Chapter 342

Ishikawa Shizuka saw through Hibiki's attempt to sow discord and said, "Hibiki, don't cause trouble now."

The family exchanged glances but didn't say a word, their intense typing on their phones attracting the attention of those around them.

However, Liang's team didn't notice immediately, since their attention was also focused on Ishikawa Hayato and Nijika.

Ikuyo watched Ishikawa Hayato's retreating figure, still thinking about how he had made Nijika laugh so hard, she couldn't help but say something to the two of them.

"From an outsider's perspective, I've noticed that Hayato-kun really makes girls happy."

"It's just a scumbag's instinct, but Falcon is quite interesting anyway, and right now they're just playing around."

As Ryo spoke, he ate the half-eaten onsen egg whole again, then turned to Hitori and said.

"It's just an egg with a weird flavor added."

"Um."

With her cheeks puffed out by the soft-boiled egg, Hitori nodded and spoke in a muffled voice.

Ikuyo looked at the two of them helplessly, thinking to herself that they were trying to imagine her as Nijika -senpai, experiencing what it would be like to date Hayato-kun from afar.

Thinking about it, she took out the soft-boiled egg she had just bought without a second thought, took a picture with a smile, and then cracked it open to eat.

The three of them gradually went from simply following the other two to something worse. They started doing whatever the other two did, focusing on creating a sense of participation.

While the others were successfully following behind Ishikawa Hayato and Nijika, Seika was still circling around the Umi Jigoku area.

After wandering around for a long time, Seika finally stopped, supporting herself on her knees, panting and wiping away her sweat.

Tourists came and went around her, a sight that dazzled her. The scorching hot springs and the smell of sulfur made her feel dizzy after a while.

"Where did they go?! Ugh, that damn Ishikawa!"

Her disheveled appearance prompted staff to ask if she needed help, but she declined.

She wanted to see how they spent time together in private, not to be a third wheel.

However, no matter how hard she looked, she definitely wouldn't find the two of them here, since they were almost at the Oniishibozu Jigoku.

With endless resentment towards Ishikawa Hayato in her heart, Seika took out her phone and scrolled through Ikuyo's Instagram again, but there was still only the same old post.

She was furious, but felt powerless to vent it.

Finding someone in such an unfamiliar city based on just a few clues is really difficult; you might pass by someone just a few steps away without even realizing it.

Seika was aware of this possibility, and she was temporarily disheartened by the series of setbacks she suffered after her release.

"I really shouldn't have come."

She shook her head, feeling foolish for running off to follow them, and walked to the cafe in the rest area on the other side of the Umi Jigoku, where she ordered a coffee and contemplated life.

Passing through a noren (a curtain) that served only as a formality and was completely exposed to the outdoors, Ishikawa Hayato and Nijika arrived at Oniishibozu Jigoku.

The two went to the poolside to explore the hot springs.

The hot springs here gush out mud, and the yellowish-brown hot springs are nestled within a circle of strangely shaped rocks that appear man-made yet have been altered by nature.

There were a few small bubbles on the surface of the hot spring water that were different from the other pools. Small bubbles of white, muddy water kept rising from the center of the bubbles, and the color spread from the bubbling area, making the surrounding area look grayish.

Nijika's gaze lingered on those tiny gray bubbles for a long time.

"Such a natural scene looks so soothing."

"Such intermittent and monotonous stimulation can indeed cause the brain to resonate..." Ishikawa Hayato's speech gradually slowed down halfway through.

"This resonance makes it easier for the brain to enter a semi-dormant state, reducing thinking and relieving mental stress, as you mentioned before, Hayato-kun."

After relaxing for a moment, Nijika looked at Ishikawa Hayato with a relaxed smile.

"You actually remember that?" Ishikawa Hayato said admiringly.

"If only Hayato-kun remembers everything, wouldn't that make it seem like Hayato-kun likes me more than I like Hayato-kun?" Nijika smiled. "No matter what, I definitely like you more than Hayato-kun likes four people."

That's great.

Ishikawa Hayato seemed to have no intention of comparing who liked whom more, and then added, "But the outcome is yet to come."

Nijika smiled.

The two stared at each other for a while, chatted casually for a bit, and then continued walking.

Upon reaching the exit, Nijika stamped the manual again. The stamp for Oniishibozu Jigoku was an image of a little monk. They continued forward while drying the manual.

However, as he walked forward, Ishikawa Hayato couldn't help but look back and mutter to himself.

"Why are even Mom and Dad here?"

"Hmm, what did you say Hayato-kun?"

Nijika looked at Ishikawa Hayato surprise, then followed his gaze to look behind her, but naturally she couldn't see the group that had already hidden.

"No, let's go."

Ishikawa Hayato didn't plan to tell Nijika about the two groups of people following them for the time being, so as not to make her nervous.

Nijika looked back in surprise, sensing that something was definitely behind her, since it was unbelievable that Ishikawa Hayato would daydream several times during a date.

After glancing at it a few times and not seeing anything, she looked away.

About ten steps behind them, Xiang saw that the two had looked away before quickly typing on his phone.

"That was close! My sister-in-law almost found out."

She added a bunch of exclamation marks after "danger" to emphasize how thrilling it was.

