Our first destination was the faraway Village of Bandai. We arrived there by dusk.
The Village of Bandai was very small, but also, very animated. In effect, the streets of the village resembled a funfair all year round. Everywhere the eyes fell, there were street vendors and attractions, with traditional lanterns and colorful light bulbs illuminating each one of the alleys of the village.
All the houses were wooden and they stood closely to one another, and in the middle of the village, was a plaza with a large water fountain. At each street corner, we could catch a different aroma of food, with the scent of candy-floss floating generally in the air.
It was the first time that I was visiting this village and I was mesmerized by its gay atmosphere.
Takara-san dropped us at the doors of the single ryokan of the village, before he parted with us to return to Kokubunji to spend the Golden Week with his family. The ryokan was quite large and one-storied, its entrance door opening directly onto one of the streets on the village.
There was a young woman- clothed in a kimono- standing behind the reception counter when we entered the lobby, and she greeted us with a bow. Tsubasa-sama moved forward to talk to her, together with the boys, while I moved slightly to the side to speak on the phone.
It was Katsura-san who was calling me to ask me how my Kagura dance practice was advancing.
Scratching the back of my head and giggling nervously, I admitted, 'Well, well, the truth is that, I didn't really get the time to practice at all today.'
I had been visiting my mother at the hospital this morning when I had received Shunsui's phone call and I had rushed to his place. After that, I had started to pack up, and we were en route for Bandai.
Bringing myself back together rapidly, though, I told her, in a promise, 'But I should be ready for the funfair on Saturday!'
'Ja, ganbatte kudasai ne!' she said, in a motherly tone, and closing my eyes and smiling, I replied, 'Hai, ganbarimasu!'
After we had hung up, I turned around and saw that Tsubasa-sama was watching me with an expectant look, while the boys were handing over our luggage to a male attendant of the ryokan.
Closing the small distance between us, the blonde woman asked me, 'Ne, ne, Hime, I heard you speaking on the phone about a funfair in Kokubunji. Do you mind my asking you what it's all about?'
I shook my head rapidly in answer to assure her that I really didn't mind, and explained to her how I had met Katsura-san, our preoccupation in regards to the state of the city's local shrine, and what we were planning to do.
'Wah! It's a superb idea!' she exclaimed, with delight. 'It's been such a long time since no one has organized a funfair at the shrine! I'm sure that it will help the situation a whole lot! Say, do you think you could put me in contact with your friend?! I'd really love to bring my help the best way I can!'
My eyes widened at her.
She wants... to help us?
My heart swelled.
Oh, Tsubasa-sama…
I had been feeling so guilty at leaving Katsura-san all alone to organize everything. Tsubasa-sama's help was the most welcomed.
'And say, are you organizing a Kagura dance?' she asked. 'I heard you mention about practicing something!'
Lowering my eyes and squirming with shyness, I nodded once, and informed her, 'I'll be dancing with a friend of mine!'
'Yes!' she cried, excitedly, putting one of her fists up and making a small jump in the air. 'Oh, I love kagura dances! Ne, ne, Hime, will you allow me to help you to practice?'
My eyes went wide at her again.
She wants to help me to practice?!
I was extremely touched by her proposal, but I also felt extremely nervous. I was scared of ridiculing myself in front of her. Nevertheless, I accepted her help with gratitude.
Enthralled, she made another jump in the air, to cry a big "yes", before she told me that she was going to ask the receptionist immediately if there was any room that we could use for my dance practice, and on these words, she ran back to the reception. When she returned a few minutes later, it was to announce to me mirthfully that she had been able to speak to the manager and that we had the approval of the latter to utilize one of the unused rooms of the ryokan.
By that moment, the boys were done with all the arrangements of our stay, and they came to inform us that they were going to take a walk outside to have a look around the village, and asked us if we wanted to tag along with them.
'No, no! You carry on!' Tsubasa-sama replied, and grabbing hold of my hand, she was already dragging me away with her with great enthusiasm for us to get started without any further delay.
