Tokyo Three Generations

Under Jun Takasaki's guidance, Mutsuka Wakaba moved slowly across the snowfield. Although her posture was awkward at first and she couldn't maintain her balance, walking crookedly, she gradually began to grasp the feeling and her movements became smoother.

Then, the two of them gently used their ski poles to gain momentum on the snow and reached the top of a gentle slope.

The slope wasn't very steep, but because it was long enough, it still seemed like there was a significant height difference when viewed from above. Wakaba Mutsu instinctively felt a little scared and shrank back behind Takasaki Jun.

It's normal for beginners to react like that. Junya Takasaki couldn't help but smile, remembering how he was when he first started learning.

"Mu, don't be afraid. The slope here is very gentle. You won't be in any trouble if you fall once or twice. Don't be afraid of falling, because everyone learns by falling down and getting back up. Don't worry, I'm here with you. You'll be fine."

Jun Takasaki said it unintentionally, but when he heard the words, "Don't be afraid of falling down, because everyone learns by falling down and getting up," Mutsu Wakaba seemed to feel something.

Her gaze gradually softened from fear, then she looked at Jun Takasaki, and finally nodded gently.

"Yes. I'm not afraid."

Then, she started walking again, shoulder to shoulder with Jun Takasaki, took a deep breath, and looked down at the snow slope below.

After a final check of the preparations, Jun Takasaki felt everything was ready, so he gave his final instructions.

"Keep your posture as low as possible and lean forward, shifting your weight forward. This will prevent you from falling backward and injuring the back of your head. Also, if you feel you're losing your balance, deliberately fall to the side. Don't try to brace yourself, and don't try to land on your hands with your palms, as this can easily injure your wrists. Just fall directly onto the snow..."

After they finished speaking, the two of them lowered their waists, leaned forward, and then their skis slowly glided forward.

Due to gravity, the gliding began to accelerate slowly. Ruo Ye Mu only felt the cold wind whistling in her ears and the force of it hitting her face increasing.

She instinctively gripped her ski poles tightly, trying to give herself some psychological comfort.

Because the slope is gentle, they slide slowly, making it easy to brake and less likely to lose control.

However, as a beginner, Ruoye Mu was not used to it physically and was also afraid. As the cold wind became more and more biting, her fear began to rise. In the end, she instinctively wanted to use her ski poles to slow herself down.

However, this backfired, as the ski poles disrupted her balance, making it even harder for her to maintain her center of gravity.

Her body was already not used to the descent, and now that her balance had been disrupted, she felt her breathing become rapid, and in her panic, she became even more clumsy.

"Mumu, don't panic! Don't move around." Just then, Jun Takasaki noticed her unusual behavior.

In a moment of panic, he threw away his ski poles, grabbed one of her shoulders, and then shouted.

"Remember what I just said, fall to your side! With me!"

As he spoke, he exerted force to the side, and after his reminder, Wakaba Mutsu finally regained her composure. Although she could no longer maintain her balance, she obediently threw away her ski poles and then fell to the same side as Takasaki Jun.

The two fell down together, and Jun Takasaki opened his arms and gently wrapped them around the other's back.

"Muto, are you alright?" After falling, Jun Takasaki immediately got up from the ground and looked at Muto Wakaba with concern.

Although it may seem that Ruoye Mutsu is not seriously injured on the surface, it would be a big problem if she accidentally sprained her ankle or broke a bone.

At this moment, Ruoye Mu opened his eyes and looked at the young man in front of him.

She tried moving her body and found that, apart from feeling a little cold, she didn't seem to be in any pain.

Because the slope wasn't steep, the impact of the fall wasn't great. With his intentional protection and the cushioning effect of the snow, no serious injury was caused.

At that moment, she noticed that although Jun Takasaki was wearing goggles, his eyebrows and chin were covered in snow, making him look like an old man with a white beard.

I imagine my face must be pretty much a mess too.

So she couldn't help but cover her mouth and then chuckle softly.

"What's wrong?" Jun Takasaki asked, somewhat puzzled.

"I'm fine, Jun, don't worry," Wakaba Mutsu said with a light laugh. "I just feel like we look like old folks after getting covered in snow..."

When she said that, Jun Takasaki also found it a little funny.

Moreover, judging from her demeanor, she appears to have been unharmed.

"It's good that you're alright."

"Thank you..." Wakaba Mutsu thanked him again, "You helped me a lot just now."

