This girl just stole a glance at you

Tokyo is not far from Hokkaido, with a straight-line distance of about eight to nine hundred kilometers.

A flight takes only about an hour and a half to get there.

The plane took off on time at 4:10 PM and landed safely at Sapporo’s Chitose Airport at 5:45 PM.

Hokkaido, located in the northernmost part of Japan, is the country’s second-largest island. Surrounded by sea on all sides, it boasts abundant natural resources and is the only one of Japan’s 47 prefectures designated as a "circuit" (do).

The region has a temperate monsoon climate, staying cold most of the year. Even in summer, the average temperature hovers around 18°C, with an annual average of 6 to 10°C.

Many tourists visit in winter, as it starts snowing from mid to late November, turning Hokkaido into a dreamy white wonderland.

Of course, other seasons are also great for sightseeing—especially September and October, when lavender and maple forests blanket the mountains.

One of Hokkaido’s popular attractions is its famous hot springs. The area has numerous natural hot springs, the most of any region in Japan.

There are also many mixed-gender hot springs, though most require guests to wrap themselves in towels or wear swimsuits. Truly open mixed-bathing spots exist, but they’re not convenient for visiting with female companions.

At 6:00 PM, everyone retrieved their suitcases and walked out of Sapporo Airport.

Meng Wenzhou looked at Liu Bo and asked, “Fatty, what hotel did you book?”

“A hot spring hotel.”

“Oh? Nice. It’s sunny here but still pretty cold, so a soak later would be perfect.”

“That’s what I thought. We’ll head straight to the hotel, drop off our luggage, and soak—no need to travel far.”

“Good call. By the way, is there a pickup service?”

“Of course. They should be waiting outside for us.”

“Okay, what’s the hotel name?” Su Yang asked.

“Let me check... It’s called Little Gold Mountain Hot Spring Spa Resort Hotel.”

“Alright, let’s go find it.”

As they spoke, they dragged their suitcases and quickly walked out of the airport.

Just like when they first arrived in Tokyo, they saw hotel staff standing by the roadside holding name signs.

They immediately spotted a sign written entirely in Chinese characters.

The person holding the sign was a cherry blossom girl—though her appearance, in terms of both height and looks, was a bit plain compared to the staff from Aman Hotel.

Liu Bo couldn’t speak Japanese or English, and his translation app was slow, so he dragged Su Yang along as they walked over first, with the others following.

Approaching the Japanese girl, Su Yang glanced at the sign in her hand. It read “Little Gold Mountain Hot Spring Hotel,” along with the pickup time and several names, including Liu Bo’s.

Ignoring the others’ names, Su Yang figured Liu Bo’s presence confirmed it was the right place.

“Hello, miss. We’re a group of eleven who flew in from Tokyo at 4:10,” Su Yang said.

The girl had already been captivated by his handsome looks when he walked over. She continued holding the sign with both hands, her expression dazed, mouth slightly open, frozen in place.

“Huh? What’s wrong? Hello?” Su Yang waved his hand in front of her face.

Snapping back to reality, the girl immediately bowed and said, “Sumimasen!”

“Whoa, no need for a big bow. Stand up straight,” Su Yang said, reaching out to gently lift her arm with a smile.

The girl’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she avoided Su Yang’s eyes, turning instead to Liu Bo. “Sir, are you the ones from Tokyo?” she asked.

Su Yang turned to Liu Bo and whispered, “This girl seems a little slow, doesn’t she?”

Liu Bo, who hadn’t understood a word of what the girl said, stared at her with an amused grin. “But I think she’s kind of cute.”

Su Yang facepalmed. “F FFS, I feel like smacking you.”

“Uh... yes, we’re tourists from Tokyo. Eleven of us,” Su Yang said to the girl.

“Oh, okay! Welcome, everyone, to Hokkaido! We’ve arranged a tour bus to take you to the hotel.”

“Great. What’s your name, miss?”

“You can call me Yamano.”

“Yamano, huh? I’m Su Yang.”

“Nice to meet you, Su-san. Please, everyone, hop on,” Yamano said, waving toward them.

The group dragged their luggage and followed Yamano to a tour bus parked at the roadside.

Yamano stepped aside as everyone boarded.

Inside, they noticed seven or eight people sitting in the back, all with luggage.

Seeing other guests, Su Yang realized why the sign had so many names—this pickup wasn’t just for their group.

The two groups exchanged glances and gave polite, waving greetings.

“No wonder they sent a bus. Turns out there are other tourists,” Liu Bo laughed.

“What did you expect? Do you think they’d go through all that trouble just for us eleven people?” Meng Wenzhou said, settling into a seat by the window in the second row.

“Yeah, fair point. Let’s find seats.”

None of them ventured far into the bus, choosing seats near the front.

Pan Ning and Meng Qianyu sat together; Zhuang Mengli and Jiang Xiaotang shared a seat; Lu Yun and Tang Ziyun, Su Qingci and Ren Lingxi each paired up.

Su Yang glanced at Liu Bo, who was still eyeing the passengers in the back. “Fatty, stop staring at them, or you might get your butt kicked,” he said.

“Heh, I’m trying to figure out where they’re from,” Liu Bo replied, sitting down next to Meng Wenzhou.

Su Yang took a single seat on the right side of the front row and said, “They’re from South Korea.”

“Oh? How are you so sure?”

“I’m certain. A hundred percent.”

“Why?”

“How do I explain this? Based on facial features and expressions.”

“You can tell that?”

“Old Su, you’ve got that skill?” Meng Wenzhou turned his head to ask with a smile.

Su Yang winked and nodded.

Indeed, the appearance of those passengers in the back didn’t quite look Chinese or Japanese.

Though neighboring countries, one can usually tell people apart with a careful look—at least for Su Yang. For normal folks like Meng Wenzhou and Liu Bo, it was much harder.

Su Yang glanced back again. The group had eight people in total: three men and five women, likely traveling together.

Just then, Yamano stepped onto the bus and called out in English from the doorway, “Everyone, please wait a little longer. There are two more groups to pick up, then we’ll set off!”

“OK.”

With a nod and a smile, she secretly glanced at Su Yang again, then walked off with her sign.

Meng Wenzhou leaned toward Su Yang and said, “She totally just sneaked a look at you.”

Su Yang laughed. “You are quite observant.”

“You bet.”