Elf: Rewriting the script, starting with Black Stocking Hanako

Hanako and Miss Joy have been soaking in the hot spring pool for quite some time now.

A thin layer of white mist floated on the water, carrying a faint smell of sulfur. Miss Joey leaned against a smooth rock, a hot towel on her face, completely relaxed.

Hanako sat next to her, the water level above her collarbone, her long brown hair piled up behind her head, a few stray strands clinging to her fair neck.

The two chatted casually, their conversation ranging from everyday life at the Pokémon Center to local specialties of Cinnabar Island.

The water temperature was just right, and the night breeze was just right too.

"Why hasn't Xia come yet?" Miss Joey took the towel off her face and looked towards the changing room. "Is it taking so long to change clothes?"

Hanako blinked but didn't say anything.

She picked up the small teacup by the pool, took a sip, glanced towards the changing room, and her lips twitched slightly, but she quickly regained her normal expression.

She's been through it all.

Some things you don't need to ask to know.

A long time passed.

The curtain leading from the changing room to the hot spring pool was finally lifted.

Xiaoxia slowly walked out.

She changed into a light yellow yukata, the belt tied neatly, and her hair was retied, with an orange ponytail swaying behind her head.

It looks normal.

But Hanako understood everything at just one glance.

Xiaoxia walked a beat slower than usual, her legs seemed a little weak, and her knees sank down a bit when she took a step.

Her face was still red, not the kind of red from being steamed by hot water, but the kind that shone through from under her skin, all the way down to the roots of her neck.

His breathing was also uneven.

She walked to the edge of the pool, squatted down, and carefully tested the water temperature.

Miss Joey smiled as soon as she saw her: "Xia, why did you take so long? We've been soaking for quite a while now."

Hanako paused, her hand holding the teacup still.

She already had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on and was about to speak up to change the subject for Xiaoxia when, unexpectedly, Miss Joey blurted out the question.

Xiaoxia blushed even more deeply after being asked this question.

However, she reacted quickly.

"Uh..." She reached out and touched her stomach, making an embarrassed expression. "When I was changing my clothes, my stomach suddenly started hurting a lot. So I ran to the toilet and squatted there for a long time before I felt better."

She herself felt that the excuse was a bit far-fetched, so she quickly added, "Maybe, maybe I ate too much ice cream this afternoon."

Miss Joey's face immediately showed concern after hearing this.

She's a nurse, so her professional instincts kicked in immediately.

"Did you eat something too spicy tonight?" She leaned forward, staring intently at Xiaoxia's face. "Or is there some food you're allergic to? Some things in seafood can easily cause stomach upset. If you feel unwell anywhere, be sure to tell me."

Xiaoxia quickly waved her hand.

"No, no, no," she said, her voice quickening, "The food tonight was delicious, really delicious. I didn't have any allergies or feel unwell."

As she spoke, she quickly got into the water. The warm water went over her calves, over her knees, and over her waist. Only when she sank into the pool did she feel a little more relaxed.

"Maybe it's just from eating too much ice cream, the temperature difference." She repeated it again, trying to make the reason sound more believable. "Yeah, that's it."

Miss Joey saw that she seemed to be in good spirits, so she didn't ask any further questions.

"That's good," she said, leaning back against the rock. "But if you're really feeling unwell, just let me know."

Xiaoxia nodded and quietly let out a sigh of relief.

She moved slowly underwater until she reached Hanako's side.

Hanako was holding a teacup, looking at her with a smile.

Xiaoxia felt uneasy under her gaze.

She was all too familiar with that look in her eyes.

It wasn't an interrogation or a blame; it was more like the look of someone who's been there, saying, "I know everything, but I won't say anything."

Xiaoxia's face flushed again.

She bit her lip, reached out her left hand underwater, and gently poked Hanako's thigh.

Tap it.

Hanako didn't react.

Tap it again.

Hanako still didn't react, but the curve of her lips widened a bit more.

Xiaoxia grew anxious and tapped Hanako's thigh twice more, this time with a hint of pleading for help.

Hanako turned to look at her.

Xiaoxia frantically signaled with her eyes: Sister, save me.

After being poked by Xiaoxia, Hanako became even more certain.

Something must have happened in the locker room.

