They arrived at the airport, ready to board their plane. Along the way, Winston was constantly the center of attention. Even in an unremarkable coat and with an unsmiling face, this man still attracted the eyes of the surrounding travelers.
“Hey, if you weren’t a race car driver, you could be like a movie star or a model!” Hunter nudged Winston with his elbow while they waited in line to board.
“What?”
“They keep looking at you. That girl pretended to take a selfie, but she was actually taking a picture with you.” Hunter gave himself a thumbs-up for his sharp eyes.
“Is that so? I didn’t notice. If it bothers you, there’s a solution.”
“What solution?”
“If you turn around and kiss me, they won’t have any delusions anymore.”
Hunter wanted to look back at Winston’s expression when he said those words, but Winston pressed a hand on his head, forcing him to look straight ahead.
Hunter felt something touch the back of his head, and then he saw the girls who had been staring at them suddenly reveal expressions of extreme surprise. Some even took out their phones to take pictures of them.
“…What did you do?” Hunter tried to turn around in confusion, but Winston just scratched his earlobe with his finger.
“Nothing. Get in line.”
“No way! You must have done something! The way they look at me completely changed!”
“Then why don’t you go ask them what I did?”
“You just wait.”
Hunter thought to himself: Do you really think I wouldn’t ask?
Once they were inside the cabin, Hunter stopped beside one of the girls and asked politely, “Could you please tell me what you were laughing about when you were looking at me earlier?”
Please let this girl understand English!
She met Hunter’s eyes, and two seconds later, she covered her mouth and giggled.
“You’re so cute!”
She replied in English.
Hunter was extremely disappointed. Shouldn’t the description of him be “handsome” or something like that?
How could it be “cute”!
“Then could you tell me what my friend was doing behind me while we were in line?”
Hunter tried his best to flash his “cute” smile.
The girl showed a regretful expression. “He’s just your friend?!”
Hunter suddenly had a realization. When he reached his seat, he kicked Winston, who was reading an in-flight magazine with a deadpan expression.
“Hey, why did you kiss the back of my head?”
“Hmm?” Winston glanced up. “If I wanted to kiss you, I wouldn’t just kiss the back of your head.”
“Huh?”
Hunter thought this guy had put on an act and deliberately kissed the back of his head in front of those girls, but unexpectedly, it wasn’t?
“I just touched you with my nose. I didn’t think they would get so excited.”
Winston had a “this is no big deal” expression on his face.
“You did that on purpose,” Hunter grumbled as he sat down.
“And how was it not on purpose?” Winston retorted.
Hunter had no comeback.
“It feels like two gay pals are on a date.” Hunter groaned, clutching his head.
“If we’re not on a date, then are we going to practice?” Winston’s mouth lifted in a slight smile.
Hunter grinned back, “So we are on a date. Are you going to give me a diamond ring then?”
Winston’s eyes moved from the magazine to look at Hunter, “If you really want one, I’ll have one custom-made for you in Dubai after we finish racing at the Abu Dhabi circuit.”
“Hey… you’re not serious, are you?” Hunter knew that sometimes this guy would deliberately take jokes seriously, leaving him with no way out.
Winston linked his fingers with Hunter’s as if assessing the size of his ring finger.
“I’m serious. Want me to kiss your finger?” Winston’s smile had a hint of mischief.
“No…”
As expected, he really couldn’t match Winston’s level.
Hunter pulled down his eye mask and tilted his head. He hugged his arms while saying in a sulky tone, “I’m done chatting with you, I’m going to sleep.”
“Mm.”
After the plane ascended into the clouds, Hunter’s breathing grew steady.
Passengers unfastened their seatbelts and began to relax.
Winston leaned back in his chair and glanced at Hunter before slowly kissing the corner of his mouth.
A flight attendant pushing a drink cart noticed and smiled sheepishly.
Winston put his index finger to his lips, signaling her to stay quiet. She nodded with a smile and continued down the aisle.
When the plane landed, Hunter reluctantly removed his eye mask at the announcement and stretched lazily.
“We’re off the plane! Where’s the hot spring inn you booked?”
“Noboribetsu1A city in Hokkaido, Japan, known for its hot springs. hot springs. I’ve rented a car, and we’ll drive there shortly.” Winston shouldered his bag.
Hunter grinned.
Being with Winston was so nice.
He planned everything meticulously, leaving little room for error.
“People who don’t know you might think traveling with you is oppressive, having to follow your lead all the time. But actually, it’s super chill and comfortable!”
“That’s because of you.”
“Because of me?”
“Or should I expect you to figure out the route and contact the hotel?”
“…You’re right. Lazy people have a lazy fate!”
“You’re the one who’s unreliable. I don’t know what you’re proud of.”
Hunter fell silent, feeling emotionally wounded again.
But this was their first trip together since reconciling after the “break-up game,” so he was excited.
