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Umiri had woken up a bit before they had reached the town. She was looking out the window, watching as the sun slowly sank below the horizon. Next to her, Mutsumi was still asleep, leaning against her shoulder. The other passengers gradually got off one after the other until only the two of them were left in the bus as it headed into the mountains.
It had been a few years since the inception of Ave Mujica. The band had risen in both popularity and critical acclaim. Their music and performances had gathered a great variety of fans and tickets to their shows quickly turned into prized commodities. This increase in popularity had brought with it, however, an increase in attention on the members of the band. Masquerades had always been at the heart of Ave Mujica's world, but very quickly the need for masks and secrecy had spilled over into their private lives. Fans wanting to know their identities, tabloids looking for a scandal, … they all endangered the magic of their world.
This need for secrecy, apart from the stress, had also brought conflict into the band itself. Its members had only grown closer and closer over time, but they were less and less allowed to be seen together. While on paper it was forbidden to meet up outside of practice and performances, there was a silent understanding amongst all members that no one followed this rule. That no one could follow this rule. No matter the efforts to the contrary, none of them could help forming close bonds with the others or curb their desire to spend time together.
Umiri was thinking about all this as the bus reached their stop. It was a long drive and the days had gotten noticeably shorter as autumn had properly set in, making it feel later than it really was. The cool air was crisp and woke them up as soon as they stepped out of the bus. The ryokan they were staying in was a short distance away from the bus stop. A few banners with its name on them rustled in the evening wind, beckoning them over. The building itself had a visible age to it, but felt more inviting than run down, you could tell that it had been used and maintained for many generations. They took their luggage and headed inside. A girl, probably only a little younger than them, sat at the reception desk with an uninterested look on her face, reading on her phone. When she noticed the two she almost dropped it, scrambled to get it to safety, then quickly straightened up and greeted them as they reached the desk.
While the flustered girl fumbled with a pile of handwritten papers looking for their reservation, Umiri had time to take in the reception area. Pamphlets of nearby shops and destinations sat next to mascot characters and business cards. A scenic painting of the valley and its surrounding mountains adorned the wall. Next to it, a crude drawing of Mt. Fuji in front of a neon pink sky was taped to the wall, probably made by a younger child of the family.
It had always been difficult for Umiri to form deep bonds in the bands she played in. However, that also made it easy for her to break ties with them, both through the natural disbanding of some and the active quitting of others. But now… she had finally managed to get close to the people she played with. Sure, she already knew Uika from school and with Sakiko as the leader and director of the band it only felt natural to develop a rapport. Nyamu was neither the type that could be ignored, nor the kind of person that wanted to be left alone– now that she thought about it, wasn’t that true for all of them? Maybe that’s why they kept drifting closer and closer towards each other. “Badgers in a hole” as Sakiko once described them.
“Ah here it is! M-Miss Yahata and Wakaba from Tokyo. A room for two, is that correct?” The receptionist said, looking up at them for confirmation.
The small remark set off a bang of discomfort in the back of Umiri’s mind. This constant need for secrecy had really wormed its way into her, making even the simple act of staying in the same room feel transgressive.
“Umiri?”
Mutsumi was rustling their key in front of her to snap her out of her thoughts.
But the person she had gradually gotten the closest with was, surprisingly, Mutsumi. In the beginning they sometimes played a bit together before practice, which developed into them meeting up outside of the band for some jam sessions. Through those Umiri had gotten to know Mutsumi better, not necessarily through conversation, but playing. There was a time when they would meet up regularly in some grungy studio to play together, unwinding from the day to day challenges, playing whatever they felt like until the sun was setting and it was time to part again. Umiri missed those days, especially whenever she was feeling restless. They had to significantly tone their activities down since then, mostly only getting to play before practice.
She had finally found her place, did she really give it up again so easily for the sake of a masquerade?
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At the end of a steep flight of stairs several doors lined a wooden corridor. Muffled noises could be heard as they passed each of them. Their room, number eight, was located near the end. It was a small japanese style room with a narrow balcony looking down into the valley. A pair of blue yukata and other amenities were laid out for them on the main table. Weary from the journey the two decided to head to one of the smaller indoor baths right away.
The water was a nice temperature that made Umiri want to just close her eyes and sink into it. She had gotten a stiff neck and shoulders from the long bus ride, the warmth of the water helped soothe some of it.
After the bath Mutsumi sat down on the couch of the onsen lobby. Umiri came up behind her, put a bottle of milk on Mutsumis head,
“Here.”
"Thanks."
-then walked around the couch to also sit down. They sat in comfortable silence drinking for a bit until something in the neighboring room caught Umiri's eyes:
“It's still a while until dinner, wanna play some ping pong?”
Mutsumi agreed.
Ball and paddles were quickly found in a nearby TV-cabinet. A coinflip with the leftover change from the milk decided the starting order.
Mutsumi on serve:
ping
pong
ping
pong
Still relaxed from the bath, there wasn't much competitiveness on display. Once they got a good rhythm going Mutsumi started humming along a familiar tune.
