Chapter 79: STORIES AT THE HOT SPRING PART II

Laughter again. But this time Kai didn’t hear it. He was already too deep in his own thoughts. He shouldn’t be hearing this. This wasn’t for him. This wasn’t his business. This was his students’ private conversation—a conversation he shouldn’t be hearing.

He got up. Water dripped from his body—drip—wetting the stone floor around him. He grabbed his towel, dried himself quickly, and walked out of the pool. He entered the changing room. He put on the typical hot spring clothing—a simple dark blue yukata with a white wave pattern—already provided in the locker. He tied his obi neatly. He walked out of the changing room.

The bathhouse corridor was long, with polished wooden floors. Dim lights hung from the ceiling, creating a warm yellowish glow. At the end of the corridor, there was an open door—leading to the outer corridor. Kai walked there. He sat in that corridor, on the cold wooden floor, and stared at the sky.

The moon was full. Round. Silver-white. Around it, stars scattered like glass shards. Whoosh. The night wind blew softly, carrying the scent of forest and hot water.

Kai took a deep breath. Haaah.

Footsteps. Tap. Tap. Tap. From the end of the corridor. Kai turned. The old woman walked toward him—carrying a small tray with two cups. Tea. The steam billowed softly.

"Alone?" the old woman asked.

Kai nodded. "Yes."

The old woman sat beside him—without permission, but with polite movements. She placed the tray between them and took one cup. She handed the other cup to Kai.

"Drink," the old woman said. "Ginger tea. Warm."

Kai received it. "Thank you."

He sipped his tea. Slurp. Warm. A little spicy. Soothing.

The old woman stared at the sky. "Where are you from?"

"From camping. Not far from here."

"Camping where?"

"In the cabin area. Near the lake."

The old woman nodded slightly. "Oh. The one with cabin number seven."

Kai blinked. "You know?"

"Yes. I used to take care of that area. Before I moved here."

Kai looked at her. "Used to?"

"Yes. A long time ago." The old woman sipped her tea. "Where did you come from?"

"From the garden. The garden of a hundred flowers."

The old woman raised her eyebrows. "The garden of a hundred flowers? You went there?"

"Yes."

The old woman smiled slightly. "How was the garden?"

"Beautiful. But..." Kai hesitated for a moment. "The flowers don’t reach a hundred. I counted. There are only fourteen."

The old woman laughed softly. Ha ha ha. Her laughter was soft, like the rustle of leaves. "You counted them?"

"Yes."

"You’re meticulous."

Kai sipped his tea again. "Why is it called the garden of a hundred flowers if there are only fourteen?"

The old woman stared at the sky. The moon reflected in her tired eyes. "You know," she said softly, "a hundred doesn’t refer to the number of flowers."

"Then?"

The old woman sipped her tea. Slurp. She placed her cup on her lap. "A hundred refers to how many times that garden was fought for."

Kai looked at her.

"Long ago," the old woman continued, "there was a man who loved a woman very much. He wanted to prove his love. He collected various types of flowers from all over the region—flowers from the forest, flowers from the mountain, flowers from the riverbank. He brought them to the woman. But the woman refused."

"Why?"

"Because giving flowers was too common. Too ordinary. The woman said, ’If you want to prove your love, do something no one else can do.’"

Kai listened.

"The man thought for a long time. Then he had an idea. He would build a garden. A garden filled with the woman’s favorite flowers. Not flowers he chose. Not flowers he liked. But flowers the woman liked. Flowers the woman dreamed of."

The old woman paused for a moment. She sipped her tea.

"He started building. He cleared the land. He planted. He watered. He cared for it. But problems came one by one. The soil was hard. The flowers died. Water was difficult to get. The weather didn’t cooperate. Animals destroyed things. People tried to ruin it. But the man didn’t give up. He kept trying. Every time he failed, he tried again. Every time he fell, he got up."

"How long?" Kai asked.

