Steam, Secrets, and a Faint Violin

A few weeks had passed since the festival. After our success, even the number of club members had increased. November had started with the festival and ended with exams.

Now, we had entered December.

Since I was probably one of the most normal people out there, my daily routine had mostly consisted of club activities, school, and home. With exams approaching, we barely went out anymore—we were all focused on our future.

During this time, I hadn’t received a single message from Lyra.

No reply, no explanation.

Nothing.

Still, I was too occupied with exams for it to cross my mind more than occasionally.

The first weekend after exams, the topic of going to the hot springs had come up. A one-night trip to celebrate.

And that day was actually today.

The weather had turned cold, and the wind found its way through any gap in our clothes. We were waiting for the bus that would take us from school, bundled up in coats and boots.

Now, let me clarify a few things. I’m not particularly great at observing what people are up to. Even now, Yasu and Ray hadn’t arrived yet. After chatting with the group for a bit, I was just standing by the roadside alone.

I had brought a black sweater with me. With a thick green coat and gloves on, I was fully prepared for the cold.

The sky was overcast, giving the whole scene a gloomy feel. The hot springs were located in the mountains, far from the city, which meant it would be even colder there.

I could feel the exhaustion in my eyes. I had kept waking up throughout the night for no apparent reason, so I hadn’t slept well.

“Good morning!”

From the school entrance, Ray, Yasu, and Aiko were approaching. Ray was ahead of them, running toward us with his usual energetic wave.

The moment I saw Aiko, I instinctively lowered my gaze.

Ever since that day, I hadn’t been able to look her in the eyes.

The day after everything happened, Aiko had come to me and apologized multiple times, even though she didn’t remember anything.

Honestly, I wasn’t mad or anything. I even told her there was no need to apologize.

It’s just that…

Her behavior felt different.

She had always smiled around us and gotten along well with everyone. But that night, it was as if she had let out emotions she had been hiding deep inside.

The tears streaming from her eyes, the helplessness in her voice as she shouted, her strange, unreadable actions…

That night, I had seen through the mask Aiko always wore.

The others hadn’t noticed.

Only I had seen it.

And because of that, Aiko had started acting much more serious whenever we were in a group setting.

Our entire friendship had changed.

And deep down…

I felt bad.

Because when someone’s mask is exposed—

They can never feel comfortable in their own world again.

I knew that better than anyone.

Just as they arrived, so did our bus. Once everyone was settled, we set off toward the hot springs.

Most of the trees had already shed their leaves, but a few stubborn ones still clung to their red and yellow colors, as if desperately trying to hold on.

The ride itself was fun, of course. After all, we were the music club. It wasn’t like we were just going to sit quietly with our headphones on.

So, naturally, we spent the entire trip singing.

Duets, harmonies, group singalongs—you name it. The club president even played his harmonica alongside us.

By the time we arrived and settled into our rooms, I still wasn’t sure why we had chosen to celebrate the festival’s success with a trip to the hot springs. But honestly, I didn’t feel like complaining either.

I mean, what better way to spend winter than this?

“Hurry up!”

Ray had already started stripping off his extra layers in excitement.

“Relax, dude. We just got here. Also, don’t undress next to me—I don’t wanna have to curse my eyes.”

Yasu was unpacking his bag, shaking his head at Ray.

“Oh, come on! We’re here to relax and have fun!”

Ray was practically bouncing with excitement.

“This is totally because of that blue-haired girl, isn’t it? You freak.”

Yasu smirked as he spoke.

And judging by Ray’s immediate reaction—turning bright red and spinning around to face Yasu in shock—he had definitely hit the mark.

“W-what are you even t-t-talking about?! We’re here to have f-fun, right? I-I even brought cards! We’ll play all night!”

Ray lifted the deck in front of his face as if using it to hide his embarrassment.

Yep. My friend had fallen for her.

They were talking about the girl who had approached Ray at the festival. From what Ray later told me, her name was Sayuri. She was also in engineering. After the festival, she had joined the music club, and apparently, she had come on this trip too. They had continued talking since then, and now… whatever this was… was happening.

I was genuinely happy for Ray.

The three of us headed down to the bathhouse. Most of the other guys were already there.

After washing up, we entered the chaotic shared bath area.

If you asked me what guys in a public bath were best at, I’d probably say messing with each other.

People were splashing each other with freezing and boiling water, some were dumping soapy water onto others’ feet to make them slip—it was absolute chaos.

And since we were the only guests there at the moment, there was no one to stop them.

Fantastic.

Which meant I’d probably get dragged into it eventually.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the sauna in the back.

That was my escape route.

“Come on over here, boys!”

The club president was waiting for the perfect moment to throw either icy cold or scalding hot water at us.

Ray and Yasu, unfortunately, had entered just a moment before me.

Which meant they had walked straight into crossfire.

The whole room echoed with screams and laughter.

Meanwhile, I carefully walked along the edge of the room and slipped into the sauna undetected.

And it was empty.

Perfect.

The heat was just right. Honestly, I wasn’t in the mood to soak in the hot spring yet—I wanted to save that for later tonight.

And yes, I was definitely going twice.

Because why not?

I stayed in the sauna for about fifteen minutes.

At some point, the chaos outside had finally died down.

For some reason, no one was using the sauna.

Well, that worked for me.

The faint scent of burning wood filled my nose, clearing my sinuses. The warmth from the stones made me sweat buckets.

Once I felt I had stayed long enough, I stepped out.

Only the club president remained outside.

“Yuta, you were in there?”

He looked at me in surprise.

“…Uh, yeah?”

Why was he so shocked?

“The others were looking for you.”

“…Huh?”

“They lost track of you and got worried.”

“…You didn’t see me go into the sauna?”

“…”

“…Are you serious?”

“…Oops.”

I let out a deep sigh.

Well, if they had been looking for me, that meant they were done washing up. I’d go meet them after I finished, then.

The president headed for the exit.

“I’ll let them know I found you,” he said, waving before disappearing into the changing area.

Which meant I didn’t have to go looking for them. Nice.

After washing up, I got dressed and dried my hair. What are we even doing tonight? Cards? Hanging out? Chatting until we all just pass out? With a towel draped over my head, I stepped outside—

And then I heard a voice.

“…Will you go out with me?”

I turned my head toward the sound.

It was Sota.

A second-year. One of our vocalists. Usually energetic and determined. But who was he asking out?

Right here? Right now?

I peeked around the corner.

Sota had his hand outstretched, leaning forward.

And the person he was confessing to was—

Sayuri.