Hisao and the Chocolate Factory Ch 5: The Inven-tea-ing room

Chapter 5: The Inven-tea-ing room

	Hanako followed the group as they walked past the threshold beneath the sign. The group entered into a bright narrow hallway, with a tall and heavy looking door at the end.

	The hallway was tight, with the girls walking nearly shoulder to shoulder in pairs as Hisao led the way. Hanako noticed Lilly’s cane repeatedly striking the wall as the blind girl took note of her positioning.

	“This hallway seems awfully claustrophobic,” Lilly spoke.

	“It help make sure no one can steal any of the products that we create in here. Many people would love to get their hands on what’s in here.” Hisao responded as he gallivanted down the hall. “Rather exciting, isn’t it?”

	“Rather boring more like.” Emi grumbled.

	Clearing her throat Lilly asked, “Where exactly are we going to? Some sort candy creation room?”

	“T-the sign said it was the invent-tea-ing room.” Hanako replied.

	Lilly’s face perked, noticing the inflection. “You have a tea room, Hisao?”

	“Of course!” He replied jovially from the front. “You must have noticed, we have products in all the major stores.”

	Lilly bit her lip. “Sorry… I haven’t.”

	“Oh well that’s not a worry, as you’ll have a much closer look here! And you might even be able to try a few things. Our lead inventor is quite ingenious.”

	He rapped his cane against a plate on the wall at the end of the hall, opening the tall door. Ahead was a room filled with all sorts of colors and sounds. Hanako felt awe come over her as she entered the room, which was much more open than the cramped space of the hallway and seemed almost friendly in its colors.

	It was then that Hanako noticed the colors seemed to be separated into a sort of patterns. Each corner of the room was separated into extremely bright different colors. Hanako took note that they were colored green, yellow, purple, and red. In the center of the room was a large white circle, with white spots interchanging in the floors to make patterns around it.

	Nearby, in the section that seemed dedicated to red coloring, colored smoke billowed out of a few nearby machines and into some tubing, where it looked to be being separated into separate glass tubes. Behind it stood a small and chubby looking woman with different colored eyes, wearing a white lab coat and a small white tube top that exposed her stomach. Most of the young lady seemed to be located in her hips, with her tight black pants clinging to her shapely body. She looked to be writing down information on a clipboard, checking the machine.

	“Chai!” Hisao called.

	The woman jumped, nearly dropping her clipboard and scrambling to catch her pen. She succeeded in securing it before looking up at the group. She bit her lip before smiling a tiny “Oh, um, hello, Mr. Hisao. How are you today?”

	“I’m well. How’s everything coming along? We’re showing the tour group around today.”

	“I nearly forgot. Hello.” Chai said, bowing towards the remaining girls. Then she tilted her heads and made a show of counting them on her fingers, but remained silent. “Well, uh… I got the… four of you, samples. To try of one of our latest products.” She motioned towards a rack that contained six test tubes filled with the colored smoke.

	“Is it some form of tea?” Lilly asked, excitedly. Hanako could tell her friend was very interested in trying all the sorts of tea the factory may have to offer.

	“N-no… Well… Kind of.” Chai replied, “But it can be used with tea! It’s to help people have a lighter diet. An Aerosol formatting”

	Hisao walked over to the rack and swiftly lifted two and pocketed them. “For later.” He said, tilting his head to Chai, as if that explained the events that had occurred to the student council properly. But maybe Hanako was just being pessimistic… He wouldn’t be pocketing them for the girls if they were in any sort of real peril. And Hisao wouldn’t let any of them get hurt. Not her Hisao.

	The girls each approached the rack, where Chai handed each of them a different color of tubed smoke. Hanako notice her cringe when she held out a pink tube to Rin for the girl to take the bottle in her teeth, and decided to help the girl guide Lilly’s tube to her outstretched fingers.

	“Hey,” began Emi, “these are the same colors as our pens.”

	“Are they?” Said Lilly, holding a blue tube.

	“Yesh.” Rin said, her’s still in her mouth. “Tha suckers.”

