Vol 2 Chapter 4 (2/2)
Matsuoka was staring absently out thein a long-sleeve shi+rt and jeans
“Oh Welcome back” The blush had receded from his face, and his expression had returned back to normal
“Sorry about that back there… this is for you” When Hirosue offered him the juice, Matsuoka smiled wryly
“I should be sorry for saying strange stuff like that”
No, no, I should be sorry No really, I should be―they continued to apologize to each other until they both realized how strange it was, and they caught each other’s eye and dissolved into laughter Hirosue was relieved; he had feared spending the whole day together until to seemed fine now
“Oh, I ran into the parlourmaid on the way back from the bath, and she told me there’s a lookout point a short climb up the mountain behind this place Apparently the view is really nice Want to go for a hike?”
Since they had no other plans, Hirosue agreed to Matsuoka’s invitation and trailed behind him The parlourmaid had called it a short cli The trail was also only wide enough for one man―it was an animal trail of sorts The e to Matsuoka, alked extensively outside on a daily basis as a part of his work He pressed on ahead with enthusiasm But Hirosue, who mainly did seat work, was out of breath in minutes
“Short break?” Matsuoka suggested
Hirosue nodded without a split second of hesitation They sat down on the path The mountains were misty in the distance
“Pretty steep slope, isn’t it?” Matsuoka coh he looked unfazed
“I think I need to put on some e over hith any less e
“Actually, I have a friend who started going to a gyot pretty buff in a month You could see the difference”
“A gym, huh,” Hirosue echoed
“Want to start going together? I’ll look out for soood places Maybe a location we can drop in on the way home from work”
Hirosue ado to alone, but he’d feel reassured if Matsuoka were to co, it wouldn’t have been a probleym when he was unemployed There was the risk that he would run out of money for monthly membershi+p payments
“I think I’ll pass on the gym after all”
“Oh,” Matsuoka said For a split second, he looked crestfallen, but he grinned and said, “If you ever feel like it again, let me know”
So fluttered down frons were there: it had been cold, and he had noticed the thick grey clouds covering the sky But he hadn’t expected it to actually snohen they ell into March
The snow drifted straight doards in the absence of a breeze Matsuoka turned his face up and opened his , long ti as a boy in pri snow Matsuoka’s usually so uess he has a childish side, too, Hirosue thought as he gazed at thethe same repeated motions
“Does snow taste good?”
Matsuoka’s cheeks suddenly flushed as he closed his mouth
“It doesn’t taste like anything It’s just cold”
Hirosue imitated him and tried a taste of the snow Before he could even detect it on his tongue, the fizzy sensation disappeared
“―You look like a carp in a pond waiting for food It looks pretty idiotic,” Matsuoka murmured
“You started doing the carp thing,” Hirosue retorted
“Well, yeah But you knohat they say Learn wisdo like that”
“You’re one to talk, Head Honcho Carp”
Matsuoka narrowed his eyes and laughed
“It looks like it’s gonna get colder, so let’s hurry and cli up the path
After their break, they resuan to tire partway through, just as he expected He was cliht hand was silently extended in front of hi by the hand
“It’s okay We only have a little bit o,” Hirosue said
“I’ll e difference”
“What’s that supposed to nantly
Hirosue was unsure of what to do, but since Matsuoka was being cheeky by talking about age difference and handicaps, he decided to take the h Matsuoka’s hand was s; he yanked Hirosue along powerfully Contrary to Hirosue’s initial intent, he ended up depending on Matusoka’s help a great deal until they reached the lookout point
They eed upon a stretch of land that was flat and spacious despite its elevated area in the h for two houses, and perhaps there had actually been houses there, for there were large stones on the ground that looked like crumbled foundations
The scenery beloorth the effort they had made to climb up the steep slope In the distance, thethe valleys below Occasional patches of young, tender green were already visible in theIt felt strange to see the snow fall on such a scene
Hirosue absently gazed at the stunning scenery He could feel treers That hen he finally noticed they were still holding hands fro up the mountain
“Are you cold?”
“Oh No Just getting a thrill”
“Really, now,” Hirosue said jokingly “Want to borrow my coat?”
“Oh, no I’m fine Besides, you’ll be cold without it”
Matsuoka’s hand left his as he hugged his shoulders Hirosue couldn’t stand watching theframe―so slender compared to his own―so he took off his coat and draped it over Matsuoka’s back
“It’s chilly out here Want to start heading back?” he asked
Matsuoka nodded silently, still wearing Hirosue’s coat over his shoulders Walking downhill was easier, so Hirosue walked ahead
“I think I’et back,” Hirosue said, his breath co out in a puff of white
“Me, too I didn’t get to try the outdoor bath last time”
Re their aard interaction in the bath, Hirosue spoke up first “You should go first this tio in afterwards” There was no answer froreed That hen he heard a voice speak up behind him
“I don’t ether”
Hirosue turned around His feet stopped Matsuoka also stopped
“But back there―”
“I actually did get dizzy fro If you’re fine with it, Hirosue, so aht away after we get back, don’t you?”
