「Fwaa, after sleeping a bit my body feels…… ah, welcome back」
「I’m home」
I must have fallen asleep on the sofa without realizing it after running around the field.
At some point, Koji-san had also returned and was resting in a chair.
After all, going for a walk while keeping up with Grandpa and Potato would naturally be exhausting.
Even I could barely keep up.
「Thank you for taking care of Shiru」
Koji-san bowed his head with a gentle smile.
「No, thank you as well. That rabbit…… Koji-san, I’m impressed you’re still alive」
I was the one who had been saved.
If Dori and Shiru-chan had not been there, I would probably have died right there in the field.
I learned that rabbits in this world are far more violent than I expected.
The bear we have at home is much gentler by comparison.
He even builds a doghouse in the yard.
「Ah…… I’ve almost died plenty of times myself」
Koji-san stared off into the distance.
It seemed he too was constantly running for his life.
Just from his expression, I could tell what kind of life he was living.
It looks like both of us have our own struggles.
「The bath is ready, so please go ahead and use it」
「Thank you」
At Koji-san’s suggestion, I decided to wash off the sweat first.
I went upstairs to call Grandpa and Potato.
I never imagined it would be fine to bathe together with Potato.
Most people would probably dislike bathing with a dog, but since he happily agreed when I called to confirm, it made sense.
As I was undressing in the bathroom, I heard hurried footsteps as Grandpa and Potato passed by.
『Waaaaah! The bath is outside!』
I heard what sounded like Potato’s war cry.
For a moment, it almost sounded like he was talking, but that must have been my imagination.
I had been just as shocked when I caught a glimpse of the bathroom myself.
「So this is…… a private bathroom……」
The bathtub was large enough that even two adults could soak in it with plenty of room to spare, and there were two baths set up side by side.
On top of that, if you glanced outside, you could go straight out to an open-air bath.
「Ahh, an open-air bath really is the best……」
『Gramps let’s go……』
Maybe the open-air bath was not that big, because Grandpa and Potato were packed in tightly together.
Still, chances to enjoy an open-air bath do not come around very often.
If they were happy, that was more than enough for me.
「Fwaa, the fatigue just melts away……」
I slowly sank into the tub.
At home, I never get to stretch my legs out like this in the bath.
The water also felt a little different from ordinary hot water, like my skin was getting smoother.
Well, maybe even a normal bath feels that way when the environment changes.
「Grandpa, Potato…… it’s about time you washed up…… hey, hey!」
When I thought it had gone quiet, I realized Grandpa and Potato were walking around the yard completely naked.
If there were no town around like at our place, it might not be a problem.
But this private lodging is located partway up a mountain, and unfortunately you can see the town from here.
In the worst case, if someone used binoculars to look this way, they could probably see us from over there too.
I hurried outside to drag Grandpa and Potato back.
「Ahh, the mountain breeze feels great」
『Right』
The cool wind wrapped around my body.
I had come out to call Grandpa and Potato back, but before I knew it, I was outside myself, completely naked as well.
「Ahh, somehow everything feels like it doesn’t matter anymore……」
The breeze felt so good that what I had been worrying about started to seem stupid.
It’s a trip, after all, going naked for once…… no, no, I’m getting carried away.
When I glanced into the house from the veranda, everyone was busy preparing dinner, so I had not been noticed yet.
Still, walking around naked in someone else’s yard would definitely get me scolded no matter what.
I quickly wrapped a towel around my waist and went back outside.
「Grandpa, Potato! Hurry and come back here!」
「I’ll stay here a bit longer」
『Me too』
Did they really understand the situation they were in right now when they said that?
This place looks rural, but it is not truly the countryside.
Compared to where we live, you can actually see the town from here.
「If the police come, you’ll get arrested!」
「That won’t――」
「Why is everyone naked?」
When I turned toward the voice, Shiru-chan was standing there with a damp, reproachful look.
Ah, we had finally been found out.
Yeah, seeing your own yard with a naked grandpa and a man walking around would definitely be unpleasant…….
「Ah, well, Grandpa just……」
「I wanna play too!」
Shiru-chan had her hands on her hips, clearly upset.
It seemed she thought we were playing around.
「This isn’t playing!」
I answered immediately.
This was not something I could let her misunderstand.
「Grandpa! This is a minpaku*, right……?」
「That’s right?」
「What if the neighbors see you?」
TN: Residential house but with permit to have someone rent it temporarily. Airbnb of Japan.
Grandpa looked away for just a moment.
『Gramps, could it be…』
「There’s a high chance of that」
They looked at each other.
Grandpa and Potato hurried back into the bathroom.
That was a relief.
「Naoki-san, what are you doing out there?」
「Ah……」
When I turned toward the voice, Koji-san was standing there.
Maybe Shiru-chan had gone to call him.
I was practically naked right now……
I should apologize first.
「I’m sorr――」
「If you stay outside dressed like that, you’ll catch a cold. Please warm up properly before coming out」
I almost burst into tears at how generous Koji-san was.
When I went back to the bathroom, I dumped a large amount of hot water over Grandpa and Potato, who were soaking in the tub with innocent expressions, and then left the bathroom.
The embarrassment of a trip can only be washed away along with sweat, after all.
✦･━･✦･━･✦･━･✦･━･✦･━･✦･━･✦
【Afterword】
And that wraps up this short story!
From here on, it will only be from the other protagonist’s point of view!
Thank you very much for staying with me until the end!
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