Ome Quartet of Snow Country

Chapter 467 The source of anxiety

Sitting in the square bathhouse, facing the green Hikone Castle Park outside the window, it was relaxing, but it was difficult for Naruse to keep his attention on it.

"..."

Glancing at the old man leaning next to him, he took a silent breath and rolled his eyes upward.

The hotel's bathhouse was divided into men's and women's areas. He didn't know the women's bathhouse, but at least the men's bathhouse was quite large.

However, there is not a single large bath in the bathhouse, but a small three-meter-square bath in front of the windows on both sides.

The space was suddenly restricted, and it still had this square shape. Although the outside view was very good, it still made people feel restricted.

——Especially when there are complete strangers bathing in this small bathtub.

Naruse looked at the other bath next to him, but it was empty.

When he first came over, there were two people there, but this side was empty, so he sat here.

The two people in the bath next to him quickly left, and he was the only one left in the whole bath. However, within a few minutes, another old man came in and actually chose the one he was soaking in among the two baths.

Ten minutes passed, and the two of them were just soaking in a pool without any communication. Naruse was already prepared to be talked to, and he didn't understand the reason why he was sitting here.

Maybe as you get older, you prefer to hang out with young people?
If I had known this, I might as well have soaked in the bathtub in the room...

He didn't feel much difference between the hot spring he was soaking in and the hot water coming out of the water pipe.

After thinking for a while in silent embarrassment, Naruse sighed and got up from the bath.

After soaking for so long, it’s almost done.

"..."

The old man next to him opened his eyes and looked at him. His eyes stayed on his face for a while, he hesitated to speak, and finally said nothing.

After drying his body and putting on his yukata, Naruse walked out of the bathhouse. In the corner next to him was a place that provided free drinks, and no one was watching, so you could drink at will.

"Even the wine is placed directly outside..."

After looking at the beer that was also provided directly to the guests, he still took a bottle of ice milk, and then went to sit under the umbrella on the terrace.

The wind blows in waves, but it's not too hot.

After drinking a few sips of iced milk and relaxing his body, Naruse was a little idle and wanted to touch his phone, but then he remembered that he had left it in the room upstairs.

"I don't know if Shangzi has come down yet..."

buzz-

Kazuye: What time?
Naruse: Afternoon.

"..."

His heart suddenly accelerated and beat wildly. Shangzi stared at the message for a while, rolled his eyes, and replied again.

Naruse: Are you coming to pick me up?
Yiye: ...

What kind of reaction is this?
Shangzi looked at the phone, then at the door of the room, listening carefully to what was going on outside.

Harumi shouldn't have come up so soon... No, she had been sleeping for a long time, and he had been down for a long time.

She suddenly regretted asking so much.

She shouldn't be testing at this time...Is it her turn to reply now?
Naruse: Just kidding.

Naruse: We will arrive at Aomori Airport at around [-]pm the day after tomorrow.

Kazuha: Really?

Kazuye: Time flies so fast. It feels like you guys have just left for a few days and you will be back in the blink of an eye.

Naruse: I’ve been to many places.

Kazuyo: Where are you today?
Naruse: We’ve arrived in Kinki.

Kazuha: Why don’t you go to places like Kyoto and Osaka for another two days?

Why are we still chatting...

Shangzi was a little helpless.

She sat up, looked at the door again, thought for a while, threw her phone on the bed, and took his phone into the bathroom.

Closing the bathroom door, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Naruse: No.

Kazuha: Well, I actually want you to bring something for me when you go shopping in Shinsaibashi.

With the bathroom door as a second barrier, Shangzi calmed down again and was not as worried about his sudden return as before.

She thought for a moment before replying.

What she really wants to know is not Morimi's attitude towards him - the thoughts of the girls around him towards him can almost be seen at a glance - but, conversely, his thoughts towards her.

They get along very well.

There was obviously no communication when he was young, and they were separated for another four years, but just a few days after he came back from Tokyo, the two of them started chatting together.

Sometimes he and Morimi could talk even more than she, his real girlfriend.

