Chapter 222 - Hot Spring, Part Two

By the time I stepped out of the open-air hot spring, night had truly fallen.

Well — I was the only one who came out first.

My wives had mentioned there'd be another round tonight, so I'd soaked for about an hour.

I remember reading an article in my previous life that said twenty minutes at a time is the ideal soak.

But the people in this world might have different constitutions. Even two-year-old Clape had soaked for a full hour and was still saying he wanted to stay in longer.

I pushed open the wooden door. A wave of warmth carrying the scent of wood hit me immediately.

My body was faintly flushed from soaking too long, and even my breathing had gone lazy.

The charcoal stove in the corner of the changing room burned quietly. Outside the window, snow was still falling steadily. Inside, the room was warm enough to make you drowsy.

I dried my hair with a towel, changed into a yukata, and slowly made my way to the rest area.

The wooden floor had been warmed by the lingering heat. It felt good underfoot.

"Hm?"

"Oh! Rudeus, you came out so fast."

The rest area.

Nanahoshi was already there.

She wore a simple yukata and sat in a chair.

"An hour is already quite long, isn't it?"

"Normally you'd go two hours — soak for fifteen minutes, take a break, repeat. But... the people in this world have different constitutions."

"You thought the same thing I did."

"Right? Hahaha."

Nanahoshi laughed, stood up from the chair, and snapped her fingers.

Several maids came out carrying milk. Cold milk, at that.

Nanahoshi took two glasses and held one out to me.

"Here. After a hot spring soak, you have to drink milk."

"...That fits every stereotype I have about Japanese people."

"Say what you like~"

Nanahoshi tilted her head back and downed her entire glass in one go. Then she let out a long, satisfied sound, like a middle-aged man after his first beer.

"Ah~"

"Too bad it's not in a can. That would've been more authentic."

She had the maids set the rest of the glasses on the table, then noticed I still hadn't taken a sip. She frowned.

"Why aren't you drinking?"

"Drinking, drinking..."

I actually like milk quite a bit. I just usually have it in the mornings.

"Ah! Papa! Nanahoshi onee-chan!"

Just as I raised the glass to my lips, Lara came running out.

Her yukata was loosely tied and starting to slip off one shoulder. She'd clearly put it on herself and bolted.

I set the glass down on the table, crouched, and caught her before she could crash into me.

"Papa, what are you doing?"

"Your yukata isn't on properly."

"It's more comfortable this way~"

"No it isn't. What if it comes loose and you're exposed? At home, fine. But we're outside right now. There are other men around. Understand?"

"Hmph~ In the future I saw, there's only Nanahoshi onee-chan and Papa here right now. That's why I came out like this~"

"That still doesn't make it okay. Haven't I told you? The future can change."

"Papa is so annoying~"

I retied her yukata properly and made sure everything was in place.

Lara's eyes started darting around the moment I let her go, and then she pointed at the table.

"I want some!"

Nanahoshi smiled and got her a glass.

"Thank you, Nanahoshi onee-chan!"

"You're welcome."

I picked up my own glass again.

Nanahoshi looked at me. "Rudeus. You have to drink it all in one go."

"Got it..."

I tilted my head back, put one hand on my hip, and downed the whole glass without stopping.

"Hah~"

Huh. Doing it that way really does make you want to sigh like that.

Lara watched, then immediately copied me. One hand on her hip, head tilted back, drinking milk. She couldn't quite manage it in one go though, so she finished it in three swallows, that same pose the whole time.

Then she let out the exact same sound.

"Hah~"

So cute.

After Lara set her empty glass back on the table, Nanahoshi walked over and scooped her up.

"You are just too cute, Lara!"

"Right? Nanahoshi onee-chan can also tell me I'm a genius."

"Mm, Lara is a cute genius."

"Hmph~"

Maybe watching Lara copy everything had triggered something maternal in Nanahoshi.

I understood the feeling completely.

A creature that adorable — nobody could possibly dislike her.

Nanahoshi found a long bench in the rest area and sat down with Lara in her arms. I pulled a chair over beside them and sat down too.

"Rudeus."

"Hm?"

"How does it feel so far?"

"Not bad."

"Designed it for you, this hot spring."

"Another birthday present?"

"No. I wanted you to understand a bit of the culture from our side."

"I see. Thanks. First time I've ever soaked in a hot spring, actually."

Nanahoshi went quiet for a moment.

Then, in a voice too low for me to catch, she murmured something to herself.

"Hmm... if that's the case... if it really succeeds..."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing. They should be coming out soon."

"Yeah. Let's just wait here."

"Sure."

About ten minutes later, my wives came out in yukatas, leading my daughters with them.

What a sight.

Beside them, Ariel and Elinalise came out together as well.

Eris spotted us and walked over carrying Tina.

"Rudeus! Why didn't you say anything before you got out!"

"I wanted you all to soak a little longer."

I took Tina from Eris's arms. Tina immediately pressed her face against mine, nuzzling.

She'd just come out of the hot spring, and her whole body felt soft and warm.

"How do you feel, Tina?"

"Very comfortable! Is Papa comfortable?"

"Mm~ very comfortable."

"Good! Hehe..."

She kept laughing and rubbing her face against mine.

Ah~

That's what gets me every time. I'm completely helpless against my own daughters.

Roxy noticed Lara still sitting in Nanahoshi's arms and looked a little embarrassed.

"Nanahoshi-san, Lara hasn't been any trouble, has she?"

"Not at all. Lara is very cute."

Lara raised her hand from Nanahoshi's arms.

"Exactly! Mama is the only one who scolds me every day!"

Roxy narrowed her eyes and smiled.

"Oh~ So I'm a very strict mother, am I? Does Lara like her other mamas more?"

