Comet Dragon, breaking into the gravity field

——[Source of the gif deleted by the author from Kamikame: Spent 20673 yen on the author's novel in 6 days]

……

The ingredients are complex, but the overall harmony is harmonious.

"Business updates, what's wrong?" Switching back to Line, Naruse Ritsu didn't quite understand why Aine's tone just now was so strange.

"But, but I've never heard of this before!"

"Because it was only confirmed a few days ago."

Looking at the reply message on the screen, Chihaya Aine turned back to look at Shiina Riki, whose face was full of dissatisfaction, and felt that it would be better for her to give up being a mouthpiece.

51.Want to go to a hot spring?

Shortly after the other three girls arrived, in order to make room for their daughter and her friends, Takamatsu Deng's parents took the initiative to go out, allowing their daughter to spend this extremely rare time.

Although there was a male among them, the two adults did not overreact considering their age, proportion of people and the relationship between them.

Sitting on the sofa in the living room, Nagasaki Suyo's eyes when looking at Naruse Ritsu suddenly became meaningful, as if she was looking at a scumbag who picked wild flowers outside and was still deeply in love with his wife when he returned home.

"Lixi is very angry~"

The light words she said casually immediately aroused someone's dissatisfaction.

"Huh? How am I angry?" With his eyes wide open, Shiina Riki almost had "saying one thing and thinking another" written all over his face.

"Everyone is angry..."

Hearing Chihaya Aine's agreement, the besieged Shiina Riki was about to fight back, but saw Takamatsu Touma bringing the cut cake over.

"So cunning! She actually made a cake while we were practicing!"

While expressing her dissatisfaction with Ritsu Naruse for leaving her out while having fun, Chihaya Aine scraped off a large piece of cream with a fork and put it into her mouth.

Instantly, the slightly jealous words she had originally uttered were replaced by an incomprehensible sigh. Her throat was slightly swollen, and after struggling to swallow the lump of cream, Chihaya Aine finally exclaimed in admiration with shining eyes.

"Only eat the cream part...are you a child?" Glancing at Chihaya Aine, Shiina Tachiki carefully cut off a piece of cake with a fork.

As soon as he took a bite, even Shiina Riki, who worked in a coffee shop and learned how to make simple desserts, had to admit that this cake, both the cake base and the cream, were of a very good standard.

It is even good enough to be placed in the window of a cake shop and sold as a best-selling masterpiece.

"Because the law is taught very seriously..."

Takamatsu Deng attributed the credit to Ritsu Narose who remained silent on the side, and Ritsu Narose, who was targeted by Tatsuki Shiina again, could only suppress his guilty conscience.

The suspicion in Shiina Riki's eyes was unconcealed, and Naruse Ritsu's calmness was seamless.

She inserted the fork into the strawberry on top of the cake with her backhand, like a dragon knight inserting a trident into a dragon, ready to perform a set of dragon knight gymnastics.

The cake was delicious, and Naruse Ritsu did contribute, which was good... But when I thought about how this guy secretly asked Toyokawa Shoko to compose the music, (Eight)氵霖〣? 考靈七考??5爸爸? Shiina Ritsuki felt unhappy about being underestimated.

The right hand twisted slightly, and the strawberry being pressed in the cream let out a silent wail, about to face the fate of "pineapple pineapple da".

——You’re still looking for that guy even though you already have me?

Even though Shiina Riki didn't say it out loud, Naruse Ritsu could still read a similar meaning from her eyes.

Yet he could only remain silent.

It won’t be too late to tell the truth one day when Toyokawa Shoko has come to terms with things.

He has always been patient.

His phone suddenly vibrated, allowing Ritsu Narushe to escape the quagmire. Glancing at the screen, he looked up and said, "Um, do I have to go out first?"

"If you want to leave, just go. No one is stopping you."

Seeing that Shiina Riki was still in a threatening mood, Naruse Ritsu suddenly counterattacked: "Then Riki, do you want to go with us?"

"Huh? Me? What am I going to do?"

Just like a hunter who was knocked away by the Golden Lion's instant turtle punch, the girl who was originally attacking fiercely was forced to interrupt her combo and began to fall into the opponent's rhythm.

As for the final result, it was naturally Ritsu Narose's victory.

