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The day was ending as the sun slowly descended below the horizon. The void in the air had been filled by a light snow, and Sugimoto's gang had only recently formed an alliance with Hijikata’s.
The sound of gentle footsteps crunching through the snow broke the stillness. Shiraishi's horrendous directions had left everyone exhausted, and had arrived two hours late to the remote location.
“Ah! Look! I told you I knew exactly where it was! One of my lady friends owns it!" Shiraishi punched the air with joy. As he pointed to a secluded onsen deep in an ethereal part of the mountains, a smug grin tugged at the corners of his mouth.
“You fucking jackass...” A clenched fist trembled at Sugimoto’s side. “We spent at least two of those five hours walking in the complete opposite direction! What the hell do you mean you knew where it was?! And what kind of woman would willingly be friends with you”
Shiraishi drew back in fear and tried to hide behind Asirpa so that he wouldn't have to face Sugimoto alone, which he miscalculated, as she closed her fist and slammed it into his jaw. He rolled about dramatically on the snowy floor, grabbing at his cheek and moaning in pain.
Multiple sighs formed as they stared at the grown man.
“Well, I can recognize those pathetic groans anywhere.” A tall, beautiful, tanned woman, somehow, graciously slid the front door open. Her lips curled up in a little chuckle.
“Still causing problems, I see.”
While still on the ground, Shiraishi brushed off the snow that had accumulated on him and swiftly got to his feet. “Yui!” He hurried to her side to cling to her.
Ogata murmured to himself, "There's no way—" while Ushiyama clutched his shoulders in bewilderment. While the jaws of Kiroranke, Sugimoto, and Asirpa dropped, Nagakura and Hijikata exchanged a short glance.
“I do believe you all need a place to stay for a while, right?” With Shiraishi still dangling from her, Yui stepped aside and motioned for the others to enter.“We haven’t had business in some time, so please.” A polite bow was given to the group.
The group, still amazed that Shiraishi has a friend who stands him (particularly a lady), let themselves into the old but tidy hotsprings. In terms of size, it was rather manageable and cozy. A peculiarly wistful aroma of decaying wood permeated the entire structure. Yui ushered the odd men and young child into a room with plenty of space and a fair number of futons stacked up against the walls. On the other side of the room, there was another pair of sliding doors, which revealed a mystical view of the winter landscape.
“Please use them however you see fit. In addition to the beautiful scenery, our hot spring is perfect for unwinding. Feel free to take a bath while I prepare you all a late-night dinner.” Yui suggested as she tore free of Shiraishi's sweaty, hard grip.
“Hm–” Hijikata rolled his shoulders and furrowed his brow in thought before giving in. After a little pause, he announced, "All right, I believe we could all use a bath," gesturing to the small, paneled door. Quickly, Ogata led the way toward the bath, followed by Kiroranke, Ushiyama, and the two older men. As Hijikata got ready to be the last person to leave the room, he slightly hesitated in curiosity and looked back at the trio who were left behind.“You three aren’t coming?” he questioned. Sugimoto, Asirpa, and Shiraishi had stayed behind.
“We can’t afford to completely let our guard down. If anything happens, we'll let you know." Sugimoto declared. He adjusted his cap slightly before nodding for him to go. “Hmph.” Without missing a beat, Hijikata slid the door shut.
Shiraishi let out an audible sigh, as if he had been holding it in for far too long. “As much as I try, I just can't get used to those assholes. They are so tense and rigid.” Finally at peace, Shiraishi scratched his head and leaned back. Two pairs of knitted brows formed from behind him.
"You have too much of a carefree attitude, you idiot!" Asirpa voiced her displeasure. She delicately set down her quiver, containing a handful of arrows that clattered as it came in contact with the ground. The three sat in an odd circular shape facing each other. Quickly getting comfortable, Shiraishi spread himself out across Sugimoto and Asirpa, irritating the two, “This is exactly what she’s talking about—” Rattling echoed throughout the room as the door slid open once more.
“Sorry for disturbing you once again,” Aki bowed and slightly stepped into the barren room, “but I thought it would be nice to wind down with a drink.” Her slender hands carried a few ceramic cups along with a sake bottle so cold that condensation accumulated on its sides.
“Aki! You sweetheart, how did you know this is what we needed! We traveled so far, you know!” Shiraishi lovingly said.
“Because of you…” Sugimoto muttered.
“Thank you Ms. Aki” Asirpa sneakily grasped the sake bottle. Aki smiled and left as quickly as she had entered.
“Ah! Asirpa, you know you can’t handle sake. Last time you launched yourself through the tent, give me that.” Sugimoto attempted to snatch the bottle, but was easily outmaneuvered. “Asirpa!”
Shiraishi was close behind her as he took a gulp directly from the bottle. “Sugimoto~” a sly toothy grin formed on Shiraishi's mouth, “Let her have it! She’ll be fine!”
“YEAH!” an Asirpa who was already intoxicated yelled, "LET ME HAVE IT!" Her cheeks grew rosier by the second, and a sigh came from Sugimoto. Giving in, he took a sip himself, allowing any concerns he had fade away.
It wasn’t long before the three were fully intoxicated. Sugimoto and Asirpa were barely conscious, while Shiraishi had passed out on Sugimoto’s lap. The two fought the sleepiness that came along with the alcohol. Without the loud troublemaker, Shiraishi, both of them fell silent. The calm was quickly interrupted when a sudden harsh laughter erupted from within Asirpa.
“Man, did you see Shiraishi shaking when you yelled at him earlier?” a wheeze escaped from Asirpa. “He’s always so terrified of everything…” She crept towards Shiraishi to lie against. Shiraishi grumbled as she put her weight against him, “Ushiyama, you’re too heavy, get off…”
“Terrified, huh…” Sugimoto mumbled.
Asirpa turned to face him, suddenly serious and filled with curiosity, “Sugimoto, are you afraid…?”
“Afraid?”
“You say you’re immortal, but regardless of what you say, you are still human. You have to at least feel something, right? I know you don’t show it often, but I can notice it sometimes. You start to hesitate, like there’s something there, something that you can’t bear…”
Sugimoto paused, opened his mouth, and closed it again. He sat there for a moment, thinking, as he started to sober up. Asirpa started to retract her thoughtless question, but was cut off.
“Well, I guess I am afraid. Scared of a lot of things, actually—” Sugimoto drew a breath. “I don’t think I’ll ever be who I was before and that terrifies me. Every move, every thought, feels like I’m digging myself further into hell and there’s no way out. What scares me the most is that I recognize myself in you in some ways. Maybe that's why I’m desperately protecting you.”
“Sugi—”
“In a way, I feel like I’m setting myself up to fail. I feel like I’m making myself the victim, when I’m the one who did it.. But, it’s so confusing because it's entirely possible that I am in fact the one to blame. And you know what, when I think about it, I felt like this for a long time. Way before the military, maybe around the time my parents died…? I idly make decisions that make me miserable and sorry for myself. And when I finally tried for once in my goddamn life, it ended up with my best friend dead. The one time I thought, ‘This is it, this is what it means to be happy,’ it was stripped right out of my fucking hands, Asirpa. I am a broken record and I’m trying so hard to fix myself, be better. But, it all just fucking passes while I —” A hitch in his voice stopped him while tears that had welled up slowly fell. He took a choppy breath.
“Asirpa, if I disappear, who even cares—?”