Chapter 2: Soft and Warm

Chapter 2:
Soft and Warm

 

“ACHOOOO!” I sneezed. That was loud enough to scare even me!

It’d been chilly lately, and the sun set way earlier. Judging by the temperature, we were closer to winter than fall.

As I kept watching the store, Noela trotted over. “Okay, Master?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks.” Noela didn’t seem even slightly cold, probably because she was so fluffy. “How about you? Are you cold?”

“Warmer than most human.”

I knew it. All that fur keeps her toasty. I patted my lap.

She happily plopped down on it. “What’s up, Master?”

Poof! I gave all of Noela—including her swinging tail—a bear hug. Holy crap. She’s crazy warm! What the heck?!

Noela’s perfect temperature was probably due to a combination of things. Her fur seemed to hold heat, and not only was it fluffy, but it was nice and smooth too. I sat there for a while, hugging Noela like a huge stuffed animal.

With her, I can make it through winter easily. I can even stay nice and warm at night if I stuff her in my bed.

“I’m back!” Returning home from shopping, Mina gave me a puzzled look. “Huh? Why’re you clinging to Noela like that, Mr. Reiji?”

“For the record, there’s nothing weird going on here,” I promised Mina.

“Of course not. If there were, I’d be furious.”

“Noela’s just super warm. I’m stealing her body heat.”

“Stealing Noela’s heat?!” The furry ears below my chin twitched a few times. I squeezed them in both hands, finding them quite warm as well.

“Now, Mr. Reiji, you’re scaring her. If you’re too cold, should I fetch you a jacket?”

“No need with Noela here.”

The werewolf girl looked at me. “Noela being useful to Master?”

“Yes, you are!”

“Garroo!” She wagged her tail.

She’s so soft and warm. Hugging her feels amazingly comfy. In my position, Ejil would probably be beside himself.

“Noela certainly is warm.” Mina nodded. “We share a bed now and then.”

“Wanna try sleeping in my bed, Noela?” I offered.

“’Kay.”

“That’s improper! Noela’s a young woman, after all.”

“Noela sleep in Master’s bed! Useful!”

“Noela says it’s all right,” I pointed out to Mina.

“Absolutely not!” Mina frowned, refusing to listen further.

I doubt I’ll get a full night’s super-fluffy, super-warm sleep as long as Mina lives. Oh, right, she’s dead. “What about you, Mina? Aren’t you cold?”

“Hmm… Well, I’d be lying if I said no,” Mina confessed. “My fingers and toes are especially chilly.” Putting down the stuff she’d bought, she touched my cheeks.

“Whoa! You’re freezing!”

“Right?” She giggled.

She seems happy about it.

“Come here, Noela! My hands are frigid!” Mina reached toward Noela.

The werewolf girl frantically dodged. “No cold!”

“If you stay on Mr. Reiji’s lap, I’ll catch you!”

“Noela’s throne! Give to no one!”

Mina gently squeezed Noela’s cheeks, tittering as the werewolf girl panicked.

“Hey, don’t forget you’re sitting on my knees!”

They’re like sisters, I thought. Hmm…I guess Mina’s sensitive to the cold. Lots of women are. It might not be an understatement to say that Mina needs Noela more than I do.

“But there’s only one Noela,” I mumbled.

How did I manage winter back in my other world? Stoves…kotatsu… Oh, right! “Guess I know what I need to make!”

Noela had long since vacated my knees; she was facing off with Mina. Hearing my announcement, they stopped and turned to me.

“What’re you making, Mr. Reiji?”

“It’s a surprise.” I stood up.

Mina collected herself. “Then I’ll prepare dinner while I wait to be surprised.”

Noela followed me and Mina back into the house. “Noela help Master!”

“You’re on store duty.”

“No customers.”

“Don’t say that!”

I chased Noela back to the drugstore. It was already dark out, so I doubted anyone would swing by, but an employee who wasn’t busy needed to watch the shop.

In the lab, I followed my medicine-making skill’s directions, gathering ingredients. Fortunately, I had a decent stockpile of medicinal herbs, so I didn’t need to go outside. When I finished mixing the bottled liquid, it glowed as always.

 

Insta-Warm: Generates heat (about 40 degrees Celsius) for several hours when shaken.

 

“Awesome. It’s done.”

I divided the fluid between a small bottle for day-to-day use and a large bottle for bedtime. I gave the small bottle a few shakes, testing it—sure enough, it warmed up. It wasn’t scorching or lukewarm.

“This is the perfect temperature,” I murmured.

