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‘’This is great, Professor!’’ Luke jumped into the air.
‘’Yes, this is grander than expected.’’ Desmond chuckled.
‘’Yes. Although I have to say, it is still as beautiful as I remember.’’ the Professor smiled.
They were standing in front of a Japanese-style ryokan that had recently opened up in a remote part of Britain. The Professor had helped out the owners with a supposed ghost that haunted the premise, which turned out to be a rabbit stuck in a sheet that the brother of the owner had pranked them with. It had been an amusing case for sure. Now, the Professor was invited to stay a night together with anyone he chose to tag along for free.
Naturally, when he told his group of close friends and family, everyone wanted to join in, and so they did. Now, in front of the magnificent building, he stood together with Andrew, Rosa, Desmond, Emmy, Flora, Aurora, Luke and Clive. He had originally been afraid that the amount of people was too big for the inn to handle, but they reassured him that it was no issue at all. They would set up one large room for the men and one for the women. Since none of them were in a relationship with each other anyway, this made sense. Although Rosa and Andrew fake flirted a lot.
As they entered, everyone ooh'd and ah'd as they took in the impressive decor. If they didn’t know any better, they would say that they had actually visited Japan. Emmy especially was excited beyond measure; having had her childhood in Japan and actually knowing if it was accurate or not. She even spoke a bit to the owner in their native tongue without batting an eye, impressing the Professor and the rest with her skill.
‘’いらっしゃいませ、or in a more common tongue, welcome dear guests.’’ the cute little innkeeper lady beckoned them inside. ‘’Please take off your shoes. My husband will show you to your rooms. After you are done unpacking, please make your way to the dining hall. There, a feast awaits!’’
The lady stepped to the side and revealed an even smaller person standing right behind her. This looked like it could be her husband. His thick monobrow covered almost his entire face, making it hard to tell what expression he was showing. Flora thought it looked somewhere between sad, angry, relieved and… excited? She really wasn’t sure. The group thanked the innkeeper and followed the little brow man further inside.
The interior of the ryokan made everyone turn their heads. The dark wood columns, the feng shui-esque placement of the furniture, the open spaces around some corners that showed tiny gardens with simple things like stones, moss and small statues. The ever pleasant sound of running water made sense as they realised that the ceiling was actually built like a runway for a river. On some walls, the water ran down like a waterfall. It was all in all beautiful. When they finally arrived at their rooms, which were next to each other, the group splitted in their respective gender.
The inside of the room was what you would expect of a ryokan. Floors laid with tatami, empty space in the middle for the futons to be placed later in the evening and sliding doors on every wall for storage. On the other side of the room, the paper screen door opened to a beautiful outdoor garden. A little patio made them able to sit outside, where a beautiful view of the carefully laid out garden, which was filled with bonsai trees for some reason, was displayed.
When they had settled and gotten ready in their yukatas, the group turned to the dinning hall, where they enjoyed a magnificent kaiseki dinner. They had never seen such a spread. Tiny dishes with colourful food they had never seen before kept coming for what felt like an eternity. Luke and Emmy had been surprisingly silent during it all, since they were blissfully stuffing their faces.
After the magnificent dinner, the group decided to have a go at the hotspring that came with the experience. An onsen, as the owner told them, was usually filled with minerals that could have healing properties. The genders were once again separated into two baths, which were outside. Before they could enter the water, they had to wash their bodies so they could enter clean.
‘’Aaaah…’’ Emmy sat down in the water and sighed.
This was way more relaxing than she had expected. It had been years since the last time she had visited an onsen, and thankfully, they were true to the original. Flora, Rosa and Aurora joined as well, all of them sighing when they sat down. The water was very hot, much hotter than they were used to in their own tubs, but it still felt nice. Like their worries were washed away.
‘’Now this is what we needed.’’ Rosa said as she adjusted the towel on her head.
‘’I never expected this to be so...nice.’’ Aurora had closed her eyes.
‘’I could do this everyday…’’ Flora mumbled and lowered her shoulders under water.
What the ladies didn’t know however, was that a pair of eyes was watching them from the corner of the outside bath.
‘’So… we have to get naked?’’ Clive asked as he watched the other men undress. ‘’And then sit together in hot water with a bunch of men…’’
‘’Afraid so my boy.’’ Professor Sycamore chuckled. ‘’Come now, there is nothing wrong with a bit of comradery between men!’’
‘’Yeah!’’ Luke shouted happily.
He was mostly just looking forward to the prospect of a pool.
‘’Remember Luke, this is no place for recreational activities.’’ said the Professor, who saw through him right away.
‘’Right…’’ Luke sighed.
‘’Don’t worry lad,’’ Andrew said in a jolly way. ‘’just think of it like bathing with your family!’’ (he was already standing there naked and proud and very much looking forward to a nice bath).
‘’I never bathed with my family like this…’’ Clive mumbled angrily while taking off his knee socks.
