Chapter 122: Warming Up Again… Only My Hands Are Cold

“Senpai, what are you doing!”

Kaori Onishi’s voice was panicked as she hurriedly stepped back a few paces.

She hugged her arms tightly, her expression a bit odd.

“Uh…Senpai, seriously, don’t get too close!”

“Same with holding hands before— I was just focused on my stomach!”

“Doesn’t Senpai know you can’t just hold hands on the street?”

Kaori Onishi’s gaze was strange.

Jiang Jian Yue couldn’t quite describe it, but it felt oddly familiar.

“………..?”

Is this really that intimate?

Jiang Jian Yue tilted her head in confusion, casually stuffed the wet wipe back into her pocket, and tossed it into the Storage Space.

Japanese trash cans are rare—people usually carry their garbage with them.

Kaori Onishi, for once, showed some human understanding and caught the confusion in Jiang Jian Yue’s eyes.

She immediately realized Jiang Jian Yue didn’t seem to notice anything wrong with her actions.

She fidgeted and explained, “Holding hands on the street… people will think it’s… you know… yuri…”

Jiang Jian Yue suddenly understood and felt a bit speechless.

She’d almost forgotten that in Japan— well, not just Japan, but most countries— if two people of the same gender hold hands in public, it’s automatically considered HOMO— especially if they’re about the same age.

In Old China, holding hands with the same gender on the street doesn’t carry any special meaning.

Of course, adult men linking arms is a bit weird.

You foreigners are such a hassle.

When it comes to openness, you’re not even on par with my hometown.

Jiang Jian Yue wasn’t bothered by physical contact— if she were, she wouldn’t have held Yuki Asahi’s hand so easily on the plane.

Besides, she believed that as an adult, it’s only right to look after kids.

Compared to holding hands, her action was more like forcibly dragging Kaori Onishi along.

“Senpai, I really don’t like women, so stop testing me! I only like Yuki-kun!”

Kaori Onishi shouted, her voice carrying far along the empty riverside.

Jiang Jian Yue held her camera, looked at the approaching four-person group, and her lips twitched slightly.

Maru spicy!

Kaori Onishi noticed Jiang Jian Yue staring behind her, her eyes flickering strangely.

She spun around abruptly, and the four varied expressions of the group filled her sight.

Especially Yuki Asahi, whose face turned pale— after hearing those words, his expression shifted several times in an instant.

“Eh?”

Kaori Onishi’s cheeks instantly reddened from her neck to her ears, turning her into a steaming princess.

That panicked “confession” was like a nuclear blast, leaving nothing but ashes behind.

“Ugh—!!”

A short whimper escaped her throat.

She covered her face with both hands, unable to look in Yuki Asahi’s direction.

Ignoring her weakened body, she dashed along the riverside path.

“Onishi-chan!”

Yamanoi Yayoi cried out, her worry instantly overpowering her earlier shock, and she chased after her almost by instinct.

A blue figure followed the red one, their footsteps crunching in the snow and quickly fading around the corner.

The sudden turn of events left the remaining group rooted in place, the sound of wind and snow the only thing brushing their ears.

Koji Hattori was the first to break the silence.

He strode over to Jiang Jian Yue and spoke in a low voice.

“Homo?”

Jiang Jian Yue kicked him.

“Go after them.”

“Roger!”

Koji Hattori tossed aside the homo-or-not question for the moment and ran off in the direction the two had disappeared.

Saori Saiyonji’s gaze shifted between the two of them, and then, realizing her “leaker” status made it unwise to linger, she hurried after Koji Hattori.

Only two people remained at the bridgehead.

“Not going?”

Jiang Jian Yue asked flatly, lowering her head to check the camera again to see if any of the shots were usable.

Tsk…Guess I’ll have to rely on Photoshop.

Yuki Asahi took a deep breath, the cold wind from Hokkaido seeping into his chest and making him feel stiff.

“Didn’t Senpai stay too?”

He opened his mouth, his jaw trembling and teeth chattering, probably from the cold.

Going there as the person involved would only make things worse for her.

Yuki Asahi, you really don’t understand a girl’s feelings.

“Shall we head back?”

The minshuku wasn’t far from here, just a ten-minute walk.

Jiang Jian Yue started walking, and the distance between them slowly closed.

Even though her eyes were fixed on the camera, she could sense that Yuki Asahi was still standing in place, facing her.

She looked up and immediately noticed the slight redness in Yuki Asahi’s eyes— was it from the cold?

She shoved the camera back into her crossbody bag (Storage Space), then pulled out the hand warmer she’d just been using and, standing on tiptoe in her long boots, smacked it against Yuki Asahi’s face.

“Don’t freeze…ugh!”

Jiang Jian Yue’s words of concern were cut off as her arm was suddenly grabbed.

She felt herself being pulled closer.

Yuki Asahi’s hand slid up her arm like a snake, finally gripping her palm— the hand warmer tumbled from their entwined fingers into the snow below.

“Senpai…why did you lie to me?”

The boy’s voice trembled, as if he was struggling not to cry.

What the hell did I do now?

The goodwill Jiang Jian Yue had gained earlier— for easing her negative emotions thanks to Yuki Asahi— evaporated instantly, replaced by stifled annoyance.

