Chapter 298: Hot Springs, What a Pity
Everyone was quite helpless regarding Eriri's smugness, as the four others present, besides the couple, were all single.
What else could they do?
They could only take out their frustration on the grilled lamb they were about to eat.
Ah, wait, Uchimaki Subaru probably wouldn't feel that way. Otherwise, Usami wouldn't still be unsuccessful right now.
The grilled lamb at the barbecue restaurant tasted superb, incredibly tender, and fantastically delicious. Everyone couldn't stop eating.
It was just... seeing the photos of cute little lambs taken on the farm, which were posted on the walls inside the restaurant, made everyone occasionally recall the adorable appearance of the lambs while they ate.
Chewing on the flavorful grilled lamb, Eriri murmured, "Little lambs are so cute... Mmm, and definitely delicious."
"Eriri, something is wrong with you!"
"Hmm?"
Eriri looked at Usami confusedly and said, "But Mizuki, didn't you eat rabbit meat when you visited my house before? You thought that was delicious too, right?"
"Uh..."
It would have been better if Eriri hadn't mentioned it. Usami suddenly remembered that when she ate the delicious rabbit meat back then, the thoughts in her mind were even more disturbing than now, because she recalled the rabbits she had raised at school during elementary school. Unfortunately, that dish was so tasty that she quickly put those thoughts out of her mind.
Now that Eriri brought it up, it was like a second strike, causing considerable distress to the young girl's delicate heart, and she stopped reaching for the meat.
Uchimaki Subaru saw her expression, then looked at the lamb on the grill, which was cooked perfectly alongside the scallions, and asked, "Usami, do you want sauce?"
Usami instinctively replied, "Ah, thank you, uh..."
Just as she finished speaking, the girl realized Uchimaki Subaru was using the tongs to place two pieces of cooked meat onto her plate, which already held the sauce, and her face instantly flushed red.
She finally gathered the courage to say something, only to realize that Uchimaki Subaru had also served meat to the club president, not just her.
Well, it was just his turn to grill... Utaha, who had witnessed the entire exchange, wiped her mouth with a tissue, quietly took out her phone, and recorded everything that had just happened.
It's all inspiration; it would be a pity not to write it down.
As for Eriri... unfortunately, she didn't notice this time. She was currently eagerly asking Kaede to grill meat for her.
The lamb from Hokkaido is really great, truly great.
The lamb was delicious, and the other meats and vegetables at the barbecue restaurant were excellent too. Eating such a warming meal in the winter season was utterly satisfying.
And then, inevitably, everyone ate until they were stuffed.
Coming out of the barbecue restaurant, Utaha pulled her neck inward and said worriedly, "I have a feeling I'll have to start watching my weight after these few days, especially since there's New Year's when we get back, and my family will definitely be feasting again..."
Kaede took Utaha's complaint as a compliment and laughed, saying, "Hahaha, when you travel, of course, you have to find good food to eat, or you'll regret it! As for weight, winter is naturally a cold season, so a little extra fat isn't a bad thing, especially since we wear thick clothes anyway."
Utaha was instantly speechless and said with a wry smile, "...That's an unreasonable argument that's impossible to refute. But you're right, since it's a rare trip, we shouldn't overthink things."
After finishing dinner, everyone strolled around nearby to digest their food and experience the winter atmosphere of Sapporo before finally returning to their accommodation.
Finally, it was time for the last major event of the day.
The hot springs!
One extremely important reason for choosing this place was that it had private hot springs, allowing them to fully enjoy the pleasure of soaking in a hot spring during winter.
Although the price was significantly higher than a typical inn, the extra cost seemed entirely worth it once they saw the hot springs.
"It's just a shame... that the hot springs are separated by gender."
Letting out a breath, the Club President, having finished washing up, leaned back in the warm hot spring and looked up at the ceiling as he spoke.
Kaede, who was beside him, listened and said speechlessly, "President, I didn't realize you had so many ideas. But I'm sorry to say, inns like this won't have mixed bathing, as they are primarily set up for group trips."
"Exactly, exactly, stop dreaming about mixed bathing, President~~", Uchimaki Subaru, who was on Kaede's other side, said with his eyes closed, his mind wandering. "But speaking of which, there must be mixed bathing places locally, right? President, you could try it out and tell us what you think when you get back."
"...I'll pass on that." The President rejected Uchimaki Subaru's suggestion without hesitation, saying, "Those mixed baths are usually full of old grandpas and grandmas. If a young person like me went in, my intentions would be completely obvious."
"Hehe, President, how do you know so much about that?"
"I heard about it from a friend back in middle school. He was taken there by his parents, and when he told us about it, it was like he was recalling a nightmare he had experienced."
Hearing the President say this, both Kaede and Uchimaki Subaru couldn't help but laugh, because it was clearly hilarious to imagine a child surrounded by a group of elderly people in the hot spring, afraid to move or go anywhere.
After saying this, the President looked at Kaede and asked with a mischievous grin, "Speaking of which, Asakura, didn't you ever think about finding a place with mixed bathing? Or maybe a small private bath?"
Kaede naturally knew what the President was getting at, and he calmly waved his hand, saying, "There's no need. Eriri and I have plenty of time in the future. We don't worry about just a few days."
"Tsk tsk tsk, is this your composure? That really makes one envious."
Although the President usually slacked off at school, spending most of his club activities sleeping, it didn't mean he was oblivious to other matters.
Watching Kaede and Eriri flaunt their affection in front of him every day, he was definitely envious in his heart.
Of course, it was only envy, because nobody knew that the President actually had a childhood friend who also attended Toyosaki.
Right, everyone knew he had just casually mentioned it once when others first joined the Art Club, and he hadn't brought it up since.
While the boys were lazily chatting back and forth and soaking in the bath, the girls' area on the other side was much more stimulating.
Wrapped in a bath towel, Usami sat somewhat reservedly in the hot spring pool, looking at Utaha beside her, the envy in her eyes impossible to hide.
She had always known that this senpai had a good figure, but she hadn't expected it to be this good.
Usami felt like she might never reach this level in her entire life.