“Wow… this place is nice…”
“Isn’t it?”
My head is cold.
My body is warm.
It’s probably not meant to be used like this, but we felt so comfortable that it almost didn’t matter.
“Wow… the moon is really pretty.”
“Isn’t it?”
We were quietly enjoying the hot spring.
I felt a chill whenever I exposed any part of my upper body, but maybe it was just too warm below.
I was sensing warmth more than cold at the moment.
Just before stepping into the hot spring, I had been shivering from the cold, but now that was definitely not the case.
I was simply enjoying the hot spring quietly alongside Corbin.
“Lindera, come here.”
“What is it?”
While we were peacefully enjoying the hot spring, I suddenly heard Corbin calling me.
Corbin was sitting quietly in the center of the hot spring.
I wasn’t sure what it was about, but it was probably something trivial.
“Can you feel the water coming up if you sit here?”
“…?”
“I think there’s a little bit of water coming up from below.”
“Is that so…?”
“Yep.”
It didn’t really feel like water was coming up at all.
It was totally different from the bubbling you typically see in the center of a bathhouse.
“I’m telling you, come closer.”
“Alright.”
I wasn’t sure, but since Corbin said so, it had to be true.
Following Corbin’s lead, I moved a little closer to the center, right next to him.
However, contrary to what Corbin said, I didn’t feel much of a difference…
It didn’t really feel any different from where I had been sitting before…?
“…Is it really coming up? I’m not feeling anything.”
“Are you really that clueless?”
“Yes, I am. I don’t sense water coming up from below…”
I wasn’t completely dull.
In fact, I was pretty sensitive… right?
Even though I was sitting there, supposedly feeling it like Corbin said, I really didn’t feel anything at all.
I could only tilt my head and look at Corbin.
“Are you serious about the water coming up?”
“Just kidding?”
“…Huh?”
“I was just joking. When we chose our room, it seems like they fill the water up at that moment.”
“……..?”
“So when we leave, they throw out the water we had, clean it, and then refill it for the next guests, according to the instructions in the room.”
“Then why…?”
…No.
What in the world?
“…Corbin.”
I was so dumbfounded that I forgot about the cold, rising from the hot spring to look down at Corbin.
I was just genuinely baffled.
“Haha… just a joke~”
“Sigh…”
Honestly, it felt like he was at the same level as Charlotte, and I had no idea what to say.
I was sure he didn’t act this childish before.
It felt like Corbin had become even more childlike ever since Charlotte was born.
It was as if having a son made him seem less parental and more naive.
In many ways, it felt like Charlotte’s playful side had come from him.
Whether it was because he wasn’t gaming or if he was always this way from the start, I really didn’t know.
“Seriously, you’re acting like a kid…”
I lowered myself back into the hot spring while thinking that.
I was amazed but couldn’t afford to get angry.
“I wouldn’t even mind being called ‘big brother’ by Charlotte if it’s this childish.”
“Was it that serious?”
“Yeah.”
“Hm… if I get treated like a baby by Lindera, wouldn’t that actually be a good thing?”
“…What do you mean by that?”
The serious expression on his face while talking about that didn’t help my understanding one bit.
What’s good about getting treated like a baby?
“When Charlotte was breastfeeding, I almost tried to join in and got scolded, but at least this time, I won’t be rejected like then, right?”
“…Was that such a big deal? You’re bringing up something that happened over a year ago?”
“Is that so?”
No… it’s been so long since I saw Charlotte breastfeed.
I was surprised that he remembered that all this time.
“Hmm…”
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I just looked.”
“…You seem foolish.”
I don’t know why, but he just seemed so foolish.
He was staring at me quietly, and letting it slide was one thing.
The strange nonsense he’d been spewing was another.
Corbin had so many parts that just seemed foolish I couldn’t help but think that way.
“Sigh…”
“And you’re still clinging to me, huh?”
“Should I have just gone to the room instead?”
“Of course not.”
“Then just be quiet.”
I sat quietly next to Corbin, who was sitting in the middle of the hot spring.
Honestly, Corbin’s silence was more preferable than his rambling.
When he was quiet, he looked typically handsome and somewhat impressive.
But the moment he opened his mouth, he just started saying weird nonsense.
He really had a problem with his mouth.
“Corbin.”
“What is it?”
“…Why is this so… big?”
…Though it was in the water.
The size was so blatant it was hard to ignore.
…Seriously, what did we just do to make it like this?
We hadn’t done anything naughty.
“I didn’t know you could see everything when you stood up just now.”
“Well, about that… When we’ve seen each other naked a lot already…”
“That’s still a bit much, isn’t it?”
“…….”
Dude.
Come on… what are you, a teenage boy?
I mean, it had been three years since we first met.
I wouldn’t just get turned on from simply seeing naked bodies…
No matter how much… that… is appealing.
