Chapter 338

The three then changed direction and headed towards the station.

Along the way, it was Hibiki who started reminding her parents how to follow Ishikawa Hayato.

"If you see your brother later, you absolutely must not speak. As long as we speak within his sight, he will definitely hear our voices and recognize us immediately."

And you can't let your gaze linger on him for more than a second, or he'll notice, and..."

Throughout the journey, Hibiki demonstrated a thorough understanding of Ishikawa Hayato.

Her parents looked on with bewilderment; were they tracking some kind of super spy?

As they spoke, the group walked to the station, confirmed the departure time on the spot, and then went to the foot bath next door.

When they arrived, there were already two people at the foot bath, both women.

One was blonde, the other was red.

The blonde woman was scrolling through her phone, looking up something.

The red-haired woman lay sprawled on the ground, talking as she did so.

"My body feels so warm and cozy, it's wonderful! I don't want to go back to Tokyo! Long live Yufuin!"

The blonde woman said after a while, "That's strange, why hasn't Ikuyo sent the photos yet?"

Ikuyo?

What is my sister-in-law's name?

After sitting down, Xiang Wang looked puzzled, but thought it was probably just a case of the same name.

"Hello..."

Ishikawa Jinpei greeted the two women before sitting down, but then noticed Ishikawa Shizuka's slightly piercing gaze and immediately looked away.

After all, both women were very beautiful, and they looked to be in their late twenties or early thirties, the most mature and alluring age.

However, Ishikawa Jinpei only reminded him that he should also soak his feet in the hot spring, so that they wouldn't complain about it later.

The blonde woman looked up, glanced at her, and nodded in greeting.

The red-haired woman waved her hand unsteadily, as if she were drunk.

"It's alright, everyone should be free to enjoy something as wonderful as hot springs."

That tone sounds just like a local's...

Xiang watched silently from the side, then took off her shoes and socks and put her feet into the steaming hot spring.

The scorching heat instantly flowed from my feet into my torso, dispelling all the cold and accumulated fatigue.

"Mmm~ The temperature feels so nice."

"Right?" The red-haired woman smiled and looked at Ishikawa Jinpei. "But you remind me a lot of a friend of mine, uncle."

"M... Uncle...?"

Ishikawa Jinpei's expression stiffened. Ishikawa Shizuka glared at him again. He coughed and gave a perfunctory reply.

"Well, it's quite rare for me to be told I look like someone, haha..."

The red-haired woman noticed Ishikawa Shizuka's gaze and smiled, remaining silent.

These two are naturally Seika and Hiroi Kikuri.

Yesterday, the two of them took the bullet train and didn't arrive at the hotel until late at night. After some trouble, Hiroi Kikuri managed to sneak past the hotel staff and stay in Seika's room.

The two enjoyed a relaxing soak in the hot spring in their room, and then got up early to begin the main purpose of their trip.

Follow Ishikawa Hayato to see how his relationship with Nijika progresses.

That should be considered Seika's main purpose; Hiroi Kikuri simply wanted to use the hot springs.

Therefore, meeting the Ishikawa family in front of the station for the first train could hardly be considered a coincidence.

However, tracking encountered difficulties from the very beginning.

Ikuyo Miracle didn't post on Instagram.

However, it was still early, and Seika, filled with hope, prepared to board the 8 o'clock bus to Beppu to conduct righteous surveillance activities.

It's perfectly just to check if your sister is being bullied! She doesn't think she's doing anything as perverted as stalking.

Under this clear sky with wisps of white smoke, a tracking race is about to begin.

233.233

Ikuyo didn't post on Instagram for a simple reason: she had just put her phone in the locker, feeling happy, when she was shivering from the cold winter wind as she went to soak in an open-air hot spring.

Next to the bus stop in Yufuin.

Seika put down her phone, pondering how to follow those people without Ikuyo's callouts.

On the other side, Ishikawa Jinpei had a similar thought.

He knew Ishikawa Hayato was in Beppu, but how could he find them Beppu?

Blindly rushing around would actually increase the chances of being found by Ishikawa Hayato first, since he knew about Ishikawa Hayato's exceptional fighting skills.

With his feet soaking in the scalding hot spring, Ishikawa Jinpei racked his brains for a solution, then, with a foolish yet mature smile, asked Hibiki beside him.

"By the way, Hibiki, do you know if there's any way to find them?"

Hibiki took a picture with his phone of the three of them soaking in a foot bath, and was taken aback when he heard what Ishikawa Jinpei said.

"Dad, didn't you leave a tracking device on my brother?"

Seika, sitting opposite, paused, then looked on with a head full of question marks. What kind of family would leave a tracking device on their son?

Calling him a stalker is too lenient; he's downright perverted.

As if hearing Seika's innermost thoughts, Ishikawa Jinpei responded with an incredulous shout.

Am I that kind of pervert?

"So that means..." Hibiki's expression turned slightly disgusted. "You only thought of following your brother after you got here?"

Seika felt that her gaze had lingered on the family across the street for too long, so she pretended to look away casually, but her attention remained focused on them.

But it turns out it was also stalking? What a coincidence.

Are all the people traveling to Yufuin here to follow someone?

"Haha..." Ishikawa Jinpei chuckled dryly, then, stung by his daughter's increasingly disdainful gaze, he moved a little further to the side.