***
An hour later…
'I think we can stop here for today,' Tsubasa-sama declared, in a pleasant tone, and I nodded in agreement, giving her a smile.
It was already dark outside by now.
As we were about to head out of the room, suddenly, the door slid open and we looked up to see Shunsui and Gōjun appear in the doorway.
'Ah, the boys, you're back?!' the blonde woman exclaimed at them.
'Are you done?! That's great!' Shunsui told us, before he held out to me a long piece of paper, declaring, 'This is for you!'
Eh? I gave him an intrigued look, before I took the paper from him to peruse it.
It was a list of dishes.
Looking up at his face again, I gave him the same intrigued look as before, only for him to put his forefinger up at me and close his eyes, to announce to me, with a cheery smile, 'It's a list of all the dishes that you're going to prepare for us for dinner!'
EH?!
I jumped backward to stare at him and Gōjun.
Is he- Are they serious?!
'I've already had a word with the manager. He's okay with your using the kitchen!'
My mouth hung open.
I understand better now why he wanted to bring me along with them on vacation!
Automatically, I turned to Tsubasa-sama, giving her a small moan, expecting her to get me out of this situation.
Giving me a sheepish smile, the blonde woman declared that she was going to take a small tour around the village now, and wishing me good luck rapidly, she scooted out sight.
I stared after her, my mouth going further agape.
Tsubasa-sama…!
Humping my back, I sniffled.
I guess that I don't have the choice but to get to work!
***
After I had finished preparing all the dishes in the list, I brought them to the communal dining room, where we all sat to take our dinner together.
'Oya! Oya! I see that you know your mother's taste perfectly well! You've put all my favorite dishes in the list!' Tsubasa-sama exclaimed at Shunsui, happily, clapping her hands once as she took in some of the dishes I had set on the table. 'You're so adorable!'
'Yeah!' Shunsui murmured, and for a second, the reddish-brown-haired young man intrigued me as I saw him avert his eyes with a strange expression- that I couldn't quite decipher- coming to his face.
Shunsui?
'Now, come on, let's eat!' the blonde woman declared, cheerfully, and looking back at her, I smiled and cried 'Itadakimasu' together with her, before we all dug in.
We had just finished taking our dessert when, Tsubasa-sama took out a small table-tennis racket from out of nowhere to propose to the boys, with a provocative smile, 'Is anyone of you ready for a small match? I'm warning you, I'm really good!'
'Eh?!' Shunsui uttered, responding to the challenge. 'I've brought my racket too, you see!' He took it out to show it to her, with the same provocative smile. 'And I'm warning you- I'm even better!'
'Ah? We're going to see that!' Tsubasa-sama sniggered, and they both stared at each other with a terrifying look on their face.
I cringed.
'G-Guys, it's only a game!' I stuttered, putting my hands up at them nervously, but none of the two seemed to hear me.
'I'm out of this!' Gōjun stated, watching the two of them cynically.
'Well, well, I guess that I'll get going now!' I said, in a nervous giggle, and getting out of my seat, I rushed for the kitchen.
Shunsui and Tsubasa-sama were really starting to scare me. I didn't want to wait to watch this.
As I entered the kitchen, though, I couldn't help but pause down to hung my head and let out a small moan.
After having cooked all those dishes, I still had to wash all the kitchen utensils that I had used!
I'm really being treated like a slave!
Sighing heavily, I grabbed an apron and dragged my feet under me as I walked up to the sink to get to work immediately.
I was almost through with washing everything when, suddenly, my attention was captured by mews outside of the window of the kitchen which opened onto the small alley on the side of the ryokan. Taking a look out of the windowpane, my eyes fell onto a group of stray cats. There were at least nine of them of different colors and sizes!
'Wah! They're so cute!' I exclaimed, squirming in adoration, and reaching out for a large sheet of paper, I poured all the left-overs of tonight's dinner on it and came out of the door onto the small alley to bring it to them.
