Novel Turned Yuri – Chapter 53

Hot spring

Stay calm, just stay a bit calmer—it’s just a hot spring soak.

Qiao Yu stood in front of the locker in the changing room, desperately cheering herself on in her mind.

Although the situation at hand wasn’t simply soaking with friends, as long as she maintained a casual attitude, there would be no problem! She’s an honest person! She could definitely rid her mind of those improper thoughts!

With a burst of courage, she placed her hands on her clothes, ready to undress, but before she could start, she heard the rustling sound of someone else’s clothes from behind.

The spacious changing room now only had her and Lin Qing—the source of the sound was unmistakably clear.

The sound of a zipper, the friction of fabric, the clicking of a clasp being undone.

“…”

Qiao Yu suddenly realized a brand-new fact—she might not be such an upright person after all!

Those sounds were too suggestive! She could close her eyes, but she couldn’t block her ears! Oh God, what to do!

Qiao Yu swiftly pulled her hoodie over her head, covering it completely, and in the darkness, she felt her heartbeat racing.

… Ah dammit, I really should have thought of a way to refuse…

It’s all because she couldn’t bring herself to say no to Lin Qing’s expectant gaze, and in a muddled state, she gritted her teeth and ended up here at the hot spring. Now, it was too late to back out; Lin Qing had already undressed. If she were to turn around now and say she didn’t want to soak, wouldn’t that be terribly inappropriate?

Qiao Yu fell into deep self-reflection, realizing she had overestimated her own self-control.

But still, lately, fate had been too harsh on her! First, making her share a bed with the person she had feelings for, and now having to share a hot spring with her—even if they were the same gender, a crush is a crush, and one should avoid impropriety, right?

After reflecting on her pain, Qiao Yu was filled with guilt towards Lin Qing, feeling like a lousy thug who took advantage of Lin Qing under the guise of friendship.

“I’ll go in first then—Qiao Yu? Is your clothing stuck?”

Lin Qing’s worried voice interrupted Qiao Yu’s wild thoughts, reminding her that she was still halfway through taking off her hoodie, with it stuck over her head. She quickly took it off, awkwardly chuckling, “It’s nothing, I was just in the midst of undressing…”

Subconsciously turning towards Lin Qing, she immediately averted her gaze to the ceiling as if she had touched something burning hot.

Why is Lin Qing only wrapped in a towel? Right, because Lin Qing was already prepared to hop into the bath!

A tumultuous self-inquisition unfolded in her mind, and Qiao Yu felt the temperature in her head skyrocketing. She hastily turned her back to Lin Qing. “You, you go ahead, I’ll be ready soon!”

“Mhm. I’ll wait for you inside.”

Fortunately, Lin Qing didn’t seem to notice Qiao Yu’s odd behavior, speaking in the same gentle tone as always. After saying this, Lin Qing walked towards the shower area. Qiao Yu listened intently to the sounds until she heard the door close, only then did she cautiously turn her stiff neck around.

Seeing that she was indeed alone in the changing room, Qiao Yu, clad only in her thin undershirt, didn’t feel cold at all; in fact, she felt unbearably hot. She silently hugged her hoodie and squatted down, burying her overheated face into the clothing.

In that brief glimpse just before, Lin Qing had her hair pinned up, holding the towel at the point where it met, her exposed skin so pale that it seemed to glow, delicate and translucent.

Her collarbone was slightly protruding, moving gently with her breathing. Qiao Yu remembered there was a small mole right there.

Qiao Yu had once touched it, that sensation as delicate as fine porcelain, which she could still recall vividly.

“Ugh…”

Qiao Yu forcefully interrupted these lethal recollections, realizing for the first time that having good vision could be a curse.

“…So hot…”

She muttered under her breath, her chaotic heartbeat taking a long time to settle back to calm.

The inevitable had to be faced eventually.

Qiao Yu dawdled as much as possible at the shower area, knowing that Lin Qing had already slipped into the hot spring. She was the only one left hesitating outside.

…What to do? Entering the hot spring meant taking off the towel.

Wrapped in her towel, Qiao Yu wavered beside the spring, feeling as if her brain was turning into mush from the steamy heat.

But, but not going in wasn’t an option either. Maybe she could just symbolically soak for ten minutes and then make her escape…?

While she was hesitating, Qiao Yu heard Lin Qing’s gentle voice coming from the hot spring pool.

“…Aren’t you coming?”

“Coming, coming right now.”

Qiao Yu steeled her nerves, swiftly undid her towel, and plunged into the water with haste, managing to be mindful enough not to cause too much of a splash.

Honestly, the hot spring was quite comfortable. The guide had mentioned that the waters were good for soothing muscle and joint pain, as well as relieving fatigue. But surely, it didn’t have any effect on alleviating psychological stress.

Feeling guilty and short of breath, Qiao Yu couldn’t find any peace of mind to enjoy the hot spring.

She sat about a meter away from Lin Qing, both of them silent, and the atmosphere gradually turned awkward.

The situation was so embarrassingly uncomfortable that Qiao Yu really wanted to flee. She felt that this couldn’t go on and cleared her throat, saying,

“The water, the water’s really hot.”

