It was quite the unexpected sight for Kazuya, all the people he knew back in Tokyo, were sitting right in front of him. The worst thoughts came to mind at first, but he shook them away, knowing full well that there is no point being pessimistic. Taking a deep breath, he made his way over to the group to greet them.

"Hey guys, didn't expect to see you all" Kazuya greeted.

"No kidding, we never knew you owned this place" Kibe commented.

"Well, after my friend and I left our previous job, we decided to open this place" Kazuya explained, "He loved baking, and he taught me how to do it."

"That's amazing, I would love to know what goes into your craft" Shinbo exclaimed.

"We still have open slots for jobs if anyone is interested" Kazuya said.

"Hey Kaz, what's happening right now?" A voice asked. Kazuya turned to see Kenji walking up to him.

"Oh, some of my old friends so happen to be here by pure coincidence" He explained.

"Ah, I see, it's good to see some of Kazuya's friends" Kenji stated, "I'm Kenji, the other co-owner of this establishment"

"Nice to meet you" Ruka replied, "So you're the one that taught Kazuya baking"

"Yup, I did it a lot when I was a kid, and he was happy enough to help out" Kenji exclaimed.

"By the way, we're on holiday right now, so whenever you guys are free, want to join us?" Umi suggested.

"Well, we do have a few days off on the weekend, and there is the Summer Festival that's happening next week" Kenji recalled.

"Alright, it's settled, we'll see you guys then" Umi exclaimed happily.

After exchanging numbers, the two went back to work while the rest went back to eating. Chizuru was a bit quiet during that time. She wondered if Kazuya still had feelings for her, it appeared as if he may have moved on. Umi noticed this and decided to help out.

"I'm sure he is a bit overwhelmed with not seeing you for a few years" He assured, "The only way to know is to tell him"

"Are you sure about that?" She asked.

"100%, you just need to go for it" Umi explained.

"Thanks, Umi" Chizuru thanked. Meanwhile, with Kazuya and Kenji.

"Remind me, which one was the girl you liked?" Kenji asked.

"The brown haired one that didn't really speak" Kazuya answered.

"Do you plan on doing anything?" Kenji questioned.

"I want to, I just don't know if she really likes me that way" Kazuya explained, "Honestly, I don't want to make things awkward between us"

"Well, I'm sure you'll get her, I noticed that she kept eyeing you and had a slight blush" Kenji told him.

"Really?" Kazuya asked.

"Yup, so you might have a high chance" Kenji said before going back to work. Thinking about this, Kazuya smiled at his friend's optimism. Now, he was more confident that it will work.

On the weekend

Now, the group are hanging out with Kazuya and Kenji who are also joined by Miyuki, Kenji's girlfriend. They met up near the park as a meeting point before going around the town. With their combined knowledge, both Kazuya and Kenji explained to everyone else about their hometown, acting like tour guides so to speak.

"Wow, how long have you guys lived here for to know all of this?" Ruka asked.

"Well, Kazuya has only lived here for more than a year, but I basically grew up here" Kenji explained.

"Interesting" Chizuru commented.

As the group ventured around, it was nearing night-time. Before they could go back to their hotel, Miyuki suggested they go to the local bath house. It was known to have a lot of medicinal and therapeutical herbs used to help with the body. Agreeing with her, they made their way to the bath house, being split between the genders.

With the boys

All the guys were relaxing in the hot bath, enjoying the nice feeling of the water. The two sections were divided by a large bamboo wall that was very far away from the guys. Kibe and Kuri being the perverted idiots they were, decided to make their way over to the wall to try and catch a peak, leaving the rest of them. Umi, now able to speak with Kazuya more privately, decided to interrogate.

"So Kazuya, you still in love with Chizuru?" He asked.

"What the, why do you ask?" Kazuya questioned, being taken off guard.

"I've seen you still got that look in your eye when you look at her" Umi explained, "So I just wanted to confirm it"

"Yes, I am still in love with her" Kazuya sighed.

"Atta boy, I was always rooting for you two" Umi cheered, "Do you have plans on telling her this time?"

"I was thinking of telling her at the festival" Kazuya answered.

"Ooh, that sounds nice" Umi commented.

"Yeah, there will be a fireworks display happening near the end" Kenji added, "I confessed my feelings to Miyuki like that as well"

"Awesome, you've got someone with experience" Umi said with excitement.

"Oh, does young Kazuya have interest in someone?" an old man asked. He was bald and had a large white moustache.

"He sure does Mr. Suzuki" Kenji replied.

"That's very good, do you think she likes you back?" Mr. Suzuki asked.

"Not too sure" Kazuya replied.

"I can assure you, you will get her" Umi assured, "Out of everyone, she missed you the most"

"That's good to know" Kazuya exclaimed.

"Ah, young love, it's amazing" Mr. Suzuki commented.

"There is one thing I am worried about though" Kazuya said, looking at his left leg. When they went into the changing rooms, Umi saw his prosthetic leg and asked what it was about. Both Kenji and Kazuya summarised their story of them being soldiers previously. Umi was very understanding since he lost a family member in a war. Both Kibe and Kuri went into the bath house later than them, so they didn't see his leg.

"I'm sure she won't reject you over that, I know for sure that Chizuru is not one to do something so petty" Umi reassured.

"You're right, I shouldn't worry about it" Kazuya said. Then, suddenly, they heard screams on the other side followed by two people yelling in pain.

With the girls

"That's so cute" Shinbo commented.

"Aw, I want to be confessed to under the fireworks" Kawanaka added.

"So, what about you girls, you like anyone?" Miyuki asked.

"I used to like Kazuya, but I have moved on from him" Ruka exclaimed.

"Same here" Sumi added.

"And why is that?" Miyuki asked.

"Because Chizuru is in love with him" Ruka answered.

"What the, RUKA" Chizuru complained.

"I thought so" Miyuki noted, "I am quite perceptive, not as much as Kenji, but I have noticed the way you look at him"

"Alright, I do love him" Chizuru said in defeat.

"Look, now's your chance, go get him" Ruka told her.

"Absolutely not" Chizuru exclaimed.

"Why not?" Shinbo asked, "What's stopping you"

"What if he moved on? What if he isn't interested in me anymore?" Chizuru questioned, "He might have a girlfriend for all I know"

"I can assure you, he doesn't" Miyuki pointed out.

"I'm sure he hasn't moved on, he doesn't stop looking at you from time to time" Sumi assured.

"Plus, with a bod like yours, I bet he would be drooling over you" Kawanaka said, emphasising her point by grabbing Chizuru.

"Hey, stop that" Chizuru cried. Their conversation ended up being interrupted by Kibe and Kuri falling over to the other side of the wall. Let's say that the two almost didn't make it out alive after that.