"Humming～."

Regalia hummed a tune from a children’s anime she’d seen on TV. She couldn’t help it. Though being detained by Hisberk, the head of D Corp, had been a shocking ordeal, everything had ultimately been resolved well. In fact, when she thought about the gains and concessions acquired from D Corp, it almost seemed like it wouldn’t be so bad to be detained a few more times.

Of course, it wasn’t just that they’d defeated Hisberk but that the scientist had also created a kin for him…

As she reviewed the concessions granted by D Corp and formulated plans to expand Iblis Corporation, her phone suddenly rang. It was a call from the secretary’s office.

“─What’s going on?”

“Uh, Madam Chair... It’s, well, uh…”

Upon hearing the message, Regalia’s expression soured. After muttering a quick acknowledgment and hanging up, she let out a deep sigh, a far cry from the person humming just moments before.

“…A hearing, huh.”

The administration of E City had scheduled a hearing regarding Iblis Corporation. Considering that Iblis practically owned E City, it was clear that this wasn’t the city’s decision but one from higher up.

In other words, it was the opinion of the Federal Government…

She could understand it. Despite all the scientist’s efforts to cover up the recent events, including her own, the ripples couldn’t be completely hidden.

Though they had successfully concealed the fact that D City had been partially destroyed, they couldn’t hide that Dragon Corp had ceded its rights to Iblis Corporation. That was impossible to cover up.

‘Come to think of it, the situation had been reaching a tipping point.’

Counting the cities where Iblis Corporation had extended its influence after recent events—Z City and B City, seized by force, and H City, which had somehow turned favorable towards them—meant they now controlled five cities.

Out of the 26 ABC cities, Iblis now controlled five—nearly 20% of the world’s territories. A power this large in the hands of a single company was bound to be seen as a thorn in the side of other corporations.

While the cities didn’t all hold equal power, Iblis Corporation’s influence over five cities was a power scale that one corporation could barely hold.

“A big problem indeed.”

The hearing would require Regalia’s presence, which was a major issue.

Her identity as the head of Iblis Corporation was a closely kept secret, not for any grand reason, but simply because it would cause many complications if it were known that a mere ten-year-old was running an entire corporation…

With no immediate solution coming to mind, Regalia sighed, glancing at the tonic bottle on her desk— a product crafted by the scientist in her organization.

‘…Might have to ask for help?’

She didn’t particularly want to involve the scientist—

But there was no choice. It was a moment when even a monkey’s paw would be welcome.

“My chest feels tight…”

“Arrhythmia?”

One day, Ayle suddenly made this complaint. I replied without looking up, knowing from her recent health check-up that she had no notable health issues.

What would there be to worry about? Ayle was still in her teens. Unless she had some rare genetic condition or a serious dietary problem, she was unlikely to have any major issues.

“No, it’s just that… my clothes…”

“Clothes? What about them?”

“My, uh, my chest grew. So my magical girl outfit feels a bit tight…”

At Ayle’s words, I couldn’t help but glance at her chest. Noticing my gaze, Ayle subtly puffed out her chest, emphasizing its size even more.

Feeling awkward, I quickly looked away, trying to recall her age.

“Your growth plates should be closed by now… Are you sure it’s not just weight gain?”

“It’s not fat! I actually lost some belly fat!”

She wrapped her arms around her waist, bending over as if embarrassed to show her stomach, though she had no qualms about showing off her chest.

Her reaction made me suspect she had simply gained weight, but her outfit was indeed too tight for her.

“Leave the outfit with me; I’ll adjust it.”

“Um… Can you make it smaller?”

“What?”

“I think it looks too big now… It makes me look bulky. And you prefer smaller, right, Scientist?”

“Ayle, saying that outside would get you stabbed.”

Not naming names, but certain people with a “B” surname would particularly dislike hearing Ayle’s words. Wanting to reduce her chest size? It was like a billionaire saying they wanted to give up some of their wealth because taxes were too high.

If it was genuinely uncomfortable for her daily life, then reducing it would make sense. Excessively large chests are sometimes considered unappealing for aesthetics even on Earth.

“Your size isn’t abnormally large, so you’ll be fine. If you really want to reduce it, I recommend trying a diet.”

“What do you prefer…?”

“I lean towards liking them larger.”

“I… suddenly want to make them bigger…!”

“I prefer things natural.”

“Never mind!”

I chuckled at Ayle’s back-and-forth responses. She seemed completely unaware of the implications of our conversation.

There was no need to crush the poor girl’s hopes, so I took her magical girl outfit and placed it on a mannequin. Planning to add a function that would let the outfit automatically adjust to her size.

‘Guess I’ll have to rewire the circuits from scratch. This is going to be a pain…’

The thought of adjusting the circuits to prevent interference each time the outfit resized was already giving me a headache. I found myself wondering if anyone with a talent for psychic tailoring could help.

It would have been ideal to call the cutter-girl, “Scissors Jesus,” who had helped craft Ayle’s magical girl outfit, but unfortunately, she’d been arrested by heroes and was in custody.

So that left me to do it myself. As I reluctantly braced myself for the labor-intensive work, I heard the clack of approaching footsteps. The sound I least wanted to hear right now.

“─Scientist, are you there?”

“…Yes, Boss. I’m here.”

“You look a bit down. Are you unwell?”

“Seeing your esteemed face has already cured me.”

“You jest.”

As she walked into the lab, Regalia’s tiny steps echoed, and she glanced between me and Ayle, who was sprawled awkwardly on the couch, contemplating whether or not to sit up.

“You two get along well? I didn’t expect you’d be this close when I first brought her in.”

“B-Boss, what brings you here…?”

“Oh—am I intruding? If I’m in the way, I can leave right now.”

“N-no! I’m the one intruding here… I-I’ll just be going, Scientist!”

Ayle, surprisingly quick to take a hint, grabbed a snack bag and darted out of the lab. Once alone with me, the boss settled on the couch where Ayle had been, then gestured for me to come closer.

I approached, my lab coat fluttering, and Regalia wasted no time in getting straight to the point.

“I have a request for you.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“I want you to make me an adult.”

“…Excuse me?”

My mind flashed to the conversation I’d just had with Ayle. I nearly misunderstood, but I quickly remembered that the boss wasn’t someone with those kinds of feelings for me—much less at her age.

She was asking, quite literally, to make her into an adult.

“What’s going on?”

“Can you do it?”

“It’s not impossible… If you tell me why you need it, I can adjust accordingly.”

At this, she explained the message she’d just received—the mounting suspicion other cities were developing towards Iblis Corporation and the incident with Dragon Corp that had caught their attention.

Because of that, the Federal Government had requested a hearing with Iblis Corporation, meaning she’d need to appear publicly. I frowned, struggling to believe it.

“We left no traces… The buildings were restored, and we hacked the satellites and cameras to erase any video evidence.”

“But we didn’t hide the transfer of assets.”

“Oh…”

At her words, I realized that some things couldn’t be concealed. I’d hidden material evidence—things that police or prosecutors would consider physical proof.

But other corporations had picked up on circumstantial evidence. There was no physical evidence, but enough indications pointed to something happening within our company.

And for businesspeople, such inferences were enough. Most corporate leaders were gamblers, willing to take risks with little more than a hunch.

“─Alright, Boss. Just one question, though.”

“Yes?”

“Do you prefer a larger chest or a smaller one?”

“What…?”

Recalling Ayle’s comment, I threw out the joke, but as the boss’s face hardened, I realized I’d made a mistake.

The words I’d shared with Ayle had come back to bite me, reminding me why certain things should never be mentioned to others…