Chapter 17: Onsen Trip
"What do you think of this one?" Louis asked, placing a hat on Ema's head.
Ema turned to look in the mirror and tilted the hat slightly to the right. "It reminds me of France," she said. "It looks pretty cute."
"What about this one?" Louis asked, placing one on himself.
Ema grinned. The hat reminded her of the hats American mobsters wore in movies, except it was deep purple with a yellow feather.
"I think that one should look ridiculous, but purple must be your color, Louie. It looks really good on you."
He moved to stand next to her and peer into the mirror. "Maybe," he agreed. "But our hats don't go together."
Ema laughed. "No, these styles don't match at all. If you're wanting two different hat styles that match, we might have to face time Hikaru and ask him for a consultation. He's the fashion expert. Tsubaki and Azusa might be a good second choice for fashion consults, but I'm not sure I've ever seen them wear a hat."
"Fuuto would probably be a good choice too," Louis said, putting his hat back.
Ema wrinkled her nose as she put her hat back as well. She was glad Louis' back was turned so he didn't see the expression on her face. Louis was one of the few brothers Fuuto seemed to respect since he liked the way Louis did his hair, but Ema was pretty sure if she asked Fuuto for any kind of favor he would either outright refuse, or demand some form of payment.
"Who would have thought Japan had so many interesting apparel shops?" Ema asked, hooking her arm through Louis' as they left the store. They had decided to conduct their 'Japanese Adventures' in a semi-orderly fashion by picking one theme and exploring it until they decided they wanted to move on to the next. The current theme was fashion.
"Mmhm," Louis agreed. "You can find all sorts of things, though I was thinking maybe our next adventure should be a little more exciting."
"What did you have in mind?" Ema asked.
Louis smiled. "How long has it been since you've been to an onsen?"
~.~
"It's nice to get away from school for a while, don't you think?" Iori asked. "Even if it is just for the weekend."
"It's so nice," Ema agreed. "Like a mini-vacation. I wish Yusuke could have come with us." Yusuke had a makeup class he had to take that weekend, and Sasakura wanted the soccer team to have an extra practice in preparation for their game against a tough rival.
"Yusuke's too loud for an onsen," Wataru said knowingly. "That's what Fuuto said. He said that if Yusuke came, we would get kicked out because he's too loud and annoying."
"Maybe you shouldn't believe everything Fuuto says," Ema suggested, hoping she wasn't overstepping any bounds. It felt like a fine line sometimes. Wataru treated Ema like an older sister, but she didn't actually have any right to tell him to do something or not do something. She didn't want to step on any toes by telling him something his older brothers didn't agree with.
"Ema's right," Masaomi said, making her relax. "Fuuto sometimes says things he shouldn't. Yusuke may be a little loud sometimes, but not enough to be a problem. We'll have to try to schedule a trip where we can bring the whole family sometime." He smiled at Ema to let her know that included her as well.
"That would be fine," Louis agreed, "but maybe we should make the family trip longer than just a weekend. For these weekend trips, smaller groups are probably better."
"Oh?" Ukyo, the last of their group, said, raising his eyebrows. "You plan to have more trips like this?"
"Didn't I mention that?" Louis asked, though Ema was sure he hadn't. He'd simply announced that he and Ema were going for a weekend onsen trip and asked who else wanted to come. "Ema and I have regular adventures, just like she used to with her dad. Most of our adventures are around home, but we decided to expand our adventures to overnight trips too. So, yes, there will be more trips like this."
"Sounds like fun," Masaomi said, grabbing his and Wataru's bags. "And with our competing schedules, you'll get a different mix of brothers every time. That will make it more fun, I think. Every adventure will go differently depending on who you have with you."
"Every time may be an adventure depending on who you bring with you," Ukyo said dryly.
"That's the intent!" Louis said cheerfully. Ema wasn't sure if she'd missed Ukyo's sarcasm, or had chosen to ignore it. Or maybe embrace it was a better way to phrase it.
She reached for her bag, but Iori got there first. "I can carry it," he told her.
Ema thought about arguing, but remembered Iori's reputation as a gentleman prince. There was probably no way he would let her carry it, which meant there was no point in arguing. "Thank you, Iori."
Iori smiled. "You do a lot for the Asahina family. We have to treat you well so you stay."
"I don't do a lot," Ema said, surprised. "I just help cook."
"Is that what you think?" Iori asked, raising his eyebrows. "I think you're underestimating yourself."
Ema wondered what he meant by that as they went to their rooms. While Ema was excited for the onsen, she was a little sad that this was an activity that would separate her from the Asahina brothers. Even if this was an onsen with mixed baths, that wasn't something she would have been comfortable with.
~.~
"It's so nice to be out of the city and get some fresh air," Masaomi said, leaning against the edge of the bath. "Outside onsens are the best when the weather's nice. This was a great idea, Louis."