But it cannot be said to be a complete victory. At least he initially planned to go out alone instead of heading to the ancient dragon's lair with the four girls behind him.

Arriving at the haunt of the special individual of Minglong, Moyu Minglong, Ritsu Narose quickly found "his letter" that Mello mentioned from the pile of messy items next to the counter.

Just by holding the envelope, a familiar scent of Felynx wafted from it—along with a faint herbal scent.

With some vague guesses in his mind, he opened the envelope.

——Dear Boss:

——When I write this letter, it has been three years and seven months since I last met you. I wonder how you are doing.

——When I traveled to Jieyun Village not long ago, I found that the closed hot springs there had reopened, so I specially bought the village’s latest hot spring package and sent it to you. I hope you can go and experience it when you are free.

- I wonder if your scales are as smooth as they used to be, my hair isn't as smooth as it used to be.

——I hope that next time we meet, you can teach me some secrets of maintaining fur (oωo)

——Wishing you good luck in military affairs

——From Felyne, who travels around like the boss.

At the end of the envelope was a cat paw print, stained red with ink. Looking at the paw print, Ritsu Narushe remained silent.

Taking out the attachments from the back of the envelope, he immediately smelled the unique wood scent of Jieyun Village.

The material of this [Hot Spring Package] feels different from ordinary paper. It is probably made of materials such as knotwood.

"law……"

"what happened?"

Hearing Takamatsu Deng's timid voice ringing in his ears, Mingse Ritsu looked up at the other party as if waking up from a dream.

—Ritsu...looks a little sad.

Gao Songdeng opened his mouth but failed to utter the words.

After a few seconds of silence, as if understanding the deeper meaning behind the girl's words, Naruse Ritsu looked at the letter in his hand again, then looked at them: "Do you want to go to the hot springs?"

……

A day later, five girls including Kaname Rakuna and Ritsu Naruse appeared in a maple forest with a small river flowing through it.

Stepping on the soft ground, the warm colors composed of countless red maple leaves come into view.

Walking along the stream, we soon saw a cluster of ancient buildings in the distance. It was Jieyun Village, also with a red theme.

With its many specialties such as red leaves, hot springs, wine, and timber, this small village is actually a well-known tourist destination.

"Why are they two different worlds, but subtly similar in the 'Japanese style'..." After listening to Ritsu Naruse's introduction, the initial excitement gradually faded, and the desire to complain rose in Chihaya Aine's heart.

"If that's the case, there are upright apes in both worlds." Ritsu Naruse didn't care about this coincidence - he usually ignored similar things.

Picking up a red maple leaf from the ground, Gao Songdeng examined it for a long time, then looked up at the surrounding maple trees: "Time... seems to have stopped."

The sun shone on their path, and they could faintly hear the ethereal sound of a shamisen in the distance.

52. First visit to Jieyun Village

A round body, a pointed crown, and eyes that don't look very smart - Gao Songdeng felt that this animal on the street that was somewhat similar to an ostrich was like a chicken leg with legs.

"It's the Marutori. This guy is much more timid than an ostrich. If you scare it from behind, there's a chance it will be scared into laying eggs." Walking past this stupid big bird, Ritsu Naruse saw it and suddenly remembered the taste of Marutori barbecue in his memory.

Guwa——

Feeling a murderous aura, the Maru bird that was originally sitting on the roadside in a daze suddenly jumped up on the spot, and a round Maru bird egg rolled out from behind it.

"It really laid an egg!"

Chihaya Aine was intrigued by this, but Nagasaki Suyo felt the scene was a bit awkward. Turning her gaze around, she couldn't help but sigh, "There are hot springs everywhere..."

Just walking along the way, in addition to the hot spring houses that were in operation, she also saw many places providing foot baths - many people in red and white shorts were sitting by the pool enjoying themselves.

The whole village seemed to be emitting steaming heat.

After passing through the bustling market trading area, everyone soon arrived in front of the tallest building.

It's not exactly opulent, but the elegant architecture here is enough to inspire awe in first-time visitors. Compared to Osaka and Nagoya, where I often go on school trips, this place has a more ancient architectural charm.

"This, this is also a hot spring hotel? This looks a bit too exaggerated!"

"It must have been renovated. I remember it only having three or four floors."

