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Week 15 and 16 - #18

> Information

>

> Nagata’s current stress is 30. (Low)

> This can always be viewed in the wiki.

>

> You will spend two days at the resort and return home Sunday afternoon.

>

> Time for activities

> Sunday: Morning, early afternoon

>

> After each selection, the people performing an activity change up.

> Some activities may not be available until later in the day.

>

> Hot spring, sauna, and massages are separated by gender.

>

> Decision (Morning)

> >1 - Breakfast in the dining hall (Enatsu, Ichihara, Watase, Kaiba, Matsuno, -10 stress)

> >2 - Receive a relaxing massage (Yukimori, -30 stress)

> >3 - Enjoy a final dip in the hot spring (-30 stress)

>

> Winner

> >1 - Breakfast in the dining hall (Enatsu, Ichihara, Watase, Kaiba, Matsuno, -10 stress)

With careful grace you move towards the dining area where the others are having breakfast.

Not so much having breakfast as staring at it, people are exchanging uncomfortable glances as Watase Yoko gets an earful from her manager, Matsuno Kojiro.

“First company event and you decide to get blackout drunk?” he asks, “It’s like we pulled a bum from under a bridge and put them at our breakfast table. We could smell you coming before you even entered the room!”

Watase Yoko simply leans away and rolls her eyes, “I’m here now, aren’t I?”

Matsuno Kojiro glances at the gathered crowd, “It’s time you’d show me some respect as your manager!” he cries, trying to save face.

“Respect?” shouts Watase, slamming a hand on the table, “Why? You haven’t done anything for me and we’re the same age!”

“I got you this job,” shouts Matsuno, getting similarly heated and standing.

“I can get another just as easy,” retorts Watase.

This is a whole other side of Watase.

Much more in line with your initial impression of the photo.

Her behaviour to you hasn’t been like this in the slightest.

Matsuno runs a hand over his face and groans, “Look,” he says, “All I’m asking is that you condone yourself in a professional manner at…”

He finally seems to notice that the both of them are making a scene.

”We’ll talk about this later,” he says.

“We won’t,” says Watase, clutching her head, “You got a problem? Say it.”

You don’t envy Watase for getting into heated discussion like this when she’s probably as hungover as you.

Not that two people shouting at each other is beneficial to your own headache.

Then Matsuno points at you, “Nagata-san was there drinking with you, but here she is! Dressed proper, doesn’t reek of drink, and ever professional,” he says, “That’s because she knows her limits!”

You manage a thin smile, but inside you’re screaming.

Matsuno sighs, then gestures wildly, “Look! All of Nagata-san’s idols are well-behaved,” he shouts.

You glance at each of the idols.

Chigusa Iki is sipping on tea, ignoring the entire conversation.

Enatsu Mari is holding up her hands defensively, her gaze switching between both parties, not knowing how to make them stop.

Kaiba… is either high or extremely sleep deprived.

“Nagata-san,” says Matsuno, “How do you manage it? Can you talk some sense to this girl?”

“Yeah, Nagata-san,” says Watase, “Say something…”

> Decision

> >1 - Keep quiet. Don’t get involved. Hope it passes.

> >2 - Jump to the defence of Watase, tell Matsuno he should calm down.

> >3 - Agree with Matsuno. She should be more mindful of environment.

> >4 - Write-in

With careful grace you move towards the dining area where the others are having breakfast.

Not so much having breakfast as staring at it, people are exchanging uncomfortable glances as Watase Yoko gets an earful from her manager, Matsuno Kojiro.

“First company event and you decide to get blackout drunk?” he asks, “It’s like we pulled a bum from under a bridge and put them the table. We could smell you coming before you even entered the room!”

Watase Yoko simply leans away and rolls her eyes, “I’m here now, aren’t I?”

Matsuno Kojiro glances at the gathered crowd, “It’s time you’d show me some respect as your manager!” he cries, trying to save face.

“Respect?” shouts Watase, slamming a hand on the table, “Why? You haven’t done anything for me! I always have to tell you what to do!”

“I got you this job,” shouts Matsuno, getting similarly heated and standing.

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“I can get another just as easy,” retorts Watase.

This is a whole other side of Watase.

Much more in line with your initial impression of the photo.

Her behaviour to you hasn’t been like this in the slightest.

Matsuno runs a hand over his face and groans, “Look,” he says, “All I’m asking is that you condone yourself in a professional manner at…”

He finally seems to notice that the both of them are making a scene.

”We’ll talk about this later,” he says.

“We won’t,” says Watase, clutching her head, “You got a problem? Say it.”

You don’t envy Watase for getting into heated discussion like this when she’s probably as hungover as you.

Not that two people shouting at each other is beneficial to your own situation.

Then Matsuno points at you, “Nagata-san was there drinking with you, but here she is! Dressed proper, doesn’t reek of drink, and ever professional,” he says, “That’s because she knows her limits!”

You manage a thin smile, but inside you’re screaming.

Matsuno sighs, then gestures wildly, “Look! All of Nagata-san’s idols are well-behaved,” he shouts.

You glance at each of the idols.

Chigusa Iki is sipping on tea, ignoring the entire conversation.

Enatsu Mari is holding up her hands defensively, her gaze switching between both parties, not knowing how to make them stop.

Kaiba… is either high or extremely sleep deprived.

“Nagata-san,” says Matsuno, “How do you manage it? Can you talk some sense to this girl?”

“Yeah, Nagata-san,” says Watase flatly, “Say something…”

> Decision

> >1 - Keep quiet. Don’t get involved. Hope it passes.

