Tokyo Unnatural Forensics

Chapter 292, Hakone Bard

PS: This is the second update from yesterday. Sorry, I'm getting old, two updates a day with 7000 words is my limit!
After concluding their trip to the Ultra Seven store, Uesugi Muneyuki and his two companions officially began their Hakone adventure.

"As expected, the taste is just so-so," Miss Minami complained. "I probably won't come here a second time."

"Who comes to this restaurant for curry rice? Aren't they all here for Seven?" Uesugi Muneyuki shook his head and laughed. "Well, just consider it a little bit of my whim. Look, Erina is happy too."

"Mmm," Erena, who was driving, responded softly.

"Heh, you don't even need to ask her. Everyone knows her brain is already full of your ideas. She'll agree to whatever you say." Minami pouted and pinched Uesugi Muneyuki's cheek. "Alright, you're done being willful. Now it's my turn to be willful!"

“Okay, whatever you say, Miss Uesugi,” said Uesugi Muneyuki with a smile.

Not far away, the Enoshima Electric Train passed Yuigahama. The sea outside the window shimmered with a leaden gray light. Seagulls flew over the faded surfboard advertisements on the telephone poles. The air was filled with the scent of perfume worn by Minami and Erina, mixed with the moist, salty sea breeze.

There was some silence inside the car. Erina drove into the Hakone mountains. Mountain mist wove a milky veil at the foot of the Hayakusan Mountains. The Lexus drove through the maple forest, and the strong wind brought by the wheels stirred up a few falling red leaves.

We've arrived in Hakone.

This is a tranquil land. In late autumn, the mountains of Hakone are ablaze with fiery red. The peaceful trails are lined with withered branches and fallen leaves. Tourists stroll slowly along the shopping street. The shops and restaurants along the street seem to transport you back to the 1990s. The low-rise houses and the clear mountains and sea reflect the dim afternoon light, while most of the sky is still shrouded in dark clouds.

This place seemed to bring a sense of peace to people's hearts, and Uesugi Muneyuki stopped talking and focused on appreciating the beautiful scenery.

Japan is a major tourist destination, and tourism can even be considered a pillar industry of its economy, accounting for more than 7% of its GDP. Uesugi Muneyuki was always too busy with official duties to pay attention to other things, but this emergency leave made him realize that he had been neglecting many of the beautiful things around him in his daily life.

Maybe we can travel around sometime in the future... Uesugi Muneyuki thought to himself, bringing Minami Erena and Asuka along, or even Mai-senpai and Mikoto-nee, but that would probably turn into a party...

Regardless, he truly relaxed by enjoying the cool air and the beautiful scenery as he traveled through the mountains and forests.

Enjoy this moment.

The first stop on the trip for the three of them was the POLA Museum of Art, a place personally chosen by Ms. Minami. It is a box made of glass and concrete, lying quietly in the forest of Hakone. The museum was designed by Yasuda, a designer who focuses on the integration of humanistic and natural landscapes. Upon entering the museum, the huge floor-to-ceiling glass curtain walls on both sides allow an unobstructed view of the surrounding forest scenery, making one feel as if they are in an art gallery in the forest.

Light spills onto the museum floor, creating a warm artistic atmosphere. The museum displays paintings by Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso, and others, ranging from classical oil paintings to Impressionism and postmodernism.

Unfortunately, Uesugi Muneyuki didn't understand art very well. Like Erina, he just kept saying "good" without understanding why.

Miss Minami was very tolerant of these two guys who had no artistic talent. She quietly led them around the art museum while wearing canvas shoes. The three of them walked a short distance together on the mountain trail outside the art museum before heading to the next location.

Owakudani.

"Go, Muneyuki, you're in charge of buying the tickets!" Minami gave Uesugi Muneyuki a playful shove from behind. "Buy three tickets, adults, one private cable car!"

Uesugi Muneyuki rolled his eyes: "It's my day off today, can't I take a break?"

