“Ah…”
Even though we were indoors, the ceiling had a slight opening, so maybe that’s why.
Surprisingly, the indoor temperature wasn’t that cool.
Of course, it was cooler than outside, and once you actually got into the pool, it would be different.
“It seems like the Commander is comfortable.”
“Well… at least it’s not as hot as going outside the ship, right?”
“That’s true.”
Yeah, that was true.
At least here, there weren’t any sandstorms, and the sunlight was just a bit too strong.
And it was probably just that my skin was getting more exposure to the sunlight than usual.
“I’m glad there aren’t too many people.”
“Right?”
Today, the Commander and I had come to the hotel together.
It wasn’t the same hotel I had come to with the Commander before; it was a different one, known for its famous swimming pool.
I had already changed into my swimsuit and was holding a cover-up in my hand as we headed straight to the pool.
I thought there would be more people than this, but luckily, it wasn’t too crowded yet.
Well, it would probably get busier as we kept playing.
That made sense since it was still morning.
I figured it would start getting more crowded after lunchtime.
“Where should we go in?”
“How about over there?”
“Yeah.”
To be honest, neither of us had really been to a pool or water park before.
In fact… we had no idea.
Anyway, we decided to find a suitable spot to get in together.
It wasn’t a proper exercise pool but more like a spa… should I say?
It had that kind of feel to it.
“Oh… that feels nice.”
“Yeah. Should we just stay here?”
The water wasn’t too deep.
If you sat in the water, it only reached about chest level.
Of course, it was slightly deeper further in, but for now, it wasn’t very deep.
So, we comfortably sat together.
We were here to relax, after all.
The Commander too.
And me.
The reason we came to the pool was exactly that.
We didn’t intend to swim for exercise; we just wanted to pass the time casually and relax.
“It’s nice and cool.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
We both just… relaxed our bodies.
Just kind of chilled out.
“If I’d known it would be like this, I should have built a pool instead of other stuff on the ship.”
“Well, you do go to the cocktail bar often.”
“…But isn’t this cooler?”
“That’s true… but do you think we’d come here often?”
“Hmm…”
That might not be the case.
Neither the Commander nor I really seemed to enjoy wandering outside much.
“But, Lindera, why are you wearing a T-shirt?”
“Because I feel shy…?”
“…?”
I wore a T-shirt over my bikini.
Originally, I was just going to wear the bikini, but then I decided to put the T-shirt over it.
“It’s not just the two of us, and there are other people around… it feels a bit weird to be wearing just a bikini, doesn’t it?”
“…Is there that much of a difference?”
“…There is.”
At least for me, there was definitely a difference.
Wearing just a bikini when it was just the Commander and me felt different from when there were other people watching.
It’s awkward… really awkward.
When I was with the Commander, it was fine since we’d already seen everything, but for other people, it was a bit…
“Anyway… that’s how it is.”
“…?”
“…If there aren’t any people around later, I’ll take it off.”
“No, there… um. You don’t have to take it off.”
“…I’m glad to hear you say that, Commander.”
I was worried that he might dislike it or feel disappointed, so it was a relief.
Anyway, I spent a comfortable time with the Commander.
Being in the cool water felt… great.
“But, Lindera, if you’re going to dress like that, wouldn’t it have been better to wear a windbreaker or something else instead of a T-shirt?”
“Really? I just grabbed whatever was lying around in my room.”
It wasn’t uncomfortable or weird; it was just an ordinary T-shirt.
So, I brought it along.
After all, it was nothing special, just something to hide the bikini.
Of course… had it just been me and the Commander, I probably would’ve just worn the bikini without a care.
“Ah…”
“What?”
“Hmm… it’s nothing.”
I felt a little down for a moment, but I decided to let it go.
I didn’t want to ruin the good atmosphere, especially since we were already feeling comfortable and having a good time.
“When will you eat lunch?”
“Um… right. I’m not particularly hungry, but it might be good to eat around a reasonable time.”
“Hmm…”
Well, that was true.
After all, I wasn’t feeling nauseous; we were just relaxing comfortably.
So, there was no reason to feel hungry, and it wasn’t tiring either.
It was literally just relaxing.
Just chilling in the cool water.
So, it was awkward.
Usually, when we went on dates, we walked around and did other activities, which got us hungry.
