Chapter 47

I want to say one word to you. Just one word.
- Mr. McGuire

Jean, Lori, and I found Marge alone where we had agreed to meet. She told us that Rose had gone off to change into her normal clothes and that Pollyanna and Traci had accompanied her. It took a minute to get that information from Marge, as Jean's new outfit seemed to dumbfound her.

"Hubba-hubba," Rose said, announcing the girls' return. Grinning, she told Jean, "You look awesome! I can't place the character, but I'm guessing it's from one of Chad's hentai videos."

I quickly protested, "Hey! I might download them, but I don't actually watch them. If I remember the logs right, the person who watches the most hentai is--"

"--not important." Marge said, cutting me off. She had a slight blush, but she was not the only one of my housemates who had one. I would occasionally review the server logs to make sure that security had not been compromised, and it was always interesting to see who had been watching what. It was actually a toss-up (-off) of who viewed the most hentai and porn, but I thought it best to keep that information to myself.

"Where to now?" Rose asked as she slung her backpack.

"From the way Jean's dressed, I guessing the wharf," Marge commented.

Traci and Pollyanna frowned, not understanding the reference, but the target of Marge's observation did. "Hey, I'm not dressed up like some cheap whore," Jean protested.

"No, an expensive one. I don't know if you'll get much, showing off your cellulite and stretch marks."

Jean subconsciously glanced down at her exposed stomach before looking Marge square in the eyes and said, "Bitch." However, Jean's smile seemed genuine and it did not appear that she was too offended by Marge's joke. After a few of us had stopped laughing, Jean added, "One thing that I wanted to do when I came to Japan was to go to a bathhouse, but I guess it is rather early to take a bath."

"Nonsense," I told her. "Today's your day and if you want to take a bath, we'll take a bath." Jean arched an eyebrow, so I quickly clarified, "I mean, we will all go and take a bath."

Raising her left arm up, Rose sniffed her armpit before she asked me, "You think I'm stinky and need a bath?"

It was going to be a very long holiday indeed if I was going to defend everything I said, so I chose to ignore Rose's question. From the numerous occasions I had seen Jean in a bikini, in addition to her current state of (un)dress, I was fairly certain of the answer, but I still needed to ask. "Do you have any tattoos?"

A wicked grin appeared on Jean's face, and I was fearful of her reply, but she seemed to change her mind at the last second and just shook her head. I knew practically every inch of the Caspars' skins' surfaces, so there was no need to ask them, and Rose, Pollyanna, and Michelle were all too young to have any tattoos.

"Okay, I think I know where we should go, then. It should take about forty minutes to get there, but it should be well worth it," I announced.

Smiling, Jean told me, "Lead the way."

Nodding, I guided the party back to the train station, boarded a train, and we continued our counter-clockwise journey on the loop line. The Yamanote line was extremely useful, in that it circled central Tokyo and most of the stations on the loop connected to other JR lines or the Metro.

During the twenty minutes it took us to reach Shinbashi station, I reviewed if the choice I had made was a good one or not. While Jean had asked to go to a sentō, a bathhouse, I was leading them to an onsen, or hot spring. Almost every neighborhood in Tokyo had a sentō, and the price was regulated by the city to 400 yen. Onsens were less common, and they could charge as much as they wanted. There were two 'theme park' onsens in Tokyo: LaQua and Oedo Onsen Monogatari. LaQua was part of Tokyo Dome City and was not too far from Ikebukuro, but I thought that Jean and the rest would find Oedo Onsen Monogatari more enjoyable.

At Shinbashi, it was a short walk from the JR line to the Yurikamone line. While we were walking, I explained, "We have a couple of choices. We could either get a round-trip ticket for the station we need, or we could get a day pass that would allow unlimited use of the Yurikamone line."

"Is there much to see?" Marge asked.

Rose, who had retrieved her guidebook from her backpack while on the train and read up on Odaiba, said, "There's Fuji TV and Tokyo Big Sight. It would be kinda cool to check them out, but..."

Rose's voice trailed off as she noticed a few surprised looks. It was rare for Rose to be assertive, so I hoped that the reaction she received would not persuade her otherwise. It seemed like Marge was thinking along the same lines, because she quickly declared, "We'll get the day passes."

After we purchased the passes, we proceeded through the automated ticket gate and took an escalator up to the platform. We just missed a train and had to wait five minutes for another. This turned out to be a good thing, because it allowed us to line up for the first car -- something that confused my traveling companions when I insisted upon it. Since Shimbashi was the start of the line, the train emptied out when it pulled in; we boarded a completely empty car.