“…Yeah.”

What the heck did she just say…?! What kind of lame topic was that – the water’s hot? Of course the hot spring water is hot, that’s the whole point! Look, she didn’t even leave any room for Lin Qing to respond!

Qiao Yu closed her eyes in frustration, feeling hopeless about her ability to make conversation.

“Ah,”

Suddenly, Lin Qing let out a short exclamation. Qiao Yu, jumpy as a startled bird, quickly asked, “What’s wrong?!”

“It’s nothing,” Lin Qing replied, “just my hair coming undone.”

Lin Qing casually gathered her loose hair to prevent it from falling into the water and looked to Qiao Yu for help.

“Can you help me out?”

With no good reason to refuse, Qiao Yu approached Lin Qing with trembling hands and started to fix her hair.

Truth be told, this should have been an easy task. Lin Qing’s hair was black and shiny, and felt nice to the touch—probably it was its silkiness that led to the hairdo coming loose.

But for Qiao Yu at this moment, there seemed to be no more difficult task in the world.

She was too close to Lin Qing.

So close that her breath seemed to brush against Lin Qing’s nape, so close that the fragrance of Lin Qing’s hair enveloped her like a net with no escape, so close that a glance would fill her vision with swathes of Lin Qing’s ivory skin—and yet she couldn’t choose to flee, to close her eyes.

It was like a sweet torture.

Qiao Yu couldn’t recall how she managed to tie up Lin Qing’s hair again; all her focus was on not letting her breaths become erratic. By the time she snapped back to reality, Lin Qing had already turned around and softly thanked her with a gentle smile.

Qiao Yu, who had been avoiding Lin Qing for so long, found herself unexpectedly caught in her gaze.

Soaked in the hot spring, Lin Qing’s snow-like skin blushed with a hint of pink. Her exquisite and unmatched face appeared especially clear and enticing through the misty steam, giving it an illusionary, ethereal quality.

Qiao Yu stared at her, dumbstruck. The ripples in the water around them, the warm hues of light and shadow appeared to deepen, but Qiao Yu felt as though everything else faded into insignificance, her eyes only able to see the person before her.

The soft light and the swirling steam seemed to play around Lin Qing, almost touching her yet not quite – reminiscent of being just out of reach. With the warm glow casting upon her, the exposed shoulders and neck above the water shimmered with a lustrous sheen like that of white jade. A droplet of water fell from Lin Qing’s hair, and Qiao Yu felt an untimely pang of envy, naively thinking what a great blessing it must be.

Her gaze unintentionally followed that droplet to the water’s surface, watching the ripples unfold and blinking slowly.

Suddenly, a loud boom erupted in Qiao Yu’s mind, the rush of blood making her throat parched and tongue burn, and she abruptly turned her head away in panic.

What on earth was she doing? Ah…!

Qiao Yu managed to clutch at her returning senses, finally remembering to respond to Lin Qing’s thank you. She hastily said it was nothing and was about to move back when her hand, hidden under the water, suddenly sank.

“What were you looking at just now?”

Lin Qing’s voice floated over, as casual as everyday small talk, yet it sent an involuntary shiver through Qiao Yu.

It was just her hand that Lin Qing had caught, but it felt as though her whole body had been bound, rendering her unable to move. She could only stand frozen in place, helplessly looking at Lin Qing as she slowly moved closer to her face.

“It seemed like you were watching me for quite a long time.”

Lin Qing continued, her voice calm and steady.

“Is there something strange about me?”

Lin Qing showed no signs of letting Qiao Yu off the hook, staring directly into her eyes. Qiao Yu, with nowhere to hide, engaged in a helpless eye-contact.

Mists of elusive intentions swirled in her dark pupils, and small droplets adorned her long eyelashes, trembling nervously with her blinks.

Even Qiao Yu, who could be slow to pick up on things, sensed something was amiss. She felt that Lin Qing wasn’t truly concerned with the question she asked but that there was a deeper, hidden motive beneath the surface of the water. However, at this moment, Qiao Yu was unable to discern what it was.

“…No, there’s nothing strange about you.”

The strange one is me, for sure.

That was all Qiao Yu could manage to say, a pale response as she looked bewilderedly at Lin Qing. As expected, Lin Qing did not seem to be waiting for this answer, casually humming in acknowledgment while idly toying with her fingers under the water.

“Then, what were you looking at just now?”

Lin Qing’s light, airy words were like a relentless pursuit, cornering Qiao Yu with no way out. Today, Lin Qing seemed particularly intent on digging deep. Qiao Yu’s mind was in disarray, and she clumsily averted her gaze, not daring to look at Lin Qing’s face again.

“Is there something about me that caught your attention?”

But Lin Qing did not let her escape.

She lifted her hand to support Qiao Yu’s nape, almost forcibly causing Qiao Yu to look at her again.

“Look at me, Qiao Yu.”

Qiao Yu found herself trapped, with no way to escape Lin Qing’s deep, night-like eyes. Panic and confusion stacked up in her mind, overwhelming her to the point where she couldn’t gather her scattered thoughts into coherent speech.

