Chapter 970

The boarding passage was carpeted in deep red, and the crew on either side wore white uniforms and smiled in greeting. As Uesugi Muneyuki dragged his suitcase across the gangway, a slight vibration came from beneath his feet—this was the low, steady hum of the cruise ship's engines warming up, like a sleeping giant beast breathing. The moment he passed through the glass doors into the ship's main hall, all four of them fell silent for a beat.

The central atrium of the Asuka 11 soared six stories high, its top a full expanse of curved glass skylight through which afternoon sunlight poured down, casting dappled light and shadow across the marble inlay on the floor.

A massive crystal chandelier hung in the center of the atrium, its layered prisms refracting tiny points of light like someone had plucked an entire galaxy and hung it aboard the ship. The staircases on either side formed symmetrical arc-shaped spirals upward, their dark wooden handrails glowing with a warm luster in the light.

"Wow"

Sakura stood in the center of the atrium, head tilted back, mouth slightly open. She still clutched the commemorative booklet handed out at boarding, now crumpled at the edges from her tight grip.

Asuka stood beside her, though her face still wore the expression of "I'm not that surprised," her tiptoed stance and slightly widened eyes had already completely betrayed her.

"This chandelier..." Asuka murmured softly: "It's even bigger than the one in Mr. Uesugi's Bunkyo Ward mansion."

"Mine's an antique." Uesugi Muneyuki walked past her from behind, casually patting her head: "This one's new. Different." "Newer means bigger, right!"

"Bigger isn't necessarily better."

"You're just being stubborn, Mr. Uesugi." Asuka puffed out her cheeks, then suddenly grinned and poked him on the cheek: "I'm going to give you penalty points!"

"Oh, how is Ashura Rei going to punish me?" Uesugi Muneyuki raised an eyebrow.

"Hmph~ You'll find out when the time comes! Just wait!" Asuka crossed her arms, lifted her chin defiantly toward Uesugi Muneyuki, then immediately began exploring the new territory.

Watching the girl brimming with energy like a little bird, Uesugi Muneyuki smiled and let her be.

Wasn't all my lifelong effort just to protect Asuka's smile?

Mai Xuejie walked last, dragging her suitcase with composed steps.

She glanced around the hall, her gaze lingering on the crystal chandelier for two seconds, then nodded satisfactorily: "Not bad, better than I expected. I booked the 12th-floor ocean-view luxury suite—two bedrooms, one living room, with a balcony and private bathroom. Come on, let's drop off the luggage." "Two bedrooms?" Asuka turned to look at her: "Mai-sama?"

"You and Sakura share one room, and I share one with Sōsetsu." Mai Xuejie said it as if it were obvious, her tone leaving no room for explanation. Asuka's ears tinged red, but she didn't retort, merely letting out an "oh" before quickening her steps to catch up with Sakura. You think I like hearing you oh-purchase-purchase-purchase, huh? Damn Mai-sama!

As the elevator ascended, Uesugi Muneyuki leaned against the mirrored wall, watching the floor numbers change. Mai Xuejie stood beside him, pushing her sunglasses up to her forehead, pulling a room card from her bag to glance at twice before slipping it back.

"What time did you go to sleep last night?" she suddenly asked.

"Around three." Uesugi Muneyuki replied with a grimace.

"Wasn't your thesis defense just finished?" Mai Xuejie said, half-smiling.

"Eirina Shīshō knew I'd be away that long, so last night she refused to get off me..." Uesugi Muneyuki lowered his head. Mai Xuejie turned her head to look at him, her bright eyes holding a hint of "I knew it would be this way": "Really... we don't allow resting on our side, you know!"

"I know, it's fine, those two Yingniao, I'm not just casually killing them!" Uesugi Muneyuki immediately declared righteously: "As for Qūqī Xuéjiě, I know how to deal with you!"

"You jerk! All you know is how to weasel out!" Mai Xuejie's face flushed—she clearly knew her weak point, and although the spiritual power circuit shorting felt pleasant too, as a senior student she always wanted to maintain control and dominance.

"Anyway, since we're here to play, just rest properly—don't overthink it. You are Sōsetsu, the one and only Sōsetsu." She reached out and fastened the second button of his shirt collar, the motion so natural it felt like she'd done it a thousand times.

The suite's door was a dark solid wood double door; the moment the room card unlocked it, the interior lights automatically switched on.

The room was larger than Uesugi Muneyuki had imagined.

The entryway was carpeted in beige, with a full-length mirror and a small wardrobe on the left, and an independent bathroom on the right, with dry-wet separation and two sets of toiletries bearing the Asuka 11 logo on the washstand.

Beyond the entryway lay a living room of about twenty square meters, featuring a dark sofa, glass coffee table, wall-mounted TV, and a small bar—everything one could need. Floor-to-ceiling windows opened onto a spacious balcony already furnished with two wicker recliners and a small round table.

From the balcony, one could see an endless expanse—currently still the YokohamaPort jetty and sea surface, but once the ship departed port, it would become the true Pacific Ocean.

The moment Sakura and Asuka stepped inside, they simultaneously let out short, unstoppable gasps.

"So big!"

