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

"Yes... Is there a problem?" Arisa asked her mother with a forced smile, sounding annoyed.

However, Ashi had no intention of exposing their secrets and quickly continued speaking.

"Of course not~ I just think it's a bit of a coincidence."

Once everyone was seated, they stopped talking about the topic and started ordering their dinner from the menu.

Looking at the beautiful snow scene outside the window not far away, I wonder if it has snowed in Xijing while they have been out.

Lost in thought, Xi Ling was completely unaware that Fan Xia, who was beside her, was also looking at his face.

Come to think of it, this is the first time that Fanxia has traveled this far with Ximiao, even though they've only known each other for less than six months...

Upon closer reflection, even Fanxia found it somewhat amazing, feeling that she had changed more than just a little compared to before.

Before she could think any further, the hotel staff brought out all the items they had ordered and placed them on the table.

If we don't count tomorrow's breakfast, this should be their last meal in Hokkaido.

"I'm going back tomorrow... I feel a little reluctant to leave this place."

"It's okay, we can come again next year. After all, it would be too hot to soak in a hot spring in the summer."

Hearing Himiko mutter something under her breath, Ami smiled and said to him.

As for the hot spring trip she planned, she would be very satisfied if they had a good time.

Although her future son-in-law hadn't sorted out his relationship with other women yet, she didn't need to worry about such matters concerning the younger generation.

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Return Journey

The next morning.

Nozomi and her group got up early, brushed their teeth and washed up, and packed their luggage in their room.

After they had all packed their suitcases, they had their last breakfast in Hokkaido downstairs at the hotel before getting into the car that would take them to the airport to catch their flight back to Xi'an.

Although it had only been two weeks, Arisa still missed her cat maid who stayed at home.

Because she doesn't have identification, even if she wanted to bring her cat on a trip, she could only arrange for pet transport.

However, she did talk to Berlos about it, but her attitude on this matter was unusually firm; she refused to have her pet transported.

So, to make it up to her, Arisa packed a bunch of Hokkaido specialties in her suitcase, intending to take them back to Pelos.

As for Ximiao, she was rummaging through her little backpack, which was full of snacks that she planned to eat on the plane.

In the airport's rest area, Xi Ling and her group, who were sitting on chairs waiting for their flight, were yawning incessantly because they had gotten up early to pack their things.

Then, just as Ximiao, who was sandwiched between the two, was about to take a nap, she suddenly felt a weight on both of her shoulders.

Turning my head to the side, I saw that my shoulders were occupied by Arisa and Honoka, each taking up one side.

But what puzzled him was...

"Aren't you uncomfortable with your necks tilted like that?"

Nozomi is shorter than Himeko, so their posture looks quite strange to Ami on the other side.

But neither of them showed any intention of getting up.

Ximiao glanced at the time on her phone. There was still about half an hour before they boarded the plane, so she let the two of them fool around.

As for himself, he should organize the photos he took in Hokkaido.

Time flies when you have something to do. Before Ximiao had even finished processing the photos, she heard the airport announcement telling them to board the plane.

But the two who were leaning on Ximiao's shoulder and pretending to sleep didn't feel that way. The constant soreness in their necks made this period of time extremely difficult for them.

Just as Ximiao patted the two of them, then stood up and prepared to queue at the boarding gate, Fanxia held her neck with one hand and used the other hand as if she was trying to straighten her head.

Meanwhile, Arisa, who was on the other side, wasn't in much better shape.

The two, who have been secretly competing since last night, were quite hostile, but they concealed it very well.

So much so that even now, Nozomi hasn't noticed anything amiss.

All that could be heard was Fanxia, ​​who was standing to the side, making sarcastic remarks in a voice that only Arisa could hear.

"Oh dear~ What's going on? Do demons twist their necks too? How lame~"

"...Why don't you look in the mirror and see what kind of person you are? You still have the nerve to talk to me like that, haha~"

Upon hearing what Fanxia said, Arisa responded in kind, her beautiful wine-red eyes looking at her with disdain.

Just when they were about to sulk for who knows how long, Ami, who couldn't stand it any longer, stepped forward to smooth things over.

"Alright, alright! The flight is ready to depart, what are you all still doing here? Hurry up and go board the plane, Mio is already lining up over there."

