A Soft World

Cael blinked as the slowly fading patter of rain echoed throughout the shelter. The candle he had lit earlier flickered weakly, the faint light casting a dim glow over the journal on his lap. He rubbed his eyes as he stared at the page still processing everything he'd just read.

"…"

It was dawn now. He'd been up nearly all night reading, trying to make sense of the story of a young woman named Erika, who'd been born into a family of adventurers and had eventually become a researcher in the field of otherworlder studies. Of course, he'd tried to get some sleep, but outside of a few stray hours, he hadn't been able to calm his mind.

The journal had started out innocuously enough. It was an autobiography of her travels and adventures, the people she'd met, the places she'd been, the woman she'd fallen in love with. It was fascinatingly full despite her relatively young age of thirty.

However, things shifted once he'd learned something about her.

She'd been reincarnated into this world.

Born into another world, carrying memories from her previous life. The concept was just like the isekai stories that he'd occasionally read as a child. The idea seemed ridiculous if not for the fact that he was nearly in the same scenario—granted, he didn't have to die to get here.

And apparently, that was what had set her on the path of uncovering the secrets of this world. She'd been obsessed with finding out what had brought her here, the links between their two worlds and perhaps even more. Her writings were detailed and precise, and she'd even included several diagrams and sketches in her journal.

Honestly, most of it was beyond him. Erika had been a physics instructor before her death and had learned magical engineering in this world when she was young, so her musings were far above a simple high schooler's head.

He laid down against Val as he rubbed his temple, his eyes bleary and his head pounding. Even if that was the case though, he still understood the general gist of things.

She'd discovered something.

Strange fluctuations in the leylines of this world, the appearance of magicless zones, and the frighteningly increasing rate of Suppression cases. Her hypothesis? Too much mana was being used. The world was in danger of collapsing in on itself. And it would attempt to rid itself of the extra strain at any cost.

Had that meant that the Vanishing was a way to balance the world's resources? Had all of those people simply disappeared to preserve the stability of this world? Where had they gone then? Did they just die, or were they somehow spirited away to some other place?

The journal had ended abruptly though, leaving the last page empty, as if the author had intended to add more to it. But there was nothing more—only a vague hint as to where she was going next.

Cael stared at the ceiling, his thoughts swirling in his head like a maelstrom. If he was right, he'd somewhat pieced together the truth behind the Vanishing, but there was so much more he didn't understand. Suppression still seemed to be happening, and these pockets of magicless zones persisted.

Was the world still in danger then? Had the Vanishing actually solved everything? Would sources of magic still disappear?

What would happen to him and Val?

His gaze shifted downward to see her still sleeping peacefully beside him, her chest rising and falling gently with each breath. At some point, they'd have to have a conversation about this, but Cael didn't know how he was going to explain things to her. Hell, he could barely even make sense of any of this stuff himself. Not to mention that while he was conversational in her language, he was far from being fluent enough to explain these complex concepts word for word.

"…"

He frowned, his eyebrows knitting together.

This was a problem for future Cael. He was far too exhausted to deal with any of this right now.

Right now he just wanted to hug his romantic partner and pretend he hadn't just read all of that.

Cael yawned, rubbing his eyes. While the morning light was slowly beginning to illuminate the shelter, it would still be a few more hours until the rain fully stopped. They could afford to rest a little longer.

"Hey, Val," he whispered softly. "Can I hold onto you?"

She mumbled something incoherent and rolled over to face him, burying her head into his chest and instinctually wrapping her arms around him.

Cael froze for a second as her warm breath tickled the skin of his chest and the scent of her hair wafted to his nose. Huh, had he accidentally woken her up?

No, she was still fast asleep. She'd just hugged him on autopilot.

He clenched his fists as to not squeal at how cute she was. It was so, so tempting to just squish his face against hers, hug her back, and coat her entire body in kisses—

Oh wow, stand down Cael. Where had that impulse come from?

He shook his head, trying to get rid of the strange thoughts. He was definitely too tired. He needed to get at least a little sleep in.

With the last of his willpower, he forced himself to lie still and let her cling to him, attempting not to think too hard about how much of her body was pressed up against his, or how warm her skin was, or how good she smelled.

Nope, he would sleep now.

…Definitely not just stare at her pretty, pretty face and marvel at how soft her hair was.

***

The sound of birds chirping and the gentle rustling of leaves filled the nearby forest. Val hummed a happy tune as she slowly followed after Cael, a smile on her face, and the sun shining in the crisp air above.

They'd set out late morning, and it was already well past midday. The rain had stopped by then, but the ground was muddy, so the going was tough. She'd had to use a walking stick to support herself as she hobbled behind him, skirting the edge of the western forest.

