The wild deer Sakakibara killed were enough to feed several people until the fourth day.
But in fact, in the early morning of the penultimate day of the New Year, that is, the early morning of the third day of the disaster, the helicopter sent by the Tianhai family followed the smoke of the bonfire and found several people.
As for why the Tianhai family came so quickly, it was also due to Tianhai Maodian's foresight.
The uncle knew the time when several people arrived at the Kussharo Lake Scenic Area. After a day separated them and they still hadn't arrived, and at the same time he couldn't contact them, he notified the Tianhai family and asked them to wait until the wind and snow had obviously weakened.
Afterwards, helicopters were sent to search the mountainous areas around Asahikawa City.
After getting on the plane, Raku Sakakibara realized why there was a hot spring where the few people were staying.
It turns out that the location of these people is only 30 kilometers away from Lake Kussharo in a straight line, right around the volcano.
When Raku Sakakibara saw his uncle in the helicopter, he felt that he was too embarrassed to see him.
Facing his uncle's serious face, he could only try to say "Good morning, uncle" as usual.
The noise from the helicopter was very loud, but luckily I could still hear each other's conversations clearly.
"Good morning? You're such a brat, you're really annoying."
"...Uncle, it happened so suddenly that I didn't expect the snow to be so heavy. Several main roads were blocked. I couldn't find any way to go back the way I came."
"..." Tianhai Maodian just stared at him silently and said nothing.
My uncle is currently both my stepfather and my father-in-law.
When faced with the pressure he put on him, Raku Sakakihara was quite frightened.
Amami Madenori turned his head and looked at another helicopter in the sky from inside the helicopter's cabin.
Below, Qiyue Liuli and the others were gradually ascending along the ladder lowered by the helicopter.
"Uncle, don't worry, they are not injured."
"Well...she looks pretty good."
"Thanks to the complete camping equipment I brought with me," Sakakibara said with a smile.
"What did you eat in the mountains these two days? The food you brought there in advance?"
"Hare grilled fish and other things, because we had prepared a camping barbecue, so I brought a lot of seasonings. We also hit a hot spring on the way, so we don't have to worry about keeping warm at night."
...It sounds like this brat is living quite happily in the mountains with the rest of them.
Amami Madenori didn't want to say more about this brat. Originally, she wanted to blame him for bringing several girls to such a dangerous place.
But it seems that he is doing well as always in taking care of people.
The heavy snow closed the mountain and turned it into a mountain camping trip for him.
Meihe had been anxious for most of the day, but it was all in vain. This brat was more comfortable taking a few people with him than just the two of them on vacation.
...I don’t know whether to praise him or scold him.
"Please pay attention to the weather next time you go out."
"Of course, I will definitely pay attention to it next time I go out."
*
"Ah - it's better to be in a place with a lot of people!"
At the end of the year, the crowds of people at the B&Bs in the scenic spots are still endless. I wonder if there is an annual holiday, so most people are free to run out.
Next to the wooden B&Bs unique to the countryside, there are countless tents pitched in the snow.
Between these tents, there are bonfires and camping barbecue grills that have just been set up.
The scenery of Hokkaido is as flat, empty and snow-white as ever.
Suddenly flying out of the mountains and seeing this refreshing snowy scenery, Sakakihara Raku didn't know what other people were thinking.
But he felt particularly at ease.
"By the way, brother! We left by helicopter, but what about our motorcycles in the mountains?"
"...Why didn't you think of asking about this until now?"
Sakakibara Suzu smiled silly, her purple eyes narrowed, "I was so excited when I got on the helicopter that I didn't expect this. Could it be that I had to wait for the snow to melt before driving back?"
"How is that possible," Raku Sakakibara explained, "According to what my uncle said, Yakubo hired a helicopter anyway, and the motorcycle was lifted out of the mountainous area by helicopter."
"..."
"What's wrong?"
"How much does this cost?"
"This is the Tianhai family's helicopter."
