Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

The fatigue brought by the tension and calculations of the past few days seemed to be greatly relieved at this moment.

Kujo Renji closed his eyes, feeling the rare tranquility.

Although this body belonging to "Toyokawa Shoko" has been trained to be much stronger than before, she is still a teenage girl after all, and has long been overwhelmed by the continuous high-intensity mental and physical exertion.

Soaking in the hot spring at this moment, every inch of my muscles and every nerve are cheering.

Deep in her consciousness, Shoko Toyokawa was obviously also enjoying this comfort.

"Ah... so comfortable..."

Xiangzi's voice was filled with lazy satisfaction.

"As expected, a hot spring bath is the best way to relax..."

However, although hot springs are nice, it is not advisable to soak in them for a long time.

As time went on, the warm steam began to make my head feel a little dizzy and my skin turned slightly red.

The girl hummed softly in her consciousness, with a little complaint

"However, the temperature of the hot spring here seems a bit too high. I feel a bit dizzy after soaking for too long..."

She seemed to remember something, and her tone was filled with nostalgia:

"It would be great if it were like Yuhara Onsen in Gunma Prefecture. I remember that there you can adjust the water temperature yourself, so you can soak in it for as long as you want. It's so comfortable..."

Hearing the key words "Gunma Prefecture," "Yuhara Onsen," and "water temperature adjustment," Kujo Renji, who had been resting his eyes and enjoying a moment of tranquility, suddenly paused.

Then, an extremely subtle feeling of speechlessness and absurdity came over me.

Gunma Prefecture? Yuhara Onsen? Can the water temperature be adjusted?

As a senior Yakuza, he naturally has considerable understanding and experience of Japan's "traditional culture".

Hot springs, ramen, tea ceremony, kendo...

He has come into contact with a lot of these things, whether out of personal preference or for socializing and maintaining personal connections.

He has visited almost all the famous hot springs in Japan, from Noboribetsu in Hokkaido to Beppu in Kyushu.

He also happened to have been to the "Yuhara Onsen in Gunma Prefecture" that Xiangzi mentioned. That experience left him with an extremely bad impression.

The reason is simple - a large part of the hot springs there are fake!

Yuhara Onsen Village, located in Minakami Town, Tone District, Gunma Prefecture, is indeed one of the famous hot spring resorts in Gunma Prefecture. It is known as the "Three Famous Hot Springs of Kamigo" together with Ikaho and Kusatsu.

It has a long history, said to date back to the Muromachi period.

However, with the development of the times and the increase in tourists, the amount of naturally flowing hot spring water has gradually been unable to meet the needs of many hotels.

As a result, the local area began to adopt the "centralized hot spring distribution" system on a large scale. In order to make up for the water shortage and maintain the so-called "hot spring effect", they began to generally use boilers to heat well water or mountain spring water, and then artificially add minerals such as sulfur powder to "create" the so-called hot springs.

This practice was not uncommon in the Japanese hot spring industry at the time, but it was particularly serious and widespread in the water hot spring villages, and even caused considerable controversy at one point.

Although there have been some improvements in recent years, with some hotels beginning to emphasize the use of their own springs or mixed springs, the label of "artificial hot spring" has long been deeply rooted in the minds of many people who know the inside story.

The time that Kujo Renji went there, he happened to stay in an old hotel known as "the source of spring flow".

As a result, with his many years of experience in bathing in real hot springs and his keen sense of water quality and smell, he quickly realized that something was wrong.

——The water temperature was unusually high and stable, and the smell of sulfur was a bit unnatural and pungent.

Later, after a little investigation, he confirmed his guess.

The so-called "spring water" of that hotel is simply hot water from a boiler, mixed with some sulfur powder and other additives.

And now, Miss Xiangzi's words made him think of the ramen that the other party had praised some time ago.

"Your taste is as bad as ever."

Kujo Renji couldn't help but utter sarcastic words.

After hearing what Kujo Renji said, Toyokawa Shoko felt a little dissatisfied.

"What's wrong again?"

The two couldn't help but start arguing again.

In the end, the debate ended with Miss Xiangzi's defeat.

After learning the true face of the "perfect hot spring" filtered through her childhood, Miss Xiangzi fell into a state of doubt about her life.

But still stubbornly said

"I just like hot springs that have adjustable temperatures, are clean, and are comfortable. The point of a hot spring is to relax, so as long as that's achieved, that's fine."

She seemed to feel that her words were a bit far-fetched, and she felt a little unsure when she said it.

Kujo Renji didn't even bother to refute and just sneered.

Then continue to enjoy the hot springs.

.....

Everything seems to be moving in the right direction.

But for Yutenji Wakamu, the inner roller coaster is far from over.

The result of the tarot reading a while ago was so accurate that it made her tremble with fear.

——The chaos, burden, pain, and the prediction that a turnaround would require "external force" almost perfectly confirmed everything that happened subsequently.

This made her feel a complex mixture of respect and awe towards this kind of mystical thing.

So, after Ave Mujica's reputation miraculously reversed and online criticism was gradually replaced by sympathy and support, Ruomai secretly conducted another online tarot reading with the hope that "since the bad things were accurate, maybe the good things would be accurate too."

This time, she asked:

“How was this crisis resolved? What should I do next?”