At first, they all ran to hide themselves.
'No, no, please, come back! Don't be scared!' I cooed, and crouching down, I placed the sheet of paper on the floor a small distance away from me.
Slowly, they came out of their hiding places and hesitantly approached the food. When they had reached it, they watched me cautiously for a second or two before they dug in.
Wah! They are really, very cute!
I gazed at them while they ate, smiling happily and fondly. When they had finished eating, they seemed to have grown accustomed to my presence, and they sat where they were, cleaning their paws.
Hesitantly, I brought my hand down slowly close to the face of one of them, a female one, wishing to caress it. It looked up at me, and I froze, expecting it to scratch me. But instead, it lifted its nose to sniff my hand a little, before it moved away with its friends.
'Kawaii!' I exclaimed.
'Oi!' came a voice from behind me, abruptly, and startled, I jumped to my feet and flung around on the spot to face the person who had appeared out of nowhere behind me.
'Gō- Gōjun!' I gasped, holding my heart with my hand.
He gave me the fright of my life! I didn't hear him arrive!
I noticed that there was a burning cigarette in in-between his fingers. I guessed that he had come outside in front of the ryokan to smoke a cigarette when, he noticed me from a distance away, because he clearly hadn't come out through the door of the kitchen.
He was watching me with a severe look.
'Do you realize that seeing a young girl like you all alone in a dark alley at this hour could give ideas to someone?!'
'Eh?' I cringed away. So-Someone?
His face scrunched up at me as he took in my expression, and he snapped, peevishly, 'Don't look at me as if I was the pervert in question! I was not talking about myself, you idiot! I was referring to others!'
Shaking his head at me, then, he grabbed my hand, pulled the door of the kitchen open and threw me inside, exclaiming, 'Now, get yourself in, will'ya?!' And closing the door on me, I heard him fling around with a huff and walk away, his footsteps fading away in the alley.
I stared at the door for a minute, scratching my cheek and giggling a little, before I lowered my eyes and smiled blushingly, feeling touched by his concern for me.
When I had finished doing the dishes, I made my way into the game hall to find Shunsui and Tsubasa-sama. My expression turned awkward when my eyes fell onto the reddish-brown-haired young man. He was holding himself on his knees on the ground and embracing a wall, sniveling, with his eyes closed.
'What happened?' I asked Gōjun.
The latter was standing close-by, watching his friend with an unsympathetic look.
'What do you think happened?! He lost every single match! It was a crushing victory!' he stated, in a matter-of-fact way, as if, it should have been evident that there could have been no other outcome and that Shunsui should have known what to expect.
I cringed. 'Eh?'
Tsubasa-sama was, in effect, jumping with joy a small distance away, celebrating her victory.
'And now, he's crying like a baby!' Gōjun muttered, and I looked at his face again to giggle, awkwardly.
He's cruel towards him! He should be supporting him!
'Now, now! Enough with all these emotions!' Tsubasa-sama exclaimed, at that moment, running up to us. 'I think that it's great time for all of us to rush to take a bath and go off to sleep!'
Shunsui perked his head up to look at her from where he was, and still sniveling, he got to his feet reluctantly, to tag along with us, as Tsubasa-sama led us to our room.
Every now and then, the blonde woman would take a glance over her shoulder at the reddish-brown-haired male and chuckle, and the latter would give her an unnerved look and turn his face away again to sulk. I couldn't help but chuckle too, finding Shunsui's reaction quite funny.
We came to a stop in front of a pair of sliding doors in the middle of one of the corridors of the ryokan, and sliding the doors wide open at one go, Tsubasa-sama took in the appearance of the room behind it, exclaiming, in amazement, 'Sugoi! It's actually really, very big!'
The room was a traditional one, bearing no furniture, with its floor covered with tatami. And indeed, it was extremely large and had two pairs of sliding-door on the back wall, which most definitely opened onto the side-yard of the ryokan.
