The rolling snow-covered hills stretched across the coniferous forest, drawing cold and lonely lines beneath the sky.
Occasionally, a solitary pine pierced the silver white, a stubborn dot in the monotony.
The highway bus moved smoothly along the winding mountain road.
Outside the window, the snowfall was heavier than in the city, making the snowy scenery even more beautiful.
Kaori Onishi held up a selfie stick, trying hard to frame the majestic snowy landscape outside the window, whispering excitedly.
Jiang Jian Yue glanced at the stick stretching into the aisle and instinctively leaned toward the window, avoiding the possible shooting angle.
She pulled up her scarf, her fingertips rubbing the edge of her shoulder bag, red eyes habitually scanning the carriage dyed in blue.
Saori Saiyonji sat beside her in the aisle seat, body slightly tense.
He lowered his head, fingers flying over the phone screen, then discreetly angled it toward Jiang Jian Yue.
“Lord Jiang, this bus feels off.”
As mentioned earlier, Saori Saiyonji always trusted his intuition—though yesterday’s awkward incident proved his instincts could fail.
Jiang Jian Yue didn’t reply immediately, just nodded lightly in acknowledgment.
Then, she naturally stood up.
As if just stretching after sitting too long, her gaze calmly swept the entire carriage.
All young and middle-aged adults. No elders, no children, not even obvious families traveling together.
The passengers’ ages clustered between twenty and forty—something that could be called a coincidence.
Yet, after leaving Sapporo and passing through several famous spots and resort stations like Jozankei, Mountaineering Onsen, and Rusutsu, not a single person got off?
Everyone’s destination seemed to point to the terminal—Lake Toya.
This was extremely unusual for a tourist bus!
Jiang Jian Yue noticed that these people either had their eyes closed in rest or looked quietly out the window, rarely talking or taking photos.
Their postures were relaxed, yet faintly carried…vigilance?
She sat back down, then typed in her notes: “Soldiers.”
Not Self-Defense Force soldiers from a peaceful nation, but most likely soldiers who’d seen blood.
Jiang Jian Yue pulled an Invisibility Wristwatch from her storage space and put it on.
The last bit of energy—best to use it well.
Saori Saiyonji bit his lip, feeling tense and uneasy throughout the ride.
In the end, nothing happened until they got off at the terminal.
Watching those people scatter in neat formation after disembarking, the six-person group exchanged glances.
“What was that? Those definitely weren’t tourists, right?”
Kaori Onishi asked quietly.
“Alright, alright, just ignore those suspicious types. Maybe it was some company outing? Each one moving like a robot.”
Koji Hattori said, pulling luggage from the compartment.
He’d already guessed those people’s identities, but chose not to say it aloud to avoid ruining the kids’ trip.
“That’s our hotel over there.”
Yuki Asahi stared gloomily at his phone, then raised his hand to point not far away.
Everyone followed his gaze.
There stood a low-key hotel, its exterior a mix of earthy yellow and deep brown, decorated in a modern style.
“Wow, a three-star hotel. Asahi-kun must have splurged…”
Kaori Onishi moved closer to him, peeking at his phone screen—whether to see the hotel’s description or just to be near Yuki Asahi, it was unclear.
“It’s alright, it’s alright.”
The group stepped through soft snow, crunching as they crossed the road.
Jiang Jian Yue walked at the back, her scarf almost covering half her face, holding a camera and framing the group ahead.
Click—
The hotel’s entrance was thick dark wood, yet swung open silently as the attendant pushed it.
The warmth of roasted wood and fragrant air swept in, instantly banishing the outdoor cold.
The corridor leading to the lobby was narrow but tall, perfectly framing the gray-blue Lake Toya beside them into a deep, moving oil painting.
“Uwah…”
Yamanoi Yayoi couldn’t help but gasp softly, wrapped in the scene and warmth, her tension easing.
Click, click——
Jiang Jian Yue became an emotionless photo machine, capturing every beautiful sight and every beautiful age, storing it all in the CG Storage.
There was still some time before check-in.
Koji Hattori and Yuki Asahi went to handle things together—since Koji Hattori joined, things got complicated:
Originally, Yuki Asahi had reserved one double room and one triple room—this hotel had no singles.
But with one more person added, everything changed.
After some negotiation, Yuki Asahi successfully swapped rooms with a pair of travelers during check-in.
Then Koji Hattori used Money Power to free up another double room, even though the hotel was full.
But this led to a new problem—how to divide the rooms?
Three men, three women. Someone would end up sharing a room with the opposite sex.
Koji Hattori even ran to the hotel next door, but that one was full of tour groups—no empty rooms there.
He tried to use Money Power with a guest—only to be mistaken for a creep and kicked out by the hotel staff.
“Should I just stay farther away?”
Koji Hattori returned, defeated.
“No way… We came here to have fun together, we should stay together.”
