A/N: Went back and forth on including this hot springs sequence; it doesn't do much to further the story and the culture festival has already gone on for multiple chapters. But a few people voiced an interest, so here it is. Those of you with no interest can skip this chapter without regret.
Thanks once again to Kharta, for his doubly-awesome follow-up fanart (this time featuring a scene from Chapter 16). Link is in my profile.
After this chapter, we go into the November plot line. There's quite a lot of game material coming but I add extra scenes where I can.
Story so far: With Rise's help, Naoto escaped the second half of the contest - then barely escaped a very uncomfortable moment with Kanji.
In this part: Kanji's the consummate Romeo, Kashiwagi finally snaps, and the Amagi Inn has infinite buckets.
October 30th, 2011
Amid the darkness in the wings of the auditorium stage, Kou winced and shook his head. "I dunno what play that exchange student thinks he's in, but it isn't this one," he whispered. "This is so lame."
"S'your fault," Kanji reminded him, one hand gripping the top edge of a nearby wooden bush. "Probably could've found another Juliet if y'hadn't wrecked her costume." Between them, Kou and Daisuke had torn so many pieces off the dress during the pageant that even he couldn't fix it.
"Dude, it's not like I knew! Ozawa and Ebihara grabbed it, not me."
"Doesn't matter," Kanji muttered. "Now we gotta deal with Ted."
"And he's completely disregarding the script," the bush hissed, indignantly.
Kanji shrugged. "You said it sucked anyway."
The large, bright pool of the spotlight was centered on Teddie, back in his weird blue maid dress and standing on a makeshift balcony at the top of a rickety-looking scaffold. "Wow, I can see the back of the hall from here!"
Not for the first time that day, Kanji heard the audience break out giggling - but this time it sounded different. He couldn't quite put his finger on why, only that, unlike the laughter during the pageant, it didn't make him want to start swinging chairs around. Maybe Ted wasn't doing that badly after all. Would've been nice if he'd stuck to the script, though. So far, the play had involved Juliet debating at length whether to score with Romeo or Hamlet (with liberal input from the audience), sparkling her way around the scenery, explaining why she would also have made a fantastic Romeo, and - right now - tossing her hair and asking if the girls thought it looked pretty.
Kanji sighed. "At least the play's short. Only one scene left, yeah?"
Next to him, Naoto surfaced from behind the wooden shrubbery. "Yes, and it'll be pointless. I can't supply your lines when he's perfoming the story extemporaneously!"
The word was new - talking to Naoto, a lot of them were - but Kanji got the gist. "Can't you make stuff up too?"
"Why," she asked, expression perfectly flat, "would I do that when we have a script?"
Up on the balcony, Teddie bounced in place, hands gripping the balcony rail. The scaffolding swayed. "Okay! Whereart Hamlet?"
Kou turned to Kanji, eyes wide in a wordless plea. Kanji responded with a sympathetic nod - then shoved him forward hard enough that he stumbled on to the stage and tripped over into the spotlight.
Served him right - though after the morning's cross-dressing disaster, Kanji would've preferred it be Daisuke, and watching Teddie start interrogating Kou about exactly what he could offer a bewitching young maiden wasn't so much satisfying as cringe-inducing. Still, at least people weren't staring at Kanji this time. He'd had enough of that for the next decade or two.
Probably wasn't the only one, either. He looked down at Naoto, now crouched behind the bush again and repeating the same process she had for most of the first act: paging through the script in her hands, making annoyed noises, glaring at Teddie, then looking at the script again. Of the lines she'd been able to feed him, he was pretty sure he'd said most of them wrong and that Ted had ignored them all anyway. But she'd tried. Tried to help him, Kanji thought, striving not to take it to heart.
He'd come close. Maybe the closest he would. And it wouldn't have been a good time, because Naoto had been prickly, and he'd still been feeling kind of disappointed, and the entire day had just been bizarre - but he still wished Teddie had waited a few minutes longer to gatecrash the roof. There might never be any good times, just moments when he'd both the words and the courage to say what he actually meant. But what would Naoto have said back? Given that, short of tattooing them on his forehead, Kanji had done everything he could to express how he felt, would she have said anything at all? Confessing to someone was gut-wrenching enough without worrying that they might not even notice. What if she-
"Hey! You too, Romeo! Or two Romeos! Kanji-chan and Nao-chan!"
Kanji jolted back to awareness. "Uh - yeah! Right! On my way!" he answered, shooting a glance at Naoto - who responded with a quick nod before disappearing behind a cardboard cut-out fountain.
Good thing she was with him. She was the only person he knew who was small enough to stay hidden behind the drama club's crappy scenery. Didn't even need to crawl. Kanji actually found it kind of impressive - something that he'd have to be careful to never, ever tell her.
"Hurry, Kanji-chan!" Teddie cooed from above. "Your princess awaits!"
"You ain't a princess," Kanji pointed out as he strode to the base of the scaffold, which seemed to shake with each footstep.
Teddie hummed in agreement. "You're right, that's Yuki-chan." He leaned further over the rail and pointed at Kanji. "But! I, Juliet, demand to know: why should I let you score with me?"
Totally fine if you don't, thought Kanji. Might've said it, too, if the plywood tree beside him hadn't started whispering.