> >2 - Jump to the defence of Watase, tell Matsuno he should calm down.

> >3 - Agree with Matsuno. She should be more mindful of environment.

> >4 - Write-in

>

> Winner

> >4 - Write-in - Admit that you got piss drunk.

Scratching your cheek, you laugh quietly, “Actually, I was pretty out of it myself,” you say, “Far worse than Watase-san…”

Watase smiles, folds her arms, and nods knowingly, “A downright mess,” she says, then laughs boisterously, “I wasn’t gonna say anything, but since you admitted it yourself – yeah, a total wreck.”

You let out an embarrassed chuckle, “Watase-san…that’s…”

Take a hint, please.

“Could barely walk!” continues Watase, then slaps her knee and laughs some more.

Then looks at the other idols, “You girls are lucky, at least your manager knows how to have fun!”

“Unlike some people…” she adds.

Watase-san, please stop talking.

Matsuno clicks his tongue, “There’s a time and place for such things and here and now isn’t it.”

He sits back down, “I figured you’d know such things, Nagata-san.”

Enatsu Mari pipes up, “My dad says getting drunk is a privilege of adults,” she says, then reaching for some rice.

It doesn’t seem like she minds you drinking. She just wants the fighting to stop.

Beside her sits Chigusa Iki, sipping green tea from a clay cup.

She doesn’t say anything, but as far as you can read Chigusa’s limited expression, she seems disappointed.

Sighing, Matsuno refuses to let the matter go, “Even so,” he says, turning to Watase, “Nagata-san, didn’t come in looking and smelling like something coughed out by a bar after closing.”

Watase slams her fists on the table, “Hah? What’s your problem with me?”

Matsuno points an accusing finger, “Your attitude! Your trashy attitude!”

Knuckles whitening as she pulls her hand into a fist, Watase rises to her feet.

She stares at Matsuno with eyes full of hatred, then turns away, “Aaahh… I’m not hungry after all,” she says, walking away.

The mood is definitely ruined.

You sit down beside Kaiba and all of you eat breakfast, the silence only broken to ask somebody to pass along a side-dish.

Matsuno is the first to excuse himself, he pulls what seems to be a carton of cigarettes from his pocket as he heads outside.

You didn’t take him for a smoker, but suppose that’s his way to deal with the sudden stress.

“…Does anyone want to go in the hot spring in a bit…?” tries Enatsu Mari.

You assume she wants to wait a little while since she has just eaten.

“No,” says Chigusa Iki flatly, placing down her clay cup, “Repeated hot baths will damage my skin, so I’ll refrain.”

Enatsu Mari looks to Kaiba, “Aoi-chan…?”

[https://assets.legendkeeper.com/030ccd38-d2b2-428c-a489-5a9118c69320.jpg]

Kaiba has been continuously nodding off during breakfast, just bobble-heading.

Aside from that she’s also still wearing yesterday’s yukata, which isn’t odd, but it looks like she hasn’t taken it off at all.

She blinks a few times, “Eh?” she says, “Uh, eh… No, I’m sorry. I don’t feel so good.”

Enatsu Mari nods, visibly dejected, “Okay…”

She then excuses herself and heads off.

Chigusa Iki stands and bows, “Then, I’ll be leaving to gather my things and get ready for departure.”

There are hours left until you leave, so of course she’s gonna get ready right away.

As they both leave, you turn to Kaiba.

“How are you holding up?” you ask.

“Ah, manager-san,” says Kaiba with a tired smile, “I’m well enough…”

“You don’t look it,” you say, “Get any sleep at all?”

“Well, I was up for almost the entire night checking online to see if my career was over, but I found a way to make myself stop,” says Kaiba, “After that I got some sleep.”

That’s quite the mental fortitude.

You would’ve thought this would overwhelm her, but she seems to be handling it well.

”How’d you manage that?” you ask.

“I threw my phone in the koi pond,” says Kaiba, then takes a sip of her tea, “It’s still in there.”

It appears Kaiba isn’t handling things all too well.

It’s such a waste, too, because fish can’t use phones.

What kind of thought is that?

Man, you feel so hungover.

You set aside tea for now and focus on nursing your headache with water and juice.

The both of you simply sit for a while, Kaiba trying to stave off sleep and you fighting your hangover.

Occasionally, you notice Kaiba glancing at you, her mouth briefly opening as she gathers the courage to speak.

The courage doesn’t come, instead becoming flustered.

After a while, it seems like her mind settles on a different subject that doesn’t tilt her as much.

“Manager-san,” says Kaiba eventually, “Do you think everything will turn out okay?”

“I hope so,” you say, “But I don’t know. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

Kaiba looks towards the floor, “I see,” she says, then gets up, “I think I’ll try and get some sleep until we leave.”

“Okay,” you say, then recall something she said earlier, “Shouldn’t you get your phone from the koi pond?”

Raising her shoulders in a tired shrug, Kaiba speaks, “It’s probably broken anyway,” she says, “I’ll get it before we leave.”

She then leaves the room slightly swaying in slow, difficult steps.

Leaving you alone in the dining hall.

Staff eventually come by to clear the plates and leftovers.

Might as well return to your room, start packing, and check out that message from Matsui.

As you head towards your room, you see the girl that showed everybody to their rooms walk off with a tray full of dishes – the girl with strange interests.

You take a turn into the hallway leading to your room.

In fact, it was this hallway where –-- a hand slams into the wall in front of you, barring your path.

“Yo,” says Watase, towering over you.