The next day was a busy time for Asakura and his team. They all left early in the morning and only returned to the inn at dusk. After visiting two of the nearby villages, the entire group was exhausted. 

Therefore, the moment they returned, only food and rest was on their mind. Even Rintarou, who’s stamina was by far the best out of everyone else’s, was now looking thoroughly spent.

“Keita, I’m beat! That last slope was my archnemesis. I swear I can barely feel my legs.” 

Even as he whined, Rintarou proceeded to plaster himself against Keita’s back like a human-sized sticky note.

“Stop exaggerating. Honestly, sometimes I even wonder if you really are over 8 years old.”

Keita tried to swat the man away, but this sticky note was too stubborn to budge. Rintarou continued to be glued to him even after they entered the inn’s small restaurant.

Growing exceedingly annoyed with this scene, Asakura shifted his eyes. By doing that he refused to acknowledge that slimy creature called Kurosawa Rintarou. In the process, Asakura even kept his distance from Keita, afraid that he might unwittingly start an argument. 

But everyone seemed too tired to even breathe, let alone quarrel. Thus, they had dinner in relative silence, with only Kota speaking from time to time.

As soon as they finished eating, Keita and Rintarou were the first to excuse themselves. After leaving the table they headed straight for their room without even looking back. It was clear that, whatever they were about to do, didn’t require the presence of anyone else.

That left the others to fend for themselves.

The moment they were left alone, Kota turned towards Asakura.

“Should we go take a bath?” Kota asked.

“Only if you promise to behave.”

“Eh?! When have I ever misbehaved?” Kota inquired incredulously, his eyes blinking innocently.

“I don’t even want to answer that question. Simply thinking about it is giving me a headache.” Asakura let out a weary sigh.

Kota opened his mouth, ready to retort but, right before he got a chance to say anything, his phone rang.

“Tsk!” he clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Why won’t they leave me alone?! I am having a nice, relaxing trip and they keep harassing me with calls about meetings and whatnot.”

“Well, that’s too bad.” 

Saying that, Asakura’s lips curved upward. The man did a very poor job at appearing upset because his friend had to leave him. 

Thinking this would be a good chance to escape from having to spend more time with Kota, Asakura proceeded to urge the other man to pick up the call. He actually managed to sound quite earnest in the process. 

“If it’s from work, Kota, you shouldn’t ignore it. Otherwise, it will become a hassle when you return to the company and find things are a mess. So, go on and take the call.”

Seeing Kota’s disbelieving look, Asakura continued to speak calmly.

“Don’t worry about me, my good friend. For now, I’ll go ahead and take a bath.”

With that, Asakura clapped Kota’s shoulder and left without feeling the slightest bit of remorse.

“Traitor!” Kota threw after him vengefully.

But it was too late. Asakura was already heading towards the changing rooms with a slight bounce in his steps.

While these two men were bickering like this, another pair of good friends was having a confrontation of their own.

After dinner, Kyosuke and Sato went to take a bath. They were currently soaking outside in one of the outdoor pools. 

Even though it was spring, the temperatures were pretty low during the night. However, that didn’t affect those who sat in the hot waters. The onsen helped make their bodies feel warm and invigorated, thus, challenging the chill air of the night.

At this time, Kyosuke was waist-deep in the water, while relentlessly nagging at Sato. The latter was leaning back against the side of the pool, massaging his shoulders and listening to his friend’s irksome rant. It was really quite lucky that his temper was pretty mild, otherwise he would have blown his top off by now.

"Things have already settled down, so there's no need for you to hide anymore." Kyosuke spoke fervently.

"I'm not hiding..."

"The hell you aren't! That's precisely what you're doing."

"Kyosuke, you're being unreasonable. You know it hasn't been easy to find a new project. And due to that matter… I have already caused so much trouble for Director Kyota."

"But that wasn't your fault! It was..."

"I know that." Sato interjected firmly.

He brushed a hand over his eyes, applying a little bit of pressure. It was a headache to deal with this now, but he knew Kyosuke wouldn't stop bringing up the subject if he didn't explain properly.

Therefore, a moment later, he opened his eyes and spoke in an even tone.

"That time I didn't do anything wrong. Director Kyota knows that as well. The fact that he supported me and believed in my version of the story was what helped me continue to stay in this industry. Still, I don't want to cause any more trouble. Until the dust settles, I'll stay low and keep my distance from any unnecessary publicity."

"The dust has already settled! It's now become a wide desert, bigger than Gobi. Only you choose to remain hidden between the sand dunes. What are you, a Bedouin?!"

All this while, Kyosuke flapped his arms up and down, splashing water all around him. His hair was sticking up and he looked like an enraged soaked pigeon. 

This picture made Sato want to laugh.

"What nonsense are you saying?" Sato eventually chuckled, leaning away from his hyperactive friend.

"I'm serious! I want you to come back! I want to be able to act together with you again!" Kyosuke raised his voice in a loud cry.

"Stop yowling like a wild beast, would you?! You'll disturb the other guests." Sato chided, splashing his friend with water.

"There's no one else here but us."

"That's not right, you know. There is still another outdoor bath next to this one. See?" Sato pointed towards a thick screen made of bamboo wood.

Sure enough, just like Sato said, on the other side of the wooden screen there was another outdoor pool.