And it's a very cheerful kind of thing.

She could even picture it in her mind: Jiang Chuan was definitely not behaving himself; Xiao Xia was saying no, but she probably gave in after only a few struggles.

Look how red her face is, and how weak her legs are. It's probably more than just a couple of kisses.

Hanako sighed inwardly.

Forget it.

She's the eldest sister figure. Since Xiaoxia asked for help, there's no reason for her not to.

She turned to look at Miss Joey.

"Joey," she said gently, "I've been wanting to ask you this for a while now, your skin is so well-maintained."

Miss Joey paused for a moment, then looked down at her arm.

"On this Crimson Lotus Island, volcanic ash flies everywhere, and the ultraviolet rays are strong. Logically, your skin should easily become rough," Hanako said casually, as if she were genuinely curious. "But look at you, your skin is so white and smooth. Do you have some special skincare routine?"

She wasn't lying.

Miss Joey's skin was indeed beautiful, glowing with a healthy pink hue under the steam of the hot spring, and her arms and thighs were so white and smooth they seemed to reflect light.

Women, you know.

No woman is uninterested in beauty and skincare.

Miss Joey's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this.

"Oh my, you were right," she touched her cheek, a hint of smugness in her voice. "You know there's a volcano on our Crimson Lotus Island, right? There's some very special mineral mud around that volcano. Our Joey family has an ancestral recipe for making face masks using that volcanic mineral mud..."

She started talking non-stop.

From the timing of volcanic mud collection to the techniques for applying face masks, from the quality of the hot spring water used to the direction of massage before bed, Ms. Joy went on and on about skincare, like a never-ending stream of words.

Hanako nodded, responded, and asked follow-up questions at appropriate times.

"Oh? What color is that mineral mud?"

"Grayish-green? That's quite unique."

"Applying it twice a week is enough? That's fine, not too much trouble."

"You should lift from the bottom up during a massage? I've heard of that technique before..."

The two women started chatting enthusiastically.

Xiaoxia finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

She sank deeper into the water, her chin submerged, leaving only her nose and eyes above the surface, and she blew a string of bubbles.

saved.

Hanako-nee is really reliable.

She secretly gave Hanako a thumbs-up underwater. While chatting with Miss Joey, Hanako gently patted Xia's hand from below, meaning: It's alright, it's okay.

Xiaoxia finally relaxed.

She leaned against the pool wall, the warm water enveloping her entire body, slowly easing the soreness in her muscles.

Just now in the locker room...

Those images involuntarily flashed through her mind again.

Darkness, a completely enclosed space.

The smell of sweat on him.

And then there's the word "like" that she herself uttered.

Xiaoxia blushed again and quickly tried to banish those images from her mind.

Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.

What on earth did I just do?

In the changing room, in the hot spring shop, and outside there were people waiting.

She actually...

She looked down at her body beneath the water, and remembering the moment she was stimulated by his sweat, her legs went weak again.

Actually, she could have gone with Jiang Chuan to the other bathhouse.

The hot spring pool is divided into two halves. Although the men's and women's baths are separate, they are actually the same pool. There are gaps in the partition, and you can hear each other talking between the two pools.

If she had gone to the men's bath with Jiang Chuan, she wouldn't have had that awkward moment when Miss Joey questioned her.

But she didn't.

Because it's too embarrassing.

In the locker room, in that darkness, the shame was overshadowed by lust. But when it was over and reason returned, the shame came crashing back.

She felt embarrassed to stay by Jiang Chuan's side any longer.

That's why she ran to the women's bathhouse.

I feel more at ease when I'm with Hanako-nee.

Hanako-nee knows everything, but she never asks any questions. She'll just smile and hand you a cup of tea, then change the subject for you.

Xiaoxia rolled over in the water and lay face down on the rocks by the pool.

Her gaze passed over the bamboo partition and looked toward the men's bath.

There was the sound of water and faint breathing over there.

Jiang Chuan was soaking in the water over there.

She stared at the partition for several seconds, then pouted.

"Big bad guy."

The voice was very soft, so soft that only she could hear it.

"I was almost embarrassed to death..."

As she spoke, she sank further into the water, submerging half her face, and gurgled out another string of bubbles.

And at this very moment.

The other side of the partition.