"Where's the driver?" Traci asked, being the first to ask what everybody else seemed to be thinking.

"It is fully automated," I explained. "There is no need for a driver."

Traci was not the only one to give me a skeptical look, but she seemed to enjoy sitting at the very front of the car. The train did have a control panel for manual operation, but it was covered and locked. Still, some of the gauges were visible and we were able to watch the speedometer climb as we got underway.

While it appeared that the train was a monorail because it was guided along a central rail, it was actually propelled by rows of rubber wheels on both sides. As the elevated concrete track began to rise up, we were granted a spectacular view of both the Tokyo cityscape and Odaiba, the manmade island created in Tokyo bay. The track made a 270-degree turn as it went up to the Rainbow Bridge, and we rode underneath the regular trains and cars.

It took approximately twenty minutes to reach Telecom Center Station, the stop closest to Oedo Onsen Monogatari. Close to thirty other passengers got off the train when we did, but most dispersed after exiting through the ticket gates. There were a couple of families and individuals who headed towards the onsen, and we followed behind them at a respectable distance.

When I took Marge's hand, she glanced at me before looking towards her youngest daughter. Traci was in a conversation with Michelle, but when she noticed Marge and me holding hands, she smiled and continued talking.

Marge weakly protested, "I don't think this is such a good idea."

"I do. It really sucks that I can't show my affection towards you and Lori in public, back in Central City. At least we don't have to worry about people seeing us together while we are in Japan," I explained.

"Thanks Chad, but it really isn't necessary. Knowing how you feel is good enough for me," Marge replied. Despite her words, however, we continued to hold hands until we reached the onsen.

While the onsen was only constructed a few years ago, the façade made it appear as if it was from the Edo period. It was composed of two buildings: a large main one and a smaller one to the side. There was a sign on the smaller one that caught Jean's attention, and she began to laugh.

"Jeeze! I know I called Marge a 'bitch' earlier, but do we really need to take her here?" Jean asked.

Before I had a chance to explain the concept of the pet onsen, Marge replied, "Perhaps Chad thought that since they accepted pets, they would allow women dressed up as skanks in."

"I am not a skank, Mrs. Robinson. Harlot? Maybe, but not a skank."

Upon being called 'Mrs. Robinson', Marge quickly let go of my hand. Before another round of barbs and jabs could be unleashed, Michelle rolled her eyes and tsked. "Children." Traci agreed, and the two of them began walking towards the main building's entrance; the rest of us followed in their footsteps after recovering from our laughter.

"Irasshaimase," a smiling young woman dressed in a formal kimono greeted us as we entered the onsen. She then gestured to a ramp that led from the genkan (entryway) to a section that had rows of shoe lockers, saying, "Dōzo oagari kudasai."

"Ojamashimasu," I replied to her welcome and following invitation to 'come up' to the raised floor that she standing on. Since the floor was less than a half a meter from the genkan, the ramp was primarily for those with physical disabilities. One of the things that I had noticed in Japan was a lack of handicap accessibility. Perhaps now that Japan was becoming an aging society, ramps and other aids would become more common.

The ramp led up to a series of wooden risers that was laid out between the shoe lockers. We walked on them until we found a bank of lockers that was unoccupied. As I slipped off my Birkenstocks, I transferred my bare foot off of the riser down to the actual floor, noting that my companions were doing the same. The shoe locker was large enough to hold other items as well, and I noticed Rose stowing her backpack inside her locker.

We went from the shoe lockers to the entrance hall, where there was already a short line of people. When we joined the queue, Jean started to open her purse, but Lori stopped her. "I'm going to pay your way. This will be my birthday present to you."

"You don't have to give me anything," Jean protested.

Instead of countering verbally, Lori reached under the neckline of her shirt and pulled out a necklace that she was wearing. Hanging next to the BDSM pendant that Erin had given to her was a silver 'L'. When Lori had received the necklace that the 'L' had hung from, Michelle had explained that she had bought the silver chain, but her mom had bought the pendant.

Upon seeing the visible evidence on why Lori should be allowed to give Jean a present, the older women let out a loud sigh and nodded in defeat. Fortunately, Jean did not see the large grin that was plastered across my face. I knew that Lori, almost without fail, wore the necklace with the BDSM pendant, usually underneath her clothes. She would sometimes wear the gift she had received from Michelle and Jean on the outside of her clothes, but this was the first time that I had seen the particular combination that she had just produced. I could not help but think that Lori was as devious as myself, having the foresight to wear Jean's present and produce it as proof as to why she should be allowed to return the favor.

