I finished the last of my swings for the day. I am a bit happy.

Because today is warm bath day!

Father and mother don’t care because they work less in the winter. But I stuck to my training every day, and I sweat a lot while doing it.

Of course, I can always take cold sponge baths like mother forces Jacen and Al to take when they are too dirty, but those are unpleasant.

I would rather have a hot bath every day.

But mother is always complaining on how much we need to work in order to have a single bath. It is true that the tub uses a lot of water and wood, but it isn’t her who have to work half a day to get those, so I don’t know why she complains so much.

It isn’t as if I am becoming soft either.

I will be a warrior in the future. I do not do ‘soft’.

But today is a good day.

I enter the house and see the family reunited at the table. It is dinner time already. I take my place.

“Ann, you smell”

Mother is being picky as always.

“You should take better care of yourself”

Even you father? What should I do if my cute brothers start picking on me as well because of how you are always doing it?

“That is right. Every day you are outside, sweating like a baker in the sun. Wouldn’t you go outside at least once a week? You don’t have any friends your age either.”

“I don’t need any friends. There is no one who likes the things I do anyways.”

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Mother makes a sad face. We have had this discussion many times before.

“Ann, listen to your mother. She wants the best for you.”

I know where this leads to. The best for me isn’t what I want for me. Let me change the topic.

“Are we having a warm bath today?”

Jacen rises his head, and even the small Al seems interested.

“Warm Bath?”

Thank you Jacen. You asked just the right question at just the right time.

“That is right. It is a warm bath. You probably don’t remember it, but you had one last year as well you know?”

“Really? How is it? How is the warm bath?”

“Oh, it is wonderful. The water is hot, and it makes you go ‘phuaaaaa’.”

“phuaaa?”

“Hahah, that is right.”

“Ann”

Father isn’t letting this go, is he…

“Yes father?”

“… forget it.”

He is back eating his fish and veggies.

Yes. It is my success after all!

“Ah, by the way, since I have to wash Al, why don’t you and your brother take the bath first? It will be the two of you, then I will wash him and lastly me and your father will wash each other’s backs”.

“Okay.”

I will be the first in the bath!

Today is a good day!