"Alright, alright~ You're the boss."

Miss Minami covered her mouth and chuckled, then obediently took the money and went to buy her ticket.

Erina was surprised. She took a few steps to Uesugi Muneyuki's side and whispered, "Why is the section chief being so easy to talk to today?"

“Because I’m a famous person.” Uesugi Muneyuki replied briefly, “You are too.”

Rena Ikeda raised an eyebrow, then blinked: "No, something feels wrong. I don't know why, but I don't think it's because of that."

"That's probably because she's a little nervous," Uesugi Muneyuki said with amusement. "Why is she nervous? It's hard to guess."

Upon hearing this, Ena Ikeda blushed and instinctively stuck out her tongue, no longer daring to answer. She could only stand silently beside Muneyuki Uesugi with her head down.

"You have to help me!" Minami's words still echoed in her ears, and she also recalled the Asukayama contract.

Erena knows she is greedy; she wants both her career and her man, and doesn't want to give up either. So, things are best as they are now. But now that she's actually at this point, she feels something is strange about it.

Every step she took was her own choice, and every step was the best outcome at the time, but why did it turn out this way?
How did she end up in Uesugi's bed by being tricked by the department head? How did she earnestly ask Uesugi to date her without marriage in mind? How did her brain short-circuit and agree to the Asukayama Treaty, which ended up being a three-way relationship?
Ugh~ Erina feels wronged.

She bit her lip slightly, stretched out her beautiful black-stockinged foot clad in leather boots, and lightly kicked Uesugi Muneyuki's trouser leg: "Uesugi, you... you can't leave me now that you have the section chief!"

ha? !

Uesugi Muneyuki is completely baffled by Erena's antics. What is this all about?
Oh, she probably misunderstood something.

My dear, tall, handsome, long-legged master, oh, this misunderstanding came at just the right time. He likes this kind of misunderstanding.

"Then it depends on your performance." Uesugi Muneyuki said with a mischievous smile, "What about what you promised me last time?"

"Mmm." Erina bit her lip and nodded slightly.

"Tickets bought!" Miss Minami returned with the tickets. She glanced curiously at the two whispering lovers, but didn't say anything more: "Let's go! Gates of Hell!"

It was afternoon, and there weren't many people on the cable car. The three of them sat together, enjoying the scenery of Owakudani.

As you cross the first hill, the smell of sulfur wafts in from below, and white smoke billows into the sky from the valley floor. The steam from the volcanic activity of this sacred mountain, the highest mountain in Hakone 3000 years ago, blots out the sun, resembling the gates of hell.

In the opposite direction, Fujidai in the distance was shrouded in mist, like a shy maiden about to bloom, her upper body enveloped in gloomy clouds, with only a ring of white snow visible below.

Minami, standing next to him, was intently watching the Gates of Hell below and Fuji-Dai in the distance, while Ikeda Erena was trying to cover her breath. A blush was faintly visible on her fair and beautiful face, and she was clenching her teeth as if she was enduring something.

Uesugi, do you really like stockings that much?
Since boarding the cable car, his hand has never left her stockinged thigh.

An overwhelming excitement surged through her body; the tall, beautiful woman felt as if her soul was singing aloud.

Wearing stockings next to him already aroused her, and just thinking about what would happen that night made Erena feel weak all over.

Just as she was thinking of using her charm to talk about it later that night, she suddenly heard that Miss Minami's breathing had also become heavy. The two women looked at each other in surprise and immediately understood what was going on.

So you also...

Hmph, then I won't pretend to be a lady anymore!

Reina Ikeda went straight to the heart of the matter, leaning on Muneyuki Uesugi's shoulder and wrapping her arms around his neck...

This time it was Minami's turn to snort, and she simply snuggled into Uesugi Muneyuki's arms and acted coquettishly.

And so, on the Owakudani Ropeway, amidst the thick smoke below and the smell of sulfur in the air, Uesugi Muneyuki, with women on either side, enjoyed the breathtaking scenery at the perilous peak.

