Chapter 113: It is not your place to say such things

There was still some time before dinner, and since they had come to a land of hot springs and were staying at a traditional ryokan, it was only natural to enjoy a soak. Though taking a hot spring bath in the heat of summer might seem out of season, the four of them still decided to change into their yukatas and head to the baths.

"It's the off-season, so it's not very crowded," the hostess leading them told the group. "If you don't mind, you are welcome to use the mixed-gender bath."

Despite the offer, they decided to bathe separately. Primarily, Yukie Nakama was not very familiar with the other two, and while she was comfortable with Yuki Tamura—both being girls—adding Yuki Kamimura into the mix would likely make things awkward.

Before entering the hot spring, one had to wash thoroughly in the bathhouse. As Ye Zhao sat on a small stool, scrubbing himself with body wash, he sighed, "If I had a choice, I really wouldn't want to be bathing with Kamimura-san."

"I was just about to say the exact same thing, Ye Zhao-san," Kamimura sighed in return. The two men met each other's eyes, both seeing the same sentiment reflected there: *I really wish we could have done a mixed-gender bath.*

The large bathhouse was completely empty, allowing Ye Zhao and Kamimura the luxury of having the entire facility to themselves. However, scenes often found in anime or romance games—where one might be stretching comfortably in the bath only to hear Yukie Nakama and Yuki Tamura chatting from the other side, the four of them exchanging voices across the partition between the men’s and women’s baths—were, of course, impossible.

After spending less than five minutes in the water, the two men climbed out, complaining, "It's too hot, I'm roasting..." and headed back to their room in their yukatas.

"For a second there, I thought I was going to faint from the heat," Yukie Nakama said to Ye Zhao when they met in the hallway to head down for dinner. Having just finished her bath, she had pinned her long hair up, and her cheeks and neck were flushed a rosy pink. "Still, it was quite nice having the bath all to ourselves, just Tamura-san and me."

"It was the same for us. If it were winter, we probably would have stayed in much longer."

Dinner consisted of hot pot, sashimi, tempura, and a seasonal vegetable salad. The server methodically arranged the dishes on the natural wood table. Yuki Kamimura and Yuki Tamura ordered beer, while Ye Zhao joined Yukie Nakama in drinking chilled oolong tea and Calpis water.

On the television, Fuji TV’s *Music Fair* was playing, featuring Mayo Okamoto performing "Tomorrow." Having just moved to Tokyo from Kochi Prefecture in Shikoku, she had debuted with a song that would surely earn her a place in pop music history.

Though, to be honest, Ye Zhao could not really bring himself to compliment her singing technique.

While eating, Ye Zhao chatted casually with Yukie Nakama. "Have you taken on any acting work lately?"

"My manager, Mr. Takamiya, has arranged a few auditions for me, and I’ve landed two small roles—just as a student with two lines in a drama."

"You still have to prioritize your studies for now, right? You're in a college-prep track," Ye Zhao said, sipping his Calpis. "By the way, I’m planning to produce a film that requires many actresses your age. Would you consider coming to the audition when the time comes?"

"Eh? Is Ye Zhao-ge really going to make a movie?" Yukie Nakama asked, clearly surprised.

A slightly tipsy Yuki Tamura leaned in next to her. "You don't know, Yukie? When the President asked Takeda-san to apply for the company's film production license, Takeda-san’s expression was priceless."

Ignoring her, Ye Zhao squinted his eyes, recalling, "I remember when we were in Tenpo, I told you, 'If I ever make a film, I’ll ask you to be the lead.'"

"That 'lead role' talk was just for fun, wasn't it?" Yukie Nakama said, looking a bit embarrassed.

"Regardless, would you like to give it a try?"

"Of course!" Yukie Nakama agreed, though she added, "I’d be happy just auditioning for a small role."

"We'll see when the time comes. I'll have the agency send the formal invitation to Mr. Takamiya." Ye Zhao added with a playful smile, "Don't worry, there will be several other people participating in the auditions besides me. If you do end up landing an important role, it will be because of your own ability, not because I'm giving you any special favors."

It was still early after dinner, so the four changed back into their casual clothes and headed out of the inn, taking a slow stroll along the walking path around Lake Chuzenji. Past 7:30 PM, the hotels along both shores were brightly lit, and under the cover of night, Lake Chuzenji and Mount Nantai took on a unique charm.

Upon returning to the inn, the hostess reminded them that there was a ping-pong table available in the activity room on the first floor.

"It feels like the order of things today is a bit jumbled," Yukie Nakama said while hitting the ball back and forth. "Shouldn't ping-pong be an activity for after the hot spring?"

"I suppose you're right," Ye Zhao nodded, hitting a backhand smash that once again knocked Yukie Nakama out of the rally.

Retrieving the ball that had flown off the table, Yukie Nakama protested, "Ye Zhao-ge, you could at least go a little easier on me."

"I’ve already been holding back," Ye Zhao said with an innocent smile. *It’s just that your skill level is so low, I don't even know how to go any easier...*

Afterward, Yuki Kamimura and Yuki Tamura took turns challenging Ye Zhao, but the result was the same as expected: they were both smashed into a state of existential doubt.

After finishing with the ping-pong, they returned to their rooms and showered again to wash away the sweat from their exercise. Soon after, Yuki Kamimura called the front desk, and a hostess arrived to lay out their bedding. Two futons were spread out side-by-side on the tatami, separated by a polite, respectful distance.

A short while later, Yukie Nakama and Yuki Tamura came over to visit, and the four of them sprawled out on the futons, chatting idly.

"This feels just like a school field trip," Yuki Tamura remarked. Prompted by her, the four began reminiscing about their own school trips. Yukie Nakama told them about her trip last year, when the girls had snuck into the boys' room to hang out.

"I heard that before we left, the boys were joking about 'night raids' on the girls' rooms, but it ended up being the girls who 'raided' them instead."

"And then what happened?"

"We all played card games, and just when things were getting exciting, the teacher showed up and chased everyone back to their rooms."

"Haha!"

"What about your school trip, President? Any memories?"

"I've been wanting to say this since this afternoon—let's drop the 'President' title while we're out. If someone hears, there's no telling what they’ll think of me," Ye Zhao corrected, then thought for a moment and replied, "If I had to pick a memory, it would be my high school trip to Kyoto. I bought a mountain of Yatsuhashi and Kyoto sweets, only to be mocked for acting like an elderly tour group."

All three burst into laughter at this. Yukie Nakama nodded in earnest agreement, "That is spot on."

Ye Zhao gave her a light flick on the forehead. "You’re in no position to be saying that."

Yukie Nakama covered her forehead and made a playful face at him.