CHAPTER TEN
"This is a big change from going to Kuma's after school, isn't it?"
The nervous mutter came from Hyuuga as he and the rest of the class were sitting in the traditional style restaurant that was located inside the onsen where they were staying during their trip top Kyoto.
Yankumi had taken one look inside the onsen and had immediately fallen in love, insisting that they eat there for the first night of their trip.
The onsen served only traditional Japanese fare so the dishes on the tables displayed colourful selections of Sashimi, Sukiyaki, Sushi and Tonkatsu, along with a variety of regional dishes like Obanzai Ryori.
They had set out quite early that morning, getting the bullet train. Most of the boys milled around, still half asleep from the early start.
To add salt to the early wound, Yankumi had been bright eyed and bushy tailed, excited at the prospect of a small holiday.
She had been accompanied to the station by two men who had been helping with her luggage. They had seemed a little rough around the edges and Aoi had wondered how Yankumi knew them. But she had introduced them to her – the boys seemed to know them already – as Tetsu and Minoru, members of her household.
Seeing them hovering protectively over Yankumi until the older woman had had to order them to go back home, Aoi had been reminded of the way that Kaoru had hovered protectively over her.
After leaving their luggage at the onsen when they finally arrived, Yankumi had took them out and started the 'shrine-fest', much to the disappointment of most of her classmates.
"As much as this is one of the best meals I've ever had in my life, I'm looking forward to a fantastic soak after dinner. Man, it's going to be so relaxing," cried Tsucchi, for once without his fan, but only because he was too busy stuffing his face.
Aoi choked on the pork cutlet she was in the middle of chewing when he spoke. Her situation wasn't helped when he turned to her and slapped her hard a few times on the back until it dislodged itself. She eventually caught her breath but her heart had sunk down to her boots.
When they had arrived, she hadn't even given that a thought. She had been so happy to be back in Kyoto for the first time since she was small – and yes, enchanted by the quaintness of the onsen – that she hadn't appreciated the fact that she might be expected to bathe in the baths while she was here.
Feeling like she was about to start hyperventilating any second, she looked over at Odagiri and saw that he wore a similar expression of consternation. What was she going to do?
A lifeline came from Yankumi. "Takagi," she said, addressing Aoi. "I need you to help me with something after we've eaten, so you won't be able to bathe with the others, I'm afraid."
Aoi gave a quiet sigh of relief, smiling as the older woman winked surreptitiously at her.
"Oh man, that's not fair," grumbled Hyuuga.
"You could always help Takagi out if you want to, Hyuuga," Yankumi said archly. They all laughed as he shook his head vigorously in denial.
They finished their meals and all the boys, with the exception of Ryu, went back to their rooms to get ready for their happy bathing time.
Yankumi looked a little nonplussed to see Ryu still there. "It's okay, Odagiri, you can carry on with the others."
"I'll go in a second. I just wanted to let you know that I'll look out for her if we're out of sight."
"What do you mean?" Yankumi asked cautiously.
"I know the truth about Aoi-chan," he said simply and waited as Yankumi's jaw dropped.
"Since when? How?"
"It was the day that we spoke in the classroom the morning after we skipped class," Aoi replied.
"Aoi-chan, I am sorry. That was my fault for not making sure we weren't being overheard. You can trust Odagiri to keep your secret; he's a good person," Yankumi insisted.
Aoi smiled. "I know. He's been a good friend to me."
"That's good. I'm glad you've had somebody who you could talk to. But you both need to be careful. I don't need to tell you how important it is that you stay under that person's radar."
Yankumi brightened and clapped her hands, not wanting to spoil their time away with the realities of home. "However, we're on a mini holiday so I think that we're all entitled to let our hair down a little. Odagiri, you get on and bathe with the others and I'll send Tanaka…Takagi…through when we're finished."
Ryu looked concernedly at Aoi, but seeing that she was relaxed for the first time since he had met her, he nodded and went off after the other boys to bathe.
"Did you really need me to help you with something?" Aoi asked.
"Actually yes," Yankumi replied sheepishly. "I need to get these papers sorted so that all the class have their own copies of the itinerary for while we're here. If you can help me sort those out, it should kill enough time until the boys are finished and then we can go into the ladies area."
