Reincarnated Into A Dead Woman's Body In Another World-Chapter 235: Arc 4, Act II, - 80: Faltering Innocence
"Hey, no more pets for you," Jotou glared to a puppy that kept returning as she pushed it away. But before she could put it away again, her eyes jolted open wide...
"Chk." The door opened. Blood pumped down every vessel in a single instant as her skin went pale and she scrambled back up to her feet, wary of the puppies around her.
The second door opened and she turned back with a resting face, "These puppies are a handful I swear," Jotou crossed her arms—fur flying all over her clothes and hair, paw prints all over and her shoes to the side.
"If you want to leave, you’re more than welcome to," Hotaru’s eyes glazed over whilst a corner of her lips rose. Some puppies trampled past to the redhead, most seeming content to try and get back the blonde’s attention by hopping and leaping.
The ones growing sluggish brought their itsy-bitsy paws over to the many soft cloths to take a nap while some went over to lap up water from the bowls.
"Jotou! You didn’t invite me for the puppies and you didn’t wait for me!" Asobi exclaimed into the pen. "Oh, hello! Hello! Hello my little friend-ies!" the magician bent down to greet.
"I’ve only been here for like six or something minutes and I just got told too."
"They work wonders for the mood don’t they? So cute," Hotaru’s crimson tail wagged as she walked in; slowly the mass of puppies shifted to the wolf-girl.
"Messy fur everywhere and look at my clothes," Jotou peered down to the teeth marks in the clothing that could probably be smoothed out. "They’re like kids, but less annoying."
"Uh huh, sure," Hotaru crouched down, "I can spare a few minutes."
’Ugh, they might’ve spotted me...’ Jotou sat back down with a pout, before they swarmed her again. "They’re really fun, alright?"
"No need to hide it," Hotaru sat down as well, to which more of the puppies flocked to. Her tail beating against the ground seemed to catch their attention.
Asobi leapt onto the ground and fell back. She faced the ceiling before the puppies swarmed to the elf. She giggled as she threw her arms out, "Good boys and girls!" she petted all that she could.
"Hey, hey!" Hotaru raised her arms as many seemed to push into her, wanting her attention.
"Looks like they like you," Jotou tended to the nine or so puppies around herself.
Asobi popped her head back up, "They really, really like you! It’s like you’re their mommy!"
Hotaru’s ears spiked up and she blushed, "I am part, wolf, not dog," her brows furrowed. "And I’m still a person! Just because they like me more."
"It’s probably the tail," Jotou smirked.
Her tail spiked as the puppies tried to catch it within their paws. "Jotou Howllett..." her fangs glared.
"I was just kidding! Silly Hotaru," Asobi shook her head. "Still, wolves are just big doggies of the forest right? It could be they like you because of it."
Hotaru glared down to the puppies, one stepping onto her knee to look her in the eyes... She tightened her lips, giving it a pet, "Maybe."
A minute passed and many of the puppies grew exhausted. They eased their way to the little fabrics set up for them and fell right asleep, some giving little yawns.
While a dozen more were still excited to play. "I should be off. There’s more work to do. I’m sure Daiyu’ll do something stupid and Feyan’ll hesitate to stop her," Hotaru got up, patting down her dress.
"You’re getting to know her more and more," Jotou glanced up.
"Hm. I was thinking, after the battle, we could stick around for a bit and help Daiyu more. But after that, please, let’s go back on our adventure, shall we?" Hotaru sighed.
"Yeah! There’s the rest of the world to see and explore!"
Jotou chuckled, "I promise, I promise. Maybe we’ll get a chance to go to Northern Cravolta."
Hotaru took a deep breath, "That’ll be nice. Don’t stay in here too long, they need plenty of rest," she bade out the door.
"See you later," Jotou waved.
"Aww... the puppies are going to sleep," Asobi saddened to the sight.
"Can’t be playing with them forever," the dusk was setting in just as she said. "Come on, let’s give these little things a little more playtime and send them to bed."
Jotou and Asobi tended to the puppies enjoyment for the next few minutes, except the blonde showing much, much less emotion than before.
Soon, they were all tuckered out. "Come on buddy, it’s time for you to sleep," Jotou petted the last one still trying to get her attention.
It let out a soft squeaking bark then a yawn. It was small, with a curling bushy tail. Golden brown fur with white fur going down its chest. The short snout hosted some black fur and so did its short floppy ears, going from brown to black.
Two jet-black pupils looked up, it’s tail still wagging slowly. It placed its front paws onto her knees, "That’s enough playtime today, time for you to sleep," she lightly scratched its head whilst Asobi got up.
It softly barked back to Jotou’s light push. It yawned again, barely keeping its eyes open. "Now listen here, you have to go to sleep or I won’t play with you again."
As if it understood a sentence that complex. It cocked its head to the side and continued to push. Jotou pushed it aside, but—like a drunken man—the puppy came back. "Tch, you can’t play forever."
The puppy jumped with what little energy and with what little legs it had onto her lap, "Hey." It let out a muffled squeak and laid its head down, getting comfy in her lap.
Jotou sighed, gently petting its fur as it stretched to sleep. "Need a lullaby huh? You know any?"
Asobi crouched down, "Hush baby puppy, go to sleep~ With a little warm milk, you won’t make a peep~" she serenaded softly, the tone not matching Asobi at all.
"I was kidding."
"Oh, sorry."
"It was nice though," Jotou smiled, looking to the puppy still fighting against sleep. "What even are you you fluffball? A Shih Tzu? You don’t look like a Shih Tzu. Some kind of Maltese Terrier?"