'Well, guys, I present you our room!' she announced, turning to face us.
Oh, right! I forgot that we will all be sharing the same room!
It was Tsubasa-sama who had insisted on it.
I took a glance at the boys, feeling all shy and nervous at the idea of sleeping in the same room as them.
'It'll be exactly like doing camping!' the blonde woman asserted, excitedly, putting her forefinger up at us, and turning back around, she hurried up to the set of doors on the back wall to slid the two middle ones wide open and take a look outside.
'Sugoi! We have a superb view on the pond!' she cried. 'And we have a part of the veranda to ourselves!'
Closing the doors again, then, she hurried up to our luggages which had been left in the middle of the room, and getting down on her knees in front of one of her bags, she started unpacking her things.
'What are you doing?' she asked, pausing down to look at us. 'Aren't you going to take a bath?'
And on this, we all got moving.
***
A short while later…
The ryokan had a communal bathroom that was gender-separated.
I left it before Tsubasa-sama to get dressed and head for our room.
As I arrived into the doorway of the latter, suddenly, I jerked to a stop when my eyes fell onto the boys. They had both finished taking their baths too and were standing shirtless in the middle of room, wearing only a pair of trousers, their chest completely bare.
Flushing tomato red, I covered my face with my hand to hide my nose-bleed.
'What are you doing?!' I squalled.
'Oh, sorry, Princess, but I can't sleep with a shirt on!' Gōjun stated, bluntly. 'You're going to have to put up with it!'
'It's the same for me! I always sleep bare chest!' Shunsui asserted.
Eh?! I cringed, flushing even deeper. They're not really going to sleep like this, are they?
'But say,' the reddish-brown-haired young man declared, abruptly, cocking an eyebrow up at me and grimacing, 'Can you tell us exactly what you're wearing?!'
Eh?
I looked down at myself, squirming a little in embarrassment.
I was wearing a long, sleeveless, cotton, white nightdress, that came down to my ankles, and which was covered with small motifs of cats. I knew that it was not very flattering.
'How old are you?!' Gōjun muttered, watching me with the same critical look.
'W- Well, it's the only kind of nightdress that I have,' I murmured, scratching the back of my head and staring at the floor, my face red.
'It's worthy of being worn by a kid from elementary school, not a young girl!' stated Shunsui.
'Yare! Yare! I think you're being unkind to Hime!' Tsubasa-sama growled at the two of them, at that moment, as she appeared in the doorway. 'I find her nightdress very cute!'
'Tsubasa-sama...' I whispered, looking at her with a grateful look.
She gave me a kind smile, and approaching me, she undid her bath gown to show me her own nightdress, asking me, with enthusiasm, 'And what do you think of mine?'
Shunsui and I gasped together, both of us struck, but for different reasons.
'No! It's not serious!' he shouted, on top of his voice, looking like he was going to burst a vessel, while I gawked at blonde woman's nightdress in admiration.
She was wearing a nightdress quite similar to my own. It was a sleeveless, white dress that came down to her ankles, but instead of cats' motifs, it was covered with patterns of two small Chibi manga characters that resembled Shunsui and her a lot in appearance!
'Sugoi!' I couldn't help, but cry.
'Isn't it nice?' Tsubasa-sama exclaimed at me, joyfully, ignoring Shunsui's reaction. 'It's the only one of its kind for the time being, but I intend to get more of them made and that with different designs! Maybe one with only our heads would be good! What do you think?'
I bobbed my head up and down, wanting to see that desperately, while Shunsui covered his face with his hand, to exhale, 'I really can't believe this!'
Tsubasa-sama and I took a glance at him, before we looked at each other again and chuckled.
'Now, now, let's go off to sleep! We'll have to wake up early in the morning tomorrow if we want to make the most of the day!' the blonde woman told us, after that, and the boys and her moved up to the futons that had been brought for us, to unroll them on the floor. That's when I noticed that there were only three of them.