Bottle in hand, I headed to the kitchen, where Mina was doing dishes. Oh, right. In this world, there’s no hot water for dishwashing.

“It’s ready, Mina. This’s the stuff.” I showed her the vial.

She looked at it and blinked, clearly mystified. “That was certainly fast! What exactly is it?” Wiping her hands on her apron, she took the bottle. “Oh, you used warm water?”

I chuckled and answered her question with a question. “How does someone boil water, Mina?”

“Um, by lighting a fire and—”

“Well, this bottle’s full of special water that gets warm without a fire.”

I poured another vial of insta-warm, telling Mina to shake it.

She shook it hard. “Just doing this will warm the water? I’m not heating it or anything.”

“Patience, young lady.”

“Are you playing a trick, Mr. Reiji? Wait…w-wow!” As if a chick were hatching in her hands, Mina began to freak out. She kept looking at the vial. “Oh my gosh! Mr. Reiji, this is incredible! It’s so warm!”

“Right?” I gave her my most victorious smirk of the day. “It’ll stay hot for hours, so feel free to pocket it. When your fingers get too cold, just touch the bottle.”

Mina gulped with a deadly serious expression. “I’ll always be warm.”

“Bingo. I also have a bigger bottle for the bed. You can use that tonight.”

“Gosh, thank you so much, Mr. Reiji!” Mina clasped my hand firmly. “You’re my fingertips’ savior!”

“Talk about a niche savior.”

“I’m sure women will love this. Most have cold fingers during winter. I’m a run-of-the-mill girl, so I know what I’m talking about!”

She must really be happy with the insta-warm. Trusting the self-proclaimed “run-of-the-mill girl,” I headed to the lab to make more of the new product. I’d put it on the shelves tomorrow.

Eventually, Mina called me to dinner. I closed the store and sat at the dining table with Noela.

“New stuff done?” she asked.

“Yup. Check it out.” I handed Noela a vial of insta-warm. “Hot, right? Now, we have nothing to fear from the cold.” Her expression showed her concerned. Weird.

“That insta-warm’s really amazing, Noela,” Mina added. “I won’t have to drag you to bed with me anymore.”

“Arroo! Warm…is problem,” Noela whispered to herself.

How so?

 

***

 

To answer that question, I had to wait for the next morning. I’d tested a bottle of insta-warm overnight, and it was damn nice; under my blankets, it felt like spring had come.

This product’s gonna sell like crazy, I thought, still drowsy. It’s warm, but soft. Even kinda fluffy.

“Time to get up, Mr. Reiji!” called Mina, coming in. “I know your bed’s cozy, but you have to get to work. Hmm? Something’s odd about your blanket…”

Fwoosh! Mina tore away the blanket, revealing the fluffy “insta-warm.”

“What’s the big idea?” I whined. “It’s cold.”

“Ah! I wondered where Noela went!”

Why’s Mina being so loud? I opened my eyes, only to see a large, white tail—not unlike a fluffy cat toy—in front of me.

“Awake, Master!” Noela was curled up next to me. Her ears twitched happily.

“Huh? What’re you doing in here?”

It’s cold! I shivered, searching for the insta-warm I’d put under the blanket. Strangely, it was nowhere to be found. What the…? Where’d it go?

Mina turned toward Noela. “So you were in Mr. Reiji’s bed? No wonder I couldn’t find you!”

I reached out to take back my blanket, but Mina dodged me swiftly.

With no other choice, I sat up and yawned widely, crossing my legs. “So, uh, why’s Noela in my bed? And where’d my insta-warm go?”

Seriously. I knew for a fact that I’d slipped it into the bed. My toes were nice and warm until I fell asleep.

“Noela threw away.”

“Why?”

“Making Master warm is Noela’s job.” She rolled toward me and slipped into my lap.

Yeah, she’s definitely warm.

“I see. So, that’s what happened,” said Mina.

“Pardon me?”

“Noela was unhappy about your new insta-warm stealing her role as your heater.”

“So she tossed it?” I looked at Noela inquisitively.

“Secret,” the werewolf replied.

How could I get mad at this girl? I decided to stop using the insta-warm, since it made Noela jealous. “It’s not cold under my blankets,” I assured her, stroking her head.

She nodded. I doubted she’d climb into my bed anymore.

As we’d expected, the insta-warm became a customer favorite, thanks to its warmth, portability, and ability to keep folks cozy overnight. It was popular with male customers, but as Mina predicted, it was a huge hit with women—it became a number one seller.