Even though the New Year had passed, the temperature in Japan in January was still quite low. And, given that Kanazawa is a part of the Hokuriku region, the scenery along the way as Yu Chen and Hiromi Jounouchi rode the Shinkansen was nketed in white snow.


    But when the two emerged from Kanazawa Station, Chen Yu couldn''t help but frown slightly.


    For some reason, Kanazawa gave him a strange feeling. Although everything seemed normal, Chen Yu always harbored a subtle sense of discord.


    "What''s the matter, Mr. Chen Yu? Are you feeling unwell?" Seeing Chen Yu suddenly frown, Hiromi Jounouchi asked with concern.


    "It''s nothing, just feeling a bit strange, maybe because of the cold weather." Frowning and surveying the city covered in white snow before him, Chen Yu failed to pinpoint any disharmony after staring for a long time, and could only helplessly shake his head. He and Hiromi Jounouchi then got into a taxi and headed for the hotel arranged by the conference organizingmittee.


    Because Kanazawa City wasn''t asrge as Tokyo, even with snow on the roads, the taxi quickly delivered them to the hotel they had booked.


    After paying the fare and getting out of the taxi, Chen Yu, dragging his luggage and standing with Hiromi Jounouchi at the hotel entrance, felt an even stronger sense of difort, but still couldn''t identify the problem.


    This feeling of difort was highly unpleasant for Chen Yu, yet he couldn''t put his finger on the exact issue. It was like having an itch on your back that you just can''t scratch, making him feel increasingly irritable.


    "What''s wrong, Mr. Chen Yu? You''ve been frowning since a while ago, is there a problem?" Hiromi Jounouchi, observing Chen Yu''s increasingly impatient demeanor, asked him again.


    "I can''t quite say, it''s just that something does not feel right." Chen Yu said, slightly shaking his head. Although he sensed something was off, even with his heightened awareness, he couldn''t detect any specific issue, Chen Yu eventually chose not to delve deeper, proceeding with Hiromi Jounouchi to the hotel''s reception andpleting the check-in process.


    Seeing that Chen Yu was still somewhat preupied, Hiromi Jounouchi took the initiative to say, "Mr. Chen Yu, are you tired from the ride? Shall we take a dip in the hot springs first to rx?"


    Upon hearing Hiromi Jounouchi''s suggestion, Chen Yu thought about it and, although he didn''t feel tired, he nheless nodded in agreement. He shed his heavy winter clothes andy down with Hiromi Jounouchi in the hot spring bath attached to their room.


    As the warm, nourishing water of the hot spring soaked his body, Chen Yu finally rxed. His previously furrowed brow smoothed out.


    Perhaps it really was just his imagination? Chen Yu rxed his senses again, but still didn''t uncover any issues, eventually convincing himself it might have been all in his head. Thus, he eased his inner tension and worry, loosened up, and, embracing Hiromi Jounouchi''s smooth and delicate shoulder, enjoyed the hot spring together while gazing at the snowscape outside the bath window.


    Kanazawa is known as "The Orient''s Alps." Though it lies near the Sea of Japan and is on about the sametitude as Tokyo, the mountainous Kanazawa still tends to be colder than Tokyo in winter, cloaked in white throughout the season.


    Looking out the window at the snow-d mountains and valleys and the quaint Kanazawa City district, Chen Yu couldn''t help but release Hiromi Jounouchi, letting himself slide deeper into the pool, submerging his entire body and leaving just his head above the water.


    Though the white snowy thick outside the window, the room, and especially the bathroom, was not cold at all. However, gazing at the endless expanse of snow, Chen Yu couldn''t help but feel a chill and wanted to immerse himselfpletely in the hot water.


    It had to be said, soaking in a hot spring while admiring the snow scenery was indeed a sublime pleasure in winter. If he could have had a warm cup of sake at this moment, it would have been perfect.


    As Chen Yu thought this, a tray with a small sake jug and a cup floated into his view.


    "Knowing you like to drink while soaking in the spring, I had the staff bring some over," said Jounouchi Hiromi, who had left the bath at some point, unwrapping the towel around her and stepping back into the water while pouring Chen Yu a cup of sake.


    Taking a modest sip from the lightly lifted cup, Chen Yu frowned, "Why does this sake taste off? What''s going on today? Why does everything seem a bit wrong?"


    Hearing Chen Yu''s words, Jounouchi Hiromi moved closer to him, took the cup from his hands, tasted it, and also felt something was amiss, "Indeed, the taste seems a bit off, but I can''t quite pinpoint what it is... Could it be the sake itself?"


    "It''s unlikely the sake, my sense of taste isn''t off either," Chen Yu said, his expression bing serious. He cast a detection spell on the unfinished cup of sake in Jounouchi Hiromi''s hand to analyze the drink''sponents.


    The spell''s light followed Chen Yu''s fingertips down to the cup, but it flickered and then dissipated, leaving behind only a brief sh of grey luminescence, without any trace.


    "Mr. Chen Yu, what''s wrong?" Jounouchi Hiromi asked, looking at the cup in her hand with concern. Chen Yu''s demeanor made her worried, and she was anxious to know what had happened.


    "There''s a subtle problem," Chen Yu shook his head, took the cup from Jounouchi Hiromi''s hand, took another small sip, then finished off the rest of the drink in the cup, and set the cup down, "It seems there was a slight issue with this jug of sake, it has a light, almost spoiled taste, but it''s so subtle that only a Transcendent''s sense of taste could detect it."


    Relieved by Chen Yu''s exnation, Jounouchi Hiromi said, "Then it might be due to the winter climate. Most things this season have been stored for a while, it''s normal for them to not be fresh."


    "That could be it," Chen Yu nodded slightly, thinking that Jounouchi Hiromi''s judgement probably didn''t have any major ws and that he was being overly suspicious.


    Nevertheless, because of the slightly off-tasting sake, Yu Chen lost interest in continuing his soak. He stood up from the water, dried off with a towel, and put on the bathrobe provided by the hotel.


    In the room, a server was arranging a variety of dishes on the table, an obviouslyvish preparation, including the crabs that Hiromi Jounouchi had been longing for.


    "Hiromi, they''ve delivered the dishes, and there''s the crab you wanted to eat!" Chen Yu called out to Jounouchi Hiromi, who was still soaking in the bath, and picked up a pair of chopsticks to grab a prepped crab leg and ced it on the small grill.