	“Those pens were lollipops?” Lilly asked. “Oh no… I left mine back on the counter. I wonder what flavor mine is.”

	“It’s blue. Maybe blue raspberry?”

	“Bah!” Hisao said, throwing his hands up in the air. “Blue raspberries don’t even exist! How that became a thing, I will never know. Stupid Jolly Ranchers, I bet.” He began to grumble under his own breath.

	“If you take off the topper, you can all find out.” Chai said. She demonstrated by grabbing a tube off of the assembly line and pulling the topper off, inhaling deeply. “Mhmm, watermelon.”

	The girls followed her lead, unstopping their tubes and inhaling their smoke. Hanako’s purple one smelled deeply of grapes, and she sighed. A different sensation struck her though, as she felt the smoke enter her body. Suddenly, she felt as if a thirst had been quenched. “W-whoa…” she said, holding the tube out.

	“Once the smoke enters your body, it travels to your esophagus, where it turns form gas to liquid, and travels into your stomach. What you all just experienced was a new form of drinking tea where you can inhale a cup of tea, and it’ll all be finished in mere seconds.”

	“But that’s impossible.” Rin spoke. “Gases don’t just turn into liquid because you want them to.”

	Hisao sighed. “Chai, I’m gonna take a little break.” He placed a hand on the short woman’s shoulder.” You’re official tour guide of the room. Have fun!” He then quickly spun and sauntered away towards the purple section of the room, the girls watching as he did.

	“Uh, uh… uhh…” Said the group’s new tour guide, filled with preparedness for this task.

	“It just can’t,” Rin persisted.

	“Well, I mean… It’s not because you want it to. I assure you it can happen... It just did.”

	“Tezuka, will you please get a hold on this crazy conspiracy. You’re troubling out hosts.” Lilly said.

	Chai bowed gratefully to Lilly, not realizing the futility.

	“My question, though, is that is really it?” Lilly asked. “Personally, I have found that tea time is more about sitting back and relaxing. It sort of takes the fun out of it if it’s done in a rush.”

	“Oh! Oh no, no no no, this isn’t meant to replace tea time. This is meant to replace the air in Beijing.” Chai explained.

	“Excuse me?”

	“The Chinese government wants us to sell them the machinery to pump out these fruity tea fumes into the sky. They think that, since everyone will be constantly drinking fruit tea, it’ll be healthier. Mr. Nakai doesn’t seem to think so though, so we’re selling bottled airtea instead.”

	“It doesn’t work like that. The world doesn’t….” Rin began, but fell short before inhaling deeply. She closed her eyes, shook her head, then turned and walked away from the group.

	“I-I wouldn’t… Excuse me? Miss?” Chai called after her.

	“Don’t mind her.” Emi said. “I think it’s all neat.”

	“Well… Thank you. But she shouldn’t walk around, at least not in the purple area. That’s all highly experimental.”

	“Trust me, I know Rin. And if Hisao’s over that way, I don’t think she’s inclined to go over there.” Emi spoke with unfaultable confidence.

	Hanako turned to see Rin approaching Hisao, who was currently stirring a large cooking pot in the purple section. His face lit up in a grin when he tasted the product. Hanako watched as Rin used her teeth to withdraw the pink pen from her overall pockets, and drop it into the pot just as Hisao realized she was there. He immediately looked down to the pen in surprise, and then scowled at a very pleased looking Rin. A puff of black smoke rose from the concoction.

	“Anyways… I guess I can show you around.” Chai said, measuredly.

	“Do you have any… normal tea?” Lilly asked.

	“Well, we have all sorts. It really depends what you’re interested in.” Chai said. “Here we’re in the red section, where things are mostly in the formative process. The gas machine was only just completed, and needs to be moved to the green section, over here.”

	“I’d really just like some normal tea…” Lilly said under her breath, though the guide seemed to miss that.

	Chai led the group across the room and over towards the green section of the room. The whole section was brightly colored, pleasant smelling, and overall seemed like a nice area, which made Hanako pretty comfortable. Chai led the group towards one of the machines with a large screen, before which a familiar face sat.