“Wow… You rented a Mustang? I’m driving!”
Winston’s hand reached out and pushed Hunter’s face to the side. “Do you even know the way? Where are you going to drive?”
“You can just tell me how to get there!” Hunter was one step ahead, already taking the driver’s seat.
Winston gracefully tossed the suitcase into the backseat and sat beside Hunter.
Hunter turned on the radio but couldn’t understand a word. The only song was in Japanese and the female singer’s voice was sickly sweet.
Because of this, every time Winston spoke, his cool voice felt like it was refreezing the almost melted sweet ice cream, making it sound inexplicably pleasant.
“Hey… do you think we’re like the main characters in ‘High-Speed Murder’2The previous translator translated the movie title (极速谋杀) as “The Mechanic” (机械师), which is a real movie with a completely different plot. I’ve opted for a more direct translation for this fictional movie.?” Hunter asked with a smile.
“Drive properly.”
“Hey… do you want me to be gentler or rougher?” Hunter recited lines from the movie, but his voice was cheerful and he struggled to suppress his laughter, unlike Winston at that time.
Winston still rested his chin on his hand, but the corner of his mouth lifted in a slight smile.
“Do you prefer whips or handcuffs?” Hunter’s smile widened.
Winston reached out with his other hand and gently pushed Hunter’s head.
“Don’t play.”
“I’ll lock you in my cabin.” Hunter became bolder.
“Then you’ll be the unlucky one,” Winston replied.
“Hey, don’t change the movie script,” Hunter said with displeasure.
“Then let’s start over.”
Winston’s calm demeanor irritated Hunter.
“Do you want me to be gentler or rougher?” Hunter tilted his head, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.
“Rougher,” Winston replied.
“Wow, really? I always thought you were quite patient! Being rough… doesn’t seem like your style.” Hunter was genuinely surprised.
“I’ll be gentle when luring them in, but once they’re within reach, I won’t show any mercy.”
Hunter swallowed, glancing at Winston’s profile.
A sudden restlessness surged through him.
“Very impressive… very much Winston’s style… So which do you prefer, the whip or the handcuffs?”
“The handcuffs. They make the other behave, rather than using the whip that causes pain. There are better ways to make the other party cry.”
“What ways?”
Hunter suddenly felt he was understanding Winston more than anyone else.
“Do it until they cry.”
Hunter tensed his shoulders, suddenly feeling a bit sorry for whoever Winston set his sights on.
“Then… maybe we don’t need the cabin…”
Although Winston could be a bit evil at times, he was usually a charming man. Women would be the ones submitting to him with no need to lock anyone up anywhere.
“Isn’t the cabin supposed to be for a romantic getaway when two people are in love? If I’m rejected, I’ll just lock that person in my underground garage. I have five cars, enough room for everyone.”
Hunter gulped, suddenly feeling like the person sitting beside him was a madman.
Of course, this guy played by his own rules.
When Hunter looked at his profile, he saw Winston grinning mischievously.
“You don’t tease anyone but me.”
“Why would I tease anyone else?”
Hunter was speechless.
At this moment, a fairytale-like castle and a vast flower garden came into view. It was a feast for the eyes.
“Aren’t we… going to Noboribetsu hot springs?” Hunter looked at Winston beside him in confusion.
“It’s better to soak in the hot springs at night. This is the Shiroi Koibito Chocolate Factory3A popular tourist attraction in Hokkaido.
. Let’s check it out.”
“…Chocolate factory?… Seems like a place to take kids.” Hunter muttered under his breath. When he looked up, he saw Winston’s faint smile.
“Ohhhhh, bringing me here, are you treating me like a kid?”
“Don’t you like it?” Winston asked.
“If you were on a date with a girl, she’d probably love it.” Hunter rubbed his nose. “But two guys at a chocolate factory… it’s not exactly a fairy tale vibe.”
Hunter followed Winston inside for a tour.
Despite his initial reluctance, Hunter had to admit that this place inexplicably lifted his spirits.
Various types of chocolates and sweets, and even wind-up toys. All of this made Hunter smile with understanding.
“If I had a daughter, I’d definitely bring her here,” Hunter said, smiling.
“Sure,” Winston replied flatly.
“Hey, don’t talk like you’re going to give birth to a daughter for me!” Hunter laughed, nudging him.
“Want to try the ice cream here?”
“Mm.”
When they reached the ice cream shop, Hunter looked around and found that the visitors were either parents with children or couples.
Winston handed Hunter an ice cream cone.
“Aren’t you having any?” Hunter asked.
“I don’t like sweets.”
“…” Actually, I don’t like sweets either.
Hunter took a small bite of the ice cream, his eyes lighting up. “Huh? It’s delicious. Not greasy at all.”