He listened, took a deep breath, and wished Shakespeare translations weren't so damn formal. "Oh, Juliet...thou art as notorious to the night…uh, something over my head…as is a winked messenger of heaven."
"I suppose that's close enough," the tree muttered.
Teddie smiled blankly. "That's nice, but I didn't understand any of it. Maybe Juliet should pick Hamlet instead," he added, then pivoted toward the audience. "Sensei! What do you think?"
"Not a chance," snapped Kou. "Aren't you supposed to be poisoned by now?"
Kanji frowned, trying to remember what little he'd seen of the script. "If he is, then you an' me are meant to have a sword fight."
"Well, that makes no sense." Teddie wagged a finger at him. "Sensei uses swords. You hit Shadows with desks, Kanji-chan, so we need to find you one of those."
Rapid footsteps drummed across the auditorium. By the time Kanji registered them, Souji was already at the base of the stage - his fingers gripping the wooden edge and his glare fixed firmly on Ted. "Teddie! Be quiet!"
Teddie beamed. "Sensei! My, could this be a third suitor for Juliet's affections?"
Right now, Souji didn't seem very affectionate. "Enough!" he huffed, hauling himself onto the stage by his hands. "This play's ending, you've already-"
"But we're not done yet! We still don't know who Juliet chooses!" Teddie protested, smacking both hands against the rail for emphasis and leaning even further over the balcony.
Maybe it was the extra weight, or Ted's attack on the rail. Maybe, Kanji would think later, it was because whoever built the damn thing had really disliked Hanako Ohtani - but for whatever reason, the scaffolding had hit breaking point. With a terrible creak, it swayed to the right, then listed to the left again - and didn't stop.
The audience gasped. Up on the swinging balcony, still clinging to the rail, Teddie squeaked unhappily.
Naoto darted out from behind the tree. "Kanji, quick!"
"What's-" Kou managed, before Souji shoved him sideways through the fountain.
At almost the same time, Kanji made an instinctive grab for Naoto's hand - but Souji, already behind her, got there first. He gripped her arm, jerking her backwards and sparking a yelp of surprise roughly the same pitch as Teddie's.
Kanji glanced at her, then at Souji, then up at the balcony. "Ted! Jump!"
Whether he actually jumped or just tumbled over the rail wasn't clear. What mattered was catching the little guy. Kanji leaned back, arms outstretched - just in time for Teddie to slam against his front and almost knock him to the floor. He stayed upright, using the momentum to stumble backwards and sideways.
The scaffolding hit the stage with a crash, wood clattering against wood - less than half a meter from where they'd managed to move.
Teddie just squeaked again, eyes screwed shut, and gripped Kanji's shirt very tightly.
"Dude," offered Kou, still wedged halfway inside the crumped fountain and barely audible above the uproar from the audience.
Souji hadn't said anything. His hand, Kanji grimly noted, was still clutching Naoto's arm.
"Kanji-chan, my noble rescuer! I can bear-ly contain myself!" Teddie flung his arms around Kanji's neck. "Shall we continue?"
"Forget it, Ted. This play's over," Souji insisted, finally letting go of Naoto and picking his way through the wreckage to Kou.
"Beats the original ending," muttered Kou, as Souji yanked him to his feet.
Naoto just stood in the same spot, watching Souji, looking like she wanted to say something. Finally, she opened her mouth to speak - at the same moment Daisuke chose to burst through the auditorium door.
"Dude! Kou! You okay? I heard this big crash and one of the first years came outside and-"
"It's fine, man, Souji helped! He's-"
With Senpai now lost in a high-volume conversation between Kou and Daisuke, Naoto apparently changed plans, weaving around the scaffolding debris toward Kanji instead. She gestured to the wing, and Kanji obligingly carried Teddie off-stage.
As they walked, Ted let out a mournful whine. "Why does the play have to be over?" he complained. "I like being Juliet! I'm really good at it, that's why they let me play her."
"No, it was 'cause you had your own outfit," muttered Kanji, finally untangling him and placing him on the floor.
"I'm not entirely certain why you offered," Naoto added.
"Because a hero always saves the day!" Teddie punched his fist skywards and left it there. "Plus, I got to keep wearing Nao-chan's dress."
Kanji blinked. "Nao-chan's-?"
Naoto lurched toward Teddie. "Shut up! You - I told you not to-" She stopped and ran a hand over her mouth, jaw tensed. "D-don't listen to him, Kanji-kun. Complete nonsense."
…Naoto's dress? When did that happen? And why'd she get one so awful? Maybe she just needed help picking one out, Kanji thought for a wild moment, then remembered exactly who he was thinking about.
He swallowed. "When'd you- I-I didn't think you wore-"
She whipped around, colour high in her cheeks. "I don't."
"But she might for you," Teddie offered, ever helpful, "if you asked nicely."
Fortunately for his continued survival, Naoto launched herself at Teddie and chased him down the stairs before Kanji could even try.
