“I’m back.”
“What? Welcome back. Back already?”
Aoi, who was changing Nana’s clothes on the big bed, turned around.
“Yeah, I brought lunch. Where’s Rouge?”
I held up the bag of lunch I had bought and looked around the room.
There was no sign of Rouge.
In fact, Jaja wasn’t there either.
“She went for a walk in the garden with Jaja because she went on a rampage and wanted to play. What happened to Shouhei-san?”
Oh, I see.
The first day she came here, she was quiet because she was scared of the unfamiliar room, but since yesterday, she’s been getting nervous, right Jaja?
I guess she was bored from being in the same room all the time.
We couldn’t let Nana out of the room, she’s on absolute bed rest, so we’re sorry but we had to ask her to put up with it.
I’m really glad Rouge was there.
“Shouhei went to Kayone’s to return the guidebook.”
He’s really upright like that.
If it were me, I’d put it off.
“Nana? Papa bought lunch. Can mama eat some?”
Aoi tickled Nana under the chin, who was wearing my thin short-sleeved T-shirt.
It feels so good there, doesn’t it?
It’s so plump and springy, it’s addictive.
As long as I don’t go overboard, Nana and Jaja both seem to be comfortable, so I can’t help but touch them.
Also, the base of her feet, her thighs, and her stomach!
These three areas are a must! These are the three areas you can’t miss when you enjoy touching babies!
“Uyu!”
Nana’s eyes narrowed and she nodded her head.
I’m sure she doesn’t understand, but she probably reacted to her mom’s voice anyway.
Her eyes are half asleep.
I wonder if she woke up from sleep.
“Did Nana just wake up?”
“Yes, her fever has gone down, but I was wiping her with a towel because she was having night sweats. Ah, I also borrowed Kunpei-san’s clothes, Nana’s clothes look too hot indoors.”
“Got it. Isn’t that great, Nana.”
I stroked Nana’s head with the hand that was not holding the bag.
Nana looks at me curiously.
“Heh.”
She laughed as if something had amused her.
It’s so cute.
“Alright, let’s play with daddy while mommy eats.”
I put the bag on the chest next to the big canopied bed and opened my arms to Nana.
“Okay, come on.”
“Dah?”
Nana responds to my gesture with a puzzled look on her face.
No, I’m really going to be lonely if you don’t come.
Please, princess.
“Dah!”
Nana finally understood and extended her hand to me with a big smile.
Thank God! Thank you, princess!
“Dah, dah, dah!”
Nana wriggled the wings on her back inside her shirt.
Oh, yes, yes, yes. I forgot.
My shirt doesn’t have any holes for wings, so she can’t fly even though she’s trying to.
“There you go!”
I put my hand under her armpit and lifted her up.
“Kya!”
I lift Nana up above my head, who is laughing happily.
She’s getting a little heavier than before.
Will it become difficult for me to pick her up someday?
I don’t like it. I wish I could hold her forever.
No, no, no.
Growth is a joyous thing.
No matter how big Nana gets, I’ll always be happy to hold her in my arms, so don’t hesitate to come and act spoiled, okay?
Don’t be shy, okay?
Please?
“Okay, I’ll go get Ru-anesama and Jaja and use the restroom while I’m at it.”
“Okay. Take your time. I just bought it. It’s still hot.”
“Okay.”
Aoi sneaks out of the room, out of Nana’s sight.
If Nana sees her, she’ll cry and ask to be taken with her.
Nana doesn’t notice because she’s too busy dangling her hands and feet on my head right now, but just in case.
Wait, she left in her sleepwear, didn’t she?
Oh well.
Atol told me not to be shy while in the house.
“Dah! Aua!”
“Hmm? Higher?
At Nana’s urging, I thrust my hands out to the ceiling as high as I could.
“Kyaa!”
Nana laughed loudly, as if the feeling of floating felt good.
She smiles just like Jaja.
As expected of twins.
“Look, it’s high, high!”
“Kyaa!”
I continued for a while until Nana got bored.
My arms were getting a little tired from holding Nana up above my head over and over again.
I took a break.
“Nana, Daddy wants some water.”
“Uuh?”
Yeah, you wouldn’t understand.
I sat Nana on my left arm and pulled her to my chest.
At first, I thought it was impossible to carry her with one arm, but before I knew it, I was able to do this.
I wonder if I’m growing as a father.
I’d be happy if I was.
I walked to the refrigerator next to the door of the room and opened it with my free right hand.
Let’s see, water, I guess.
Oh? There’s apple juice.
I thought the last time I gave it to Jaja was yesterday, but I guess Kayone restocked it for me.
Thank goodness. I’ll have to thank her later.
I picked up the apple juice in the small plastic container and turned the lid.
It’s an infant’s drink, so it’s made to be sealed and a little hard.
It’s also a little hard so that it won’t come off easily when a baby holds it in their hands.
