Reincarnation into the Barrier Master

"No~ that was a nice hot bath!"

With a truly healed expression on his face, Linos walked down the corridor of the mansion. On this day, unlike usual, he was able to occupy the large bathtub all by himself and soak in it to his heart's content. Most of the time, he usually took a bath with his children, washed them all, and then took a bath with his wives.

I opened the door to the bedroom, thinking that while it was nice to take a bath while everyone was talking together, it was not so bad to take a bath alone once in a while. There was still no one there.

Today is Rico's day, I believe. ....... Rinos thinks about it and chuckles involuntarily.

Yes, Rico is going to take a bath now. There is no way she is in the bedroom.

He gets into bed with this thought in mind. The water is a little hotter than usual, so his whole body is still warm. The coldness of the bed sheets is on the contrary comforting.

I feel the heat of Linos' body slowly moving to the bed. By the time Riko gets out of the bath and gets into the bed, she is surely warmed up just right. With this thought in mind, he begins to roll over.

"Linos ......"

Suddenly, he is called by his name and wakes up with a start. Rico is standing by the bed.

He lifts the sheet and urges her to go to bed, wondering when she fell asleep. This is unusual for Liko. It was not often, but when Linos fell asleep first, he usually let her go to bed, waking up in the morning and regretting that he had fallen asleep.

Rico slowly got into bed, but instead of lying down, he sat up and flopped down on it.

"There is one thing I want you to tell me," she said.

"What do you want me to tell you?　What is it?"

Since when?

"What?"

Not quite understanding the intent of the question, Linos slowly sat up and sat upright on the bed, facing Rico. She looks a little sad.

When did you stop being number one?

"What?　What do you mean?"

"I heard that you like Sadie the best now. Since when am I not the best?"

"Ugh ......"

He squeezes his eyes shut and looks up to the heavens. I told you so. ....... I told you that you should never say .......

Just as I was about to explain that it wasn't, Rico spoke up like a dam.

"No, I'm not angry with you. I was prepared for that to happen one day."

"No, nothing like that. ......"

"Indeed, indeed, Sadie looks very young. I thought I was getting a little old these days.

"No, no, no. ......"

"I've noticed that my skin has lost some of its firmness, and if you look closely you can see little wrinkles, but also that the quality of my skin has gone down, and recently I've been thinking that I've gained a little weight. The only thing I'm curious about is how long it's been since I've had the pleasure of seeing her. I'm not really interested in knowing what month or day it is, but just about anything is fine. ......"

"Rico, Rico, hey ......"

Linos hugs Rico. He hugs her a little harder and rubs her back. First, he has to calm her down. But Riko undid his arms with more force than Linos had expected.

"Please listen to me."

"I'm listening, I'm listening, just calm down."

"No. No. You must listen to me tonight. Linos, you think I'm a pain in the ass right now, don't you?

"What?

I know. I know you want to get away from here as soon as possible. So, if you hold me, then take my lips, take off my clothes and ...... keep me quiet. That's what you're thinking, isn't it?"

"Yes, yes, no, I don't think so, oh, I think ......"

"You're here, aren't you?　I understand. But I'm not in the mood tonight.

"Okay. I understand. Wait, wait, wait, wait. I'll explain everything.

Linos raises his hands in persuasion. Rico straightened his posture at this gesture. Rinos took a deep breath and began to explain the whole story in a manner that sounded as if he were chewing.

"But then ...... yeah. ......Yes,......Yes,......So,......Yes. ...... yes. ...... yes."

Rico tried to open his mouth at times, but Linos did not let Rico interrupt him and continued his explanation. She looked doubtful at first, but then her expression became indescribable.

"...... So, you were just saying that as an example, but you didn't really mean it?"

"That's right. I only said that as an example, and that is not what I really meant. You can check with her about that. However, I am truly puzzled as to why what I have stated as an example has become the sole opinion of the group, as if it were my true intention.

"So, may I check with Sadie once, please?"

Yes, yes. Yes, yes, I would like that very much. Well, this is just a guess on my part, but I would guess that Sadie, as a woman, would have been pleased to be told by her husband that he was her favorite, even if it was only an example. I am sure that Liko, who is also a woman, would understand this point. I hope you will bear this in mind when you ask me about it.

Rico continued to stare at Linos for a while. As if he could not bear the silence, Rinos opened his mouth.

"It is Rico whom I love the most. Rico is the one I love the most.

"......I don't want to feel like I'm forcing you to say anything."

"That's not true!　No, it was a good opportunity. It's my fault that I haven't told you lately that I like you the best. No, I'm sorry. You can't skip these things. If I had told Riko that I love her the most every day, she would not have had this doubt in her mind. From now on, I will say more about my feelings.

A single tear fell from Rico's eye. Seeing this, Linos shuddered.

"......I had prepared myself for the day when Rinos would give up on me. I never thought it would be now.

"No, I'm not at all tired of you. I still love you the best."

"Ugh. ......"

Linos hugs Riko once more and pats her back gently.

"Rico is doing well. I really appreciate it. I think I have a really good wife."

"......"

Linos let go of Rico's body and looked into his eyes, then opened his mouth again.

"Rico, I like you ...... more than I like you."

At that moment, Rico's face crumpled up and she began to cry aloud. Linos hugged her gently again.

As he held Rico's body, he thought that Rico was cute when she cried, and he was relieved to see that her anxiety had eased. .......