"Years. Almost finished. Almost. Then—the final problem came. The heaviest one. The woman got sick. A rare disease. The doctor said her time wouldn’t be long."

Kai held his breath.

"The man was devastated. He felt all his effort was in vain. He wanted to destroy the garden. He wanted to burn it. He wanted to forget everything. But the woman came. She visited the garden. She saw all the flowers that had been planted. She saw all the man’s hard work. She said, ’This garden is already very beautiful.’"

"The man said it was useless. There was no point in building a garden without the woman."

"The woman held the man’s face. She said, ’This garden is the result of your effort. I don’t want you to think it’s useless.’ She coughed. She was sick. But she smiled. She said, ’Because you’ve already given this garden to me, I will give it a name. The garden of a hundred flowers. A hundred days to conquer one flower that you love so deeply.’"

The old woman stopped. She stared at the moon.

"The man finally decided to fight until the end. He exchanged his life for the woman. Without her knowledge. He left. Quietly. Without telling her. The woman didn’t know. She didn’t know that the man had exchanged his life. She didn’t know that the man had left."

Kai looked at the old woman. The old woman’s face looked sad—but not the kind of sad that cries. A quiet sadness. A sadness that had been buried for a long time.

"That foolish man," the old woman said softly. "He exchanged his life for a woman who couldn’t even make him happy."

Kai sipped his tea. Slurp. Then he placed his cup down.

"If I were that man," Kai said softly, "I would do the same thing."

The old woman turned. Her eyes looked at Kai—for a long time. Like she was searching for something in the young man’s face.

"Without regretting anything," Kai continued. "And if I were given a second chance to come into the world, I would be very happy to see the woman I once fought for."

The old woman looked at Kai for a very long time. There was something in her eyes—something wet, but not falling. Something warm, but not overflowing.

"You..." The old woman stopped. She turned her gaze to the moon. "You’re right. That man left in happiness."

Kai didn’t say anything.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Footsteps. From the end of the corridor. Lydia appeared, followed by her nine students. They were all wearing bathhouse yukatas—colorful, with different patterns. Mira in a pink yukata. Rin in a dark red yukata. Ella in a navy blue yukata. Luna in a gray yukata. Nora in a black yukata. Iris in a dark green yukata. Eve in an electric blue yukata. Aria in a cream yukata. Fay in a white yukata.

"Mr. Kai!" Mira ran toward him. "We’ve finished bathing! The water is so warm!"

The old woman stood up. She took her empty tray. "I’ll prepare rooms for you."

Kai nodded. "Thank you."

The old woman walked away—her steps slow, but steady. She disappeared at the end of the corridor.

After they had all finished bathing, the old woman led them to their respective rooms. The rooms were lined along the corridor—rooms for the students, a room for Lydia, and a room for Kai. Since Kai was the only man, he got his own room—a small room at the end of the corridor, with a futon already laid out on the tatami, and a window overlooking the garden.

Kai didn’t mind. He was used to sleeping alone.

He entered his room. He closed the door. Clack. He placed the key on the small table. He removed his yukata and folded it on the chair. He put on the provided sleepwear—a simple cotton t-shirt and long pants. He lay down on the futon. He stared at the wooden ceiling. Haaah. He closed his eyes.

The day had turned to morning. Sunlight entered through the gap in the window—bright, warm, hitting his face. Kai opened his eyes. He wanted to get up. But his body felt heavy. Not heavy from illness—heavy from something pressing down on him.

He looked down. On his chest—there were two heads. Mira, hugging his right arm with both hands, her face pressed against Kai’s arm like a kitten. Iris, hugging his left arm, her head resting on Kai’s shoulder, her mysterious smile still visible even though her eyes were closed. And around him—Rin sleeping on the right side of the futon, her hand reaching toward Kai. Ella sleeping on the left side, with her back to Kai. Luna sleeping near his feet—her head on her folded arm. Nora sleeping beside Luna, her body still upright even in sleep. Eve sleeping near the window—her glasses already removed and placed beside her. Aria sleeping near the door—gripping the edge of Kai’s blanket. And Fay—Fay sleeping near the foot of the futon, with her doll hugged tightly, and the earrings Kai had given her still hanging from her ears.