Knowing the route from Yasogami High to the Amagi inn better than any of the others, Chie and Yukiko had taken the lead. The rest of the team followed, falling into small groups as they walked through the quiet back roads on the outskirts of town. Kanji was walking alongside Souji, who was hand-in-hand with Nanako, and a few meters behind Naoto, who was trying to prise Rise off her right arm. Yosuke and Teddie brought up the rear, both still gabbing about the eternal awesomeness of the girls' beauty pageant. Ted in particular seemed a lot happier than fifteen minutes ago, when Naoto had been chasing him through the first floor corridors and threatening to drown him in the Samegawa. Even though she probably couldn't do the same thing to him - and even though he was still curious about the dress - Kanji had decided to let the matter drop.
A small hand tugged at his left sleeve. When he looked down, Nanako was staring back up at him with a very serious expression. "Are you excited about the springs, Kanji?"
"Guess so." Kanji grinned at her. "Might be fun."
"I've never been to one of these before," Souji mused. When Kanji looked up at him, he smiled awkwardly. "City boy."
"I ain't been either, Senpai."
"Same here!" Teddie piped up from behind.
"Me neither. See, you're not on your own, Big Bro!" Nanako gave a small and satisfied nod. "We should ask the others too!"
"You go ahead. Ask Rise first," Souji told her.
It was a nice gesture. Rise had been jabbering at Naoto ever since they left the school, mostly about how much fun the hot springs would be and how certain detectives definitely wouldn't be wearing swimsuits (or much of anything). Kanji, fingers firmly pinching the bridge of his nose, hadn't been able to hear Naoto's side of the conversation at all - if there was one. With Rise, it wasn't guaranteed.
Giggling, Nanako let go of Souji's hand and scampered ahead. Yosuke, who was probably trying to be polite, waited about two seconds before being a smartass. "Big Bro?" he snickered.
Souji looked over his shoulder, one eyebrow cocked. "Yep. Why?"
"Uh, well…" Yosuke shrugged, looking a little taken aback. "Nothing, I guess."
Kanji shot Souji a thumbs-up. "S'right, you tell him!" Yosuke's only response was a muttered grumble, Souji's a soft chuckle.
They walked on in silence for a few more moments - Kanji's gaze still fixed on Naoto, almost without him realizing - before Souji edged over to him and said, in a low voice, "So, did it help?"
"Huh?"
"The pageant. You were really counting on it, you made that clear back on the roof."
The question wasn't unexpected. Speaking with Naoki earlier had clued Kanji in on just how obvious he'd been, except to one person. "Oh, right. Yeah, think it did." He rolled his shoulders in a half-shrug. "Stuff still isn't simple, but my head's clearer."
"Good." Souji's smile was slight but content. "Glad to hear it." He went quiet after that - which Kanji figured meant the end of the conversation - but after a short pause, he hummed, sounding amused. "I liked the pageant too...though maybe not for such noble reasons." He shoved his hands in his jacket pockets, his mouth curving in a sheepish smile. "Don't tell the girls I said this - or Yosuke, for that matter - but it did kind of make up for the cross-dressing."
Kanji grinned. "Forgiven Ted for the swimsuit deal?"
"Yeah. Don't tell him that, either." Souji chuckled again, shaking his head, then added - casually, like it was an afterthought - "Shame Naoto dropped out."
"Why?" The question was as instinctive as his clenched fists. Kanji swallowed, tensed his jaw, and tried to backtrack. "I-I mean, yeah, it is."
He had the stupid hope that Souji might let it slide. Unsurprisingly, Senpai didn't. After a beat of silence, he cleared his throat, and said, way too carefully, "You're thinking the same thing, right?"
"No. Well, yeah." Kanji grit his teeth, suddenly feeling a lot less clear-headed. "Just - didn't think you were bothered."
Senpai hadn't meant nothing by it. Just making conversation, Kanji told himself, just talking about someone he shouldn't be, because someone else had got there first and didn't that count for anything?
Idiot. As if being first made a difference; as if Kanji even had been. If it were physically possible, he would've kicked his own ass.
Souji still hadn't answered. A long moment passed before he finally spoke. "Come on, Kanji. I might not be Yosuke, but I'm still a guy. Who wouldn't want to see one extra girl up there?" he asked, and his voice was light - but when Kanji glanced sideways, his smile looked far too taut.
Yukiko hadn't been kidding about reservations being down. The call from the front desk hadn't come that late in the evening, yet the male changing room was already deserted. Turned out there was such a thing as bad publicity - though if half the stuff Kanji had heard Ma gossiping about was true, he couldn't fault people for being scared.
Souji was neatly folding each of their yukata. "Wonder if it's always this quiet."
"I guess we wouldn't know," Yosuke said, still fiddling with the towel tied around his waist. "Though I'm kinda surprised Kanji hasn't stayed here before."
"Why would I?" Wasn't like he would've had anyone to tag along with. Besides, sitting around in a glorified bathtub wasn't really his thing.
"Well, y'know." Yosuke's lips twisted into a smirk. "Hot, steamy, men only...and Inaba doesn't have a bathhouse, so-"
Before Kanji had chance to wring Hanamura's neck, Souji leaned over and smacked him in the bicep. "Leave it, Yosuke," he scolded. "After the day we've had, I want to relax, and that's not going to happen if Kanji puts you through a wall."
"Jeez, lighten up," Yosuke grumbled. "Everyone's way too serious today, I'm just having fun."
