Chapter 118: The Anticipated Private Hot Spring

"If I could become lovers with Kitahara-kun, then... wouldn’t that be far better than my current suffocating marriage?"

Such an absurd and unrealistic thought popped up in Suzuki Misaki’s mind suddenly without any warning.

However, just a split second later, she let out a helpless, bitter smile in her heart.

How could that possibly be?

Leaving aside the fact that she was still trapped inside the fortress of marriage, unable to break free...

Just thinking about Kitahara-kun being in the prime of his youth, overflowing with talent—how could he possibly be interested in a married woman like her?

This was simply wild fantasy, a foolish daydream!

Yet, once this crazy thought surfaced, it was like a breaching flood, impossible to restrain any longer.

Suzuki Misaki’s thoughts began to spread uncontrollably and wildly.

She couldn’t help but continue letting her mind wander: Maybe Kitahara-kun just happens to like older women like me?

After all, she had noticed before that Kitahara-kun’s gaze often lingered on her body...

She didn’t foolishly crave to enter the hall of marriage with Kitahara-kun either. As long as the two of them could maintain a stable and sweet romantic relationship, that would be enough to satisfy her heart completely.

After all, for her, deeply mired in the quagmire of an unhappy marriage right now, even just a tiny bit of warmth and love felt like a beam of light in the darkness.

Enough to illuminate her battered, heart-torn soul...

...

"Misaki-nee, this is great. I think there are no issues—you can finalize the draft!"

"Misaki-nee? Hey, what’s wrong? Hey..."

Kitahara Chiki finished reading the manuscript for Volume 2 of Goblin, feeling there were no major issues.

Although there were slight differences in writing style compared to his own—experts could tell at a single glance that it was written by a different author—it was more than enough to fool ordinary readers.

It was just an erotica novel, after all. Why ask for the moon?

After reading, Kitahara Chiki spoke to Suzuki Misaki, only to find that the woman seemed to be spacing out.

She was staring blankly at him, her eyes misty, as if she had drifted off into another world.

"Ah? Oh, Kitahara-kun, what did you say? You finished reading?"

Suzuki Misaki finally snapped back to reality. A hint of confusion appeared on her face; clearly, she hadn’t heard a single word Kitahara Chiki had just said.

"I said there’s no problem, and we can finalize the draft directly. Misaki-nee, what were you thinking about?" Kitahara asked out of curiosity.

"N-Nothing... Nothing at all. Great then, let’s discuss how the subsequent plot will unfold!"

Just now, Suzuki Misaki had already been fantasizing about sweet, intimate moments between her and Kitahara. How could she possibly speak such thoughts aloud?

It would easily scare Kitahara, making him view her as a perverted woman.

"Mm, alright..."

Kitahara felt Suzuki Misaki was acting a bit strange—her face was red, and her expression carried a hint of shyness.

He had no idea what this woman was up to.

Next, the two held a discussion regarding Volume 3 of Goblin as well as the subsequent plot content.

At the end of Volume 2, Kaoru and her group discovered a teleportation portal.

What Kitahara and Misaki agreed on was that at the start of Volume 3, they wouldn’t let the beautiful girls recklessly step inside. Instead, they would return to the city first to live a quiet life for a period of time.

This was more logical.

For Kaoru, such a life—though plain—was something she could endure and tolerate.

However, good times didn’t last long. Before anyone knew it, monsters began invading the city, causing massive destruction.

There were many types of monsters: some were relatively weak and could be easily defeated by ordinary adults, while others possessed formidable strength that required heavy firearms to eradicate.

The entire society fell into chaos because the monsters seemed endless. Every time humans wiped out a batch, another group would emerge out of nowhere.

Finally, people discovered the secret of the teleportation array—it turned out the monsters were pouring out from inside it.

To eliminate the threat once and for all, official authorities organized personnel to step into the teleportation array, only to learn that the other side was a world teeming with monsters everywhere. Wiping out all the monsters would require a massive amount of manpower.

Thus, they called upon ordinary citizens to bravely pick up weapons, eradicate the monsters, and protect their homeland.

At this juncture, Kaoru and her teammates also bravely stepped forward, wanting to contribute their own strength as well.

When it came to dealing with monsters, they were exceptionally experienced...

...

Kitahara provided the general direction, but as for the specific scene descriptions, Suzuki Misaki would need to figure those out herself.

Before long, their discussion was largely wrapped up, and he took his leave.

"Misaki-nee, let’s leave it at this for today. If you have any questions later, feel free to call me directly so we can discuss it further. Don’t worry about disturbing me—I actually look forward to Misaki-nee’s calls very much!"

"Huh? Really? Kitahara-kun isn’t joking with me?"

"Of course it’s real. By the way, Misaki-nee, regarding that trip to Hokkaido for a hot spring vacation, we need to put it on the schedule! Roughly when do you have time off?"

Kitahara suddenly recalled the hot spring vacation and asked.

This weekend, he had an appointment with Section Chief Miyamoto to head to Hokkaido to experience the "Bijin-no-yu" (Beauty Hot Spring). Once he scouted the area and became familiar with it, he could bring the girls over to play.

Not just Suzuki Misaki—from now on, whenever he was free, he planned to invite several of his girlfriends over for a few days.

Indulge freely, enjoy life to the fullest!

In any case, he was a freelancer; he could write anywhere.

"Vacation? I... mm, I’ll handle my work matters as quickly as possible and try to head out next week. Kitahara-kun, will it just be the two of us going? Are we getting a private bath, or...?"

Suzuki Misaki had originally planned to set the vacation time for the end of this month.

That way, she would have ample time to arrange her work properly.

After all, a chance to go on vacation specifically like this was rare and precious; she had to enjoy it properly for several days no matter what.

If she couldn’t settle her work properly, she certainly wouldn’t be able to completely relax and enjoy her holiday to the fullest.

Yet at this moment, an urgent desire suddenly surged from deep within her heart, making her unable to wait to spend more time alone with Kitahara-kun.

At the thought of their upcoming solitary time together, her heart swelled with anticipation.

"A private bath? You mean those secluded hot spring pools inside an independent small courtyard with great privacy? Of course we’re getting a private bath—I don’t want to soak with anyone else. I only want to be alone with Misaki-nee!" Kitahara said.

"Wonderful... I’m looking forward to soaking in a private bath alone with Kitahara-kun too..."

...

Leaving Shueisha, Kitahara realized that a gentle rain had begun to drift down silently from the sky at some point.

The fine, dense rain threads fell soundlessly, weaving together a hazy and beautiful scene.

He stood in place quietly, letting those cool raindrops fall onto his cheeks and shoulders.

This was the very first rain Tokyo welcomed after entering autumn.

A fresh scent filled the air, blending the fragrance of moist soil with the faint scent of decaying leaves.

The trees lining both sides of the street looked even greener under the nourishment of the rain, their branches and leaves swaying gently as if cheering for the arrival of this autumn rain.

The autumn rain brought a touch of cool chill.

Weather like this was truly suited for soaking in a hot spring...