"Junior High?" Rose asked me, interrupting my thoughts.

It took me a few seconds to figure out what she was asking me, until I spotted a price board that she had obviously seen. Rose seemed satisfied by my nod, but Traci asked why.

"Technically, you girls would still be in Junior High, by local standards. Japan has three years of junior and senior high school," I explained.

Traci started to frown, but suddenly perked up. "Doesn't their school year begin around now?"

Slowly nodding, I answered, "Yes, at the start of April."

I could almost see the internal struggle that was going on inside of Traci, and I had a strong suspicion to what it was about. Unlike her previous joking about things weighing less or being longer by referring to them by metric, the idea of still being in Junior High seemed to be a real blow. However, there was a considerable price jump between the children's price and adults'.

My weakness with regards to feminine logic was once again shown when I was surprised by Traci's assertion of being in Junior High when it came to her turn to pay the attendant. Everyone, save Jean, paid for themself, and we each received a badge that hung on a long neck strap. The badges contained a barcode with a corresponding ten-digit number printed underneath. Besides our money, the clerk also collected the keys to our shoe lockers; a subtle way to ensure that we would return to settle our bill afterwards.

Before going into the changing rooms, we needed to select a yukata. While I would have preferred a subdued one, similar to the one I owned, everyone else insisted that I pick the one with the picture of a sumo rikishi (wrestler) on it. Not wanting to disappoint, I did as I was told. Everyone else but Rose and Pollyanna selected different colorful yukatas, primarily with floral print designs. The two girls decided upon subtle white ones that were decorated with blue kanji so that they could wear matching outfits.

I went into the men's changing room and found an unoccupied locker. Stripping naked, I placed my clothes inside before donning the yukata. The key to the locker had a handy wrist strap, which I put around my left wrist. Being somewhat ambidextrous, I nevertheless primarily used my right hand, and my training had taught me to keep it unencumbered.

Kuso! While putting the key on my left wrist had been unconscious act, it did remind me that I was on a mission and that I had the hundred-yen coin to worry about. Even though I was almost convinced that it was an ordinary coin and that the whole 'mission' was more of an act to make me jump through a bunch of hoops, I could not help but feel compelled to treat it as if it were legit. As such, I could not let the coin leave my possession.

I sat down on the bench that was in front of the lockers and began to run different scenarios through my mind. It took about a half a minute, but I came up with a plan that appeared to be pretty sound. While the yukata did not have any pockets, I did have a small string pouch that I had received when I paid the entrance fee. Oedo Onsen Monogatari had a membership program where you paid 250 yen to join and then you would receive 500 yen off the entrance price as well as some other small perks. I was the only one in our group to sign up for it -- even the ever-frugal Rose had been intimated by the form. When I joined, I was given a couple of pamphlets that were tucked into the small string pouch. The material that made up the pouch was rather lightweight, but it appeared to suit my needs. I emptied the pouch and then transferred my wallet, cigarettes, and lighter, into it. Drawing the pouch closed, I tied it to my yukata's obi (belt). I then locked the locker and left the changing room.

Even with the internal conflict that I had gone through, I found myself the first one out from the changing rooms. There were a few other men who were also waiting for their significant others to come out from the women's changing room. I was only waiting for a few minutes until my party came out, almost as one. I was smiling until I spotted how Traci was wearing her yukata. I then found myself frowning slightly, cocking my head to the side and raising an eyebrow.

"Ha!" Rose exclaimed, seeing my reaction. Turning to my youngest girlfriend, she told her, "You owe me five hundred yen."

Rolling her eyes, Traci did not otherwise respond to her friend. Instead, she gave a small pout, turned around, and headed back into the changing room. Marge and a couple of the girls began to chuckle, while Rose explained to me, "I tried to tell her that she was wearing it wrong, but she didn't think it was a big deal, so I made a bet with her that you would notice and say something."

"Actually, I didn't anything," I pointed out.

"Like hell you didn't," Marge interjected. "We've been around you long enough to read your looks. The look you gave her was, 'What the hell do you think you're doing?'."

Marge was pretty close in her assessment, but instead of confirming it with her, I teased, "Oh? What is the look I'm giving you now?"

Marge studied me for a few seconds before letting out a mock gasp. "Really, Chad! There are children present! Besides, I wouldn't have any idea where to find a double-headed dildo."