Ishikawa Jinpei glanced at Nijika in front of him with surprise, then typed on his phone.

"Sister-in-law?"

Xiang: "Yes, that sister-in-law is the oldest among my brother's girlfriends."

Ishikawa Jinpei glanced at Nijika's back again, mainly because she was a head shorter than Ishikawa Hayato. He remained silent for a moment before typing on his phone.

"Haven didn't break the law, did she? How come she's the oldest person there?"

Xiang: "The youngest is the same age as my brother, and my sister-in-law is a year older than him."

At this moment, Ishikawa Shizuka joined the conversation. "Hibiki, you just said that your sister-in-law didn't notice... So, Hayato has already noticed?"

"Yes, we've definitely discovered it."

After sending the message, Xiang looked up and gave his mother a reassuring nod.

"Then why do we still need to chat on our phones?" Ishikawa Shizuka asked, surprised.

The father and daughter, who had been chatting on Line for half a day, were suddenly stunned.

It wasn't just the Ishikawa family who were in a tense situation; the Ryo team was too.

"Senior Nijika just looked this way, didn't they? Did they notice anything?"

Ikuyo followed behind the few figures ahead, her head hunched, and gasped softly.

"Looks like we're about to be exposed."

Liang seemed completely unconcerned about being exposed, and continued to follow leisurely.

"Um, maybe we should go back. Nijika-chan will definitely be angry if she finds out."

After this harrowing incident, Hitori started to have second thoughts.

"It's nothing, at most I'll just get punched by her." Liang seemed quite used to this, and said in a calm tone.

However, her habits were difficult for the other two to accept.

"One punch..." Hitori huddled in fear, her hands hidden in her chest.

"Senior Nijika's punch... it hurts a lot."

Ikuyo looked as if she had been punched, tears welling in her eyes.

Looking at the two delicate-looking women, Liang Youran, a veteran, said.

"It's alright, you guys will get beaten up sooner or later anyway, so just do it now..."

Liang stopped abruptly halfway through her sentence, a look of interest appearing in her eyes, and pulled the two aside.

"We got beaten up because of Ryo-senpai..."

Before Ikuyo could finish speaking, Liang covered her mouth. Ikuyo shook her head to remove the cover and looked at Liang in surprise.

She didn't say anything more, and Liang knew she wouldn't, so he easily let go of her hand.

Liang pointed subtly to a family standing together not far to the side.

The family was all looking down at their phones, standing out conspicuously among the tourists watching and taking pictures around them.

"That was... a sound?"

Ikuyo immediately recognized the three people, and then subconsciously turned his back to them.

Normally, she wouldn't be this nervous; she's doing something naughty right now.

"Falcon's parents are here too."

Hitori quickly turned her back as well. She didn't know why she was nervous, but she still followed Ikuyo and turned her back.

Liang glanced at it twice before turning around, casually looking at the scenery in the hot spring in front of her.

As a stalker, she saw everyone as a stalker, and that family certainly did seem to be one.

She spoke calmly to the two people beside her.

"Could they also be here to track the falcon?"

"No way, did they follow us all the way from Tokyo? Even if they knew we were in Beppu at this time, how would they have found us?"

Ikuyo said, glancing furtively at the Ishikawa family behind them.

Hitori, then took out her phone.

Liang glanced at her phone, and Ikuyo followed suit, turning her gaze to the phone as well.

All that could be seen on Hitori's phone were two photos sent by Ikuyo.

There's no need to go into the details of the initial cause; the reason for the current situation has already been identified.

"We've found out why they're here," Liang said confidently.

Ikuyo stared at her reflection in her phone, her expression stiff. She didn't even dare to turn around, since they had tracked her down using her photos and were certainly very familiar with her clothes.

What if he turns around...

Fortunately, once the Ishikawa family saw Ishikawa Hayato walking away, they quickly caught up with the two men.

A moment later, after seeing that they had gone far away, Liang spoke.

Let's just follow behind them.

"Huh?"

When they met Ishikawa Hayato's parents for the first time after they started dating, Ikuyo and Hitori were both incredibly nervous and gasped in surprise.

If you were to draw a line through the several hellish hot springs, Oniishibozu Jigoku would actually be at the very beginning, followed by Umi Jigoku.

However, since Umi Jigoku was closer, the two went Umi Jigoku first.

After exploring Oniishibozu Jigoku, Ishikawa Hayato and Nijika planned to circle around Umi Jigoku and then head to Kama Jigoku.

However, they took a different route than before; when you're out having fun, you naturally want to see different scenery.

However, there's a problem: the two of them walked right onto the side of the rest area where Seika was.

As Seika sighed and sipped her slightly hot coffee, relaxing as she watched the wisps of white mist rising in the distance.

Suddenly, through the coffee shop's glass, she saw Nijika holding Ishikawa Hayato's arm as he walked past her, leaving her completely stunned.

"What?!"

Seeing the two walking further and further away, Seika didn't hesitate to pick up her coffee and pour it into her mouth...

"Hot!"

She stuck out her tongue and fanned herself with her hand, hopping around for a while before slapping down the money for the coffee. Completely disregarding her image, she continued blowing her tongue as she walked out, simultaneously putting on the standard stalker's gear.