To the sound of her voice, it gently fell asleep. "You really had to fight your own sleep huh? Hmph, stubborn." She gently picked up the puppy in both her arms and tiptoed over to the cloths where most slept.
It fell right asleep, "Good boy," Jotou petted. "I name you... Orion."
"You’re naming them?" Asobi tilted her head, "We’re not keeping them, right?" in a little worry.
"What’s the harm of naming just one? Besides, I like this one. Don’t know why," Jotou hushed.
"Maybe we can take him with us!" she whispered.
"Probably not a good idea... We’re adventurers. It would be nice though," Jotou looked up to see the first stars begin to pop up. "Time to go I guess."
"Were you watching the stars?"
"Just a glance. Might look at them for a bit," Jotou began walking to the exit.
Asobi hummed, "Would you like to come watch the stars from my balcony? It’s always pretty there!"
"Well... Sure, training today’s a bust anyway."
"Yay!"
_
A nice cold metal bench, under the stars twinkling like snowflakes against the void. Still, nothing could beat the view in Kria—nothing.
Knowing that this was merely sixty or seventy percent of what the view of this world’s sky was like? It almost felt like a cheap knockoff. Even so, to regard it as anything less than pretty would be a lie.
Jotou kept staring up, leaning forward from her seat. The void, the darkness, the fear of the unknown. ’If it’s a fear, then why is it so beautiful? Space isn’t that scary. The fact that there’s nothing is certainty isn’t it?
Is that why people cling on to religions? To make themselves feel more secure with lies? Who am I to judge? Cravolta’s running securely on lies at this point. Maybe it’s just because, I’m not really afraid of death; more so what my life before it is-’ "Assooobi," Jotou gently hummed.
Asobi’s wand was a centimetre away from the blonde’s cheek, "You can still see me? What sorcery is this?" she recoiled with bubbled up eyes.
"It’s called, feeling something about to poke me," Jotou turned to the other occupant of the bench. The two were up in the balcony of Asobi’s room, watching the clouds past sunset.
At this hour, dinner was bound to be sent to their rooms. "That’s a really long spell name..."
Jotou smiled. She looked down to her clothing, checking her palms, "No itching, no watery eyes, no sneezing. I used to be allergic to dogs; guess not anymore."
"You can be allergic to something so cute?"
"Achoo," Jotou faked.
Asobi gasped, "Is there a puppy nearby!? Or is it a kitten!? Or even a sparrow! There’s too many cute things!" she frantically glanced around her balcony.
"Asobi," Jotou pretended to be holding in a sneeze, then pointed to the elf, "Chu!"
"ME!? OH NO, OH NO, I’LL GET A DOCTOR! WAIT, I’LL GET HOTARU!"
The blonde laughed, sticking her tongue out and giving a wink of her right eye.
"Oh... Hmph," Asobi puffed her cheeks. "Not funny! I thought you were dying from me! I’m really, really angry with you!"
Jotou narrowed her eyes... The puffed up cheeks, the furrowed black brows and the lips in a pout. Both her fists were to her sides... She only giggled more, "You can’t get me that easily~ I know you’re not mad."
Asobi’s shoulders slumped, "I tried a little revenge," she wriggled her fingers up like a cat about to pounce. Her usual beaming face returned, perhaps a little less brighter than usual.
"Oh, you were trying to call me cute," the magician’s skin turned the lightest shade of pink.
"Obviously."
"Obviously," Asobi let out a breath. "You’ve been roommates with Hotaru for weeks now. I was her old one, how is she now? Does she still wake up with one ear bent down?"
Jotou took a second, "Sometimes. Though, she wakes up sooner than me, so I assume she fixes it."
"Hm... Fumeko says you and Hotaru are," Asobi leaned closer to her ear, "Making babies."
A nervous laugh escaped in a breath, "It, doesn’t quite work like that... Me and Hotaru are, ya know. That can’t happen."
"When two people like each other a lot, kissing happens then babies come from the eggs!"
"Am I really gonna have to teach you about the birds and the bees...?"
"What’s this have to do with birds or bees?"
Jotou sighed to the wind, "Well, screw it, if no one else’s gonna. It’s like you said, but more than kissing; further than even," Jotou explained the basic concept to her.
"Ohhh... There are no eggs... So," Asobi looked up in horror, "A girl and a girl can’t, but a boy and a girl can."
"Naturally anyway."
"That sounds like a lot of pain..."
Jotou rolled her eyes, "Well not everything leads to babies, it’s more out of lust and fun. It feels intimate," even her cheeks were getting redder.
"Fun?" Asobi’s eyes glittered, "What’s the feeling like?"
"Uhm, pleasure; happy? But in a different sorta happy? You feel, warm and physically sensitive... Like you need it. Euphoric, that’s the word. It’s for people who like each other, more than normal."
"Hm," Asobi poked her wand under her chin, "It’s a different happy feeling. Does the thought of it make you happy and warm and all the other things?"
"Definitely."
"Oh..." Asobi blushed brighter. "Thanks for telling me! I think I know things, I just don’t know how to explain them."
Jotou glanced to her. For some reason, Asobi felt more serious, less cheery about the world... ’Something doesn’t feel right.’ And this was not the first inkling to that thought either. "You need to know these things eventually."
The blonde tightened her lips. ’Her opinion before we decided on the last stand. Her mood ever since we got here. Something’s definitely up and it’s not just going away this time...
She somehow reminds me of.’ Her memories fell back into the time loops... ’The Asobi who I scolded...’ She peered to the magician watching the stars, "Sobi?"
Asobi turned.
"Are you feeling okay?"
