After a night of snowfall, the ski slopes were filled with laughter and cheer.
Chisato's group was among the crowd.
When Seika had invited Utaha and Eriri previously, she had acted casual on the surface, saying that as long as everyone had fun, it was fine.
But deep down, she was worried—worried that the two might not blend well with the group and that things might get awkward.
But when they actually arrived at the slopes and everyone began enjoying the skiing atmosphere, all those previous concerns melted away.
Eriri and Ryo were even teaching others some quick skiing tips.
Utaha was having a great time with Hitori.
Well… at least on the surface.
At one point, Hitori spotted a fenced-off area near the top of the ski slope where sled dogs were enthusiastically pulling tourists around.
Utaha's face immediately went pale at the sight.
It was one thing to go sledding from the top with Hitori like other kids, but there was absolutely no way she'd try the dog sled ride.
Fortunately, she used her fear of dogs as a reason to talk Hitori out of it.
As for Chisato, he had split off from the main group to practice on his own.
Though he hadn't skied before and lacked technique, after a few falls, he gradually learned how to maintain balance and center of gravity.
With a sharp mind quietly analyzing technique, and a fit body, he improved quickly.
Meanwhile, Seika, the fastest learner among those taught by Eriri and Ryo, could only barely keep herself from wobbling side to side as she slid slowly forward.
In contrast, Chisato could already glide smoothly from top to bottom with a decent, stylish posture—no tricks, but stable.
All in all, the skiing trip from morning until a little past two in the afternoon was quite enjoyable.
Especially for Eriri, who had been quietly keeping an eye out and had snapped several photos of Utaha sitting in the pink sled.
Maybe not a big deal to most people, but for someone as prideful and uptight as Utaha, this was a clear and undeniable black mark in her history.
Eriri had already planned it all out—she'd back up the photos, print them, and display them in Chisato's living room and bedroom.
Long term, she could even show them to her kids one day and utterly destroy her dignity as a mother~
Oh my, I'm just too wicked~
According to Chisato's original travel plan, after having their fill of skiing, it'd be time to eat.
There was a shopping street near the hotel adjacent to the ski resort, and a few restaurants with great reviews and delicious food had even been recommended on the official resort page—a must-visit for tourists.
But since everyone had skied to their heart's content and sweated a fair bit, their desire to be clean outweighed their hunger.
In the end, they all agreed to return to the hotel first, put away their things, and head to the hot springs.
As for food, that could wait. A small snack in the room to hold them over would do—then they'd feast at dinner.
Chisato had no objections. Ryo, however, looked utterly displeased, but the majority ruled.
Nijika clung tightly to her arm, not letting her go off on her own—clearly to stop her from dashing to a top-rated local restaurant to sample the specialties.
For now, patience was necessary.
After dropping off their belongings at the hotel, everyone grabbed their towels, bathrobes, and a change of clothes, and excitedly headed to the hotel's public hot spring.
Each room had a shower and bathtub, perfectly fine for washing up.
But since they were on vacation, of course they wanted to enjoy themselves to the fullest.
The hotel's hot spring reportedly tapped into underground geothermal waters with great effort.
After scientific processing, the water was said to benefit the skin—relieving fatigue, moisturizing, and even slowing aging.
Chisato believed the part about relieving fatigue… as for the rest, well, it made for good marketing.
Around 3 p.m., Chisato arrived at the dressing room outside the hot springs with the others.
There wasn't a mixed-gender bath here, but even if there were, Chisato would absolutely not let them enter that kind of pool.
Incidentally, in the commercial district next to the hotel, there was a wellness facility that emphasized privacy.
It featured private hot spring baths that could accommodate up to eight people, along with accompanying rest and entertainment rooms—though the price was rather steep.
But to Chisato now, money wasn't much of an issue anymore.
He was no longer the poor boy who had once lived in a shabby rented cubicle and had to worry about splitting a mere five hundred yen to get by.
He had booked a room in advance and planned to bring everyone there for the final night of the trip.
He had even arranged for professional therapeutic massages to help ease everyone's fatigue after days of activity.
He figured there probably wasn't a more considerate boss in the world than him.
"The men's and women's changing rooms are connected. I doubt the hot spring pools inside are that far apart either. You're not going to peek, are you?"
As the members of Kesshoku Band headed into the changing rooms, Utaha deliberately slowed her pace, leaned in toward Chisato's ear, and teased him softly with a smile.
"With me… do I even need to peek?"
Chisato lowered his head and gently tapped her forehead with his own, making Utaha laugh softly in delight.
Smack!
"Mmm—!"
Eriri's hand left Utaha's butt. Ignoring Utaha's displeased, irritated expression, she waved her hand and walked into the women's changing room.
"Let's go!"
"…What a ridiculous girl. No idea why she's been moody all morning."
Utaha said goodbye to Chisato, and the two of them went into their respective changing rooms.
As soon as they stepped inside, the faint sulfuric scent of the hot spring water became noticeably stronger.
Everyone present had experience with hot springs, so they knew that this smell was normal—it was a sign of the various mineral elements contained in the water.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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