Both Jaja and Nana are quick to grab and shake things around.
If the lid comes off easily, they will spill a lot.
“You got this, Nana?”
“Dah!”
Nana’s eyes sparkle as she reached for the apple juice in my right hand.
You guys love apple juice, don’t you?
“Wait a minute. I’ll put the nipple on it.”
The nipple is not the one on my chest, it’s the one on the top of the bottle.
I don’t know what it’s called officially, but when we were living in the community center, other mothers understood it, so I think it’s probably the nipple.
I walked over to the mirror stand set up against the wall.
I was looking for the baby bottles that were plugged into the sterilizer set up on top of it.
This machine is a little bulky, but I brought it from home and it’s a favorite of the Kazamachi family.
We want to use the same things as at home as much as possible when it comes to Jaja and Nana.
It’s not that I doubt Dailan’s products, but I feel most comfortable with what I’m used to.
I put the apple juice on the mirror table and lifted up the cover of the machine.
Two baby bottles were inserted with their mouths upside down.
The one with the dog picture on it is Jaja’s, and Nana’s is the cat.
I guess it doesn’t matter which one you use.
The twins are very particular about these things.
They don’t like it when I give them different bottles.
I take the cat bottle out of the machine.
With Nana in my arms, I can’t use both hands, so I hold the bottle between my thighs and turn the lid with my right hand only.
For the same reason as the lid of the apple juice bottle, this bottle is also tightly sealed and cannot be easily removed.
With a little effort, I remove the nipple and pass it to my left hand.
I put the bottle between my thighs back into the sterilizer and put the cover back on.
“Hold on for a second.”
I put the nipple on the apple juice and tightened it dexterously with one hand. The nipple was clamped with as much force as I could muster.
Now you won’t be able to remove it so easily anymore.
“Here you go.”
“Dah!”
Nana grabbed the apple juice container with both hands and sucked on the nipple with the same force.
Oh, man.
You couldn’t wait that long?
“Guh, guh.”
You were thirsty, weren’t you?
I’m sorry I didn’t notice earlier, okay?
I smiled at Nana, who was drinking apple juice at a furious pace and went back to the refrigerator to take out a plastic bottle of mineral water for myself.
I pinched it between my thighs, just like the baby bottle, and removed the lid.
I placed the lid on top of the refrigerator and downed the water all at once.
I hadn’t had anything to drink since I got back from outside, so I was thirsty too.
The water that went directly down my throat tasted very good.
Nana and I drank together.
It’s not a big deal, but it makes me happy, and I feel like I’ve become a doting parent.
“Puh-ah!”
“Puah!”
I finished my drink and took a breath, and Nana imitated me.
Both Jaja and Nana often imitate me and Aoi.
The sight of them is so cute that it makes me writhe.
“Haha, yummy, huh?”
“Dah!”
I did what Yuri-san often does.
When I asked them if it tasted good like this, both Jaja and Nana would raise their hands in reply.
Yuri-san told me that this is how they learn the language little by little.
She was absolutely right.
Even if they don’t understand the words at first, they will naturally learn them if they hear them every day.
That’s why we started to say everything to Jaja and Nana.
Even if they don’t understand, they’ll respond back to us.
I wonder if it’s time to read them a picture book or something.
“Oh, I see. Well, drink up.”
“Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm.”
She lifted the apple juice smilingly and drank it.
It’s so cute.
It’s really cute.
“Thank you for waiting.”
The door of the room opened and Aoi appeared with a towel in her hand.
“Hmm. I’m back.”
“Dah!”
It looks like Rouge and Jaja are with her.
“Kunpei, welcome back.”
“Yeah, I’m back. Jaja, did you have fun outside?”
“Adah!”
Jaja, who was being held by Rouge, replied with a smile just like Nana’s.
Your sister seems to be full of energy today.
“Ah, Nana-chan, are you drinking juice?”
“Guh, guh.”
Nana was so engrossed in her apple juice that she didn’t seem to notice Aoi and the others.
“Does Jaja want some too?”
“Dah?”
“Yes, I’ll prepare it now, okay? Would you like some water, Ru-anesama?”
“Hmm. Thanks.”
Aoi opened the refrigerator and took out water and apple juice.
“Puah!”
“Oh, you drank all of it?”
Nana’s container was already empty.
“Dah!”
Nana held out the container to me with a big smile.
“Another one? No, you’ve had too much to drink, princess.”
You can’t have too much, you know.
You’ll get a stomach ache.
I take the container from Nana and turn around to put it on the mirror stand.
“Ah, Kunpei-san. Don’t move Jaja’s bottle either!”
“Eh?”
I stopped in my tracks, startled by Aoi’s sudden loud voice.
“Dah!”
Suddenly, there was a rumbling sound, and a flash of lightning flashed in front of me.
A small bolt of lightning struck at my feet.
<<Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter>>