The men walked outside and looked around. The outside area was as gorgeous as it was inside. With their bellies full and a nice hot bath ahead, they were sure to have a good night's sleep. That is, unless the boys were planning on making a ruckus. The Professor dipped a toe into the water and hissed. It was hotter than expected. The lady had explained that the water could go up to 60 degrees, making it impossible to stay into it for a long time.
Some people apparently fainted if they stayed in too long, which they kept in mind as they waded through. Luke didn’t really think much when he jumped in. He figured it would just be a hot bath. When he emerged his entire body in the water, he quickly jumped out and yelped. Clive found this less amusing, since Luke had clung onto him.
The two baths were separated by a tall wall. The gents could hear the ladies chat on the other side. The Professor was happy to hear that they were having a good time.
‘’Clive, wanna see who can hold their breaths the longest!’’ Luke challenged.
‘’Dude, you do realise that we can’t really go underwater right.’’
The two started arguing right after. The Professor was about the intervene...when,
‘’AAAAAAAH!’’ Everyone froze as they heard some scream from the other side of the screen.
‘’Oh hell no!’’ That was Emmy’s voice. ‘’You’re not getting away with this you creep!’’
A few more screens, some things falling over, a pot breaking on the ground and Flora calling out Emmy’s name. Chaos ensued.
The Professor and the rest of the lads had no idea what the commotion was all about, so they grabbed their robes and quickly made their way back into the inn. Surely there wasn’t a pervert in the ladies side of the onsen? Surely…?
The moment the Professor popped inside of the hallway, debris came flying through together with a small man who slammed into the wall opposite, and the stretched out (bare) leg of a certain infuriated Emmy Altava following.
‘’EMMY!’’ Flora shouted as she ran behind Emmy with a towel in hand. ‘’At least cover yourself!’’
The Professor froze when he realised that he was staring directly at a very naked assistant. Flora pushed the towel against her while Emmy struggled underneath.
‘’Flora! I need to...wait! This man...argh!’’ she couldn’t resist Flora’s secret strength.
The Professor was still processing what he had just seen, when he realised that the boys were probably standing behind him.
‘’Professor!’’ Flora shouted, making him snap out of his trance. ‘’Shut the door!’’
He turned around and pushed a small group of grumbly lads back into the changing room, and closed the door.
‘’What happened?!’’ Luke shouted from the back of the group, still blissfully unaware since Clive had been so kind to cover his eyes.
‘’Just um…’’ Clive looked to the Professor for guidance, who currently had a very red face.
‘’We’ll tell you when you’re older.’’ the Professor finally sighed and pinched the bridge between his brows.
‘’Wot!’’ Luke protested, but couldn’t do much to the elders.
Andrew just chuckled and patted Hershel sympathetically on the back. Desmond had his back turned to the group, since he didn’t really care for the situation in the first place.
The innkeeper had heard the commotion as well and rushed to the hallway where Emmy had finally wrapped the towel around her body.
‘’What happe….OH MY WORD!’’
It took everything in her small body not to faint on the spot. On the other side of the hallway lay a man clearly unconscious with a large and painful looking bruise on his forehead.
‘’This 変態 (pervert) was deluded enough to think that he could get a peak in.’’ Emmy said with her hand balled into a fist.
‘’This…’’ the lady of the inn sighed. ‘’Is my brother. The, uhm, person the kind Professor caught a while back. He… has a tendency to spy on people. I apologize.’’
She looked distraught.
‘’Hmph. Well, it’s fine I guess. Just make sure he doesn’t do it anymore in the bath area. Especially the women’s bath area…’’
The lady bowed deeply while apologizing and dragging her unconscious brother along with her. Emmy and Flora returned to the bath, where the rest was waiting with worried eyes. Flora explained what happened and tried to calm Emmy down a bit.
After another 10 minutes or so in the water to relax, the group decided to get dressed.
The rest of the evening had gone smooth enough. Rosa had taken it upon herself to explain to the men what had happened and the rest chilled in their rooms until it had gotten late enough to sleep. Which they didn’t do, since it was just too much fun to go to sleep. Emmy was still filled with adrenaline. She needed to take a walk. She walked into the garden until she was standing on top of a bridge somewhere at the center. Under the bridge, a cute little pond with koi fish was made.
Emmy sighed and leaned on her elbow. The scene from before played out in her head and she could feel anger bubble up. That stupid man.
‘’Emmy?’’
‘’Hm?’’ Emmy turned to her side and found the Professor with a cup of tea in hand.
‘’Oh, hey professor.’’
When she said that, a flash from before crossed her mind. He had been there hadn’t he…? He took a spot next to her and started chatting about the onsen and the ryokan. Emmy was barely listening. Her face had grown hot. All she could think off was that one moment, when he had opened the door and saw her...
‘’You saw me naked, didn’t you?’’
The Professor choked on his tea and started coughing hard. Emmy patted him on the back and could only laugh. She had expected as much.
‘’I’m sorry my dear. I hadn’t expected you to dropkick someone across the hallway in such an...exposed manner.’’ he tried to say calmly.