“Oh, Symbol III right? How fitting.”
Both kept their play simple to enjoy the moment. Umiri was trying to stick to the rhythm as best as she could to make things easier for Mutsumi. However after a few more trade-offs Mutsumi was visibly struggling to keep up both the game and melody. As they reached the end of the second verse Umiri played the ball up in the air, then caught it with her hand.
“Not bad, given the disadvantage.”
She threw the ball over to a slightly out of breath Mutsumi.
1:0 for Mutsumi.
(After a short break) Mutsumi on serve:
They got into a steady rhythm to a song Umiri didn't recognize. She listened closely to Mutsumi's humming. The bassist following the guitarist's beat for once. As they got to the lead-in of the chorus, Mutsumi smashed the ball onto Umiri's side so fast she couldn't even react. Umiri had to go fetch the ball from the other side of the room.
“What song was that?”
“PasuPare.”
“I see…” Guess she got excited.
2:0 for Mutsumi
Umiri on serve:
“You're good, let's play for real this time.”
ping
pong
ping
pong
ping
pong
pin-
Other guests burst into the neighboring room, their ruckuss startled Umiri so bad she reflexively hit the ball with full force. It somehow still grazed the edge of Mutsumi's table, scoring a point.
2:1 for Mutsumi.
Umiri on serve.
Arm raised, knees bent, serve. A sting hit Umiri's right shoulder and she winced in pain. Mutsumi, ignoring the ball, quickly came over.
“You alright?”
“Got some shoulder pain from the bus. Nothing serious.”
Her pained expression was not very convincing.
“...Let's stop here.”
“Your victory then…”
----------------
The next day they decided to check out the town. From the inn a footpath led downhill through a small forest and towards the main street. Parts of it were just dirt and gravel, but stone steps and wooden railings were placed in the sections that were more difficult to navigate.
The town itself was rather small, mostly consisting of a few rows of buildings that ran along a gentle river. Shallow bridges crossed over in regular intervals and willow trees lined the riverbank. They still had most of their leaves, though every time the wind picked up, a few of them got taken along and either fell onto the street or the water surface. Almost none of the buildings were taller than three stories, yet their compact layout and the many tourists out and about made the town feel like a small city.
They browsed through the shops, trying some food here and buying a souvenir for their friends there. For themselves they also bought matching keychains depicting a grey heron character they had seen throughout their visit.
After walking around for a while, they sat down on a bench, sharing some Takoyaki they had gotten from a nearby street vendor. Eating in silence they observed the people that passed by. Many of them were tourists wearing yukata on their way to or from an onsen, their wooden sandals click-clacking on the pavement as they were engrossed in chatter and excitement. Snippets of their conversations reached Umiri's ears:
“Look, there are fish down there!”
“That place is famous for its crab y'know.”
“Oh my god, isn't that that popular musician!?!”
“We should go back and warm up some mo-”
Wait, what was that previous one? Umiri tried to pick up where it came from, her anxiety spiking as she looked through the street. Had someone recognized them? She pinpointed the voice to two teen girls, with their backs to them, looking through a magazine and exhaled with relief. This whole masquerade thing has really gotten to her huh.
Eventually it became time to head back for the day. They had bought a fair amount of souvenirs, mostly food, and decided to alternate who carried the bag. The wind had picked up, cooling off the outside significantly and making Umiri yearn for the warmth of the inn and its hot springs. The rest of the town must have agreed with the sentiment, as the two of them seemingly were the only ones still out and about. Only the sounds of wooden sandals echoing through the streets hinted at the existence of other people.
When they crossed one of the bridges a gust of wind blew upstream, whirling up the fallen willow leaves like confetti.
“Umiri, keep still for a moment.” Mutsumi said as she lifted her hand towards Umiri's shoulder. She almost flinched as Mutsumi picked up a leaf that had gotten caught on her coat collar, before letting it get dragged along with the wind again.
“Ah, thanks.” Umiri looked at Mutsumi. “Oh you've got one stuck to you too.”
She started to lift her arm, but remembered that she was still holding the bag.
“It's, eh, on your scarf.”
Mutsumi looked down and brushed the leaf off. “Thanks.” Her gaze remained downcast for a moment afterwards.
“Your hands are red. You still fine with the bag? We can switch again if you want.”
“It's not that bad, I can carry it the rest of the way.”
----------------
Umiri was in the great outdoor bath, arms crossed over the edge of the bath. Her eyes followed the steam as it rose from the warm water and towards the night sky. In her peripheral vision she could see the lights of the town below. The sound of the water as it flowed into the bath and the sounds of other guests morphed together into white noise that droned out her hearing. She only realized that someone was approaching when she heard the water shift right next to her. Mutsumi settled in beside her, facing away from the scenery and towards the rest of the bath.
“Oh, sorry for not waiting for you to finish washing up.”
“It's alright.”
“You seemed cold today.” Mutsumi continued after a moment.
