"Zzz..."
Hayashi had been fighting it, but the moment we transferred to the limited express at Shinjuku Station, she finally succumbed to sleep.
The train initially crawled through the heart of the Tokyo city center, picking up speed only after we passed Hachioji. After racing alongside the highway for a while, we plunged into a tunnel, and for a long stretch, even my smartphone couldn't catch a signal.
"Whoa."
A short while later, Katsunuma-budogo—a famous tourist spot in Yamanashi—came into view. The sight of Kofu City spread out below the mountainside was breathtaking, every bit as stunning as the guidebooks had promised.
"Hey, Hayashi. Wake up, Hayashi."
"...Zzz."
"It’s a great view. This is the best part of the trip."
"Snoooore."
I wanted my travel partner to share in the scenery, but she was out cold. As usual, the girl had no sense of timing.
The train descended the mountain in a wide arc, stopping at Enzan and Yamanashi City.
"We will soon be arriving at Isawa Onsen."
By the time the announcement echoed through the carriage, the view outside had shifted to a landscape of traditional hot spring inns, vineyards, and quiet residential houses.
"Hayashi, we’re here."
"...Zzz."
"Get up already!"
"......Ngh-ah."
Hayashi finally blinked her eyes open.
"Where are we? Is this home?"
Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she spouted something completely nonsensical.
"Yeah, sure, we’re home."
"...Oh. Okay. Home, huh..."
"We're getting off the train now, so could you please actually wake up?"
"Got it..."
Just as Hayashi let out a massive yawn, the onboard announcement repeated. The train began to slow.
"Nnnh—!"
She stood up and arched her back, stretching out her stiff muscles. Doing that put her cleavage on full display, and frankly, I really wished she’d stop making it so hard to know where to look.
"Let's go."
"Okay."
The moment the station building slid into view through the window, we grabbed our things and headed for the exit. A long line had already formed in front of the automatic doors. It seemed quite a few people were getting off at Isawa Onsen.
"We made it!"
Hayashi let out a cheerful cry the moment she stepped onto the platform. She’d been talking nonsense about being home just a minute ago, but she seemed fully awake now.
"Wow, that was actually pretty far, wasn't it?"
"I guess so."
Even though you slept through ninety percent of the ride.
"Man, it feels like being at a theme park or something! I'm starting to get hyped!"
"Right."
Perhaps thanks to the nap, she was now in incredibly high spirits.
"Let's head out of the station for now."
"Yeah."
We walked along the platform, climbed the stairs, and passed through the ticket gate.
"This way?"
"That's the North Exit. We need the other side."
I’d checked the area on Street View beforehand. Apparently, the North Exit of Isawa Onsen Station was a relatively new addition. However, there wasn’t much over there besides parking spaces and the occasional building. If I recalled, the only thing of note was a pachinko parlor about ten minutes away.
We headed down the slow-moving escalator at the South Exit instead. The first thing we saw at the bottom was a souvenir shop that looked like it had been there for decades.
"Yamamoto, Yamamoto! Look! Over there! A souvenir shop!"
Predictably, Hayashi took the bait immediately.
"What should we buy!?"
"Let's see. Well, we're buying the souvenirs on the way back, obviously."
"Ehh..."
"Why are you pouting?"
"...But there are so many snacks I want to try at the inn."
How was I supposed to know that?
"Fine, fine. Let's just stop by and look."
"Yay!"
Hayashi beamed with a look of pure delight. When she gave me a smile that dazzling, I couldn't help but feel like I’d made the right call.
"Ah."
Just as I started looking for the car rental place, she spoke up again.
"What now?"
"That."
"That?"
I followed her finger to where she was pointing.
"...A footbath?"
"Yeah. Look at the sign."
Sure enough, a blue sign with the word "Footbath" was perched right there.
"Okay."
"What?"
"Let's go."
"I figured you’d say that."
The gap between the girl who’d been snoring moments ago and this burst of energy was staggering. So this was the power of an extrovert.
"Let's go, then."
I didn't have any reason to say no, so we made our way over. There were two other people using the footbath when we arrived.
"Ahaha! It’s hooot!"
Before I knew it, Hayashi had already kicked off her shoes and socks and was soaking her feet.
"You're right, it is."
I followed suit a moment later, dipping my feet into the water. I wondered what kind of medicinal properties these springs had. It was incredibly relaxing.
"Hehe."
An elderly woman sitting across from us was smiling as she watched us.
"Are you two here on a trip?"
"Ah, yes."
"I see. How lovely."
"Ehehe. You think so?"
Hayashi, who usually greeted strangers with a sharp, guarded look, gave a warm, mellow reply. The effects of this footbath were terrifying. Did it have the power to pacify even the most irritable of people? Maybe I should try to bottle some of this water and take it home.
"Yes, it’s quite wonderful."
"Thank you very much."
"It must be nice, traveling through a hot spring town as a couple."
...It seemed she’d made a bit of a misunderstanding. Or was it a misunderstanding? A young man and woman traveling to a hot spring town together... naturally, anyone would assume they were a couple.
Regardless.
I expected Hayashi to jump in with a denial. She had her pride, after all. Surely she wouldn't want anyone thinking she was my girlfriend.
"...Thank you."
But the denial never came.
Instead, Hayashi just gave a slightly bashful, embarrassed smile and accepted the compliment.