Why must you keep asking this? What exactly does Lin Qing want to know? What kind of answer is Lin Qing looking for from me?

At the very least, Qiao Yu could be certain that what Lin Qing was stubbornly searching for was not a simple “What did you look at?”.

“… I was indeed looking at you just now.”

“No matter where you are, my eyes… can’t seem to move away.”

Like a gecko shedding its tail to escape, Qiao Yu swallowed the numerous questions and unspeakable feelings in her gut, packaging them into the mildest form as an answer to hand over to Lin Qing.

“… Probably because you’re very pretty.”

She added softly, the final sentence as a disguise for herself, her slightly hoarse voice echoing emptily in the room.

That was already the limit of what she could reveal. Just uttering these words had already caused Qiao Yu’s face to burn red, and a belated sense of embarrassment, amplified by the hot water, rapidly took over her brain, leaving her feeling dizzy and disoriented.

“…”

Lin Qing did not respond; it took a good long while before she, as if awakening from a dream, finally released the hand that had been restraining Qiao Yu.

She moved somewhat helplessly a couple of steps towards the edge of the hot spring, brushing aside the stray hairs by her ear. Qiao Yu, with keen eyes, noticed that Lin Qing’s entire ear was alarmingly red.

“I… I understand now.”

Lin Qing, who had seemed so effortlessly in control until now, finally showed signs of being at a loss. Her speech unusually faltered for a moment, and she quickly shook her head before continuing.

“Shall we… get out? It seems we’ve soaked too long, I’m feeling a bit dizzy.”

“Yes, yes, you’re right.”

Qiao Yu was only too eager to agree, but just as she relaxed, she watched as Lin Qing directly propped herself up on the edge of the pool and stood up, startling Qiao Yu into a frantic 180-degree turn, splashing a great deal of water in the pool.

Out of mutual consideration, neither of them spoke. They silently got out of the hot spring, washed, and put on their yukatas, walking back to their rooms one after the other.

“I’ll… go back and sleep in my room tonight.”

Lin Qing initiated the conversation, much to Qiao Yu’s relief. So, they parted ways in front of Qiao Yu’s door.

After all, they both needed space to properly think about what had just happened.

Lin Qing returned to her own room and leaned against the door for a long time, unable to snap out of her daze.

The incident at the hot spring was actually a strategy taught by Military Advisor Mi Yi before the trip had started.

‘Basically, you need to effectively use your beauty.’

‘You must pinpoint her weakness and relentlessly question her.’

‘As long as you get something substantial out of her, I think you can consider kissing her.’

Everything had gone smoothly up to the final step—

Lin Qing pursed her lips, fanning her heated face with her hand.

After hearing Qiao Yu’s kind of response, Lin Qing had already lost her footing.

This was the first time she had received a straightforward response from Qiao Yu, and to continue to press the advantage and make such a bold move upon it…

When it comes to romance, Lin Qing is timid and cautious. Ultimately, she couldn’t take that step.

But it doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter at all.

She pressed against her pounding heart and quietly let out a joyous smile.

She had already waited for so long, waiting a bit more wouldn’t hurt.

Overly rash actions could startle the prey, that’s the rule of hunting.

Qiao Yu lay in bed, staring at the ceiling in a daze.

Saying she’s spacing out, her brain, actually overstimulated, just keeps replaying the events at the hot spring in a loop until, unable to stand it any longer, she grabs a pillow and buries her head in it.

…She wishes she could just disappear.

Overwhelmed by a strong sense of shame that engulfs her entire being, Qiao Yu feels utterly dejected, refusing to face the reality of the words she spoke, like an ostrich burying its head in the sand.

But still, she can’t help but think about it. Because the whole incident is really bothering her.

Mainly, it’s Lin Qing’s attitude that’s on her mind.

“…System, system, did you feel that Lin Qing was acting a bit off just now?”

“Just now? If you’re referring to when you two were soaking in the hot spring, I was in sleep mode at that time.”

“…”

That’s right, she remembered now! The system would go into sleep mode when she took a bath!

Now she didn’t even have anyone to discuss this with, as Qiao Yu, ignoring the system’s incessant queries about what happened, frustratedly hugged her pillow and turned over.

Something was off.

She had never seen Lin Qing so aggressive before.

Lin Qing’s words, attitude, behavior, they were all just like—

Qiao Yu vigorously shook her head, sternly warning herself not to overthink it in her mind.

Conclusions drawn from wild guesses shouldn’t be taken seriously.

She turned off the bedside lamp, forcing herself to abandon her thoughts and fall asleep.

She didn’t understand, there was no strategy, her trajectory was now chaotic, and it felt like her world was crumbling. It seemed anything could happen – the world was changing silently.

But to harbor frivolous hopes only to be met with disappointment later would probably be very… very painful.

Qiao Yu managed to fall asleep.

But it wasn’t a sweet sleep. Bizarre, vibrant dreams plagued her all night, leaving her waking up the next day steeped in deep self-loathing.