"Impossible! Aren't Tianhai's family in Tokyo?"
Hearing this, Sakakihara pointed to his feet expressionlessly, "Why do you think the helicopter can leave so quickly?"
"...Hmm...the search and rescue team from Hokkaido that my uncle spent a lot of money to hire?"
"Wrong! It's because the Tianhai family is responsible for the development of this scenic spot! The equipment, airplanes, large hotels, etc. in the surrounding scenic spots all belong to the Tianhai family."
Sakakihara Raku raised his hand as he spoke.
Suzu Sakakihara looked in the direction of his finger and happened to see the logo of a subsidiary of Tianhai Group on the helicopter.
Feelings... those who take everyone back are the assets of the Tianhai family.
If you travel such a long distance for half a day, the place you go to is also your own place.
Only Sakakihara Suzu knew this.
...
Sakakihara Suzu is used to this kind of thing.
But she didn't expect that Tianhai Family would actually set foot in a place as quiet as Hokkaido.
"It's not that the Tenkai family is interested in this place alone, but that the entire tourism development in Hokkaido is undertaken or participated by the Tenkai Group, and Asahikawa City, the second largest city in Hokkaido, is naturally included."
Sakakibara Suzu raised her face, "Isn't Tianhai Group a pharmaceutical group? Why did it suddenly start real estate development again?"
Sakakihara smiled and put his hand on her head, "I thought the same way as you at the beginning, Suzu."
At this time, Tianhai Jiuliuli came over and told the two of them to continue setting off.
This is at the foot of the mountain near the ski resort, and is considered one of the gathering places for scenic B&Bs and tourists.
They are now going to a large hotel located in the mountains and forests beside the lake.
It is built against the mountain peaks and on the hot spring belt. It is the most unique and expensive hotel in the entire scenic area.
As soon as they got off the car, they met Miwa Amami who was waiting for them at the door of the hotel.
Seeing her anxious mother, Suzu Sakakihara first scolded her brother for blindly leading the way and putting everyone in danger, and then turned her attention to herself.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Fortunately, my mother only read it once or twice and didn’t say anything more.
"I know I was wrong."
My brother is still apologizing to my mother.
"...Forget it, you're all fine. It's hard to stay in the mountains these past two days, right? It's been so cold these past two nights."
Sakakihara Suzu jumped out in time, "Mom, you are wrong! We found a natural hot spring on the mountain! We went there to take a bath at night."
"spa...?"
Tianhai Meihe was stunned for three or four seconds, and then her eyes wandered over her daughter, son, and the other three girls for a moment.
She seemed to realize something.
"So you all take baths together at night?"
Sakakihara Suzu was stunned. She didn't expect that her mother would ask such a question. Her face turned red and she said, "...The pond is very big. Mom, please stop thinking about it."
Sakakibara was quite embarrassed and subconsciously glanced at Amami Nanamigetsu next to him.
Then I found that she was also looking at me...
Tianhai Meihe breathed a sigh of relief and said nothing more:
"It's good that everyone is back. Let's take a rest today and recuperate. It will be the New Year in two days. Let's have a meal here together to celebrate the New Year."
"Are you celebrating the New Year here?" Suzu Sakakihara asked immediately.
"Just at the hotel, let's have a meal together and have a reunion."
*
Celebrate New Year at Lake Kussharo.
It didn't matter where Sakakihara spent the New Year, but he realized that he had not prepared any New Year's gifts this year.
This guy A Ling is mocking his idiot brother, who is "disrespectful" every year.
In order to celebrate the New Year, my uncle specially rented a large room in a hot spring hotel in the scenic area so that everyone could use it for the New Year party.
But you can’t prepare nothing for the New Year, right?
It is necessary to prepare some New Year decorations, New Year greeting cards, New Year dishes, crabs and special salmon from supermarket year-end promotions.
And there are none of these things.
Therefore, Raku Sakakihara had no choice but to ride his motorcycle and go to the city to buy some ingredients and New Year items.
