Yu's whole world was grounded. He hadn't gotten any letters back from anyone, which was concerning because it had been several months. At the Kindergarten, the children were more restless because of the season and played rougher with everyone, and Yu had lost count of how many bleeding noses and scratched knees he had to deal with. Their new piece in band was really hard as it was based on a church piece, according to their conductor, so mostly it involved sitting in silence while the sole piano player tried to make sense of the notes.

And then, he received that threat letter, and everything froze. The letter itself was nondescript, nothing to trace back, just random words cut out of the newspaper, but the fact the sender knew his address was scary enough. He was a random student for all anyone knew, there were people in the Investigation Team with much more presence than him, and yet he was the one who received it.

Stop saving people.

That could wait though. It had to wait, otherwise Yu was sure he'd go mad from the speculation. Instead, he focused on school, and the upcoming celebration for Emperor Meiji's birthday, which was sure to be fun. They all ate lunch on the roof that day so Yukiko and Kanji could join, being sneaky, but Yu also had the suspicion that they were so beloved they could've just walked straight into the classroom during classes and gotten their way. Yukiko brought a big pot of noodles and fried fish to share with everyone, but Naoto shyly took the fish out of her bowl.

"So, what did your school do for this occasion? Something cool, right?" Yosuke asked.

"For the Emperor's birthday?" Yu thought about it, clicking his chopsticks as he tried to not zone out. What did they do? His school was more prestigious than most so they often tried to visit the gates of the palace, waving flags and cheering if they saw the imperial family walking around. Yu's friends didn't like the event and cracked rude jokes throughout, trying to make Yu lose his composure and burst out laughing. That was all he could remember though, and said as much.

"Wow, interesting. You'd think it would be a bigger deal," Chie said.

"Not only do we have the regular stuff, but did you see that announcement? A talent show! With a bunch of fashion stuff for the girls!" Rise lamented. "I'm terrible at that stuff."

"Well come on, it's mostly just jokes. Like us guys have to do the talent and crossdressing portions too, so we'll all suffer together!" Yosuke joked.

"It's stuff like Western fashion," Yukiko sighed. "I don't think I can wear a bustle."

"Hey, Western fashion is more than just bustles! You could dress like Naoto-kun!" Rise teased. Naoto just looked away.

After lunch, class was instead spent getting everything ready for the birthday celebration. Their class decided on the racetrack romance idea, so the boys were tasked with building a huge replica of a fence you'd see at a horse show while the girls moved the chairs in front of the fence and painted pictures of horses.

"I still don't know what this means," Yosuke sighed.

"Guess we'll find out on the actual day."

On the day of the birthday celebration, Yu dressed instead in his everyday clothing and headed to school, seeing his area set up. Yukiko was there too, much to his surprise, while the rest of the class were tidying up.

"Well, let's see what this is all about," Yosuke said, also wearing his regular suit. Chie wore her kimono but dragged a parasol along the ground, scraping the floor up with the top. "Also, why is she here?"

"Sir Kanji and I are honorary guests of the school! Since this is a community event, we are allowed to be here!" She said nicely.

"Right…"

"Get in your seats! The race is going to start!" One of the teachers scolded. "Pair up with whoever you're next to!"

"Uh…" Yu looked around and saw an uneven number of students. Chie and Yosuke got each other…and…

"I'll go find some more!"

"Hey! How's it going in here? You guys look positively miserable!" Rise teased as her and Naoto walked in. She looked like the perfect portrait of a Victorian lady in a pale pink dress decorated with light purple flowers, with a giant bonnet and sunhat covered in pink and purple flowers, with her boots slightly visible under her hem. She wore her usual necklace and earrings. Naoto wore a long black coat with a bowtie and silken pants, a bowler hat on her head and extremely shiny shoes.

"Like they need to be told that by walking sewing advertisements," Kanji sighed as he was brought into the room by the teacher. "Seriously, what are we doing?"

"I know! We're watching a horserace! And being all like couples!" Rise grabbed Naoto and sat her down, leaving Yu to be paired with a blushing Yukiko, and Kanji with another female student. They all sat down in front of the track with a student making horse sounds the best that they could, bouncing on the floor to imitate hooves.

"Oh, isn't it such a wonderful day out here! It's so nice?!" Chie sighed. "I just love being out here with my partner!"

"Which horse do you think will win?" Naoto asked Rise in French, deliberately staying out of the group.