Aoi smiled pleasantly and they spent the next little while sorting the papers into some semblance of order.
Hearing noises from outside in the hallway, they could tell that the boys were finished. Putting the last of the papers aside, Yankumi stood.
"I'll check that the coast is clear and then we'll go to the ladies bath together. You go to your room and…" her voice petered out. "I forgot all about…where are you sleeping? Oh, I can't believe I didn't think of this," she berated herself.
Aoi patted her reassuringly on the back of the hand. "It's okay. I'm bunking with Odagiri and Yabuki. It will be fine since they both know the truth."
Though Aoi tried to look as though she wasn't at all worried about sharing a room with the teenage boys, a part of her was feeling a little apprehensive. Not about Yabuki; since he had got over the shock of there being a girl in his midst, he had taken on a brotherly, protective stance when dealing with her.
No, the problem was Odagiri. The way she was beginning to feel about him wasn't in the least sisterly. She had never felt like this about anyone before, simultaneously tranquil and with a heightened sense of awareness. She was trying to hide it but she wasn't altogether sure how successful she was. Having Yabuki around as a buffer would be the only way that she was sure she wouldn't make a total idiot of herself.
Yankumi didn't look entirely convinced, but she didn't see any other way around it so she took Aoi at her word. "Fair enough, but if you feel uncomfortable, come to me and we'll see what we can do."
Now finished with the paperwork, they separated, Yankumi going one way and Aoi the other. Aoi greeted several of her classmates who were still dawdling in the corridors before opening the sliding door to the room that she would be sharing with Odagiri and Yabuki.
When she went inside, only Yabuki was in there. He wore a traditional Japanese robe that had been provided by their hosts and his wet hair was slicked back off his face.
"Oh, hey. You get everything sorted? You okay?" he asked, packing his toiletries away in his small weekend case.
"Yes, everything's fine. Yankumi and I are going to bathe in the ladies bath once all the boys have gone back to their rooms. Yankumi's sending them all back now so that I can go and meet her."
"Okay, cool." He distractedly ran a hand through his hair. "I guess I'll just go to the…out there…somewhere…so you can get ready."
Before he could scamper out of the room, Aoi stopped him. "Yabuki." He halted and turned to face her, raising his eyebrows enquiringly.
"I just wanted to say that I'm grateful for everything that you, Odagiri and the others are doing for me, to make me feel welcome. I understand it can't be easy, but I really do appreciate it."
He grinned at her widely, shown perfect white teeth. "Don't sweat it. Maybe spending some time around you will help me learn how to talk to girls without embarrassing myself."
"I'm sure you don't have any problems talking to girls," she replied wryly. He merely grinned and left the room, whistling as he went.
After he had gone, Aoi quickly unpacked her toiletries and spent a few minutes trying to figure out how to properly don the yukata.
Finally successful, she waited for the small knock that came on her door and opened it a little, relieved to see Yankumi standing there in her own robe with her hair piled on top of her head.
They removed their sandals and then lifted the red curtain at the entrance to the changing room. The tatami beneath their feet felt solid but with a bit of give as they made their way inside. They removed their yukata and Yankumi opened the frosted door that led to the bathing area.
Naked, they washed in the shower area and when they were finished, placed their small towels on the head so it wouldn't touch the warm bath water before settling in.
Yankumi dunked herself down to her neck and Aoi followed suit, letting out a deep sigh of pleasure.
It had been years since she had been in an onsen; the last time had also been during a school holiday, if she recalled correctly.
They finished their bath and went back into the changing room, drying themselves off and replacing their robes. As she dressed, she could feel Yankumi surreptitiously looking in her direction and then away.
"It's okay, you can ask."
Yankumi grimaced faintly at having been caught staring. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable.
Aoi shrugged. "It'll be a relief to talk about it and get it out in the open, to be honest."
"I noticed when we got in that you have a…scar on your shoulder," Yankumi said slowly.
Aoi rubbed her shoulder through the robe, knowing that it was still a deep healing pink. Surprisingly, she hadn't given it a thought before she disrobed, she was so used to it now.
She told Yankumi what had happened three months ago.