By the way, he also had to buy a few red envelopes and give them to A Ling Yuki and the others as a token gift.
"What? You also want to go with me in July."
"Um."
"Aren't you going to help Liuli's mother prepare the New Year's Eve dinner?"
"They don't need my help for the time being. Ling and Zhiyuki are in the room with the heater on and watching TV."
Sakakibara put on his helmet, glanced at the snowy road and turned back and said, "It's quite a distance from the city here, and it's still very cold. Just stay in the hotel and enjoy the heating. Why are you going to suffer with me?"
Tianhai Qimingyue frowned, "Just go, don't talk so much."
I care about you and yet you are so cruel...
Okay, okay, who told you to be my second wife?
Listen to you.
"Who do you think is your second wife?"
"Hiss...I was wrong."
No matter what, it's great to have someone to accompany you to the city.
Liuli wanted to accompany him, but some things could be purchased in the scenic spot. She wanted to help her mother, so she naturally lost this opportunity.
Yuki is afraid of the cold, while Ah Ling is just plain lazy.
After staying in the mountains for several days, she was so frozen by the cold air that she didn't want to go out at all.
When July put on his helmet and sat in the back seat of Sakakibara Raku, he immediately started the engine, held the handle tightly, and started driving along the road beside Kussharo Lake towards the city.
Driving down the mountain road.
The Kussharo Lake passing by is beautiful, vast and spectacular. Even in winter, it shows a crystal clear blue color.
White geese and tourist sailboats appear on the lake at the same time, echoing the continuous snow-white mountains behind it, just like a paradise.
The scenery is beautiful, but riding a motorcycle against the wind in the cold winter is quite touching. Not long after riding on the road, my body started to shiver with cold.
Until Tianhai Qimingyue reached out and hugged her from behind...
Even though the actual temperature was only for a moment, my heart still felt warm.
The cold wind of the winter moon blew into the gaps in the coat, but a smile couldn't help but appear on his face.
"...Why has Qi Qi been so clingy to me recently? Wasn't he so fierce just now?"
"Who clings to you? I'm just afraid that you'll die of cold in the car."
"He's starting to be duplicitous again."
Arrive at the urban area of Asahikawa City.
Not long after, the place was still decorated with a Christmas tree with a red hat. Just a few days later, the surrounding restaurants and residential buildings all hung kadomatsu in front of their doors. The torii gate at the entrance of the small shrine was also painted with brand new red paint, becoming
A scene to welcome the New Year.
The motorcycle stopped in front of a large supermarket in the city.
A few days ago, there were hardly any people in the urban area of Asahikawa City, but now there is an endless stream of people.
"Take it."
As soon as he got out of the car and took off his helmet, Sakakibara saw Nanami Nanami handing him a greeting card decorated with plum blossoms and pine trees.
"...What's this?"
"The first gift of the new year...given to you... contains the New Year's message I wrote to you."
"..."
Sakakibara hesitated for two seconds and looked at the girl standing in front of him who was obviously thoughtful.
"So in July you came to the city with me just to give me this greeting card?"
"if not?"
Sakakihara smiled and took it from her hand, and asked: "Why don't you wait until tomorrow or tonight during the New Year to give it to me."
"Considering that there are so many people around you, it would be better to find a separate opportunity to send this kind of thing out in advance."
It seems that Qi Qi's little idea is that she wants to give this thing to herself alone...
The greeting card looks exquisite.
Gilded plum blossoms and pine trees hover on both sides of the greeting card. In the middle of the greeting card, there are the words "Congratulations on the New Year" in large characters.
You don't need to look at it to know that the letter inside the greeting card was definitely handwritten with great effort by July to herself.
“What did you write this year?”
"...You'll find out when you go back and open it."
Sakakihara noticed that her eyes were evading, "Can I open it now and take a look?"
Tianhai Qimingyue paused for a second, turned away her red cheeks, and then replied: "... Whatever you want..."