However, the cable car ride was very short. About ten minutes later, the three of them arrived directly below Owakudani. White smoke and a strong smell of sulfur kept emanating from the layered crevices in the spectacular valley. Minami bought a large bag of black onsen eggs. Peeling off the black shells, the egg whites inside were white and tender. One bite revealed a sweet and delicious runny yolk.

"They say eating one of these black hot spring eggs can extend your life by 7 years, so if I eat three, I can extend my life by 21 years~" The young lady pretended to be clever, showing off the hot spring egg in small bites, and then stuffed the egg she had just taken a bite into Uesugi Muneyuki's mouth: "Here, I'll share half of my lifespan with you!"

Seeing this, Erena wasn't about to be outdone. She haphazardly peeled open a hot spring egg, took a big bite, and ignoring the heat, stuffed it into Uesugi Muneyuki's mouth as well: "I...I'll share with you too!"

"Hahahaha~" Uesugi Muneyuki's mouth was stuffed full of hot spring eggs, and he thought to himself, "How is it you guys who are sharing with me?"

At that time, I'll most likely be the one to share with you!
........................

In one day, I visited the Ultra Seven Curry Shop, the POLA Museum, and the Gates of Hell in Owakudani. That night, I stayed at the "Hakone Ginyu," one of the most luxurious hot spring inns in Hakone. The entire inn has only 15 rooms, and the room rate for two nights and three days is 30 yen, which is more than a month's salary for Erena Ikeda. This is even with a discount from the Superintendent General of Police.

The hotel was booked by Miss Minami, which made Uesugi Muneyuki think she was a real spendthrift.

However, when he entered the room led by the hotel hostess, his previous opinions vanished instantly.

The suite features a typical Japanese-style setting, with a bright and transparent twenty-tatami room. Three handmade washi paper lanterns hang in front of the high-ceilinged courtyard, and the unique bluish-gray luster of Odawara lacquerware sways between the lamplight and shadows.

The tatami mats are made of rush grass from the Izu Seven Islands, with the edges inlaid with Wajima-style gold-painted pear-shaped lacquer water patterns. On the low table is a kiln-transformed vase of "Onihagi" ware from Bizen ware, with a few sprigs of pampas grass and red maple leaves from Sengokuhara inserted at an angle.

Pushing open the shoji door, you'll find yourself on a cypress wood terrace extending to the edge of the cliff—a boat-shaped bathtub carved from a single piece of Yoshino cypress, suspended in mid-air. The spring water draws directly from a century-old secret hot spring of milky white sulfur. The edge of the bathtub is covered with a layer of coarsely fired pottery, and the mottled and bright moss and spring stains nearby, like an ancient scroll with a green lamp, slowly unfolding a rich historical atmosphere before Uesugi Sōsetsu.

Looking further into the distance, the mountains are ablaze with red leaves, and several vermilion torii-shaped pleasure boats float on Lake Ashi. The reflections on the lake are shattered by the ripples into fine gold foil. On the opposite shore, the first snow has fallen on Mount Fuji, and the mountain gradually turns indigo in the twilight, like an ancient ukiyo-e scroll.

The stream, carrying the lingering shadows of maple leaves, flows into the unknown depths. Occasionally, the crisp sound of deer trampling dry branches echoes through the mountains and forests. The wind chimes on the eaves of the hot spring inn tremble gently, sealing the last trace of autumn's warmth into the rising steam of the hot spring in front of you.

"Pfft~" Right behind him, Minami, holding Ikeda Erena's hand, said reproachfully, "Still admiring the scenery, Muneyuki-kun? Haven't you seen enough today?"

"Snap out of it! It's time to make your choice. Your next decision will determine whose route you'll join!" The Metropolitan Police Department's face was flushed, like the red leaves outside the window. "Hurry up and decide."

"Should we soak in the hot springs first, have dinner first, or...?"

(End of this chapter)