I endured the humiliation and humiliation while being besieged by the ghost story elder sister.

"Are you an idiot? We came here to ask you and Mio about the hot springs, of course!"

"Eh?"

Honoka was taken aback when Arisa brought up the matter, but she didn't really care about Arisa calling her an idiot.

"It's up to you two. Do you want to soak in the hot spring in your room, or go to the public hot spring bath downstairs?"

At this point, Arisa turned her gaze to Nozomi, who was still standing there, as if seeking his opinion.

After thinking for a moment, Xi Ling spoke.

"Let's go to the public bath downstairs. There aren't many people there now. We can use the private bath later tonight."

however.

Soon after, Nozomi regretted making such a rash decision.

Next to the entrance of the bathhouse, there was a sign with two large characters that Xi Ling found quite eye-catching: Mixed Bathing.

Just as he was about to turn and run away, he found that his escape route was blocked by three graceful figures.

Without giving Ximiao any chance to resist, three delicate hands simultaneously placed on his shoulders, forcibly pushing the boy into the changing room.

And Nozomi's only thought right now is...

He's doomed.

Author's Note: This volume will begin with the conflict between Arisa and Nozomi, allowing Honoka to achieve her goal~

Chapter 2 Mixed Bathing

Rustling——

The sound of her clothes rubbing against her skin and then sliding down to the clean wooden floor kept ringing in Nozomi's ears.

"Mio~ Why are you still wearing that thick sweater? Are you worried about the static electricity when you take it off?"

Fanxia, ​​who had already taken off her outer coat, looked at Ximiao, who was standing motionless and didn't even dare to look in their direction, and couldn't help but tease her.

Unsurprisingly, this earned her a glare from Hio, but it was also because of this that Hio, who witnessed the exceptionally erotic scene, blushed instantly on her fair face.

But he knew in his heart that if he didn't take off his clothes soon, the men watching him intently would force him to...

Within a moment.

On a small stool in the bathhouse, a thin bath towel held onto Nozomi's last shred of sanity.

As warm water was poured over his head, the shampoo lathered on the boy's light golden hair, flowing down his smooth back and onto the stone bricks.

"Alright~ You're all clean now, Mio, you can go soak in the hot spring~"

Fanxia, ​​who was sitting behind him, said this.

At this moment, Ximiao breathed a sigh of relief and, following her usual habit at home, subconsciously responded with a sound.

"Don't you need me to scrub your back?"

As soon as those words were spoken, the mother and daughter who were washing themselves nearby turned their heads at the same time.

Those two beautiful, wine-red eyes gazed meaningfully at Xi Ling, who had already stood up, as if pondering the meaning behind his words.

However, Fanxia, ​​the person involved, did not notice the two women's gazes as she applied lavender-scented shower gel to her fair and soft skin.

"No need~ It wouldn't be good to see a doctor if you caught a cold. Mio, you should stay in the hot spring and wait for us."

"Ok."

Seeing that Honoka-nee didn't need her help, Nozomi carefully walked towards the steaming hot spring bath, afraid that she might slip on the wet floor.

When the warm, slightly sulfurous hot spring water reached above his knees, Xi Ling took off her bath towel, folded it neatly, and placed it aside.

Fortunately, during this time of year, most of the other hotel guests were out skiing in the mountains, and most of them were soaking in the hot springs at night or in their own rooms.

There are no other people as blatant as them coming to this mixed-gender hot spring; it's as if they've booked the whole place.

Thinking of this, Ximiao secretly rejoiced that there were hardly any people around.

however.

Before he could properly relax in the hot spring, he heard some noises behind him.

"Ah~ That feels so good~ You really have to come to Hokkaido in winter and soak in a hot spring!"

The beautiful woman, also soaking in the hot spring, stretched vigorously, revealing her graceful figure, full of mature feminine charm, without any intention of concealing it.

"Don't you come to Hokkaido every year? Or am I remembering wrong, Mom?"

Arisa, annoyed, pointed out that her mother's remark was the first time her mother had brought her to Hokkaido.

In the past, even when Arisa begged Ami to take her out to play, Ami would refuse without hesitation, saying, "This is a vacation reserved for mothers, I don't want to bring a little kid."