"I'm sorry, Mama! Of course I love Mama the most!"

Lara scrambled out of Nanahoshi's arms and ran to Roxy's side. She stretched both hands up toward her — the universal request to be carried.

Roxy shook her head. "I'm not like your father, still spoiling a six-year-old. No carrying~"

"Eh!?"

Lara looked absolutely devastated and ran back to me.

I was already holding Tina, but how could I possibly say no?

I picked Lara up too. One in each arm.

Mm. Training really isn't just for the nighttime. It's for moments exactly like this.

Sylphie, Aisha, and Roxy were all giving me the same wry smile. Then Orsted and the others came out as well.

Ariel took one look at the assembled group and clapped her hands.

"Alright~ shall we enjoy the dinner banquet?"

---------

The moment we stepped into the banquet room, the maids were already waiting.

"Dinner has been prepared."

Warm voices, warm air, and the smell of food drifted in to meet us.

The center of the tatami-lined room was covered in dishes, laid out while we weren't looking.

A yukimi nabe pot, steam rising gently from the surface. Thinly sliced beef rolled slowly through the broth, fat melting, releasing a warm and rich fragrance.

Beside it, sashimi arranged with care. I didn't recognize the fish or shrimp of this world, but they looked fresh enough to trust. They lay quietly on crushed ice, lined up as neatly as works of art.

On a ceramic plate, salt-grilled ayu sweetfish still held the heat of the charcoal. That smoky, woody scent drifted slowly through the room.

On the other side of the table, a small flask of warmed sake.

Outside the window, snow drifted through the garden. Inside, the warmth settled into your bones.

My wives and daughters sat in the same row as me. Everyone else took the seats across.

Once we were all seated, the warm yellow lamplight fell across the black lacquered table, and even the air seemed to soften.

"Oooh!"

Lara made a strange sound of delight and already had a piece of fried shrimp pinched between her chopsticks — wait, no. Nanahoshi had prepared all of this.

So it was tempura. Lara ate half a piece in one bite.

Sylphie and Aisha settled in on either side of me and poured sake into my cup.

"Rudy~ were the maids in the hot spring pouring sake for you like this earlier?"

"Onii-chan~ you really did keep that to yourself~ Sylphie-nee and I actually bet on whether you'd say anything."

I patted both of their heads.

"I genuinely didn't think anything of it, so I didn't mention it. Even Cliff wasn't bothered."

Aisha puffed out her cheeks. "You men are all the same."

Sylphie just smiled. "Well~ I trust Rudy. Here."

She placed a slice of sashimi on my plate.

This world has fish safe to eat raw? Well, Nanahoshi arranged all of this, so I'll trust it.

"Rudeus! This is amazing! What kind of fish is this?"

Eris was working through a piece of something with visible enthusiasm.

I looked at the fish on the plate and shook my head. "I don't recognize it."

Nanahoshi answered without looking up.

"Fugu."

"Oh! It's so good!"

"Hmph~"

Fugu.

Isn't that stuff lethally poisonous?

Nanahoshi must have noticed something in my expression, because she spoke again.

"Rudeus. Do you know which country in the world is best at eating fugu?"

"...I remember now."

"So eat without worrying. I taught them how to prepare it. I only knew the general method, but we figured it out through trial and error."

"Impressive."

I picked up a slice and swirled it briefly through the hot broth.

The semi-transparent meat curled slightly at the edges and turned a soft white. I dipped it in a little ponzu and put it in my mouth.

It wasn't what I'd expected. Nothing intense. Nothing exaggerated.

It was mild. Almost quiet.

But when I chewed slowly, there it was, a texture both tender and springy, like nothing else. The umami spread gradually across my tongue, weaving with the warmth of the broth and the faint tartness of the ponzu, and before I'd made a conscious decision, I was already reaching for another piece.

"So this is it... fugu..."

I glanced across the table.

Orsted was eating quite contentedly.

He seemed to genuinely enjoy the fugu. A piece of fugu, a small sip of sake, and after each bite, a faint smile would cross his face, the look of someone remembering something.

Cliff and Elinalise sat together doting over Clape.

Ariel was feeding her child. I hadn't expected to see that side of her.

Zanoba and Julie were debating the flavor of each dish with full seriousness.

Nanahoshi was drinking in huge gulps and eating everything in reach with zero consideration for etiquette.

She stopped suddenly and looked at me.

"Why are you staring?"

"...Nothing. Can't I just look?"

"Hehe~"

Aisha pinched my cheek and leaned close to my ear.

"Onii-chan~ don't let your eyes wander~ we're not wearing anything under our yukatas. Nanahoshi-san either."

"..."

Sylphie smiled. "It makes things more convenient for tonight~ Ah, but before that, we still have to soak with Rudy one more time~"

While the two of them were saying that, Roxy and Eris on the same side were comparing notes on where all these fish had been caught.

The children were fully absorbed in the food.

"Papa~ this~"

Tina came up to me carrying a small bowl filled with little samples of everything.

"What's this?"

"Me and Onee-chan picked the best things here. Papa should try them all."

"Oh! Thank you, Tina."

"Hehe, you're welcome, Papa~ I like you~"

"I like you too~"

I patted her head and took the bowl. Tina's face lit up, and she trotted happily back to the other kids.

The oil lamp flickered softly.

Steam curled up from the hot pot.

Outside the window, snow fell without a sound. Inside, the room was full of warmth, the smell of food, the low hum of conversation, the sound of my daughters laughing somewhere nearby.

I ate, and talked, and let the evening move at its own pace.

A cold winter night. The people who mattered, all in the same room. A dinner still hot enough to steam.

Not bad at all.

➤ Next: Hot Spring, Part Three