A Young Woman's Heart

"Cough cough!"

An announcement came over the loudspeaker reminding passengers to fasten their seatbelts, as the plane was about to take off.

A pretty flight attendant also walked through the aisle, smiling as she reminded passengers who hadn't fastened their seatbelts.

"We're about to take off..." Yu Shu, with a digital camera hanging around her neck, leaned against the porthole, her little face pressed tightly against it, and even forgot to take pictures.

Of the six people, she was the only one who had never been on a plane.

The plane began to taxi on the long runway, its speed increasing until the nose pulled upwards, a feeling of weightlessness came over it, and the large iron bird, made with the crystallization of human technology, retracted its landing gear and roared into the sky.

……

(three)

The plane finally began to stabilize after passing through the clouds. Hua Yinyin unbuckled her seatbelt, which was making her uncomfortable, and started arguing and bickering with Mr. Xue.

The flight attendant approached Mo Xueyao and her companions, smiling as she asked, "Hello, would you like something to drink? We have coffee..."

"I just need bottled water," Wang Jiale nodded. "Thank you."

"Uh, I'd like some coffee. I want to enjoy the scenery along the way so I don't get sleepy."

"Okay, it will be delivered to you shortly."

"The flight attendants are all so pretty," Wang Jiale said enviously, swinging her legs slightly. "I wish I were that tall."

"It's okay, being short has its own charm."

"Well..." Wang Jiale said, pulling a brand-new notebook from her bag. "How should we add the lyrics later?"

"How about lyrics that give you peace of mind?"

"Hmm... my head hurts... is Xiaoxue thinking about it?"

"Seeing how happy he and Yinyin are, he probably isn't thinking about it."

"Does it still come down to the two of us in the end?"

"It seems so..."

……

(four)

Yu Shu finally remembered the camera hanging around her neck, grabbed it and took several photos. This feeling of flying in the clouds was something she rarely experienced in her daily life.

"My most memorable airplane ride was when I was in kindergarten, but it's a bit blurry now. I think I was in first class, and the room was about the size of a small room..."

Wow...is it that extravagant?

"Hmm, is that right? Or maybe I'm remembering it wrong." Mo Zhuyou rested her chin on her hand. "Hmm... I wish my sister could come too."

"...Sister Youyou really can't live without her older sister."

"No... It's just that I feel more at ease with my older sister around, right? As for now... uh... I hope Xiaoxue can be more reliable."

Will someone pick us up when we arrive?

"Tongjue was supposed to send someone to pick us up, but Yinyin said it wasn't necessary. She just asked Yinyin to help her rent a hotel. So, we probably had to do it ourselves."

"Huh?" Yu Shu panicked a little. "Then... what if I can't speak Japanese?"

"Don't worry, Lele knows a little bit, um... she should be fine communicating with people?" Even she herself was a little uneasy about what Mo Zhuyou said. She couldn't help but exchange a glance with Yu Shu, and they couldn't help but start to worry.

……

(Fives)

Even after drinking coffee, Mo Xueyao still fell asleep halfway through the journey, lulled by the repetitive scenery.

"Wake up, we're here."

"Let me sleep for a while, Wanyan..."

"Xiaoyao, the class monitor didn't come?"

"Ugh!" Mo Xueyao suddenly woke up. On the table next to her was Wang Jiale's open notebook. He hadn't written many lyrics, but he had drawn a lot of doodles on it.

Noticing Mo Xueyao's gaze, she quickly closed the notebook, feeling a little shy, and coughed twice: "Ahem—!!"

"No progress?"

"It'll be here soon, it'll be here soon..."

The plane landed smoothly and taxied for a distance on the runway before coming to a stop.

"Youyou... what about our luggage?" Yu Shu asked softly.

"Don't worry, you can just pick it up from the baggage carousel when you leave."

"What if we go and don't run into them?"

"Let's wait a little longer. If it came out before, just look for it in the pile next to it. That should be right."

"I remember it so clearly, even though it was all in kindergarten..."

"Ahem, these are all things my sister told me before I left..."

……

(six)

"Hey—why hasn't mine arrived yet?" Hua Yinyin asked, her face full of worry. "Hasn't it arrived yet?"

"It must be because Yinyin's suitcase is too big," Wang Jiale said casually, sitting on her pink suitcase.

"I hope it's not lost! Hey, my pipa is still inside!"

