Hancheng: There is a door between me and the future

Chapter 329 The Trick of "Little Potato" (Please Subscribe and Vote)

Having decided to buy this simply yet uniquely designed house in Chiyoda Ward, Lin Xiuyuan and his companions had successfully completed their main task for the day.

However, after completing the task, everyone was somewhat lost and didn't know what to do next.

You said let's head home and rest now, but it seems like you're still a little unsatisfied.

After all, it's a rare opportunity for everyone to come out together, so we can't just look at the room and leave.

We're about to go out and have some fun, but the rain outside the window is still drizzling, showing no sign of stopping.

In this kind of weather, if you walk outside for just a few minutes, your shoes and trouser legs will probably be soaked through, and the sticky feeling is definitely not comfortable.

So in this situation, a subtle feeling of "not wanting to go back like this, but not knowing where to go" suddenly spread through the carriage.

So, after getting back on the bus, everyone started a lively discussion about where to go next.

First, Park Jiyeon made the suggestion, and the little dragon cub said with great energy, "Unnie, since we have nowhere to go and don't want to go back, let's go exercise. I know there are a few indoor sports venues nearby, such as gyms, badminton courts or tennis courts, which are all indoors, so we don't have to worry about getting wet in the rain."

Before she could finish speaking, Ham Eun-jung rejected her without hesitation, "No, Ji-yeon, we rarely get a day off, especially on a rainy day like this, which is perfect for sleeping. Can't we find a quiet place to lie down or rest? I really don't want to work up a sweat."

After Park Jiyeon's suggestion was rejected, Park Hyomin followed up with a relatively quiet suggestion.

"How about we find a nice coffee shop to sit in? We can have some coffee, read a book, or just chat. Doesn't a rainy day go well with a coffee shop?"

This suggestion, full of petit-bourgeois sentiment, made Lin Xiuyuan smile and glance at Xian Enjing next to him, and suddenly teased her.

"Eun-jung, look at this, this is the real artistic style, the petit-bourgeois charm. You really only learned half of it, you haven't finished learning."

Lin Xiuyuan's words seemed to have stirred up some memories for Ham Eunjung, possibly related to being drunk.

That night, when her attempt to deceive Lin Xiuyuan was quickly exposed, still left her cheeks slightly flushed.

So she glared at him, annoyed, and said, "Get lost!"

In the midst of their bickering, Goo Hara, who had spent the most time in Japan and was quite familiar with Tokyo's entertainment scene, offered a new and rather tempting suggestion.

"Since you don't want to exercise, but also don't want to just sit around, how about we go soak in a hot spring? It's been raining and a bit chilly these past few days, wouldn't it be nice to warm up in a hot spring and get rid of the dampness?"

Upon hearing the suggestion, Shirley was the first to raise her hand in agreement, her eyes sparkling. "Sure, I agree, unnie. I haven't been to a hot spring in ages."

But then she couldn't help but wonder, "Are there any real hot springs in downtown Tokyo?"

Lin Xiuyuan nodded in agreement with Shirley's suspicions, "Yeah, a hot spring in the city sounds a bit dubious. Could it be one of those places that just uses boiler water to heat up and then pretends to be one?"

Faced with their questions, Goo Hara smiled and leaned over from the back seat, gently tapping Lin Xiuyuan's arm in the driver's seat.

Then he leaned between the backrests of the driver's and passenger's seats and whispered, "I've been there with my friends before. It's not boiler water; it's a real natural hot spring. Although it may not be as famous as those hot springs deep in the mountains, the water quality is absolutely guaranteed."

"Where is it?" Park Jiyeon asked curiously.

“There’s one in Nerima Ward, one in Odaiba, and then…” Goo Hara paused, then said a place that instantly made Lin Xiuyuan perk up, “There’s one in Akihabara too.”

"Wait!!" Lin Xiuyuan turned around abruptly, almost bumping into Goo Hara who was standing right next to him. His face was filled with shock and disbelief. "Akihabara? Is this the Akihabara I know... the otaku mecca, full of figurines and maid cafes?!"

Goo Hara couldn't help but chuckle at his surprised expression, but still nodded firmly.

"Yeah, it's near Akihabara, the place you guys like to go to. But it's just a normal hot spring resort, nothing special like you're thinking."

She then gave another example, saying, "To be honest, the place in Akihabara is far inferior to 'Toshima Garden Hot Spring' in Nerima Ward in terms of both environment and hot spring quality. That place is a genuine Japanese garden-style natural hot spring, and the scenery inside is really beautiful and has a great atmosphere. Why don't we go check it out?"

Smelling the faint, fresh scent emanating from Goo Hara behind him, and hearing this description, Lin Xiuyuan immediately became interested.

"If it's really as you say, with a Japanese garden and a natural hot spring, then I'm really interested."