"Hmm….the paint one." Rise answered back in French.

"I have no idea what we're supposed to be doing." Yukiko said bluntly.

"Flirt." Yu said back just as bluntly.

"What's that?"

"It's when you tell girls they're pretty." That's what Shuuhei said. None of his friends had ever really even seen a girl, actually, they just assumed from general knowledge.

"Am I pretty?"

"Yes,"

The two started giggling.

"It's so hot out! Gentlemen, won't you help your lady open her parasol?" The teacher called out.

Chie smirked and held hers out for Yosuke. "Well, dear?"

"You can't admit we're engaged yet!" He elbowed her, making her chair rock.

"Open my parasol, honey!"

Yosuke grabbed the lacy thing from her and tried to pull it open, groaning and grunting at the force required, trying to put his foot on it. He finally got the parasol opened by letting it sail out of his hands, knocking against the fence.

"Nice,"

"Oh, shut it!"

"Here," Naoto carefully opened up Rise's and handed it to her, continuing to pretend to watch the race. Rise smiled and twirled it around.

"Why, thank you!" She blew a kiss to her.

Yu and Yukiko just stared at the parasol offered, unsure of how to open it. She looked at Kanji for help, but he seemed just as lost, while the student who sat with him smiled awkwardly.

"Now ladies, drop your handkerchief and let your date carefully pick it back up," The teacher recited boredly.

Rise carefully waved hers, smiling as she lightly dropped it at her feet. Naoto gracefully swooped up and grabbed it, nodding.

"Oh, I dropped my handkerchief!" Yukiko giggled, tossing hers into the air. Yu caught it easily and handed it back to her. "Thank you,"

Chie tossed hers away from the two, pouting. "Mine fell; can you go get it?"

"You threw it on purpose!" Yosuke protested.

"Don't you want to be a gentleman?!"

"What does this have to do with being a gentleman?!"

"Just do it!"

Yu facepalmed.

After their mock dates, they were free to wander around the school at their leisure, and Rise made sure they were joined at the hip for it.

"I'm sure not all of the classes are boring. Let's go look!" She smiled and wandered the halls with him, looking around. One class was set up like a restaurant and serving all kinds of strange dishes, boasting about them.

"Dairy! Come try dairy! Dairy and meat! All prepared the way the West does!"

"Oooh!" Rise stared at a plate of strawberries and whipped cream, kept chilled on a block of ice. Yu stared at a bottle of cola, kept in similar conditions, and the two looked at each other.

"Bottoms up!" Yu teased as the two drank big gulps of their cola and bit into the strawberries. Yu's mouth hurt from the sweetness and he winced while Rise just giggled. "This stuff is really good,"

"I know! They're better than Japanese sweets. In the West, they have sugar, and it makes stuff taste amazing! Mix it with milk and eggs and butter and frosting and you got yourself a great cake!"

"Hey, I know what sugar is! Don't knock wagashi!"

"Do you even know what that is?"

"Of course!"

They took another sip.

"What's your talent going to be for the show?" Rise asked, adjusting her position so her bustle wouldn't get crushed by accident.

"...I don't know actually. I'm not really good at much."

"Awww, surely you're good at one thing!" She scooted closer to him. "I think I'm just going to sing. It's expected but what can you do."

"Then I'll play my trumpet! That's a talent!"

"There you go!"

They drank yet more of their cola and sighed, holding their stomachs as the sugar completely overwhelmed them.

Yosuke and Chie found themselves staring at models of military ships, trying to hide their boredom.

"And I thought our idea was terrible. I feel worse for whoever got the warships!" Chie rubbed her eyes obnoxiously, pulling her eyelids down. "Everyone in this hall got the short stick. I saw other stuff about the government!"

"Blech," Yosuke said in agreement. "Wish they had a dancing area or something. Dad says in Europe they love to dance and have this one called the waltz, where you step very close to your partner-" He stepped close to Chie. "-take their hands in one of yours, and grab their waist with your other hand-"

Chie gasped as Yosuke suddenly pulled her close, a hand on her waist.

"And spin around in a rhythm," He led Chie through a mock waltz, spinning her around and twirling her away from him, making her long sleeves spin around her like they were a skirt. "Just like that."

"I never took you for a gentleman. You couldn't even open my parasol!" Chie teased.

"Oh, shut up," He stepped on her foot in protest, and she stepped on his in return, a wicked grin. "Never waltz with you."