Teenagers are such a pain!

But as a responsible adult, Jiang Jian Yue quickly calmed herself.

Getting mad at a kid was too embarrassing.

She spoke softly.

“What’s wrong?”

“If you like girls—if you like Onishi—why did Senpai give me hope?”

Huh?

Jiang Jian Yue frowned, feeling that something was off.

Her mind raced.

When did I say I liked girls?

Wait, when did I say I liked Onishi?

Of course I’m straight—it’s just that Kaori Onishi isn’t my type!

Jiang Jian Yue quickly realized someone must have said something.

She mentally replayed the group’s formation a few hours ago.

Yuki Asahi and Koji Hattori at the front, Yamanoi Yayoi behind them, she and Kaori Onishi behind her, and at the very end…

Saori Saiyonji!

You traitorous cross-dresser!

A glint of sharpness flashed in Jiang Jian Yue’s eyes.

Then she looked at Yuki Asahi, who was still waiting for her answer, and her gaze softened.

Well…

Rather than beating around the bush, it’s better to speak plainly.

Such a good kid—deserves praise.

Extra points.

Jiang Jian Yue chose her words carefully.

“It’s just a misunderstanding. I’m heterosexual.”

Another truthful lie—Jiang Jian Yue’s self-identity was male, after all.

“Misunderstanding?”

You could clearly feel the boy’s body tense, then his hand released hers, revealing eyes shimmering with tears and a hint of grievance.

“Really?”

Wow…

Is it really that serious?

Jiang Jian Yue narrowed her eyes and nodded solemnly.

“Misunderstanding.”

“I…don’t care…holding hands with someone…it doesn’t mean that…”

The grip on her hand gradually loosened.

Yuki Asahi’s face showed confusion and embarrassment.

So that’s the aftereffect of clearing up a misunderstanding—

Wait, did he really trust her that much?

Finding out that she and Kaori Onishi held hands, he used this forceful way to grip her hand too…

How adorable…

Jiang Jian Yue bent down, picked up the hand warmer— now deformed from the heat— and held it in her palm.

She then turned, closed the gap between herself and Yuki Asahi, and naturally intertwined their fingers.

“Let’s warm up again…it’s only the hands that are cold.”

Jiang Jian Yue tilted her head to look up at the boy, the gentle smile she remembered from the commuter train reappearing on her face.

She didn’t expect to use it so soon.

Or maybe, because not much time had passed, Jiang Jian Yue could still remember how to smile.

Yuki Asahi pressed his lips together, his face turning red as he felt the warmth from the hand warmer—or maybe the Senpai’s palm— and lowered his head.

“I’m sorry…for doubting Senpai…really sorry.”

Eh? You’re not even going to make a pun about it?

So boring.

“Don’t apologize.”

Jiang Jian Yue glanced ahead at the small noodle shop where they ate lunch.

“I hate people who are always…apologizing.”

“Okay.”

Click!

A passing tourist, searching for a beautiful scene with a camera, suddenly noticed the hand-holding pair on the bridge.

Snow-covered stone, fluttering flakes swirling around the two.

The moment was captured forever.

People are the soul of a landscape.

***

In the end, it’s true—a hand warmer is best used when squished in your palm.

On their way back to the minshuku, neither spoke, their attention focused on the increasingly heated sensation in their hands.

Jiang Jian Yue thought:

Would it be bad to let go first?

What if this kid starts overthinking again?

Given his stats, it’s unlikely he’d feel the heat—otherwise, he wouldn’t be so calm—damn, can’t lose to him here.

Otherwise, I’d seem too weak for an adult.

I’ll endure!

Yuki Asahi thought:

It’s so hot, uuuu…

But it’s a rare chance to hold Senpai’s hand.

How could I let go so easily…

Why is the minshuku already in sight?

Why is this road so short?

So hot! So soft! So hot! So soft!

I’ll endure!

Far away in Tokyo, Morita Ao sneezed, rubbed his nose in confusion, and looked out at the white clouds.

Hokkaido is really cold…

Luckily, our specially designed hand warmers are super powerful!

No way the young lady will freeze!

I’m so thoughtful!

At the minshuku’s entrance, which only allowed one person through at a time, the two finally let go.

Jiang Jian Yue tossed the hand warmer into the Storage Space, hid her hands behind her back, and struck a girlish pose—secretly rubbing her palms together, of course.

“You first.”

Yuki Asahi nodded, shoved one hand in his pocket, pushed the door open, and held it for Jiang Jian Yue.

They returned to their rooms.

Jiang Jian Yue quickly stuck her scalded hand out the window, and a gust of wind blew the steam from rapid recovery back into her face.

It smelled like Kobe.

Damn Morita Ao, what kind of triple-dead hand warmer did you give me—so hot!

Yuki Asahi went to the bathroom, turned on the cold water, and stared at his palm in a daze.

Hmm…forget it.

His reddened hand trembled slightly, and he flexed his fingers—clearly still savoring the memory of a girl’s soft touch.

Maybe I shouldn’t wash my hands ever again.

Yuki Asahi quietly turned off the faucet.

Sorry for wasting water!