"Even if we can't find it, it's not bad to just wander around and have some fun," Ishikawa Shizuka said with a smile, trying to smooth things over.

Xiang hurriedly waved his hand to dissuade him.

"No, if my brother finds out, it'll turn into a meeting between the parents."

Seika couldn't help but think that if Nijika found out, Nijika would definitely be angry.

Fortunately, unlike the unprofessional staff at the restaurant across the street, she was wearing a knitted hat, a mask, and sunglasses...

Something seems off?

Seika was thinking, her gaze suddenly drifted involuntarily to Hiroi Kikuri lying on the ground beside her.

Hiroi Kikuri lay comfortably on the floor, her arms outstretched. "Ah, that feels so good. I wish there were places like this in Tokyo at night, so I wouldn't be freezing after finishing my drinks."

"You'll drown," Seika coldly warned.

It's not unheard of for someone to drown in a basin of water, but that's not important.

Importantly, Hiroi Kikuri didn't have any tracking equipment!

Looks like I need to get rid of her.

However, while she was thinking, she missed a sentence from Ishikawa Shizuka: "I don't think Hayabusa will expose me."

Xiang complained, "That would be so embarrassing! Wouldn't our whole family become stalkers?"

So you were aware of your own limitations. But the brother you were following is probably innocent, right?

After Seika to shake off Hiroi Kikuri, Hoshika turned her attention to the strange family across the street.

At this moment, Ishikawa Jinpei displayed the thick skin of a grown adult and a corporate slave who had struggled in the workplace for many years, waving his hand with an expression that said it was no big deal.

"Who said we were stalking them? We were just on a hot spring trip after Christmas, spent a day in Yufuin, and then happened to run into them while sightseeing in Beppu."

This uncle's excuse is pretty good, Seika thought to herself.

Just as Xiang was about to speak, the bus's horn, signaling that it was ready to go, interrupted her.

To hide his embarrassment, Ishikawa Jinpei lifted his feet out of the hot spring as soon as the bus horn sounded, dried them with a towel, and stood up.

"Hurry up and go, or there won't be any seats left."

Although Xiang complained a lot, when it was time to go, she didn't hesitate at all. She quickly dried her feet, put on her shoes and socks, and ran towards the bus, talking all the while.

"Dad, Mom, hurry up!"

The Ishikawa family boarded the bus when there weren't many people on it yet.

As they boarded the bus, the driver told them they were incredibly lucky. The heavy snow of the previous two days had blocked the roads, but they had only been able to get through today and were able to see Mount Yufu covered in snow.

After hearing this, Hibiki excitedly told her parents, "Following my brother was definitely the right decision!"

Her words left the drivers who had resumed work completely dumbfounded.

Despite their intention to follow Ishikawa Hayato, the Ishikawa family didn't neglect their own trip.

Hibiki looked every bit like a modern, internet-savvy young person. As soon as she got on the bus, she started researching what scenery the Beppu would offer, where her brother might be going in Beppu, and how she was going to brag about her trip to her friends.

Ishikawa Jinpei flipped through a magazine on the bus, reminiscing about his travels during his youth while sharing memories with his wife.

Ishikawa Shizuka chatted with her husband about fragmented memories while waiting for the vehicle to start, filled with anticipation.

While this family was enjoying a peaceful time, Seika was engaged in battle.

"Hiroi, go play by yourself."

"Oh, but I don't have any money. Please take me with you, senior. You're the only one I can rely on here. I'll pay you back for the trip later."

Hiroi Kikuri Seika.

Seika rolled her eyes. She knew this person wouldn't be so easy to shake off. Having been pestered once before, she wasn't going to waste her energy here. She could only wait and see if there was another chance later.

Hiroi Kikuri, such a shameless drunkard, is a perfect counter to tsundere.

"Fine, then it's not my problem if you get lost."

She casually agreed and helped Hiroi Kikuri buy tickets and board the bus.

A dozen minutes later, the bus started, carrying a few rather unusual tourists towards Beppu City.

I won't go into detail about the beautiful winter snow scenery along the way; the heavy snow from two days ago still covers the mountaintops, and the ice and snow have frozen the mountains into a pure landscape.

Hibiki sat inside the bus, watching it move forward and the surrounding scenery constantly changing.

Mountains, fields, and high piles of snow swept away from both sides of the road.

Amidst this scenery, the group quickly left Yufuin and arrived in Beppu.

While these people were getting off the bus, on the other side, Ishikawa Hayato and Nijika were just getting ready to board the bus.

The bus stop is just a short distance from the hotel, but it's still very close, so it's obvious that there must be a lot of business going on there.

This, however, made things convenient for the two of them.

"What a surprise, Hayato-kun actually agreed to take the bus."

Nijika walked ahead, wearing a light blue down jacket that reached her thighs.

The zipper of her coat wasn't zipped up, and as she swayed with her light steps, it revealed the knitted sweater and midi skirt she was wearing underneath.

The ribbon she always wore was tied around her wrist.

The thick, well-tailored clothing made her look even more petite, while the low-saturation color scheme added to her sweetness.

Her pure white dress billowed as she looked to her side, and every smile and gesture made one feel as if she were the unattainable white moonlight of one's youth.

"Why do you think I would disagree?" Ishikawa Hayato asked, half a step behind her, watching her light steps.