The weekdays passed, and the holiday arrived.
The tired Commander could finally rest a bit, and he really slept comfortably in his private room last night.
After all, the Commander has been exhausted lately.
On Fridays, it was essential to let him relax. That way, we could enjoy today even more.
“You seem a little less tired today.”
“Well, I’m not working. And I fell asleep right after entering my room yesterday, remember?”
That’s true. As soon as I mentioned going to bed early, the Commander fell asleep.
I was glad he listened so well! It was much better than when he was too tired and lacking stamina.
“I’m relieved to hear that.”
“Did I really look that tired lately?”
“Yeah. Not much in the way of dark circles since you slept well, but you still had a lot of work, right?”
It was true; the Commander looked worn out. That’s why I did my best to help him not feel that way.
“That’s right… it’s hard not to be tired.”
“But that’s about the normal workload.”
“Haha…”
Still, there was quite a bit of work, so I understood.
Anyway, today I came to a small hotel with the Commander.
It wasn’t as big or fancy as the hotels we visited together before. Instead, it had a more modest feel.
Of course, it wasn’t like a tiny motel level either. Just slightly smaller compared to the super expensive hotels, with a different style.
“Let’s go in.”
“Okay.”
So, we went inside.
Unlike other hotels, the building wasn’t very tall but rather wide and low. The interior was mostly made of wood instead of concrete.
Instead of decorated with flowers, it was designed with bamboo-like features. It was definitely a different kind of hotel experience.
Our weekend rests usually took place in really nice private rooms, often much better than this.
The Commander liked resting comfortably at hotels, and I found myself more fond of that too.
Usually, we’d relax in a posh room, but today, it wasn’t just about having a great bed and room.
“Isn’t the atmosphere pretty nice?”
“It’s definitely different from usual… I like it.”
“Exactly.”
In many ways, it felt like a Japanese inn with hot springs.
Of course, no one greeted us with “Irasshaimase” as we entered.
“Just a bit further in, there’s a shared hot spring for everyone.”
“…A hot spring?”
“Yes. There are separate baths for men and women, but inside… there’s a gender-neutral one.”
“…You won’t go there, right?”
“Of course not.”
I mentioned it, but it was absolutely a no-go. Just a way to prevent the Commander from going in.
“Absolutely. You can’t go in there, alright?”
“Of course I won’t. I’m not some pervert.”
“Even if you’re not a pervert, you could still go in. But if you do, I’ll definitely contact the Boss.”
“…That’s truly terrifying.”
Well, he understood that now. For sure, there was no need for either of us to use the hot spring on the first floor.
And for good reason…
“…Is there a hot spring in our room?”
“It’s a small one. There’s an option for one on the first floor, but we have one in the room.”
“Wow…”
We had a hot spring in our room too. It might be smaller than the common one, but since it’s just the two of us, there was no problem.
“What do you think?”
“Excellent.”
“I specifically sought this place out. For a lodging within our area, it’s surprisingly unique and easy to find.”
“Yeah… it really is distinctive.”
It was genuinely a nice place to stay.
The price was a bit higher compared to its size and glamor, but compared to the top hotels we frequented, it was similar or maybe slightly lower.
It didn’t really matter much.
“Let’s unpack first.”
“Okay.”
At my suggestion, the Commander set down the two bags he’d been carrying on either shoulder.
Considering my current state, it made sense.
“Hmm… should I change my clothes first?”
“…How about we just take them off?”
“Off?”
“Yes. We have the hot spring after all. How about we get in and relax?”
“Oh…”
Is it because he’s been so tired lately? The Commander answered almost simultaneously with my suggestion.
Well, I came to this hot spring place intentionally thinking of this reaction.
I avoided places with swimming pools because of my baby bump… so I thought a hot spring would suit the Commander better than a plain bathroom.
That’s why I specifically chose a stay like this.
“Alright, let’s get undressed first.”
“Okay.”
“Oh, and we can have lunch in the room. Just let them know an hour in advance, and they’ll send the food up. We can go and order soon.”
“Oh…”
“So for now… let’s get in and relax.”
I said that with a smile. The Commander and I both enjoyed relaxing.
He was exhausted from work, and I had been worn out since getting pregnant.
“Wow… Lindera, this place is really nice!”
“Really?”
“Yeah. It’s not huge, but the hot spring is just fantastic.”
It was a small hot spring made outside the room.
It also served the purpose of a bathroom. While there was a separate real bathroom inside, the hot spring was set up to allow washing before getting in.
