Chapter 326

In her hand was a cup of tea with the instruction "Go pour it yourself," on the table in front of her were snacks with the instruction "Eat less," and next to her, her younger sister, whose face was pinched red, was the one with the instruction "Don't always bully her."

Ishikawa Hayato was extremely satisfied.

"I heard you let four girlfriends live in one house. How's that going? Can't stand the endless drama anymore?"

Ishikawa Jinpei no longer showed the tenderness he usually had towards his long-returned son. He was peeling peanuts in his hand, a smile in his eyes, looking like he was ready to watch a good show.

Ishikawa Hayato turned his head strangely to look at Hibiki.

Hibiki had been covering her face where she had been pinched, not intending to explain, but after being looked at a couple more times, she sighed.

She pouted, lowered her brows, and waved her hand forcefully.

Ishikawa Hayato immediately understood.

She was mimicking her father's response. "Impossible! That's absolutely impossible, they were just putting on an act for you."

"Sigh, what a pathetic man." Ishikawa Hayato took a sip of tea, leaned back, and crossed his legs.

"You'll probably never understand what it's like to have a girlfriend massaging your shoulders on each side, and then you can even hold another one in your arms."

"Keep bragging."

Ishikawa Jinpei didn't believe it at all.

However, Ishikawa Hayato had never done this before, although he felt he could definitely fulfill his request.

"If you don't believe me, that's fine too," he said casually, then changed the subject.

"It's been a while since we last met. How have you all been?"

"Without you, you brat, causing me so much trouble, I've been feeling much better lately," Ishikawa Jinpei said.

However, his lie was immediately exposed by Ishikawa Shizuka, who had been observing the situation.

"He's been asking about you a lot lately, and just now, he ran out as soon as he heard Hayabusa's voice."

As Ishikawa Hayato listened to his mother's words, he watched as an exaggeratedly smug smile gradually spread across his father's face.

After another round of commotion, Ishikawa Hayato finally got down to business.

"Oh, by the way, I'm going on a hot spring trip with my girlfriends in the next few days."

As he spoke, seeing Ishikawa Jinpei reaching into his pocket, he quickly said, "I'm not asking you for money, I just wanted to let you know that I'll be spending New Year's with them too."

The two were silent for a moment, then looked at each other.

"Whatever makes you happy." Ishikawa Jinpei waved his hand dismissively, then muttered under his breath, "Looks like he's really doing quite well."

Ishikawa Shizuka agreed with Ishikawa Jinpei's words, but their attitudes were completely different.

"Yeah, as long as you're having fun with your girlfriend, that's all that matters. But remember to come back occasionally."

Ishikawa Hayato watched the two of them for a while, then suddenly smiled and pulled three tickets out of his pocket.

"Would you like to take a hot spring trip too?"

226. The End of Life

In winter, in the living room of Ishikawa's house, steam rose from several cups of hot tea on the square table. In addition, there were some slightly sweet snacks on several small plates on the table.

In front of Ishikawa Hayato and Hibiki, there were two packets of partially eaten chocolate beans, one for each of them.

"A hot spring trip..." Ishikawa Jinpei repeated softly, then turned to Ishikawa Shizuka and asked.

"It seems like it's been a long time since we've been there, Jing, what do you think?"

Ishikawa Shizuka smiled faintly with delight and readily agreed.

"The falcon has already been bought, so..."

Just as she was about to nod in agreement.

"Wait, wait, wait!"

Seeing that her parents seemed oblivious, Hibiki quickly stopped them and turned to Ishikawa Hayato seriously, asking:

"Brother, you're not planning to introduce your wives to your parents during our hot spring trip, are you?"

Ishikawa Jinpei and Ishikawa Shizuka were stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized and were shocked. They thought it was just a normal hot spring trip invitation, but they never expected that Ishikawa Hayato was actually plotting against them!

Ishikawa Hayato quickly explained when he realized there was a misunderstanding.

"No, what are you saying? No matter what, a formal meeting should be at a normal time, and I wouldn't be that stupid."

However, the fact that Hibiki realized this surprised Ishikawa Hayato slightly, though it could also be considered a case of being influenced by one's surroundings.

Upon reflection, he realized it was perfectly normal.

He wasn't surprised at all that his parents hadn't noticed this.

He continued.

"When we were choosing a hot spring, I realized you haven't been there in a long time, so I picked a place that's a town away from the one I went to. We usually won't run into each other there, so don't worry."

"It's not far from a town..."

Hibiki muttered a complaint under his breath, but before he could finish speaking, Ishikawa Hayato pinched his cheek again.

But this time she slapped Ishikawa Hayato's hand away. "Your face will get fat!"

Ishikawa Hayato chuckled twice.

Ishikawa Jinpei watched the two siblings finish playing before smiling and speaking.

"In that case, I won't stand on ceremony." He picked up the tickets that Ishikawa Hayato had placed on the table, turned to Ishikawa Shizuka, and said, "What kind of hotel can this kid book for us?"