"Don't worry, that's why we're here!" said Teddie, slipping his right arm around Yosuke's left. "I've seen movies about this on TV. I promise to wash your back if you wash mine."
Yosuke jerked away. "Dude! What the heck are you watching while I'm at school?"
Souji usually would've cut in at this point - but when Kanji looked over, he was frowning at the screen doors that led to the spring pool. "Did you hear something?"
"C'mon," Yosuke jeered. "Don't tell me you're still spooked from earlier!"
"No, but I-" Souji began - just as Yosuke slid the door open and Teddie darted through at high speed.
"Oh wow! This spring looks amazing, Sensei!"
Souji raised his hands, palms outward. "I think we should-"
"Hey! Wait for me!" Yosuke yelled, already running through after Teddie.
They made enough racket between them, Kanji swore the staff would hear it back at reception - yet, somewhere below Teddie's squeals of delight, he could hear voices. Girl voices.
He jerked round to face Souji, who jerked round to face him.
"Oh, shit," said Kanji.
Souji gaped back. "Don't tell me they're..."
The next thing Kanji heard was a loud splash - then a yelp from Teddie, and a high-pitched "Ow!"
"…oh, crap, they are!" Souji ran through the open doors, one arm shielding his eyes. "Guys, get out of there!"
This left Kanji in a dilemma. On one hand, anyone with a sense of either self-preservation or decency would run back to their room and stay there. On the other hand, the others were already inside, Senpai might need help getting them out, and Kanji's brain had apparently gone numb anyway. "Wait up!" he shouted, following close on Souji's heels.
Inside the spring, Yosuke was standing at the edge of the pool, eyes large as plates and jaw dropped open. Teddie, meanwhile, was already in the water - dangerously close to a horrified and vaguely homicidal-looking Yukiko.
Skidding to a halt, Kanji glanced wildly at each girl in turn: Chie, red-faced and clenching her fists; Rise, wide-eyed and blinking; Yukiko, still looking torn between fight and flight; Nanako, barely visible in the back; and Naoto, who was-
He gulped, blushed furiously, and stared firmly at his feet.
Shit. What were they supposed to do? Automatically, he turned to look at Souji - who now had both arms held up in front of his face and probably wouldn't be much help at all. Yosuke was the first one to do anything other than stare, breaking the deathly silence with a stuttered "Wh-why are you guys here?"
"That's my line!" Chie snapped.
"Senpai!" Rise's pitch had scaled new heights. "Wh-what are you doing?"
"I-I swear," Souji insisted, voice slightly muffled, "we didn't know you were-"
The rest was lost, cut off by the frantic splashing noises from somewhere nearby - closely followed by the solid thunk of wood against wood and a terrified squawk from Yosuke.
Kanji's head snapped up just in time for a bucket to smack him in the face. "Ow! Dammit!"
"Yuki-chan, Chie-chan, stop it!" he heard Teddie plead, still somewhere in the water. "I'm very delic-ow!"
"You're all insane!" Yosuke snapped, inbetween dodging buckets. "It's - ack! - it's our turn down here!"
The only response was a shrill shriek from Rise - and more buckets. Lots of them. Some calmer, less terrified portion of Kanji's mind wondered why the hell a mountain's worth of wooden pails was stashed in a hot spring. However, the 'seriously freaked out' section was currently in charge and Senpai - who was cowering somewhere behind him - was being useless. Desperate, he swung toward Yosuke. "What the hell are we gonna do?"
Yosuke drew himself up to his full height. "We're gonna hold the line!" he yelled. "We won't be bowed down! We have to-"
Unfortunately, Kanji never found out exactly what they needed to do. Yosuke hit the deck, laid flat by the bucket that had just scored a direct hit against his head.
"Forget that!" Souji barked, shooting out from behind Kanji and grabbing a dazed and indignant Yosuke by the shoulders. "Retreat!"
Senpai knew best. Senpai always knew best. With a quick nod, Kanji yanked Teddie out of the water and called out, "It-it's an honest mistake!"
Yosuke, currently being dragged across the floor, remained defiant. "We're not - ow! - gonna forget this!" was his final cry as Souji pulled him through the doorway and out of the springs, Kanji following close behind.
"I'm sure it was a misunderstanding," Souji repeated for the third time, still not sounding very convinced.
"Yeah. Us misunderstanding just how evil they are!" Yosuke's expression was half-sneer and half-wince, probably because he kept prodding at a vivid bruise on his left shin. "Say it all you want, partner - but I checked the schedule again, the spring's definitely supposed to be for guys right now!"
Grimacing, Souji rubbed the back of his head. "Like I said. Misunderstanding. They probably just...forgot."
"I won't," Kanji muttered. "Feel like I've just done six hours inside the television." Shadows could be dangerous, gruesome, seriously freaky, and often all three - but at least none of them had ever hurled wooden pails at his head. Not yet, anyway.
Teddie had curled up on his side next to Souji, expression doleful. "You're wrong, Kanji-chan. My head's all bumpy. That never happens in the television."
The best response Kanji could manage was a grunt, and even that felt half-hearted. Tonight had sucked. Baths weren't all that exciting, but it still would've been nice to get a proper look at the springs instead of inter-bucket glimpses.