“Uh… yeah”
I thought he didn’t like being seen naked, Hirosue thought, but if he’s okay with bathing together, ht, the less sense he couldon inside Matsuoka’s mind? How did he feel about it?
On second thought, there was no big deal about two ether Hirosue had felt none of the repulsion he had feared upon seeing Matsuoka’s naked body He had only thought the ht about it, Matsuoka’s body was the sa to feel repulsed about
“I wonder if we can bring a sake bottle into the bath,” Hirosue suddenly murmured
“What? Are you serious?” Matsuoka said, his eyes wide
“Why not? Snow-gazing over sake in an open-air bath―it would be the best Let’s do it”
“Am I part of this, too?”
“It’d be no fun by myself, would it?”
“Oh, fine,” Matsuoka grumbled “We’re probably not allowed unless it’s a private bath, but let’s try asking,” he said nevertheless, hunching his shoulders
Alcohol was not allowed to be brought into the outdoor bath, they were told But even without sake, there was nothing quite like bathing outdoors during snowfall Hirosue and Matsuoka warmed their bodies frozen fros Evening darkened to night while they soaked in the outdoor bath, and their hands and feet turned shrivelled like those of old men
Their dinner was luxurious, and Hirosue could see why Matsuoka had been enthusiastic to give it a try The delicious food encouraged theo to the next room to sleep; the reassurance made Hirosue drink sake as well as beer The drink warainst the better advice of Matsuoka, he opened theand snow-gazed while drinking sake, fancying hi what they hadn’t been able to do in the outdoor bath Not even fivefrom the cold
“I told you so,” Matsuoka had said, laughing at him
He found enjoylad that he had coone on the occasional spontaneous trip by hi aith soined that a trip with someone else could be so fun―no matter if all they had done was merely soak endlessly in the bath and climb endlessly up a mountain path
They ate and drank until they were full to bursting, and moved to the next room to sleep Their futons were laid out neatly for them, and when Hirosue slid into his, it enveloped his whole body arm comfort
Matsuoka turned on the paper lantern stand and turned off the roohts
“Oh, are you going to sleep? Want me to turn this off, too?”
“You can keep it on,” Hirosue said, seeing Matsuoka reach towards the light switch He was sleepy, but not sleepy He still wanted to stay up and talk
“Thanks for everything today,” he said
“What’s this, all of a sudden?” Matsuoka turned his face towards hi his pillow in the next futon over
“Reserving the inn and stuff And you drove the whole way here”
“I enjoy driving”
Hirosue rolled over and looked up at the wood-panel ceiling His house back in the country also had a wood-panelled ceiling which was stained in sohten hihosts, and he would pull his futon over his head when he went to sleep It was funny when he thought about it now
“Hirosue”
He turned his head to see Matsuoka gazing at him solemnly
“Are you having fun?”
“You mean the trip?”
Matsuoka nodded on his side
“How about you, Matsuoka?”
After a slight pause, Matsuoka said, “I’ fun”
“Then, I’ll say I’ lots of fun”
“Then, I’ht back
“You’re acting like a kid,” Hirosue teased, and Matsuoka flushed beneath his eyes and buried his face into his pillow After spending a lot of ti Matsuoka had an unusually childish side to hiine from how he looked in his suit
“But it’s true that I’ fun,” Matsuoka mumbled Their conversation lapsed after his last utterance It was quiet inside the room, but not in the aay Hirosue’s heart ith the afterglow of enjoy for hi load of work and the reality of leaving work at the end of March As for the quitting part, there was not ned himself to his fate The problem noas that he didn’t have a new job yet
The job search took the biggest toll on him―mentally, more than physically When refusals came in succession, they depressed his spirits further and convinced hi to be rejected anyway, he would think, I shouldn’t have subone in for an interview at allBut he knew things didn’t quite work like that
“Maybe I’ll go back to the country,” he
“Go back? Like, during the holidays?” said a voice beside him Matsuoka was still awake
“No, not like that I ood”
Matsuoka fell silent
“I’o back There were no jobs back ho to fall back under the care of his parents at this age
“Is your hometown far away, Hirosue?”
“It’s in an inconvenient place, so it takes two hours by bullet train from Tokyo, then about forty minutes on the local line”
“It’s a town on the harbour, right?”
“Yeah Their seafood is great My family back home runs a business that handles processed fish products My parents are still doing well, but my older brother and his wife have taken over the business from them”
“I’d like to go there once”
“Sure, but there’s nothing to see ―Your hoht?”
“In the suburbs”
“Do you ever go back home?”
“Not really My younger brother just got o back during Obon and the new year”
Hirosue’s consciousness gradually faded while they talked, and before he knew it, it wasbath and ate a luxurious breakfast fit for kings After checking out, they took a leisurely stroll around the area of the inn before heading home
Hirosue enjoyed his trip so ive it full points Matsuoka was a lot less talkative on the way ho by himself, and did not try to force a conversation with him