Experience heavily dictated how one handled a crisis. When encountering a familiar situation, a person naturally possessed more composure than when they were faced with something entirely new.
Yet, humans were also creatures prone to blunders born of that very familiarity. "Human error" was a common phrase for a reason; carelessness often took root when a person had seen a situation a thousand times before. Before long, that overconfidence would lead to an inevitable failure.
In my own way, I had survived my fair share of incidents and had even navigated my way through some romance. I wasn't that old, sure, but I took pride in the experience I had managed to accrue. Or so I thought. At that moment, I realized with painful clarity that I had grown far too complacent, and the situation had slipped beyond my control.
Currently, Kaori-san was treating me like a full-sized body pillow. We were pressed together so tightly that I could feel the soft, warm curve of her body against mine with every breath she took. She was a young woman around my age, and while we were close, she wasn't my lover. Normally, I should have been in a blind panic. In fact, I had been panicking at first, frantically trying to figure out how to navigate this without causing a disaster.
But as time ticked by, a strange sensation began to take over. For some reason, I felt relaxed. A sense of profound comfort and safety washed over me. The part of my heart that insisted I seek an immediate escape was losing ground to the part that felt there was no helping it now, so I might as well stay like this for a while. I found myself agonizing over which course to take as the minutes slipped away.
Ugh, I remembered Fia-sensei once saying that hugging triggered the release of certain chemicals that created a sense of happiness. Maybe she was right; there was something inherently soothing about another person's body temperature. Kaori-san was soft, warm, and smelled wonderful. If I let my guard down for even a second, I felt like I might accidentally hug her back. That sense of comfort was definitely the factor bringing this dangerous level of relaxation to my mind.
The fact that it was Kaori-san helped keep my nerves in check on a psychological level, too. We hadn't known each other for a particularly long time, but we spoke often, and I felt I understood her character. I had enough trust in her to be certain that even if she woke up abruptly right now, things wouldn't spin out of control.
Of course, it was easy to imagine that she would writhe in agony from embarrassment, but she was the type to move on quickly and not dwell on the past. I knew she would pull herself together eventually, and I didn't have to worry about our relationship becoming awkward afterward. Unless she actually found this situation repulsive, but I liked to think we were close enough that such a thing wouldn't be the case. After all, we had already hugged once before, even if it had been Olivia-san who pushed us into it.
Yes, Kaori-san really was a good person—someone I could rely on—so I had no worries on that front. No, my real concern was the physical reality I was trying so hard to ignore. If I let my mind drift to what was happening below the waist, I was terrified I would have a reaction that would make the situation a thousand times worse. After all, when a girl as cute as Kaori-san was clinging to me like this, a guy's body was going to react in certain ways.
I tried to keep my mind a complete blank to avoid any complications, but that only seemed to dull my thinking capacity. Between the warmth of the bath, the cocoa I had finished, and the sudden drop in my stress levels, I was becoming incredibly drowsy. Awareness was slipping away. This was bad—I felt like I was about to fall asleep.
Realistically, there was no way out unless I woke her up. Teleportation magic wouldn't help; we were pressed together so tightly that she would just end up being teleported along with me. I could have called for help, but I was in such a firm lock that I couldn't even move my arms to send a Hummingbird. Besides, if a third party walked in on this, Kaori-san's shame would likely reach fatal levels. I couldn't even tell if calling for someone would be the right move or a disaster.
I'll just wait a little longer. Just until her grip loosens, and then I'll... somehow... Ah, I’m so... sleepy...
"And now, right here! If I fix a future where my child wakes up before my beloved child... Yes, perfect!"
"Are you kidding me?! This woman... she’s a total disaster whenever it's her own turn, but the moment she's supporting someone else’s love life, she engineers a perfect romantic comedy development! Dammit... my body... it’s starting to shatter again—!"
"Now then, I’ll just sit back and watch the rest while I eat my victory popcorn."