But today wasn’t like that.
“Hmm… well, let’s go at a decent time. We’re going to be here all day anyway.”
It was truly a hotel vacation.
Just relaxing at the hotel, planning to even take a nap.
We had come here this weekend intending to rest completely.
The hotel’s buffet or rooms weren’t as nice as the one we had been to with the Commander before, but it was still pretty pricey.
This time, I was paying.
In fact… I had scolded the Commander enough to make sure I was the one paying, instead of him.
No matter how you look at it, it was a bit odd for him to pay for every fancy hotel date.
“…”
“Lindera? Why the sudden silence?”
I leaned against the Commander’s body while we lounged in the pool.
“It’s nothing.”
Yeah, there wasn’t any special reason.
I just wanted to be close to the Commander.
It wasn’t hot, and since we were in the water, it felt nice.
There wasn’t a chance that I’d be sweating from being stuck to him like usual, so it was entirely fine to snuggle up.
Plus, there were plenty of other couples in the pool besides us.
“Um… it’s not a problem, I guess.”
“…This is comfy.”
“Good to hear.”
I rested the back of my head against the Commander’s chest.
I could have easily said I was lying on him.
“…You do realize we’re in public, right?”
I said that as I lay there, and for a moment, it seemed the Commander forgot that.
Suddenly, his hand seemed to move slightly towards my chest, so I said that.
“…I know.”
“Then why the hesitation?”
“…Not particularly.”
“…Seems that way.”
“…Ahem.”
Anyway… we spent our time like that.
At one point, we even got into a slightly warmer tub, not just the cool water.
Then, enjoying the warm sunlight as it poured in…
“Shall we head out for lunch soon?”
“Sounds good. But let’s get dressed first.”
“Right, let’s head to our room and… dry our hair.”
Since we had been in the pool for so long, it was unavoidable.
Even if it was a hotel known for its pool, it wouldn’t be appropriate to just walk into the buffet dripping wet.
We needed to dry off and change our hair a bit.
*
After changing back into regular clothes and into comfortable underwear instead of the bikini, we headed down to the dining floor.
Honestly, it wasn’t regular in a typical sense… it was just really comfortable.
“What do you feel like eating?”
“Weren’t we going to the buffet?”
“That’s one option, but I saw there were other restaurants too.”
As the Commander mentioned, there were many different restaurants.
Maybe the whole floor we were on was just all dining areas.
From buffets to Western cuisine and more.
There were various eateries available.
There was even fast food.
“What do you want to eat?”
“I’m good with anything, I usually eat everything.”
“That’s true… but hmm…”
What should we eat?
I initially planned on the buffet, but since the Commander suddenly mentioned other places, I got intrigued by other options.
Honestly, the buffet wasn’t that special tasting.
“…Then let’s go for something warm. We’ve been in water for so long. Let’s enjoy some warm food now.”
“That sounds nice.”
We decided to just go where our hearts led us.
After all, we would still have dinner later, and breakfast the next morning.
It wouldn’t be a problem to push the buffet a bit further back.
Finally, we arrived at…
“Ah……..”
“Is it hot?”
“…Yes.”
It turned out to be Gukbap.
Hmm.
It didn’t quite fit the date vibe, but I didn’t dislike it.
In fact… rather liked it.
I used to love Gukbap, stir-fry, and pork cutlets, but I wasn’t as obsessed with them as before.
But I definitely didn’t hate it.
Plus, after spending so long in the water and then eating warm food sounded perfect.
“Take your time eating. We’ll be resting here all day anyway. No need to rush. Uhm… should I add some broth?”
“No.”
“Just kidding.”
Thank goodness.
When I first moved here, I was concerned about the food options.
There were so many various cuisines blending in together.
Each had different names, but…
“I saw there’s a sauna too. It might be nice to check it out later.”
“That sounds good. Or we could just lie in the room and relax, then play some more.”
“Yeah.”
Anyway… it felt great.
I was genuinely enjoying a relaxing time without running into any other agents.
I was here having fun with the Commander at the place I suggested.
It was now the afternoon, and since we were checking out tomorrow morning, we still had plenty of time left to play.
“……..”
“Why are you smiling?”
“I’m just happy, that’s all.”
There wasn’t any other reason; I was genuinely happy just being here.
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