"It's nothing, it's what I should do. Since I brought you here to ski, it's my duty to protect you as much as possible." Jun Takasaki smiled nonchalantly.

Then he reached out his hand.

Mutsumi Wakaba, who was lying on the ground, reached out her hand, and Jun Takasaki pulled her up.

"Shall we continue?" Jun Takasaki asked.

“Of course!” Wakaba Mutsumi nodded, then whispered to Takasaki Jun, “It’s a lot of fun.”

So the two of them started their journey anew.

Although Wakaba Mutsu fell a few more times, with Takasaki Jun's patient guidance, she gradually adapted to everything, and her sense of balance became stronger and stronger. The two of them had a lot of fun.

They didn't finish skiing until noon, and the two of them went to the ski resort's holiday home to have lunch.

Meanwhile, the Mori Minami team had finished work and started preparing lunch.

The mountain is open and the ultraviolet rays are particularly strong, so Senmina Nami specially applied sunscreen to herself, and still looked radiant.

Seeing that the two of them were dressed in ski suits and covered in snow, she knew they must have been skiing together.

She was initially a little angry, as was her habit, but when she thought about what had happened before, she felt relieved.

Oh well... whatever, as long as they're happy.

As long as Ruo Yemu doesn't steal her thunder, she doesn't want to care too much.

After changing her clothes, Wakaba Mutsu returned to her mother's side, ready to have a meal together.

At this moment, she reverted to her usual cold and aloof demeanor, her previous beaming smile gone.

She silently sat down next to her mother, ready to listen to her mother's sarcastic remarks.

"Mu, did you guys have fun just now?"

Sure enough, as soon as I sat down, I heard my mother's question.

"It's alright," she replied briefly. "Chun patiently taught me, and I learned quite quickly."

"Really?" The mother was taken aback at first, then gave a slight cold laugh and lowered her voice, "I seem to remember taking you skiing before. You weren't exactly a great skier, but you weren't completely bad at it either."

Ruo Yemu's expression remained unchanged, but the chopsticks in her hand stopped moving.

She was about to defend herself when her mother waved her hand impatiently, "Forget it, if it's not true, it's not true. I can't be bothered with this kind of thing. Just have fun."

Then, she picked up a fried dumpling from the table with her chopsticks, took a big bite, savoring the warm filling and juices, and then sighed softly, "Hmph, men always fall for delicate, innocent girls. It's not my fault that I can't compare to you, it's just age..."

Although her mother's tone still contained jealousy and resentment, Ruoye Mu keenly sensed that her words were less aggressive than usual, and instead sounded more like helplessness.

She was somewhat surprised, not understanding why her mother seemed to have changed her personality today.

However, no matter what, it's a good thing that the mother is willing to turn a blind eye.

But since her mother had shown goodwill, she wouldn't remain silent.

"Mina-chan, there are things I can't do as well as you," she replied softly.

“Yes, of course, there are some things you probably can’t compare to in your entire life.” Mori Minami glanced at her daughter’s chest.

Although she had grown accustomed to her mother's unhealthy competitiveness, Wakaba Mutsu still felt that her dignity had been somewhat damaged.

But reality was what it was, and she couldn't argue with it, so she could only devour a shrimp dumpling.

Seeing her daughter unable to retort, Senmina covered her mouth and laughed, as if she had finally caught her breath.

"Oh, I was just saying it casually. Maybe you'll have another chance in the future?" She said, her tone a mix of mockery and encouragement. "Besides, they might not even care that much about it..."

Just then, a cell phone ringtone interrupted the conversation between the mother and daughter.

When Wakaba Mutsu took out her phone from her pocket, she paused for a moment when she saw the incoming call.

"Xiangzi, what's wrong?" she asked softly as she pressed the answer button.

"Mumu, I've been feeling a bit bored during the holidays, so I came to see you and plan to do some sightseeing here." The confident and undeniable voice of Miss Toyokawa came through the phone. "Where are you staying at? I'll book a room for you."

Ruo Yemu was stunned; she never expected that her best friend would come to see her at this time.

At that moment, Minami, who was standing next to her, also heard what was being said on the other end.

She was also stunned for a moment, then glanced at her daughter, and finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.

It seems even Miss Toyokawa can't bear to see her daughter too happy...

Then, with a sense of anticipation, she picked up a fried shrimp, took a bite with relish, and enjoyed the smooth, fatty texture.

