“Ughhh…”
Hana woke up to the sunlight streaming in. She closed her eyes and fumbled around, feeling something. She was sure she was sleeping alone in the bed…? But soon, Hana realized she was on a trip. Jiyu and Yumi were sprawled all over the bed, sleeping haphazardly. She had felt something heavy on her chest while sleeping, and the culprit was Jiyu’s foot.
Jiyu’s foot was firmly planted on Hana’s chest. Hana carefully moved it so as not to wake Jiyu. Looking at the clock, it was already 8 in the morning. It was summer, and the sun was already high in the sky. Feeling the greatness of blackout curtains firsthand, Hana went downstairs. She had drunk a bit last night, but the effects were strong, and the kids didn’t seem like they’d wake up easily.
When she went downstairs, Maru was already up and preparing breakfast. Breakfast was simple: strawberries Maru had brought from work, cherry tomatoes, and a few side dishes. Even though the Starlight Cherry Tomatoes could fill you up a bit with just one, it wasn’t enough, so other foods were prepared too.
Eating one Starlight Cherry Tomato made you feel a bit less full, but eating two made you feel too full, so it was a necessary choice. For Hana and the kids, eating two was too high in calories.
“Hana, are you up?”
“Yeah. Maru, I’m up!”
Hana sat on the sofa, staring blankly at the outside scenery. Since it was a pool villa, the outer walls were glass, making it easy to see outside. The beautiful sunlight was shining on the garden, and the plants were growing at an incredible speed. Just yesterday, the grass was only ankle-high…
“Hana, do you want to eat first? Are you hungry?”
Maru asked, knowing Hana had come down because she was hungry. Hana shook her head. She planned to wait until the kids came down to eat together. Eating together was just better.
“I’ll eat when Jiyu and Yumi come down.”
“Okay? Then let’s do that!”
Maru was washing the dishes and utensils she had left soaking in the sink yesterday. She probably didn’t do the dishes last night to avoid disturbing Hana and the kids while they slept. The clinking sound of the dishes in the sink was pleasant. Hana soon turned her attention away from Maru and turned on the TV. The show “Little Magician Lumi” was on. Hana quickly got absorbed in the animation.
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“Yaaawn…”
“Sleepy…”
Hana checked that the kids hadn’t woken up and went up to wake them herself. She felt it was a shame to eat without them since the meal was ready. The kids seemed sleepy, probably because they were at an age where they needed a lot of sleep.
Maru looked at the kids and said, “Breakfast is simple, kids!”
As Maru said, breakfast was simple: fruits and cereal. Perfect for kids who weren’t feeling great in the morning. Jiyu and Yumi sat down and ate the food Maru had prepared. Now that they had eaten, the trip was coming to an end.
It felt like they had just arrived, but it was already time to go home after the planned one-night, two-day trip.
While the kids were eating, Maru started packing their clothes and suitcases. They needed to vacate the room before the afternoon, so they had to move quickly. After finishing breakfast, the kids changed clothes and got ready to head home, pulling their suitcases.
“Let’s take a photo!”
Hana said to Maru, linking arms with the kids. Maru nodded, took out her phone, and started taking pictures. The wide ocean in the background made for a perfect photo opportunity.
“Cheese!”
“V!”
Several photos of the kids smiling were taken. The end of the trip was, of course, photos. Nothing else could capture memories as well as photos. After all, tangible things like photos are more precious than memories.
And so, the kids’ smiling faces were captured against the backdrop of the beach, like a painting.
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“Ughhh…”
I was lying on the bed like a corpse after such a tiring journey. Outside…
I did enjoy playing around, but going on a two-day trip still took a lot of mental energy. Of course, since the kids had a good time, I had no regrets. I did feel like going on another trip, but right now, healing was more important.
I lay down on the bed and pulled out my phone. Jiyu and Yumi were chatting away in the group chat. They were saying how much they enjoyed the trip, so I smiled and replied, saying we should go on another trip if the opportunity arises.
“Hmm…”
Even though it was the day after returning from the trip, the outside was bustling with people. Whether I went on a trip or it was school vacation, the people working here were all office workers. For office workers, vacations were a luxury. Many companies even side-eye taking a day off on Friday or Monday, so taking 1-2 months off like me was unimaginable. Of course, at Starlight Research Institute, no one gave you side-eye for taking time off, but I guess other companies still had that vibe.
I went outside wearing my dinosaur pajamas. Skipping breakfast made me hungry. I must have been so tired from the trip yesterday that I slept for a long time. I wonder how deeply I was sleeping that Bora or Haru didn’t wake me up and just let me sleep. Trips are fun, but the aftermath is brutal.
Hehe.
With a mischievous smile, I sneaked over to the lounge area. I was hungry, so I thought I’d sneak some snacks from the lounge. As I walked in, people greeted me warmly, so I had to adjust my plan of sneaking snacks. Turns out, the lounge here is set up like a café, so sneaking snacks wasn’t going to work. I ended up taking the snacks openly.
Eating sweet snacks on an empty stomach made my brain feel like it was spinning. I finally understood what people meant when they said their blood sugar was low. When your blood sugar drops, your brain slows down, and that seemed true. As I was busy munching on snacks, I heard Bora’s voice from behind. Someone must have told her I was out of my room.
“Hana, don’t just eat snacks. You need to eat proper food. If you only eat snacks, you won’t grow taller!”
Oh no. Not growing taller was a big problem. I finished the snack I was eating and put the one in my hand back in the basket. Like Bora said, eating only snacks could lead to nutritional imbalance and stunted growth.
“No!!!”
I screamed and ran around. Of course, Bora hugged me to stop me from disturbing the other employees. But hey, it’s my café, so I should be able to run around, right? If it weren’t for me, Starlight Research Institute would have gone bankrupt and closed by now. But I didn’t want to disturb the employees either, so I let Bora carry me back to my room.
“Hana, do you need anything?”
Bora asked if I needed anything. I couldn’t think of anything I was lacking. There’s a convenience store on the first floor, so I could get snacks anytime, and the food here is way better than most restaurants. Plus, since school’s on vacation, all I do is laze around in my room. Only Bora, Haru, and Maru come into my room; no one else does.
It felt like they were giving me my own personal time. So, in a way, I felt like a rich bum. Isn’t that everyone’s dream job? Everyone works hard dreaming of being a rich bum, but I achieved that dream at the age of 10.
“I’ll let you know if I think of anything later!”
Even though I don’t need anything now, I told Bora I’d let her know if something comes up. With all the latest electronics, there’s nothing I really want right now.
