Swiping the card to enter the room, the warmth and that conspicuous big bed pulled the two of them back to reality once more.
“There’s still plenty of time.”
Watching the boy hurriedly take off his outerwear, Jiang Jian Yue quietly reminded him.
“Eh? Senpai, aren’t you going?”
Yuki Asahi asked in surprise.
“The LINE group said there’s a hot spring. They said it’s infinite, connected to Lake Toya. The scenery is beautiful.”
Jiang Jian Yue realized she had misunderstood, and shook her head lightly.
“There are too many people right now.”
Silly child, of course you should wait until there are fewer people to go!
Yuki Asahi walked into the bathroom, took off the rest of his clothes, put on the hotel-supplied yukata, took a deep breath, and abruptly pulled open the door.
The boy stood upright at the entrance, a loose white yukata tied at his waist.
The purple and blue arcs decorating the collar blurred like ink wash, making his still boyish face look even cleaner.
Maybe because he sensed Jiang Jian Yue’s gaze, he shifted his neck uncomfortably.
His fingertips unconsciously tightened the sash at his waist, eyes darting quickly to the floor beside him, a barely noticeable pink creeping up his ears.
He looks so youthful…
Jiang Jian Yue raised her phone and saved the photo in her album—a picture without any scenery, lacking composition or lighting, and not even high in pixel quality.
“Senpai, I-I’m going first, okay?”
“Mm.”
After Yuki Asahi left, Jiang Jian Yue stood up and went to the bar counter, brewed a cup of Darjeeling Black Tea, then sat on the lounge chair before the floor-to-ceiling glass doors.
In the darkness, she gazed at the snow-covered Mount Yotei and the island at the center of the lake in the distance.
Fine snow silently drifted onto the terrace before her eyes, and her heart relaxed completely.
—I wish I could live in a snowy place for the rest of my life.
This was an unrealistic fantasy for someone from the south.
She usually ignored the inconveniences brought by snowfall.
Flipping through her phone’s photo album, Jiang Jian Yue found that aside from pictures meant for animation references, they were all photos of Yuki Asahi.
“………..”
She returned to the camera, then turned on the front camera.
On the screen appeared a girl with fox-like beauty and a tense, somewhat cold expression.
She took a selfie, then slid her fingertip back and forth between her own photo and the picture of Yuki Asahi in a yukata.
She set her own photo as her profile picture.
In the end, almost possessed, she set Yuki Asahi’s photo as her lock screen wallpaper—her cheeks warmed, and she quickly changed it back.
Pressing the phone to her chest, Jiang Jian Yue sank deeply into the soft lounge chair, a light sigh escaping her lips.
The fatigue of a half-day journey crept in silently, and before she knew it, she drifted into sleep.
***
She didn’t know how much time had passed.
The tea on the small round table had long since grown cold.
Jiang Jian Yue woke with a start, grabbed her phone, and looked—
Six o’clock.
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she forgot about the cold tea and walked straight to the bathroom.
Her gaze swept over the clothes Yuki Asahi had changed out of and left beside the sink.
This guy… is he leaving them for me to wash?
She withdrew her gaze, removing her own clothes piece by piece and casually draping them over the sink as well.
She stepped into the shower, intending to rinse off quickly, but her eyes fell on the open-air Private Onsen.
Since I’m already here, why not try the Private Onsen first?
Her fingertip pressed the button on the wall, and the hot spring water gurgled into the pool.
Steam rose, carrying a faint sulfur scent and the fatigue of travel.
Jiang Jian Yue stepped barefoot into the slightly hot water, the warmth instantly enveloping her entire body, driving out the last bit of chill.
She slowly sank into the water, leaving only her shoulders and delicate collarbones exposed, letting out a satisfied sigh.
Her ashen-gray long hair spread behind her.
A cold wind blew, carrying fine snow above the Private Onsen. It melted instantly in the steam, forming a beautiful dividing line.
She closed her eyes, letting the heat seep into her bones, her tense nerves finally unwinding.
Her thoughts drifted far away, completely immersed in this rare tranquility and comfort, nearly forgetting the passage of time.
No wonder Japanese people love hot springs so much…
She didn’t know how long she soaked.
The water temperature had cooled slightly, and her skin was starting to wrinkle.
Only then did Jiang Jian Yue lazily open her eyes, intending to get up.
She stood, supporting herself on the smooth pool wall. Crystal droplets rolled down her bare skin, refracting delicate light under the hazy lamp.
She shook her damp long hair, stepped sideways onto the non-slip stone steps by the pool, completely unaware that she was exposed to the bedroom’s view—
The floor-to-ceiling glass wall separating the Private Onsen from the room was nearly transparent at that moment.
As her body left the water, wet hair clinging to her back, water trails flowing down—
“Click.”
A faint door-opening sound.
Just finishing his hot spring bath, refreshed, Yuki Asahi pushed open the bedroom door and walked in.
His face was still flushed from the bath, hair tips damp.
Almost as soon as he entered the entrance, his eyes instinctively swept the room.
Immediately, his steps froze in place, pupils contracting sharply.
Separated by that glass wall, their gazes met in midair, unobstructed.
“……….”
The air seemed to solidify.
The lazy comfort on Jiang Jian Yue’s face vanished instantly, replaced by a flash of shock.
It wasn’t entirely unfamiliar or shameful—after all, they had even hugged naked before.
But that had been a desperate act during a life-and-death battle.
Being stared at unguarded in a situation like this still brought a sense of being peeped at.
A mixed heat of embarrassment and indignation quickly flushed from her neck to her cheeks.
She didn’t scream or crouch down. She simply tensed for a few seconds, then continued walking toward the shower room.
Inside the shower room, there was no glass wall facing the bedroom.
Jiang Jian Yue let out a breath.
Then she was speechless at the hotel—
Why was there no curtain on the glass wall beside the Private Onsen!
Moreover, the Private Onsen was connected to the terrace. If Yuki Asahi walked onto the terrace, even the glass wouldn’t separate them.
She changed into a yukata, dried her hair, and walked out of the bathroom.
Her eyes swept over Yuki Asahi on the sofa and found that, contrary to her expectations, he didn’t shyly avert his gaze.
Instead, he watched her in the yukata with eager interest.
Though his cheeks were slightly flushed, Jiang Jian Yue couldn’t tell if it was embarrassment or the afterglow of the bath.
Her inner expectations for the little Chu Nan’s reaction were dashed, but before she could feel disappointed, she sensed his gaze growing hotter.
Hiss… What’s going on?
She felt a little flustered inside, and it seemed that Yuki Asahi had changed a bit after his trip to the hot spring.
“Soaking for so long?”
Jiang Jian Yue sat on the bed, asking softly.
“There was a Sauna Room. We were competing to see who could last longer.”
Yuki Asahi’s gaze seemed glued to her, unwilling to move.
I see…
Suddenly, Yuki Asahi stood up, walking over to Jiang Jian Yue.
His shadow instantly enveloped the girl’s petite figure.
Jiang Jian Yue lowered her head, avoiding Yuki Asahi’s pressing gaze, her sense of unease intensifying.
What’s going on?
What is this guy planning to do?