Kanji and Naoto had gotten roped into a class that was boasting about new medicines and treatments, something both winced at.

"Don't be shy! Come here and have your blood drawn!" A student pushed Naoto into a chair before she could protest, shoving a needle into her. Her eyes widened. She looked over at Kanji, who was trying to hide the fact he looked and felt sick from the alcohol and laudanum stink in the air.

"We can draw your blood too!" Another student tried to push Kanji into a seat too, but he paled and shrugged them off.

"I-I can't be in here-" He bolted out of the classroom, breathing heavily. Naoto came out a few minutes later, stumbling. "I shouldn't have come today, people are always braggin' about hospitals and how good they are!"

"You don't like hospitals?" She asked.

"No! I mean, sure they do some good, but I can't stand bein' in them, they reek like alcohol, alcohol that they pour on wounds, and other stuff, like sickness…" He trailed off. "Father died in a hospital. It was….not fun. Shit, I don't get why I'm tellin' you that. But I always had issues with medicine and whatnot after that. Hate the smell and hate bein' 'round sick people,"

"But when I was sick, you saved me." She reminded him.

"Well, yeah, 'cuz it's the right thing to do, it was mostly Ma and Tomiko-san that did, I…passed out, couldn't handle the puking,"

She smiled softly. "I agree. Disease is awful, but where I come from you learn to grow accustomed to it." Naoto looked around. "There's tea being sold, you want some?"

"Yeah,"

The two walked off together.

A professional photographer arrived and took pictures of the event, taking as much as he could, including one of Yukiko getting her fortune told and Rise and Yu eating and drinking together, deeming those to be the most suitable to show to potential patrons asking for his services.

A good day.

The next day was of course the talent contest, starting out with the fashion parts. While everyone was invited to participate in the crossdressing part, only the girls dressed for the rest, which Yu did not envy. He felt he would lose his mind if he had to dress and undress and get dressed again that many times, especially in the outfits the girls had to wear.

"Let's do this! You guys are going to look great!" Chie jumped up and down.

"Did you forget we're going to make you guys up too?" Yosuke grinned at her.

Yu just sat in front of Yukiko, who smiled.

"I can't speak for the others, but I know I'll make you look genuinely beautiful! So do the same for me too, okay?"

Yu nodded, and she started applying powder onto his face.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Yasogami High's festival! Several days where we honor our glorious Emperor and have some fun on the side! Starting of course, with our famous crossdressing contest! Anyone can join for the time of their lives! And this year, we have some very beautiful women and dashing men! So without further ado, let's introduce them! First up, a blazing samurai who has fought boldly and bravely for his country, wearing his strapping armor! Welcome him, Mister Kujikawa!" The announcer stepped aside to welcome Rise, who literally bounced on the stage waving, winking and blowing kisses.

"Hiiiii! I'm such a brave samurai!" Her hair was hidden behind a red helmet, and the rest of her outfit was hidden by extremely baggy red armor that was falling off of her. "See? So handsome and masculine!" She twirled around and posed with her hands on her hips, leaning forward. Almost instantly, the lower half of her armor fell off, clattering to the ground and revealing a thin white skirt and her legs.

The audience laughed and hollered at her as she pretended to bashfully pull her armor back up.

"What's your favorite thing to eat?" The announcer coaxed as Rise blew another kiss to the audience.

"Meat! Lots and lots of it! I love getting meat all over myself, meat juices, I mean, especially of something I just killed! But sometimes I get diarrhea after I eat meat and that sucks!" She answered in extremely girly language, making the audience laugh harder.

"Next, a beautiful young lady who loves solving things with her fists, welcome her, Miss Tatsumi!"

Kanji awkwardly walked onstage, wearing extremely bright makeup on his eyes, cheeks, and lips, with a mismatched bonnet and dress on his figure. The bustle stuck out at the wrong angle and the top went too low on his chest, revealing his abs. The crowd tried to contain their laughter, especially as he spun around carefully.

"Hi, I'm Kanji!" He said bluntly.

"And what would you say your best features are, miss?" The announcer coaxed.

"My eyes?"

"I can totally see that!"

Kanji tried to pose, but the bustle suddenly lost shape and deflated, making his backside appear very lumpy. Rise covered her mouth and the crowd burst out laughing, pointing at him. He went and stood next to Rise, who was struggling to keep the armor on her.

"Next, we have a dashing playboy who loves to drink and party, just like a fashionable heathen! Welcome to Mister Satonaka!"