‘’Well, you’d see it one way or another.’’ Emmy mumbled.
‘’What was that?’’
‘’Nothing.’’
They continued talking in peace until the moon passed by the tree in the backyard. Emmy gave the Professor a peck on the cheek before getting up and walking to her own room, leaving him behind with a blush.
The Professor had turned to the men’s room a while after, where he found the rest sitting on their futons with a pack of cards in play. He sat down on his own futon.
‘’So, Professor,’’ Clive started.
‘’Yes?’’
‘’We were wondering when you and Emmy are getting together.’’
The only sound that was heard was the placement of cards on top of others.
‘’Sorry my boy, I don’t think I got that.’’ the Professor smiled half-heartedly.
‘’I was wondering the same, Hersh.’’ Desmond added. ‘’You two have been ogling each other for a while now. Isn’t it time?’’
The Professor stared at his brother with a frown. What was he saying?
‘’She has been quite obvious with her advenances in my opinion.’’ Andrew said.
‘’Emmy… likes me?’’
The group stopped playing cards and looked to the very confused Professor. Luke was the first to burst out laughing.
‘’Wow Professor, even I saw it!’’
‘’Oh...I thought it was obvious?’’ Desmond chuckled.
‘’W-what?!’’ Hershel couldn’t believe his ears.
‘’Really Professor? You didn’t know?’’ Clive asked.
‘’I thought you just weren’t telling us!’’ Luke complained.
‘’She had been fond of you for quite some time my boy. No wonder she gets frustrated from time to time…’’ Andrew said.
The other men hummed in agreement, making the Professor even more confused. Emmy was in love with him?? All this time??? And he didn’t know… he didn’t realise!? He grabbed the sides of his face and felt steam coming from his ears. He couldn’t believe it. They had been close, for sure, but… he always thought it was just because they were such good friends?! Not...potential lovers??
‘’So, how do you feel about her?’’ Clive asked. ‘’I eh... think she’d like to know by now.’’
‘’I...I…’’
Hershel felt like the dumbest person alive.
‘’I’m going to look for her.’’
‘’Good luck.’’ Desmond placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and squeezed. ‘’Although I’m sure you won’t need it.’’
The professor walked through the Ryokan with his heart hammering in his chest. He still couldn’t believe it. And even more that everyone had noticed and he hadn’t… he felt like a fool. How long had she been waiting? How long since she started feeling that way for him? How long since he… started to feel that about her. He had mistaken love for admiration and close friendship. But this was love for sure. He knew it.
He had knocked on the women’s door before to see if Emmy had returned for the night, but the ladies informed him that she was still out and about. Where exactly, they had no idea. After searching for a while, he felt relieved when he found her on the patio just outside their rooms. She was lounging on the veranda with her legs dangling in the air. She looked happy enough. Happy enough for… a confession perhaps?
‘’E-Em…’’ he could feel his voice failing on him.
Emmy slanted her head in his direction and immediately smiled.
‘’So we meet again!’’ she laughed.
The professor swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded. He walked up to her and took a spot besides her on the veranda. Where was he going to pull this courage from? He wasn’t sure.
‘’Were… you looking for me?’’ she asked.
He turned his head to look at her and felt his cheeks flush. He was. But. Now he kinda wanted to flee again. He opted to nod again instead.
‘’Hmm… anything I can help you with?’’
He was going to have to talk some time.
‘’Y-yes.’’
‘’Alright!’’ she said brightly.
God why was she so bright. And kind. And beautiful. And sweet. He wanted to tell her how he felt. And how sorry he was for seeing her naked before. And how he wanted to thank her for keeping everyone safe. But most importantly how he felt.
‘’Come on, spit it out!’’ Emmy gave him a push with her shoulder.
How he felt, sorry and thank you. He could do it.
‘’SorryIlovednakedthanks!’’
Silence.
The Professor could feel his head turn into a tomato and all he wanted was to just turn to dust and fly away.
‘’W-what…’’ Emmy wasn’t sure what to do with this.
‘’T-that came out all wrong.’’ the professor pinched the bow between his brows. ‘’Sorry…’’
‘’No biggie.’’ Emmy laughed.
The Professor sucked in a deep breath and turned again to face her.
‘’Sorry for before… I wanted to see what was happening. Thank you for protecting everyone and…’’
He took a hold of her hand and brought it up to his mouth to place a kiss on top.
‘’...I like you.’’
Now it was Emmy’s turn to blush. Before she could say anything in return however, all hell broke loose around them. Several doors opened, a screaming Aurora, Flora and Rosa appeared from the women’s room, following once again the pervy brother of the innkeeper. From the other room appeared Desmond, Clive, Luke and Andrew, who had been listening in from inside and the door broke from the sheer pressure. In front of them, in the garden, the lady innkeeper and her husband were shouting at each other about the lady’s brother and somewhere not far off, a dog had started howling.
So much for romantic.