Saori Saiyonji sat on the sofa, arms crossed.
“Yeah, yeah.”
Yamanoi Yayoi quickly agreed.
“Hurry up and decide…I’m starving…”
Kaori Onishi chewed on a free snack, rubbing her stomach.
The group had rushed with transfers, so now everyone was starving.
Suddenly, Koji Hattori brightened up.
“Then let’s draw lots!”
“Since two people have to share with the opposite sex anyway, drawing is the fairest!”
Jiang Jian Yue, holding her camera to capture Lake Toya outside, suddenly felt a chill down her back and looked around.
Strange? Why did she feel like someone was plotting something?
“Sounds good!”
A look of anticipation flashed on Kaori Onishi’s face—if only she could share a room with Yuki Asahi…
Yamanoi Yayoi had no objections.
The three men present were all older than her, either like older brothers or uncles.
Plus, at the homestay, she’d already enjoyed a single room.
Saori Saiyonji touched his chin, looked at Koji Hattori, hesitated, then fell silent.
For some reason…he suspected Koji Hattori would “cheat.”
But with no proof, and after the last incident, he didn’t dare raise his voice in the group.
Koji Hattori pulled out several identical slips of paper from somewhere, borrowed a pen from the front desk, scribbled, then balled them up.
“The rules are simple. Two slips with ‘wheel,’ four blank. Draw once. If both ‘wheel’ slips are with the same gender, redraw.”
He shook the slips in his hand, then spread them out.
“Who’s first?”
Saori Saiyonji raised his hand first and picked a slip—he just wanted to check in quickly.
He opened it: “wheel.”
Yamanoi Yayoi grabbed a slip at random: blank.
Kaori Onishi swallowed nervously, choosing a slip as Koji Hattori smiled, as if saying: “Pick any you want.”
Saori Saiyonji was curious about his trick but found no flaws.
Kaori Onishi finally picked a slip, heart pounding: Please! Please don’t be ‘wheel’!
Opened it: blank!
Great! Still hope—so long as Yuki Asahi doesn’t pick ‘wheel’!
Joy was written all over the girl’s face, making Saori Saiyonji a little depressed.
Yuki Asahi took a slip, opened it, then exhaled: “Blank.”
“Missy?”
Now Yuki Asahi tensed up—please, don’t let Senior Jiang end up sharing a room with another guy!
Saori Saiyonji grew more depressed.
Jiang Jian Yue pointed her camera at the group, then casually picked a slip and let Koji Hattori show it to everyone: blank.
Yuki Asahi let out a long sigh of relief.
Koji Hattori cheerfully opened the last slip.
“Saiyonji-kun, looks like we’re roommates.”
What’s with the acting, old man!
Saori Saiyonji had already predicted the result, so he wasn’t surprised—he just yawned.
“Let’s keep going.”
Koji Hattori rewrote four slips, shook them in his hand.
“Who’s first?”
Yamanoi Yayoi took one: wheel.
This time, Yuki Asahi snatched one before Kaori Onishi, opened it: blank.
Koji Hattori closed his palm, shook it again, still smiling.
“One person left. Whoever draws decides!”
“Me, me, me!”
Kaori Onishi quickly raised her hand, staring at the last two slips, hesitating.
Finally, she picked the right one, took a deep breath—please, let it be blank!
She opened it, face falling, lips trembling.
“Fine… Comrade Onishi will obey the group’s arrangements.”
No need to draw further—her expression said it all.
Behind Kaori Onishi, Yuki Asahi glanced at the ‘wheel’ written on her slip, excitement and joy nearly spilling from his throat.
NICE!
The goddess of victory really is on my side!
Koji Hattori watched Yuki Asahi’s face flush with excitement and chuckled inwardly.
Kid, you should thank me!
“………..”
Jiang Jian Yue stuffed the camera back into her bag without looking at Yuki Asahi, staring instead at Koji Hattori.
She kept staring until his scalp tingled, then finally looked away.
Hah! Clever little fox.
After checking in, the group took the hotel elevator up.
Because the hotel was full, their rooms were on different floors.
Kaori Onishi and Yamanoi Yayoi left the elevator first, the girl looking back at the closing doors with reluctance, then turning away with tears—though she didn’t actually cry, she was still in good spirits.
She just didn’t know someone had cheated.
Saori Saiyonji and Koji Hattori, the male group, left next.
As the elevator doors closed behind them, Saori Saiyonji couldn’t help but ask:
“How did you do it?”
“What did I do? What are you talking about?”
Koji Hattori played dumb as always.
***
Inside the elevator, the two were silent.
Yuki Asahi still hadn’t come down from the high—though they’d already shared a room before, and even a bed once.
The elevator reached the seventh floor.
They found their room, entered, and both froze.
A cold glint flashed in Jiang Jian Yue’s eyes.
You said double room, not double bed!
Koji Hattori!
KOJI MY MAN DAB ME UP