"Yeah," Louis agreed, "but next time we should pick something we can all do together. I didn't think of Chi being alone when I suggested this."
"I wish Ema could be in here with us," Wataru pouted as we swam around the onsen. "It would be more fun with her here."
Ukyo shot Wataru a sharp look before remembering that Wataru was eleven and meant nothing by it. "Yes, well, it's still a nice activity, even if we are separated for a little while." Ridiculously, the thought of he and Ema alone in an onsen with her back leaning against his chest flashed through his mind. He cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses, grateful the hot water would give an excuse for his sudden blush. He had no idea where the image came from. He'd never thought of Ema that way before. She was nearly twelve years younger than him.
"But life is more fun with Ema around," Wataru argued. "I like having her live with us."
"Life is more fun with her around," Masaomi agreed. "I thought we were doing her a favor by allowing her to live with us, but I think we're the ones receiving the bigger favor."
"The aura of the house has changed since she came," Ukyo said, more quietly so only Masaomi heard. "More of our brothers make sure they're home for dinner these days, and perhaps it's my imagination, but it seems like there's been less stupid fights lately."
"I agree," Masaomi said, glancing at the tall wall that separated the men's onsen from the women's. "She's both a calming and a gathering influence in the house. Even Subaru has started to open up around her. It's good to finally see him talking to a girl. Maybe it will make him a little less shy at school as well."
Ukyo smiled at the way Masaomi had put it. "She is a gathering influence. I think she's as excited about getting the family together as any of us are. More than some of us are. It's as though she really is a part of the family and not just a family friend."
"It would be nice if she stayed with us through college if she decides to stay in Japan," Masaomi said thoughtfully. "I hope she's enjoying staying with us as much as we're enjoying have her stay."
~.~
"Do you mind if I join you?" Iori asked.
"Of course not," Ema said, sliding over on the bench to make room for Iori. She was sitting on a bench at the front of the onsen. It was positioned on a hill and the perfect spot for watching the stars come out.
"I wasn't sure if you wanted to be alone," Iori said, taking a seat.
"Oh, no, I just wanted to cool off after my bath. I wasn't trying to be unsocial." She glanced behind them at the building, concerned that one of the others thought she didn't want to be with them since she wasn't inside.
"Louis is still drying his hair," Iori told her. "Ukyo is arranging for dinner to be brought to our rooms, and Wataru still wanted to stay in the onsen, so Masaomi is with him."
"I see," Ema said, returning her gaze to the sky.
~.~
Iori had always considered Ema to be a peaceful person. Unless, perhaps, she was deep into a video game, but he remembered doing homework and playing with her before she left. He'd always felt calm around her. She still had the same aura around her. Sunrise Mansion somehow felt steadier with Ema in it. It was now a normal sight to see Ema cooking dinner with Ukyo, or cooking by herself when Ukyo was too busy with work. It was sometimes difficult to believe she'd only been living there for a few months. It felt like she'd been a part of their household for years.
"I love the night sky," Ema said. She spoke quietly, like she didn't want to break the peaceful atmosphere any more than Iori did. "I've been places where I could see the stars better, but nowhere is better than at home."
She smiled at Iori. "Well, I guess this isn't exactly home since we're at an onsen, but it's Japan, so close enough."
"You think of Sunrise Mansion as your home?" Iori asked. The words had seemed to come so easily off Ema's tongue.
She looked worried suddenly. "Yes…is that all right?"
"Of course, it's all right," Iori assured her. "I'm glad you feel comfortable saying it's your home. You will be there for a while, after all. And we're all happy to have you there."
"Maybe not all," Ema murmured under her breath. Iori wasn't sure he was supposed to have heard it.
"Fuuto's never truly happy unless he's complaining," Iori told her. "Whether it's about one of our brothers or something or someone else. Don't worry about it too much."
It had been a long time since Iori had taken the time to watch the stars come out at night. He was grateful for the opportunity to watch them with someone as peaceful with Ema. For a while, he'd been worried that stars were ruined for him. The last time he'd watched the stars had been with his ex-girlfriend. The thought of her still brought anger, hurt, and a twinge to his heart, but it was getting better.
He glanced at Ema. He had no interest in dating any girls from his school after what happened with Fuyuka. How could he trust any of them after what happened with her? But Ema wasn't like that. A woman who pretended to be true to the one she loved, but betrayed him at the first convenient opportunity.
Ema had proved how loyal she was during the seven years she'd lived abroad. She'd never once forgotten about the Asahina brothers. Her emails had been regular from beginning to end while she was gone, never wavering in telling the Asahina brothers where she was and what she was doing, and asking how they were, wanting to know what was going on in their lives. And now that she was back, she had shown time and again that she was more than happy to do whatever she could to be helpful around the house and to help the Asahina brothers.
Yes, with all the untrustworthy women in the world, the Asahinas were very lucky to have Ema in their lives.