Ishikawa Shizuka chuckled and looked at the reserved tickets with her husband.

Upon seeing the hotel name on it, the two paused Ishikawa Jinpei flipped through the agreement scroll a couple of times, and immediately sensed something was amiss as he looked at the paper.

He quickly took out his phone to check hotels, while Ishikawa Shizuka watched from the side.

Seeing the situation, Ishikawa Hayato immediately stood up, but before he could slip away, he heard Ishikawa Jinpei shouting and cursing.

"You brat, how much money did you spend?!"

"It's... only a few hundred thousand..."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Ishikawa Shizuka's smile vanished completely, and her brows furrowed.

"Falcon, it's time you learned how to plan your spending. Come here."

When Xiang saw that his parents were going to punish his older brother, he immediately laughed and kicked his feet excitedly. However, he accidentally kicked the corner of the table and fell down, wailing in pain.

The speed at which his expression changed, and the swiftness with which his joy turned to sorrow, was truly remarkable.

In an instant, their smiles shifted, and Ishikawa Hayato and his parents, whose faces had been tense, couldn't hold it in for more than a few seconds before bursting into loud laughter.

Only Ishikawa Shizuka had a shred of conscience; she smiled and said to her wailing daughter, "Go rub it by the heater over there."

It's not pleasant to kick something hard in winter.

However, in the end, Ishikawa Hayato couldn't escape that lecture.

This person just lets it go in one ear and out the other; he's a weirdo, used to being lectured by others.

After dinner, Ishikawa Hayato said goodbye to his parents and wished them a Happy New Year in advance before leaving home while his parents still treated him like a treasure.

Ishikawa Hayato left his bustling home with a smile, but what he saw outside was a cold, harsh, and dark street.

There wasn't even a trace of flying insects under the few streetlights.

The disparity between the two is inexplicably disheartening.

Ishikawa Hayato's smile faded slightly. He looked up, his breath hot in the air. Under the dark sky, which seemed as if it might snow, the dim yellow streetlights were slightly glaring.

Seeing it reminded him of the dazzling lights of the lantern festival that day.

This comparison makes it seem as if the ideal has been reduced to its original state.

However, just then, my phone rang. It was a LINE notification and it was part of a group chat.

He opened it and took a look.

Nijika: "Hayato-kun, my sister said you absolutely must see her today or tomorrow."

Ishikawa Hayato chuckled. He wasn't going to beat him up again, was he? But this time, he definitely wouldn't.

He first sent a tearful puppy emoji before sending the text.

What is she going to do...?

Nijika: "I don't know... but she seems really angry..."

Ishikawa Hayato: "If she tries to beat me up again, Nijika has to keep an eye on her."

Nijika: "Of course!"

At this point, Hitori also joined the conversation.

"Falcon, my mom also said that when you're free after the New Year, we can go home together again."

Ishikawa Hayato: "No problem."

But as soon as he agreed, Liang also appeared.

"My family is the same."

Ishikawa Hayato's expression began to stiffen.

However, more blows came from Ikuyo.

"My dad said the same thing, is Hayato-kun okay?"

Ishikawa Hayato didn't know what expression to make. After a moment of silence, he laughed and then replied on Line.

"Then we'll arrange a time for everyone to go."

After the girls accepted, Ishikawa Hayato put away his phone and, no longer lingering, strode forward.

No time to admire the lonely scenery, I need to hurry and prepare for my sister-in-law's beating.

I boarded the tram, but to be more precise, standing inside the tram would be a better description.

Although the tram wasn't too crowded at this time, having seen how empty it was at noon, seeing the densely packed crowd now gave me an indescribable sense of unease.

Ishikawa Hayato, holding onto the rings and his phone in one hand, asked a question in the original band's group chat, which had become a family-like group.

"Is everyone coming to the party tonight?"

Someone replied very quickly.

"I've been waiting here."

Ishikawa Hayato knew who it was without even looking at the profile picture or name, and he smiled reassuringly.

"I'll be there right away. Please allow me to go to the sporting goods store to buy some auxiliary protective gear first."

Nijika: "We don't need to buy that kind of thing!"

Then someone else joined the conversation.

Liang: "Nijika, turn around and see what's behind you."

Upon seeing this message, Ishikawa Hayato grinned mischievously.

There are only a few reasons why Ryo would say something like that: either Ryo is behind her, or there's a "surprise" coming from behind Nijika.

Regardless, Nijika's little heart was definitely going to be startled.

Unfortunately, they weren't talking on voice, so they couldn't hear Nijika's screams or Liang's screams.

A short while after Nijika and Liang were quiet, Hitori also appeared.

Hitori: "I got off the tram, there are so many people tonight..."

Ishikawa Hayato: "Are you feeling dizzy?"

Hitori: "If that's the case, then it's a bit..."

Ishikawa Hayato: "Then wait for me at the station, I should be there in a few minutes."

At that moment, a crying bear emoji popped up.