Chie hopped onto the stage, wearing the most risqué outfit of the bunch. She wore a tuxedo with very tight pants that showed off her body and an unbuttoned shirt and jacket, revealing just the slip of her breasts. Her hair was completely down, flowing out of her top hat. The audience gasped and drooled over her look. "Tch, yeah I like girls! I drink alcohol like this!" She mimed sipping from a glass. "And I spit too! I do prostitutes real nice!" She stomped around.

"Ah, what's your type then?" The announcer coaxed. Chie grinned.

"I don't have one! Just any girl that I can fuck really nice!" She made a rude gesture and stuck out her tongue, briefly flashing her breasts and the audience went wild, cheering and hollering for her as she took her place next to the others.

"Maybe he'll find some love with our next girl, a spitfire heiress who has a dirty mouth! Miss Hanamura!"

Yosuke very slowly trudged onto the stage, having his hair up in the best ponytail Chie could've managed to make with how short his hair was. He wore a long pink furisode decorated in flowers and berries, a generic spring one, with butterflies on the obi.

"Wow, I thought he'd look nicer!" Someone from the crowd yelled, making him wince.

"You look lovely, Hanamura-chan! Do you love fashion?"

Yosuke bit his tongue. "Uh, like, not really….I'm not super into fashion…" He twirled his hair around on his finger.

"Liar! Yes you are!" Chie broke character to hiss at him.

"Shut up!" He hissed back from the corner of his mouth.

"We still got a few more to go, so don't go anywhere! Up next is a local schoolboy, a true Inaba prince who hits the books and cooks for his aging mother back home! Mister Amagi!" The announcer said, and Yukiko very slowly wandered onto the stage, holding her hands in front of herself. She wore a black kimono top and grey hakama with her hair all entirely hidden under a cap, a pile of books in her hands, but she blushed.

"Ummm…this is embarrassing…I don't like pants…." She confessed, trying to take longer strides. "They're uncomfortable."

"Awww!" The audience sighed happily.

"What career are you going to pursue after school?" The announcer winked, peeking at her from under his glasses.

"Oh! Uh….the inn!" She smiled and walked away, unaware of her casual answer.

"Okay then….next up is a gorgeous girl from the city. She'll crush your heart and never think about it after. She'd make even boys cry! Miss Narukami!"

That was his cue. Holding his head up high, Yu strode out on stage, walking slowly and remembering everything Yukiko drilled him on briefly as she got him ready. He wore extremely tall geta, which he walked carefully in, not trying to trip. He wore the extremely elaborate silver and pink kimono of an oiran, with a rich violet obi tied loosely in front of him and trailing behind on the stage. His face was made up perfectly in white powder with delicate touches of red on his cheeks and lips, and finally Yukiko procured a fake wig from the drama class and pulled it up into an elaborate bun topped with a massive golden crown with pieces hanging off. He walked over to the announcer and stared coolly at the audience, keeping his head up.

"Wow, that's beautiful…."

"Gorgeous!"

"Can't even tell who it is!"

"Whoever dressed him is a genius,"

"He's my favorite." The audience swooned and whispered.

"What a mysterious beauty! I don't even want to ask any questions for fear the illusion will be shattered!" The announcer laughed. Yu lightly bowed and took his spot next to the others, who all were as amazed as the audience. Yukiko tried to hide how proud she was.

"Whoa, they're right, you look like a totally different person!" Yosuke said with wide eyes. "I can't even tell it's you!"

"Didn't I do such a good job?" Yukiko beamed. "Especially for not having very much time. If I had even more time, he'd be even more beautiful!"

"I think that level of beauty would be dangerous!" Chie said.

"Now for our last two contestants! They chose to go together, so I'm announcing them together! First, a cutie who dubs herself the Queen of Photography, and a stud who loves introspective art and smoking! Miss Raccoon and Mister Shirogane!"

"Hello!" Raccoon waved eagerly to the audience and skipped around, wearing a light blue dress to his calves and a white pinafore with a matching bow. He retained the raccoon tail and ears, and had long golden hair almost to the floor. "Aren't I a cutie?!"

Naoto, on the other hand, wore a checkered brown coat and matching hat, adjusting her gloves as she walked onstage. The audience watched them raptly, entranced by their androgyny. Though, Yu was pretty sure Raccoon only looked as good as he did thanks to his shapeshifting powers. He probably physically made himself a woman, which should've been grounds for disqualification.

