April 29th, Showa Day — The Road to Sounkyo
"Yosh—! All set!"
"Let's go, let's go~! Next stop… Sounkyo Onsen!"
After a shared breakfast and the (jointly endured) dishwashing punishment, the Kasumigaoka family was finally ready. Luggage in hand, they descended to the apartment's underground parking garage.
The atmosphere was buzzing with holiday energy. As everyone settled into the family car—Touji-kun and Utaha-san in the back, their parents up front—Kasumigaoka Airi, riding shotgun, pumped a fist into the air with infectious enthusiasm.
Perhaps swept up in her mood, even the usually reserved Kasumigaoka Eiji felt a smile touch his lips. Releasing the handbrake with a soft click, he echoed in a lighter tone than usual,
"Alright then, off we go." The car reversed smoothly from its space and glided out into the morning light, leaving the concrete garage behind.
In the back seat, a shared current of anticipation hummed between the siblings. The promise of a long journey and a new place had them both feeling pleasantly restless.
****
"Touji-kun, Utaha-chan, shall we put on some music? It's quite a drive to Sounkyo, you know."
Even as she asked, Kasumigaoka Airi was already leaning forward to tap the car's entertainment system. A soft, upbeat instrumental track began to flow from the speakers.
Neither sibling objected. Touji-kun glanced at the navigation screen on the dashboard display. The destination was still over 60 kilometers away—a solid hour or two of driving through Hokkaido's vast landscapes.
"Okaa-san," he began, making conversation. "Have you been to Sounkyo before?"
"Nope! It's a first time for all of us," Airi-sama replied, turning in her seat to beam at them. Her expression then softened with a hint of theatrical regret. "Though it's a shame it's not autumn or winter. I hear the autumn leaves there are spectacular—'Japan's First Autumn Colors,' they say! And in winter, they have this magnificent Ice Waterfall Festival. We're visiting in a bit of an in-between season."
"Eh, what's the big deal?" Touji shrugged, offering a comforting smile. "You're going to be living here for a while now. You can just come back when the season's right."
Airi-sama's face instantly brightened, as if she'd hadn't considered that. She turned her radiant smile toward the driver. "That's right! Papa will take me then, won't he?"
Kasumigaoka Eiji took his eyes off the road for a brief second to meet her gaze. A deep, affectionate warmth was in his eyes. "Mm. If you want to go, just say the word. I'll take time off if I have to."
Score! The simple, heartfelt promise made Airi-sama's joy palpable. "Fufu, no need to go that far! Just pick a day when you're off work~."
The casual, sweet display of marital harmony was a direct, unintentional attack on the two in the back seat. Touji and Utaha exchanged a look that was equal parts fond and exasperated.
Just then, the playlist cycled. The gentle instrumental faded, replaced by a familiar, soulful piano intro, followed by a clear, heartfelt vocal line.
It was "Kasumi Utako."
The atmosphere in the car shifted subtly. Touji-kun felt a strange mix of pride and acute embarrassment curl in his stomach. Hearing his own composition, one so deeply personal, played in this familial setting was a uniquely exposing experience.
Kasumigaoka Utaha, however, saw not embarrassment, but an opportunity. A slow, impish smile spread across her lips.
"Nii-san," she began, her voice sugar-sweet. She raised one slender, pale finger, as if posing a scholarly question. "As the composer, would you mind sharing your creative insights and the thoughts behind this piece? Your onee-san is ever so curious."
Touji-kun stared at her, his expression flat. What are you doing? his eyes screamed. Are you trying to kill me here?
"Hohoho? That does sound interesting!" Kasumigaoka Airi chirped, peeking at them through the rearview mirror, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Mama would love to know, too!"
Even Kasumigaoka Eiji's gaze flicked to the mirror, his curiosity quietly piqued.
Touji-kun felt the walls closing in. He narrowed his eyes at his smirking sister. Two could play at this game.
"Well," he said, his tone turning deliberately casual. "I'd also love to know the creative insights and thoughts behind 'Love Metronome,' Kasumi Utako-sensei. Would you care to share?"
Come on then! his challenging gaze said. Let's go down together!
"Otouto-kun, please don't change the subject," Utaha-san replied, her composure unshaken, that elegant, teasing smile still firmly in place.
"Exactly, don't change the subject!" Airi-sama, having fully embraced her role as agent of chaos, nodded vigorously from the front. While she loved seeing her daughter's playful side, there was a special delight in watching her usually unflappable son squirm.
Of course, she had no intention of letting her daughter off the hook either—Kasumigaoka Airi was prepared to sink both ships!
Touji-kun let out a long, defeated sigh. He raised a hand to his forehead, as if gathering his scattered dignity, then let it fall with a resigned flap.
"Fine, fine!" he conceded, spreading his hands in a gesture of surrender. "It's just… turning what's in your heart into music. It's really that simple!"
"Hmm…" Utaha-san immediately mirrored him, adopting an identical tone and the same hand-spreading gesture. "I also just turned what's in my heart into a light novel. It's that simple~."
"Ara ara, aren't you two being far too perfunctory?" Airi-sama pouted, unsatisfied. "No, no, try again! At least a hundred words of explanation!"
"Okaa-san, you're asking the impossible!" Touji groaned, his face the picture of innocence. "Because that's honestly the truth of it!"
"Indeed, it's terribly difficult~," Utaha-san echoed, nodding in sage agreement.
For a brief, shining moment, the siblings' fronts were unified against their mischievous mother.
Just you wait, Touji thought, making a silent mental note against his sister. I'll find the perfect chance for payback later.
****
The car sped on, leaving the dense urban sprawl of the city behind. The flow of traffic eased, and the concrete jungle slowly gave way to sprawling vistas. The scenery flanking the highway transformed into vast stretches of lush green, a balm for the eyes and spirit. In the distance, the gentle, rolling lines of mountains began to appear—Hokkaido was a land rich with them.
An hour of comfortable travel and shifting landscapes later, they arrived.
Sounkyo Onsen Street.
The car slowed as they entered the heart of the gorge. Towering on both sides were dramatic cliffs and precipices, their faces showing the incredible, geometric patterns of columnar jointing—a masterpiece of ancient volcanic activity. The air itself changed, carrying a fresh, mineral scent and the constant, powerful whisper of water.
Whoosh—whoosh—
It was the sound of waterfalls, multiple streams cascading from the rocky heights above, their mist catching the sunlight to form faint, shimmering rainbows.
And beyond it all, standing guard over the gorge, was the majestic range of Daisetsuzan, the "Roof of Hokkaido." Patches of stubborn, pristine snow still clung to its highest peaks, brilliant white against the clear azure sky. The lower slopes were cloaked in deep, vibrant green, completing a picture so stunning it seemed lifted from a painting.
"It's… it's like a scene from a fantasy world!" Kasumigaoka Utaha breathed, her wine-red eyes wide as she tried to take in every breathtaking detail at once. The grandeur was almost overwhelming.
"We absolutely chose the right place!" Kasumigaoka Airi clasped her hands together, a sigh of pure contentment escaping her lips.
Even Touji-kun was silently impressed, his gaze lingering on the majestic view before he shook himself back to practicality and moved to help his father unload the luggage from the trunk.
"Alright, you can admire the views to your hearts' content later," Kasumigaoka Eiji said, his own voice holding a note of subdued awe. He closed the trunk with a solid thunk and activated the car locks. "Let's get checked in and drop these bags off first."
With eager agreement from the mother-daughter duo, the Kasumigaoka family, luggage in tow, finally stepped onto the stone-paved path of the famous onsen street, ready to begin their Golden Week adventure in earnest.