Kai stared at them. Haaah. He didn’t move. He just lay there, surrounded by his nine students, and tried to understand what had happened.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Footsteps from outside. The door opened—creak—and Lydia entered.

"Kai, do you know where the students—" Lydia stopped. Her eyes widened. HAAH!

Mira blinked. She opened her eyes—slowly—and saw Kai. "Mr. Kai? Why is Mr. Kai in Mira’s room?"

"This is Mr. Kai’s room," Lydia said in a tense voice.

Mira lifted her head. She looked around—Rin, Ella, Luna, Nora, Iris, Eve, Aria, Fay. All of them were here. "Why is everyone here?!"

Rin opened her eyes. "Huh?!" She saw Kai. She saw herself. She saw the others. "WHY AM I IN MR. KAI’S ROOM?!"

Ella opened her eyes. She looked around calmly. Then she closed her eyes again. "I’m still dreaming."

"You’re not dreaming!" Rin stood up. "WE’RE ALL IN MR. KAI’S ROOM!"

Mira was still hugging Kai’s arm. Iris too. Neither had let go. "Mira doesn’t remember when Mira got here."

"I don’t remember either," Iris said. She released Kai’s arm calmly, sat herself up, and crossed her arms. "This is interesting."

Lydia let out a long breath. Haaah. She stepped forward and started waking the others—one by one. She shook Rin. "Rin! Wake up! You’re all wrong! This is Mr. Kai’s room! You can’t sleep here!"

Rin, who was already standing, looked down. "Sorry, Ma’am."

Lydia shook Ella. "Ella! You’re the class president! Why did you join in?!"

Ella opened her eyes. "I... I don’t remember when I got here."

Lydia shook Luna. Luna opened her eyes slowly. "I don’t remember either."

Lydia shook Nora. Nora opened her eyes. "I don’t remember."

Lydia shook Eve. Eve opened her eyes, fumbling for her glasses. "This isn’t logical. I should have slept in the assigned room."

Lydia shook Aria. Aria opened her eyes and immediately panicked. "Huh?! What?! Where?! WHY AM I HERE?!"

Lydia shook Fay. Fay opened her eyes. She looked at Lydia. Then at Kai. Then she smiled faintly. She didn’t say anything.

After everyone was awake and standing awkwardly, Lydia faced them. "All of you! This can’t happen! You’re students! Mr. Kai is a teacher! You can’t sleep in Mr. Kai’s room without permission! Especially without my knowledge!"

"We didn’t know, Ma’am," Mira said. "We really didn’t know when we got here."

"That’s not an excuse!"

"But—"

"No buts! You all go back to your respective rooms! Now! And pack your things! We’re going home!"

They all walked out of Kai’s room with quick steps—Mira still looking down, Rin still pouting, Ella still calm but her face slightly flushed, Luna still expressionless, Nora still upright, Iris still smiling mysteriously, Eve still pushing her glasses up, Aria still biting her nails, and Fay—Fay still smiling faintly.

Kai remained in his room. He sat on the still-warm futon. He stared at the closed door. He didn’t say anything.

He met the old woman in the lobby. He paid for the stay—the old woman received his money calmly, without counting. Kai said goodbye. The old woman nodded slightly.

"Be careful on the road," the old woman said.

"Thank you," Kai said.

He walked out. Lydia and his students were already waiting in the yard—with their respective bags, with the yukatas already folded and returned, with faces still slightly embarrassed. Kai got into the car. He started the engine. Vroom. He waited until everyone was inside. Then he pressed the gas. The car sped away from the hot spring, toward the main road, toward school.