Men's soup.

Jiang Chuan had the entire pool to himself.

He was soaking in the warm water, his arms outstretched on the rocks by the pool, his head tilted back, his eyes squinting in comfort.

Steam rose from the water, carrying a faint smell of sulfur.

His body completely relaxed in the hot water, and the fatigue from walking all day was gradually washed away by the hot spring.

With muscles relaxed and pores open, I felt refreshed from the inside out.

The scene in the locker room just flashed through his mind.

Jiang Chuan's lips curled into a smile.

He reached up and wiped the water droplets from his face, then took a deep breath.

The hot spring steam filled my lungs, mixed with the smell of sulfur, and felt indescribably comfortable.

He let out a long breath.

"Cool!"

The sound was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for the person on the other side of the partition to hear.

The women's bath area.

Xiaoxia was lying in the water when she suddenly heard a loud "Awesome!" coming from the other side.

Her eyebrows immediately stood up.

"..." She bit her lip and clenched her fists underwater.

That bastard!

He's having a great time!

While he was being interrogated by Miss Joey to the point of wanting to crawl into a hole, she was comfortably soaking in the hot spring over there, exclaiming how great it was.

Xiaoxia was so angry that she kicked her leg in the water, splashing water everywhere.

Hanako was talking to Miss Joy about how to preserve volcanic mud masks when she was suddenly splashed with water all over her face.

She turned her head and saw Xiaoxia puffing out her cheeks, grinning at the partition.

Hanako couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Miss Joey also heard the "Awesome!" She tilted her head and looked towards the partition: "Jiang Chuan, you seem to be enjoying a good soak."

"Yes," Hanako said, wiping the water droplets from her face with a towel, her voice tinged with amusement, "it seems he's really comfortable."

Xiaoxia buried her face in the water and blew another string of bubbles.

Hanako glanced at her, leaned closer, and whispered, "Alright, alright, stop it. You seemed pretty comfortable in the locker room just now..."

Xiaoxia froze.

She suddenly raised her head, water droplets dripping down her chin, and stared wide-eyed at Hanako.

Hanako looked at her with a smile, said nothing, and simply picked up her teacup and took another sip.

Xiaoxia's face turned bright red at a visible speed.

"Hanako-nee!"

She called out in a low voice, both ashamed and anxious.

Hanako reached out and patted her head, like soothing a ruffled kitten.

"Okay, okay, let's soak in the hot spring."

Xiaoxia was so angry she wanted to retort, but when she opened her mouth, she didn't know what to say.

Because Hanako-neechan was right.

She was indeed quite... in the locker room.

Stop, stop, stop.

I can't think about it anymore.

Xiaoxia shook her head vigorously, clearing her mind of those images once more, then submerged herself in the water, leaving only her eyes above the surface.

The orange ponytail floated on the water's surface, like a golden fish.

Jiang Chuan's voice came from the other side of the partition.

"Ah...that feels so good..."

This time, the ending note was drawn out even longer.

Xiaoxia kicked her legs again underwater.

Hanako and Miss Joy exchanged a glance and both laughed.

A night breeze blew across the hot spring pool, carrying the smells of volcanic ash and the sulfurous odor of the spring water. The bamboo partitions creaked slightly in the wind.

Miss Joey stretched and picked up a pastry from the tray by the pool, popping it into her mouth.

"Oh, right, Hanako, I have a few extra jars of that mineral mud mask you asked about. How about I bring you a couple tomorrow to try?"

Hanako's eyes lit up: "Really? That's great!"

"Of course it really is, anyway, I can't possibly use it all. Your skin will feel incredibly smooth after using that mask, you'll know once you touch it..."

The two women then enthusiastically returned to the topic of skincare.

Xiaoxia lay by the pool, the blush on her face not yet completely gone.

She glanced furtively at the direction of the partition and pursed her lips.

Although she verbally called him a big bad guy, deep down she actually...

Forget it.

She copied Jiang Chuan, tilting her head back and leaning against the rocks by the pool.

Warm water enveloped my entire body.

The night breeze gently caressed my face.

Hanako and Joey's conversation could be heard nearby, while the three little ones played by the pool.

Xiaoxia closed her eyes.

Ok.

Actually... it was really quite fun!