Hot Springs

Although they couldn't go to the legendary semi-outdoor hot spring with its many benefits, the hot spring Chu Chu had chosen still had a unique advantage: it was incredibly large, large enough to accommodate over a hundred people at once without feeling crowded.

Chu Lian roughly estimated that the size of this place must be at least 150 square meters, which was quite large for a traditional-style inn. She couldn't help but wonder about the original intention behind designing such a spacious hot spring—was it really just a whimsical idea to allow as many people as possible to bathe together?

Silently critiquing the design in her mind, Chu Lian's gaze shifted around the room. After all, there were already about ten girls standing around her.

On her left were Chu Chu, Inori, Li Xiuer, and Kurosaki Hazuki. On her right stood four girls who had suddenly joined them for the bath: Cai Ya, Lux Lyle, Liuli Nana, and Liu Yanran.

The two groups stood on either side, clearly divided. While they were polite to one another, there was an invisible tension between them.

In truth, it was mainly Chu Chu and Cai Ya who were competing with each other, but since neither Chu Lian nor Inori had said anything, their rivalry drew attention. It was easy to sense the underlying tension between them.

"These two can't seem to behave, can they? Why cause such tension at a peaceful hot spring?" Chu Lian thought helplessly. Knowing she couldn't just stand there any longer, she spoke up. "Let's go get changed. Otherwise, how long are we going to stay like this?"

As soon as Chu Lian spoke, Chu Chu and Cai Ya could no longer keep up their rivalry. They glanced at each other, snorted, and both reached out to grab Chu Lian's hand.

But Chu Lian was prepared. Just as they were about to take her hand, she casually turned and took Inori's hand instead, leading her toward the changing room.

Her swift movement had a sense of fleeing the scene. After all, with two girls vying for her attention, Chu Lian couldn't openly take sides, so she opted to escape with Inori.

Chu Chu and Cai Ya stood frozen for a moment, watching Chu Lian disappear. Without saying a word, they both headed toward the changing room.

Although Kurosaki Hazuki couldn't understand what was being said, she could sense the subtle tension between the two sides. She exchanged a glance with the slightly amused Li Xiuer, both of them sharing a silent sense of helplessness. What was even going on?

"Lian, you can't keep avoiding this, you know..." Inori said quietly as she slowly removed her pale pink dress.

"I know, Inori. But now isn't the time to resolve these matters. When it comes to love, it's complicated and entangled, impossible to unravel in a single moment." Chu Lian paused while unbuttoning her shirt, then continued as if nothing had happened, murmuring softly to herself.

"Is that so, Lian?" Inori didn't fully understand Chu Lian's feelings but sensed her helplessness. It wasn't that Chu Lian didn't want to resolve the situation, but that she couldn't.

After putting her clothes in the locker, Chu Lian took out a white bath towel to cover her front, one hand pressed against her chest, revealing her slender, delicate back.

Inori did the same, covering herself with a bathrobe. Neither of them intended to walk to the hot spring completely naked.

Chu Lian's modesty was too strong for that; she preferred to avoid unnecessary exposure. As for Inori, it was Chu Lian's request that she not be completely naked in front of anyone else, even if they were all girls.

Perhaps this was a sign of Chu Lian's possessiveness.

"Actually, many things—whether it's between Chu Chu and me, or between Cai Ya and the others—are well understood by everyone," Chu Lian said after standing quietly for a moment, listening to the rustling of clothes from the adjacent stalls.

"But understanding and openly addressing something are two different things. If staying in the dark can prevent us from hurting ourselves, then perhaps it's better to stay that way…" she continued softly.

Inori felt a complex emotion rise within her as she listened to Chu Lian's words—a mixture of sorrow and joy that she couldn't quite explain.

Once everyone else had left the changing room, Chu Lian took Inori's hand and slowly led her out. They headed toward the 12-meter-deep indoor hot spring.

By now, the hot spring was lively. Several girls were swimming around, splashing water, and playing games, making the place feel cheerful and energetic.

Chu Lian noticed that Chu Chu, Liuli Nana, and Li Xiuer were the ones playing in the water. It seemed that Chu Chu and Nana couldn't sit still and had started a water fight, with Li Xiuer getting caught up in the fun. The other girls, wanting to avoid being dragged into the "battle," had wisely distanced themselves, creating this lively scene.

