That same evening a frustrated Irie Noriko led the family into Busuta Yama. The past few days of fruitless searching had left its toll on her, and the permanent crease between her eyebrows and her snappish speaking tone left the two Iries and one Aihara in her contingent bracing themselves. Luckily at this time she was not in a talking mood, so the hostess seated them without feeling the bite of her temper.
"Now, Mama," Mr. Irie peered cautiously at his wife, "this looks like a very nice place. Why don't we just have a relaxing dinner and head back to the hotel? We need to pack up for tomorrow's departure."
Yuuki and Mr. Aihara peeked over the menus to gauge her response. She appeared to wilt in front of them and sighed. "I suppose you're right. I haven't caught a glimpse of those pesky children these past three days." She plucked off a small paper notice that was clipped to each menu. "After dinner we'll just try this lodge near here that provides produce for the restaurant. If I strike out there, I'll concede the game to my son." The waiter moved to set water in front of her. "It's so dishearten—Ack! You!"
Kinnosuke jumped backwards at her exclamation. He, too, pointed and cried, "You! Irie-Mama!" Then, after looking around, "And Irie-Papa and Irie-Mini-Me! And—Boss!" He almost strangled Mr. Aihara as he caught him in a strong hug. "Boss! I haven't found Kotoko! Do you know where she is?!"
"Ikezawa!" He jumped as Takemura hissed in his ear. "Remember your position here!"
"Oh, uh, yes!" He stepped away and bowed. "Please allow me to take your orders when you're ready!" He backed away, pointing at himself, then at them, in the universal sign language of 'We'll talk later!'
Because the restaurant was busy and Kinnosuke's tables had demanding customers, their conversation took place in bits and pieces as he served their meal and attended them. By the time dessert arrived they had ascertained that Kotoko and Naoki had essentially vanished off the face of the earth.
Kinnosuke escorted them to the door of the restaurant as they prepared for departure. "It's such a disappointment," pouted Mrs. Irie. "I don't know where that son of mine has hidden himself."
A horrifying thought crossed Kinnosuke's mind. "You don't suppose he lied about where they were going, do you?"
"No," Mrs. Irie waved that away. "I know for a fact that both his ticket and Kotoko's were for this destination."
"How can you be that sure, Mama?" asked Yuuki.
"If you must know, I bribed the—uh, never mind," she quickly broke off as she saw her husband beginning to frown. Kinnosuke stared at her in awe. "Anyway," she continued, "we are leaving tomorrow. The Kobito Bessou will be my last stop."
"Oh, you don't need to bother yourself with that place," Kinnosuke assured her confidently. "My manager says that the only employees there besides family members is a married couple."
Mrs. Irie sighed. "Then I suppose I must surrender to my son's superior skill." She shook herself and walked out the door with her husband and son.
Kinnosuke embraced Mr. Aihara before pounding a fist to his own chest. "Boss! The search is not over for me! I will not return until I am able to restore your daughter to you!"
His employer raised an eyebrow. "You know, Kinnosuke, she will come home on her own. This is only a vacation."
"But I cannot abide the thought of her in the company of that pervert Irie!" Mr. Aihara rolled his eyes as he patted the young man on the back before walking out the door.
"Hello, Matsumoto-san!" Kotoko waved as the convertible drove into the circular entrance. "How are you…doing?" She cringed away when she saw that Clarice was in the passenger seat instead of Matsumoto the Younger.
"Still haven't gotten over your fear of dogs, Aihara-san?" asked Matsumoto with a smirk.
"It-it's just that Clarice always looks at me as if she thinks she's smarter than me," Kotoko argued.
Matsumoto snorted. "She probably is."
Stung, Kotoko decided to needle her a bit. "So, wasn't it interesting about 'Kou-kun'?"
Matsumoto's eyes shot to hers. "What do you know of Kou-kun?"
"Oh, well, Kobito Oba-san told me about how he used to play with you…"
"Is he coming to visit soon?" Her voice sounded tense and almost…hopeful?
"What are you talking about?" Kotoko asked. "Don't tell me that you still don't know…"
"Know what?!" She almost stood in the driver's seat.
"Uh, that Sudo-sempai is…Kou-kun?" Kotoko backed away slowly.
"No!" Matsumoto flopped back down. "That can't be!"
"But it is!" Becoming concerned over the sudden paleness of Matsumoto's face, Kotoko forgot her fear of Clarice and approached. "Are you all right?"
Matsumoto blinked several times and then turned the key over in the ignition roughly. "Give my apologies to Irie-kun and… Sudo-san. I'm afraid that I'm not feeling well enough for a make-up practice this afternoon. I'll get with them—sometime!" Gravel flew as the car sped down the driveway.
"Hmm," Kotoko mused. "That's strange, even for Matsumoto-san."
During the following days, life at Kobito Bessou continued fairly peacefully. Guests departed and arrived, some with children for Kotoko to entertain, some not. Naoki showed Kotoko the restored nature paths and the rustic benches that Sudo had either repaired or replaced, although he never took her on the last hundred meters of the trail that led to the neighboring property. Grandpa Kobito had to be restrained from telling his favorite ghost stories to female guests twice more. Once Tsunayoshi riled up the goats so much that they managed to break free of the barn and eat half of Sachiki's greens in the garden before being caught by a group effort that included, among other things, Sudo running into a rake handle and Kotoko falling into a mud puddle.
Most evenings Kotoko and Naoki spent quietly in their room, working on their research separately. They laughed when Yuuki reported that his mother's frustration had spurred her into an intensive cleaning spree; he was taking refuge at a friend's house until that storm subsided. One clear evening they lay on blankets outside and watched the meteor shower. This peaceful life would most likely have continued if Kinnosuke had not been assigned a certain table one night…
"So, Hanako-san, how can you be content staying in that rustic lodge instead of a four-star hotel?" asked a customer to her friend as their husbands chatted.
"Don't be such a snob!" laughed the other. "Kobito Bessou has comfortable rooms and affordable prices. Plus there is a supervised activity period for children every afternoon."
"Well, provided childcare is a bonus, I suppose," her friend answered dubiously.
"Why, the children just love the young lady there! She is actually watching Arisa tonight so we could be with you. Look," she pulled her cell phone out of her purse, "here's a picture of her with Aihara-san!"
As a loud crash echoed through the room, she and her friend turned to see their waiter staring at them, white-faced, shards of glass and water covering the floor beneath him.
"Hey! Hey!" The manager rushed over and shook him. "Snap out of it, Ikezawa! Let's get this cleaned up. Our apologies," he bowed to the party.
Kinnosuke's hands shook as he swept up the debris. Kotoko! And less than two miles away! Ai! He smacked himself in the head with the knowledge that she had been so close. Unfortunately, the dustbin was still in his hands, so his ears rang for a few minutes. "I was actually there!" he muttered to himself. "I can't believe that manager misled me. But never mind, I'll see her tonight!"