A Night in the Van
The laborious dismantling of the monsters wasn't finished until the sun had fully gone down.
Minjun peeled off his gloves and shook out his hands. The monsters' black fluids had seeped all the way under his fingernails, and even rubbing with wet wipes wouldn't lift the stain. A nauseating stench rose from his fingertips. Still, he'd sorted out every last mana stone and every claw and tooth worth selling. Converted to bounty, it should come to just about enough to cover the air conditioner repair.
Jia was already changed into her casual clothes, sitting in the back of the van. A white sleeveless tee and short shorts — the same outfit she'd worn that afternoon. She'd wiped the sweat off after the fight, but a faint heat still lingered on her skin. The contours of her enormous breasts stood out clearly beneath the T-shirt, and the thighs spilling from her shorts, lightly kissed by the sun, gleamed a healthy brown.
"Should we head back?"
Minjun asked.
Jia looked out the window, then answered shortly.
"It's getting late. If we leave now, it'll be dark. This road's too dangerous at night."
Minjun already knew that. The unpaved road into the Abandoned Village was rough even in daylight. Once night fell, visibility dropped to almost nothing, and there was always the chance monsters would show up again. On top of that, the van's headlights had lost their brightness a long time ago.
If they forced the drive and wrecked, that would be the end. Getting stranded in an abandoned zone meant they'd have to make it back to the city through monster-infested territory. For ordinary people, that was as good as a death sentence. Minjun had Jia's skill to rely on, so survival wasn't the worry — the problem was the repair bill. If their work van got smashed up, the cost would be substantial, and a loss like that was more than their current income could absorb.
"...Let's camp in the van. Here."
Minjun made the call.
Jia nodded. No particular objection. They'd been through this plenty of times before.
The van's rear seats had been converted with car-camping in mind from the start. Fold down part of the seats and you had a makeshift bed; a simple ventilation fan was mounted in the ceiling. The air conditioner was broken, so the fan was all they had. Once the blazing sun went down, the temperature began to drop little by little, and the sweltering air inside the van started to drain away.
Minjun packed the mana stones and byproducts from the dismantling into their dedicated storage case, then stowed the grenade launcher and the detector alongside them. Jia cleaned her spear and shoved it into the corner with her spare combat suit.
Before long the sun had set completely, and the world around them went dark. Night in the Abandoned Village was nothing like the city. No streetlights, no glow of any kind — only moonlight and stars. Now and then a monster's cry drifted faintly from far off, but the detector no longer reacted. This zone had already been cleared.
Minjun locked the driver's-side door and climbed into the back. In the cramped space, two bodies sitting together naturally drew close.
Jia was already sitting in a half-reclined slouch. Her sleeveless tee had ridden up a little, exposing the slender waist and the soft curve of her lower belly. The thighs in those short shorts were damp with sweat and clinging slightly to the fabric, and between them the tender flesh of her inner thighs showed through.
Minjun's gaze was pulled there. The image of her that afternoon — stripping out of the suit, wiping the sweat from her naked body — rose up again. Those enormous breasts swaying. The pink nipples. The pubic hair and pussy, soaked and glistening...
The lewd vision of Jia filled his mind, thick with that sweet, heavy scent of her body. Blood rushed to his lower abdomen in a heavy, burning heat.
"...Babe."
Minjun called to her, his voice low.
Jia turned her head slightly. Her expression was as cold as ever. But the moment their eyes met, Minjun caught a flicker of something else in her gaze — faint fatigue, and something he couldn't quite name.
"Tired?"
"A little. We moved around a lot today."
Jia answered his question. Her voice was low and languid.
Minjun reached out and wrapped an arm around her waist. Her skin felt hot. The heat of the whole day still hadn't left her. The elasticity and softness of her flesh against his palm made his breathing grow a little rougher.
"Don't... stop..."
His hand, which had been stroking her waist and thigh, went still. Jia was shaking her head, refusing him. The moment she refused, Minjun pulled his hand away at once.
"I'm hungry... boil me some ramen."
"Ah, right. Okay."