"Senior Yin, is that yours?" Yu Shu asked, pointing to a suitcase among a large pile of luggage next to her. "It looks like there are those photo booth pictures we took before stuck on it..."

"Huh? How did it get there..."

"It must be because it's too big, so it's considered large luggage." Mo Xueyao stood on tiptoe and looked around. "Alright, is everyone here? Which way do we exit again?"

“This way!” Wang Jiale said with certainty.

"Sister Lele is amazing, she can really understand Japanese!"

“Yu Shu…” Mo Xueyao’s eyelids drooped, “Actually, haven’t you noticed that most of the signs seem to be in Chinese characters?”

"Huh?"

"Although they are all Chinese characters, their meanings are still slightly different."

"Alright, alright, let's go! First stop... shall we go to the hotel?" Hua Yinyin raised her fist. "Lele, lead the way!"

"Know it……"

Without the company of adults or locals, the five girls excitedly huddled together in this foreign land, looking around curiously.

Mr. Xue walked quietly, seemingly uninterested.

The airport was like a giant maze, but fortunately the signs were mostly understandable, so everyone managed to get out safely.

"Lele, is this the place?"

“That’s right, we’re going to the hotel, right? So we need to take a car… We’re in an unfamiliar area, taking the bus would be too much trouble, let’s take a taxi.”

"I heard that taxis in Japan are very expensive?"

"How about taking the subway?" Mo Zhuyou suggested excitedly. "Taking the subway is much more fun than taking a taxi!"

"Subway...do you know which station our hotel is near?"

"Uh……"

"Let's get a taxi, let's get a taxi." Wang Jiale pouted and led the way forward.

People lined up to hail taxis, one car after another picking up groups of people. Japanese announcements came over the loudspeaker, and many people around her were speaking Japanese or English. Only then did Mo Xueyao realize that she had truly arrived in this maritime country.

Watching those people with yellow skin speaking a language that you can barely understand is a particularly novel experience.

……

Chapter 3. Exotic Scenery

When it was Mo Xueyao's turn, the staff confirmed the number of people and arranged a taxi for them that looked a bit like a minivan—the kind that could seat six people.

The taxi driver was exceptionally attentive, speaking in what appeared to be polite Japanese, as he opened the trunk for them and helped them put their luggage inside.

The luggage of six people could barely fit five people, with one person's luggage placed in front. He looked very apologetic and kept bowing. Even if you couldn't understand what he was saying, you could tell he was apologizing.

"Uh... Lele—what did he say?" Mo Xueyao scratched her cheek awkwardly. "Why did he suddenly bow?"

"What he meant was that he was very sorry, the car was a bit small and couldn't fit all the luggage... and, uh... and one person's luggage... had to be put in... um, oh, in the front, so there might not be enough space, so he was sorry."

"Huh, is there really no need to apologize for this?" Mo Xueyao was a little confused. "I'm not the Empress Dowager, I'm not going to kill someone for something like this..."

"That's just how the service industry is in Japan, they're much more professional than we are," Hua Yinyin said, shrugging.

"It's professional, but it feels weird, like I'm abandoning my personal dignity."

Wang Jiale smiled and said, "It's okay. For them, bowing and apologizing is similar to us saying sorry. They won't feel that their self-esteem is hurt."

Then, she spoke a few words in somewhat stiff, halting Japanese before getting into the car first: "Okay, everyone, come in, we're about to set off!"

"Did you tell him our destination?" Mo Zhuyou pulled Yu Shu's wrist and sat down, while Mr. Xue stood motionless outside the car, staring blankly in a certain direction.

Mo Xueyao followed his gaze and saw seven or eight young girls gathered together, all dressed like characters from anime, with colorful hair.

"Hey, Xiaoxue's been captivated by the cosplay! Come on up here, Xiaoxue? Are you curious?"

Everyone knows that Mr. Xue isn't the kind of person who can't resist pretty girls. Besides, if we're talking about pretty girls, this group is much prettier than the others, and they're all without makeup. They'd only be more beautiful with makeup on.

"Xiaoxue would like to try it on too?"

"Do you have a men's version?" Mr. Xue nodded and bent down to get into the car.

"That depends on what character you want to cosplay..."

The driver slowly started the car, his wrinkles crinkling together with a smile: "Jiong Guoren?"

"what?"