Upon hearing this, the others imagined soaking in a hot spring in the rain while enjoying the beautiful scenery of the courtyard, and they were all tempted and agreed.

So, guided by Goo Hara, the MPV started up again and headed towards Nerima Ward.

The car soon arrived near the address indicated by the navigation.

The entrance to this hot spring inn is located in a secluded two-lane alley, right at a bend in the road, giving it a sense of being hidden away in the city.

After Lin Xiuyuan carefully drove the car into the parking lot and parked it according to the signs, he looked at the rather ordinary residential area around him and couldn't help but have doubts again. "Wait, Hera, is there really a decent hot spring here? It doesn't look like one."

Hearing his mutterings, Goo Hara in the back seat pouted a little, feeling a bit annoyed. "Didn't I just show you the official website photos in the car? Don't you believe me?"

Seeing this, Lin Xiuyuan quickly smiled and shook his head to reassure him, "It's not that I don't believe you, it's just that I instinctively have a bit of doubt about what the Japanese are spreading, you know."

His slightly regionally sarcastic remarks successfully made Goo Hara laugh.

Afterwards, everyone got off the car together and, led by Goo Hara, entered the lobby of the hot spring hotel.

The interior decoration is in an elegant Japanese style, tranquil and Zen-like.

Goo Hara had already booked a private garden online on her way there, which she heard was very luxurious. If the actual environment is not much different from the promotional photos, then the garden should be quite nice.

According to the information in the reservation map.

The courtyard also features two hot spring pools and an artificial waterfall, making for a truly scenic view.

After entering the lobby, the group sat on the comfortable Japanese-style sofas for a while, waiting for Goo Hara to verify the appointment information and complete the formalities with the front desk manager.

After a while, a respectful shop assistant dressed in a kimono led them through winding corridors and past several exquisite dry landscape gardens.

Anyway, we walked quite a long way before finally arriving at the courtyard they had booked.

As the shop assistant pushed open the rustic wooden door, the first thing everyone saw was two rooms on the left and right sides of the courtyard entrance.

According to the translator, Lin Xiuyuan then learned that one side was a fully equipped washroom, and the other side was a changing room and rest area.

As you walk further ahead, the view suddenly opens up.

A meticulously maintained little courtyard is built beside a stream, where the sound of flowing water and rain intertwine.

Not far away, a small two-tiered waterfall was flowing gently, splashing up fine white foam.

In addition, on the other side of the river, not far from the courtyard, there was a dense maple forest.

Although it's not yet the peak season for maple leaves, the layers of greenery already exude a fresh and natural charm amidst the moisture.

Lin Xiuyuan turned his gaze to the center of the courtyard, where two hot spring pools were steaming.

One of the pools is shaped like a traditional Japanese bathtub, with its smooth, wooden texture giving it a warm feel.

The other is an irregularly shaped pool made of natural volcanic rock, which adds to its wild charm.

In those two pools, the clear hot spring water was gently bubbling, and the rising steam met the cool rain falling from the eaves, creating a dreamlike atmosphere.

As Ham Eun-jung, Park Ji-yeon, and the others followed Lin Xiuyuan into the courtyard, they were all taken aback by the picturesque scene before them and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Wow, the scenery is absolutely gorgeous!

“Daibak, this isn’t my first time in Tokyo. How come I never discovered there was such a wonderful place before?”

"I feel like I could soak in a hot spring in this kind of environment all day and not want to come out." "Then I'd be soaking until I was all wrinkled like a human body."

After Park Hyo-min finished saying that sentence with great joy, Lin Xiu-yuan's teasing remark that ruined the mood immediately drew eye rolls from the women, some reproachful and some amused.

Then, after the shop assistant who had led the way politely bowed and left, only a few of them remained in the courtyard.

The girls cheered even louder and began excitedly discussing and preparing.

However, before enjoying the hot springs, they had a practical problem to solve.

That is, none of them brought a change of clothes.

"How about going commando?"

It's Park Jiyeon again, and this little dragon cub is again making a bold idea with a mischievous grin.

But Ham Eun-jung immediately patted her on the shoulder and glanced at Lin Xiuyuan in front of her.

Park Hyo-min offered a more practical suggestion: "Go to the store and buy a swimsuit. I think they sell them in the lobby."

Park Jiyeon thought about it and agreed that buying a swimsuit would be a safer option. "Okay, okay, buying a swimsuit is fine too."

Lin Xiuyuan, on the other hand, was the most casual about it, waving his hand and saying, "I'm a guy, so I don't care that much. I'll just go ahead and have some fun. You guys go buy your stuff."

So, with the departure of the girls, the once lively courtyard was now left with only Lin Xiuyuan.

Looking at the two pools and the scenery outside, Lin Xiuyuan didn't waste any time. He went straight into the changing room next door, took off his outer clothes and trousers, leaving only his underwear.