The sun had only just gone down, and after working all day, of course she'd be hungry. Minjun pulled cup ramen and an electric kettle from the food box. The van was outfitted for car-camping and indoor living. Real cooking was out of the question, but cup ramen or simple instant meals were doable. Jia lay at an angle while Minjun crouched beside her and prepared the ramen.
The bubbling hiss of water coming to a boil in the electric kettle filled the cramped van. Minjun took out two cups, peeled back the lids, sprinkled in the seasoning packets, and poured the hot water. Steam rose in lazy curls, spreading a spicy smell. Saliva gathered in his mouth.
"Just a bit. Three minutes."
"Mm..."
Minjun checked his watch as he said it. Jia nodded with a faint reply. She was so tired her eyelids were already half-closed. Three minutes later, he handed her a pair of wooden chopsticks along with the cup ramen.
Jia sat up and took the cup. She stirred the noodles through the hot broth with the chopsticks and carefully took a bite.
"Hahh... I might actually live."
Jia muttered it low. A faint relief mixed into that haughty, cold voice.
Minjun started on his own ramen. He hadn't eaten properly all day, too busy with the dismantling, and as the spicy broth slid down his throat and filled his stomach, something inside him unclenched.
They emptied their cups without a word. In the narrow space, the only sounds were chopsticks clicking and the slurp of noodles being drawn up.
After finishing the noodles, Jia slowly drank the remaining broth. The rise and fall of her throat was faintly visible in the moonlight. Minjun drained his own cup clean as well.
Once the hot broth had filled his belly, the hunger faded and the fatigue in his body began to make itself known again.
Minjun set the empty cup aside and looked at Jia carefully. She was still sitting up, the cup in her hand. Her T-shirt had ridden up a little more, revealing the soft flesh above her navel. Jia's figure was sleek and without an ounce of spare fat, but sitting crouched like that, a soft roll of belly had pushed out beneath the shirt.
Maybe now... it'd be okay.
Desire seeped back into Minjun's mind. Their stomachs were full, and Jia looked a little more at ease. The memory of her naked body that afternoon, and the voluptuous figure in that suit, rose up again. If he reached out, he felt like he could wrap that soft waist in his hands once more.
Minjun moved his hand slowly, reaching carefully toward her thigh. But before his fingers could even make contact, Jia set the empty ramen cup aside and simply lay down on her side.
"...I'm going to sleep."
A short, languid voice. Her eyes were already closed. She shifted once to find a comfortable position, and then her breathing evened out. In that brief span, Jia had fallen asleep.
Minjun's hand hung frozen in the air.
Jia was completely out. Her sleeveless tee still rucked up, the slender waist and lower belly left bare. The thighs spilling from her shorts were slightly parted, the sweat-damp skin gleaming. Her long hair was scattered across the seat, and even breaths slipped from between her lips.
Minjun stared at her for a long time. His lower abdomen still burned with a heavy heat, but he couldn't reach out anymore. Jia was his wife, but the sight of her refusing him and then falling asleep had killed any remaining urge to touch her.
...Not happening tonight.
Minjun thought it to himself, as if muttering. He stuffed the emptied ramen cups into a trash bag and wiped his hands and the leftover scraps with a wet wipe.
"Falling asleep that fast. She could've at least covered up."
Minjun grumbled without meaning to as he draped a thin blanket over Jia's body. Once the blanket settled over her figure, the curves beneath stood out even more sharply.
He lay down carefully beside her, trying not to wake her. The space was so tight their bodies naturally pressed together. Jia's body heat seeped into his side. The flesh of her next to him was hot, and soft.
From far outside, a monster's cry sounded once more. He checked the detector again, but it didn't react. This zone was safe.
Minjun stared up at the ventilation fan in the ceiling. Heat that hadn't fully cooled still lingered in the van. Jia's even breathing filled his ears. Her sweet scent made it impossible for him to fall asleep.
Am I... someone Jia actually needs?
