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The following week, my wife, my daughter Mana, and I went on a trip together. Akihiro couldn't come because he had plans to hang out with friends. We had planned a trip together, but he's not a little kid anymore. I guess he felt a bit hesitant to go out alone.
The hot spring was a famous inn about an hour's drive away. On the way there, the three of us had fun chatting in the car and sightseeing. We also visited a famous shrine and prayed. For lunch, my wife wanted to go to an eel restaurant. It seemed to be famous locally. The fluffy eel and the sweet sauce on the grilled eel were truly exquisite. I wondered if it was okay to eat such a luxurious lunch when we were heading to the inn for a luxurious dinner. We had steamed eel in a steamer for 2,000 yen.
After that, we went to see the waterfall, a popular tourist spot, and arrived at the inn in the evening. At the inn, we soaked in the hot spring, enjoyed delicious food, and relaxed our bodies in the relaxing atmosphere. In the evening, the three of us walked around the hot spring town and browsed various souvenir shops. Mana and Noriko never stopped talking about what souvenirs to bring Akihiro. They went to many different shops and talked about all sorts of things, but in the end, they didn't buy any. It seemed they couldn't agree on anything. However, all three of us felt that the time we spent together was more meaningful than anything else.
Mana was especially happy, and she even went to take a bath before bed. That time was just the two of us in our hot spring inn room. I spoke to my wife.
"It's nice to do something like this once in a while," I said.
She echoed my words. "Yeah, it's hard when the kids get older. We haven't had something like this in a while. Let's keep going on trips!"
"Hahaha," I laughed. "You just want to go on a trip, don't you?"
"Traveling is nice, but we want to stay a close couple like this even as we get older," she said.
It's rare for a couple to have such a serious conversation. As a couple spends more time together, they tend to become shy and have fewer opportunities to speak frankly.
"I feel the same way," I said.
We both smiled and spent some time in silence. It was a strange, peaceful, and warm atmosphere.
"I'm glad I married you," Noriko said softly.
I was too embarrassed to say anything. But I felt a surge of energy welling up inside me. I wanted our family to be this happy forever. I forgot everything and simply enjoyed our trip. Noriko and Mana were smiling the whole time, and for the first time in a long time, I felt the warmth of family. I was reminded of the good things about family. I've worked hard to protect this. It reminded me of that.
My doubts about my wife remained. But I'm sure we could return to our normal lives like this. Noriko's face today was truly beautiful and adorable. Thank you, Noriko, for being my wife.
The next day, we bought souvenirs and went to the safari park. Both Noriko and Mana were delighted, gazing at the animals outside the window. Noriko was as excited as a child, and Mana was as close as a friend to Noriko. She was scared in the lion area, opened the window in the zebra area, and held the tiger cubs with beaming smiles in her arms when they interacted with them.
After leaving the safari park, we drove home on the highway. Both Noriko and Mana were fast asleep in the car. They must have been exhausted after all that excitement. As we drove along the highway, I was truly satisfied that they were enjoying themselves to the fullest. It's fun things like this that make life interesting. Everyone was in high spirits and had a great time. We had a wonderful time, something only a family can have.
We arrived home in the evening. It was a relaxing two-day, one-night trip. Everyone was smiling, their faces saying they'd had a great time, and Akihiro said, "I wish I'd gone too." We talked about our trip while eating the sweets we'd bought as souvenirs. Me, Noriko, Mana, and Akihiro. These four are my proud family.
Mana will get married someday, and Akihiro will one day marry and become independent. I was once a child, too. Before I knew it, I'd grown up and fallen in love. We fell in love, we were united, welcomed new family members, experienced the struggles of raising children, had fun, experienced emotions, and were back together again. We share time together and grow old together. This trip made me realize once again that the most important thing in life is family. My precious children, my precious wife, those are the things I need to protect. That's where my happiness lies.
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