Chapter 334

She didn't know whether she should continue like this.

"This place is definitely more upscale now, but why are you so comfortable with it, Hayato-kun?"

Nijika blushed and tried to distract herself.

Ishikawa Hayato, who attracted the most attention, said nonchalantly.

"Life is about experiencing all sorts of things, so what's there to be nervous about?"

However, they were quickly rescued.

"Hello, are you Mr. Ishikawa?"

A staff member came over to verify Ishikawa Hayato's identity.

They had already filled out the check-in information online, and the staff simply checked to see if there were any changes before quickly completing the check-in process.

After the formalities were completed, she asked if they wanted to hold a welcome banquet.

However, Ishikawa Hayato refused, saying he was tired and that dinner could be brought to his room later.

The staff member readily agreed.

When other staff members came to lead them to their rooms, Ishikawa Hayato called out to the four people who had hidden away under the pretense of admiring the view.

They hurried over, pulling their suitcases.

Ikuyo, who arrived first, was beaming with excitement.

"Hayato-kun, you can see the entire Beppu Bay from here."

"It was Nijika who told you, wasn't it?" Ishikawa Hayato glanced at Nijika, who had slowed down a couple of steps. "But it's completely dark now. The scenery was much better when we came here."

Ikuyo's eyes lit up, but after glancing at the staff member next to her, she didn't say anything.

Ishikawa Hayato gestured with his mouth, understanding perfectly. "Take a picture."

Ikuyo smiled happily.

The group took the elevator to the fifth floor, where their room was located.

Upon arrival at the door, the staff opened the door for them, gave them their access cards, and seeing that they had no objections upon entering, explained how to call the front desk before leaving.

"Wow... we're staying here again."

After the staff left, Nijika took the access card from Ishikawa Hayato and finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Just relax and enjoy yourself now that you're here."

After Ishikawa Hayato patted her on the shoulder with a smile, Ikuyo made a sound.

"The view from up here is much farther! Wow, there's even an outdoor swimming pool down there!"

Ishikawa Hayato looked in the direction of the sound and saw that Ikuyo had been slightly nervous just moments before, immediately relaxed once no one else was around.

He chuckled twice, and Nijika smiled helplessly in return.

There were five of them, and Ishikawa Hayato didn't want them to stay separately, so they chose a large suite.

Upon entering, you'll find the living room, followed by a balcony. To the left are two bedrooms, and to the right is a private hot spring and bathroom/toilet.

While they were chatting for a short while, Ryo had already returned to the bedroom and changed into a yukata.

"I'm going to soak in the hot springs first."

Ishikawa Hayato glanced into the bedroom again, where Hitori was holding a yukata, looking bewildered.

He then said.

"Without further ado, let's experience the hot springs here!"

"Oh!"

As soon as the group raised their hands in agreement, Nijika realized something was wrong.

"Together..."

She grasped the key point and pressed Ishikawa Hayato for an emphatical question.

Ishikawa Hayato pretended to be oblivious, glancing around nervously.

231. One act ends, another begins.

"Together?"

Although Nijika asked Ishikawa Hayato Jun this question, after seeing his feigned ignorance, Nijika fell silent for a moment, went to the bathroom to get a yukata, and seemed to have forgotten their conversation.

Holding her yukata, her gaze didn't linger on anyone, and she spoke as if to herself.

"That's true, let's go soak in a hot spring and enjoy ourselves first."

Ikuyo hadn't left because she was worried, widened her eyes upon hearing Nijika's words.

She looked at Nijika and Ishikawa Hayato in surprise.

At this moment, Ishikawa Hayato reached out and patted Nijika's head, saying, "Hey, someone will be delivering dinner later."

Tomorrow is their date, but he's not in a hurry for it.

Nijika has also gone astray. After a moment of realization that she had been toyed with by Ishikawa Hayato, she looked at Ishikawa Hayato with a sly smile and retaliated.

"What do you mean? I didn't say you wanted to come to the hot springs with me."

"That's why I want to go. I really want to go, whether it's to peep or to watch openly from the sidelines. If I could go in and soak together, that would be the happiest day of my life."

Ishikawa Hayato said with a smile, then suddenly his expression turned serious. "I've decided, I'm ignoring the staff, I'm going straight to the hot springs!"

Nijika smiled and gave him a push, then turned to Ikuyo and said.

"Ikuyo-chan, let's go relax."

Ikuyo first gave Ishikawa Hayato a look that said, "Your dream is about to come true," but then responded with a normal smile.

"Um."

If Ishikawa Hayato said he wouldn't go, he definitely wouldn't go to spy.

In the warm room, he took off his clothes and changed into a bathrobe, tidied his luggage a little, and walked to the balcony after listening to the girl's hushed but bold conversation in the bathroom.

Leaning against the railing, he looked down at the entire Beppu Bay landscape. In the occasional mountain breeze carrying the smell of sulfur, he gazed at the dark yet brightly lit Beppu and smiled with undisguised delight.

