Reincarnated Into A Dead Woman's Body In Another World-Chapter 264: Arc 4, Act II, - 109: Sleeping Blondie
Lashes intertwined with lashes, her breathing in a slow rhythm. Her jaw began to open and slackly hung, only for a finger to poke under her chin and close her mouth so she did not drool onto the pillow.
"Hmm... mmmh..." in her sleep she muttered.
"She looks so peaceful," Asobi whispered.
"That she does," Hotaru caressed Jotou’s cheek, interlacing her fingers through the blonde strands over her left ear and unfurling them to tuck them behind said ear.
Back in their tent they were; no seeming damage from the chaos brought by the Rainstorm Slasher. As for Jotou, no visible injury on her either.
Her hair was fanned out over the pillows, sleeping on her side. Hotaru sat on a chair right beside, Asobi at the end of the bed as they both watched her sporadically mutter in her sleep for hours now.
Fumeko kept an eye, sitting on a chair from which Jotou had turned away from in her sleep. She glanced to Hotaru across the sleeping form as the redhead had her fingers trailing around Jotou’s cheek.
With knuckles to her own cheek, her brown eyes rolled and darted to the side, noticing that the day had gone past sunrise. Fumeko threw her twin-tails behind her and stretched her arms.
Asobi reached a hand forward and petted Jotou’s exposed shoulder. Little by little the elf smiled, seeing Jotou unperturbed with just a tiny smirk on the blonde’s face.
She pulled her hand away. Jotou muttered something in her sleep and the smile faded away. The blanket she was under shifted and her left arm came out from under the sheets.
Though her attempt was uncoordinated, Jotou reached for Asobi’s departing hand in her slumber. Seeing this, Asobi inched her hand forward till Jotou could sense she caught it.
Jotou’s head and shoulders dug into the bed, pulling Asobi’s entire arm towards her body. Asobi was forced to lean forward whilst Jotou hugged Asobi’s hand like a teddy bear.
Asobi giggled very softly, whilst Hotaru shook her head with a bright grin. Fumeko twisted her lips to the side... The brunette reached her hand out to the back of Jotou’s head.
Hotaru’s gaze went up and her brows furrowed for a second. Fumeko with a gentle touch petted her sleeping form. Jotou sunk into the pillow more, the back of her head moved towards Fumeko barely by a centimetre.
The brunette flashed a smile. She then glanced up to notice, "What is it wolfy?" she hushed.
"Nothing at all," her ears spiked, glancing at Fumeko’s hand.
Fumeko withdrew her arm, "What, Asobi can comfort her, but I can’t?"
"Asobi doesn’t have some ulterior motive."
"Careful, your insecurity’s showing," Fumeko glared with a smug grin. Hotaru’s eyes narrowed, her ears bristled with strands of crimson spiking up with it.
Asobi paused from watching the soothed blonde; she twisted her head left and right till her brows crinkled, "Am I, missing something...?"
"No," Hotaru sighed out and glanced away.
With a flex of her eyebrows, "No," Fumeko turned away as well.
Asobi fluttered her lashes to them both... There was, definitely something up... "Okay!" she acted aloof and went back to smiling at Jotou.
"Mmh, ngmh, nghhh..." Jotou grinded the side of her head against the pillow, pulling her head back to stretch her neck. Her entire form moved, legs unfurling and back stretching—she yawned.
Lashes intertwined with lashes; they split apart. A blurry view of a redhead and something held in between her arms... Hotaru shifted the bangs from Jotou’s eyes. "Morning," her dulcet and breathy voice was soothing for the ears to awake to...
"Hotaru..." a drowsy Jotou replied till her eyes waxed and she blinked a few times. "You were healing me and..." she yawned and covered her mouth after the fact. Jotou then realized there was something she held in her arms and stared down.
"After I healed your spinal injury, you were completely knocked out cold," Hotaru chuckled.
"Uh," Jotou handed Asobi’s hand back.
"Hehe," Asobi retracted her arm.
