Chapter 963: How to Spend the Year-End and New Year Holidays 32
Since it was the 「Lovers Festival」, I’d gotten myself all worked up and the backlash was intense. When I next woke up, I found myself in Polka, specifically, soaking in a secret hot spring.
“……Na?”
The sky was overcast. Snowflakes drifted onto my face, melting away from my body heat. Huh, I thought, trying to sort out the confusion in my memory. Where did I fall asleep? Did I pass out while soaking in the hot spring? Could it be that going south was all just a dream? After pondering these questions for a while without reaching a clear answer, I decided to sit up anyway. Just as I was thinking, how did I not drown, I realized Shario was behind me, holding me and acting as a makeshift recliner. Completely naked, of course.
“You’re awake”
“……Huh? Shario? Airi?”
Since both of them had low-pitched voices, the possibility of it being Airi crossed my mind, and when I muttered that offhand, Shario tightened her grip on me just a little.
“It’s not Airi. You should be able to tell by the feel”
“C, Come on, even if I were grabbing you with my hands, it’d be impossible to tell just by the feel of your back……”
“……Then just grab me”
“You’ve got to let go first, don’t you?”
“…………”
She finally lets go. I turn back to face the beautiful woman with the sour expression, take a deep breath, and gently squeeze her breasts with both hands. ……So, how’s this scene supposed to end? Since I’m looking right at her face now, it’s obvious it’s Shario. I keep squeezing her breasts back and forth without changing my expression.
“What are you doing……”
Finally, someone called me out on it. Corti had come down from the 「Sexroom」 next to the bathtub. Of course, she was completely naked too. She looked down at Shario and me, sighed, and slowly dipped her feet into the water. It seemed she’d been taking a nap. Though, since dragons don’t really need to sleep, I suppose it’s more accurate to say she was enjoying the feel of the bed. Without the 「Sexroom」, the only options are soaking in the tub, standing, or staying in dragon form……after all. I guess a soft bed really is comfortable.
“Hey, Corti, why was I sleeping in the bath?”
……”Well, it’s because Big Sister and Shario let you in, isn’t it?”
“I want to hear the details”
Since my last memory doesn’t connect, I’m starting to lose confidence in what’s happened over the past little while. Well, it’s been a string of overly erotic events, so I can’t help but wonder if it’s all just a dream. It all felt exactly like the kind of lewd dreams you’d have after falling asleep while enjoying an erotic picture scroll. But.
“You fell asleep right after you left Talc, and since you didn’t wake up even when you came back, we decided to just soak you in the spirit spring for now. Hilda and Cosmos were feeling guilty, thinking they might have gone too far”
“……Ah”
I probably did go a bit overboard. After all, it was a harem round right after I’d gone all out with the maids the day before. It’s not the girls’ fault, but as my sexual mentors, they probably felt responsible for letting me run wild like that.
“How long has it been since I got back?”
“Not that long. About two hours”
What a relief. It seems I didn’t end up doing something as stupid as rushing here only to skip the New Year Festival and pass out. It takes about two days or so to get from Talc to here……yeah. I’m good. There should still be three or four days left until the New Year Festival.
“Hey”
“……Umm?”
And Shario, who’s letting me squeeze her boobs, is glaring at me for some reason.
“Why aren’t you asking me that question?”
“…………”
I squeeze her breasts. I squeeze them, making them squishy. Emm. If I had to say.
“Because for some reason, the conversation turned to squeezing breasts”
“……Is that the kind of question you can’t ask the person whose breasts you’re squeezing?”
“…………”
If it were just a matter of whether I could ask it or not, I could, but the conversation didn’t go in that direction, did it?
“I’ve been thinking for a while now……don’t you think I’m a little stupid?”
“No……not really……”
“You always go to Leyla and Corti first to talk things over, don’t you, instead of me?”
“…………”
It’s just because they’re easier to talk to. Corti, in particular, gives off a really easygoing vibe. ……But saying that out loud would probably make things complicated, so I just keep quiet and keep squeezing. Squeezing. Squeezing like crazy. Shario is glaring at me intently, but she doesn’t tell me to stop. Amid the awkward silence, I just keep groping her breasts right in front of her. Eventually, Leyla, who had returned from somewhere, stepped in to mediate.
“It’s because you act so aloof that people don’t turn to you first, Shario”
“I don’t mean to be aloof……or anything”
“Suddenly getting hung up on little details, not even giving a polite smile……Rainer-sama was used to it, so it was fine, but Andy-sama isn’t like that at all”
“Uh……”
I kept rubbing Shario’s boobs even as she took Leyla’s calm rebuke to heart, and since I was starting to get in a pretty horny mood, I stood up. My dick sprang up vigorously from the bathwater, splashing as it broke the surface, and the three silver dragons gasped.
“……Anyway……”
Thinking that if I called out Leyla or Corti right now, they’d probably get even more sulky, I looked at Shario. But pushing for “Let Shario do it!” was also a bit awkward given the situation. As I stood frozen there for a moment, my dick still erect, deep in thought, Shario suddenly dropped to her knees in the water.
“!?”
After staying in that position for a while, she splashed her head up.
“I thought I could talk if I used magic underwater……but first of all, I couldn’t even cast the spell”
It seemed she’d been trying to say something while kneeling.