Not long after, the waiter brought dinner.

After the waiter quickly and neatly arranged the exquisite dinner and left, Ishikawa Hayato called out to the bathroom.

"Don't soak it for too long. Dinner's coming, you can continue soaking it later."

Okay~

They agreed and came out after a while.

Unlike their initial exhaustion upon entering, the girls emerged wearing yukatas and looking refreshed.

Their simple, light yukatas seemed to bring back the feeling of summer.

The light cherry blossom-colored yukatas looked extremely elegant and cute on them.

The clothing sizes had been explained before check-in, and they all fit perfectly, but so well that one of the girls felt uncomfortable.

Even after coming out of the bathroom, Hitori was still frequently tugging at her stretched-up collar, looking somewhat troubled.

Her actions left Ikuyo and even Nijika, who were standing nearby, unsure of how to react, their eyes gradually losing their luster.

Liang ignored them and pulled up a chair to sit down.

Ishikawa Hayato then withdrew his gaze and offered a compliment with a smile.

"Everyone looks so good, I've forgotten I'm hungry."

Nijika regained her composure, and with a weak smile, walked over to expose him.

"I just ate in the car, so I shouldn't be hungry."

Ikuyo teased Ishikawa Hayato, saying, "How can you praise everyone like that? You have to explain each person in detail to show sincerity."

"Okay, let's go in order of arrival. First up is Ryou. The slightly cinched waist and one-piece yukata make her figure look even better. The cherry blossom color is one that Ryou has never worn before, so it took some getting used to at first, but after looking at it for a while, it feels like a flower..."

"Okay, let's eat first!"

Nijika interrupted Ishikawa Hayato's long-winded speech, but Ryo glanced at her.

Ishikawa Hayato smiled and then said, "Yes, let's eat first. Hitori, Ikuyo over here quickly."

Ikuyo walked over quickly and happily, went to the chair, and looked Ishikawa Hayato over carefully, a smile appearing on her lips.

"Hayato-kun looks quite stylish in a yukata."

"Like a samurai." Hitori couldn't take their eyes off him.

Dinner wasn't a large portion, but it was quite substantial, consisting of appetizers, fish, beef, vegetables, steamed egg custard, and dessert.

There's not enough room on one table; the waiters' food carts are still left here.

The service here is supposed to be that the waiters bring the freshly cooked dishes over while the guests are eating.

However, Ishikawa Hayato found it troublesome and felt uncomfortable being disturbed by outsiders while eating, so this is how it ended up.

After Nijika sat down, she looked at the dishes on the table and the several layers of bowls on the food cart, and her expression gradually stiffened.

"That's a lot..."

Ikuyo had already taken out her phone and was taking pictures.

Nijika replied to Hongxia, "Just exercise more."

After she finished speaking, she clasped her hands together, said "Let's eat!" and then started eating without paying attention to anyone else.

Nijika clearly didn't believe she could exercise.

Ishikawa Hayato also clasped his hands together to indicate that they were starting to eat, and then picked up the food with his chopsticks as he spoke.

"Speaking of exercise, there's a gym, a spa, and an open-air hot spring. It's different from the hot springs in the rooms that are just filled with hot spring water; it's very atmospheric. Of course, all of these are included in the price."

Nijika sighed with a wry smile.

"An open-air hot spring at a villa on the mountaintop?" Ikuyo's eyes lit up.

"Yeah, you can even watch the sunrise while soaking in a hot spring." Ishikawa Hayato said with a smile, picking up some food and looking at Ikuyo, whose face clearly said, "I want to go there," before adding half a second later.

"But no photos allowed."

Ikuyo lowered his head in mourning.

"Mixed bathing?" Hitori suddenly asked.

"Unfortunately, no, it's a rotation like men take one day and women take one day."

Ishikawa Hayato put the food he picked up into his mouth, and because it looked so exquisite, he only realized it was sea urchin and taro after eating it.

The fresh and sweet ingredients paired with the slightly sour sauce instantly revitalize the stomach and intestines.

After finishing his meal, he glanced at Hitori, grinned mischievously, and said, "If you want a mixed-gender bath, you can do it in the room."

Hitori lowered her head shyly, then stole a glance at Nijika.

Nijika didn't speak, quietly eating her appetizer, but her silence subtly revealed her attitude.

After finishing the appetizers, Ishikawa Hayato went to rummage through the food cart.

"Meat, fish, or vegetables first? We have Kobe beef!"

"It feels weird to be able to choose what you want to eat first with this level of food."

Ikuyo didn't express her thoughts, but smiled and looked at the others.

Nijika didn't offer any opinion; she touched her stomach with a conflicted expression.

Liang glanced at the two of them, then at Hitori, who was hesitant to speak, and waited a while before saying anything.

"Meat."

"Okay."

Ishikawa Hayato acted as a waiter, taking out the small stove below, lighting it, and placing dipping sauces and lemons on it for them. Before the small iron plate got hot, he also poured them tea.