'Oh, they've given us only three futons!' Tsubasa-sama noted, by the same moment, as she entered hers. Giving me a large smile, and tapping the surface of her own futon with her hand by her side, she told me, 'But, never mind! You can sleep in my futon with me!'
EH?!
I cringed, my cheeks taking a shade of red.
That's not possible! The futon is too small for two persons! In order to do that, I'd have to cling myself at her the whole night!
Her kindness was most evident in her proposition, but I had to admit that in times like this one, it made her appear a little creepy.
'No, no, thank you,' I answered, scratching the back of my head and smiling awkward smile, and before I scooted out of the room, calling over my shoulder at the boys and her that I was going to ask for another futon at the reception.
***
A few hours later…
Gōjun Shoran was awakened when he heard a sound in their room that resembled that of a door sliding open. But it was too brief for him to be sure that it was really that sound, or even that he heard any sound at all to begin with. But then, he felt a small breeze reach him.
A frown came to his forehead; he was still very much empowered by sleep.
The next second, he heard the same sound that he had heard before. This time, it was longer and very clear. It was, indeed, the sound of a door sliding open. And he could feel the breeze even better now.
His eyes cracking open, he lifted his head up to look at the doors on the back wall. His heart skipped a beat when he saw that one of doors was standing wide open, and he could decipher a small figure step out of the dark room to onto the veranda in the moonlight.
Is that Hime? he asked himself, and instantly, he looked at her futon to find it empty. What is she doing?
As he looked back towards the open door, his heart jumped to his throat when he realized that he couldn't see the dark-haired girl under the veranda anymore.
Where is she going at this hour?!
Automatically, he sat up and shook Shunsui by his chest to wake him up. The latter's futon was just next to his.
Scratching his eyes with his hands, the reddish-brown-haired young man asked him, somnolently, 'What is it, Gōjun?'
'Shunsui, wake up! I don't know where Hime is going!'
'Huh?'
The young man sat up immediately to look at Gōjun's face, with wide open eyes.
'But say, where is your mother gone?' Gōjun asked him, then, as he saw that the futon of the reddish-brown-haired young man's mother was equally empty.
Instantaneously, the latter followed his eyes onto the empty futon, to cry, 'Oh sh**! Don't tell me that-'
He didn't finish his sentence though, and pulling Gōjun to his feet along with him, he started to make for the open door on the back wall, urgently.
'Don't tell you, what?' Gōjun asked him, but the young man didn't answer. They had both came out onto the side-yard now, and their eyes zeroed onto the dark-haired girl, who was walking quietly on the grass, in direction of the pond, with her feet bare.
'Oi, Princess!' Gōjun called out to her, but the girl didn't respond.
'I don't think she can hear you!' Shunsui stated, and Gōjun looked at his friend's face for a second or two, in puzzlement, before he ran after the dark-haired girl to catch up with her.
'Oi!' he called at her again, but she still didn't show any response. She was looking straight ahead of herself, her eyes glazed over. 'Oi!' he called, one more time, waving his hand in front of her face, keeping pace with her. But still, there came no response.
'I have the impression that she can see me, either!' he murmured, before he staggered to a stop, as he realized something in a blinding flash. 'Is she sleepwalking?' he exclaimed, giving Shunsui a stunned look, and the latter replied, 'I fear so!'
They heard somebody approaching at that moment and their eyes shifted onto the said-person only to see that it was none other than Tsubasa Shigeizumi!
The latter was coming into this direction, walking bare-footed, with her eyes glazed over, just like the dark-haired girl.
'Is she sleepwalking too?' Gōjun gasped, staring at Shunsui. The reddish-brown-haired young man was about to answer him when, abruptly, they both heard a small bump, followed by two distinct thuds.
Instantly, their eyes returned onto the blonde woman and the dark-haired girl. The two had collided with each other and fell on their behind on the ground. They were now holding their heads with their hands and staring at each other with an astounded look.