"And there's a balcony!"

"Asuka, look at this bathroom—it has a bathtub!"

"What's a bathtub? Look at this wardrobe—it even has a safe inside!"

The two surged forward like twin whirlwinds from the entryway into the living room, then into the bedroom, then the bathroom, balcony, and wardrobe, leaving behind a trail of excited laughter and the thud-thud-thud of footsteps on the carpet.

After all, they were just two girls who had barely turned twenty.

Uesugi Muneyuki leaned his suitcase against the entryway wall, took off his trench coat and hung it in the wardrobe, then walked into the living room and sat on the sofa. He hadn't even settled when he heard Asuka's voice from the bathroom: "Sakura, look at this showerhead—it has four modes! Four!"

"I want to try the rain shower mode!"

"You wash first, I'll wash after"

"Washing together would be fine, right?"

"What no—! Not happening!"

"Who'd want to wash with you, you Kyushu bumpkin!"

"Hmph~ This Sakura's long been a true Tokyoite! Through and through, through and through" You're just some Hokkaido countryside birdbrain! "Me? I'm already registered in the Uesugi household! You damn pest, don't come leeching off me! Is it Mai-sama who's renting you that Tokyo tower apartment?"

Sure enough, the Sakura duo immediately started bickering.

Uesugi Muneyuki couldn't help but chuckle.

He turned his head to look at Mai Xuejie—she was standing before the full-length mirror in the entryway, bending slowly to unfasten the straps of her nude-colored lacquered high heels. Her movements were deliberate and unhurried; the heels made no sound on the carpet as she neatly placed the shoes by the shoe cabinet, then barefoot stepped across the carpet to the sofa's edge, where she leaned back and sank into the cushions, a pair of gray silk-clad feet kicked high, toes splayed, relaxing into a hazy, dreamy haze. Uesugi Muneyuki watched intently as afternoon sunlight streamed in through the window.

The faint light filtering through the gaps between Mai-sama's toes in her gray silk is my unchanging faith in this life!

"Huu"

Mai Xuejie exhaled long and slow, eyes closed, limbs stretching out like a great white cat finally returned to solid ground.

"Mm, indeed big and white."

"This time." Mai Xuejie smiled: "Let's really let loose and play thoroughly. No one is allowed to mention 'case,' 'corpse,' 'autopsy,' or 'Special Mission Division'—not a single one."

"Speaking of which, I just ran into Eto Miyabi at the boarding gate." Uesugi Muneyuki nodded: "You know her."

Mai Xuejie opened her eyes. She stared at the ceiling for two seconds, then closed them again.

"……Eto Miyabi doesn't count." She said offhand: "That was a coincidence, not a case. You continue."

"She mentioned she's here for covert investigation, saying there are secret business deals to uncover."

"Secret deals, so what? You're a forensic pathologist, not a detective. What's it to you?" Mai Xuejie rolled over, lying on her side to look at him, one hand propping her cheek, half-smiling: "Tonight, there's a special event, you know!"

"What special event?"

Mai Xuejie didn't answer right away; she simply drew her gaze back, gave him a look with a faint, meaningful smile, then slightly tilted her head and pursed her lips toward the bedroom: "Sakura and Asuka prepared a special event for you, Junior Student~"

That direction—where Sakura and Asuka were in the bedroom arguing over "what temperature the bathwater should be set to"—their voices drifted out through the half-closed door.

Uesugi Muneyuki was stunned for a moment, then he noticed that Sakura's voice had suddenly become quieter, and Asuka's voice followed suit and also grew softer. Then a crack appeared in the bedroom door as it was pushed open, Sakura poked out half her head, her cheeks bearing a noticeable flush, she glanced at Uesugi Muneyuki, then quickly drew back and shut the door.

From the gap in the door came Asuka's lowered voice saying "Nǐ gànmá tūrán guān mén yī" and Sakura's even softer "Biè wèn le la yī".

Uesugi Muneyuki turned his head to look at Mai.

Mai had already risen from the sofa, her legs together and turned to one side, barefoot as she placed her silk-covered soles directly on the carpet, her posture elegant. But the smile at the corner of her mouth could not be concealed.

"What special activity?" Uesugi Muneyuki asked again, this time his tone carrying a touch more curiosity and a hint of subtle anticipation.

"You'll find out tonight." Mai Xuejie stood up, walking toward the bedroom: "First, call those two out, let them stroll around the ship. Before dinner is the perfect time to get familiar with the surroundings."

She walked to the bedroom door and knocked twice: "You two, change your clothes and come out. Don't hole up in the room—the whole ship is yours." From inside the door came a rustling sound and two flustered replies.

Uesugi Muneyuki sat on the sofa, gazing out the floor-to-ceiling window at the afternoon sunlight spilling across YokohamaPort onto the sea surface, the curiosity in his heart like a stone tossed into water, sending out ripples that spread in concentric circles.

What special activity???

Feeling, I'm even ninety percent eager for that tooth sound!

Just don't let anything weird happen!

Uesugi Muneyuki thought carefully, then let out a helpless laugh.

What else could go wrong?

It's totally impossible that every time I come out to play I run into some major incident, right?

No way!