Mina and Dao had just stepped out of the presidential hotel suite when they ran into Yu and Nayeon, who had apparently been waiting for them in the hallway for a while.
At first glance, nothing seemed particularly unusual—except for the fact that Yu and Nayeon weren't looking at each other at all. Not even once. Both of their cheeks were faintly flushed, as if they were embarrassed about something neither of them wanted to acknowledge.
Mina's eyes flicked toward Nayeon. Nayeon merely snorted coldly—and then suddenly hurled a small but noticeably heavy suitcase straight at her.
"Oof—!"
Nayeon yelped, nearly stumbling back from the impact. Her face twisted in fury as she glared at Mina.
"Are you out of your mind?! What the hell is this?!"
Mina didn't seem to care in the slightest. She shot Nayeon a half-lidded glare, barely even looking at her properly.
"Trust me, I don't want to see you here either. But circumstances force me to bring you along," Mina said flatly. "At the very least, you should try to be useful."
"Use… ful…?"
Nayeon repeated the word slowly, her mouth crooked and her whole body trembling with rage.
Don't tell me—she's treating me like some kind of servant?!
That was the last straw. Nayeon completely lost it, lunging forward with clenched fists.
"You damn bitch!!!"
Luckily, Yu was standing right behind her and managed to grab Nayeon in time. Only then did Nayeon stop struggling—though the resentment on her face was still unmistakable.
Seeing that, Yu quietly took the suitcase from Nayeon instead. The moment she lifted it, Yu immediately knew what was inside.
Guns.
Dao glanced at the suitcase uneasily as well. In the end, none of them said a word about it.
Dao leaned closer to Mina and whispered anxiously, "So… what now, Mina? What are we supposed to do?"
"Hmmm…"
Mina walked over to the reception desk, her gaze lingering thoughtfully on a colorful tourism board advertising Hokkaido. There were countless places to visit—but where exactly were they supposed to go to find Shana and Duyen?
The receptionist suddenly found herself staring at four unbelievably beautiful women, each striking in her own way—one with sharp, Western features, one dressed fashionably, one cold and untouchable like ice, and one petite and adorable.
What is this…? the receptionist thought. Are they filming a movie? Are they celebrities?
Her face flushed red as she silently declared this the luckiest day of her life.
Yu approached the desk first. Her expression was as emotionless as a porcelain doll, her voice flat and mechanical.
The receptionist didn't seem to mind at all—she was far too dazzled by Yu's beauty.
"Excuse me," Yu said, unfolding a map of Hokkaido and pointing to a spot that was almost completely unnamed. "How do we get here?"
The receptionist snapped back to reality at the sound of Yu's voice. She cleared her throat softly and muttered under her breath, "She's so tall…"
Then she forced herself to act professional and examined the map. But only a few seconds later, confusion crept across her face.
"This place… um… this area…" She tilted her head, staring at the almost completely white region Yu was pointing to. Then it hit her.
"Oh—this place. I remember now. It's behind Mount Yotei."
The mood among the four visibly lifted at those words. But the receptionist let out a worried sigh.
"You really want to go there? The weather in that area is extremely harsh year-round. Landslides and snowstorms happen constantly. It's also the only region with no residents at all."
She hesitated before continuing.
"I've heard that many people who tried mountain climbing there disappeared and never came back. Rescue teams can't even reach the area. That's why the government has officially banned access…"
The information hit all four of them hard. If it really was a restricted and highly dangerous zone, how were they supposed to get there?
Mina frowned, her hand slowly clenching into a fist. She clearly wasn't willing to accept this outcome.
Her icy glare swept over the receptionist, making the girl shrink back instinctively, a chill running down her spine for reasons she couldn't explain.
"…I don't care whether it's a restricted zone or not," Mina said coldly. "I'm going there today. Is there a bus route or a train line?"
The receptionist trembled, her lips quivering.
"W-Well… since no one lives there, the government never built any railways. But I heard there's a tunnel that cuts through the mountain. However—"
"Fine."
That was all Mina said. She abruptly turned and walked out of the hotel, leaving everyone behind in stunned silence.
The other three exchanged confused looks but had no choice except to follow. Dao muttered under her breath,
"Oh my god… this really doesn't feel okay…"
The receptionist, sensing something terrible about to happen, shouted after them from inside the hotel.
