The next day, Kyosuke and Sato's group of friends left the onsen early in the morning. They had plans to go hiking up the mountain before returning for one last night at the inn.
On the other hand, Asakura and the rest of his team went along the mountain paths, checking out the scenery and talking to the locals. During this trip they managed to find a few good spots that could be used as filming locations. So, when they returned to the inn all their faces brimmed with satisfaction.
When they arrived it was already late in the evening. Food was now being served in the private rooms instead of the restaurant, so they all had dinner by themselves.
After eating, Asakura went outside for a smoke.
The air was growing chilly as the sky darkened. It was almost nightfall and the colors were a mixture of ultramarine and deep purple.
Asakura titled his head, gazing up at the dark firmament. He let out a deep breath, causing the cigarette smoke to swirl up in the air like wisps of clouds.
"It's beautiful out here, isn't it?"
A sudden voice came from behind and startled Asakura out of his musings. He whipped around and saw Sato standing just a step away from him.
The young man was also staring up at the night sky. The shadows dancing around him made his demeanor appear somewhat melancholic.
Asakura gazed at him for a few moments, his eyes tracing Sato's features almost greedily.
The young man's beautiful, clear eyes reflected the horizon, while the lights from the inn cast shadows over his delicate and beautiful face. The corners of his lips were slightly curved, forming a mysterious smile.
The sight of that smile gave one the feeling that he was holding onto a secret.
At that very moment, in Asakura's eyes at least, Sato looked just like a celestial being that had descended upon the earth. Yet, he didn't seem like the cold and aloof type, but rather a warm and mysterious being, who couldn't be touched by ordinary people.
"Indeed, it's very beautiful." Asakura heard himself reply mechanically, as his eyes remained glued to Sato's face.
In the end, Asakura's intense stare managed to attract the young man's attention. He lowered his eyes and returned a slightly embarrassed glance.
"I meant the scenery." He spoke calmly.
"You're part of the scenery at the moment." Asakura replied nonchalantly.
After having given the other person such a compliment, he continued to stare at him completely unabashed.
Meanwhile, Sato's face flushed red and he eventually looked away in embarrassment.
"Kyosuke-kun told me about what happened with Touma." Asakura admitted bluntly. He didn't think twice about selling out Kyosuke. Asakura glanced at Sato's profile and the side view of the man's red cheeks somehow made him feel pleased.
Those unexpected words made the atmosphere between them shift from awkwardness to seriousness quite rapidly.
"I had a feeling he might." Sato replied, his lips curving slightly. "So, now you know."
"I'm sorry if that makes you uncomfortable."
The young man had finally regained the same calm expression from before. Hearing Asakura's words he shook his head slowly, lowering his eyes for a moment.
"It's alright. There is nothing to hide anyway. Everybody already knows, so I made peace with it."
"Have you really?" Asakura inquired skeptically.
"Mn. It's been almost a year since that unfortunate event happened, so it's time I move on."
"It's not as easy as it sounds."
"Perhaps, but I have to try. Otherwise, Kyosuke might just go and do something stupid." Sato finished with a small chuckle.
"You have a very good friend, Sato-san."
"En, Kyosuke is very good to me. Having him around during those difficult times made the experience more bearable."
Sato paused for a second, before turning to look Asakura in the eye. His gaze was clear and unafraid, like that of a small calf staring into a tiger's fierce eyes without flinching. In this case, though, instead of a tiger it was definitely a huge, black dragon that Sato was staring at.
"Aren't you disgusted? After all, it's not easy to accept someone like me." he said in an undertone.
Asakura smiled. He silently returned the same unabashed gaze.
'So, that means Kyosuke-kun hasn't told Sato-san about me. Now I almost feel guilty about ratting out that brat. Oh well, I'll make it up to him somehow… maybe. More importantly, what should I do about this person's question? How should I answer it?'
But even as he was thinking about it, Asakura's decision was swift and without much hesitation.
In the end, he chose to be upfront about his own sexual orientation. Regardless of what would happen in the future, he wanted to be honest with that person. That way he avoided causing any misunderstandings like he had done before.
"Sato-san, to be honest, I'm the same as you."
"The same, you say." Sato whispered, looking a bit surprised.
Out of everything he had imagined, he didn't expect this man to say that. Quickly understanding what Asakura meant by what he said, Sato showed a small smile.
"Well then, I can only hope your experience was better than mine."
"I didn't suffer like you did, but the ending was still unhappy. I had to watch the person I've loved for 15 years fall for someone else. Before I even got a chance to tell him how I feel, he was already out of my reach."
"That is also very painful. Perhaps even more so than my experience with Touma. At least we got to share some beautiful moments before everything crumbled down."
"In my case, the misfortune was of my own doing." Asakura spoke in a self-deprecating voice. "I had been too afraid of the past and chose to hide away from him. When I finally mustered up the courage to speak, it was already too late."
"I'm sorry." Sato comforted softly, placing a hand on Asakura's shoulder.