“Commander, do you like hot springs? I don’t think you’ve been to one recently, but you seem to enjoy it more than I expected.”
“Maybe it’s because I’m tired these days? I really like it.”
“Hmm… then we should come here often.”
“Yeah, that sounds good.”
We didn’t get into the hot spring right away; instead, we began washing ourselves.
While sitting on the chairs, the Commander washed my hair, and I did the same for him from behind, lightly cleaning off.
After all, for a hot spring, it’s proper to wash before entering.
“It’s hot, so come in slowly.”
“I’m not an idiot, of course I know that.”
“Still, it’s nice to worry about you. Doesn’t it make me seem cool?”
“It’s not cool; you should just dive in first, Commander.”
“Alright.”
So, we finally entered.
Was it because it was a hot spring? The size compared to a private bathroom was entirely different, and the water just felt so much better.
There was something undeniably special about it.
“Ah…”
“Ah…”
“It’s fantastic.”
“Yeah.”
As soon as we entered the hot spring, it felt amazing.
Honestly, it was impossible not to feel good.
The difference from a regular bathroom was enormous.
I really felt like I made the right choice.
Even though we came here with other plans, it was simply great to just relax like this.
I wouldn’t think about skipping those plans either, though.
“Ah, commander. I… will get out of the hot spring after resting a bit.”
“Huh?”
“I’m pregnant, you know. Staying too long isn’t good for me.”
“Ah… that’s true.”
As much as I wanted to stay longer, I was pregnant after all.
So I planned to relax for about 30 minutes and then get out of the hot spring.
Of course, I’d bring over a chair to chat with the Commander.
“…Should we decide on a nickname?”
“Hmm… did you have any ideas? I just thought of a few.”
“…Well, if we say whatever comes to mind, those could be the candidates, right?”
“……..”
We decided to choose a nickname.
It felt wrong to wait until almost the end of the pregnancy, and I had started feeling the baby moving, so I thought we couldn’t delay it any longer.
“…Strong one?”
“…Wow.”
“Is that… too childish?”
“…A little?”
Even so, “Strong one” felt a bit… well… not quite right, did it?
Of course, it’s common for nicknames to have that feel, but still… it felt too childish for some reason.
But my ideas weren’t much better…
“What about you?”
“…Bouncy?”
“……..”
“……..”
Well, I mean, that’s generally how nicknames go, right?
I wasn’t at fault here since it’s just the usual for nicknames.
…But “Bouncy” and “Strong one” felt way too childish.
While I had read that they were commonly used on the internet, I couldn’t shake that feeling.
So…
“…Isn’t ‘Strong one’ better, though?”
“…I think it might be.”
There are different types of nicknames, but for now, at least it was the best one we came up with.
Names like Happiness or Gluey… honestly… um…
I felt “Strong” or “Bouncy” was better.
“…Strong one.”
“…Pfft.”
“Ha…”
Honestly, it made me laugh.
These weren’t even names; it’s just “Strong,” “Bouncy”… it was inevitable.
The Commander probably thought the same.
“As long as they grow up healthy, that’s what matters.”
“That’s true. A baby just needs to grow up well.”
“With the Commander’s height, I don’t think there’ll be any issues there.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah.”
It felt a bit funny but was fun too, and I was genuinely happy.
I had known about the pregnancy for a while, but now it really felt… like everything was prepared.
Our home, the baby’s supplies… everything felt set.
“Wow… time isn’t much left.”
“Well, it has been a while. It’s already six months.”
“Yeah… time really has passed.”
We relaxed in the hot spring, our shoulders touching.
The Commander and I were just chatting like this.
“Hope everything turns out well.”
“Of course it should.”
“…Yeah.”
Well, we just carried on chatting.
Lately, what I did most with the Commander was chit-chat like this.
Though tonight might not be the time for it.
“Commander, I’ve been thinking…”
“Huh?”
“Never mind.”
The mood felt too good right now to mention what I had in mind.
I intentionally decided not to bring up plans.
…After all, we were having a seriously deep conversation, and mentioning something like sex would just ruin the atmosphere.
It’d be better to save that for dinner later.
“Isn’t everything nice?”
“I already said, right? I really like it.”
“Then that’s settled.”
This might be something better saved for dinner.
So, we spent the morning just chatting and enjoying the hot spring.
Though it seemed like the Commander enjoyed it more than I did, I understood, given how tired he’d been lately.
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