“…It’s hot.”
“It is indeed hot.”
“……..”
We got out of the car, and as soon as we did, we had no choice but to talk about it.
Well, it was hot.
Really… coming back from a place so cold that it felt like it was snowing to this blazing sun was just too much.
My clothes had changed from before to a T-shirt and shorts.
Still feeling hot wasn’t our fault; it must be a characteristic of Zone 07.
“I’d almost forgotten how hot it really was at home.”
“…Yeah.”
“…Shall we go inside quickly?”
“Let’s get inside.”
As soon as we parked the car, we exchanged those words and walked toward the apartment with our bags in hand.
The sunlight was strong, and if we stayed out here any longer, I seriously felt like I would die from the heat.
-Squeak…
After dragging the suitcase into the apartment, I finally felt a bit better.
Of course, it was still hot… but at least it wasn’t humid.
“…How long has it been since we got home?”
“About three weeks…?”
“That’s quite a while.”
“Well, we did go instead of on a honeymoon.”
“Thinking about it that way, it could seem short?”
“I wouldn’t know since I didn’t go.”
While waiting for the elevator, I had been having light conversations with Corbin.
Today was Sunday, and the boss and Charlotte were said to be resting at the hotel… so we came back to unpack our bags first.
Going all the way to the hotel with all our luggage and bringing Charlotte back home would be a hassle in many ways.
One hand would definitely have to hold Charlotte, so we intentionally came here first.
-Ding ding ding.
“Wow… It’s been a while since I entered using fingerprints.”
“…At the hotel, it was all cards.”
“This can feel awkward, huh…”
“I feel pretty awkward in this apartment right now too.”
Seriously, the hotel had carpets from the apartment hallway, but this place didn’t have that.
Lots of things felt different, making it awkward after three weeks of staying somewhere else.
Actually, just the whole process of coming back home felt weird…?
“It’s clean.”
“Didn’t we clean up thoroughly before leaving? Of course… there might be some dust.”
“Shall we unpack first?”
“Yeah.”
Once we entered the house, we started talking and unpacking our bags.
Tossing the clothes that needed washing into the laundry basket and putting the ones that belonged in the fridge into it as well.
We arranged the other gifts neatly.
About ten minutes later?
We finished organizing in a surprisingly short time.
I had sorted things out in the suitcase, after all.
With Corbin helping out, it was bound to go quickly.
“Done…”
“Did you put the clothes away properly? You’re not hiding them away and bragging about being done, are you?”
“Come on, would I do that?”
“I just feel like that’s a possibility.”
“Still, I help out with housework pretty well, don’t you think? Isn’t that a bit unfair?”
“Hmm. Is it that much?”
Corbin helping with housework…
I thought about it.
Sure, he didn’t not help, but…
“Washing dishes, hanging laundry… isn’t that not enough?”
“…Is that so?”
“We threw out the trash together, and don’t we always do the laundry together too?”
“Uh…”
Thinking about it, he wasn’t that much help after all.
He just stops playing his game and comes out when I ask him to help.
“Hmm…”
“Fine, I’m sorry.”
“Anyway, we’re done, so let’s just rest a bit before going.”
“Are we not going right away?”
“…Honestly, it’s too hot to go out right now.”
“Oh.”
…Seriously.
Not for any other reason, but purely because it was too hot to go out.
I could go out, but walking to the car felt like it would be too exhausting.
There was nothing I could do about it.
In fact, I was dropped off from a private jet and brought all the way to Zone 07, but parking above ground was the problem.
If we had parked underground, I wouldn’t be complaining like this.
But here we were, stuck parking on the ground floor.
“…Could you get some ice cream or something?”
“What flavor? Chocolate?”
“Um… let’s go with that for today.”
“How unusual? You’re not a big fan of chocolate.”
Corbin was right.
I hadn’t really enjoyed sweet desserts like chocolate before and hadn’t eaten them much.
But today the heat was overwhelming, and I felt a need for a bit of sugar.
“It’s just one of those days.”
“Hmm…”
Anyway, Corbin and I sipped ice cream and took a little break.
Feeling a bit uneasy in the home I hadn’t been back to in a while… just hanging out.
“Ah… this feels nice…”
“It really does…”
Then we lay down on the bed and relaxed.
Doing absolutely nothing, just comfortably lying down with Corbin.
Honestly, I should be visiting Charlotte soon, and I also needed to call the boss… I had a lot to do, but I was feeling a bit lazy about it.
