It was a very odd sensation. I tried to dodge a little. Then, I seized an opportunity to stop her hand from continuing. I didnât know where to put my eyes. We were both women, but why did it feel so awkward?
âYour body is amazing.â I murmured.
Perhaps Anna noticed I felt awkward, her eyes suddenly dimmed and she released my hand, âOh, is that so?â
âYes....â As I responded, I shifted closer towards Shen Shaonuâs original spot. Then, I noticed that she was practically trying to drill herself through the wall.
There was a stranger here. How much face does she plan to lose?
âYou should quit already! Regardless of how much you lean over, you wonât be able to see anything!â I yelled.
âWho says?! What if God sends me a miracle? Perhaps the wall will collapse or something...â Shen Shaonu smiled with her thick skin.
âGod wouldnât waste a miracle on something so ridiculous. Just give up already!â
âI refuse! This is a great opportunity to see Suyang brother naked. The moment I imagine his white skin and firm muscles....â
As a High School student, doesnât she feel any any shame? I mean, if it was just me, whatever. But Anna was here too. Most likely, Shen Shaoqian and Suyang could hear us.
I couldnât help but imagine their current facial expressions and began to chuckle.
âWhy are you laughing?â Shen Shaonu turned around, âYixin sister, does this remind you of something?â
To be honest, It does actually remind me of something.
âCould you....â Shen Shaonu made an awful expression; as if she had swallowed a mosquito. She pointed at me with shaky fingers, âCould you have already seen...Suyang brotherâs..... You two......â
âWhat are you talking about?â I splashed water at Shen Shaonu.
âNo?!â The child crooked her head at me as she fumed.
I wanted to prove my innocence, âOf course....â
Wait, while I was a ghost, I did accidentally..well, it wasnât an accident, but I did see him naked...did that count?
âAh!â Shen Shaonu began to scream, âYouâre hesitating! How could you hesitate over such a simple question! I knew it! Ahhhh! My pure Suyang brother has been tarnished by a witch!â
Shen Shaonu began to howl. She completely disregarded the fact that a stranger was in the room.
âStop stop stop! I didnât! Stop thinking dirty! We didnât do anything! How do you know so much at such a young age, huh? Who taught you?â
âMy brother.â Shen Shaonu replied.
Then, we heard a loud and crisp slap from the male spring. There was also a painful cry of âah!â.
âYixin, youâre vacationing Japan with your boyfriend?â Anna asked.
âYes, along with his friend and sister.â
âWhere have you gone so far?â
âWe only arrived today. We havenât officially begun to tour around yet.â
âI see... then let me recommend you a place. Have you heard of the Asakusa Temple?â
There was a mysterious smile on Annaâs face.
I shook my head.
âIn the past, when I was in school, I often went to pray for blessings at the Asakusa Temple. Their prayers are quite effective, so I recommend you to go check it out if you want to have a wish granted.â
âIf I have time, Iâll definitely check it out.â
For some reason, I felt like there was something odd about Anna. Every so often, she would blatantly stare at my body and try to come in close contact with me.
Oh God! Could she be a lesbian? Was she interested in me?
Iâve been told that Caucasians were very open in this regard. It was a bad idea for me to stay here any longer. Plus, Iâve already been here long enough.
I didnât have the courage to walk around naked in front of Anna. So the moment I stood up, I quickly wrapped my body around with a towel and bid farewell, âIâm going to go now.â
âWhere are you going?â Shen Shaonu asked me.
âIâm done soaking. Iâm going to head out first.â
As I exited the spring, I happened to bump into Suyang. He was exiting from the male side.
âWhat a coincidence!â I said.
âItâs not a coincidence. I came out because I could hear your voice.â Suyang had his head lowered as he whispered, âHurry. It would be bad if we bump into Shaonu.â
âDonât worry, Shaonu is still trying to drill herself through the wall to look at your naked body...â
Suyang shook his head hopelessly, âThat girl is learning all the bad things from Shen Shaoqian!â
After we left the hot springs, we went straight to the dining hall for our evening meal. Later on, we returned back to our room and I opened the window so that we could enjoy the gorgeous scenery outside.