Chu Chu and Nana, both strong swimmers, were darting around effortlessly in the 150-square-meter hot spring, splashing water everywhere, while Li Xiuer struggled to keep up, wearing a faint smile of resignation.

Rubbing her forehead, Chu Lian didn't know what to say. If it were only Chu Chu and Liuli Nana causing mischief, she could sternly scold them. But now that Li Xiuer was involved, she couldn't bring herself to do so.

Deciding to ignore them for now, Chu Lian turned her attention to the other girls.

What she noticed was that aside from herself and Inori, only Liu Yanran and Kurosaki Hazuki were covering themselves with white towels. The rest of the girls were confidently showing off their bodies, seemingly unbothered by modesty.

Perhaps it was her own hang-up—after all, there was nothing wrong or shameful about showing one's body in front of other girls in a place like this. Why did she feel so self-conscious, even more than Li Xiuer?

Oh, wait—Li Xiuer was wearing a towel, but it had floated off elsewhere during the splashing…

Wait, floated off? She stared at a white towel drifting in the water, her mind wandering for a moment before realizing what had happened.

Sure enough, Li Xiuer, who was usually a bit slow to catch on, finally noticed her towel had drifted away. She let out a sharp squeal, stopped moving, and frantically tried to cover herself, her face turning bright red, eyes brimming with tears of embarrassment.

Seeing this, Chu Lian knew the problem she needed to address wasn't Chu Chu and Nana's mischief but Li Xiuer's predicament.

Wrapping a towel around herself, Chu Lian quickly covered her body from her collarbone to her hips, then lightly pushed off the edge of the hot spring. With a graceful leap, she swam a few meters to the floating towel and retrieved it before making her way toward Li Xiuer.

Just as the flustered Li Xiuer was on the verge of tears, a warm towel gently draped over her back.

Turning around, she saw Chu Lian's face, smiling tenderly with compassion. The sight of her triggered all the pent-up emotions in Li Xiuer's heart. She abandoned any attempt at modesty and threw herself into Chu Lian's arms, hugging her tightly.

Feeling Li Xiuer's warmth, sensing her vulnerability and dependence, Chu Lian didn't check to see if she had started crying. She simply stroked her hair gently, whispering comforting words.

Chu Lian's sudden appearance and this touching moment drew everyone's attention. Upon witnessing the scene, Cai Ya turned her head slightly, looking displeased. Kurosaki Hazuki stared blankly, while Inori, who was sitting on the edge of the hot spring with her feet in the water, chuckled quietly.

Sensing the change in atmosphere, Chu Chu and Nana stopped their splashing. With their hands behind their backs, they shuffled over to Chu Lian like children awaiting punishment.

Chu Lian shot them a stern look but said nothing. She quietly carried Li Xiuer to the side of the hot spring, where she sat down, leaning against the wall.

Of course, a place this large had to have rest areas. In fact, there were small stones scattered across the bottom and stone benches carved from solid rock.

It was clear that the hot spring had been designed for people around 1.7 meters tall. For this group of girls, whose average height was under 1.5 meters, the design was a bit awkward.

After crying softly in Chu Lian's arms for a while, the shy girl finally lifted her head, avoiding Chu Lian's gaze and instead looking around nervously. She began speaking on behalf of Chu Chu and Liuli Nana, "They were just playing around. They didn't mean it. Please forgive them."

Looking down at her for a moment, Chu Lian nodded. "Alright, since you're asking, I won't scold them."

Hearing that they wouldn't be punished, the two girls let out sighs of relief. For some reason, everyone in the group had unconsciously begun treating Chu Lian as their guardian.

Whenever problems arose, they accepted it without question when Chu Lian scolded or punished them. Perhaps it was the occasional air of maturity she exuded that made them subconsciously rely on her.

"Alright, make sure to cover yourself up, or you'll end up crying again," Chu Lian teased gently, tapping Li Xiuer's nose.

"Mm…" Li Xiuer nodded, pulling the towel tightly around her body with Chu Lian's help, wrapping it securely around herself.

"This place is huge…" Inori commented from nearby, gazing around.

Chu Lian chuckled softly. "Yes, it is."

With only nine girls in this 150-square-meter hot spring, it did feel quite spacious. But wasn't that a good thing?

In moments like these, a larger space allowed everyone to avoid awkwardness. Since many of them weren't that familiar with each other yet, having some distance helped ease the tension.

"Yes, I suppose it is…" Chu Lian murmured quietly, lowering her head as she closed her eyes...