There were a total of ten people people in the crowd, excluding Hiro and Yuki. There was quite a variety and differences of age and gender as well.
"Sup." A young man asked while sipping his drink. He looked about the same age as Ryouma or probably one or two years older," Wanna drink something?"
He asked as he came to them and offered them two cans of drink.
"H-Hey, Kirishima…we divided that. You can't—" Another man said in a timid voice, he was obese and wore round glasses.
"Huh?! Ya got a problem with that, fat-ass?" Kirishima glared back at him and shut him up. He had greyish hair and a good body build, a lean physique.
"Thanks for the gesture, son. But it's alright, we don't need anything." Hiro replied as he stood up and looked at him.
"Ya sure?"
"Yes. Also, everyone, sorry for barging in so suddenly. It may be a bother, but kindly let us be with you for a while." Hiro said as he bowed down apologetically to all of them.
Yuki was gone with the short-haired woman and the middle-aged one to a different place, so it was only him confronting them all.
When they all heard him out, most of them sympathized with him but some didn't seem to care, including the boy Kirishima referred to as a 'fat-ass'.
"It's fine. It's fine. It's not like they bought out this place. Y'all can chill all you want." He answered.
For someone being so friendly with Hiro, he looked at others with a bit of contempt in his eyes, or a suspicion maybe.
"He's right. There's no need to apologize to us," Another man spoke up, he was a middle-aged man, and was wearing a formal shirt and pant, like a corporate employee, "I am Masashi Heigi. Nice to have you around," he brought his arms forward for a handshake.
"I am Hiro Saionji and the one with me is my beautiful wife, Yuma Saionji. Nice to meet you all." Hiro replied with grace.
*
"Hoho, that's a nice body you have got there." The short-haired girl said as she looked at Yuki and the other woman in the women's bath.
Well, to be called a women's bath would be an understatement. It was a whole hot spring vibe with a sauna included as well.
Both the woman and Yuki were inside having some conversation.
"T-Thank you?" Yuki said as she stood up to greet her.
"Oh my, so reckless." The short-haired woman shouted as she jumped over Yuki's body and grabbed her by the waist.
"Ehhhh!!!"
"Nice to be young and active~~" The other woman said.
"I am Yui, Yui Kitagawa. Nice to have you here." She said while fondling Yuki's breasts in the water.
"That's lecherous, Yui." The other woman seemed to be more flushed than Yuki herself, though it didn't undermine the embarrassment Yuki was feeling.
"It's plump and firm, just the right size, Keiko san." Yui replied.
"What are you doing, idiot?" She slapped Yui's hands and made some distance.
Yui took off her clothes as well and jumped over Yuki again.
"Yui, control your pervert desires, it must be making her uncomfortable, you know?" Keiko said as she rested and immersed herself in the hot water.
"Boo boo, but alright. Regardless, it's so weird that we are here enjoying the bath and outside, it's chaos. Just thinking about it weirds me out." Yui said as she let go of Yuki and submerged herself into the water too, followed by Yuki.
Keiko leaned back, her expression softening. "I guess moments like these are what keep us sane. Out there, it's madness. But in here... we can at least pretend it's normal."
Yuki glanced at her curiously. "You sound like you've been through a lot before we showed up."
Keiko hesitated for a moment as she traced the small ripples in the water with her finger. "I suppose you could say that. It's... my son. Kaede."
"Your son?"
Keiko nodded and her voice was quieter now. "He's... gone. Disappeared right in front of me. One moment he was sitting on the couch, playing on his console, and the next... poof. Just like that."
Yuki's eyes widened. "Gone? Just like that?"
"Yes," Keiko said, her lips pressing into a thin line. "Before it happened, he kept mentioning some weird message that would pop up in his game. An invitation, he said. He finally clicked it, and... then he was gone." Her voice cracked slightly. "I didn't even have time to stop him."
Yuki sat up straighter, water dripping off her shoulders. "Wait. A weird message? Like something he could see but you couldn't?"
"Yes."
"That's... so messed up." All of a sudden, as if Yuki realized something from that conversation, she continued, "Our son, Ryouma, he was acting strange before we got pulled into this mess as well. He kept swiping at the air, like he was trying to grab something invisible."
Yui, who had been unusually quiet for a moment, suddenly perked up. "Invisible messages? Kids disappearing? Sounds like a creepy video game turned real. Maybe we're all just trapped in some messed-up virtual reality." She grinned, splashing water dramatically.
"Yui, not everything is a joke," Keiko sighed, though there was no malice in her tone.
Yuki, however, was deep in thought. "This... this might mean something. Maybe it's connected. Ryouma was attacked by a monster a few days ago, seemingly dead but I think there could be something we missed. I think I should check the video again, and let Hiro know about it as well."
Yui slid closer, "Sounds like a solid plan, Detective Yuki. But first..." She darted forward, grabbing Yuki's breasts again. "Tell us, are you secretly a model or something? What's the secret for such a s-s-soft and p-pulpy and-d-d bright skin, it's like snow." her eyes were infatuated like a real pervert in heat.
Yuki yelped, splashing water as she tried to wriggle away. "I did no such thing! Let go, you pervert!"
Keiko couldn't help but laugh, shaking her head. "Yui, give her some space. You're like a child who's discovered a new toy."
Yui pouted, finally letting Yuki go. "Fine, fine. I'll behave for now. But you owe us the full story later, okay?"
"Sure," Yuki muttered, sinking deeper into the water to hide her burning cheeks.
The conversation turned lighter after that, with Yui cracking jokes and Keiko occasionally indulging her with a chuckle. But in the back of Yuki's mind, the pieces of a larger puzzle were starting to form, she finally had that glimmer of hope she was trying so hard to find.
"Me coming here was fate, I assume." She thought.