Chapter 331

The cold eyes held a possessive force, while also conveying a strong sense of order and hierarchy.

Ishikawa Hayato affectionately stroked her face, watching as the strong expression in her eyes gradually turned into a dreamy look.

Ishikawa Hayato sat on the bed, tapping away on his phone. He wasn't dressed yet, his strong, muscular chest and well-defined abs casually exposed as if he weren't afraid of the cold.

But nobody watches it.

The two girls next to me, after being tossed around for a while, turned over and went back to sleep.

He sent out the message.

"Ikuyo, when are you coming back?"

Ikuyo replied to messages as quickly as ever.

I'm downstairs.

Ishikawa Hayato paused for a moment, glanced at the messy bed, and realized it was almost 9 o'clock.

When Ikuyo sees this situation, she'll probably have to make a fuss. If these two wake up again during this time, they won't be able to get out of bed until at least noon.

That would make Nijika angry again.

Although they all complained about his boundless energy, they were actually all more proactive than each other.

However, this seems to be quite normal. According to Ishikawa Hayato, many couples only remember to get up when they are hungry when they first start dating.

Thinking of this, he lowered his voice completely and got out of bed silently without causing any disturbance.

He didn't even have time to put his pants on before quickly leaving the room to go to the bathroom.

We need to find a different location; we can't continue fighting here.

However, before he even reached the bathroom, he saw Nijika walking through the living room with her side ponytail swaying. She was wearing a knitted sweater and a skirt; the loose-fitting clothes, which didn't accentuate her figure, actually made her look more elegant and gave off a very homey vibe.

When did Nijika arrive?

As he was thinking this, Nijika noticed something and looked in his direction.

The moment Nijika saw Ishikawa Hayato Nijika, a smile appeared on her face, but after noticing his current state, she glanced at his body from head to toe, her lips twitching slightly, but she managed to suppress her anger and put on a long face.

"Go put on some clothes, Hayato-kun, aren't you cold?"

"I'll be right back, I'm going to take a shower and I'll be right out."

Ishikawa Hayato smiled and shrank back, not bothering to remind Nijika Ikuyo was about to arrive, before quickly turning and entering the bathroom.

Inside the elevator, Ikuyo was dragging her suitcase with one hand and looking at her LINE interface on her phone with the other.

Ishikawa Hayato did not read or reply to the message she just sent, "Hayato-kun, what's wrong?"

This situation is rare, but considering the time and that they must have only just woken up, it's easy to understand.

"Seriously... like this first thing in the morning."

Ikuyo grumbled as the elevator arrived at their floor. She picked up her luggage, which she had packed the night before, and quickened her pace toward their home.

After entering the house, she changed her shoes, casually put down her suitcase in the living room, and quickly walked towards the hallway with her legs covered in pantyhose.

However, before they even entered the corridor, they heard a sound.

"Ikuyo... chan...?"

Ikuyo froze, abruptly stopped, and turned to look to the side.

Nijika looked as if she regretted speaking up, and slightly withdrew her hand that had been waving.

"Ah, good morning, Nijika- senpai." Ikuyo smoothly changed her expression and resumed smiling.

"Good morning."

Nijika's expression returned to normal. She glanced at Ikuyo's suitcase and asked, "Have you packed everything?"

"Um."

Ikuyo stopped walking down the corridor and turned towards Nijika.

"It was all sorted out last night!"

She seemed to be complaining to her parents, "Yesterday was Christmas, and my parents didn't go out either. We stayed home and couldn't sing, we could only play some games. Only my dad could keep up with the conversation... Sigh... I'm so envious of everyone else."

"Ha ha..."

Nijika chuckled dryly. She couldn't join in on this topic of only children's families, and she didn't know if Ikuyo's resentment was directed at her.

After all, she must have interrupted Ikuyo's "good time."

However, Ikuyo immediately put on a smile, picked up her phone, and said...

"Nijika- senpai, yesterday's cake was so cute! Hayato-kun sent me a picture of it. Can I post it on Instagram?"

"Sure." Nijika smiled with relief.

Then, under Ikuyo's questioning, Nijika recounted some details of the party the previous night.

Not long after, Ishikawa Hayato came out of the shower. When he got to the lobby, he noticed Ikuyo's luggage by the door. He turned to look at the sofa and saw the two of them chatting, so he went over.

"Is everything packed?"

"Of course," Nijika replied affirmatively.

Ikuyo was more familiar with the house, looked behind Ishikawa Hayato after hearing what he said, and sighed.

"But Hayato-kun, none of you have packed up yet, have you?"

"Haha..." Ishikawa Hayato had just chuckled when he saw Nijika's incredulous expression and quickly explained.

"Actually, it's almost done. We just need to put in the last few odds and ends."

Nijika breathed a sigh of relief and stood up.

"Go and wake those two up. I've already prepared lunch. Let's all eat first and then check each other's luggage and the rest of the itinerary."