Only the springs, of course. Not at anything else. Or anyone.
Kanji slapped a hand to his face, cursing under his breath - then fell into the same melancholy near-silence as the others. Even Ted had nothing to say, save a few squeaks of pain as he poked various spots on his head.
Finally, Yosuke lifted his gaze. "So, uh...did any of you - see anything?"
"Buckets," Souji answered.
"And nothin' else," added Kanji. Not that he'd wanted to. Wasn't right, spying on people in hot springs (even if you seriously liked one of them, might not have minded seeing them, and would've been totally fine with the whole bucket thing if you actually had.)
"I think my life flashed before my eyes." Ted was now stretched out on the wooden floorboards, arms splayed behind his head. "But other than that, no."
Yosuke scowled at Souji and Kanji in turn. "I told you guys to hold the line! We might've seen something that way!"
"Right, 'cause it worked real well for you," Kanji shot back, while Souji stared at an interesting spot on the opposite wall and mumbled something about needing to catch up on his 'Man's Life' books.
"Forget it." Yosuke let out a deep sigh and flopped over onto his futon. "Let's just go to sleep."
Wasn't like the night would get any better. Kanji had just began to pull himself to his feet when he heard - something. Couldn't place it, at first. It sounded a little like an animal's howl, like if they were hurt or-
Wait. Maybe it was all in his head. Probably got hit too hard by a bucket. He swallowed, and asked, voice quavering, "Did - did any o'you hear that?"
Souji turned to him, brow furrowed. "Hear what?"
There wasn't a chance to explain before the same moaning noise as before echoed through the room - this time louder, and for longer.
Yosuke bolted upright from his futon. "Wh-what was that?" he stammered.
Scratch that earlier theory; no animal made that kind of noise. It sounded way, way too much like-
Kanji felt the blood drain from his face. Four apparent high-school kids getting put in one of the fanciest rooms in the inn now made total sense. So did the talismans hanging from the ceiling. "D-don't tell me...is there one here?"
"One here?" Souji's eyes narrowed as he glanced around him. "One what?"
"This room!" Kanji shakily clarified. "It, it was the one that announcer was staying in before she died!"
"Oh god, you said it!" Yosuke's voice was close to a wail. He'd folded his knees up to his chest and had both hands covering his face. "I was trying to block it out, and you had to go and say it!"
"...Well, that explains the talismans. But I'm sure it's fine," Souji said levelly, and Kanji would've had him pegged as totally calm - if it hadn't been for the yukata fabric clenched tightly in his fists.
Either way, Yosuke didn't seem consoled. He was off the futon now, still clutching one of the blankets and looking like he wanted to hide underneath it. "Why the hell didn't Yukiko tell us? First the hot spring, now this...we've been completely suckered!"
"Guys, come on. This is total superstition. If we just-"
Again, Souji was cut off by the wailing sound - which was definitely not the announcer lady, Kanji told himself, even if it sounded like sobbing this time and she'd been staying in this room and maybe even died here and oh crap
He grabbed a blanket; maybe Yosuke was onto something. "Th-there's no way I'm sleepin' through this!" he choked out.
Teddie shot to his feet, one arm pointing to the ceiling. "I've made up my mind! I'm going to Yuki-chan's room!"
"No you're not," was Souji's instant response.
"But Sensei, I have to!" Teddie protested, trying to squirm out of the death-grip Souji had on the hem of his robe. "I can't sleep soundly unless I'm watching everyone's sleeping faces as I drift off."
Souji held on tighter. "Then watch ours."
"I said everyone's, Sensei."
The girls' room? Did Ted have a death wish? Kanji had taken it for one of his usual lines at first, but the guy seemed serious.
"Sleeping faces?" Yosuke's frown lasted barely a moment before his eyes widened. "You're not actually gonna sneak - dude, you are!"
By now, Souji had grabbed Teddie's left leg instead. "No, he isn't!"
"Yes I am," Teddie chirped, then tried to hop away and tumbled to the floor again.
Yosuke fidgeted against the tatami. "Hey...um...what should we do?"
"I think that's obvious," Souji growled. "Or did you forget all those pails flying at your face?"
Senpai had a point. Accidentally crashing the hot springs had been bad enough; deliberately crashing the girls' room was a different story. Kanji had no idea what they'd start throwing this time, only that it would be far worse than buckets. "Then we'll have to spend the night here," he grumbled, leaning back on his hands and stretching his legs out in front of him. And that might've been the end of it - if the damn wailing hadn't started up again.
Yosuke had nearly tied his blanket in a knot. "No way! I can't! I won't!"
Souji shook his head, crisp and firm. "Yosuke, you'll have to. No way can we just barge into-"
"Alrighty! It'll be a surprise awakening for them!" Somehow, Teddie was now standing at the other end of the room. Kanji hadn't even heard him pull himself off the floor. "Just let me get ready first."
Yosuke frowned. "Ready? What's he-"
"It doesn't matter," insisted Souji, "because we're not going."
Ghosts were scary. Girls might be scarier. "Senpai's right," Kanji said. "This ain't a good idea."
"I think it's a great idea," Yosuke pitched in - then, shrinking back slightly under Souji's glare, added, "C'mon, it's the girls' room!"
Souji threw up his hands. "So?"