"You could bor-" Pollyanna was cut off by a quick elbow from Rose. The giggling that Marge's comment brought was amplified by the two girls' actions. By the time we had settled down, Traci came back out from the changing room.

Walking up to Rose, Traci proclaimed, "I don't owe you squat since he didn't say anything."

Traci stood dumbfounded as we all began to laugh. Lori was one of the first to recover and filled her sister in on the conversation that she had just missed. After receiving the information, Traci said, "I still don't see what the big deal was with how I was wearing it."

I did not want Traci to think that we were picking on her, so I went close to her, wrapped my arms around her waist, and gave her a soft kiss on her forehead. "Love, I pray that I never have to see you dressed like that." When Traci gave me a confused look, I added, "The only time when you put the right over the left is when you dress a corpse for burial."

Traci's eyes widened slightly at the realization that there was significance in the way that the yukata was worn, and not just a simple fashion statement. When she began to wear them at home, I would point out that she should wrap the right side of the yukata over the body, then overlap it with the left. After a few times of trying to correct her with the proper etiquette, I had decided to let the matter go, strongly suspecting that she had begun to play with me. Now that we were actually out in public, especially in a country that knew the actual connotation, it seemed that she was more respectful of how she wore it.

It was a short walk from the changing rooms to the large main hall and when we entered it, there were a few gasps of surprise. The interior was set up to appear like an Edo-style street with faux storefronts for the numerous shops that were selling sweets and souvenirs, as well as traditional game stalls, pubs, and small eateries. On the side opposite of the bath entrances, there was a significantly sized food court with several different types of restaurants sharing a common eating area.

"I don't know about you, but right now, I'm in the mood for a bath. How about meeting back here in, say, an hour?" I suggested.

"That sounds good," Jean replied, and Marge nodded in agreement.

Rose and Pollyanna wanted to do a quick reconnaissance before heading into the baths, so the rest of us proceeded to the bath entrances. Before we separated into the appropriate genders' baths, I paused to exchange what began as a chaste kiss on the lips with Traci. However, when her tongue sought entrance past my lips, I easily surrendered and granted it entry. I did keep the kiss somewhat brief; public affection being frowned upon aside, the prospect of spouting an erection while being surrounded by numerous naked males was something that I did not want to deal with.

Upon entering the males' bath entrance, an attendant handed me a towel and a washcloth. Thanking him, I bypassed the changing area and headed towards the toilets. I found an unoccupied stall and hung my towel and washcloth upon the hook inside the door. After making sure that the door was secured, I quickly untied the pouch from the obi and removed my wallet. I retrieved the troublesome coin and a condom; the latter being somewhat troublesome itself. I had received considerable grief from Traci when she discovered I carried one in my wallet a few months prior. Fortunately, it occurred during the window of time that I had begun sexual relations with Marge but before she was fully on the pill. Using that as an excuse, while I do not think I had been able to fully convince Traci, she did let the matter drop after a week or so. Had Traci paid closer attention, she would had noticed that the condom that I carried in my wallet was different than the ones that we kept in the house -- lubricated with spermicide was the last thing that I wanted my 'utility' condom to have.

It went against my eco-conscious nature to toss the condom wrapper into the toilet, but sometimes necessity outweighs social morals. I placed the hundred-yen coin in the condom as I unrolled it. Squeezing the air out from around the coin, I tied a knot in the condom as close as I could to the coin. I had made sure to bring my lighter to burn off the excess, but the smell of burning latex would be rather difficult to mask (perhaps not if I had eaten curry rice the previous evening). I had to settle for using my teeth, since another of my 'utility' items that I kept in my wallet had to remain at home. The razorblade, while easily concealable within the folds of my wallet, would have stuck out like a sore thumb at airport security.

The remainder of the condom joined the wrapper in the toilet as I slipped the latex-enclosed coin into my mouth. My time away from the Compound was evident, as a part of me felt foolish for the ridiculous steps that I was taking. If (and it was a mighty large 'if') the coin was a container, then whatever it encompassed was something that could be susceptible to excess moisture. The condom would keep the coin dry while I was able to fully partake of the baths. If worst came to worst, and I had to swallow the coin to avoid discovery, then there was enough time for me to retrieve it before the drop. Acting silly and possibly having to dig through my own excrement was a minuscule price to pay for what I received for the mission. After all, with as much shit as Rose had had to go through, I could go through some of my own.