Chapter 300

Considering that the three of them arrived in the evening, Uesugi Muneyuki decided to have dinner before hitting the hot springs, a suggestion to which Miss Minami and Erena naturally had no objections.

And so, in a spacious Japanese-style tatami room, a hot spring attendant dressed in a kimono brought them a kaiseki meal to enjoy.

The attendant was a beautiful middle-aged woman of about forty; she clearly recognized who Uesugi Muneyuki was, but that is the good thing about Japanese people—although she was curious about the relationship between Uesugi, Minami, and Erena, seeing that Uesugi had no intention of explaining, she kept her mouth shut the entire time, providing only service and necessary information.

In some places in other countries, where staff love to pry into guests' personal lives as if they want to dig up every detail of their background, and love to chat people up, it would be considered hell for the Japanese, who would absolutely file crazy complaints afterward and never return a second time.

In fact, many Japanese hotels, especially love hotels, have evolved to the point where, despite having a front desk, there is a board blocking the view up to chest height to ensure that neither party makes eye contact, which is also the reason why the Japanese love vending machines so much—no interaction is required.

After all, as the highest-rated inn in Hakone, every staff member here possessed an extremely high level of professional ethics.

The attendant, wearing a black kimono with white plum blossoms, took the initiative to pour sake for Uesugi Muneyuki, and she didn't stop after filling the cup, continuing to pour until the wooden box underneath was also completely filled; this seems to be a special Japanese custom where the first cup is poured until it overflows into the tray to show hospitality.

Miss Minami was a bit nervous; she only ordered a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, sitting on her heels with her delicate feet in black silk stockings, shifting her toes and constantly adjusting her posture, which highlighted that she was not at peace and felt quite restless.

Ikeda Erena, on the other hand, was much more natural; she ordered a glass of Kuro Kirishima sweet potato shochu, looking eager and impatient.

The tall beauty was from Kyushu and undoubtedly had the genes for drinking, but she rarely drank; ever since her first boss in Tokyo tried to get her drunk with high-alcohol beer to take advantage of her, only to be beaten half to death by her, Erena rarely drank except at home or at the Sakata Bridge tower, and she never drank in public or accepted drinks from others.

However, today she was with Uesugi Muneyuki and Section Chief Minami, so Erena was finally able to let her guard down and show a bit of her true self, downing a full glass that made the waitress look on in surprise.

"Anyway, to the future of the Special Missions Section, cheers!"

"Cheers~!"

"To my future promotion to Administrative Officer of the Special Missions Section, cheers!" Miss Minami was truly mischievous, using orange juice to trick Uesugi and Erena into drinking.

"Cheers~!" Uesugi Muneyuki and Erena were no pushovers either, so they naturally weren't afraid of these tricks.

In a good mood, relaxed, surrounded by beautiful scenery, and full of anticipation, Uesugi and the others ate to their hearts' content; although kaiseki is mainly about aesthetics and atmosphere rather than necessarily being delicious, in such a special environment, the food seemed to become exceptionally tasty, and the three of them had a hearty meal served by the attendant.

"Wow, that was amazing~" Once the attendant had cleared everything away and left, Miss Minami dropped the act, stretched out her delicate legs wrapped in thick black silk stockings, and shouted: "At this time next year, the three of us must come again! Engaged this year, married next year~ The three of us will always be together!"

"Together forever?" Uesugi Muneyuki laughed out loud: "Are we really forming a Special Missions Section for life?"

"Together forever!" Upon hearing the words "for life," Ikeda Erena seemed to have touched a sensitive nerve; she said impatiently, her eyes full of determination: "I'm serious, Uesugi, Section Chief, let's form a Special Missions Section for life!"

To Erena, the Special Missions Section was everything in her life, the only place where she could feel happy, and she was willing to do anything for it.

"Hahahaha~ Then we have to count Asuka in too, let's call Asuka to come along next year."

After eating, the three rested for a while, chatted, and discussed the development of the Special Missions Section; according to Miss Minami's plan, she intended to upgrade the Special Missions Section in the future, promoting it to a Special Missions Division and appointing herself as the Division Chief.

This move had to be as fast as possible, as Watanabe Eiji would eventually leave office; she had to lay the foundation while her father was still there, so that even if the Superintendent General changed later, the powerful department she built would not be affected.

"I'll listen to you on this," Uesugi Muneyuki replied, implying he was just the one doing the autopsies.

"Please continue to let me witness your brilliance in the future, Muneyuki!" Miss Minami patted Uesugi on the butt: "Alright, go take a soak!"

"Mm~"

The outdoor hot spring in late autumn in Hakone was rippling with thick mist; the moment Uesugi Muneyuki stepped into the cypress tub, the sulfur spring wrapped around his ankles like melted yokan, and dried chrysanthemums and citrus peels floated on the water in bamboo strainers, releasing a bitter-sweet herbal fragrance when stirred by the heat.

Submerging himself in the bath, Uesugi looked up to see stars hanging at the edge of the tub, echoing the phosphorescence of the fluorite in the valley below the outdoor pool; the ridgeline of Mount Daimonji in the distance was silver-plated by the moonlight, and as a mountain breeze swept by, a few hibiscus-colored maple leaves swirled into the spring, drifting with the ripples to his collarbone, the texture of the veins feeling like soft silk against his skin.

"Refreshing~" Uesugi Muneyuki closed his eyes, feeling the breath of the wind passing by his ears.

