Jitsu -A different story-

The taxi ride had also been faster than Shizune thought. Besides keeping busy talking to Kurono, she was attentive to the landscape on the other side of the window, which was constantly changing. Still, it maintained that view in which nature reigned mostly, showing a unique beauty in its way.

Shizune had also noticed that little by little they were entering what seemed to be a mountainous area, but without going to an exaggerated height since the buildings that made up the town were still visible in the distance. It was an aspect that she could not help but comment on with Kurono, and while they were busy with it, the taxi stopped when they heard the driver's voice explaining that they had arrived.

Kurono had been the first to get out and then fulfilled the detail of helping Shizune do so before accompanying the driver to retrieve the luggage from the trunk while duly paying for the trip. That had left Shizune with nothing much to do, but in reality, she was more occupied with what had now caught her eye, and she had to say that what was in front of her was a beautiful sight.

A building that would capture the attention of many was the first thing Shizune had seen at that moment, it was not something out of the ordinary for her, but still, it had to be said that it conveyed a rather traditional feeling due to its design, but those modern touches made it have a peculiar feel while its size was also something to take into account since it seemed to be quite large.

It was not only the architecture of the building, which was obviously the inn or ryokan using its correct name; but what had truly captured Shizune's attention was the building in combination with the surrounding landscape, as well as the aroma that was in the air.

Just from that, Shizune could guess that there must be a river near the area since the aroma was very similar to the one near her house in her hometown, and that idea was quickly answered once she walked a little and saw down the road how in the distance she could see the stretch of what was the river that caused that characteristic aroma. In addition to that, Shizune had to move away once again at the same time that she raised her head a little since, right behind the ryokan, a mountain range almost entirely green rose up, causing the view from before to be even more impressive.

"Are you enjoying the view?" Shizune was brought back to reality when she heard that question, and she found herself facing the figure of Kurono while he was carrying all the luggage with him.

"Yeah, I got a little trapped. I already have my first target that I want to photograph, but before that, let me help you." Kurono laughed a little before giving some of the luggage to Shizune. One of the ideas that Shizune had was to take many photographs during the trip as a souvenir, so it didn't seem strange to him.

Right after that, both of them arrived at the entrance of the ryokan and were greeted by a woman who at first glance could be said to be the receptionist or manager of the place. She had the detail of welcoming them with a bow while kindly asking them to leave their shoes in a designated area before offering them the type of footwear allowed inside the place.

Shizune and Kurono respectfully followed the instructions, and with that done, the attendant led the two to take a seat at one of the reception tables as she explained that she needed to check the reservation. The table in question seemed to be properly prepared as, on the side where that woman asked Kurono and Shizune to sit, there were a couple of cups while in the middle was a small teapot with some tea inside which the attendant was quick to pour for them while, to one side, there was a window through which the image of nature could be perfectly seen, as well as the flowing river that Shizune had noticed earlier.

Kurono started talking about the fact that there was already a reservation in his name and started giving some necessary information to the manager, maybe Shizune would have been more interested in the whole process, but she was somewhat distracted observing the surroundings and being surprised at the same time since, in addition to the traditional feeling previously mentioned, Shizune realized that the facilities also seemed quite luxurious, but a light voice would make her once again come back to reality and pay attention to what was happening.

"I understand. I just checked and everything is in order." Just hearing that, Kurono sighed relief internally as in the past he had experienced problems with some reservations and it was something horrible, Shizune was also calmer thanks to that, and curiosity got to her as she wondered what would come next, but at that moment, both she and Kurono heard something that would leave them completely speechless. "We hope that your stay is completely to your liking, Mr. and Mrs. Kurosawa."

It was a rather curious situation, mainly because of the expressions that took over the faces of Kurono and Shizune, which could only express a slight nervousness and some embarrassment respectively. At that moment, they understood that perhaps their relationship could be misinterpreted, and both even thought about clearing up the small misunderstanding, but despite all those ideas, the manager did not give them room to say anything in response as she began to explain various aspects of the place.

Among those explanations were the meal times, the different facilities such as the hot springs or living areas, some of the rules to follow, as well as the fact that it was important to maintain a quiet environment whenever one was in said shared areas. Once the most relevant things were explained, the manager told Shizune and Kurono that she would take them to their room while calling another of the employees to help with both of their luggage.

Along the way, the manager continued talking about some other features of the ryokan, and both Shizune and Kurono did not miss the opportunity to ask their questions as they had doubts or were simply curious. Upon arriving at the room, Kurono noticed how his name was written on a small sheet next to the door, making it even clearer that it was the correct room.

Everyone entered the room through the sliding door, and while Shizune was even more surprised by what she saw, the manager continued giving explanations, now about the room and its features. To describe it, it was a simple and spacious room, as well as pleasing to the eye, but with quite noticeable Japanese characteristics.

The tatami floor was obvious at first glance, and among all the materials used in the construction, the use of bamboo was the one that stood out the most due to the light decorations used. In the middle of the room there was a table arranged properly to receive the guests, on the walls there were various samples of traditional art that perfectly matched the environment, but the most important thing, and what caught Shizune's attention the most, was what seemed to be a small accessible terrace where you could better appreciate that view of nature that had hypnotized her before.

It wasn't long before the manager said goodbye, as well as the employee who helped with the luggage. Kurono had asked if they could have breakfast despite the time, and fortunately, there were no problems with that, which had allowed both him and Shizune to change and dress in the yukatas that the manager had explained were in the room.

"I know Rena told me a lot of things, but to be experiencing everything for myself is more surprising." Shizune had been the first to change since Kurono allowed her to use the adjoining room while he put away the luggage, and she had just muttered that once it was Kurono's turn to go change.

That had given Shizune the chance to look more carefully at the room, and as she had said, she was surprised and curious about everything, but following her idea from before, she walked over to the terrace area and opened the door leading to it to then be greeted even more directly by the same beauty of nature and the scent of it, which gave her great calm and made a smile form on her face.

"I didn't notice it before… But it really is a beautiful landscape." Shizune was a little surprised, but when she heard that voice so familiar to her, in addition to feeling how she was being hugged from behind, she leaned her body a little on Kurono's while snuggling up a little to feel the slight warmth he gave her.

"It really is, but the fact of being able to share it with you makes it even more special." Shizune's heart was completely calm, but it was undeniable that a feeling of happiness had also formed in her at the same time. She couldn't ask for more at that moment, but despite everything, Shizune was thinking about what she had heard before, those words that had left her speechless, but at the same time, a feeling difficult to describe appeared in her heart.