Hearing that Xi Ling was almost at the boarding gate, the two of them stopped fighting, picked up their belongings, and walked towards the boarding gate without looking back.

Not long after.

Having learned from her previous experience, Nozomi was able to find her seat easily this time, and she sat down and fastened her seatbelt.

However, he was still holding a bulging little backpack and didn't intend to ask the flight attendant to put it on the overhead luggage rack for him.

"Mio, what's that little backpack you're carrying?"

After taking her seat and fastening her seatbelt, Honoka looked curiously at Nozomi next to her.

"It's filled with snacks I bought from the convenience store, like potato chips and Chocliz!"

Seemingly wanting to show off to Honoka-nee her preparations for the return trip, Nozomi even unzipped her jacket and took out the snacks inside to show her.

While the two were chatting quietly and picking out snacks from Nozomi's backpack.

Alisa, who was sitting right next to them, separated by an aisle, was giving Himo a resentful look, trying to get Himo's attention.

Unfortunately, Fanxia didn't give her that chance at all. She simply leaned forward slightly, blocking all possibilities of Himo looking in her direction.

This infuriated Arisa so much that she wanted to challenge Honoka to a solo match right then and there.

"What's wrong? Do you want to go sit with Himeko?"

Noticing that something was off about Arisa's expression, Asami leaned close to her ear and whispered a question.

"No way! Who would want to sit with him!"

"..."

If I hadn't known from birth that Arisa would be like this, I really wouldn't have been able to resist the urge to criticize her.

After taking a deep breath and calming down a bit, she continued speaking to Arisa.

"When I was buying the return tickets, I asked you if you wanted to sit with Ximiao, and they both agreed. But you, who are usually so tsundere, always mess up when it matters."

As Arisa listened to Ayashi recount one terrible thing after another about her past, her head drooped lower and lower, wishing she could disappear into a crack in the ground.

"Okay, okay! I know I was wrong, alright?! There's no going back now, so I guess I'll just have to bear it."

She couldn't help but purse her lips, and took out an eye mask from her pocket, intending to avoid seeing it and getting annoyed.

Even without checking on Fanxia and Ximiao, she could still clearly hear the two of them whispering to each other.

Fortunately, the situation stopped when the flight attendant was explaining safety precautions.

With a violent jolt, the passenger plane gradually climbed into the air. Looking out the window, as they passed through the thick clouds, Xi Ling knew that the journey was about to end.

Although it feels like a lot has happened, the most memorable thing is still...

He silently looked at Fanxia, ​​who was taking small bites of a freshly opened Chocliz drink beside him.

A blush crept onto her fair and adorable little face.

Chapter Twenty-Six: Familiar Residence

"We are back~"

"Berlos~ Look what good stuff we bought for you~ There's your favorite dried fish!"

As soon as they got off the plane and returned to their apartment, the mother and daughter instantly transformed into cat slaves, even though the cats usually take care of their daily lives.

But this didn't stop them from giving Belos a brief moment of the illusion of being the master.

Meanwhile, Nozomi and Honoka, who did not exit the elevator with the two of them, continued to take the elevator upstairs.

At the apartment door, Fanxia, ​​still holding her keys, seemed hesitant about whether to open it, which puzzled Ximiao, who was standing nearby. What was wrong with her?

"Sister Fanxia?"

"Shh—it's been so long since I've been back to my little nest, I need to make opening the door a little special! I don't even know when I'll be going on another long trip."

Fanxia spoke confidently, then muttered something under her breath. After a while, she finally opened the door.

Although it had been two weeks since Hiyo had cleaned the house, it seemed to be in pretty good condition. Thinking of this, Hiyo couldn't help but smile slightly.

This significantly reduced his workload, how could he not be happy?

however……

As Honoka turned on all the lights in the room, Nozomi's smile came to an abrupt end.

What came into view was a thick layer of dust on the wooden floor. Even Ximiao didn't dare to walk on it with her socks on, as she used to.

"Hiss... Looks like I'll be busy later."

"Go for it, Mio!"

"..."

When Fanxia said those words, Ximiao already knew that she couldn't count on her.

After letting out a silent sigh, the boy took off all his shoes and socks and placed them in the entryway.

Barefoot, stepping on the thick layer of dust, Fanxia soon saw footprints left on the floor.