“Probably because it’s fresh and just the right amount of sweetness.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to buy one to try it?” Hunter licked another bite, his words slightly muffled.
“No need to buy. I probably wouldn’t be able to finish it.”
“Oh.”
As Hunter tilted his head to take another bite, Winston leaned forward and took a bite from the other side.
Hunter felt something warm and soft brush against his tongue and jumped back in surprise. “Hey—you licked me! If you want some, just say so! Don’t do it so suddenly!”
Winston’s mouth was still stained with ice cream and he licked it with the tip of his tongue.
It was as if something had stirred in Hunter’s mind, and he couldn’t stop replaying the scene.
“I didn’t lick you.” The message in Winston’s eyes as he looked at Hunter was “You’re overthinking it.”
“Really?” Hunter was doubtful. He was sure the soft, slippery thing was Winston’s tongue.
“Fine, let’s say I did lick you. Do you want to lick me back?” Winston retorted.
“…Of course not…”
“After we finish the ice cream, we’ll head to Noboribetsu.”
“I know!”
Later, they got back in the car, this time with Winston driving.
Hunter glanced back at the chocolate factory that was gradually getting further away and said regretfully, “I suddenly understand why girls love fairy tales.”
“Why?”
“They’re probably as addictive as opium.”
“Fairy tales are meant to comfort people.”
Before nightfall, they finally arrived at the hot spring inn that Winston had booked.
The traditional Japanese decor and the sound of footsteps on the wooden floor made Hunter feel like he had traveled through time to another world.
Hunter was eager to soak in the hot spring, but Winston stopped him.
“Start indoors first. Pour water from the hot spring over your body to get used to the temperature and water quality. Then wash yourself thoroughly before soaking.”
“Oh, I know!”
Hunter changed his clothes and glanced at Winston, who was not far away.
The way this guy pulled his T-shirt off over his head was just like in a scene from a movie. The curve of his waist made Hunter want to reach out and grab it.
But if he really did that, he’d probably get his nose broken.
Hunter wrapped a towel around his waist and, along with Winston, poured hot spring water from the bucket over himself.
Hunter continued to admire Winston’s physique while pouring the water.
His shoulders, neck, waist, and abdomen were all sculpted beautifully, exuding strength without being overly muscular. It was the perfect kind of beauty.
Hunter even started imagining Winston’s muscles tensing as he gripped the steering wheel of a race car.
“What are you staring at?” Winston asked, tilting his chin up.
“I’m looking at you! Last time in Austria, you came out of the shower wrapped in a bathrobe and said I couldn’t look. Now it’s okay, right? So I’ll look as much as I want…”
Before Hunter could finish his sentence, Winston suddenly scooped water with a ladle and poured it over his head.
“Heyyyy!”
Hunter staggered backward, water flowing from his hair down his back, and he coughed.
As soon as he coughed, the towel around his waist fell off.
Hunter reached out to grab it but missed.
“You shower with a towel on?” Winston turned to ask Hunter.
Hunter was just bending down to pick up his towel.
Hunter wasn’t sure if he was imagining it, but he felt his back flush hot.
When he turned around, he saw Winston standing across from him, looking at him.
Winston’s face was expressionless. Through the hot steam, his eyes seemed cold, as if suppressing something, yet Hunter sensed this coldness was about to boil over.
“This place doesn’t respect privacy at all! There’s not even a partition for showering,” Hunter complained as he quickly picked up his towel.
“All Japanese hot springs are like this. And no one else besides me will look at you,” Winston replied coolly.
“……So, you mean, you’ll be looking at me?” Hunter grinned. “Too bad I don’t have anything worth looking at, unlike you!”
“It seems you don’t know yourself well enough.”
Winston untied his towel and sat down on a chair with his back to Hunter.
“What?”
“Don’t forget to wash thoroughly. Don’t dirty the hot spring water.”
“Are you disgusted by me?” Hunter said, annoyed.
“Want me to wash you?”
“No!”
Hunter then sat down with his back to Winston.
“It’s strange. I don’t see anyone else here besides us.”
“That’s because I booked the entire hot spring inn.”
Winston said it so casually.
His tone was as nonchalant as if he had just bought an extra cup of coffee.
“You’re so extravagant.”
Although Hunter said this, he was actually pleased inside.
“Do you have a lot of confidence in your own physique and enjoy being seen by many people?”
“How could that be!”
“You thought the hot spring was mixed bathing for men and women, and now you’re disappointed, aren’t you?”
That hit Hunter right in the heart… The feeling of being deeply understood by Winston annoyed him.
“You’re the one who’s disappointed!”
After several rounds of showering, Winston wrapped a towel around himself and entered the indoor hot spring first. He sat inside, closing his eyes in relaxation.
Hunter joined him, placing his towel next to the pool and sitting down.
“When are we going outside to soak?”