âYouâre not cold?â Suyang came over and wrapped a quilt around me. Then out of nowhere, he took out a towel and began to help me dry my wet hair.
âIf you catch wind while your hair is still wet, you might get sick.â
âSuyang!â I used a very serious tone.
âWhat?â
âI feel....â
âHuh?â
âI feel like Iâm becoming more and more charming!â
Immediately, Suyang lowered his eyes and gave me a look of disdain.
âNo! Iâm serious! Earlier, when I was in the hot spring, the Anna woman was definitely interested in me!â I excitedly told him my experience.
âAre you sick? Do you have a fever? Turning hot to the point where youâre nuts?â Suyang touched my forehead with his hand. He didnât believe me.
âDonât joke around!â I pushed his hand off.
âYouâre the one whoâs joking around. Are you nuts?â Suyang rolled his eyes at me and dragged me back as he shut the window.
I had my hands on my waist as I grumpily sat down on the ground, âAre you implying that I have no charm?â
âWhy donât you prove to me whether you have charm or not?â Suyang sat down and wrapped his hand around my waist. He planted a light kiss on my lips. He murmured, âTonight....letâs...â
âSleep on your own side!â With determination, I shoved him away. Then, I got up and filled all the cups in the room with water as I used them to create a line across the centre of the room. It was as if I was making a border between South and North Korea.
Suyang obediently remained sitting on his side as he gave me a pitiful look.
He was deliberately trying to make me feel bad...
No, I must not fall for his trap.
âYou, stay over there! Iâll be over here. Weâre sleeping separately!â
ââ
Huaze Yuxiang was going to take us on tour for three days. Coincidentally, the November religious festival turned out to be at the Asakusa Temple. It was the place that Anna had mentioned.
That night, we were all dressed in traditional Japanese clothing. I purposely chose pink because it was a youthful colour. Suyang chose indigo blue.
The moment we arrived at the Asakusa Temple, Suyangâs expression became very sullen. I tugged his sleeves, âWhatâs wrong? Are you feeling unwell?â
âNo. But in the past when I was studying in Japan, I would often come here. Their prayers are quite effective. Do you want to try?â
Suyangâs word sounded so familiar.... Oh yeah, Anna also said it.
âWow, Anna also said the same thing when she recommended this place to me... â I narrowed my eyes at Suyang, âYou two have also studied in Japan. Could she be your childhood lover or something?â
âAnna? I donât know her.â
âSheâs the Caucasian girl I met yesterday at the hotel. Super beautiful!â While we were talking about Anna, I suddenly saw a blond girl walked by me. Wasnât she the Anna from yesterday?
I enthusiastically dragged Suyang and headed towards Annaâs direction. I tapped her on the shoulder and smiled, âSuch a coincidence! We meet again!â
Anna seemed very shocked to see me. Her eyes were already big to begin with, but they grew bigger. She anxiously looked at me and then made eye contact with her friend. She turned to me and said in English, âAh.... Sorry, I canât understand what youâre saying. Do you know me?â
She couldnât understand me?
âWe met yesterday....â
Before I could say anymore, Suyang blocked me and responded in English, âSorry, most likely, my girlfriend got the wrong person.â
Just like that, Anna disappeared from my field of vision. I was left alone in confusion as I turned towards Suyang; flabbergasted, âCould I be suffering from face blindness?â
I was still staring at Annaâs back view. I couldnât let go. It was clearly her... but how come she couldnât speak Chinese anymore? If only Shaonu was nearby...then, she could help me figure this out.
âOk! Stop overthinking. Since we are here at this event, we should try to enjoy ourselves. The fireworks are going to start soon.â
âFireworks?â I forgot about Anna and hugged Suyang, âThis is the first time weâre watching fireworks together. Iâm so happy.â
Suyang kissed me right on the lips, âMe too.â
Suddenly, I felt a blast of cold air behind me. It was as if someone was watching me. I hastily turned around but I only saw men and women dressed in Japanese traditional wear.
âWe have to quickly get to the location of the fireworks. Or else, we wonât be able to get a good spot.â Suyang didnât give me anymore time to fret as he grabbed my hand and led me towards the river bank.