"Alright, who's the winner? Cast your votes, as the girls get ready for the formal portion!" The announcer said as the audience cheered and everyone waved one final time and left the stage, breaking their characters entirely.

"That was a riot! They loved you up there!" Yosuke laughed at Chie. "You played that role too well!"

"I just took inspiration from you," She said, fully removing her jacket and shirt to completely expose her very small breasts.

"We don't have time to sit and chat, we need to get ready for the next round." Naoto reminded them.

Yu started to untie his obi, frowning as it just got tangled up more. Yukiko laughed and helped him untie it, allowing the entire kimono to fall and pool at his feet, revealing his masculine underwear of thick leggings. The girls helped the best they could before leaving the room, getting ready for the formal section.

"Are we going to watch them?" Kanji asked.

"Why not? We might miss a few minutes, but it could be interesting." Yosuke shrugged, letting his own kimono fall. "Because no way am I going to be ready in a minute or two."

"I wonder who's going to win!" Raccoon continued to skip around the room, playing with his dress. "I want it to be me! But I thought Yuki-chan did good too!"

"Are you a girl? Come over here!" Yosuke chased after Raccoon, who just laughed and jumped out of the way backstage. He finally grabbed his dress, but Raccoon just transformed into a bird, flying away. Yosuke groaned.

Kanji pulled his dress off without much care, while Yu buttoned himself up into his suit. He felt bad for the clothes that were getting ruined, but what about it? They weren't theirs and surely the girls used random outfits they just had laying around anyway. They placed the outfits with the girls' things, sneaking into the crowd, who were cheering.

"What's goin' on?" Kanji asked someone.

"You just missed the formal part, but the folk costume part is about to start, and then the talent show!" The student explained eagerly.

"Aw man! We'll have to leave early again to get ready for our own talents!" Yosuke grumbled, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Welcome our beauties from around the world!" The announcer said, and the girls all walked up on the stage, twirling around. Rise was dressed in a traditional Spanish gown in deep red with black trim and a matching lacy mantilla that draped down her shoulders. She lifted her skirt up and clicked her heels, spinning around to applause. Chie was dressed like an American cowgirl, tipping her hat and winking. The Chinese girl dressed in a hanfu, spinning around so gracefully her feet barely touched the ground and she resembled a floating cloud. The girl from the drama class wore a slightly outdated ball gown in deep magenta, covered in roses with a large bustle and the skirt trailing behind her for several yards. Yukiko was dressed as a Dutch peasant with colorful wooden shoes, a bouquet of bright tulips in her hands. Naoto went last, surprising everyone by wearing male fashion, an outfit modeled after a Georgian peasant boy, she explained. She wore a long white embroidered robe over simple black pants and embroidered loose top with a fur hat on her head and boots.

Everyone clapped politely for each segment, including the boys, who quickly got ready for the talent segment. Yu played trumpet, as he promised, picking a song from their recent session. Yukiko played shamisen. Chie danced around, mixing martial arts with delicate dance moves on her feet. Kanji read some seasonal poetry he composed. Rise sang a song in French from one of her operas. Yosuke just did origami, which made everyone else think he was unprepared. As usual, Naoto went last, pulling out a gun on her person and accurately shooting all of the bottles laid out for her at one end of the stage, causing the audience to cheer. She twirled her gun around.

"She's a sharpshooter!" Chie gasped.

"Is that going to be her weapon in the Other Realm?" Yosuke wondered.

The girls changed back into their fall clothing just as the announcer cleared his throat, reading all the votes.

"The results are in! Counting all the votes for all the segments, the winner overall is…Miss Shirogane!"

"Huh?!" Naoto asked in surprise, being walked onstage by some of the other girls. The audience cheered and clapped for her as she shyly waved, her face red.

"Indeed! You got the highest scores in both the talent and crossdressing portions, and the second-highest for the formal portion!"

"Oh…" She blushed beside herself while the girls congratulated her.

"I'm a bit sad though. I thought I did a good job on you," Yukiko pouted playfully to Yu, and he pouted back. "Oh! Since it's a special day, why don't we end the night at my inn? We could get cozy and relax in the hot springs…"

"Hot springs?! Does this mean…girls in kimono?!" Raccoon chimed in.

"Are you sure your family won't mind?" Chie asked. "I mean, it's probably really busy because it's a holiday."

