Ah yes, fluff. Fluffy fluffy fluff. She used to get so worked up watching AVs (Animal Videos, in her case), longing desperately for what she couldn’t touch with her hands.
“Fondle...you say?” The sphere floated a half step back away from her.
Had she said something strange, she wondered?
The sphere made a sound like it was clearing its throat. “Well,” it continued, “regardless, it is good to hear that you have one regret.”
“I do. I want the fluff. Would you let me pet your fluff, please? I mean, you don’t look very fluffy, but—” She reached out to touch the sphere, but it dodged back.
“I-I am not for petting!” The sphere somehow gave the impression of a sigh. “I’ll never understand why so many heavy souls are such strange people,” it muttered before proceeding. “Let us return to the point. If you have a wish that was never granted in your previous life, it is within my power to grant it in your next life in a new world.”
“Wait,” said Kanata, “is this an isekai thing?”
“You are quick to understand. Exactly. You are to be reborn in another world.”
“I had a sense that was where this was going. I’m a big web novel fan, you know.” Web novels had been her constant companions in her dull hospital life. No, they’d been more than companions. It might be better to call them friends. She’d had no human friends in the real world, after all.
“You will be reborn in a world of swords and sorcery. You might call it a fantasy setting.”
“Ooh!”
“And I will ensure that your...fluffy animals will be there for you.”
“Wonderful!”
“Furthermore, to bring equilibrium between your past and future lives, I will grant you a blessing.”
“Oh, my cheat powers!”
“You will be as strong of body as you were feeble in your past life. You will have as much fortune as you previously had misfortune. And as lonely as you were, you will have just as much companionship.”
“I’ll use my cheat powers to pet as many fluffy animals as possible! Isekai fluff fluff! Isekai fluff fluff!” she chanted. Kanata’s excitement showed no signs of abating. She wanted the fluff. She needed the fluff.
“I will take that as your consent to send your soul to another dimension,” said the sphere. “The contract is sealed.”
It seemed that this conversation had been nothing more than a prerequisite for her reincarnation. It felt to Kanata a little bit like she was being strung along, but she was getting fluffy animals out of the deal, so it didn’t bother her much.
“Everything is in order,” the sphere concluded. “I wish you a good life, Yoshino Kanata-san.”
“Thank you! I’ll be sure to pet lots of fluff!”
The sphere seemed a little taken aback by that last remark. “Ah. Indeed,” it said. “Good luck.”
The next thing Kanata felt was a strong pulling sensation. She felt her consciousness vanish, and she was reborn.
† † †
“The gods have spoken,” said the priest with the round glasses. “This child’s name is Kanata.”
“Kanata,” said the newborn’s mother. “What a strange name...”
“I like how it sounds, though,” said the father. The two said their child’s name to themselves, as if they were turning it over in their mouths.
Kanata’s mother lay down on the bed, exhausted from the birth. Her baby was cuddled up next to her, small cheek pressed close. “Kanata,” she said. “I’m so glad you were born...”
Kanata’s father, who had been watching from her bedside, touched his daughter’s hand with the tip of his finger. “Oh!” he cried. “Kanata grabbed my finger! She’s very strong. I’m sure she’ll grow up healthy and—wait, no, she is strong! Ow ow ow! She’s going to pull my finger off!”
“Oh, darling,” said his wife, “you’re such a kidder.”
The baby smiled happily, her eyes still closed, as she listened to her parents’ voices.
† † †
Time passed in the blink of an eye. Under the doting care of her loving parents, Kanata grew into a healthy three-year-old. And how did three-year-old Kanata spend her time?
“Puppy!” she cried out.
But the dog barked furiously at her, clearly unwilling to be pet. She tried again with another animal.
“Kitty!”
But the cat hissed and ran. No matter how many animals she approached, they would threaten her or flee.
“Today’s no good either,” Kanata sobbed.
It had been three years since her reincarnation and she had yet to touch an animal. She was beginning to suspect the sphere had lied. She had a healthy body, yes, but where was the fluff she was promised?! She sighed deeply and slumped her shoulders.
Her mother, who was holding her baby brother, smiled down at her. “No luck today either, Kanny?”
“No,” she sniffed. “No luck at all, mama. They won’t let me touch their fluff...”
“You’re such a sweet girl,” her mother said. “I wonder why animals won’t let you hold them.” She rested her dainty cheek in her hand and tilted her head in thought.
“I wanna know that too.” Kanata pouted. She had been reborn seeking to pet fluff, but so far her quest had been fruitless. Animals cowered before her as if she were a terrible magic beast.
Her father laughed warmly. He’d walked in after returning from work. “Animals running away from you like always, Kanata?”
“Hmph...” Kanata puffed out her cheeks. Her father patted her on the head with his big hands. “Hm-Hmph,” she said again.
“Now, now, don’t pout,” her father said. He squeezed her cheeks, forcing the air out of her mouth with a bppppfpf.
Perhaps she hadn’t been able to achieve her fluffy dreams, but Kanata was glad to have been reborn to such kind parents. Her baby brother was cute too. If only he were fluffy as well. That would have been ideal. But her brother, who was taking his time to grow, still didn’t have a single hair on his head. Her father was the lord of the fiefdom, but unlike many nobles, he had no illusions that he was better than anyone else. He was never strict with his daughter either. To the people of this world, steeped as they were in feudal values, he was an eccentric thinker.