The sound of the spring water dripping from the bamboo pipe into the stone mortar intertwined with the chirping of birds in the valley, forming a powerful natural shamisen melody.

At this moment, Uesugi Muneyuki's heart was very calm; the underworld, the Uesugi clan, the Metropolitan Police Department, Tokyo, and the memories of his past life began to gradually merge and mix, and the consciousness of his two lives finally began to slowly fuse together.

When his back was soaked to a crimson hue by the spring water, Ikeda Erena appeared behind him wrapped in a bath towel; the tall beauty had also changed out of her dashing leather motorcycle gear, and her miraculous, full figure severely tested the quality of the towel; as she moved, a hint of a crimson love-dye mark faintly appeared on her waist, which had no excess fat, and her long, straight legs were visible in the mist, her slender ankles exposed to the air as her delicate, fair feet carefully tested the water temperature before she impatiently entered the hot spring pool.

"Muneyuki... I'm here." She just whispered his name and said nothing more.

"Where's Minami?" Uesugi Muneyuki asked.

"She said she'll be here soon..." Erena whispered expectantly: "She said we should go first..."

Uesugi Muneyuki shook his head with a wry smile, but he didn't refuse the cup of sweet potato shochu Minami had sent; frost gathered on the outer wall of the ceramic cup, and the sour, sharp taste of the sip brought out the sweetness of the sulfur in his throat; in a daze, he couldn't tell if it was the liquor or the night mist melting on his tongue, and between the hot, mellow alcohol, water droplets from his hair fell onto the cypress floor, instantly steaming into a wisp of white smoke, as if he had drunk the autumn night of Hakone along with it.

Before long, another cup of green plum cloudy sake was delivered; with the two different flavors of liquor mixed together, Uesugi felt as if he had fallen into clouds warmed by the sunset, the unique silky touch of the sulfur spring triggering a subtle shiver.

The sweet and sour burst of fruit pulp and the lingering heat of the sweet potato shochu brewed into the "daigo-mi" (the ultimate flavor) that belonged to Uesugi.

———I am the separator for the ultimate flavor———

It was 15 minutes later when the hot spring soak was over; when Uesugi Muneyuki changed into his yukata and returned to the room, Erena and Minami, who had finished their soak, were already kneeling obediently in the room.

Minami was wearing a pure white yukata, her cute apple-shaped face appearing and disappearing in the dim light, outlining her delicate and well-proportioned body, possessing a dignified air of a classic Showa-era beauty, paired with white one-piece Lycra pearlescent suspender stockings, her flawless skin exuding a crystalline luster against the stockings, revealing a sweet and lovely aura.

The same yukata worn by Erena turned into a tight-fitting garment, clinging to her miraculous figure and bulging out, with the contours vaguely visible, exuding an ultimate charm within the pure white; her legs were wrapped in classic French black non-elastic Cervin nylon suspender stockings, the tops of which dug into the flesh of her full thighs, outlining the long curves of her legs, her slender ankles glowing softly, and her small, exquisite feet wrapped in stockings making her look like a meticulously carved Victoria's Secret angel.

This type of non-elastic nylon suspender stocking has a very short lifespan but is very expensive, usually snagging or running after three to five wears, and Erena had never worn this type of suspender stocking outside of Sakata Bridge.

"Um, I am not very talented, please treat me well~"

The moment had finally arrived; Miss Minami knelt on the ground very seriously and said in a trembling voice.

"I... I am not very talented, please treat me... well?"

Ikeda Erena followed suit.

"I am the one who should be asking for your guidance from now on, my Miss Minami." Uesugi Muneyuki smiled and helped Minami up first, then said to Ikeda Erena: "As for you, you are the master."

The murmuring of the valley in the distance mixed with the chirping of birds wafted from the mountain hollow, and the sound of the bamboo water spout hitting the stone was incessant.

————I am the separator for the following omitted content————

The next day, when the morning mist wove a thin veil over the foothills, Uesugi Muneyuki slowly woke up.

Hmm, his waist felt a bit numb, his legs a bit weak, the man felt his body.

Although he hadn't slept enough, he had to get up so as not to miss breakfast.

"Ah, I don't want anymore, spare me."

Beside him, Minami moaned, "I can't take it anymore, Ikeda, save me!"

The man opened his still-sleepy eyes, and in the moment the scene went from blurry to clear, he saw the tall beauty's bright eyes, full of passion and contentment.

"Awake?" Uesugi Muneyuki's mouth moved.

"I'm full this time." Ikeda Erena answered a question that wasn't asked, but it seemed to hit the bullseye.

The two laughed subconsciously, and then subconsciously looked at Miss Minami, who was hugging Uesugi Muneyuki's arm.

A total weakling!

Uesugi Muneyuki and Ikeda Erena both could not help but want to laugh.

How long did Minami last last night? Was it 20 minutes?

It was said to be three people... but in the end, except for the beginning, the only one who accompanied Uesugi Muneyuki the whole way down was still Erena.

"Shall we go for a soak again in the morning?" Uesugi Muneyuki whispered with a smile.

"Eat breakfast first... I'm hungry." Erena had no reason to refuse.

But just at this moment, a scream tore through the sky of Hakone Mountain, breaking this tranquility.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

Hm?!

Uesugi Muneyuki discovered that the Qinghui Stone on his right hand had lit up.

"???"

How could one encounter a murder case even when coming out to soak in a hot spring?

(End of this chapter)