Chapter 453: Today's Jashin-chan is Still Despicable as Ever!
The weather in Furano was quite nice today, shifting from sunny to cloudy.
With a daily high of -4°C, a low of -15°C, and a gentle level 1 northwest wind, it was perfect for outdoor skiing.
Under the clear sky, a white Hino Poncho bus was driving smoothly along the highway. Its destination was the locally and nationally renowned Furano Ski Resort.
Inside the bus—
"Eh? 'Big Sister' is actually your mother!"
The petite Ecute knelt on the seat, grabbing the backrest with both hands, and spoke to Second, who was sitting with Persephone in the row behind:
"When I was caught by that God of Heaven before, I asked her for help in a moment of desperation. At first, I called her 'Auntie' and she completely ignored me. It was only when I changed it to 'Big Sister' that she was willing to step in and help me."
"Mother!" Second turned her head and chided Persephone.
"Your Highness, you are being too impolite!" Atre reminded her in a low voice from the side, looking thoroughly embarrassed.
"It's fine, it's fine." Persephone waved her hand lightly, smiling as she pinched Ecute's slightly chubby, baby-fat cheeks. "I just wanted to tease this kid a little..."
On the other side—
"Today I'm going to ski to my heart's content on the advanced slopes!"
Looking at the snowy scenery speeding by outside the window, Jashin-chan suddenly raised her arm and said excitedly.
"I remember that ski resort has a 4-kilometer run..." Minos folded one arm across her chest and lightly tapped her cheek with her other hand. She turned to Jashin-chan and suggested:
"Jashin-chan, let's have a race later!"
"Hm? A race to see who reaches the finish line first? Sure! Bring it on!" Jashin-chan clenched her fists, her fighting spirit burning brightly.
"That sounds so fun, I want to join too!"
Kyon-Kyon, sitting with her sister, raised her hand energetically.
"Count me in!"
Elma joined the excitement, turning to Tohru beside her and inviting: "Tohru, you come too!"
"Mmm... whatever."
Tohru rested her left hand on the window sill, propping up her cheek, and responded lazily. Even though it was Valentine's Day, Kobayashi still had to work, leaving her feeling a bit unmotivated.
"Have fun, but pay attention to safety."
Ryohei, sitting in the front, turned his head and gave a word of advice.
"Yeah, don't worry, nothing will happen!" Jashin-chan waved her hand dismissively.
"I'm referring to the other skiers; make sure you don't end up hurting them."
Ryohei half-squinted his eyes at her and added the clarification.
"Ugh—! You bastard Servant..."
Jashin-chan choked on her words, looking speechless—and to think she actually believed he was worrying about them...
The corners of Yurine's lips curled up slightly. She tugged on Ryohei's sleeve, and when he looked over, she said: "Ryohei-kun, you go have fun too. Pekola and I will just practice on our own."
As a native Tokyoite, Yurine didn't know how to ski.
Ryohei originally didn't know how either, but he had drawn the [Skiing Master (Green)] entry. Last time they came, he was the one teaching Yurine, while also giving some pointers to Pekola, Poporon, and the others on the side.
"Should I guide you guys a bit more?"
Ryohei thought about it and said, feeling a little uneasy leaving them.
"How about I do it."
Yusa, across the aisle, kept her hands tucked inside the wide sleeves of her kimono, revealing only a section of her slender white fingers as she lightly covered her lips:
"Skiing is no different from taking a normal stroll for me. Ryohei-kun, on the other hand, you should take this opportunity to have a good time. If I remember correctly, you're a southerner, right?"
"Mn, then I'll leave it to you." Ryohei turned to look at Yusa and didn't refuse her goodwill.
...
About half an hour later, the group arrived at their destination.
Although today was Valentine's Day, it wasn't a day off, and coupled with the fact that there were quite a few other ski resorts in the surrounding area—the Furano Ski Resort didn't feel crowded at all!