	Mikasa spun in her chair to look to the group. The young girl now was wearing a green lab coat that covered most of her body.

	“Oh, hello lead inventor. How are you?”

	“I’m good Mikasa. Yourself?”

	Mikasa rolled her eyes. “Well today’s certainly been fun. I had to go check out Marshmallow Marsh. What do you know about the marshmallowgators?” Mikasa asked.

	“The marshmallowgators of Marshmallow Marsh, Mikasa?” Chai replied. “Not much. Biology isn’t my strong suit.”

	“Cause one’s been acting kind of weird.” Mikasa continued. “Like he’s bonding. Even has a name now, apparently.”

	“Really? Maybe it’s territorial.”

	“Can’t really claim a person as territory, I’d think.” Mikasa replied, shrugging. “Anyways, here I am now. Need some buttons pressed?” She turned to the group. “I like to press the buttons.”

	She gestured to the row of giant blinking buttons ahead of her, each about the size of Hanako’s head. “She’s good at what she does,” Chai assured them. “Let’s have some candteas, please.”

	“Coming right up!” Mikasa tapped a few of the buttons, pushing harshly against them in a rapid manner. She began giggling to herself, as if playing a game.

	Hanako was more than a bit weirded out as she silently watched a teenage girl giggling and playing with flashing buttons, as if watching a toddler playing with his new keyboard toy.

	All of the sudden, a hatch opened up on the machine to the girls right. Three small little rock candies were extended on a small tray, all variously colored. Chai picked up the small tray of candy.

	“One for you, and one for you, and one for you.” She said as she handed each one out to the girls. Hanako sucked on hers, a purple one which, again, tasted of grape.

	“Hmm,” sighed Lilly. “This is the second time I’ve gotten this flavor. Is this a sort of theme? And as I said before, I think I’d prefer a normal, liquid, tea.”

	“Well, it goes well with your outfit.” Chai said, motioning towards her body and ignoring the second half.

	“And what about me? I’m not wearing green, or apples.”

	“M-maybe it’s… running?” Hanako spoke.

	Emi looked at her, confused. “Huh?”

	Before Hanako could answer, or rather, before Hanako could hide herself behind Lilly’s slim frame, there was a loud explosion that caused all of the girls to shriek in surprise.

	“Uh ohhhhh, someone’s in trrrouuble~” Mikasa said, spinning back to face the console. She began whistling to herself, innocently.

	Chai and the group hurried over to another section, this one entirely yellow. “Oh, please don’t tell me that was the explosive candy.” Chai said.

	She stumbled and had to right herself as her foot connected with the leg of a boy that was lying on his back off to the side. “Ooooo man, that was a good one.” Said the prone boy, his yellow lab coat ruffled around him.

	“Oh Ichi, Ichi Ichi Ichi, get up please.” Chai bent down to help the boy up to his feet. His mouth was smoking. “You really ought to stop eating those, you know they’re in yellow for a reason.”

	“Yeah,” the boy said giddily, “cause they’re delicious.”

	“What’s in the yellow?” Lilly asked.

	“Are you okay?” Chai said. “Let me see your eyes.”

	“Don’t worry, Ms. Ti. It’s not in red anymore, it needs the saliva to explode. So good though.”

	As Ichi talked, every breath let out a little more smoke. He looked pretty content though.

	“Sorry about that…” Chai said, turning back to the group. “Yellow is for completed projects, but that don’t really have a purpose of selling. Like the exploding candies that Ichi here is so fond of.”

	“It’s soooooo good. Would you like to try some?” He held out a gray crystalized piece of candy that was in the shape of a capital T
Each girl turned him down, leading him to shrug. “Your loss!” He said. He nearly popped it into his mouth when Chai smacked his arm.

	“Stop that, fooling around is how my eyes changed colors.”

	Ichi sighed. “Yes ma’am.” He said, before walking back to what must be his station. Hanako noticed his look towards the group, and stared back at him. He was, without a doubt, the most normal man she had ever seen. It was a shame about his mind.

