"Cas~! Guess what was on sale!" Ai says as she enters the house.

She had recently cut her hair to her shoulders in a bob cut, citing the summer weather as her reason, but I couldn't help but think it was another way to distinguish herself from her past fakeness.

Either way, while she was cute with any hairstyle, this one gave her an aura of... innocence, if you could call it that, while at the same time enhancing the aura of motherhood she had begun radiating recently.

I don't know if it just took some time to get used to the difficulties of raising children that were not Aqua and Ruby, or if Freya and Amethyst's growth had lessened the load, but she was much... softer now.

Speaking of the twin girls, they had turned two a few weeks ago and could now easily climb up the stairs on their own, which while being a wonderful milestone of growth, was also very... difficult.

But I guess I should answer my wife, huh?

Even though her pouting face was adorable.

"What'd you get, sweetie?" I ask.

"Now hold on. Why did you take so long to answer? Oho~? Were you perhaps enchanted by my feminine beauty once again~?" Ai then does a little twirl, causing the hem of her skirt to rise up.

So dark blue today, huh?

Nice.

"Well... you know I'm a slave to your charms." I respond.

Ai's eyes widen slightly before she turns her head away.

"Mhmm? That so~" She says.

While she said that very nonchalantly, from the way she was twirling a strand of hair with her finger and the slight red coating her ears, it seemed my Ai was a little embarrassed.

Even though she had long gotten used to them, she still had a weakness for my sincere compliments.

...How cute.

"Ahem! So! I got some wagyu beef, so I'm going to get started on dinner, so just make sure Freya and Amethyst don't do anything crazy."

She then escapes to the kitchen, leaving me to sit on the couch alone.

Speaking of those two... where were they?

Leaning up, I glance out the window into the backyard, just in time to see a streak of purple touch the horizon, before quickly falling back down to earth.

Haa... what were those kids doing?

Getting back onto my feet, I make my way over to the back door before opening it, revealing the scene of Ruby pushing her two little sisters on the swings I had installed, both two-year-olds giggling wildly under the setting sun.

A super heartwarming scene.

So heartwarming, I wanted to take a picture of it and hang it on the wall.

...That was only if Ruby wasn't pushing them so hard they reached six feet in the air, of course.

"Just what are you three doing?" I ask.

"Huh? What do you mean, Papa? I'm pushing them on the swing!"

I can see that, dear daughter.

Seeing that Ruby kept pushing them as if my entrance had never happened, it seemed she didn't get what I was worried about.

"Ruby, sweetie, you can't push them that high. They're too young to be able to catch themselves if they fall and their bodies are very fragile."

""Aww... unfair!"" All three of them say in sync... somehow.

As Ruby stops the littles' momentum, I am then greeted by three begging expressions.

"Please, Papa? More?" Freya then says.

Smirking at her cuteness, I kneel down in front of them.

"And why is that? You know it's dangerous, right?" I ask.

"It's fun!" Amethyst answers.

The other two nod their heads in agreement.

"'Fun', you say..."

The three's expressions turn into ones of worry as my smile deepens.

"Don't worry, my sweet daughters... dinner will be ready soon, so I can definitely keep you three excited in the meantime... you just have to get away from the tickle monster!"

Freya and Amethyst try to escape their swing prisons to no avail, while Ruby is a step too late to avoid my grasp.

Scooping up all three, I place them onto my shoulder as I tickle their sides before spinning in a circle, their laughter and screams mixing together.

Thinking back... I don't have any memories of fun times like these.

My childhood was bleak, focused on surviving into the next day in the poor orphanage while trying to get my muddled memories straight.

After that, was training.

Training, training, and more training.

And then the Knight and Hero work, killing all the monsters, saving the world... I didn't really ever have time off, nor did I have any cherished memories like this.

But for my children, I swore to myself I would give them happy, fulfilling childhoods, brimming with so many joyful memories that no matter where they were in the future, they could look back on the memories of their past with a smile.

So, even if something like this was relatively inconsequential, and held little to no importance as their growth as people... I adored these moments.

For me, someone who had not been able to live the 'slow' life with a loving family, they were truly special.

Finally freeing them of their torture, I lower them to the ground as they stumble over their feet, all three eventually dropping onto the grass with their eyes swimming.

...Maybe I took it a bit too far.

But seeing their giddy smiles, I didn't think it was too bad.

Leaving the three to put themselves back together, I head back inside while thinking about what to do this weekend.

With Ruby and her idol training that would eventually become actual idol work, Aqua with his acting, and Freya and Amethyst who would soon have their own hobbies, times when everyone is together would soon become a rare commodity.

So Ai and I made a family rule.

Every weekend, we would do one family activity, whether it was a small thing like bowling or a big thing like a trip to Hokkaido, it didn't matter, we just had to do something.

So for this weekend... maybe camping?

I've heard that there are some nice spots around Tokyo.

"Honey, when is Aqua coming home?" Ai asks me, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Huh? He should be coming back soon. Gotanda said he wouldn't keep him long." I respond.

"Hmm~ He'll miss dinner at this rate. Can't you call him?" Ai asks.

"Nah. He always turns his phone off during filming."

Yes, Aqua was about to be in his third movie, this time being under a different director for the first time.

After Gotanda's last film, a friend of his reached out asking for Aqua's contact, as he was impressed by his talent.

It was a fantasy action genre, if I remember correctly.

Anyway, I had already warned Gotanda that, while I appreciated him teaching Aqua about the industry, I wouldn't want my son taking on too much work as a kid, and I knew he had taken my warning to heart, so I wasn't too worried.