Yosuke stared first at him, then at Kanji, then back at Souji again. Finally, he sighed. "You know, sometimes I really wonder about you both."
"Now, now! Don't play hard to get!"
How the hell could an old woman be so damn fast? Why was she staying here to begin with? Kanji would've pondered these questions a little longer, if he hadn't been yelling at Noriko Kashiwagi while sprinting through the inn's second floor corridors. "L-leave me alone!"
Senpai would help him. No, wait, Senpai couldn't. Poor bastard hadn't reached the doorway before Ohtani got him in a full-on body tackle. Judging by the shrieks coming from behind Kanji, she'd already moved onto Yosuke.
Okay. Had to figure this out himself, then. Creepy as Kashiwagi was, she wasn't a ghost - meaning she'd eventually get tired. This corridor crossed with another up ahead; he'd just take a left and lose her. He totally had a plan. Kanji was just congratulating himself on keeping his head long enough to make one when a small figure stepped around the corner and forced him to stop dead.
Naoto - who was totally in a yukata, was that weird or wonderful or both - raised her palms. "Please, watch where you're – Kanji-kun?"
Staring down at her - damn, she was little without those shoes - Kanji gulped and went with 'both'. "N-Naoto!"
Naoto stared up at him, flushed bright red, and lifted one arm as if to elbow him away. It's cool, Kanji wanted to say, you look awesome but you basically always do please don't shoot me - until he was reminded exactly why he'd been tearing down the corridor to begin with.
"Naughty, naughty boys," Kashiwagi purred, from way too close behind him. "You barge into our room with such awful intentions, and then make us chase after you!"
"What," Naoto began, uselessly.
"Oh, no." Kashiwagi dodged neatly around Kanji's left shoulder and jabbed a finger toward Naoto's face. "Listen, you little whatever-you-are, you already stole the pageant, I'll be damned if I let you ruin this too!"
Eyes wide, Naoto flinched away. "I-I have no intention of-"
"Naoto-kun! Who're you talking wi-" Rise, now behind Naoto, abandoned the question and raised her eyebrows. "Kanji-kun? And Kashiwagi-sensei?"
Kashiwagi gave a curt, dismissive wave. "Great. First the freak, now the jailbait. Are the other two skulking around here as well? Not that it matters, they're obviously-"
"Obviously what?" snapped Chie, as she rounded the corner alongside Yukiko.
The latter frowned, blinked, then clasped her hands together and gave a quick bow of her head. " …Kashiwagi-sensei? Is - is your room to your liking? And, um…why are you out in the corridor? It's very late and-"
Somewhere nearby, Yosuke shrieked.
Chie's eyes narrowed. "I know that scream," she said, stepping forward past a bewildered-looking Naoto. "Hanamura! What are you doing?"
"He's-" Kanji started - and slammed to a halt when Kashiwagi snaked her arms around his waist. "Agh! Get offa me!"
"Mmm, such a sturdy young man."
Kanji tried to flail away. "A-Amagi-senpai!"
Yukiko - awesome, badass, practically-inn-managing Yukiko - stepped in where Souji couldn't. "Kashiwagi-sensei, please respect the other guests! The Amagi Inn has strict rules against-"
"Against boys bursting into our rooms and jumping onto our futons?" He didn't need to see Kashiwagi to hear the smirk in her voice. "If so, Tatsumi and his friends didn't get the memo."
All four girls stared up at him, wide-eyed.
"Uh," said Kanji.
Yukiko, ashen-faced, kept glancing between him and Kashiwagi. "You - you mean they went into-"
There was totally a reasonable explanation for this. Unfortunately, he had no idea what it was, so when Yosuke plunged past him, smacking him in the arm and almost slamming into Chie, Kanji was grateful - or would've been, if the sound of Ohtani thundering down the corridor in pursuit hadn't ruined the effect.
"C'mon, tiger," she huffed. "Don't run so fast!"
In a desperate effort to avoid running Chie down, Yosuke had grabbed her by the shoulders. "Satonaka? I - oh, crap!" He jerked his hands back like she'd set him alight. "I swear, this is not what it seems!"
"But it's not far off," Souji admitted as he limped into view, Teddie following close behind.
In Kanji's experience, Chie was usually the one to let the guys know just how dumb they were being. Demure, elegant Yukiko stuck to occasional barbed comments or random fits of laughter - except, apparently, when you pulled stupid shit on her home turf. "Kanji-kun! All of you!" she barked, with a sharp swipe of her hand. "You can't just barge into other guests' rooms! Ohtani-san, Kashiwagi-sensei, I sincerely apologize for their-"
"There's no need for apologies," Kashiwagi cut in, "provided you silly little girls just run along and play."
"Silly girls?" Chie shot back. "Better that than old Christmas cake!"
"You little bit-"
"Chie-senpai, Kashiwagi-sensei, try to remain calm." Naoto stepped swiftly between them, one palm raised to each. "This is not the place for-"
Chie shoved her arm aside. "Out the way, Naoto-kun. You are seriously not on my good side today, so don't get involved!"
Yukiko leveled her friend with a reproving look. "Chie, please."
This was the one thing guaranteed to stop a rage-stricken Chie - and after barely a moment's hesitation, she stepped back.