After answering Chihaya Aine's questions, Naruse Ritsu led the girls into the first floor hall.

"Welcome, how can I help you?" The receptionist in a pink dress smiled and skillfully handed the service list to the guest in front of her.

Looking away from the list, Ritsu Narushe pulled out a ticket package from his pocket and asked, "Excuse me, what is this package..."

"Ah, this is the premium package." The receptionist, whose work life had honed her discerning eye, immediately recognized the package's type. "Not only does this package entitle you to premium hot springs, but the room also boasts a fantastic location—a beautiful view both day and night!"

so smart?

Ritsu Narose had been to Jieyun Village several times before, but he just soaked in the hot springs, took a walk around the area pretending to be a scholar, and issued difficult hunting missions to torture hunters.

"Special Hot Springs...are there different levels of hot springs?"

"Of course!" Realizing that it was time to advertise his own product, the diligent receptionist was like introducing Taoyuan's VI to a monkey.

"Ordinary hot springs are warm and refreshing, leaving you feeling refreshed and invigorated. Premium hot springs have water with special properties, allowing you to wrestle a blue bear without losing. As for the most expensive premium hot springs..."

"Five more."

"Eh, eh?"

Seeing that the receptionist didn't seem to react, Naruse Ritsu took out the package he had received and placed it on the counter, repeating, "Give me five more packages like this."

"Good~"

When meeting high-quality guests, the receptionist's voice becomes much sweeter, which makes her colleagues working next to her shiver.

Waiting against the wall at the edge of the hall, Shiina Riki watched the wild cat that was beginning to stir beside him, while turning around from time to time to glance at Narose Ritsu who was talking to the receptionist over there.

"Every time I wanted to repay him, he would always do more than he deserved. As a result, I still owed him a favor." Looking at his back, Shiina Riki suddenly said, "It kept piling up, and in the end, I didn't know how to repay him anymore."

"How about bringing a board game like me?" Hearing Shiina Riki's words, Chihaya Aine opened her backpack and held the board game box in her hand in front of her.

“These are two different things, right?”

"This is what Rikki doesn't understand," Chihaya Aine said, raising her finger with a smug look on her face, and explaining with an air of high knowledge, "As for 'repaying', the best thing is to make the other person happy. Do you understand, Rikki?"

"…Will you shut up?"

Sighing, Shiina Riki felt that he might as well go to Nagasaki Suyo to discuss it.

Looking at the other person, she found that Nagasaki Suyo, who had heard what she said, was looking at Naruse Ritsu thoughtfully. Seeing this look, she knew that this person must have come up with something again - and there was a high probability that he would sneak out.

Looking around, Shiina Riki lamented that she had no one to talk to: the cat was completely unreliable, and she couldn't imagine the scene where the light joined in.

The thought of the lamp made her thoughts even more confused.

Even with the most harsh and prejudiced eyes, Shiina Riki had to admit the changes that Naruse Ritsu brought to Takamatsu Touma.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see Deng's growth, and this is inseparable from the credit of Ritsu Narose.

but……

One day in the recording studio, when she came back from buying drinks, she saw Ritsu Narose sitting in the corner of the studio, and Touma Takamatsu sitting next to him, slightly leaning his body and talking to him in a low voice.

The lights at that time showed a look that none of them had ever seen before. The smile on the corner of the mouth and the tranquility in the eyes seemed to turn into a trickle of water.

The little animal, who is not good at speaking, expresses her kindness to someone in a subtle way through her actions.

She couldn't and didn't have the right position to force Ritsu Naruse to change the way he interacted with Deng, but whenever Shiina Riki thought of some absurd scenes, she felt at a loss.

"Is there a problem?"

Naruse Ritsu returned with the five tickets and found Shiina Riki staring at him intently. When he opened his mouth to ask, the girl hurriedly looked away, deliberately avoiding any communication with him.

Shrugging, Naruse Ritsu had to get back to the point: "As for the accommodations, what type do you all want? Do you want a room for each of us, or..."

"You're not thinking about anything weird, are you?" Nagasaki Suyo's eyes suddenly became sharp.

The pink-haired girl, who knows this person's true intentions well, thinks that she doesn't mind "strange things", but rather minds "strange things happening to people other than her."