“Are you an idiot?”
“I am an idiot”
Even after getting cut down by Leyla and Corti, Shario climbed back up to the washing area and knelt down once more.
“……Please. ……Please put that on me”
“Wait, is that something you say after bowing twice!?”
“……W, Well, my chest’s been thoroughly stimulated……so I’m really craving it”
Ah, yes. I’m sorry.
“……A, And……I’m aware that I’m not very charming……so if possible, I’d like my body to get used to it first……or rather”
“Do you want to come across as an idiot or not, which is it!?”
Faced with such cluelessness, Corti’s retort exploded with striking force. Leyla pressed her hand lightly to her forehead and sighed. ……Well, that aside, since the opportunity presented itself, I went ahead and did it.
————-
When I returned to the Smithson Mansion, I found Dianne, who’d gone home earlier, along with Selenium, Apple and Jeanne, who’d stayed behind and my Mom, who was giving them instructions on how to take care of Peter and Elenia.
“Oh, welcome back, Andy. I heard you weren’t feeling well, are you okay?”
I gave Mom a forced smile in response. There was no way I could explain that I’d actually crashed from overdoing it, sleep deprivation, and exhaustion.
“It’s been a year since Peter was born, is there really still so much Mom needs to teach you?”
Since Peter was born before last year’s Great Invasion, he’s already one year old. As a half dwarf, his growth isn’t exactly twice as fast as a human’s, but it’s certainly slower. However, perhaps thanks to the robust constitution typical of dwarves, he’s apparently been pulling himself up to stand and walk occasionally lately. And since they were guided by the housewives of Polka on how to care for both boys and girls, including Elenia, who was born half a year later, I thought they’d already picked up most of the basics. But.
“With kids, there are as many different problems as there are children, and as many as there are years they’ve lived”
“If you could master parenting in just one year, nobody would ever have any trouble”
“Parenting is a test of stamina, you know. ……Knowing how to rest is just as important as knowing how to care for them and pay attention to their needs. I’m finally starting to get it”
Faced with the weighty words of three experienced mothers, this carefree father has no choice but to bow down in submission. I’m sorry for making light of the situation, thinking you surely must be out of material by now.
“But your children are quite fortunate, you know. It seems Marone-chan the cat beast, Oregano-san the elf, and the blue dragons are all taking good care of them”
“Ah……yeah, that’s a huge help”
“Anzeros-chan’s been dropping by quite often, too……”
“……Ah, yeah”
She still loves kids way too much.
“The more adults there are to help out, the easier it is on the mother. Fellow moms are especially reliable……though I’m just repeating what my own moms say”
When Dianne-san said that, the experienced mothers nodded in agreement.
“With the guys, changing diapers or soothing the kids just feels a bit risky, doesn’t it?”
“Even though they say the spirit spring can handle most things……”
“Even if you tell them to watch the kids, they’ll end up losing sight of them……I was on pins and needles every time I left you with Dad, too”
Yeah. Well, Dad did tend to get scolded by Mom quite a bit because of me. Most of my memories are from before I was old enough to remember, so they’re pretty vague.
“Thanks to the social dynamics of the colony, even the younger cat beasts are used to handling kids and all that, aren’t they?”
“Yeah. I hear that when beastfolk have kids, twins and triplets just pop out left and right, maybe that’s why”
“Ah……I guess with such large litters, they have no choice but to help out their parents and neighbors from a young age……”
I’m an only child, and I didn’t have any relatives nearby, so I don’t have that kind of experience. But if your neighbors are all related and have lots of kids, I guess you naturally pick up those skills. ……And then, Apple, who’d been left out of the conversation, murmured, 「……I want to be a mom soon, too……」 and the atmosphere turned a bit awkward. In other words, they’re expecting me to father more children. However, as a mother, my mom still can’t bring herself to openly cheer me on as I keep getting women pregnant left and right. And while Selenium and Jeanne would love to cheer me on wholeheartedly, it’s pretty tough to do that right in front of my mom. ……That’s when Asti, Maia’s mother, who doesn’t care about any of this, appears. Apparently, she’d just been in the back room the whole time.
“Listening to your conversation has made me want to breastfeed a baby again♪ Maia’s Master, please let me have the next child, too♪”
“……A, Ah”
I let my gaze wander. It’s not that I’m against the idea. It’s not that I’m against it, but it’s hard to give a straight answer here. And since Asti is someone who’s always taken care of my mom and whom I’m indebted to as her caretaker, I can’t really be too firm with her. Unable to get angry at her, I just made a face that said I wanted to say something and let out a sigh loud enough for her to hear.
“I’ll do my best to give you more grandchildren♪”
“……You know……no, never mind……”
Saying only that, my mom looked defeated and went home.
“Does Marie-sama not approve of me carrying Master’s child?”
“I think she just can’t come to terms with it……”
After all, the 「Retirement blessed with children and grandchildren」 that my mom or rather, Trot people in general, envision isn’t one where you just go around getting pregnant by every diverse, different species you can find to ensure prosperity. I guess she just can’t bridge the gap between that ideal and reality. Will there ever come a day when my mom just shrugs it off and says, 「This is just how my family does things!」? ……No, I can’t even imagine it.