'Tsubasa-sama?!' exclaimed the teenaged girl.
'Hime?!' the blonde woman exclaimed back, before they both took a look around of themselves, to cry together, with their expression completely panicked, 'What are we doing outside?!'
Shunsui took a deep breath and exhaled.
***
A few minutes later...
'And so, you're a sleepwalker!' Shunsui stated.
Tsubasa-sama and I had both returned to our room now and were sitting in a squatting position on the floor under the serious stares of the two young men.
Keeping my head down and humping my back a little, I nodded in embarrassment.
'I'm sorry. I should have told you about it. Changes in sleep environment is an important trigger for me.'
'I have the same problem,' Tsubasa-sama told me, and we both looked at each other to exchange a sympathizing look.
'You never told me that your mother is a sleepwalker!' Gōjun said to the reddish-brown-haired young man, and the latter held his forehead with his hand and closed his eyes, to mutter, with a small shake of the head, 'Yeah! When I was kid, she would sleepwalk to my bedroom nearly every night to get into my bed with me. And, in fact, it has even continued when I grew up!'
Eh?!
Tsubasa-sama giggled in embarrassment.
Looking back at the blonde woman and I then and lowering his hand, Shunsui took a deep breath and exhaled, 'Well, I guess that we don't have any other choice!'
Huh?
My eyes widened at him, wondering what he was thinking to do.
***
Another couple of minutes later...
'Uh… Can you explain to me exactly what you've just done?' Gōjun asked the reddish-brown-haired male, with a cynical look.
Shunsui has tied his left ankle to Tsubasa-sama's right one with a short rope, while he has tied one of my feet to that of Gōjun.
'It's dangerous to be sleepwalking! They could hurt themselves!' he stated, as he entered into his futon. Tsubasa-sama has entered hers too and seemed to be on cloud nine. She was now sleeping with her futon right next to the reddish-brown-haired young man, and seemed more than elated by his idea.
'I already know that,' Gōjun snapped at him, grumpily. 'What I'm asking you is why you have tied my ankle with hers!'
He was pointing at me.
I clasped my hands in front of myself, squirming in embarrassment.
'What do you want me to do? I can't sleep with both my feet tied!' Shunsui affirmed, bluntly, and switching the lamp on the floor off, he lied backward onto his futon and closed his eyes, ignoring Gōjun.
The latter turned to me with a severe look.
'I'm really sorry for the inconvenience!' I murmured, averting my eyes and scratching my cheek nervously. Crouching down rapidly then, I told him that I was going to undo the knot around my ankle immediately.
'What do you think you're doing?' he shouted at me, unexpectedly, the moment I touched the rope, making me jump, and instantly, I released it.
'I don't want you to touch that knot again, understood?!'
I gulped hard and nodded.
'Let's go to sleep now!' he stated, raking his hand through his hair, irritatedly.
Our futons had also been re-arranged. They were now right next to each other. I couldn't help but blush a little.
'Thank you!' I whispered, shyly. 'And sorry again for the inconvenience!'
He exhaled, sharply.
***
Sometimes later…
Gōjun's eyes blew wide open when he felt a sudden pull on his left ankle, followed by a loud thud, which was accompanied by a moan.
That was the leg which was tied with a rope to the dark-haired girl's ankle, and the loud thud that had so unceremoniously snatched him out of his sleep, was most definitely the sound of the girl when she had hit the floor. The latter had, without any doubt, got out of her futon to sleepwalk again, only to fall down before she could go too far because of the rope around her right ankle.
The young man stared at the ceiling with a cynical look.
'Are you alright?' he muttered.
'Y- Yes!' the girl replied, her voice muffled by the floor. 'And sorry.'
Gōjun took a deep breath and sighed, closing his eyes.
The night risks to be long!
Thank you for reading!
Glossary
Kawaii - cute; endearing