"No, there's not a lot of people there. They'd be thankful for the lively company."

"Then what are we waiting for?!" Rise grinned. "Let's go!"

The four girls all shared a room on one of the higher floors, which Yukiko did not mind at all. They all wore very thin and simple cotton kimono of one layer to function as pajamas, well all meaning everyone except Rise, who just wore her shift, drawers, and stockings, and Naoto who wore a very short shift and leggings. Yukiko supposed that made sense, as they arrived in Western fashion and would wear those undergarments, but she was still sad over it. She wanted to see her friends in kimono! Besides, these weren't undergarments they were wearing, they were like their shifts, so what was the problem?

After the girls got settled, Rise instantly collapsed on her pallet, sighing and pulling her hair down entirely, revealing the true length of it. "These are so comfortable!" She praised, rolling around in it. Yukiko focused on the mirror, very carefully undoing her hair and letting it fall to her knees, running her hands through it. She wore a light yellow kimono while Chie wore green and did the same to her hair, unbraiding it.

"Oh, Naoto-kun has never experienced a Japanese bathhouse before! We should teach her!" Rise said as they got what they needed and headed out, planning to completely undress there. Naoto lagged behind, shy.

"That won't be necessary. I understand more than you might think…" She faltered as the girls reached a benched area and threw off the remainder of their clothing without a care, almost running ahead before noticing she hadn't gotten undressed yet.

"What's wrong? Do you need someone to untie your weird chest thing?" Chie asked. "A corset, right?"

"No! I can do that just fine! It's just…" She sighed and slowly undressed herself, wandering into the bath area with the other girls. Yukiko couldn't stop staring at Naoto then, completely uncovered. The candles around them illuminated her in the glow, same for the twinkling stars above them to reveal an extremely foreign beauty. Her skin was pale and pristine like porcelain, while her hair and eyes were as icy as snow. And her most noticeable feature was of course…

"I knew it! You're huge!" Rise teased, pulling Naoto into the water with her despite her protests, and the two made a huge splash. Yukiko shook her head and got in too, the spell broken.

She was suddenly glad for the large amount of space the hot springs had. A huge pool, a large wooden deck area lit with candles, racks to put the buckets, and a small waterfall pumping water into the pool. If the girls needed to run around, it would be the best place, provided they didn't slip.

"Your skin is so flawless too," Chie chimed in as she swam around, grinning at Naoto. "Perfect and milky."

"And do all girls have a bust this big?!" Rise carried on.

"I'm actually kinda average back home…"

"And your hair will be so beautiful once you grow it out," Yukiko added.

Naoto blushed harder, unsure how to handle all the sudden attention.

"Oh, right, do you know how to use a hot spring? First, you-" Chie started to explain before Naoto shook her head.

"Actually, back home we had bathhouses, the banya. Similar to yours, I assume. You sat in the steam and washed yourself, then rolled around in some snow to cool off, then went in a second time for a rinse. You'd also beat people with these branches to stimulate their blood flow and warm them up,"

"Wow! Russians are hardcore!"

Yukiko laughed at the image of rolling around in snow naked after a bath, and hitting people with bushes. The Russians sounded more silly to her!

"You guys are certainly cleaner than most Europeans. When I was in England, some people prided themselves on not bathing, ever! Even I kinda skipped them a lot. You would bathe sometimes but most of the time, you used perfumes. Soap burns so it's best to not use it a lot." Rise said. "And you know what they use to wash your hair? Eggs! You crack an entire egg yolk on your head!"

"No way!" Chie's eyes widened.

"Yes way! It's to make your hair smooth and shiny! I knew some ballerinas who not only did that but also scrubbed themselves with oatmeal!"

"Were they trying to make themselves breakfast?!" Naoto said, making all four of them laugh.

"I've always bathed and relaxed in here." Yukiko offered. It was where she first learned to swim, even, untethered by clothing. Her parents quietly scolded about the Westerners who visited the inn and how weird they smelled and she agreed. Not just of odd food but also sweat and general body odor. It was strange and she disliked the sour smell both men and women carried. "It's all I've known,"

"And thank goodness for that, huh? Hey, let's race each other!" Chie suggested. The other three nodded and eagerly got into position, swimming rapidly to the other side. Yukiko dived underwater and pushed her arms and legs hard, moving with the water to propel her forward, and resurfaced first, taking a deep breath. Naoto and Chie tied, with Rise being last, who pouted.

