Chapter 53: Operation Ambush and the Fateful Mistake

The hot spring debate results in a tense, unsatisfactory compromise. Miki, asserting her authority as the trip's financier, lays down the law. "There will be no co-ed bathing. The girls will go to the women's bath now. The boys may go to the men's bath. There will be no deviation from this plan. Is that clear?"

Kenji and Rina both agree with a suspicious, meek obedience that sets off every alarm bell in my head.

We separate. I watch Rina, Miki, and Hana disappear behind the red curtain of the women's entrance. "Okay, Kenji," I say, turning to my friend. "Let's go."

"You go on ahead, my friend," Kenji says, suddenly clutching his stomach. "I think that last squid leg is staging a rebellion. I will be right there." It is the worst, most transparent lie I have ever heard.

"You are not going to try and peek, are you?" I ask, my eyes narrowing.

"Of course not!" he says, deeply offended. "I am a gentleman! I am just going to… stand here and appreciate the traditional woodwork."

I sigh and leave him to his "woodwork appreciation." My own goal is simple: avoid Kenji's inevitable shenanigans and find a moment of actual peace. The main men's bath will probably be full of other guests. The private baths, however…

On the other side of the ryokan, Rina is putting her own scheme into motion. "Oh, no!" she exclaims as they are about to enter the changing room. "My lucky hair clip! I think I left it on the train! No, wait, in the room! My hair will be a total mess without it! You guys go ahead, I will be right back!"

"We can wait," Miki says, her gaze sharp and suspicious.

"No, no! The best spot by the waterfall will be taken! Go! Save the spot! I will be two minutes, I promise!" Before Miki or Hana can protest, Rina is already speed-walking back down the corridor, a triumphant smile on her face.

My own plan is simple. I find the small, secluded path that leads to the private baths. There are four of them, each with a small wooden sign that can be flipped from 'Unoccupied' to 'Occupied.' Three are already in use. But the last one, at the very end of the path, is free. Perfect. I flip the sign, slide open the door to the small, enclosed changing area, and quickly shed my yukata. A second sliding door leads out to the bath itself, a space shrouded in a thick, inviting cloud of steam. I slide it open and step into the blissfully hot, soothing water.

The bath is a beautiful, stone-lined pool, surrounded by bamboo and looking out onto a small, quiet garden. I am completely alone. I sink into the water up to my neck, a deep sigh of relief escaping my lips. Solitude. Peace.

A moment later, I hear the sound of the outer door sliding open. I tense up, figuring it is another guest who will see the sign and leave. But then I hear the rustling of a yukata in the changing area. My heart starts to pound. The inner door to the bath slides open.

A figure is silhouetted against the light, obscured by the thick steam.

"Oh, sorry," a soft, feminine voice says. A voice I would recognize anywhere on this planet. "I thought this one was empty. The sign must be broken."

The steam swirls, and for one horrifying, world-ending second, it parts. My eyes meet Rina's. She is standing at the edge of the bath, her yukata having just been discarded, without a single thing on. Her expression is a perfect mirror of my own: pure, unadulterated, catastrophic shock. She was not expecting me to be here. I was not expecting her to be here. But here we both are. Naked. Alone. Trapped. The universe, it seems, has a very sick sense of humor.