"Um."

While Ishikawa Hayato was waking Hitori and Ryo up to wash up and eat, the Ishikawa family had already packed their bags and left home.

Xiang left home with cheerful steps, dragging her suitcase.

Her parents followed behind, carrying only one suitcase.

Even after leaving home, Xiang kept asking questions.

"Dad, are we really going today?"

"Of course, I used all my annual leave."

With a fierce determination to prove himself, Ishikawa Jinpei said, "We can't just let your brother go to the hot springs while we stay at home."

"Wouldn't it be better to just stagger them?"

Ishikawa Shizuka sighed, feeling somewhat helpless about her husband's willful attitude. He actually went to a hot spring during the busy end of the year.

Ishikawa Hayato's tickets are valid for the entire peak season, so there's no need to rush.

"No," Ishikawa Jinpei said firmly, "This is a battle of wits between men!"

Ishikawa Shizuka felt helpless; the moment she argued with her son, she had already been completely defeated.

Seeing her father's unusual toughness, and thinking about being able to soak in a hot spring at this time, Xiang happily skipped and jumped while pulling her suitcase.

Ijichi Family.

Seika quickly packed her belongings into her suitcase after Nijika left.

Sunglasses, face mask, knitted hat, and all sorts of other accessories were neatly arranged in the suitcase, making one worry whether it would pass through security.

She also planned to buy some clothes that Nijika had never seen before.

To be honest, Seika hadn't originally planned to travel at this time, but Ishikawa Hayato actually sent her the tickets, so why not use them now?

She read the plan aloud again.

"It only takes an hour to get from Yufu City to Beppu. Once we get there, we can follow them through Kita's Instagram. All the tools for tracking them are ready..."

If it weren't for fate arranging everything, she wouldn't have bothered to see how intimate those people were; she's not a pervert.

Although she was very Ishikawa Hayato and Nijika got along, and whether he took good care of Nijika, she didn't think she would chase after him for hundreds of miles.

But everything just happened so coincidentally.

Ishikawa Hayato gave her coupons because he was worried she'd be bored at home alone, and Ikuyo's frequent Instagram posts offered to help her follow him; the five of them formed a conspicuous group.

She was just a passerby who had accidentally followed a few people.

But while I was packing my luggage, the doorbell suddenly rang.

Seika's hand trembled as she packed her luggage, and she shoved the suitcase under the bed.

The suitcase made a sound as it scraped against the floor, then it disappeared.

Seika calmly walked to the door and opened it.

"Senior~ I've come to keep you company~"

A man, reeking of alcohol as if he'd just come from a vat, stood unsteadily at the doorway in broad daylight.

She said, holding up the wine bottle.

"You must be lonely without Nijika at home. Let's have a drink together."

"Go back!"

Seika suddenly closed the door for a night raid, Qun Lu Jiu'③ Liu Yisan Wu came to the door.

She became even more determined to travel.

However, after spending half an hour packing her luggage and unplugging all the electrical appliances, she opened the door and saw Hiroi Kikuri leaning against the corridor, looking dazed.

"Ah, senior, wanna have a drink together?"

Seika felt that she might not be able to get rid of this person.

As for Ishikawa Hayato, they had already booked their train tickets and hotel, and there was still nearly an hour before the train was scheduled to depart.

None of them were in a hurry.

Various suitcases were piled up at the door, and five people sat on the sofa chatting.

Ikuyo is an expert when it comes to games, and she can rattle them off as if she knew them by heart.

"Beppu's Hell, Beppu Tower, the steam observation deck, and the aerial tramway—these are places you absolutely must visit."

"You've already told me all the exciting parts," Ishikawa Hayato said with a helpless smile.

"Beppu isn't a very big place, but it's great for its hot springs and scenery," Ryo said.

She had also done a thorough investigation of the place, and she voted because she wouldn't be dragged around to different places.

Hitori's gaze lingered on the person speaking and on the phone. After a brief pause in the conversation, she also spoke.

"It seems like it's been snowing there for several days now..."

Nijika watched the group's conversation and noticed something was amiss.

In her eyes, these people had become beasts of desire after the holiday, only remembering to do those things. She never expected them to exchange information so rationally.

However, after listening for a while, she also spoke up.

"I checked, the snow isn't very heavy. Seeing the snow from the hotel is probably..." / "Then we definitely have to take the cable car to see it!"

Nijika spoke at the same time as Ikuyo.

They both spoke at the same time, then looked at each other and fell silent.

Then, with tears Ikuyo, Yudai asked Ishikawa Hayato a question.

"Hayato-kun, you'll be going out to play, right?"

Ishikawa Hayato smiled and said, "Of course, but let's take it slow and explore a little bit each day. The place isn't very big, and we can see everything in five days and four nights, although we probably won't be able to do anything today."

As he spoke, he stood up, then suddenly paused, "Ah... and tomorrow Nijika and I..."