The vast view of the valley was becoming more vibrant in the heart of spring.
Being deep in the mountains far from the secular world, this place—an onsen combined with a newly opened bathhouse—was filled with its own charm.
It was said that someone had taken over the hot spring that had been operating for years and remodeled it significantly. The tidy building, combined with the surrounding scenery, definitely added to its appeal.
“Wow, this is great.”
“It’s really awesome, Dayoung. There’s a deer back there, and I want to have a match with it.”
Dayoung’s admiration upon arriving at the accommodation was echoed by Bppaebba, who flapped her wings excitedly.
Since no one was around inside the accommodation, Bppaebba was free to flutter around as she pleased.
Yuri and Ajin, who entered right after, were also slightly amazed.
“Well, the public hot spring is available, but there’s really no need for that.”
“Right. Why bother when there’s an onsen in the room? Let’s just relax here.”
The room’s interior was reminiscent of traditional Japanese onsen accommodation, and there was a separate outdoor hot spring exclusively for this room.
“Hey, but isn’t this onsen a bit risky? Even if there’s a wall, someone could drone it and take all the footage.”
Jisehee’s concern as she looked around was quite valid.
In today’s world, drone photography, especially in the mountains, was a piece of cake.
Even if it’s walled off, if someone goes higher than that, it becomes a treat for the eyes.
“They say this is a drone prohibited zone. Well, even if you secretly fly one, it might still be visible. I heard from reviews that you should wear swimsuits when doing it.”
“Hmm, really?”
Should we just use the public hot spring with internal facilities?
Feeling like the mood I envisioned before my arrival was slightly off, I tilted my head when the last voice, Jisehee’s indifferent tone, floated in.
“Don’t worry. We can set up a barrier so it’s not visible.”
“As expected, I trusted you.”
A chuckle escaped as I watched Jisehee bump her arm and smile energetically.
It felt like she was more excited than I was.
“Seems like you’re more thrilled than I am for my refreshment.”
“How about it? This time, let’s throw away the troubles along with the clothes we’re wearing and just soak.”
You can’t help but admire her.
With Jisehee shaking her head and the group unpacking their bags in the room, the reason we suddenly decided to stay at a mountain onsen goes back a few days.
* * *
Dayoung, who was secretly gauging the mood, quietly cleared her throat and set down her spoon.
Then she leaned in close to whisper in Jisehee’s ear, who was calmly eating beside her.
“Hey, is something weird?”
As she whispered quietly, trying not to be overheard, she looked at Jisehee, who was quietly picking at her food rather than responding.
It wasn’t that different from usual… well, that would be hard to say.
Of course, it wasn’t like she was in a totally empty-headed or utterly destroyed state of mind.
So this means….
‘Right. That’s it.’
Realizing the fitting image in her mind, Dayoung couldn’t help but rejoice inside.
Yes, it was just like when a sense of reality hits hard. Hmm, there are also two types of reality checks.
It’s not the kind that comes when you push past your limits and reach the end; it leans more toward being taken aback by some impact that leaves you feeling deflated.
Observing her for a moment, Dayoung looked around.
Given Jisehee seemed off, even though Yuri worked hard to prepare a wonderful dinner, the atmosphere was lackluster.
From what I’ve seen, has Jisehee ever shown such low energy before?
Someone who’s usually so confident, sometimes attention-seeking during games, and who would boldly carve her own path?
‘This could be a rare sight?’
Amidst the gloomy mood, an odd thought crossed my mind.
It’s hard to tell when she usually shows this side of her, so should I snap a photo now?
With slightly sunken eyes and subtle dark circles, if she were to be fully depleted, there would be visible clouds hovering over her.
With her ambiguous state, neither here nor there, it was frustrating to say the least.
Unable to stand it, Yuri stepped in.
“Sis, did something happen?”
“Huh?”
Jisehee, who was giving a slightly off response, casually replied as if it were nothing.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Just… I realized I don’t understand someone else’s feelings and it hurt my heart a bit.”
“…?”
What does that mean? Did she get shockingly affected or something?
With that bizarre reply, everyone looked at each other in confusion, trying to decipher its meaning, but no clear conclusion came forth.
Dayoung quietly asked Jisehee, who was cutting up chicken next to her.
“What are you talking about?”
“That Eunha girl said she touched my emotional thread and now I’m feeling down.”
“Oh, how did you interpret that?”
“Well.”
With a reply that was a perfect example of indifference, Dayoung pouted her lips and fell silent.
