Lap Pillow EP.16

"...What are you doing, Hoshino-san?"

 

 

 

"Ah, Sora-chan~ Sora-chan, wanna come over here too? Nonomi-chan's lap is super fluffy and feels great, you know~?"

 

 

 

As I arrived at Abydos today, just like any other day, I saw Hoshino melting into Nonomi's lap.

 

 

 

"...I'll pass."

 

 

 

"Eh~? Are you sure? Nonomi-chan's lap is a special spot reserved for this old lady, so it's not somewhere you can easily lie down, you know~?"

 

 

 

"...It's fine."

 

 

 

I'm a little tempted, but it's too embarrassing to try.

 

 

 

"Uhehe~ Can't be helped then! Come on, jump into this big sister's arms!"

 

 

 

"...No thanks."

 

 

 

I'd rather lie on Nonomi's lap than that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After another eventful day, I went to Abydos the next morning as usual.

 

 

 

"...Ughhh...."

 

 

 

In a half-dead state.

 

 

 

"S-Sora-chan?"

 

 

 

"Sora, are you okay?"

 

 

 

"Ah... Nonomi, Sensei... Yeah, I'm fine."

 

 

 

It's a lie. I'm not fine at all. My head feels like it's splitting, and I want to lie down and sleep right now.

 

 

 

I stayed up all night trying to find out about my true name, Isis, so I'm dead tired.

 

 

 

I probably have terrible dark circles under my eyes right now.

 

 

 

So, did I find anything? If you ask,

 

 

 

"Isis is the second child of the sky goddess Nut and the earth god Geb, the sister and wife of Osiris, and the mother of Horus... I see... I don't get it at all."

 

 

 

I'd say no.

 

 

 

I know she's some kind of important goddess, but other than that, I'm clueless.

 

 

 

And most importantly,

 

 

 

"...But come to think of it, does knowing my true name really change anything?"

 

 

 

Knowing my true name didn't change anything.

 

 

 

It's just the name of a goddess called Isis, and it's not like knowing my true name lets me use divine powers or anything.

 

 

 

'Of course, there might be something I don't know...'

 

 

 

The problem is, I realized this fact right before sunrise, just as I was about to head to Abydos.

 

 

'Strange... I wasn't this sleepy when I patrolled with Hoshino at night...'

 

 

"But your face..."

 

 

"Ah, it's fine, it's fine..."

 

 

'It's better to hold out until night and sleep then, rather than sleeping now.'

 

 

Unless I'm patrolling every night like Hoshino, staying up occasionally is better than not sleeping at all.

 

 

 

"...Speaking of which, where's Hoshino-san?"

 

 

 

Normally, Hoshino would be sound asleep on Nonomi's lap by now, but she was nowhere to be seen.

 

 

 

"Ah, if you mean Hoshino, she went out a little while ago saying she was going to slack off."

 

 

 

'...Ah, so it's today?'

 

 

 

Looks like today's the day she's going to meet the men in black.

1

 

 

 

"Ah, then Sora-chan, would you like to rest on my lap?"

 

 

 

"Huh? Hmm..."

 

 

 

'Nononomi's lap... I've always seen it as Hoshino's special seat, so I've never considered it myself...'

 

 

 

Of course, being embarrassed played a big part in refusing, but I'm still a guy on the inside, you know.

 

 

 

But maybe it's because my head hurts and I'm sleepy? Today, the temptation of Nonomi's lap pillow feels really strong.

 

 

 

'...Maybe just for a little while...?'

 

 

 

Even though I was a guy in my past life, I'm a girl now, and it's not like I have any ulterior motives. If I'm just going to sleep for a bit...

 

 

 

"...Then, can I ask you for a little bit?"

 

 

 

In the end, unable to resist the temptation, I decided to accept Nonomi's lap pillow.

 

 

 

"Of course! Come on, lie down here."

 

 

 

Maybe my words made her happy, because Nonomi smiled brightly at my request and patted her lap.

 

 

 

"...Then."

 

 

 

'Ooh...!'

 

 

 

As I lay down on Nonomi's lap, a comfort I had never felt before enveloped my body.

 

 

 

Stroke, stroke.

 

 

 

Adding to that, Nonomi's gentle hand stroking my head made me understand why Hoshino was so obsessed with her lap.

 

 

 

'Ah... This is dangerous...'

 

 

 

Lying on Nonomi's lap, which felt like a luxurious pillow, inevitably made me sleepy.

 

 

 

"Zzz..."

 

 

 

In the end, I fell completely asleep without even realizing it.

 

 

 

"She's asleep."

 

 

 

"She fell asleep."

 

 

 

Not long after lying on Nonomi's lap, Sora had drifted off to dreamland.

 

 

 

And watching her, Nonomi and Sensei couldn't help but smile.

 

 

 

It was a rare sight given Sora's usual personality and behavior, and more importantly,

 

 

 

Sora looked incredibly cute while sleeping.

 

 

 

"...Mmm..."

 

 

 

Especially when she curled up in her sleep like a small animal, making her even more adorable.

 

 

 

The two of them watched Sora, losing track of time.

 

 

 

Hoping that this moment, where this scarred child could rest peacefully, would last a long time.

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Explosion detected within a 10km radius! It's close!!"

 

 

 

"Ah..."

 

 

 

Not long after I fell asleep, Ayane's voice echoed throughout the clubroom.

 

 

 

And of course, that voice woke me up.

 

 

 

'Damn it, I forgot.'

 

 

 

I had completely forgotten that the day Hoshino goes to meet the men in black is the same day Problem Solver 68 destroys the ramen shop.

 

 

 

'If I knew this would happen, I would've stayed awake...'

 

 

 

Maybe it's because I only slept a little? I feel more tired than when I didn't sleep at all.

 

 

 

"10km... Does that mean the city? Is it an attack?!"

 

 

 

"For now, the shockwave pattern suggests a chain reaction of C4 explosives. It's not shelling or bombing... I'll investigate further!"

 

 

 

As Ayane investigated further, she quickly identified the location of the explosion.

 

 

 

"...Confirmed the explosion location, it's in the city! The exact epicenter is... Shibaseki Ramen...?! The Shibaseki Ramen shop exploded without a trace?!"

 

 

 

Ayane's words shocked everyone except me.

 

 

 

"What?! That's impossible! There's no reason to target that place! It's not a strategic point or a major transportation route. Who would... Don't tell me, were they after me...?"

 

 

 

"We can speculate later. We need to take action first!"

 

 

 

'...Right, I have to go.'

 

 

 

I want to sleep more, but I can't stay out of this situation either.

 

 

 

'I contacted the men in black before Hoshino...'

 

 

 

I might be overthinking it, but since I contacted the men in black first, it might have changed the time Hoshino joins them in the original story.

 

 

 

So, just in case, I have to go in Hoshino's place.

 

 

 

"Sora-chan..."

 

 

 

"Sora..."

 

 

 

Nonomi and Sensei seemed worried about me, seeing that I hadn't gotten much sleep, and called out to me gently.

 

 

 

"I'm fine. More importantly, we need to go quickly. Ayane!"

 

"Yes! I'll contact Hoshino-senpai too. Let's move out!!"

 

I smiled softly at Nonomi, saying I was fine, and led everyone toward the scene of the incident, the Shibaseki Ramen shop.