	“What about this?” Came Emi’s voice from behind them. She was holding up a little chocolate covered truffle, which had apparently had been stacked on top of a pile of them nearby.

	“Those are chocohals,” Chai explained, “guaranteed to turn even the most chocolate hating heathen into a chocoholic.”

	“Oh well I’m already one of those.” Said the bubbly girl, popping the treat into her mouth. “My mom says I just can’t get enough… enough of…”

	Hanako watched as the girls mouth opened and closed, chewing in an unconscious manner as her eyes stared off into an endless void. “They’re pretty powerful,” Chai said, “but harmless. People would think we were trying to get them addicted to chocolates though, so we’re holding them for now.”

	“I wouldn’t mind a piece of chocolate…” Lilly said, suggestively.

	Emi’s eyes snapped back to reality, and then to Lilly. They looked from Lilly, then back to her hand, which she only just now seemed to realize had snatched another piece of chocolate. “Uhh… There isn’t any more.” Emi lied. “There was only the one.” She said, popping the second bit into her mouth, and then another.

	“Does this room have any sort of just regular liquid… Hmm?” Lilly said. Hanako looked from Emi to Lilly to see that the blind girl was listening to something.

	“Hey!” Came a loud call from behind the chocolate pile, startling both Hanako and Chai. “What’d I miss?” It was Rai, the red headed helper who was currently buttoning up a dark red lab coat. “Oh, hello Lead.” She said with a bow towards Chai. “Get the smoke machine settled?”

	“No, actually, I was going to ask you to move it today.” Chai said. “Mr. Hisao has deemed it ready to move to the yellow section.”

	“Ugh, why can’t Ichi? He’s strong enough.” Rai complained.

	“It’ll be Ichi’s problem when it’s in his section, come on Rai. We’ve talked about this.”

	“Yuu tuh aar pweta fuhnny.” Emi said through a mouth full of chocolate.

	Chai pinched the bridge of her nose as she, and everyone else, noticed that the short girl had eaten through about a quarter of the chocohals pile.

	“You better be able to keep a lid on that.” Rai warned. “You might try drinking from the river and end up like… well.”

	“Yee roight.” Emi said waving her hand. “‘ike I’m gomma du somfin tupid ima chaklet fakory.”

	It was at that moment that Hanako noticed that Lilly had apparently wandered off. She whipped her head, looking around for the tall blonde girl. She quickly spotted her, standing on the verge of the yellow and purple sections. Slowly, the blonde girl strayed over the line, and was approaching a machine that seemed to be pouring cups of tea all on its own.

	Hanako hurried after her friend as Emi continued to enjoy the chocolate treats.

	As she grew nearer, she could see the cups clearly on a table, with a multitude of arrows pointing down at them.

	‘Don’t drink’ read one.

	‘Danger’ said another.

	‘Caution.’

	‘Stay away.’

	‘Don’t touch.’

	All of them were written in a super blocky and bold print. And then, there was one sign pointing down directly where Lilly stood, at the center of the table. The arrow was a deep blue color, and in fancy cursive writing, the words ‘Human Fruit’ were inscribed.

	“Lilly?” Hanako hissed, trying to whisper for her friend to come back to the group. She hesitated at the line to the purple section, but hurried over it towards her friend. “Lilly?”

	“Oh, hello Hanako.” Lilly said as she reached the table. Hanako noticed a blue droplet fall from a faucet and into one of the cups with a loud 'Ploop'. Lilly had apparently heard it, as her fingers reached out around it and picked it up.

	“What are you doing?” Hanako asked. “We should be staying with the group.”

	Hanako looked over her shoulder and nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Hisao leaning against a machine just across from them, looking at them with an eye brow raised. He made no remark though, simply watched.

	“Oh come now, Hanako. There’s nothing to be so antsy about.” Lilly replied. “Besides, this whole room seems to be filled with nothing to drink, and I’d rather like to satiate myself on some good old fashioned tea.” She said, and with that, she raised the glass to her lips.

	“Lilly! Lilly wait.” Hanako said. “I-it might be dangerous.”