"Kashiwagi-sensei, Ohtani-san. I'm truly sorry for the night's events," Yukiko continued, level and smooth. "If you return to your rooms, the manager can address your concerns in full tomorrow morning. The Amagi Inn will certainly compensate you for any trouble."
"Trouble?" Ohtani leered at Yosuke, sniggering. "I don't think they're any trouble at all."
Yosuke's only response was a cringe. Teddie shrank back and said, "I think we're in trouble. Lots of it."
Souji settled for holding his head in his hands. "Just for the record, this was probably the stupidest thing I've ever done."
"Serves you guys right," Rise chimed in. "Why'd you pick their room?"
Hearing the girls talk about it, even Kanji had to admit the whole thing sounded creepy. He needed to set things straight. "We didn't! We jus' thought-"
"Oh, is the jailbait jealous?" Kashiwagi jeered, lips twisted into a sneer.
"Just listen a sec, we thought-"
Still looking vaguely disgusted, Chie shook her head. "Never mind that! Tatsumi, why the heck did you jump into this old witch's futon?"
"'Cause I thought she was you!" Kanji yelled.
The temperature in the room dropped ten degrees. Next to him, Yosuke leapt back two steps - and Chie, who'd already been holding back a glorious fit of temper, finally snapped.
Later, Kanji wouldn't be able to remember much of what followed. All that remained was the image of Chie lunging forward, one knee heading for his groin - and then, nothing but agony, regret, and the sound of Yosuke begging her not to do the same to him. After that, Kanji didn't do much except lie curled up on his side, whimpering.
At least, he consoled himself, one cheek pressed against the wooden floor, she hadn't galactic-punted him.
"Come on, Kashiwagi-sensei," said Ohtani, somewhere far away. "We can do tons better than these guys."
"Of course," Yukiko replied, sounding completely insincere. "Now, can everyone please return to their rooms?"
There was movement from above - including two people stepping over him - and the sound of footsteps fading down the corridors. Kanji glanced sideways to see Yosuke, crouched beside him with a wince of pure sympathy. "Dude," he said, "I know exactly how you feel."
"I'm never listening to any of you again," Souji informed them.
Kanji shuffled awkwardly against the wooden bench. Yosuke, meanwhile, sighed and blew his fringe out of his eyes.
Senpai had been pissed. Spent ten minutes that morning telling the three other guys what idiots they were, and how he was the biggest idiot of all for going along with them. Then he'd vetoed Yosuke's idea of fleeing back to town before the girls woke up, and made them wait outside the inn instead.
"We're really sorry, Sensei!" Teddie wailed, on the verge of tears. He'd taken the lecture hardest of all.
Souji's expression softened. "Then tell the girls that, okay?" he told Teddie, and tapped him on the head.
A few minutes later, Chie and Yukiko walked through the inn's main doors, side by side, with Rise and Naoto trailing behind. "Let me guess," Souji called out, in a tone that didn't quite make it to cheerful. "We're banned for life?"
Shaking her head, Yukiko stalked over to the bench. "No. But you should be," she said, with a glare somewhere just below freezing point. "Kashiwagi and Ohtani were bad enough, but what if it hadn't been their room? Do you have any idea how much trouble you could've caused?"
"I think we already caused enough. We're sorry," Souji said, and all three guys nodded helpfully in turn. "We can apologize to Kashiwagi and Ohtani too."
Yukiko stared at each of them, lips narrowed into a white line - then sighed. Her shoulders slumped. "I don't think they cared, in the end. My mother's a different matter."
"I wish I hadn't lost it like that." Chie was staring at the ground, tracing paths in the dirt with her shoe. "She's our homeroom teacher, we have to deal with her all year!"
"Yeah, and she's a lech!" Yosuke pointed out, grimacing. "I don't blame you at all."
Chie looked at him for a moment, her head slightly cocked, then smiled. When she looked at Kanji, however, the smile turned forced. "Hey…Kanji-kun?"
Kanji dropped his hands to his lap on instinct. "Uh...s'up, Chie-senpai."
"I-I just wanted to say, I'm really sorry. For the kick in the, um...you know." She laughed nervously, hands fisted in the pockets of her jacket. "I mean, wow, I felt bad enough the first time round, even though you can totally take it and it was your fault for running over to the girls' side anyway and-"
He frowned. "First time?"
"This time," Yukiko quickly cut in.
"Y-yeah! This time. Forget I said anything," said Chie, brightly. "Oh, except the apology! I meant that part. Souji explained what'd happened while you were still rolling around on the floor, and I think it's incredibly dumb and really creepy - but I shouldn't have kicked you. Not so hard, anyway."
"Oh. S'fine. No problem."
"And the bucket thing," she continued, glancing at the other girls. "We're all sorry for that too. We...kinda muddled up the schedule."
"I knew it!" Yosuke crowed, and punched his fist into his hand.
"Chie-senpai!" Rise pouted, hands on hips. "That was a girls' secret!"
"C'mon, Rise-chan, we have to 'fess up. We got the times wrong, we should have been out of the springs!"
"But given what you did later, you all deserved it," Yukiko muttered darkly.
Souji leaned round to look at Naoto, who'd been standing in silence behind Rise. "Going to tell us the same thing, Naoto-kun?"
