You'll have a student as a caretaker, but who?

As you think of all the alternatives, you quickly reject the alternatives of both going to a Tiny Center and returning with your friends: you're not going to go to places with a bad reputation, and since no matter what else you choose, you'll still be able to remain in contact with them as well with your family. So that only leaves the alternatives of either living under the care of a single girl, the entire class, or under the care of this teacher, who has experience handling tinies such as yourself. Of this three, this last one sound the most logical to choose, but if you're being honest...you would prefer to live with someone more your age. Sure, this teacher is very well maintained, and that tells you that she is likely to remain like that for a long time, but since being tiny is a permanent issue for you, having a smaller age gap with your caretaker and therefore increasing reducing the chance of her higher age deteriorating her physical capabilities, which are likely to be very important for your handling. With this in mind, you tell her:
"Miss..."
"Gabriela, my name is Gabriela. My mistake, I should have introduced myself properly sooner." she immediately says, with a gentle smile.
You smile as well, and reply:
"Thank you. Well, Miss Gabriela, first off, regarding all the alternatives, I find that only three sound appealing enough, and that is either being taken care of by one of your students here, this entire class, or yourself. And regarding that last option, I have some thoughts on the matter: I don't want to offend you or anything; you're a very pretty woman, and you have experience handling and taking care of someone with my conditions, However, I believe that in the long run, the increase age difference between us might make being taken care by you more difficult so...I would prefer to being taken care off by someone more of my age."

A part of you was expecting the woman to be at the very least, somewhat offended by this, but she only gently giggles before replying, saying:
"That's a quite good reasoning Denis. True, in the long run, everyone's capabilities do dwindle, and if two persons are dwindling at different rates...life for both is going to understandably become harder. However, the higher experience I do have right now might compensate for it, at least until I'm 80 years or older."
"Indeed, but the fact remains that you're going to get at a more...difficult state faster than me. Meanwhile, if the difference of age is practically none, that factor might not be an issue, if nothing because both I and my hypothetical care would be going to similar stages of life, and even die at similar times. This all comes down to time preference: either quite the easy start and life in the beginning but far more difficult for you to take care of me as times inevitably take its toll, or a harder start but a more easier and manageable life as time passes on. Overall, if I must choose between one and the other, I prefer the latter." you reply, giving further arguments for your position.

The woman couldn't help but smile at your resourcefulness and long-term planning, so she said:
"Very well, you're correct on the latter. But there is no necessity for a singular choice, at least not a permanent one. You see, I've several ideas of the kind of conditions that any proper caretaker of yours, either a singular or all of them. So listen carefully..."

She then explains to you what conditions she thinks are necessary to ensure you're going to have a good take under any one of her pupils. Once she's finished, you smile and say:
"Yeah, those conditions are more than acceptable, especially regarding the last part: it opens a safeguard in case things don't work out with any of the girls."
"Right? I'm glad you think that of my proposals, but before anything, I noticed that you always talk of your caretaker in the singular. Does that mean that you prefer to be taken care of by a single girl instead of the class?
"Yes, that is true. You see, I've always been more of an introverted kind of guy, so I prefer to develop fewer but therefore more meaningful relationships with a close group of friends. If I become this entire class care, I would need to interact with all these girls and that is not something very attractive to me...." you reply, giving your honest opinion on the matter.

Gabriela couldn't but giggle again, before saying that your opinion was reasonable and understandable; not all people were capable nor comfortable about constantly interacting with many people, which would be the case if you had chosen to become the entire class care. So, with your final choice determined and clear, she gently grabbed you and left you on top of her open palms, ready to start introducing you to her girls, and them to you. As she stood up, she spoke in her native tongue, saying:
"¡Señoritas, atención! Probablemente ya deben saberlo, pero esto que tengo aquí, y que vuestra compañera me traje no es nada más ni nada menos que una personita: su nombre es Denis, y él es un joven de vuestra edad, un joven turista que tuvo la desgracia de ser afectado por el achicamiento. Por ello, ha decidido confiar en que una de vosotras se volverá su cuidadora, como toda persona de su condición."("Ladies, attention! You probably know this by now, but what I have here, and that your companion brought me, is nothing more and nothing less than a little person: his name is Denis, and he is a young man of your age, a young man tourist who had the misfortune of being affected by the shrinking. For this reason, he has decided to trust that one of you will become his caretaker, like any other person of his condition.")
She then started to walk across the corridors in between the desk of her students, allowing each one of them to take a close look at you. You can't help but slightly blush at being stared at by so many good-looking girls. And by the giggles and low whispers... you've been found rather cute and appealing as well. Gabriela was expecting this sort of reaction from her girls, but that knowledge also meant she was expecting a shift in the behavior once she started to introduce the conditions your caretaker would need to comply with. These were:
"Esta claro para mí que ustedes están deseosas de cuidar a este joven, pero no se adelanten; hay una serie de reglas que yo y Denis acordamos, las cuales determinaran quien podrá ser apta para ser siquiera escogida. Primero, Denis deberá ser tratado de forma igual a una persona, pues eso es lo que él es: Denis no será vuestra mascota, y menos aún vuestro juguete; Él es un humano, un humano con una condición muy especial, pero un humano después de todo, por lo que recomiendo tratarlo como un invitado permanente o un compañero de cuarto muy especial. Segundo, la cuidadora potencial deberá siempre traer a Denis aquí todos los días de clase, y en tiempos de vacaciones día por medio a mi hogar, para que así Denis me informe de cualquier intento de abuso por parte de su cuidadora actual: no intenten forzar el silencio del muchacho, porque yo tengo varias maneras de descubrir la verdad, así que incluso si se intentan de aprovechar del joven, no podrán, siendo ustedes severamente castigadas con el retiro inmediato de la custodia de Denis, más otras cosas. Siguiendo esto, la tercera condición es que en cualquier otro momento, si Denis considera que a pesar de los esfuerzos de los dos por adaptarse a vuestra situación la relación por un factor u otro no termina funcionando, él tiene permitido pedir la retirada de su custodia de parte de su actual cuidadora, y escoger a otra estudiante para el papel. Por último, en el caso extremo que ninguna prueba ser capaz de cuidar apropiadamente de Denis, yo me volveré su cuidadora. ¿Entendido?"("It's clear to me that you are willing to look after this young man, but don't get ahead of yourselves; there are a set of rules that I and Denis agree to, which will determine who will be eligible to even be chosen. First, Denis must be treated equal to a person, because that is what he is: Denis will not be your pet, and even less your toy; He is a human, a human with a very special condition, but a human after all, so my recommendation is to treat him as a permanent guest or a very special roommate. Second, the potential caregiver should always bring Denis here every school day, and at vacation times every other day to my home, so that Denis informs me of any attempts of abuse by his current caregiver: do not try to force the boy's silence, because I have several ways to find out the truth, so even if you try to take advantage of the young man, you will not be able to, being severely punished with the immediate removal Denis's custody, plus other things. Following this, the third condition is that at any other time, if Denis considers that despite the efforts of both of you to adapt to your situation, the relationship does not end up working out for one reason or another, he is allowed to request the withdrawal of his custody from his current caretaker, and cast another student for the role. Lastly, in the extreme case that neither proves to be able to properly care for Denis, I will become his caretaker. Understood?")

The students nodded, and after a brief silence once the teacher returned to her desk, one of the girls raised her hand, being the only one who was willing to obey all of the conditions set to become your caretaker and the responsibility it therefore entailed. Now, the question was: who was this volunteer?
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May 29, 2023