They'd decided it was too dangerous to go back through the forest's heart, and while this way would add an extra day to their travels, it was a safer alternative much less inclined for sudden irita attacks.

Val was fine with that though. Honestly, she just glad to finally be back outside. That strange magicless place had been so eerie. And now she could cast spells again! Yippee!

She giggled as she half-skipped forward to catch up to him. To feel the chilly wind in her hair, the sun on her skin, and to see the clouds rolling overhead, this was what she'd been craving!

It felt so long since they'd been able to enjoy nature like this. No Suppression, no monsters, no dark terrain, just them and the forest, and their smiling faces!

"Cael!" She called out to him, her heart brimming with happiness. "Let's rest for a bit and take a break. I think there's a lovely spot to right over—"

He turned around to give her a soft smile, but she nearly fell over in surprise at his appearance.

Why did he look like he was on death's doorstep?!

"C-Cael?! What's wrong?"

He looked a little tired when they'd left, but he'd insisted he was fine. Now though, his face was pale and clammy, sweat was dripping off his brow, and he had large dark bags underneath his eyes.

"Um, hehe, what are you talking about? I'm perfectly fine," he said, laughing weakly as he wiped his forehead. He started to sway on his feet as his eyes drooped.

"You don't look fine, Cael! You look like you're about to pass out! Why didn't you say something earlier?" She clumsily ran forward to support him, catching his arm as he nearly fell over.

How could she be so stupid? She'd been too caught up in the beautiful scenery to notice his declining state. How could she have missed something like that?!

"Oof. I'm fine, Val. Really. It's just a little hot and stuffy, that's all." He smiled, trying to reassure her. "I'll be alright, I promise. Just let me take a quick breather."

"Hot? Stuffy? It's almost winter! And what do you mean by breather? Do you mean a break?! Y-you can't possibly expect me to believe that!" she snapped. "Cael, you're barely standing now. Please, come, let's get you over to—"

*flop*

Val's bottom lip migrated upward as Cael collapsed face-first into her chest.

"C-Cael?! Are you—KYAA!!"

She struggled to support the entirety of his body weight before abruptly falling backward onto a soft tuft of grass.

Her eyes widened as his face pressed deeper and deeper into her chest. The sensation of his warm body pressed against hers, the feeling of his heart beating, the rhythm of his chest rising and falling—it was all too much.

"Ah. Ahh. AHHH!!! CAEL!? A-are you okay?! W-wake up, please!" she pleaded. "Please, Cael! You're scaring me!"

"Zzzz," came his muffled response from her cleavage.

"…Oh, he's just sleeping. I-I see." She sighed, relieved. "Thank goodness. I thought he had a fever or worse!"

Val's heart pounded in her chest as she stared down at him, lying on top of her.

Well, she had said it was about time to take a break. Perhaps a small rest wouldn't be too bad.

This was a first, though. Usually it was him who would hold her like this.

She blushed, her face turning a bright crimson as she looked at Cael. He looked so peaceful and content—and handsome too, if she might add. His messy, ashen-brown hair was disheveled in a charming way, and his long lashes glistened ever so slightly. He looked so serene, almost angelic—

"…s-soft."

Her face lit up at the barely audible murmur. Soft?

"Zzz… so soft…" he muttered. "Like a marshmallow."

A marshmallow?

What was a 'marshmallow'? Was that a word from his language? And why was he squirming like that?! It felt as though he was—

"CAEL?! W-were you just nuzzling me?! No, stop! Don't do that! I-I'm not a pillow!"

Val squirmed, trying to pull herself away from under his weight, but it was no use and too late.

She knew that he must've liked her boobs. But this much?! This was the most indecent thing they'd ever done!

"…"

It was also kind of sweet though in a way with how content he looked. And he was clearly exhausted.

She sighed in resignation and stopped struggling, her hands moving to stroke his head. His hair was soft and silky despite how unkempt it was, and it was nice to feel the warmth of his body pressed against her own. His weight wasn't too heavy, and he was surprisingly comfortable to hold like this.

She giggled as the feeling grew on her. Cael would probably be very embarrassed once he woke up, but she didn't mind that. It'd be a funny story to tell him later. Plus, it was a little exciting that he liked them enough to unconsciously seek them out.

After fishing out one of the warding crystals to set around them, she settled in, leaning against the soft earth, the sun gently shining down, and the cold breeze rustling the nearby trees.

"Sleep well, Cael," she said, hugging him closer as she closed her eyes with newfound knowledge.

Boobs truly were a powerful thing. She would have to use them to help him more often.