	Lilly paused, with the cup inches from her lips. “Hanako, please don’t tell me you’re turning into Tezuka about this.” And with a very smug look, she took a deep drink from the cup. She sighed deeply as she lowered it back into her hand. “Mhhm, that is delicious!” She called. “It tastes as if… as if…” She raised the cup to her mouth again, taking another drink. She sighed in content. “It’s as if there’s an entire tea party in this little cup.”

	“Lilly I think you should put it back…” Hanako said, her eyes darting up towards the mysterious sign.

	“Oh you worry too much,” The blonde girl spoke with confidence. “Besides, the only section off limits seems to be the purple section, and Hisao is over-watching that.”

	“Actually, I’m on break. Pretty sure I said that, didn’t I?” Hisao said, cocking his eyebrow in thought. Lilly jumped slightly, straightening her back to full attention, and a little bit of the tea lapped over the edge of the teacup and onto her hand.

	“Oh shoot.” Lilly said, motioning with her now wet hand. Hanako saw the blue liquid dripping from her fingers. Lilly switched the teacup in her hands and made to dry the wet one on her pants. “I’m sorry Hisao, I hadn’t realized you’d approached.” She raised the cup, taking another sip, as if to down it before Hisao could tell her to put it back.

	“I didn’t, actually. You came over to me.”

	Lilly brought the cup down, and Hanako could see slight bits of blue from where it must have washed against her lips. She looked confused.

	“I did?” She asked. “I simply heard the machine and came over.”

	“Lilly…” Hanako said.

	“Yes, but that’ll be Chai’s issue now. I’ve still got at least five more minutes. Actually, I’m the boss. I’ve got ten more minutes.” Hisao said, and he smiled and nodded his head at Hanako, as if affirming to himself that he was indeed the boss.

	“Well… would you care to have a cup?” Lilly asked.

	Hanako looked at the blue marks and watched in awe. “Lilly.” She said again.

	“My dear girl.” Hisao said. “You really should learn to take advice. Or to read, but that would prove substantially harder, I think.”

	“I can read.” Lilly said indignantly. “I read braille just fine, thank you.”

	“Might get a bit harder, in a moment.” Hisao replied, nodding towards the sign.

	“Lilly!” Hanako called, much more alert.

	“What, Hanako, what is it?” Lilly replied, obviously irritated.

	“Y-your face is turning… blue.” Hanako muttered out slowly.

	It was true. The blonde girls face was slowly turning blue, as was her arm as the wet spot from the tea seemed to spread up the length of her wrist.

	“What?” The girl asked as the dark shade spread to her cheeks. She blushed, a deep purple color coming to her face. “Hanako, please, don’t be ridiculous.”

	“Now that is a fitting color.” Came the voice of Rin as she approached. “It goes very well with the red.”

	“Oh ha ha, I get it.” Lilly said, nodding her head. “This is to make fun of my sight, is it? Well I am not am-”

	“Oh no!” Chai called, cutting her off. “Oh nonononono please don’t tell me you drank that.” Spoke the lead inventor hurrying over.

	“Of course she has,” Hisao said calmly. “Just look at her.”

	“What’s everyone…? Oh hey, Lilly… You’re looking more like a Violet than a Lilly.” Emi said between bouts of chewing the chocolates she’d brought over.

	“Oh no…” Chai groaned. “There goes the 100 days without accident award.”

	“Lilly…” Hanako said.

	“Can someone please explain to me just what is-?”

	She was cut off again, but this time by a deep gurgling sound that it took Hanako a moment to realize was coming from Lilly’s own stomach. Lilly placed one of her hands against it, and an obvious look of discomfort came upon her face as it groaned again, and then slowly, hauntingly, her stomach began to push forwards.

	There were several gasps from the girls in the audience, but Hanako noticed that Rin seemed to have a look of great satisfaction on her face.

	With long dainty blue fingers, Lilly felt her growing stomach, and pinched it as it grew around her belt, which constricted ever so tight around her. “What on Earth is happening to me!?”

