"It´s been a while since the last time I visited an onsen, I really could relax." — said Serina.
"The view is great too. I can stay in the bath for hours if it's to admire the view." — said Sayori.
"I can feel my legs alive again. Onsen is the best!" — claimed Mizuno.
"I wonder how Tomoki is doing." — said Haruka.
"He should be fine. Masaru-nii is with him. Aside from that, let's try the massage machine." — said Yuna.
"Mom! You're gonna end up sleeping again." — said Miyuna.
"She deserves to sleep for a whole week, Miyuna." — said Erina.
"It's just she wouldn't spend more time with me..." — mumbled Miyuna.
"Oww, you're so cute when you sulk. Let me hug you." — said Erina.
"Hey, stop! I'm not a kid anymore... Look! Natsumi nee-chan and Hiyori nee-chan came out from the mixed onsen."
"In the end, just a few men appeared in the onsen... but only old men." — said Hiyori.
"And what do you expect? Well, at least the onsen was great." — Natsumi retorted.
"I wonder how is the men's side. I bet it's incredible." — said Hiyori.
"Well, I wonder how it is... Look! It's Tomoki and Dad." — said Natsumi.
"So, both of you, how was your onsen?" — Haruka asked.
They glanced at each other and then replied.
"It's good."
...
"That's it?" — Haruka asked.
"That's it." — replied Tomoki and Masaru.
And then, Edomae Ayame, who heard the situation from far away, couldn't hold back when she realized the onsen didn't meet their expectations. Especially from a particular customer.
"Is something wrong with the onsen, Tomoki-kun?"
"It was amazing, but the thing is..."
♦♦♦30 minutes ago♦♦♦
"I kind of wanted to go with Hiyori-chan and Natsumi-chan in the mixed onsen."
"There's no way Haruka would allow you to go."
"At this point, I kind of was expecting this outcome. So anyways, it seems only the two of us will use this whole space."
"Yeah, it's amazing, right?"
At sunset we were able to appreciate the environment made by this onsen. Not to mention there was no one around us. So basically I could relax without being considerate of others... aside from Dad, of course.
"Hello, can I join in too?" — A man around Dad's age asked us.
"Feel free to use it." — Dad replied.
"Thanks." — So he proceeded to sit in the middle between me and Dad.
...
From all the space he could sit, why right here?
♦♦♦
"... and that's how we ended up in an awkward situation where only silence remained. We couldn't relax well."
"I can only apologize for our customer's behavior." — Ayame-san said.
"This is not your fault. We still have plenty of time to use the onsen after all, so don't worry."
"I see, then if something troubles you, don't hesitate to ask me."
"Yeah, of course. But when will you get free?"
"After sending everyone dinner."
"Woah... you really work hard. Almost like my elder sister."
"Fufu~ did you think I was just a girl who had everything on a silver plate?" — Ayame-san said playfully.
"Uhmm... well, can you blame me for thinking like that?"
While we were talking, her grandpa was giving signs to Ayame-san.
"I need to go."
"Have a nice work."
And there she went to attend another customer. At this point, I kind of felt bad that only I was relaxing while she was working... But thinking about this is meaningless since I can't do anything.
Let's go back to my family.
"You really talk normally with Edomae-san, I'm impressed." — said Aunt Sayori.
"That's because we always talk to each other in school. It's not a big deal." — I replied.
"But it is, Tomoki. First, men usually feel uncomfortable talking with women. And second, she's the daughter of Edomae's company president. Unless you don't know her, it's hard to talk to her without being considerate of her." — explained Aunt Serina.
"It's not like I don't know about her family. It's just without noticing, I started talking with her more and more. I guess sitting next to each other plays a big role in that."
Aunt Serina became silent and started looking around. And then asked me in a lower tone, almost whispering.
"Tomoki, tell me more about Edomae Akane, you already talked to her once, right?"
"Two times actually. One in the interview for the scholarship and another in her house."
"And what's your impression about her? Any detail would be helpful for me."
Let's not talk about her situation with her husband.
"If I have to tell, she seems to be a nice and reasonable person. Though, I don't think she sees me in a positive way."
"Why do you think that?"
"From all the time I talked with Akane-san, she asked questions that seemed like she was testing my resolve or something like that. However, as you can see, my test score is the worst when you compare with my classmates. I wouldn't be surprised if she tells Ayame-san to stop being my friend."
"Do you think so? Uhmm... It seems I really need to revise the project one more time. Thanks, Tomoki."
So Aunt Serina went to our room.
"Did I say unnecessary things?" — I asked everyone.
"No, it's just she's worried about the project. And since it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, then it's harder to just forget and relax." — explained Aunt Mizuno.
After this conversation, my mother and aunts used the massage machine, while my sisters and I were playing table tennis. As for my father, he started drinking sake while watching the yard.
We had dinner in our room and this time it was the grandpa who brought the food. And again, it was delicious. I asked him if Ayame-san was free now, but he said that she's tired and needs to wake up early tomorrow.
I guess we won't be able to talk today, and to be fair, I'm kind of sleepy now since I woke up early today too.
So all my sisters and I slept almost at the same time. While my parents and aunts were still awake, holding conversations and drinking some beverages.
♦♦♦
Early in the morning, before Serina went to her workplace company:
"Now is my time to work." — announced Serina.
"Good luck, Serina-san." — said Yuna.
"I know you can handle it." — said Sayori.
"Show them the power of a married woman!" — said Mizuno.
"You made tons of revisions all this time. You prepared more than enough." — said Haruka.
"When everything is settled, let's have a date. Good luck!" — said Masaru while kissing her forehead.
"Thanks everyone. See you later."
And then Serina went to her workplace.
She greeted her coworker and talked with the manager to settle the project once and for all.
"Thank you, Morikawa-san, for coming all the way here." — said the manager.
"Don't worry, but may I know why my name was requested?"
"Of course! It's actually the Edomae company who specifically requested your name. Then we had no choice but to rely on you this time."
"I see... so do you know who will talk to us for this new project?"
"It's a manager from one of the branches of Edomae company."
"Phew— I thought it would be the president herself."
"Hahaha, there's no way she'll come here to this tiny company..."
BEEP
"It seems the manager arrived. Let's greet her."
And both of them headed to greet one of the workers from Edomae's company.
"T—this way, madam." — said one of Serina's coworkers.
"Fufu~ no need to be this nervous. Thanks for showing the way."
Before they could talk to the employee from Edomae's company, still far from the person in question, the manager talked to Serina.
"I have big news for you."
"No need to tell me, it's the president herself."
"Well... good luck, she's all yours." — Then the manager proceeded to return to her room.
"Wait—"
"You must be Morikawa Serina-san, right? I'm Edomae Akane, the current president of Edomae's company. I hope this project will be a success and, of course, to get along with you." — said Akane while giving her hand.
While Serina was handshaking, the first thing she thought was:
(Tomoki, how the hell were you able to deal with her?)