51, convergence

Just as Wakaba Mutsu was secretly shocked by the sudden phone call from her best friend, Takasaki Jun walked over from his seat.

“I just received a call from Xiangzi,” he said briefly to Ruoye Mutsu. “It seems she’s coming to see you.”

“I know, she just called me and told me about it,” Wakaba Mutsu replied.

"I see. Maybe having more friends will make things more lively for you. Have fun then." Jun Takasaki gave an OK sign. "If you need any help, just let me know."

"Jun, aren't you surprised?" Wakaba Mutsu asked softly. "Why did she have to come looking for me this time of all... and why now, even though I've been here for quite a while now?"

"She's done plenty of strange things, what's this one? It's normal for a young lady to act impulsively when she's in the mood," Jun Takasaki shrugged. "Perhaps she finally couldn't suppress her longing for you anymore?"

He wasn't one to indulge in mental exhaustion, and he couldn't be bothered to try and decipher the ever-changing thoughts of a capricious young lady.

In response to his answer, Wakaba Mutsu simply remained silent.

Not only could outsiders see it, but she herself knew it too. Although they were nominally "best friends" since childhood, their relationship was unequal—or to put it more bluntly, it was always Wakaba Mutsu who was unilaterally catering to and pleasing Toyokawa Shoko.

In moments of utter despair, she would miss Xiangzi and call out his name; however, Xiangzi would not do that, and she would not think of him in that way.

Xiangzi can be generous, humble, and show the best side of a rich young lady, but in the end, she is still that high and mighty heiress, and her mind is actually full of herself.

However, even though she knew all this in her heart, she didn't say it to Takasaki Jun. She didn't want to be someone who sowed discord between others behind their backs.

So she could only remain silent.

"Oh dear..." Just then, Senmina Nami suddenly exclaimed, breaking the silence.

"What's wrong?" Jun Takasaki frowned slightly and looked at Minami Mori, afraid that she would cause some trouble again.

Ignoring the kid's warning look, Senmina picked up her phone and continued talking to herself.

"I looked at the event photos I posted before, and it seems like someone posted something really interesting in the comments..."

After she finished speaking, she handed the phone to Wakaba Mutsu and Takasaki Jun.

Wakaba Mutsu glanced at the screen and then froze.

Jun Takasaki also had a headache.

Because that was clearly the photo the village chief's wife took of the two of them that day.

She must have posted it somewhere and it got forwarded... Just thinking about all the trouble the old lady had caused for no reason made Jun Takasaki feel a bit overwhelmed.

He wasn't worried about causing any trouble by appearing on camera, but he was worried about Wakaba Mutsu.

He then looked at Wakaba Mutsu and asked with concern, "Mutsu, these old men and women are really troublesome. I'm sorry for causing you trouble. If you mind, I'll have the organizers delete the post immediately."

"Even if you delete the post now, it's useless... Things on the internet can be easily saved, and once published, they're hard to completely disappear," Mori Minami interjected, looking like she was enjoying the drama. "Besides, they've probably already seen it. If they're in such a hurry to delete it now, wouldn't it make them look guilty? What are they afraid of?"

Jun Takasaki frowned slightly. He originally wanted to reprimand Minami Mori and tell her to stop making sarcastic remarks, but Mutsuya Wakaba seemed to agree wholeheartedly.

“That’s right,” she said softly. “Since you’ve agreed to let Grandma take the photos, I won’t mind. Besides, there’s nothing to worry about; it’s a perfectly normal thing.”

Actually, she was somewhat disappointed after "solving the case."

The disappointment stemmed from the fact that her "best friend" came to see her for this reason.

But she quickly felt relieved—because from any perspective, she had nothing to apologize for or feel ashamed of.

It was a rare occasion for her to agree with her mother so much.

So, that's it...

Seeing that Wakaba Mutsuko also seemed unconcerned, Takasaki Jun felt relieved.

"Alright then, we've just finished skiing and will be heading back to the hotel this afternoon. You can have them come straight to the hotel after they get off the plane, and I'll have someone arrange rooms for them."

"Them?" Wakaba Mutsu asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Ah, Xiangzi hasn't told you yet, has she? She asked Nagasaki Suze to come along too. She said it's for a band activity or something... and Suze happens to have some things to take care of over here, so she agreed."

The band activities were nothing but a pretext, but Wakaba Mutsu didn't expose this clumsy excuse.

After all, she still cherished this childhood friend very much.