This fierce aunt is still blushing?
After giving a strange glance to the girl in front of him, Sakakibara opened the New Year's card given to him in July.
[
Regards, brother.
By the evening of December 21, 2023, the weather had turned cold.
The temperature this year seems to be much lower than last year. When I took out the pen and paper, the needle-pricking sensation I could feel was more obvious than last year. Therefore, when I tried to compose my blessing to my brother this year, I was delayed.
Couldn't put pen to paper.
I tried to think about whether there were any gaps or omissions in my brother’s life that I needed to remind or pay attention to.
But unfortunately, I have been thinking about this issue for a long time and haven't been able to think of it.
This means that during this year, my brother's life has become perfect and happy, and he no longer needs external reminders or corrections.
Judging from the letter I sent to my brother last year...my brother has begun to learn to take more care of himself.
Therefore, this time I want to write about some things that I have never dared to write and do not want to write about.
...
]
The beginning of the greeting card is ordinary, but the rest of the content is quite interesting.
Because the remaining words in the greeting card are a "love letter" expressing emotions and love for yourself.
Sakakibara read this part of the content almost word by word, and every time he read it for a while, he would glance at Tianhai Qimingyue. Thinking in his heart... Is this something that can be written in July?
July describes her various little thoughts this year.
Including but not limited to Qi Qi's description of how she would occasionally peek at herself while she was cooking; she would feel jealous when she stayed with Liuli; she accidentally caught a cold, and she was still thinking about whether to beat her sister to it.
Buy yourself some medicine ahead;
She still feels lonely after not seeing her for a long time...I keep thinking why I haven't gone to talk to her yet?
That time she squatted on the edge of Tokyo Bay and really wanted to jump off...
When I knew he was really going to leave, I felt so reluctant to leave...
Every time she received a gift, she acted indifferently on the surface, but secretly she could hold the boring gadget he gave her and look at it for an hour or two.
Then I will think about why he gave this thing to me.
The most important thing is that every time she gets angry, she wants him to care more about her.
The final signature also includes a Q version of two small sharks holding hands drawn by July.
...
There is not a single word "care" in this passage, but it is full of care.
This New Year's card... isn't strictly a greeting card, but Raku Sakakibara looked at it with a smile on his face.
Sure enough...the cold July should be so cute.
"...Why are you laughing? Are these contents funny?"
Sakakihara smiled lightly, "Of course. This reminds me of when July knitted me the scarf I'm wearing now and gave it to me."
"how."
"I feel that Qi Qiu really loves me too much."
"...saying some disgusting things all day long."
"Ah? I think Qi Qi will like it in his heart."
"..."
"In the past, Qi Qi would definitely refute me," Sakakibara teased, "Did Qi Qi take the initiative to express all her inner thoughts, causing my heart to be completely seen through, and she became completely shameless?
?”
"...talk less!"
"If Qi Qi begs me, it's not impossible for me to say to you, 'I like you the most in Qi Qi'."
"..."
"Call me brother."
"...What a beautiful thought..."
"Call me brother. As a New Year's gift, I'm considering giving you a super-large shark doll that's twice your size. The kind you can ride on."
"...Where is this thing sold?" Tianhai Qimingyue looked over instantly.
"Don't think about it! Only I know where it is sold. Call me brother and I will tell you."
"..."
"Shout quickly."
"..."
"quick--"
"Brother...brother..."
Sakakibara smiled suddenly and reached out to touch the girl's head, "That's right. Sister Qiyue is so good and so good~ How about we keep calling her this name from now on?"
"...You have a beautiful idea. So tell me where to buy it."
Sakakihara spread his hands and said, "There is no place to sell it."
"You lied to me?"
Sakakihara touched his nose and coughed twice in embarrassment.
"What I just meant is that I will make one of about the same size and give it to you... Oh, yes! Qiyue, don't do it! If you have something to say, please say it!... No, no, no, I was wrong!"