She feels uneasy.

The day he returned to Aomori was also the happiest day for her in the past four years, but she did not expect that his return would also be the beginning of all her uneasiness.

Friends who had gradually drifted apart as they grew older suddenly became warm again.With everyone gathered together, the target would naturally not be her who has always stayed in the countryside.After coming back, he was always by her side, but his eyes never just stayed on her.

Occasionally, the way he looked at his former nominal sister even frightened her.

Afraid that he would recall his unabashed love for her a long time ago, and even more afraid of what really happened when they lived together...

She became increasingly uneasy, and this uneasiness finally reached its peak when they entered the second grade and were assigned to different classes.

Then, he noticed her uneasiness and took the initiative to take a step that she didn't dare to think of.

When their relationship officially changed from childhood sweethearts to lovers, she thought she could finally settle down, but this was not the case in reality.

Their spying on him was only slightly hidden, but it was still continuing, which made her annoyed and secretly angry, but there was nothing she could do about it.

And his acquiescence to their coveting gaze was the real source of all her uneasiness.

What does Harumi, her boyfriend, think of them?

She wants to know, but dare not know.

She was afraid that as soon as she asked, he would admit it and then destroy everything...

But his feelings for her were never fake.

While feeling uneasy in the unknown, at the same time comforting myself with her true feelings when getting along with him, the emotional balance is delicate and fragile.

Now, she wanted to see something a little more real.

Naoko took a deep breath.

Naruse: What do Kazuyo want to buy?
Yiye: Skin care products or something.

Kazuye: Haixing said that you can buy a lot of cheap and useful things there.

Kazuye: Although she has never been there herself.

Naruse: I don’t have a chance this time. I’ll help you with it next time.

Kazuha: Let’s talk about it then. I don’t really need it.

Naruse: Sorry.

Kazuha: [Don’t care]
The exchange between the two ended here for the time being.

"..."

Holding the phone in hand, Shang Zi raised his head and looked at the ceiling light in the bathroom, feeling uneasy in his heart.

Casual, normal, no coquettishness or complaining, just the tone of chatting with ordinary friends, she couldn't tell anything at all.

The problem is that it's too ordinary to be true.

Shang Zi frowned, could it be that Kazuyo recognized it was her?
She didn't feel comfortable asking directly, so she read through the conversation between them again, but still didn't see anything.

Judging from the last words, this matter is over, and she probably won't mention it again. Shangzi deleted all the conversations between them, leaving only a few simple questions and answers that didn't mean much.

"This should be fine..."

Putting away her phone, Shangzi stood up, went to the sink, washed her hands, and stared at herself in the mirror for a while.

She put her hand on the mirror, took a breath slowly, and then showed a flawless smile.

About 10 minutes later, Naruse returned to the room.

"Shangzi is awake." He sat on the edge of the bed, "Did you know I went to the hot springs?"

"I know." Naoko turned over and put her feet on his thighs, "Why didn't Harumi wake me up?"

"Isn't Naoko sleepy? Sleep is not as important as hot springs. And we can't bathe together... Ah, and the baths here are really not that good."

"Hey, why do you say that?"

Naruse immediately recounted what he had just experienced in the men's bath.

"Eh... Then I might as well soak in the bathtub in the room."

"Yeah, I thought so too."

Turning over again, Naoko handed him the cell phone that she had pressed down, and said as if she suddenly remembered: "Kazuyo sent a message to Harumi."

"..."

Naruse raised his eyes, "Really? What did you say?"

Shangzi looked at him, "See for yourself."

He calmly picked up the phone, clicked on the message and scrolled through it twice.

"Shangzi replied for me."

"Hmm... I thought it was my cell phone when I first woke up."

"Shinsaibashi? Where can anyone go if they have time?"

"Kazuyo probably thought we would play for a few more days," Naoko said.

After scrolling to the bottom of the message, Naruse threw the phone back on the bed, "I can't go this time anyway, let's talk about it later."

"uh-huh."

(End of this chapter)