"...Ehe," confused she giggled. "How long was I out?" she looked around the... familiar tent.
"You slept forever!" Asobi replied.
Hotaru checked her watch, "It’s nine. So, thirty-two hours plus?"
"What?" she was fully awake all of a sudden. "So it’s... the 26th?" she sat up with a groan.
"Pretty much."
Jotou turned to the sudden Fumeko. Then she noticed she was in a yellow nightgown. She placed a hand on her collarbone, "My-"
"Don’t worry, I took it off and it was sent for repairs," Hotaru shushed.
"Repairs? All the way back to the Ordinate? Does Galuvit have some small branch or something? That’s gonna take way too long to-"
"Obviously it’s gonna be too long paranoiac, we don’t know when they’ll strike next," Fumeko halted. "They’re fixing it here using some metalwork they use to fix firearms.
It’s not enchanted, but it holds it together and gives a little bit of a layer. It won’t be too heavy, it’s just patches here and there. Should be enough really."
Jotou sighed and the bed rattled as she fell back. "The area?"
"You were asleep for a long time. Enough time for everyone to reset the camp and detain Rain," Hotaru explained.
"They still haven’t found my wand," Asobi’s hands felt so empty.
"Yesterday, I had to sleep, wake up, eat and send a letter to the Ordinate and had to eat again immediately."
"Typical day for you isn’t it?" Jotou smirked.
"Well, good to know you’re all better," Fumeko pouted. "The Ordinate replied by afternoon and said the affinity-lock should be on its way via teleportation sometime today or tomorrow. They apparently have to prep it."
Jotou huffed, "Glad it all went well then."
"Yeah, speaking of which, if you knew what I could’ve done to get them off the pillars, couldn’t you have just told me!?"
"Huh?" Jotou knitted her brows. "Oh," Jotou smiled, "What did you do to get them out?"
"You’re kidding..." Fumeko’s eyes glazed over. "You knew my dagger eats through mana because when you casted spark to interrogate that one guy it didn’t work.
This thing," Fumeko pulled out her dagger, "cuts through magic. You knew about it and decided to let me guess. ...Right?" she gripped the handle tightly.
Jotou connected the dots in her head... "Hm, nice work detective."
"Wait, you didn’t know?" Fumeko leered.
"I figured with all the plans you jump into without telling us, you were bound to have one; as long as I kept stalling," the blonde stuck her tongue out.
"... Can I stab her a few times?"
"No," Hotaru uttered.
"Don’t stab Jotou, that’d be mean!"
"Oh really?" Fumeko stared daggers to the blonde.
"Anyway, where’re the others?" Jotou surveyed the tent.
"Feyan’s on siphoning duty for Rain and Arabella’s keeping watch. Daiyu went to Company Four to assist a bit after they were flooded; she should be coming back pretty soon."
Fumeko flexed her fingers, "She threatened Hotaru to make sure you were okay. Somehow Daiyu wanted to leave and stay," Fumeko added.
"Not like I was concerned with anything else anyway. Been by your side the whole time," Hotaru gave a small laugh.
Asobi peered to the brunette, "Meko, weren’t you supposed to-"
"Yeah, yeah, I almost forgot," Fumeko grabbed a small note by the bedside. She kept her eyes wide open, "Delivery Pocket." Shadows escaped from her palm and took the note. "Fwoosh!"
"There, Daiyu knows you’re awake now. ...She must be somewhat close," Fumeko flexed her fingers, "Didn’t drain me much at all."
"Alright, shoo, shoo, both of you. It’s healing time," Hotaru stood up and dusted off her leather skirt that was plagued with crumbs of biscuits and small snacks.
Fumeko blinked from her chair onto the ground, "Haven’t you already healed her?"
"I healed the most important parts, but there’s still some scars and things I need to fade," Hotaru remarked.
"Happy you’re back Jotou!" Asobi hopped to her feet and waved as she left. Jotou sat up and waved back. Fumeko crossed her arms and blinked out of the tent.
"Stand up for me please," Hotaru walked around.