So, Eunha touched her sister’s feelings and made her feel down? Is this some grand emotional drama happening here?
‘Well, I can understand why she would feel that way.’
It’s definitely connected to that pesky Demon King that Eunha has something to do with.
But didn’t they say they patched things up? Could there be a new problem?
She’s definitely dropped her energy way too low.
Just then, with Jisehee finishing her meal, she clapped her hands. The sound echoed, drawing everyone’s attention to her.
“Seeing you act like this, it seems like Jisehee has started to get tired.”
“No, I’m not particularly tired or anything.”
I denied her words, shaking my finger left and right.
“Once you reach your limit, the person often doesn’t notice it themselves. But when you cross that line, you just collapse.”
“Really?”
“Exactly. This applies to heroes too. We’re all human, you know, human.”
Though somewhat different from the average human, it’s true.
Ajin considered her words internally but didn’t voice it.
Right now, the priority was to restore Jisehee back to her usual self, and it seemed like Jiwon had some idea on how to achieve that.
“I don’t know exactly what happened between that Eunha girl and Jisehee, but let me tell you this.”
As Dayoung cocked her head, Jiwon smiled and said,
“When the answer is unknown, sometimes running away until you know the answer is also a solution.”
“… Huh?”
A small flicker returned to Jisehee’s eyes as she asked back.
It seemed curiosity was exceeding mere interest and was stirring her mind.
“Well, it’s not the season for this, but….”
What’s with the suspense?
As everyone silently urged her to speak, Jiwon snapped her fingers and with a confident tone said,
“How about a vacation? What about the onsen?”
“……”
“……”
“……”
“……”
Aren’t you the one who’s really wanting to go?
With unvoiced doubts gathering in her gaze, Jiwon waved her hand in denial.
“Please don’t look at it that way. It’s funny calling it a vacation when we’ve been cooped up like useless slugs. But it seems nice to go out and have a proper rest sometimes.”
“Well, we did go on a… vacation last time.”
“That was a work trip. The camping car advertisement was a whole thing. Sometimes, it’s nice to just forget all interests and take a break. Even if we game and broadcast at home, it always feels like work eventually builds up fatigue.”
Indeed, Jisehee hadn’t intentionally enjoyed a vacation outside her work since they started hanging out together.
Even if they took a break, staying at home usually just involved killing time with no fun at all, blurring the lines between work and rest was a fact.
The intent was clearly understood. It was a valid point, and Yuri silently nodded.
“So, you’re saying we should go to the onsen?”
“Exactly. Oh, if it were winter, that would be perfect timing, but since it’s spring, it’s a bit disappointing. But spring vacations are great, and there’s nothing like an onsen for gently relaxing and relieving fatigue.”
“I think it sounds good, but how about you, Jisehee?”
As gaze shifted from Jiwon to Jisehee, she finally nodded in a daze.
There’s nothing wrong with going, and perhaps taking a break to forget everything would be good for her as she justified to herself…
Thus, an unplanned spring vacation was settled.
* * *
[So, we decided to take a break for two nights starting today.]
[Okay, I see. I’ve got a busy time ahead, so that’s fine.]
[It would be nice if you could come too, let’s find an opportunity to go together later.]
[Sure, and sorry for what I said yesterday. Take a good rest, and we’ll see you later.]
Sending the messages, I leaned back against the terrace.
Maybe because it’s a building at a high elevation, even in the warm spring, the wind was quite chilly.
I brushed my hair away from my neck and ears that tickled.
“A vacation….”
Honestly, vacation might be the least fitting word for me.
I’m not a メタストリーマー (causally a strict schedule streamer) who has to follow a tight broadcasting schedule.
Now I’m a major company streamer who can broadcast whenever as long as I meet a broad audience.
Perhaps, the desire to receive interest through games and broadcasting had peaked to overflowing.
With other heroes around, it served as a good excuse to satisfy that desire while saving them.
When Eunha’s words came back to me, I pressed my temples hard.
Was I too complacent about things?
“Why does our Jisehee seem to be so deep in thought lately?”
“Jiwon.”
Beside me, she was leaning against the terrace, taking in the view.
“Well, I know Jisehee has her fair share of worries. But still….”
This felt like déjà vu. Similar to when Jiwon first came around, the location had changed, but the circumstances felt quite similar.
“Let’s forget those things and take it easy here. Okay?”
Turning her head toward me, Jiwon flashed a gentle smile that made me a tad envious.
That smile was my signature charm….