On the screen, the virtual card array unfolded again.

[Card Interpretation: Knight of Cups, Six of Pentacles, and a warning card - Wheel of Fortune Reversed.]

【Comprehensive interpretation:】

"Querent, the resolution of this crisis you are experiencing was no accident. A figure similar to the 'Knight of Cups' has appeared in your life (Knight of Cups). He/she has provided emotional support, wisdom, and resources, offering practical help and solutions. Your ability to overcome this crisis is largely due to the generosity and assistance of this 'Knight' (Six of Pentacles), who paid a price to balance the previous imbalance."

"However, the gears of fate haven't been turning completely smoothly (the reversed Wheel of Fortune). This turn for the better isn't entirely due to your own efforts, but rather relies on external 'favors.' The Tarot warns you that if you accept help from others, you need to make corresponding 'givebacks' or 'repay'."

"If you ignore this 'debt' or fail to provide timely and satisfying 'return' to the other party, the wheel of fortune that has finally started turning may get stuck again or even reverse, and the previous misfortune or new difficulties may come back."

Looking at the interpretation on the screen, Ruomai's heart sank again, but this time, it was no longer pure fear, but mixed with more confusion and... an indescribable pressure.

"Knight of the Holy Grail"

"Generous helping hand"

'Pay the price'

There is no doubt that this person is referring to "Toyokawa Shoko".

The band's ability to turn danger into safety this time was definitely due to Xiangzi's behind-the-scenes planning and huge efforts and costs. Although she didn't know the exact cost, it was definitely not easy.

And now, the Tarot says she needs to "give back," or else, "bad luck will strike again"?

How can she repay this?!

What could she do? She was just an ordinary drummer and beauty blogger, and her account had been blocked.

She doesn't have Xiangzi's brains, resources, and skills. All she can offer seems to be...

Ruomai's cheeks turned red again.

The absurd idea of ​​"punishment" and "whipping" that she had forced down two days ago resurfaced like a ghost.

Could it be that...the "giving back" and "dedication" mentioned in the Tarot cards refer to...that?

To express her "loyalty" and "repayment" in that... obedient way?

No no no! That's too perverted!

What is she thinking!

Ruomai slapped his cheeks hard, trying to dispel these messy thoughts.

She told herself that Tarot cards were just superstition and should not be taken seriously!

What she should do is rehearse well, work hard to improve her skills, and perform at her best in the next performance. This is the best "reward" for Xiangzi and the band!

right! That's it!

However, the idea is very good, but the reality is very skinny.

The next day, in the soundproof rehearsal room specially provided by the hot spring hotel, Ruomai was still in poor condition.

Last night's tarot reading and those lingering random thoughts seriously interfered with her concentration.

The result was that in a more complex rhythmic section, she once again made an obvious mistake. Not only was the drum beat half a beat late, but she also hit several wrong notes, which directly caused the entire band's ensemble to come to a halt.

"Feel sorry!"

Ruomai immediately apologized with a red face, feeling very upset.

What went wrong again?

The other members didn't say anything, but just stopped silently and prepared to start again.

But Kujo Renji's gaze stayed on Ruomai for two seconds, and his brows frowned slightly.

However, this subtle frown was caught by Ruomai, who was highly nervous and full of inner drama, and he gave a disastrous interpretation!

Xiangzi frowned!

She must be very unhappy with my mistake! She must think I'm a burden!

This reminds me of last night’s tarot cards, which bring to mind “feedback” and “punishment”.

Ruomai's heart started beating wildly, his cheeks instantly became flushed, and he felt dizzy.

What should she do?! What should she do?!

The tarot cards said that if they didn't "give back", bad luck would come again, and the band finally got back on track...

Ruomai was torn between his conscience and his desires, his rationality and his sense of responsibility that was distorted by fear, anxiety and a little bit of morbid expectations.

Teacher Da Miao was still feeling drowsy until the end of the rehearsal.

"Click."

The door was closed gently, making a faint sound, as if separating the two worlds.

There was no light on in the room. The evening light filtered through the shoji doors, casting soft and slightly dim shadows on the tatami.

There was still a hint of the unique smell of hot spring hotels, a mixture of sulfur and wood aroma.

The girl simply buried her face in the pillow.

The soft pillow made her mind wander even more.

So, should I go?

.......

At the same time, in another private hot spring bathroom filled with steam.

Wakaba Mutsumi was soaking in the warm spring water alone. His fair skin was slightly reddened by the hot water, like fine porcelain stained with rouge.

She buried most of her face in the water, leaving only a pair of golden eyes exposed, and then blew bubbles gently.

“Gurgle…Gurgle…”

Fine ripples spread across the water.

Mu looked at the empty water.

——I didn’t bring the little yellow duck.

She thought a little disappointedly.

Although the girl always looks quiet and even a little cold, in fact, she is a person who is very afraid of loneliness.

At home, her room is filled with various stuffed dolls, which provide silent companionship when she feels lonely or uneasy.

Even when taking a bath, she would habitually bring one or two brightly colored toy yellow ducks with her, watching them floating and swaying on the water, as if to dispel some of the loneliness of being alone.

But this time on tour, we kept our luggage simple, and those furry friends and the little yellow duck were unable to come along.