"I heard that tunnel has been sealed by the government too!"
Nayeon and Dao both jumped, instinctively turning around. They were clearly shaken by the warning.
Only Mina and Yu continued walking straight toward the parking garage—as if death itself meant nothing to them.
Dao hurried after Mina and stopped short when she saw Mina pressing a button on her key fob. A red four-door sedan lit up in response.
"Oh. When did you get this car?" Dao asked.
"…I bought it outright from a nearby family," Mina replied casually. "I liked the color."
Nayeon muttered, stunned, "Damn it… she's rich in the most offensively casual way possible."
Dao cleared her throat, trying to suppress the anxiety tightening in her chest.
"Mina, the receptionist said that tunnel is restricted too. Forcing our way there sounds like a really bad idea."
Mina didn't respond. She simply got into the driver's seat as if nothing mattered. Yu, just as calmly, took the passenger seat. Dao and Nayeon could only look at each other helplessly, sharing the same thought.
This is seriously not okay.
Mina rolled down the window and glanced at them indifferently.
"If you don't want to get in, say it now. Otherwise, I'll just leave you behind."
"That's crossing the line, Mina!" Dao protested, pouting.
Nayeon sighed in defeat and opened the back door. "If I knew this would happen, I would've just stayed home that day."
Mina smirked slightly as the two of them finally got into the car. Without a moment of hesitation, she slammed on the accelerator. The car shot forward, racing straight onto the snow-covered road. Behind them, Dao's scream echoed through the air.
"Mina! Slow down! The road's slippery!"
---
A new day dawned over the mist-shrouded village. Duyen lifted her gaze to the sky. The snow seemed lighter than yesterday, and the fog had thinned. Even though it was still early morning, she could already hear loud traditional Japanese folk music echoing throughout the village.
From the hill above, the village looked lively and brimming with excitement. Somehow, Duyen felt strangely refreshed too.
Could it be that they're really having some kind of festival today? She smiled and clenched her fist with determination.
"Alright! Today I'll make tons of offerings and show them what I've got!"
From behind her, Haru and Shana burst into giggles.
"You're planning to go down to the village looking like that?" Haru teased.
Duyen froze. Hearing their laughter, she glanced down at herself—and immediately realized she was completely naked. Her neck, chest, and thighs were covered in love bites Shana had left all over her the night before.
She jolted, her face burning red as she hurriedly covered herself.
"When did you two wake up!?"
Shana chuckled, resting her chin on the table as she gazed at Duyen with an irresistibly seductive, just-woke-up look.
"…Probably around the moment you stepped out the door?"
Duyen ground her teeth in embarrassment and dove back under the blanket.
If I stay around them any longer, I'm really going to catch this shameless nudist culture, she thought.
But then again, in a place full of women, she didn't feel that embarrassed. Haru walked over and casually yanked the thick blanket off her, her tone full of mischief.
"Alright now, Lady Duyen. You can't exactly help out in the village if you don't put something on, can you? Shall I help you get dressed?"
Duyen waved her hands awkwardly, laughing nervously as Haru took the blanket away.
"N-No need, Sister Haru! I can dress myself!"
"Are you sure?" Haru said regretfully—then, from behind her back, she pulled out an extremely thin, scandalously skimpy yukata. It was so short that wearing it would practically expose Duyen's crotch. Duyen nearly screamed.
Haru sighed. "I was going to dress Lady Duyen in this myself."
"Are you kidding me!? Who would even wear that!?"
"We do,"
Haru replied casually, lifting the hem of her own yukata. Underneath, she wasn't wearing anything. Nothing at all. You could even clearly see her—
"…There's hair…"
Duyen passed out on the spot as the blood rushed straight to her head.
"Hey! Duyen! Are you okay!?"
Both Shana and Haru rushed over in panic. Shana immediately pulled Duyen onto her lap and snapped angrily at Haru.
"This is all your fault! Why do you keep teasing my Duyen!? I've told you so many times already—Duyen belongs to me, got it!? Stop showing off your body!"
Haru could only laugh bitterly. You're the one who handed me that outfit, she thought.
After a long back-and-forth about what Duyen should wear, she ultimately chose the outfit she felt most comfortable in: a rugged pair of jeans, fur-lined boots, and a warm, tan leather jacket.
The look only made her more striking—handsome and beautiful in a tomboy way. Wherever she went, women turned to stare, blushing.