I had already signed the papers allowing Gotanda to be Aqua's guardian, at least for acting.

This was so I or Ai wouldn't have to come watch him each time he was on set.

While we both had no problems with watching him, of course, Freya and Amethyst absolutely would, and we couldn't exactly leave those two at home by themselves just yet.

Just then, the door opens, revealing a familiar set of messy blonde hair.

Speak of the devil.

"I'm home."

"Welcome home, sweetie!"

Ai then runs up to Aqua before engulfing him in a hug, rubbing her cheek against his.

"M-Mama, please stop." Aqua pleads.

"Nope~!"

It doesn't work.

Sorry, Aqua.

No matter how much you look at me like that, I can't do anything against your mother's love.

"Mama, isn't something on the stove right now? I can hear it sizzling." Aqua tries a new angle of escape.

"But you've been gone all day! Mama needs to recharge her Aqua battery!"

It doesn't work.

Ai keeps Aqua in her hold for another solid minute before she eventually lets go.

Deciding to sit down at the table until dinner was ready, I was about to go through my emails before Aqua sat down across from me, his eyes narrowed in seriousness.

"Cassius." He says.

"Yes...?" I respond slowly.

That is indeed my name.

"Could I... ask you for something?"

----- Aqua POV -----

I had gotten invested in a character yet again.

This time, I was one of many supporting members of the cast, rather than last time when I was one of the main three.

The film was set in a fantasy setting, and without getting into the specifics, I was... a hobbit.

According to Gotanda, his director friend was having trouble finding an actor who fit this role, as it needed a small, childish stature while also requiring them to be able to act well beyond their years.

Now, there were other child actors who could do it, but there came a few problems with that.

First, child actors with that much ability were costly, even if it was just a supporting role.

Second, child actors who are that skilled are looking to cash in on their current talent or grow their brand, so they would never accept a supporting role in a production without any 'hype' like this one.

And various other problems I could get into.

But basically, unless they wanted to resort to CG, they would need to cut out the character.

And that was where I came in, in all my mature, childish, supporting role glory.

It was my first time working under someone other than the director, so I was a little worried, but it all worked out in the end.

Turns out, since child labour laws are so strict and monitored, child actors are treated pretty damn well as no one wants a lawsuit, or worse, prison time.

But, just as we had begun the second to last day of filming... there had been a problem.

And a big one at that.

In the final scene, the main character finally slays the dragon that is threatening to destroy the world.

It was the crux of the plot, where the main character goes finally gets closure on all the trouble he went through, and lights the path for future generations.

The only problem was that the stunt double that had been hired for the scene had gotten an injury the day before, leaving everyone scrambling for what to do.

It was too late to cut it, it was too late to find another stunt double, and the actor for the main character couldn't do the physically intensive work.

It was a disaster.

Thinking back on the grieving director...

'Dammit! Of course this happens last minute! Haa... I guess this is what I get for putting this off for last. But shit! How the hell am I going to get a stunt double that can use a sword this late..."

And then, a lightbulb went off in my head.

Someone who can wield a sword... someone with a muscular build... and considering the storyline...

I knew exactly who to ask for help.

I didn't know why I was so invested in something like this.

I mean, the me from a year ago would have just shrugged it off and went on with my life like nothing happened.

I didn't owe anything to a director I hardly knew, and this film would probably just barely make a profit.

But... perhaps I just thought it was a shame.

I had worked hard at perfecting my lines... perfecting the emotions my character felt... and the story was good if not a bit clichè.

So it would be a shame for the film to falter at the last, critical point.

"Could you... try acting with me?" I ask.

Cassius' eyes widen in response.

----- Cassius POV -----

"Haa..."

Releasing a deep sigh, I look up at the starless sky, the cool night breeze keeping me at a comfortable temperature.

 "Are you still thinking about what Aqua asked?" Ai says from my side.

With the kids in bed, Ai and I decided to cuddle together on the outdoor couch and relish in each other's warmth.

With Aqua and Ruby starting to grow a bit more, I realized just how small Ai was as a woman.

She was the perfect size to hug, like a big teddy bear.

"Yeah. I don't mind doing it, especially since he seems so invested in the product, I'm just wondering how much is acceptable for me to reveal. Don't wanna start being called a superhuman or something." I respond.

"What~, you don't wanna brag about your skills? Not even a little~?" Ai teases.

"Nah. There's only a certain set of skills I would ever feel like bragging about." I respond with a smirk.

I then let the hand I was resting on her thigh rise up towards her skirt, my fingers gently brushing across her crotch.

"Cas! Y-You horndog!" Ai says with a blush.

While she was saying that, I knew she didn't mind it as she didn't stop my hand.

In fact, it was quite the opposite, as I could feel her body pushing against my touch.

"We haven't had much time together, have we?" I whisper into her ear.

She nods in response.

"W-Well the kids need their parents, right? So it's not too bad..." She responds.

"You're right. But Aqua and Ruby can watch the littles for a night. So how about tomorrow, I take you on a nice date. And afterwards, we can check into a love hotel. You know what happens after, right?" I say.

She shivers in response.

"J-Jeez. How did it end up like this..." She whines.

"Come on, don't even try to say you don't like it." I respond.

Looking into her eyes, I can see that glassy, dazed look I've come to adore.

But then, a moment later, she snaps out of her trance and pushes my hand away.

"Enough. We can do that... tomorrow. Now come on, there's still dishes to put away." She says before getting up.

Haa... yeah, she was right. 

While that was fun, I suppose we should clean up and get to bed.

But tomorrow... 

Well, that'd be a different story.