The helplessness he'd felt that afternoon came creeping back. When they faced the monsters, all he did was stand there holding a detector and a launcher. While Jia handled everything alone, he couldn't do a thing. And now, all his wife wanted from him was a bowl of ramen and a place to sleep.
Minjun breathed in lightly the scent of Jia's hair. Sweat mixed with her natural scent — a smell that belonged to his wife alone. Unlike Jia, who'd fallen asleep from the exhaustion of the day's monster hunt, Minjun couldn't suppress the desire her body and scent stirred in him.
Jia shifted slightly. The blanket slipped sideways and slid off. At the same time her sleeveless T-shirt rode up even further, exposing the soft flesh beneath her enormous breasts. Those full, heavy breasts, pulled sideways by gravity, swayed with a thick, weighty motion as she stirred. Her pink nipples stood out faintly beneath the fabric of the shirt. The inner thighs visible between her shorts were damp with sweat and glittering in the moonlight, and the curve of her slender waist and plump ass was left completely exposed.
Minjun's breath stopped. His lower abdomen suddenly burned hot. His cock, already rock-hard inside his pants, swelled even tighter the instant he saw Jia's swaying breasts.
...Hahh.
Minjun clenched his teeth. The urge to touch her with his own hands surged up, but he couldn't wake his sleeping wife. She'd already refused him once. A husband who couldn't even ask his wife for sex — reduced to secretly jerking off right next to her.
That self-loathing pressed down heavy on his chest. And yet at the same time, a strange excitement climbed up through his lower body.
This woman... is mine.
Minjun muttered it inwardly. She was his wife. And yet right now he couldn't even touch her. That fact itself was strangely, unnaturally stimulating.
Minjun slowly pulled down his pants. His fully erect cock sprang free. The head was swollen taut, a bead of clear fluid already gathered at the tip. He wrapped his right hand around it. The hot, hard sensation filled his palm.
Watching Jia's swaying breasts, he began to move his hand slowly. Up and down, slowly at first, then faster. His breathing grew ragged. In the cramped van, his own breath seemed to echo loudly.
I can't touch her... I can't even touch her...
Self-loathing and arousal tangled together. His wife was asleep right next to him. Her breasts swaying, her thighs parted, her sweat-slick skin gleaming. And he couldn't lay a hand on that body — he could only squeeze his own cock and gasp.
Minjun's hips trembled faintly. His hand sped up. His eyes devoured Jia's body while, in his mind, he imagined pushing his cock inside her. That hot, tight interior. Those swaying breasts. The sound of her moaning...
"Hahh... hahh..."
A low gasp slipped out. Minjun clenched his teeth and killed the sound. Climax was close. His hand pumped up and down like mad. The instant he saw Jia's breasts sway again, just a little, his hips jerked hard.
Hot semen erupted across his palm and onto his thigh. It pulsed out again and again, spasming. Minjun gasped for breath, eyes closed, riding out the aftershocks.
Only after a long while did he slowly open his eyes. The semen on his hand and thigh was cooling, turning sticky. He quietly pulled out a tissue and wiped it away. As he stuffed the used tissue into the trash bag, that choking feeling came over him once more.
What the hell... am I doing.
The self-loathing washed over him. A husband who secretly masturbates next to his wife, then wipes his semen with a tissue and stuffs it in a trash bag. That reality pressed down heavy on his chest.
The moment Minjun shifted slightly to tidy the trash bag, Jia's eyes opened a crack.
"...What're you doing...?"
A languid, sleep-heavy voice.
Minjun's heart slammed. The thought that she'd caught him masturbating sent a jolt of panic through him. He could still feel the stickiness of semen on his hand.
"J-just taking out the trash."
Minjun answered in a hurry. His voice shook a little.
Jia looked at him blearily, eyes half-lidded. Fortunately, she didn't seem to have noticed. She closed her eyes again and muttered low.
"...Go to sleep... you've got to drive tomorrow."
With that, Jia slipped back under, her breathing evening out once more. The blanket still fallen away, her breasts still slightly exposed, just as she was.
Minjun pressed a hand to his chest and let out a sigh of relief. His heart was still racing.
The night grew deeper.