Then I went next door to shower, picked up the bathrobe and a large towel that had been prepared, took my phone, and came out.

Before he even reached the edge of the hot spring pool, the warm, humid air, carrying a faint smell of sulfur, wafted towards him.

Lin Xiuyuan strolled over to the volcanic rock pool and tested the water temperature. The just-right scalding sensation came from his fingertips.

Seeing this, he took off his bathrobe without hesitation, casually hung it on the wooden rack next to him, turned around and stepped into the warm pool water, slowly sinking his body into it until the hot spring water covered his shoulders.

"call--"

The moment Lin Xiuyuan was completely submerged in the water, an indescribable sense of comfort instantly spread from his limbs and bones, dispelling all the chill and fatigue brought by the rainy day.

The next second, he leaned back against the smooth volcanic rock pool wall, closed his eyes, and let out a heartfelt sigh of satisfaction.

"This is amazing!!!!"

The warm water enveloped my body, and every pore seemed to open joyfully, dispelling the fatigue and tension of the past few days.

Leaning lazily against the smooth volcanic rock wall, Lin Xiuyuan let his thoughts wander.

After soaking for a few minutes, as his body warmed up completely and he even started to sweat slightly, he suddenly seemed to remember something, and a playful smile appeared on his lips.

Reaching out from the dry rock slab beside me, I picked up my phone, and the screen instantly fogged up due to the temperature difference.

However, Lin Xiuyuan didn't care. He casually wiped the screen dry with a corner of a bath towel, then adjusted the angle to face the misty hot spring pool in front of him, as well as the waterfall and maple forest behind the pool that were faintly visible in the rain.

"Click!" I took a photo that perfectly captured the atmosphere.

I opened my contacts, found the contact whose nickname was "Little Potato," and sent the photo to them.

Immediately afterwards, his fingers flew across the keyboard, typing out a line of text.

[Lin Xiuyuan]: (Image)
[Lin Xiuyuan]: Baolan, wanna soak in the hot springs? The scenery is superb, and it's a private courtyard.

Meanwhile, inside TARA's Tokyo dormitory.

Jeon Boram was nestled in the soft beanbag chair in her room, holding her phone, idly swiping the interface of a small game.

Suddenly, when a preview of a new message popped up at the top of her phone, her instinct was to ignore it.

However, when she caught a glimpse of the somewhat familiar profile picture out of the corner of her eye, her slender finger seemed to have its own will and uncontrollably tapped it.

The dialog box expands the next second.

The first thing that catches the eye is a photo of a hot spring that seems to exude heat and moisture.

The misty water vapor and natural scenery are indeed very inviting.

This caused Jeon Boram to pause slightly, and she subconsciously zoomed in on the picture to examine it more closely.

She seemed to realize something, her eyes widened suddenly, and she quickly typed a reply to the other party.

[Jeon Boram]: You guys go out to play, and all you do is go to hot springs? ???
Lin Xiuyuan replied almost instantly shortly after the message was sent.

[Lin Xiuyuan]: I was busy looking at houses earlier, and just finished up to relax a bit. How's the environment? Want to come in for a soak and warm up? I guarantee it'll be comfortable.

Looking at the words that popped up on the screen, and the incredibly tempting photos of the environment, Jeon Boram was indeed a little tempted.

Soaking in a hot spring on a rainy day sounds incredibly therapeutic.

However, given her introverted nature, the thought of a group of people crammed into that hot spring pool—while lively, for someone as socially anxious as her—was practically a large-scale social torture chamber.

Just imagining that scene made her feel extremely uncomfortable.

So after hesitating for a few seconds, reason finally prevailed.

Jeon Boram pursed her lips, a hint of barely perceptible disappointment in her expression, and returned to the present.

[Jeon Boram]: Never mind... you guys have fun, I'm not going to join in.

After sending this message, Jeon Boram thought the topic would end there.

Unexpectedly, less than three seconds after the message was sent, Lin Xiuyuan's reply popped up as if it had been prepared in advance.

[Lin Xiuyuan]: Got it, you're having social anxiety, right? Feeling awkward in front of so many people? Okay then, let's skip it this time. Next time, let's come alone, I promise it'll be quiet.

!!!

Jeon Boram stared at the words on the screen for a second, then burst out laughing.

What the hell? ? ?

Thinking of this, she could almost see Lin Xiuyuan's sly face through the screen.

He first presented her with an option that involved many people, and after she naturally declined, he then smoothly extended other invitations. It was a very clever tactic.

So he tapped the screen hard with his finger again, quickly typing out a series of question marks.

He fully expressed his shock and anger at being outmaneuvered.

【All-Blue】：？？？

[Jeon Boram]: Lin Xiuyuan!! Are you waiting for me here? ???
(End of this chapter)