Asi did not deny this, but just chuckled.

While listening to the conversation between the mother and daughter, Ximiao remained crouched down, only showing half of her head above the water, minimizing her presence and not wanting to attract their attention.

But reality is often not what the young man wished for...

"Oh my~ Why is Nozomi so shy? Could it be that she's interested in Auntie's still-attractive figure?"

Before he could finish speaking, he felt something soft and slippery against his back.

Ximiao was completely stunned, her body stiffened, and she dared not move an inch, for fear of touching something she shouldn't have.

Seemingly noticing the nervousness of the boy in her arms, Ami chuckled softly, then, holding Himiko, sat down next to Arisa.

"Don't worry~ This hot spring water seems to have had something added to it; it looks milky white, and you can't see anything underneath at all~"

Arisa couldn't bear to watch any longer and gently reminded Nozomi. The boy, who had been keeping his eyes closed, tentatively opened them.

Just as she said, the scene was very safe, and there was nothing inappropriate for children.

It was at this moment that Fanxia, ​​having washed herself clean, arrived late.

"What are you two doing around Mio?"

She looked at Ashi and the others with some confusion, feeling that something was off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

As if she had seen her savior, Nozomi quickly escaped from Aunt Ami's arms and ran to Honoka's side.

It seems that Ami still feels a bit unsatisfied.

She smiled and responded to Fanxia, ​​saying...

"It's nothing~ It's just that Nozomi seemed a little reserved."

"Can't let go?"

Fanxia looked at Ximiao, who had already hidden behind her, with a mixture of disbelief and suspicion. The reaction on his fair face was almost flushed...

However, Mio's reaction seems pretty good too~

She couldn't help but think that.

After a while.

On the surface of the hot spring, a wooden tray holds an opened bag of salted potato chips and four slightly chilled bottles of raw milk in glass jars.

A wet little hand carefully picked up a thin potato chip and put it into its mouth.

Xi Ling's face was already flushed, and she seemed to be feeling a little dizzy, having been soaking in the hot spring for quite some time.

Even though Fanxia suggested that he go back to his room to rest, Ximiao insisted on staying to watch the sunset before leaving.

Seeing his stubborn little expression, Fanxia didn't say anything more.

Arisa was worried that Mio might faint from the water, so she asked the hotel owner to bring some snacks and drinks for Mio to rehydrate.

"That's quite thoughtful!"

Seeing this, Ami laughed and nudged her daughter's slender waist with her elbow, teasing her in a low voice.

"It's nothing..."

"So, has the problem between you and Himeko been resolved?"

"..."

Chapter Three, Oh dear.

"My dear daughter, you should know yourself that this can't go on, right?"

"I know... but I still don't understand what kind of existence Nozomi is in my heart..."

In the hot spring, the mother and daughter were quietly discussing matters of love. It seemed that only when they talked about this topic did they have a proper conversation like a mother and daughter in an ordinary family.

After an unknown amount of time, the sky was tinged with a rosy glow, and the gentle sunset, viewed from their position, was quite beautiful.

At least, in Mio's opinion, the moment she had been waiting for in this hot spring was worthwhile.

The moment she achieved her goal, Nozomi relaxed, only to feel a sudden dizziness and her vision went black.

What happened after that is unknown. He only vaguely heard the sound of water splashing and Sister Fanxia's scream.

night.

His head was still foggy, and he felt like something was pressing on his stomach, making him feel stuffy and his breathing a little difficult.

He struggled to open his eyes and saw that it was Fanxia, ​​who had changed into a clean bathrobe, resting on his stomach.

He only needed to turn his head slightly to see that Arisa was also holding a pillow and standing by his side, as if the two of them were taking care of him.

But because we had been soaking in the hot spring for so long, we couldn't help but feel sleepy and started to doze off.

After lying on her bed for a while, Ximiao finally recovered and remembered that she seemed to have fainted in the hot spring...

Was I sent back to my room to rest?

Ximiao subconsciously thought of this.

Fanxia, ​​who was lying on top of the boy, probably sensed his movement. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and then her beautiful, still somewhat confused eyes met Ximiao's light blue eyes.