Duyen finally let out a sigh of relief. They clearly have other clothes… so why did they insist on that yukata?
Then, her face heated up again as a stray thought crossed her mind. Do they really not wear underwear underneath? All of them?
"Ahem!"
Duyen jolted at the sound of Shana clearing her throat. Shana stepped forward, dressed in a white furisode adorned with shimmering patterns, hugging her sexy curves perfectly. Her signature reddish-brown hair was tied up, loose natural curls framing her face, making her look mature and irresistibly alluring.
Duyen found herself staring.
"You were thinking something dirty again, weren't you?" Shana accused.
Duyen snapped out of it. Shana's pouting, beautiful face looked unbelievably cute, making it impossible for Duyen to hide her smile.
"Hey, I wasn't thinking anything!"
"Are you sure?" Shana said teasingly. "You know I can read your thoughts, right?"
Duyen panicked.
"Seriously!?"
Shana burst out laughing. "Idiot."
She looped her arm through Duyen's, and the two of them walked through the village together. Wherever they went, eyes followed. Girls in revealing yukata and fox masks whispered excitedly, openly admiring Duyen beside Shana.
"Look at her… isn't that Lady Shigonami's fiancée?"
"She's both pretty and handsome…"
"I bet she'd look amazing even in a groom's outfit."
"We should tell Haru to make one just for her."
"Great idea."
They giggled among themselves. Meanwhile, Duyen was completely lost.
"Shana… what are they saying?"
"Mmm, who cares,"
Shana replied happily, leaning her head against Duyen's shoulder as if that was exactly where she belonged.
Duyen could only smile awkwardly. Looking at Shana's blissful expression, Duyen felt something strangely calm in her chest.
I really wish she could be this happy every day. If that's the case, I wouldn't mind anything at all…
Thump—thump!
Her heart suddenly started pounding wildly. Wait—what did I just think?
Every time Shana crossed her mind, Duyen's heart seemed to skip even more beats.
She remembered what Luna had told her the night before.
I really want to understand Shana better… I have to meet Luna at the windmill this afternoon.
Lost in thought, she noticed two children—identical twins, wearing dark blue yukata—throwing snow at each other. She blurted out, surprised,
"Kids? There are children in this village?"
Shana blinked and looked over.
"Oh… them."
Duyen was stunned. She'd always thought the village consisted only of women—no men, no children. Apparently, she was wrong.
The twins looked up at Duyen with beautiful faces and stared before blurting out:
"Look! Lesbians."
"Huh!?"
Both Duyen and Shana exclaimed. Who taught these kids to talk like that!?
The girl on the right, with a small silver streak in her hair, said,
"So that's Lady Shigonami and her fiancée."
The one on the left nodded enthusiastically.
"Yeah, lesbian couple. Right, Ensha?"
Duyen could only smile helplessly. She crouched down and waved gently.
"Uh… you shouldn't really say it like that, okay?"
The twins tilted their heads.
"Then how should we say it?"
"Well, um…"
Duyen scratched her head, flustered. Shana, on the other hand, grabbed Duyen's hand and pulled her close, grinning.
"What else is there to say? We're lovers. L-O-V-E-R-S."
Duyen turned bright red as Shana emphasized every letter in front of the kids. But the twins merely looked at each other and said flatly,
"Sounds like a forced marriage."
"Yeah, Emma."
Dear god. These kids had absolutely no filter. Duyen could only laugh awkwardly, while Shana completely snapped, a vein popping on her forehead.
"Who are you calling a forced marriage, huh!? Watch your mouth or I'll slap you!"
"Shana! Stop! They're just kids!" Duyen hurriedly held her back.
Shana suddenly stopped and turned to Duyen, her face dead serious.
"…They're not kids anymore. They're over sixty years old."
"…What?" Duyn couldn't believe her ears.
WHAT!? SIXTY!? THESE KIDS!?
Ensha and Emma looked up at her, clearly enjoying her reaction.
"You're the youngest person here."
"Yeah. Like a newborn."
Duyen shut her eyes tightly. Now she finally understood what Haru had meant the night before.
Time really doesn't matter here…And this village is completely insane.
While Duyen was racking her brains over the confusing new information, she didn't realize the twins were scrutinizing her. A hint of malice flickered in their eyes.