No matter how long the road is, it always has an end. No matter how long the journey, it eventually concludes.
Yu Xie carried Yae Miko like a sloth clinging to him all the way to the end of the courage-testing event.
Finally, Yae Miko was willing to climb down from Yu Xie's back, and the two returned to the campsite together.
Around the campfire, everyone was seated. When they saw Yu Xie and Yae Miko return, they all stood up.
Next, it was Shen He's turn.
Yu Xie and Shen He entered the forest once again.
The two walked side by side, neither too close nor too far apart.
Occasionally, a night breeze would pass by, carrying with it the fragrance of Shen He's hair, which Yu Xie could faintly catch.
Shen He remained silent the entire time, as quiet as she usually was.
"Shen He, are you scared?" Yu Xie couldn't help but ask.
Shen He shook her head. "Not scared. As long as you're here, I'm not afraid of anything."
Her words were plain, her tone unremarkable, yet they left Yu Xie stunned for a while.
"Yu Xie, are you scared?" Shen He asked in return. "If you are, I can..."
She stopped mid-sentence, trailing off. Perhaps she found the rest of her words too difficult to say.
"I'm not scared either," Yu Xie said with a smile. "In that case, let's just treat this as a walk."
"Okay," Shen He replied softly, nodding slightly.
Perhaps Shen He, in her simplicity, hadn't considered that this was a moment when she should feel "scared."
The forest was very quiet. Occasionally, the night breeze rustled the leaves, or some unknown creature would dart out of the grass by the roadside. There were also certain things that might be frightening to ordinary people.
But Shen He remained calm from start to finish.
Until...
More than half of the courage-testing route had been covered, and they were approaching the endpoint.
Yu Xie and Shen He exchanged a glance and kept walking.
Just then, a black mist suddenly rose in the middle of the path ahead. The mist quickly gathered and took the shape of a black "fairy-like spirit."
The next second, the black "fairy-like spirit" vanished from the center of the path but began drifting around them.
Shen He stopped in her tracks.
She reached out her hand and grabbed the corner of Yu Xie's clothing, lowering her head slightly.
"Shen He, what's wrong?" Yu Xie asked.
"That thing just now... it reminded me of that cave from when I was a child," Shen He replied softly.
Yu Xie was slightly taken aback.
In her childhood, Shen He had once fought against a black "fairy-like spirit" in a dark cave, clutching the only small knife she had, struggling to survive.
The appearance of this creature now had stirred up those memories for Shen He.
Yu Xie's gaze softened with a hint of heartache. After a moment of hesitation, he took Shen He's hand.
"Don't worry. As long as I'm here, even if those black things come back, I won't let them get near you."
These words left Shen He stunned. She slowly raised her head to meet Yu Xie's eyes.
"Mm!" She nodded firmly, a faint smile appearing on her face.
That smile was one of unconditional trust in Yu Xie.
The warmth of Yu Xie's palm spread to hers, and for the rest of the journey, Shen He didn't let go of his hand.
With that, tonight's courage-testing event came to an end. When Yu Xie and Shen He returned to the campsite, everyone began retreating into their tents to rest.
Kitsune Saiguu lay inside her tent, staring absentmindedly at the top, already looking forward to tomorrow night—her turn for the courage-testing event.
........
The next morning.
Yu Xie woke up to a fragrant aroma wafting through the air.
He opened the tent door and peeked outside, seeing Makoto busy preparing breakfast.
Everyone else was still asleep; only Makoto was up.
Watching her quietly bustling figure, Yu Xie suddenly felt that Makoto and Ei truly were complementary sisters.
What Makoto wasn't skilled at, Ei excelled in and could perfect. Conversely, what Ei struggled with, Makoto was exceptionally adept at.
These two sisters had supported each other through countless years, navigating the flow of time together.
"Good morning, Makoto," Yu Xie said as he stepped out of the tent and walked over to her side.
"Yu Xie, you're awake," Makoto greeted him with a gentle smile. "Go freshen up; I've made porridge, and it'll be ready soon."
"It smells amazing. Thank you for your hard work," Yu Xie praised.
"Alright, I'll go wake everyone up. You go wash up," Makoto said.
The porridge at breakfast was warm and soothing.
After finishing the porridge, Yu Xie felt as if a pair of gentle hands were softly massaging his stomach, wrapping him in a sense of warmth and care.
After breakfast, the group began discussing their plans for the day.
"How about we take a walk in the mountains?" Chiyo suggested.
"I think... since it's the tail end of summer, we should make the most of it and head to the beach. Swim, play in the water—what do you think?" Kitsune Saiguu offered a different idea.
After some discussion, the group decided to head to the beach first.
The sun umbrellas were set up, and beach loungers were prepared. When Kitsune Saiguu brought out all these items, Yu Xie realized she had probably been planning for a beach trip all along.
The beach was completely theirs, with no one else around.
"Alright, everyone... time to change into your swimsuits!" Kitsune Saiguu announced, glancing at the group.
"Swimsuits?" Shen He asked, puzzled.
"Yes, swimsuits—clothes you wear when swimming," Kitsune Saiguu explained. "Before we came on this trip, I specifically mentioned that there's a beach here, so everyone should have understood and brought swimsuits, right?"
As her words fell, the group exchanged glances, not surprised by Kitsune Saiguu's comment. Shen He, however, seemed a bit out of the loop.
"I didn't bring a swimsuit," Shen He said. "I didn't expect to go swimming. But... if we really need to swim, a swimsuit isn't strictly necessary, is it?"
"No problem! I anticipated this might happen, so I brought a few extra swimsuits. They'll suit you perfectly, Miss Shen He," Kitsune Saiguu said, raising an eyebrow before turning to Yu Xie. "Yu Xie, did you bring a swimsuit?"
"Nope," Yu Xie replied with a helpless shrug.
"Not a problem. I prepared one for you too," Kitsune Saiguu said with a smug smile.
.......
In the changing area, Kitsune Saiguu held the swimsuit in her hands and took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling uneasily.
To be honest, this was the first time she was wearing a swimsuit with such a mature, seductive design.
Although she was very confident in her figure, the swimsuit in her hands had some bold design details that made her wonder—would Yu Xie be able to accept it?
At the same time, Makoto was facing the same dilemma.
She looked at the bold, mature-style swimsuit in her hands and suddenly hesitated.
Before coming, she had thought about it for a long time and finally decided to bring this swimsuit, but now, at this moment, she began to have doubts.
What if Yu Xie didn't like this kind of swimsuit? Wouldn't that leave him with a bad impression of her?
Other people's swimsuits were probably more of the cute and normal style, right? If hers was so different, wouldn't it make her seem... too forward?
Should she really wear this?
What neither of them had expected was that, besides Shen He, who hadn't brought her own swimsuit, everyone else was also facing the same hesitation and uncertainty.
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TL note : Hold your seat guys, 40 ch left till the final chapter
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