Apparently, Naoto hadn't been paying attention. She jolted slightly and quickly clasped her hands behind her back. "No, I-"
"Nah, Naoto-kun wants to ask something else," Rise explained - earning a startled glare from Naoto. "Right, Naoto-kun?"
Naoto said, quick and clipped, "Senpai, please disregard this conversation."
"She's been worrying all morning. She wants to know if any of you guys saw-"
"Rise-san! Stop it!"
Oh. Oh. Back in the springs, she thought they'd-
Brimming with resolve, Kanji squared his shoulders and declared, "I didn't see nothin'!"
Naoto blinked at him.
"Er, anything," he corrected, because maybe the bad grammar was why she was - no, no, her face hadn't changed at all. He switched tracks, trying his best not to panic. "N-not that I was trying to! I-I didn't even look!"
Her expression had started out suspicious, and at some point while he was speaking it'd morphed into a horrified stare. "Wh-what are you-"
Yosuke snorted. "Yeah, sure you didn't."
"I didn't! I was staring at the fricking floor!" Kanji yelled, then whirled on Yosuke. "You were the one sayin' we should stay in there!"
"What?" Chie roared.
Souji cleared his throat. "Now, let's not be-"
Chie ignored him in favour of walloping Yosuke in the shoulder. "Ugh! Pervert! And the same goes for the rest of you!" She turned sharply on her heels. "C'mon, girls, we're leaving." With that, she stalked away, Yukiko following close behind and Rise yanking Naoto along by one arm.
Kanji lunged toward Yosuke, fists clenched. "Hanamura, you asshole!"
"Dude, that one was totally all you! And did you really have to drop me in it as well?"
Like he needed any help making an ass of himself in front of Naoto. Standing there, breathing hard, Kanji decided he really should've kept his mouth shut - or put his boot in Yosuke's first. "I was tellin' the truth!"
"You know," Souji pointed out, hands shoved in his pockets and gaze fixed on the morning sky, "I really enjoy smoothing things over just so my friends can screw them up again."
Perched on the bench, elbows resting on his knees, Teddie let out a deep sigh. "Sensei, I don't think I like ryokans."
That evening found Kanji repeatedly sweeping the front step of the textiles store, trying to clear the leaves that were swirling in the brisk autumn wind. Every time he'd swept them away, the damn breeze just blew more of them back. Concentrating hard and muttering curses, he didn't notice Rise walking up from the tofu store until she called to him from the street.
"Might wanna give that up, Kanji-kun," she said, watching the leaves blow back again. "I just tried to do the same thing at the shop. You're not getting anywhere." She tipped her head and smirked. "Though I guess you're used to that by now, huh?"
Kanji grunted and swept harder.
"Nah, I'm kidding. Though you've gotta do something about Naoto, and I don't mean ogling her in a hot spring."
"I wasn't ogling!" he snapped. "None of your business anyway."
Except it was, in a roundabout way. Rise's aim to hook up two of her friends wasn't completely altruistic. She was a good actress, but even he'd read the look in her eyes when she first told him Souji and Naoto had started hanging out together. And hell, she had a point anyway.
Kanji let out a sigh, then leaned the broom against the shop wall and flopped down on the step. "But I made up my mind. I wanna try."
Rise arched an eyebrow. "With Naoto?"
"Yeah." He let out a breath. "I just don't think it's gonna work. She ain't interested in that stuff."
"Oh, she's not as uptight as you'd think." Rise sat down next to him, carefully adjusting her skirt. "Okay, I know, she barely knows what fun is - but she seemed to enjoy the hot springs. We had a really good time there."
"Glad someone did," Kanji muttered.
"Yep, it was great," Rise continued, ignoring him completely, then leant closer and added, "Naoto's very soft."
Except Rise must've said something else completely, because that made no sense. He'd probably just misheard. "Whassat?"
"I said soft, Kanji-kun. Soft skin, silky hair..." She trailed off with an approving hum. "I can see why you're into her!"
...Holy shit.
Kanji's vision began to go dark at the edges. "Y-you - you were - y-you got to -"
"Yep." Rise beamed cheerfully. "All three of us. At once."
Wait. He'd been here before. Multiple times, in fact, ever since their checkups at the hospital - because when Rise found a way to tease him, she never let it drop. "I-I know you. S'gonna be like the measurements, dammit," he choked out. "So quit it, now!"
"Fine, fine, I get it! Kanji-kun totally doesn't want to hear about what three very cute high-school girls did to his boyfriend in the hot springs."
Damn right he didn't. Or didn't need to, at least. Because that was the type of thing you'd never get out of your mind ever, and the last thing he needed right now was the image of-
Kanji leaned his elbows on his knees, pressed his knuckles against his forehead, and tried not to think.
Abruptly, Rise stood up from the step. She looked down at him, head tilted and smile devilish. "But just so you know - those measurements? Completely on the money."
Still trying not to think, failing miserably, and squeezing the bridge of his nose in advance, Kanji stared up at her. "Y'came all the way up here just to tell me that, didn't you?"
Rise winked. "Yep. G'night, Kanji-kun," she said, then turned and walked back down the street, heels clicking against the concrete.