"Alright, Bronie, we're off. If anything happens, make sure to call us, okay?"
"Okay~"
After leaving our daughter in the care of the Olenyeva twins and Seele, who had come over to babysit, my wife and I got into the car to head to the inn.
As we pulled away, I glanced at Seele. She looked puzzled by my stare but waved us off anyway. I waved back awkwardly before smoothly accelerating and driving off.
"Come to think of it, it‘s been a long time since we‘ve had a proper date."
"It really has. Between childcare and work, we simply haven't had the time to spare."
"We used to travel all over the place before we got married, though."
"Wasn't that more like work than dating?"
"Ah... I suppose you're right."
We laughed as we reminisced about the past. Honestly, the peaceful atmosphere and our quiet conversation were enough to bring tears to my eyes. It had been so long.
Just how anxious had I been these past few days?
I was physically and mentally drained from those two constantly using their bodies to cling to my arm or embrace me every chance they got. You couldn't understand how relaxing and soothing it was to simply hold my wife's hand and talk in the car unless you had experienced that chaos yourself.
"By the way, you didn't tell Mei or Kiana? I assumed you would, seeing as they usually come home late or the next morning anyway."
"I checked. Mei said she had to stay longer on her business trip and would be back tomorrow. And that idiot Kiana said she had a sudden trip as well, so she wouldn't be coming home."
We were waiting for our flight to Japan at the Schicksal HQ airport when my wife answered with a refreshing smile.
Ah, she must have been stressed about it, too.
No matter how much she tolerates it, it can‘t be pleasant to see the person you love with other women. If I were in Bronya‘s shoes, and Bronya was in mine, I would have suffered just as much.
That was why I tried to draw a line with those two when they approached me with affection. Though, to be honest, I had already crossed that line far too drastically with her sister-in-law. Part of me wished she would find a good man instead of a piece of trash like me.
"Honey?"
"Huh? Oh, let's go."
Our turn came while I was lost in thought. We showed our tickets and passports, then boarded the plane for Japan.
An hour later, we arrived, rented a car, punched the address into the GPS, and headed for the hot spring inn.
Now that I looked at it properly, the name and location felt strangely familiar.
"Ah, this is... the place we came to for the school trip back at St. Freya Academy."
My wife realized it first. Hearing that, it clicked for me too.
"Ah!"
The details had changed slightly, but looking at the whole picture, it was definitely that place. Since Schicksal managed the property, I knew they offered discounts to Valkyries. It was a popular spot for both active duty Valkyries on vacation and retired personnel.
Because it was Schicksal-managed, the service and quality were top-notch.
"I was so flustered back then. The owner said that since all the students from St. Freya were girls, they hadn't even prepared a men's bath."
If Major Himeko hadn't intervened quickly, I wouldn't have been able to wash at all that day. Since the teachers' rooms had private tubs, I ended up washing in her room.
I remember Kiana and the others made a huge fuss, demanding to know where I had disappeared to. It was quite the predicament.
Recalling those old memories, I waited for my wife in the private family bath.
Come to think of it, it had been a while since I bathed with my wife. Not since the last day of that school trip, actually.
I don't know why, but I'll probably never forget how she asked to bathe with me because she had missed her time slot. Even if I live a lifetime, that memory will stick.
Of course, I refused immediately, telling her to just wait until I was done. But... I eventually lost to the puppy-dog eyes of my young wife—back then just a student—pleading that she wanted to bathe together since it was the last day.
It was somewhat okay back then.
Even though her chest was starting to swell, her waist was slimming, and her hips were widening, she was still closer to a child. If she had possessed her current body back then... surely Bronie would be older than she is now?
Thinking such silly thoughts, I kept my body submerged up to my neck, trying not to turn my head toward where my wife was washing. Maybe because I was dwelling on the past, I felt a bit shy, as if my mind had regressed to that time.
Even if you‘ve seen someone naked a thousand times, the atmosphere and setting can make it feel like the first time all over again. That's just how the human heart works.
Splash.
Suddenly, I felt someone enter the water behind me.
It‘s a family bath, so it has to be my wife, I told myself, swallowing nervously.
She was moving toward me.
She stopped right behind my back. Slowly, she reached out, placing her hands on my shoulders, then slid them down, tracing the muscles of my back.
I tensed up instinctively at the touch. The hands stopped their motion, then lifted off my skin.
As I relaxed, exhaling in relief, I felt something warm, soft, and strangely rough slide up my spine.
Lick, slurp.
Wait, that wasn‘t a hand! That was a tongue!
Since when did my wife have this hobby? I knew she liked biting my shoulder, but... had she awakened a new fetish without me knowing?!
Goosebumps erupted all over my back. I prepared to tell her to cut it out and turned my head.
"Haa... haa... haa..."
Time froze.
Panting with a euphoric expression, eyes bloodshot and fixated on my back, was not my beloved wife—but my "best friend," Kiana.
"Gyaaaaaaaaah?!"
"It's okay, it's okay... Hmm? It's fine. The back... I just want the back."
"It is absolutely NOT okay!"
Does she really think she sounds convincing with those bloodshot eyes?!
"Kiana! When did you—?! How are you even here?!"
"Isn't it obvious? I knew about this beforehand and came early!"
"...If you do not release my husband immediately, there will be bloodshed."
"Fufu, you'd better not move. I've got your husband's 'little brother' right in the palm of my hand!"
"Tch!"
At that declaration, my wife grimaced and stopped in her tracks.
Wait, never mind that—Kiana!
My back! Your breasts are touching my back!
Don't hug me from behind, and stop grabbing my junk!
And don't look at my reaction with those fascinated eyes! It's just a physiological response!
So please, stop pressing your chest against me and stop stimulating him with that subtle grip! I'm begging you!
And you, Honey!
Don't just stare at my crotch with that weirdly excited look on your blushing face—help me!
It's too late to puff out your cheeks and look away like you're jealous now!
Ah, I'm getting dizzy...