As the sun dipped below the horizon, Logan and his classmates finally arrived at the inn where they'd be staying.
Nestled on the outskirts of the city, the expansive inn was set against a mountain, its warm lights stretching halfway up the slope.
Inside, the decor was far from the standard quick-stay inn. Casual comments floating from students and teachers hinted that the inn had a strong local reputation.
Napa was mountainous, and it wasn't surprising that the outskirts of the city had kept a few small, undeveloped hills. And since it was called a hot spring inn, there had to be hot springs nearby, whether it was geothermal or volcanic, the mountain location only added to the allure.
Logan, however, doubted that hot spring water would be transported from afar for the sake of authenticity, especially knowing that the inn's ownership was tied to a particularly 'vibrant social group'.
Interestingly, Logan still hadn't directly referred to the local group at odds with the Blue Gang by name. The name itself was somewhat unusual, Bear Head Gang.
When Logan first read through Damian's information, he'd double-checked several times to make sure he wasn't mistaken, amused that the biggest gray-area group in Napa had a name straight out of a pulp novel.
Though the Bear Head Gang had been around nearly as long as the Blue Gang, their reputation had waned in reality.
Logan could only imagine that the name was an homage to the days when Napa's rugged terrain was still home to wild beasts.
Following the enthusiastic students, Logan listened as the teacher assigned rooms, which is six or seven students per room, with dorm mates grouped together where possible.
As a commuting student, Logan got lucky and ended up rooming with David.
"Boys and girls are not allowed to visit each other's rooms… and the hot springs will be used by in turn..."
They could choose to shower in their rooms or at the hot spring area, but with hundreds of students involved, even a large hot spring would require staggered use.
None of this, however, seemed to matter as Logan noticed David's face light up when the teacher mentioned the sleeping arrangements. The rooms weren't entirely separated by gender, with the boys' and girls' rooms actually quite close.
The Plan B, which David has been planning for a long time, is officially in motion.
Of course, Logan, who knew David well, realized that these so-called 'Plan A' and 'Plan B' schemes were little more than adolescent fantasies.
Simply reducing the distance between boys' and girls' rooms from different floors to a few dozen meters was enough to make David giddy with excitement.
In addition, Logan also had his doubts about David's actual nerve. During student years, boys often boasted in the dorms about various exploits, just like everyone bragged about their '9 inches' and how anyone who couldn't last two hours was unworthy of the title 'man'.
But the truth? That was a different story altogether. Maybe try finding a girlfriend first.
As the evening wore on, David did not disappoint. Standing in the traditional Japanese room, he gave a rousing speech about their venture, only to end up standing at the entrance to the mixed bath in nothing but his boxers, staring helplessly at the curtain that would reveal the unknown world beyond.
"Come on, Fatty."
"Yeah, just one step left to the new world you were going on about."
The two male classmates who'd been coaxed into joining him urged nervously.
The hot spring area was built into the mountainside, with separate sections for men, women, and a mixed section.
Now, in the wooden corridor, David stood frozen, staring at the curtain marked 'Mixed Bath'. His hand reached out, trembling as he gripped the edge of the curtain, as if it weighed a thousand pounds.
"Ahem, Fatty, someone seems to have noticed us." Logan added dryly, holding his bath basin, casually delivering one last jab.
Compared to the men's and women's baths, the mixed bath was far quieter, making their little group stand out all the more awkwardly.
Logan hadn't wanted to be here in the first place, and it was clear that without dragging a friend along, David's courage would have crumbled long before. But judging by David's trembling lip, it seemed this was already the very limit of his bravery.
"Uh, how about… maybe we just…" David stammered, his face visibly flushed as he started backing out.
Logan watched with a half-squint, seeing David's transformation from bold declarations to complete surrender. He understood, though. Without other guys from their grade to boost morale, David had quickly realized he lacked the 'strength in numbers' confidence boost.
Logan sighed softly and said, "Aren't you tired from standing there so long? Let's just go in."
Then, before anyone could react, he casually stepped forward and lifted the curtain.
David was shocked. He did not expect Logan to have such a spirit of 'sacrifice'.
Of course, there was only one reason why Logan walked in so calmly, and that was because he had already sensed the situation inside.
"Oh my, it's such a pity that there's no one inside." Logan said weakly.
…
The so-called 'hot spring welfare operation' concluded anticlimactically, with not a soul in sight. After returning to their room, David made a serious 'post-mortem analysis' of the mission, declaring that this letdown was all the fault of overly-idealized harem anime!
Sitting by the low table by the window, Logan silently dried his damp hair, 'This hot spring inn had indeed adopted Japanese-inspired décor, but with local customs in mind. To people from the west, hot springs were almost like bathhouses anyway… who on earth would actually come to a mixed bath?'
The rest of the guys in the room who hadn't gone mocked David and the others mercilessly, while the entire time in the hot springs, David and company had been a bundle of nerves, terrified that someone might walk in on their 'shameless' venture.
Ironically, Logan was the only one who'd truly enjoyed the open-air, hot-and-cold contrast in comfort.
"Hey, Marvin, when you were soaking in the hot spring, did you have a wooden wall that splits the bath into two sections?" David, still clinging to hope, asked one of the guys. Unsurprisingly, the answer was no.
As most students unwound from the day's fatigue and the teachers eased up on the rules, the boys began migrating between rooms for card games, while girls shared secrets and gossip over cozy blankets.
Meanwhile, others with hidden agendas snuck about the common areas, taking roundabout routes to avoid attention.
Logan checked the time, and it was not even eight yet. For him, this marked the end of the autumn field trip's casual activities, and it was time to handle his main business.
Declining a card game invite by claiming an upset stomach, he quietly changed into a black outfit and calmly made his way across the busy common area filled with students.
The warm hall was equipped with ping-pong tables, exercise equipment, a large LCD TV, and vending machines. Here and there, students exchanged glances while playing table tennis, but Logan paid no mind, keeping a low profile as he slipped out.
Thud.
A drink fell from the vending machine with a soft sound, and Diane bent down to retrieve it, hearing her friend gasp.
"Isn't that Logan? What's he doing going out at this hour?"
Pulling the tab with a crisp pop, Diane raised the cold can to her lips, glancing over. Sure enough, there was Logan, silently heading out.
With her slender, delicate hand slightly paused, Diane was wearing a light pink pajama set, her hair pinned up to reveal her fair neck and graceful collarbones.
"Maybe… he's going to find a teacher?" Diane replied uncertainly, her face still flushed from the hot bath as she tilted her head in thought.