"You guys are mean!"

They all laughed.

"Oooooh, I can't wait to show you guys my new moves! Check it!" Raccoon shouted before jumping high in the air, transforming into a big fish and splashing all the girls.

"Huh?" Yukiko blinked as she saw something shiny and unfamiliar in the water.

Chie screamed suddenly, pointing to the boys. "What are you guys doing here?! You're not supposed to be here!"

"Wait, I think you're the wrong one!" Yosuke pleaded.

"Unlikely! Get out!" Rise grabbed the closest bucket to her and threw it hard with a scream, smacking Yosuke right in the middle of his face with it. "There's more where that came from! Now get out!"

"We get it, we get it!" The boys took off running, still as naked as the girls, Raccoon trailing after them. Chie sighed.

"Creeps…they planned this!"

"Wait…" Yukiko ran through their words and burst out laughing. "I think they might've been right! I think I got the times wrong! It's their turn to use the bathroom!" She slapped the water.

"Oh…what do we do?"

"How about we just apologize?" Naoto spoke up. "It was an honest mistake."

Rise pouted a bit. "Okay, we can apologize. They should've at least checked though."

The girls sat around in the bath for a few more minutes before deciding they were done and pruney enough, climbing out.

"That was so relaxing, and somehow I learned a lot too!" Chie said, playing with her wet strands. "The hardest part is putting clothes on afterwards. It feels weird on my skin."

Yukiko tied herself up in her kimono and tied her hair back into a very loose ponytail using a matching ribbon. Chie wore her hair the same except with her ribbon closer to the top of her hair, while Rise kept her hair down. Despite their very underdressed status, they tiptoed into the room the boys were at, bowing a bit.

"I wanted to say sorry for what happened. I got the times wrong and you were supposed to be in the bath," Yukiko said.

"And we shouldn't have thrown things at you," Rise added.

"Apology accepted," Yu said. "It was a sudden reaction."

"Though honestly I'm not really feeling much like a bath anymore," Yosuke sighed. "It's getting late and this place is giving me the heebie-jeebies."

"Why? It's just a normal inn," Yukiko asked.

"You know damn well why! You have talismans all over this place! I heard crying when we were setting this room up!"

"The inn is haunted?!" Rise asked, clasping her hands together. "I don't think I can stay here then, that's bad luck!"

"Uh, what about we all just share our room? It's not scary and there's no charms or anything, it's perfectly safe!" Chie said in a rushed voice.

"You'd really let us?" Kanji asked in slight disbelief.

"Well, it's the least we could do, and besides, you're already seeing us basically naked as it is.." Naoto trailed off.

"I don't need any more reason than that!" Yosuke jumped up and the boys followed them, easily settling into their smaller but cozier room.

"I promise I'll be the perfect bedmate!" Raccoon said before transforming into a pillow and falling in Yukiko's lap. She very carefully placed the pillow beside her regular one, laying her head down. She closed her eyes, feeling soothed by the gentle heartbeat and breathing the pillow had.

Rise and Yu instantly jumped into bed together, no surprise there, holding each other close under the covers. Chie and Yosuke were a lot more shy, sleeping a few paces away, her kimono falling open a bit.

"Soon this'll be our reality," Yosuke teased, not making a move to fix her outfit. She buried her face in the pillow.

"Don't remind me."

"Will you make me feel like a man? I want to see truly where my passions lie!" Kanji said, staring at Naoto's mixed underwear.

"I'm not sure what you mean by that."

"Sleep with me! I mean, get in bed with me! Uh, but not that way! Get over here!"

Naoto laid next to him, sleeping flat on her back while Kanji anxiously slept beside her.

All-in-all, a good few days.

-Cultural festivals, often celebrated to coincide with Culture Day, are a newer concept. Instead, schools would celebrate the birthday of Emperor Meiji in late October and honor Westernization by setting up exhibits related to the West or specific interesting aspects of Japan like photography. Celebrating his birthday was also a big deal as this was the first time the public ever did such a thing, paving the way for every Emperor since then.

-Crossdressing contests for both genders were super popular in Japan during various festivals, as well as talent shows and other shows intended to be humorous or show off various skills. Another common one was farting contests, as much like nudity, due to the Japanese diet, they had an extremely frank attitude about farting.

-Old soap used to be made from lye, which burned the skin due to how strong it was and put many off bathing. Eggs were a legit conditioner for hair back then, said to make the hair shiny.