When I Took Off the Towel, the Story Got Dressed

Hello. I’m Shoichi Kirishima, creator of Stretch.

Originally, this project was meant to be released under the R18 category. That said, the “adult” parts were mostly lighthearted: a bath towel at the hot springs, milk by the night pool, girls in swimsuits goofing off. It was more about cheeky adolescence than anything overtly sexual.

But the reality of the review process on distribution platforms turned out to be tougher than expected. Even seemingly harmless words like “middle school,” “grade,” or “midterm exam” can halt your submission. If even one such phrase appears in the description, everything stops.

So, I made a decision.

I scrapped it all.

I don’t think the story became any weaker for it. If anything, cutting those elements helped the real core of the narrative rise to the surface—character growth, conflict, friendship, misunderstanding, and that fragile sense of “place” we all searched for at that age.

Now, I have two project folders open side by side: One is the old build, full of playful nonsense. The other is what remains when that playfulness is carved away—what’s essential.

And I realize now:

A story gets better the more you cut.

It’s truly like sculpture. I may have stacked the original stone myself, but the real shape of the story only appeared once I began chiseling.

Stretch — the all-ages version — is becoming the kind of story where, once the towel comes off, the narrative finally gets dressed.

Thanks for continuing to follow the journey.