“I guess I underestimated how cold it would get out here in the mountains. It is autumn now after all. Makes the hot springs feel that much nicer thought.”
Mutsumi leaned against Umiri, almost back-to-back and closed her eyes.
“You seemed ‘cold’ in other ways too.”
She could probably feel how Umiri tensed up at the remark.
----------------
Mutsumi suggested they pay the local temple a visit sometime. It was located halfway up the mountain their ryokan was on, along a roundway path that led back into town.
Mutsumi had noticed that Umiri had been uneasy since they entered the ryokan. Usually easygoing there had now been a tension in her. Was there something troubling her? Mutsumi had been on the lookout for signs of what it could be and had some hypotheses. She thought about how to approach the topic as they made their way through the temple rooms, peeking at Umiri every so often.
They had been in there for a while and needed to readjust their eyes as they got out. They took a rest from all the walking at a bench looking out into the temple grounds and the town downhill in the distance.
"You alright?” Mutsumi said.
“I'm a bit fatigued, to be honest.”
“Still got shoulder pain?”
“Yeah…though the onsen helped a lot actually.”
“That's good. Just say when you need a rest.”
They continued looking at the scenery.
“How are you feeling?”
“Good. It's nice to get away on vacation sometimes.”
“It has been pretty busy recently, with the band and everything. Still, it's good that things are going well with it I guess.”
“That's when rest is most important,” Mutsumi glanced over. “Gotta switch off. Get away to a place nobody knows you.”
Umiri shifts.
“Haha yeah. I remember back in school I'd always hear people talking about your parents when we met up. It must have been exhausting.”
“You get used to it.”
“Oh? It still sounds bothersome. I'm glad we have our costumes and masks on during performances.”
“Do you want to wear a mask off-stage too?”
"H-huh?"
“You've been tense, like you're on the lookout for something.”
“...” Umiri hesitated for a moment, her eyes searching for something to fixate on. “You said nobody knows us, but what if they do? How many people look like Timoris and Mortis?”
“...A lot probably?”
“And how many are together? Out on the street?” Umiri sighed dejectedly. “Since we checked in I've been thinking ‘Is it really ok for us to just be out here together?’ What if we reveal our identities and endanger the band? Everyone's been working so hard for it.”
“Would it break up the band though? We said it's forever.”
“Wasn't your previous band too?”
“...” Mutsumi averted her gaze. “We…are still connected…not as a band, but still.” Then faced Umiri again. “Ave Mujica is the same. Even if the band ends, we will stay connected!”
The relative firmness of Mutsumi’s voice caught Umiri by surprise. She led out another sigh or maybe it was a small laugh.
“I was just some for-hire bassist, yet here I am, being more afraid than any of you to lose a band.”
“Maybe you should stop being afraid of fear.”
“...” It took a moment for Umiri to process what she said, then she laughed, for real this time. “Yeah, maybe that's the part of Timoris I should take with me, not the mask.”
----------------
The atmosphere had lightened around them.
“It will take some time to get back, we should get going before it gets dark.”
The way back to town was a long stone stairway leading almost straight down the mountain, the forest around it dimmed the low sunlight even more. Umiri grabbed Mutsumi’s hand.
“Be careful where you step. With the leaves and all…”
“Not feeling cold today?”
"Hm? No I-” Umiri unconsciously squeezed their hands. “I’m doing better today.”
They didn't let go of each other at the end of the stairs as they entered the town. The setting sun had cast the main street in an alternating pattern of its orange light and the long shadows of the buildings on the other side of the river. People were criss-crossing between the different sections. The street lamps turned on one after the other as they walked towards their ryokan. Since it had gotten dark they decided to take the actual street instead of the footpath. Just as they were under one of the street lights a small car stopped next to them. The girl from the reception desk was looking out the drivers window just staring at them with a vacant expression, not saying a word before exclaiming:
“Ah! The guests from room eight right? May I give the two of you a lift? It must be pretty cold out here now right?”
“Thank you, but…” Umiri started, looking over at Mutsumi with a gentle smile. “I think we'd like to enjoy the area a bit more before the end of the day.” All the while keeping hold of Mutsumi's hand.
“Ah! I-In that case, enjoy your evening.”
She gave a bow, almost hitting the car door with her head while doing so, then drove off towards the inn. When the rear lights of the car had vanished from view, they continued their journey uphill along the streetlamps.
“It has been a while since we've been out after sunset together. When we're back home, let's meet up in that old studio again, Mutsumi. Not being able to play together like that has been making me restless...”
“Ave Mujica was the first band I felt close to, it made me happy. I feared that if it disbanded I'd lose that happiness too. But it wasn't the ‘being in a band’ that made me happy. It was you all. And I'm not gonna lose you that easily.”
----------------
On the last day they walked with their bags down into town to have a stroll before catching the bus. They were crossing one of the bridges as Umiri said:
“Hey, let's take one last picture here and send it to the others.”
They got in position, with the river and willows behind them. Umiri stretched out her arm to take a selfie and pulled Mutsumi closer with the other.