After reconciling and returning to speaking to each other as usual—while Irene read the news about the heroine Inaxariel from her world—Irene decided that the three of them would sleep together in the same canvas tent.
Rynelle was happy about the reconciliation, so she accepted without protest. As usual, they used Rynelle as their full-body pillow and slept hugging her, always taking the same sides: Irene on her right and Hanami on her left.
But that night was different from any other.
It was still early morning, and they were supposed to keep sleeping, but Irene was awakened by movement. She opened her eyes ever so slightly, hearing faint feminine sighs.
They were very soft, trembling breaths, yet barely perceptible moans slipped out, as if they were being held back with all her strength.
The uneven breathing came from Rynelle, who was also moving her fingers in slow circles over her clitoris. Her knuckles barely brushed against Irene's knee, so without even looking, Irene understood everything.
Without fully understanding why, she smiled as she closed her eyes again.
'Wow… I never thought the serious, cold Rynelle had those desires too. She's so discreet… so careful. Still, it's only natural—she's in late adolescence; her hormones must be going crazy. Even so, it's curious to discover this side of her.'
Her ears filled with those small, overly restrained moans. Rynelle's quick, unsteady breathing caused her head to move slightly, since she was resting lightly against Irene's chest.
'Her body… it's so warm right now. But I'm not going to move. I'd rather she keep thinking she's alone; I don't want to break that little refuge of hers. Besides, what she's doing is completely natural and normal—there's nothing wrong with it. She's just… human, more than she usually lets on. And well… maybe it's our fault for sleeping pressed so close to her like this.'
And just as Irene thought, she wasn't wrong. Rynelle barely had any space to move, and amid the tangle of arms and legs that Irene and Hanami created, they brushed against her breasts, nipples, neck, thighs, and, with the slightest movements of their legs, her vagina.
'Actually, now that I notice it, my ears are pressed against her neck and ears. I can even feel a very slight movement of her head… Is she rubbing herself with them? I don't mind—I won't deny they're very fluffy and feel nice—but you need to be more careful, Ryne. You woke me up because of that.'
She opened her eyes for a second, driven by curiosity. Discreetly, all she could see were her fingers moving in circles. Her crystalline eyes trembled at the sight of that movement, so captivating to her.
'Considering how much I used to love masturbating before…'
As she paid attention to Rynelle's breathing and the rhythm of her movements, she eventually glanced at Hanami, only to realice that she was awake as well. That surprised Irene.
Hanami gave her a flirtatious smile, winked at her, and closed her eyes again.
'That lewd witch was pretending to be asleep too. Well, after all, we both love Rynelle and admire her composure. Seeing her like this has a certain exclusive charm.'
Rynelle's breathing grew more frantic and shaky, becoming more frequent. Her fingers sped up, and after about a minute of rapid masturbation, her thighs began to tremble.
Rynelle pressed her lips together with all her strength and forced herself not to move her legs. She was so experienced at this that, even while orgasming, she barely moved. Her face was completely flushed, and sweat ran down her body.
Her mouth opened, and large gulps of air escaped, one eye tightly shut while the other remained barely open. Irene even thought:
'So quiet…'
Then she smiled with quiet fondness and finally thought:
'But you're such an idiot. Idiot, idiot, idiot, Rynelle. Think about the scent you're releasing right now. It's not unpleasant, but… no, it's fine. It doesn't matter. I like your smell.'
Maintaining her smile, her nose breathed in as if it were pleased as well.
'Even though I can smell your period too, you silly Rynelle. Now I have to fall asleep knowing this.'
◇◆◇
Just as Rynelle had estimated, land on the horizon began to appear as evening fell. Hanami placed both hands over her brows as if that would somehow enhance her vision.
"Finally, solid ground! Hurry up—I want to get out of here already!"
"The horses have been walking all day; I'm not going to make them run now," Rynelle replied.
Hanami let out a deep, weary sigh. Then she turned around, resting her arm on the back of the seat to look inside the wagon.
"Don't you want to come see, sweetheart?"
Irene was reclining with her right leg crossed over her left knee, holding her notebook above her face.
"I'm almost done writing this scene. I'll be there in a second."
"Are you sure? By the time you come, you might not be able to appreciate the horizon anymore."
Irene thought about it. She lowered the notebook and said:
"Yeah, you're right. I'm coming."
She lifted her torso, turned around, and crawled toward the back of the seats to look ahead.
The land gradually revealed itself, glowing with an orange hue as the sun disappeared. Even birds of new species—besides the seagulls Irene already knew—flew in flocks across the sky.
"It's nice to see more life besides us," Irene said. "It's a truly beautiful sight."
Hanami leaned against the backrest and said:
"I'm dying to bathe; it's the first thing I want to do. How far is the river?"
"Six kilometers, and the horses need to rest right now. Though we could fly there with your magic, Hanami—we'd just need to hide our things properly."
"Please, this bridge is forgotten by everyone; only the most urgent routes would use it. In the three days we were there, we didn't see a single soul! No one's going to rob us now. We're not that unlucky, are we?"
Rynelle held her chin, pondering Hanami's words, while Irene rested her chin on the edge of the wagon, staring ahead in silence.
"Don't you agree?" Hanami asked.
Rynelle released her chin and replied calmly:
"I actually do. It's just… I don't know if we should be that trusting."
Unable to reach a conclusion, Rynelle looked at Irene and said:
"Technically, you're our leader, Irene. What do you think?"
"Huh? You consider me the leader? I thought that was you, Rynelle."
"Irene, you literally made us abandon the castle," Hanami stated.
"And you're of a much higher hierarchy than us—a princess."
"You're also of noble lineage."
"And we're both your bodyguards. So why did you think I was the leader?"
"Huh? W-well… I thought we were just friends traveling together, leaving everything behind."
Rynelle and Hanami exchanged skeptical looks. Irene grew nervous at their expressions and continued:
"L-let's not talk about that now! Let's just leave the wagon nearby and go bathe!"
Rynelle sighed and continued onward. They would leave their belongings partially hidden in the forest and fly to the river.
◇◆◇
Irene's laughter spilled from her lips as she took in the nighttime landscape. She was sitting on Hanami's broom behind her, hugging her around the waist. Both of their legs pointed in the same direction.
The wind swayed their hair, trailing behind them the lower folds of their white tunics.
"I love this world and its magiiiic!"
Hanami laughed at her shout without taking her eyes off the path ahead. Rynelle flew in front of them, equally skilled in wind magic. After a few minutes of flight, Rynelle pointed downward and began to descend.
"There it is. Follow me."
Hanami followed more carefully so Irene wouldn't lose her balance. Once they landed, Hanami eagerly removed her hood and boots.
"Finally, a bath—and all together!"
"Don't take this as a victory for your request. It's only because of the circumstances—and because I'm also stressed about smelling bad."
Rynelle pulled hygiene items from her leather bag—soap, conditioner, and creams. Then she took out a magic lamp and, when she activated it, cast its light in a single direction.
Hanami, who had already removed her white tunic and was unfastening her purple outfit, said:
"Do you want us to be seen from every direction?"
"It's not very strong; it will only illuminate a focused area. Besides, objectively speaking, bathing during the day is riskier, and you didn't seem worried then."
Hanami pulled down the zipper of her purple outfit and removed it, tossing it to the ground. She wasn't wearing a bra, leaving her breasts exposed. After that, she began unfastening her skirt.
Irene watched her from behind, her heart racing.
'Hanami… she undresses so easily now. And I feel like, between jokes and laughter, she'll try to touch me…'
A playful smile formed at the corner of her lips, while her tail slowly swayed in gentle half-circles.