Jotou wriggled her toes off the bed before she got up and stretched her legs. The sleeveless yellow nightgown covered her till her knees—two thin straps above her shoulders.
Hotaru walked closer and closer. She took Jotou’s left hand and examined from above. Although barely visible, there was in fact a long thin scar going from her knuckle all the way up her forearm.
She ducked her head under Jotou and her hands glowed blue. She placed a hand on her knuckle, her other hand holding the arm in place.
Hotaru began to move up. The healing waters did not burn or sting; instead it felt like an itch completely disappearing after scratching it.
Second by second it faded away, leaving her normal peach skin underneath. Her fingers danced and glided up, going through the blonde hairs across her arm so faint it could not even be seen.
Jotou’s fingers wriggled, "You don’t have to heal so sexually slow ya know..." she hushed.
Hotaru’s ears flickered and she rolled her eyes. She finished going up Jotou’s arm, removing any trace of an injury existing. The redhead stood and smiled to Jotou. She tugged on Jotou’s straps and took them off.
Hotaru lowered the dress till her chest was revealed before placing a hand in between. Still in a haze from waking up, the blonde blushed, "Right now? They could be back any minute-"
"Stay still pervert, I need to heal the leftover scarring on your chest," a straight-faced Hotaru replied.
"...Oh. Sorry," Jotou’s eyes darted to the side.
Hotaru trailed her finger to Jotou’s left side and cupped the flesh to give a light squeeze.
"Hey!" Jotou swivelled her head back.
Hotaru glistened her fangs and moved her hand back to middle where more noticeable scars had formed from when Rain slashed.
Given the same amount of time, the spell ate away at the scabs and like spiderwebs, stitched the skin back together as the water seeped in, accelerating the healing process.
"There; it’s like there wasn’t even a fight." Hotaru stood upright and looked the other in the eyes. She took hold of Jotou’s chin; they both smiled—one more intimidating than the other.
Hotaru pivoted it right and left, eyeing her skin. Her finger traced along her jawline... She leaned in close and planted a kiss on her jaw and then onto her lips. "That’s for not dying in all of that."
Sparks went down her hair and neck, but Jotou made no attempt to dodge. Hotaru pinched her on the shoulder, "And this is for doing something so insanely reckless!"
With her chin still held, "Ow, ow, okay, ow-ow-ow, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!" Hotaru let go with a shake of her head. Jotou touched Hotaru by the waist and casted a light zap.
"Ngh!" Hotaru recoiled. Her ears spiked and she glared to Jotou who gave a wink. "You little," she formed water in her hand and splashed it across Jotou’s face.
Her eyes flinched and her bangs got drenched. She opened one eye and smirked to Hotaru. Her head sparked in electricity, drying out all the water in a second or two.
"Hmph. Cheater," Hotaru pouted and placed a finger to Jotou’s neck; blue waters formed... and... and... Hotaru’s brows creased.
"Is this your attempt of getting back at me? Weak~"
"You don’t feel anything?" Hotaru queried. "I’m, siphoning..."
Jotou fluttered her lashes, "No, not really..."
"Same here... I know the spell is working, but nothing feels like its draining..." Hotaru removed her finger.
"If that’s Siphon, did you get anything when you clawed me when we were fighting Dread? I definitely felt it..."
Hotaru glanced away, embarrassed of doing that in the first place... "I was in too much of a blur to notice.
But, Siphon’s Claw is the same spell, just Feyan invented it to form some claws in the process. They can function as claws, that’s not really the siphoning part."
"Huh... odd..." Jotou began connecting dots.
"Hey, before I come in, you two aren’t canoodling in there, right!?" a certain detective’s voice came from outside.
"No detective."
"It’s fine, come in," Hotaru hastily lifted Jotou’s nightgown and helped her put it back on.
Fumeko blinked in through the gap. "Daiyu’s back and there’s a special delivery."
"The affinity-lock?" Jotou turned.
"Nope; just a carriage from Luxinor with someone special. Looks like our haros level caster is finally here and Daiyu’s welcoming him."