Hunter imagined leaning against the pool, looking up at the stars, and breathing in the faint scent of cherry blossoms. But Winston must have had his reasons for making him soak indoors first.
“Five more minutes.”
Hunter looked at the side of Winston’s face with his chin raised. His head was resting on a towel, in a posture of waiting to be beheaded, yet beneath the elegance, there was a hint of untouchability.
The bamboo shishi-odoshi4A Japanese garden ornament, consisting of a bamboo tube pivoted on a rock that makes a sound when it fills with water and tips over.
outside dropped as the bamboo tube hit the stone. The sound echoed in the quiet night, startling Hunter.
He suddenly turned his head.
At that moment, Winston, who was next to him, stood up. The sound of water flowing down his body and hitting the pool made Hunter turn around.
Winston reached for a towel to block Hunter’s view, but he could still catch a glimpse of Winston’s waist down.
It wasn’t like he had never seen his friends without clothes before when they went swimming, but Hunter had to admit that Winston’s physique was the best he had ever seen.
Winston stepped out of the pool, bent down, and tapped Hunter’s head lightly.
“Not going yet? Want to faint in there and have me carry you out?” Winston’s voice sounded beside Hunter’s ear.
“I know! How could you carry me anyway!” When Hunter turned his head, his cheek brushed against the tip of Winston’s nose.
Why was this guy so close to him?!
“I can’t carry you?” The corner of Winston’s mouth lifted.
“I’m heavy!”
“You think I dragged you out when you were at White Tiger5the other translator called this “Tiger Bai”, but it doesn’t make sense to translate only half of it in English?”
“…You carried me out?” Hunter was stunned.
Winston didn’t respond but stood up and walked outside.
Hunter quickly grabbed a towel, wrapped it around himself, and followed. “How did you carry me? Not like a bride, right?”
If it were like that, he’d never be able to show his face again!
Winston, clearly uninterested in continuing the conversation, walked straight to the pool, untied the towel around his waist, stepped in, and sat down leisurely amidst the steam.
“Hey! Answer me!” Hunter quickly discarded his towel and stepped into the hot spring.
“You’re so noisy,” Winston said with his eyes closed.
Hunter felt a little deflated.
“I’ve always been like this. You didn’t think I was noisy before.” Hunter stopped talking.
After almost half a minute, Winston slowly said, “I didn’t carry you like a bride. That would be too strenuous.”
Thank goodness! Otherwise, if the rest of the team found out, they would laugh at him for the rest of his life.
Hunter let out a sigh of relief and mimicked Winston’s posture, closing his eyes and savoring the sensation as his pores opened up.
“Why aren’t you talking anymore?” Winston asked.
“Didn’t you say I’m noisy?”
I’ll tone it down then!
“If you’re too quiet, I’ll think you’ve fainted.”
“You’re the one who’ll faint!”
Silence isn’t good, but neither is talking. What do you want from me?
“If you faint, I’ll carry you out bridal style. Ah… too bad there are no other guests at the inn today.”
Even with his eyes closed, Hunter was sure that Winston was smiling.
The best way to deal with him was to ignore him.
Hunter turned his head away and let out a soft snort.
“And then I’d do something that would prevent you from competing in Abu Dhabi.”
“What?”
“Why don’t you faint now, and you’ll find out when you wake up.”
“…”
Hunter was at a loss on how to deal with Winston.
But he hadn’t felt this peaceful in a long time.
Everything was quiet, except for the occasional sound of the shishi-odoshi and the chirping of insects.
The roaring engines of Formula One cars and the cheers of the crowd seemed like another world.
Hunter’s mind calmed down along with it.
He suddenly felt grateful to Winston. This sense of being far removed from the hustle and bustle of the world felt healing.
Suddenly, a small boat floated towards them. On the edge of the pool, a young boy in a kimono, with sparkling eyes, smiled at Hunter and gestured for him to drink sake.
Hunter smiled back.
On the small boat were cups and sake. The cups were blue and simple without any extra decorations, giving them a plain appearance.
But remembering what happened the last time he drank sake, Hunter didn’t even dare to touch it.
Instead, Winston, who had his eyes closed, opened it and reached for a small cup.
His fingers were already beautiful, and his wrist bent to bring the cup to his mouth, his head bowed and eyes lowered, the gesture was gentle yet subtly alluring. Especially the moment his Adam’s apple moved, Hunter felt his ears inexplicably heat up.
The author has something to say:
Hunter: Did you kiss the back of my head?
Winston: No.
Hunter: When I was lying down playing on my phone just now, did you kiss my…
Winston: Your what?
Hunter: Below…my waist…
Winston: Below your waist? What’s there?
Hunter: Go fuck yourself!
![The Rebirth of the Last Days and Return to [Fang] Hao](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/image_2021-09-11_143139.png "The Rebirth of the Last Days and Return to [Fang] Hao")
