第４９４堀：新しい生活の日々 (Part1)
Chapter 494: Days of a New Life
Side: Yuki
"I'm home."
I said those words as I returned to the house.
Well, it was more like a villa I’d built in Baide.
"Oh, Yuki-san. Welcome back, everyone."
"Welcome back!"
"…Welcome back."
Greeting me were Tori, Riel, and Kaya—the pregnant group.
Ever since being summoned here, they had been on standby under my orders.
Well, that was only natural. I couldn't possibly push them while they were carrying children.
Fortunately, it seemed the summoning hadn't had any negative effects so far, and the children in their wombs were growing healthily.
"I'm back. Is everyone doing alright?"
"Yes, we're fine. Milly is currently taking a nap with Shuten and the others."
"We were sleeping until just a little while ago, too. But look, it’s almost time for dinner."
"…Since we’re at home, I’ll at least help with preparing the meal."
"Don't push yourselves too hard. Labyris, Aslin, and Firia are here to help, after all."
Basically, Labyris and the others were handling the support for the pregnant group and the children’s group, like Shuten.
Honestly, the sheer volume of work that Kirue and Sasari used to handle was staggering.
This situation made me realize that from the bottom of my heart.
You can’t underestimate rear-guard logistics. It is absolutely essential; supply lines are the key to any battle.
Usually, I’d handle the cooking on rotation, and leave the laundry and cleaning to Kirue and Sasari, but since those two super-maids weren't here, we were short-handed for chores.
"It’s moderate exercise, so it’s fine."
"That’s right. We want to move around a little, too."
"…More importantly, Yuki. A hug when you get home. That’s a promise. It’s a house rule."
Kaya tried to pounce on me, but I held her back by placing a hand on her face.
"Fugu… Yuki is being mean. Move your hand, that’s not what we promised."
"Wait a second. We need to get to the bath first. We’re filthy. The hug comes after."
"Ah… okay."
Kaya understood immediately and stepped away.
Unfortunately, since we had just returned from the outside world in our physical bodies, I was hesitant to hug my wives.
That was especially true for the pregnant ones.
Besides, I had just come from performing procedures at what you might call a field hospital, and I’d been dealing with corpse disposal, too.
I’d sanitized my hands with alcohol, but that was about it.
I really should have prepared a separate large bath. I hadn't expected a situation where I couldn't use my Doppelganger.
"…Damn those summoners. Once the baby is born, I’m going to kill them."
"That’s right. I’ll help you with the killing, too."
"I’ll join in as well. Being denied a hug from Yuki-san is basically torture, so it’s only natural, right?"
With that, the three of them headed off to prepare dinner.
Then, the rest of us headed to the bath to wash up together.
Honestly, we were all so exhausted that no one had the energy for any intimacy.
"It seems Tori and the others are really bottling things up, too."
"Yeah. Naturally. It’s their first pregnancy, so they must be anxious. Not being able to have free contact with Yuki is painful—it’s torture. They’ll definitely pay for this."
"Cleena-san is right. Usually, being in the bath with Yuki-sama would mean we’d be loving each other, but I don’t have the energy for that today. Actually, we’re the lucky ones. Seraria-sama and the others who stayed behind in Weed seem to be going through their daily duties while feeling depressed about not being able to see Yuki-sama."
"…Yuki isn't there. If it were me, I think I’d go insane."
"We’ve been keeping in touch, but the light is slowly fading from their eyes."
…I’ve been communicating with Seraria and the others through calls via Labyris and the others.
If I call directly, the noise is terrible, but it’s manageable through Labyris’s end.
They seemed fine at the time, but I suppose they were bottling things up on their end, too.
"I felt lonely when I couldn't see my brother, too."
"It’s fun when Brother is around."
"We were in the school dorms until recently, so it’s not quite the same for us, but the wives are naturally worried, right? Wait, why are we in the bath together too!?"
"It can't be helped. Unfortunately, there is only one bath. If we who were working outside bathed separately, it would delay everything significantly. That would be inefficient, and it would put a strain on the pregnant ones and the children."
"Guh."
Shera responded precisely to Dressa’s complaint.
As a shrine maiden, Shera had accompanied us, and though she didn't speak much since I was the one leading the negotiations, she had helped with the treatments at the field hospital, and Baide’s reputation for her was excellent.
There were quite a few voices saying, "The rabbit-eared shrine maiden is cute."
She’s my wife, so if anyone lays a hand on her, I’ll hang them.
"Dressa. You shouldn't be so selfish, okay?"
"…It’s not that I’m complaining. …It’s just, you know, Yuki is here."
"Isn't it fun to be in the bath with Brother?"
"…That’s not what I mean. I-I mean, in terms of our relationship, we’re subordinates and a superior, so I was worried that if we were here, you guys wouldn't be able to relax."
Ah, so she was being considerate.
"Don't worry about it. We’re all living under the same roof anyway; we’re no different from family. Actually, we *are* family. Shuten calls you 'Mama' already."
It’s a bit late to say this, but some people worry about these things, and there are many things you don't understand unless you put them into words.
Expecting others to understand through silence is just a selfish hope.
That kind of thing leads to discord, so you have to be clear about it.
Of course, if there’s dissatisfaction, I wouldn't know unless someone like Dressa spoke up, so it’s necessary to put each other’s feelings into words.
My wives talk to me freely now, but when I first brought them over from the slave market, they were terrified, choosing their words carefully and watching my face.
Remembering that past, Dressa’s tsundere-like behavior—or rather, her volatile emotions—is actually easy for me to understand, so it helps.
Well, compared to a true tsundere, she just feels like a contrary kid to me.
Compared to Dressa, Vilia has become the type who thinks my word is absolute, so I do worry if she’s holding back too much.
But Hiiro is there to talk to her, so I suppose that’s a good balance.
"F-family… R-right. I… no, we are family, so there’s no problem with us being in the bath like this, right?"
"That’s right. We are already Brother’s family. …Yes!! We are family!!"
"…Vili-nee, you’re loud."
They seemed convinced by my words.
Actually, regarding this summoning, as you can tell from Tori, Cleena, and Samantha’s talk earlier, everyone, including myself, is frustrated. If we don't find a way to blow off some steam, we might end up causing a massive scene against the Haiden.
It would be fine as a way to vent my personal frustrations, but if I did it on a whim, it’s clear that it would lead to all sorts of trouble.