the sight was far too provocative.
Astra, who had been tilting her head while checking her own size, noticed my gaze and let out a sharp yelp.
“Eep…! D-don’t look!”
“I’m sorry! But I really need to tell you something right now…”
“Huh?”
“About that side effect you mentioned earlier…”
I kept my eyes averted as best I could and explained everything. The name of the side effect—Breast Expansion—and the fact that it had no limit.
“What? Breast expansion? They’ll keep getting bigger… and there’s no limit?”
“Y-yes.”
“And to stop it… you have to massage my breasts, Siwoo?”
Her tone carried a hint of disbelief. Of course it sounded ridiculous. The cure required touching her breasts. It made me sound like some pervert making up an excuse just to grope her.
“Just… just a moment.”
Unsurprisingly, she couldn’t accept it immediately. Astra took a deep breath and focused on her own body. Even though she was only C-rank, her senses as a superhuman far surpassed those of any ordinary person.
After concentrating intently on her chest for a moment, her face went pale.
“Th-they’re really growing…”
She muttered in shock, having clearly felt the subtle but undeniable expansion.
“…I’m so sorry.”
I bowed my head like a criminal, offering a sincere apology. I had only wanted to help her. I’d revealed my hidden ability and given her a buff, never imagining it would cause something like this.
“Haa… Lift your head.”
Astra, who had been at a loss, seemed to calm down somewhat after seeing my genuine remorse. She gently urged me to stand straight.
“I can tell you didn’t do this on purpose. Like I said earlier, if it weren’t for your cooking, I don’t know what would have happened to me.”
“Still… I’m sorry.”
“Haa…”
She glanced down at her chest again. Seeing that it was still slowly expanding, she squeezed her eyes shut and asked,
“So… that release condition you mentioned. It’s real, right?”
“It is. I’m not harboring any dirty intentions. This is genuinely what my ability is telling me…”
“I understand. I’ll believe you. You don’t seem like you’re lying.”
After listening to me, she appeared to wrestle with the idea for a moment. Then, with her face burning bright red, she made up her mind and spoke.
Breast Expansion (Paeng-yu-hwa)
No limit. Breasts will continue to grow indefinitely.
Release Condition: The chef must massage the breasts with care for 10 minutes.
“Are you really okay with this…?”
“I don’t have a choice… They’re actually getting bigger, and if what you said is true, they’ll keep growing forever. That’s terrifying… And if we wait too long, I’m scared they might stay this size even after the side effect is lifted…”
We had moved from the main dining area—where the interior was visible from the street—into the kitchen, where no one could see us. Astra stood before me, face flushed crimson, timidly offering her chest.
She had chosen to believe me and asked to resolve the side effect as quickly as possible. And honestly, after hearing her concerns, it did seem best to hurry. This was the first time I’d seen a side effect like this. If we delayed too long, something irreversible might remain, just as she feared. Besides, the release required ten full minutes, so starting sooner was clearly better.
“S-so… just do it already.”
Having steeled herself, Astra squeezed her eyes shut and slowly lowered the arm that had been covering her chest.
Whoa…
Unlike her, I couldn’t suppress my male instincts. I didn’t close my eyes. I burned the sight into my retinas. Earlier everything had happened too suddenly for me to truly see, but now I could appreciate how breathtakingly beautiful her pale skin and plump pink nipples were.
They say all awakened superhumans are beautiful. Guess it’s true.
Seeing Astra with her chest fully exposed reminded me of something I’d forgotten. When people awaken superpowers, their bodies are reshaped into ideal forms. That’s why every superhuman had a perfect figure and stunning looks. Astra was no exception. Her refined yet gentle features were truly beautiful.
“A-aren’t you going to…?”
She had kept her eyes tightly shut out of nervousness, but now she peeked at me through narrowed slits. The gesture held an adorable, small-animal charm.
I was really about to touch the breasts of such a gorgeous woman?
…Thank you.
I offered a silent thanks to no one in particular and raised my trembling hands. The moment I did, Astra squeezed her eyes shut again.
-Squeeze♥
“……!!”
Soft. Warm and incredibly soft—like touching a freshly steamed, fluffy bun. The sensation traveled straight to my fingertips. Even before the side effect, they hadn’t been small, but now they were so large that even spreading my fingers wide, I couldn’t fully grasp one with a single hand.
-Knead♥
“Eep…!”
I hadn’t meant to squeeze hard, but the moment I felt that texture, I unconsciously applied a little more pressure. Of course, a superhuman like Astra wouldn’t feel pain no matter how hard I gripped, but her body still twitched and a small moan escaped her lips.
A hero who hadn’t flinched even in front of giant monsters was now reacting to my clumsy touch…
This… feels like I’m about to awaken to something dangerous.
I stared blankly at her expression for a moment before snapping back to reality and moving my hands again. The release condition clearly stated “massage with care for ten minutes.”
Just touching them probably won’t be enough.
The word “with care” was admittedly ambiguous. There was a chance that simply holding them would work, but…
She already gave permission.