	“You may want to step back…” Chai warned the on lookers.

	“You’re blowing up!” Emi called, not heading Chai’s warning and instead stepping forwards, chocolates forgotten.

	“I-I can’t possibly be…” Lilly said with disbelief.

	“And yet…” Hisao said, uncaringly as Lilly’s stomach puffed outwards further.

	“O-oh my. Oh my, oh my.” Lilly said. “My belt’s growing too tight.”

	“You’re growing too fat.” Rin corrected, and with a loud snap Lilly’s belt tore and fell to the ground. The swelling girl let out a shocked shout and let drop the tea cup, which broke, and with her other hand knocked over her candy cane. It joined the now broken cup on the floor.

	“This can’t be happening. This isn’t happening!” Lilly called, her stomach now freed began growing at an accelerated pace.

	“You’re swelling up like a balloon!” Emi said, getting closer to the growing girl. Her shirt quickly began to appear too small for her, riding up above her now swollen belly and slowly the onlookers stared in fascination as the buttons on her top began to strain, and Emi poked her exposed stomach. “Look at you, you’re huge!” She poked her stomach again, harder this time, and Lilly’s arms flailed out at the side to keep her balance. “You feel so squishy!”

	“Come now, she's becoming a blueberry! There’s a sign right there.” Hisao called, waving in the general direction as he check his nails.

	“A what!?” Lilly called.

	“A sign! Reading, remember?” Hisao asked, incredulously rolling his eyes.

	“I-I think she means that she’s becoming a blueberry…” Hanako said. She stared at her friend in disbelief as she expanded further and further, her body pushing outwards in every direction.

	Hisao ignored her. “Chai, I think now would be a good time for some stretching powder. If we’re going to keep this tour PG.”

	“Oh! Oh, right!” Chai said, quickly fishing into her pockets.

	“So hard to find good help these days.” Hisao said softly, gesturing towards Lilly and Chai to Hanako. Lilly’s clothing had begun to strain, her buttons showing gaps of blue skin beneath and Hanako could see some of her growing cleavage while Chai had approached the swelling girl with her palm out stretched and blew some sort of powder on her. Instantly, the clothing relaxed, and seemed to grow along with Lilly, and the buttons no longer seemed in danger of pinging off and exposing her body further, though they did not resume their former tightness and still exposed bits of her beneath, and her bellybutton was on full display.

	The girl, arms outstretched, sneezed at the powder, and her feet stumbled for a moment before she caught herself, arms wobbling. Her whole body seemed to shake with the motion, and Hanako could tell she was clearly filled with liquid. “So full!” Emi called, patting her engorged stomach with the palm of her hand.

	“Stop! Somebody, please, get the air out of me!” Lilly called in a panic.

	“It’s juice… isn’t it?” Hanako asked, looking to Hisao. He opened his eyes wide in surprise before smiling friendly.

	“Tea, actually.” He corrected. “Blueberry tea. And we can’t do anything for you yet, anyways. Just have to wait it out.”

	“I told you this place was weird. I told you that-” Rin began.

	“There is nothing weird about this factory!!!” Screamed the swelling girl under the sign labeling her as a human fruit.

	Slowly, silently, they all watched as Lilly’s legs and arms were pushed apart before the girl’s appendages were slowly absorbed into her ever growing body, with her pleading and stomach gurgling along the way. The only part of her that seemed to keep up with her stomach as she filled with juice were her breasts, surging out further and further against her now loosened clothing as they grew along with her massive stomach. Finally, she seemed to stop growing, and Hanako stared at her best friend.

	Where once a tall thin pale girl had confidentially stood, now sat a gigantic fat blueberry girl, with her blonde hair in its red ribbon bobbing back and forth as she turned her head from side to side, which seemed to be one of the only body parts she seemed to have control over. “Somebody… please… do something.” She groaned heavily.

	Her tiny little hands flailed helplessly, patting herself and gripping at her rounded sides. Softly, the blueberry girl rocked in place, and Hanako could clearly see that Lilly Satou’s feet could now not even touch the floor.