Ever since entering the house, I felt drained of energy.
Overall, it was a bit tiring.
“Corbin.”
“What…?”
“…Do you think it’d definitely be a problem if I rested for a little longer?”
“Yeah.”
“…That’s a definite answer.”
“Even though the boss likes Charlotte, wouldn’t that be too much of a bother…?”
“That’s true… it could be…”
It made sense…
I hadn’t planned to stay too long and was about to tell the boss that I’d rest for a few more hours.
But hearing Corbin’s words made those thoughts vanish.
I usually took it for granted, but the boss was a remarkable person.
He had to manage the company, and in reality, he could not spend too much time taking care of us.
Even though we had been having fun for three weeks, it was about time for the boss to return to the headquarters…
Which meant we shouldn’t be dawdling now.
After getting my act together, I texted the boss that we’d be going soon… and changed my clothes again.
As Corbin said, I felt bad for dragging it out too long.
*
“Wow.”
“Every time you see it, this hotel is just amazing.”
“Right? I never used the top floor when we had that vacation.”
“Must be because the boss is the one using this place.”
As we rode the elevator to the highest floor of this luxury hotel, we admired the view through the glass windows.
Really… even though we were going up, the view was something else.
This place was almost at the very top of Zone 07, so maybe that was why.
It was definitely impressive.
I had been here before, but still hadn’t experienced the top floor…
“Why am I trembling?”
“Is it because of the boss? You’ve always been nervous during his calls.”
“…That’s probably the biggest reason.”
Corbin had a slightly tense expression when he said that.
Honestly, it seemed like a long time had passed since I was scared of the boss, but it was still the same.
Well, I could see how someone might feel intimidated by the boss’ presence, given that he was the head of the company he worked for.
That was only natural.
He always walked around with a gun in his pocket, his eyes were perfectly normal, and he had no scars; the fact that he always wore sunglasses didn’t help either.
Hmm…
I could definitely understand why Corbin felt this way.
-Ding!
“Let’s get off.”
“Yeah.”
Anyway, we reached the most preferable room among the three rooms on the top floor.
A place that really looked like it belonged to the wealthy.
Well, the boss was rich, so it was no surprise.
-Ding dong!
Yet, when I pressed the doorbell, the sound was surprisingly normal and classic.
-Beep!
“…Oh.”
As soon as we rang the doorbell, the door opened five seconds later.
I heard the sound of the lock being disengaged, and as I pulled down the door handle… it just swung open.
Seriously, just like that.
“Boss, we’re here.”
As I opened the door and stepped in, noticing that the boss hadn’t come to the entrance… it seemed like the door opened automatically from the inside.
It was definitely a place only the wealthy would use.
Not just the previous door, but the interior upon entering was also impressive.
As soon as I opened the front door, a beautiful chandelier caught my eye, and overall…
“Hmm.”
“Nice…”
It was, just as Corbin said, a fabulous hotel room.
Even though I had been to this hotel before, I felt that way.
After putting my shoes into the shoe cabinet and changing into the slippers provided… I slowly entered the space.
I felt a bit of excitement.
It was strange, but I had a slight flutter of nerves.
Was it because I was about to see my daughter after three weeks…?
In reality, babies grow up fast, so I was wondering how I would feel if Charlotte had grown a lot by the time I saw her again.
Of course, just because three weeks had passed didn’t mean she would have grown that much, right?
“Boss, how have you been…”
Once I passed through the entrance and entered the living room, I was about to finish my sentence…
But I stopped.
Yeah, really.
It was more like failing to finish what I started to say.
“……..?”
“Huh?”
Just like me, Corbin, who was following behind, also froze the moment he entered the living room.
We were both astonished in so many ways.
“Mom!”
“…Charlotte.”
“How about this?! Isn’t it cool!”
“Uh… um… it’s nice…”
“Grandma gave it to me as a present!”
“……….”
Upon stepping into the living room, there was the boss, lounging comfortably with sunglasses on inside, and the TV played an animated show.
And then… there was Charlotte, proudly showing us a type of gun that looked all too familiar.
So familiar that I had sometimes told the boss to keep it hidden when Charlotte was around…
“…Boss.”
“Ah, you’re back!”
Unlike the surprised expressions of Corbin and me, the boss greeted us as if it was nothing at all.
“Yay!”
…And Charlotte did too.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