We had already discussed the release condition, so there was no issue. In fact, when I had said I would keep my eyes closed, Astra had stopped me, saying it was fine to look so that I could do it “with care.”
“Astra. I’m… going to start moving now.”
“Mmh…”
After giving her a moment to prepare herself, I began slowly massaging the breast I was holding.
Wow…
It was a good thing her eyes were squeezed shut. I couldn’t control my expression at all. If she saw me now, she’d definitely think I was a total pervert. Even though I kept telling myself this was purely a medical procedure to remove a side effect, the soft sensation against my palms instantly shattered that self-suggestion.
How does someone with such a soft body withstand monster attacks?
I’d assumed superhumans who wielded superhuman strength would have tough bodies, but Astra’s breasts were as soft as glutinous rice cakes. They jiggled and changed shape with every movement of my hands. The places my fingers brushed over would flush slightly pink before returning to pale white…
-Boing♥
“Eep…!”
As I focused on the motion, I suddenly felt something unfamiliar against my fingers. It was different from the soft flesh—slightly squishy yet firm.
Guh…!
I had briefly looked away to admire her face, but now I realized exactly what I was touching and nearly had a heart attack. A vivid pink nipple, proudly displaying its presence against her pale skin, had caught on my fingertip.
And then—
-Crackle!!
“……!!”
The instant my finger brushed her nipple, a faint spark burst from Astra’s body. I flinched and immediately apologized.
“S-sorry!”
“Mmh…♥ N-no, it’s okay. You can keep going.”
I had thought she was angry and shooting sparks at me, so I’d bowed my head in fear. But Astra simply nodded, eyes still tightly shut. I moved my hands even more carefully after that, but my fingers inevitably brushed against her nipples from time to time.
-Crackle! Crackle!!
Each time it happened, a small spark would burst from her body as if her nipples were some kind of switch.
Is she doing this on purpose?
At first I took it as a warning, but from the way she kept her eyes squeezed shut, I realized the electricity wasn’t intentional. The reaction was strongest when I touched her nipples, but even when I simply massaged her breasts and her body twitched, faint sparks would fly. It was as if her body was reacting on its own… Or to put it bluntly, as if sparks flew every time she felt something.
What the hell am I thinking?
Had running a restaurant alone without a girlfriend rotted my brain? To look at that reaction and imagine she was feeling pleasure… I was the worst.
While I was having these pointless thoughts and observing the sparks coming from her body, ten minutes had nearly passed. Realizing this dreamlike moment was almost over, I unconsciously squeezed a little harder and gently pinched her nipple.
“Haaang…!!♥♥”
-CRACKLE!!!
This time the moan that escaped Astra’s lips was completely different from before, and a spark bright enough to illuminate the dark kitchen burst forth.
-Tremble…♥
It didn’t stop there. Tears welled up in the corners of Astra’s eyes, and her body shivered as if savoring some lingering sensation.
…No. This is definitely…
She must have felt it.
-Shrinking!!
And at that exact moment, perhaps because the ten-minute requirement had been fulfilled, Astra’s breasts—which had grown even larger than before—began to slowly shrink back down.
“It’s done, Astra!”
“Haa…♥ Huh?”
Astra, who had been wearing a strangely dazed expression, opened her eyes and stared at the change happening to her chest. Her breasts, which had ballooned up to an F or G-cup, gradually deflated until they returned to their original C-cup size.
“Ah…”
She let out a sigh that mixed relief with a strange hint of disappointment, then gently touched her now-normal breasts.
“Ahem. Thank you for your hard work.”
“Ah, um. Yes. You too, Siwoo…”
Not knowing what else to say, I thanked her for her effort and handed her one of the spare aprons from the shop to cover the torn part of her suit.
“It was real…”
Even though she had said she believed me, she must have still been half in doubt. She muttered in a daze.
Just as an awkward atmosphere began to settle between us—
“Astraaa!!! What are you doing?! When are you coming back?! You’re making me clean everything up by myself?!”
“……!”
From outside the shop, near where Astra had defeated the monster, someone was calling for her. Startled, she hurriedly gathered the torn pieces of her suit and rushed toward the door.
“Siwoo. I have to go now. I left without finishing the cleanup…”
“Y-yes.”
Still somewhat dazed from the lingering sensation and the memory of her moans, I awkwardly exchanged greetings and shook her hand.
“As promised, I’ll keep your ability a secret, so don’t worry.”
“Thank you.”
“And…”
It looked like she had a lot she wanted to say, but she couldn’t quite find the words. After a moment of hesitation, Astra gave me a warm smile.
“Next time I’ll come for a proper meal. We can talk more then.”
“…Okay.”
“Astraaaaa!!”
At the voice calling from outside once more, Astra gave a small bow and left the shop.
All that remained were the shattered glass window and a strangely sweet scent lingering in the air. Feeling as if I had just woken from a dream, I stood there in a daze until the Hero Association’s cleanup team finally arrived.