Ryohei, Yurine, and the others had been here once before the New Year, so they all had their own ski gear. After helping Persephone, Lierre, and the vampire master and servant rent their equipment, the group split into three teams and lined up to take the cable car.
The entire Furano Ski Resort consisted of two adjacent snow areas: the 'Furano Zone' and the 'Kitanomine Zone'. The 'Furano Zone' featured undulating terrain and long-distance runs, while the 'Kitanomine Zone' had open terrain that was more suitable for beginners to practice.
The resort had a total of 28 ski runs: 11 beginner, 10 intermediate, and 7 advanced—
Ryohei, Jashin-chan, Minos, Kyon-Kyon, Elma, Tohru, and Lucoa chose the 4-kilometer ultra-long run among the advanced slopes.
With a soft ding, the cable car arrived at the station.
The doors slid open, and the biting cold wind and the vast, boundless snowfield rushed toward them.
"We're here, we're here!"
Wearing a ski jacket (only the top half), a scarf, and cool ski goggles, Jashin-chan was the first to charge out of the cable car with a snowboard tucked under her arm that was a similar color to her tail.
"Wait for me!" Kyon-Kyon followed gleefully; she was just wearing her usual outfit.
As were Elma and Tohru.
"Let's race!" Minos was the third to rush out of the cable car.
"Ooh ooh—!"
The broad-shouldered, fair-skinned Elma shouted excitedly. Stepping on her geta, her thick, dark blue finned tail wagged back and forth as she rushed out—for a moment, Ryohei actually found it quite adorable!
"Every single one of them is like a kid." He smiled, shook his head, and followed them out of the cable car.
"They're truly bursting with vitality; even I'm getting a little infected by it." Lucoa rested her hand on her world-class chest and took over the conversation with a smile.
"Idiots always have a ton of energy!"
Tohru carried a smile on her lips and added: "Of course, that statement is solely directed at Elma."
"I heard that—!!"
Holding a water-blue snowboard, Elma clenched her fist, turned her head, and shouted.
"Uh-huh, noted." Tohru nodded calmly.
"..." Elma almost whipped out her trident right then and there, but after a second thought, she decided to settle the score through skiing instead.
"..."
The group left the platform and stood at the "starting line."
"Yoshi—!"
Jashin-chan put down her snowboard, looked at everyone, placed a hand on her chest, and said: "Next, I'll call the start, and we'll rush down together. The first person to reach the finish line will win 100,000 yen, kindly sponsored by my Servant's friendship!"
"Chotto matte! I certainly don't remember sponsoring any such thing!" Ryohei couldn't help but raise his hand and roast her.
"That's not important."
Jashin-chan grinned, waved her hand, and was about to start the countdown.
"Then that 100,000 yen will be deducted from your salary."
Ryohei half-squinted his eyes at her. The scumbag snake instantly lost her cool and yelled: "No way! Servant, how can you be like this!"
"It's settled then!"
Ryohei waved his hand too, looking like he had made the final decision.
"I was just joking earlier!"
Jashin-chan looked at Ryohei and said with complete seriousness.
"Alright! Let's not set any rewards and just get started!"
Minos stepped one foot onto her snowboard and smoothed things over.
She didn't care about a material reward of 100,000 yen anyway—standing at the top of the slope and watching Ryohei and Jashin-chan bicker felt boring, and she couldn't wait to go skiing with everyone.
"OK!"
Jashin-chan flashed an 'OK' hand sign to Minos, took the opportunity to drop the subject, raised her hand high, held up three fingers, and began the countdown:
"Three..."
Before her voice even faded, she transformed into a dark blur and darted out.
"Ah—! So despicable!" Kyon-Kyon yelled and followed.
"Too shameless!" Elma also chased after her.
"I knew it."
A look of "as expected" appeared on Minos's face, and then she dove down with her fighting spirit fully ignited.
"Yoshi—!"
Tohru leaped nimbly onto her snowboard.
Ryohei and Lucoa also left the "starting line," merging into this snow-white slope...
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