After three years of mostly seeing each other, just seeing bare skin shouldn’t provoke such a reaction…
“……..”
“What? What are you trying to do?”
“I—I never said I’d do anything…”
…For a moment there, I felt just a tiny bit uneasy.
But looking at this made me… not know how to react.
It’s already been three years, and just because he saw me naked he acted like this made me surprised.
If it means that he still likes me, then it’s obviously a good thing.
Just something about it… was strikingly surprising.
“……..”
*
“Did you enjoy the hot spring? Today the weather is particularly cold… for those from outside, it might have felt a bit chilly, regardless of the hot spring’s temperature… were you okay?”
“…I was fine. In fact, the hot spring was.. almost too warm.”
…Damn.
This is so embarrassingly awkward.
I was sure I hadn’t smeared anything on my face, and after washing my body again, I shouldn’t smell either.
But here I was, just feeling foolishly embarrassed.
Even though the staff had no idea at all.
“Hehe, today it snowed a lot, so you might have felt the hot spring was especially warm. Did your husband enjoy it as well?”
“Yes, he probably… enjoyed it a lot.”
…It seemed more like he had just, you know, relieved himself instead.
“Oh, but I must say, it was quite cold when we left.”
“Hehe, I thought so. But actually, that’s the attraction of our hot spring…”
“Oh…”
“I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it. Will you be coming back again?”
“…Yes.”
…I answered positively, but how sure I was able to come back remained uncertain.
Even though I took care of everything, I still felt embarrassed.
In fact, it was part of why Corbin had been silent since earlier too.
In any case, not knowing if they were the boss or staff, we exchanged a few words and left.
Unlike ten minutes ago, this time I had definitely dressed properly.
Just a little while earlier…
“Corbin.”
“…Yeah?”
“From now on, let’s absolutely not do such things in outdoor places… it’s a bit vague to call it outdoor, but not in a house or hotel.”
“…Let’s agree.”
…I genuinely promised that we wouldn’t do it again.
It wasn’t that I felt awful, but afterwards was just too embarrassing.
In all honestly, I wanted to run away from how foolish I felt.
“…Honestly, I’m not some crazed beast.”
“Haha…”
Corbin scratched his head and laughed lightly at my words.
…Really, I hope it didn’t get discovered.
I wish it wouldn’t.
“…That… leftover, uh… wouldn’t get discovered in the hot spring, would it?”
“…It shouldn’t.”
“…Unless the sounds were recorded or something.”
“That would really scare me…”
“…….”
I really did manage to hold back.
I genuinely did.
I covered my mouth with my hand, trying not to make any sound at all.
Of course, the splashing of the water could be heard clearly… but we tried our best to keep it quiet so those beyond the partitions wouldn’t hear us.
Yeah, we tried…
Of course, we weren’t sure if it really succeeded.
That’s because we hadn’t heard anything from the outside ourselves.
“…Pervert.”
“You enjoyed it, too.”
“Did you want me not to enjoy it?”
“That’s not it.”
We walked along the snowy path quietly discussing this with Corbin.
It wasn’t so loud that anyone could hear it, and it wasn’t anything too revealing or embarrassing.
Still, it was pretty much an embarrassing topic.
“…But Lindera.”
“What now?”
“…Is today truly a safe day?”
“Didn’t I say it is? If it weren’t, how could we do it back there?”
“That’s true, but… I’m just concerned.”
“…….”
I had a bit of concern myself, but as far as I had been during this time, it shouldn’t have been much of a problem if it really was a safe day.
Back when Charlotte was conceived, it was a dangerous time, and many other reasons contributed to it.
But today was indeed a safe day, and after we had come out of the hot spring and properly cleaned up, I should be alright.
Probably.
“…What do you want to eat before we go into the hotel?”
“I want meat.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. I’ve been feeling really tired since dinner… because of someone.”
…Seriously.
It wasn’t just a casual thing; doing it in the water must be exhausting.
To top it off, since it was warm outside the hot spring, it was pretty cold once we were out…
“…What kind of crazy person would do that outdoors when it’s negative three degrees?”
I said that as I hit Corbin on the arm.
I mean, I was just baffled.
“Whoever…”
I hit him again.
“Was a weirdo.”
Again.
“A pervert.”
One more time.
“Does that kind of thing in such a place?”
I hit him.
“…Sorry.”
Even Corbin acknowledged that much.
Really, I should’ve nipped this in the bud from the beginning, but it was still foolish to keep accepting it.
Honestly, Corbin was the biggest problem for not being satisfied with just one.
That was really too damn cold.
And honestly, he had been the one suffering big time from a hangover earlier in the morning.
“…Let’s hurry to the barbecue restaurant.”
“…Alright.”
I felt that if we could eat some delicious meat abundantly, my mood would lift.
Of course, aside from how cold and embarrassing everything had been, there wasn’t much to complain about…
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