The train's intercom chimed softly, a pleasant artificial voice filling the cabin: Now approaching… Hakone-Yumoto.
"We're here!" Ayane cheered, grabbing her bags before the train had even come to a complete stop. "Onsen time! Prepare your eyes, Makoto! You're about to see four pregnant women in yukatas. Try not to pass out from the cuteness!"
"Come on, I already know how cute and seductive my fiancées can be," Makoto chuckled while gathering their baggage.
They exited the station into the crisp mountain air. It was busy, bustling with tourists, but Makoto managed to flag down a large seven-seat taxi near the gate. "I've got the bags," he told the girls, waving off Mafuyu's attempt to help. He hoisted the mountain of suitcases into the trunk with practiced ease.
The taxi driver, a grizzled older man who looked like he had seen everything this tourist town had to offer, watched with a deadpan expression as Makoto efficiently packed the trunk. It was an impressive amount of luggage for a three-night trip, mostly filled with snacks, clothes, cosmetics, and god knows what else.
"Makoto-san, please, allow me to take that bag," Mafuyu said, her hands hovering uselessly over a heavy-looking duffel bag he hadn't put in yet. "You shouldn't be lifting so much."
"Nonsense, Mamafu," Ayane purred, unimpressed as she slid past them. "Our man is strong. Let him show off. Besides, the real heavy lifting is coming later tonight, right?" She winked at Makoto, grabbed a smaller bag, and hopped into the front passenger seat. "The front seat is mine! I get to control the radio!"
Makoto closed the trunk with a solid thud and turned around to find the girls already engaged in a silent, high-stakes battle for seating.
Yuna scowled at Ayane's quick power move. She slid open the middle door of the seven-seater and immediately bypassed the middle row, climbing into the back. She patted the spot next to her, giving Makoto a look that said: "If you know what's good for you, you'll sit here."
Mika simply sighed, the sound of someone who had learned patience the hard way. She gracefully climbed into the seat in the middle row, her expression as calm as if she were arranging chess pieces.
"This seating arrangement is okay," she noted calmly. "Ayane has the best view of the scenery, Yuna gets the closest seat to Makoto, and Mafuyu and I are comfortable in the middle."
Makoto slid into the back row next to Yuna, who immediately latched onto his arm, staking her claim. Mafuyu took the remaining seat next to Mika with a happy, placid smile, just glad to be included.
"Alright, Makoto-san!" the driver grunted, looking in the rearview mirror. "Ryokan Tokiwa?"
"Yes, sir! Thank you!" Mika answered smoothly.
As the taxi pulled away from the station and started winding up the mountain roads, Yuna leaned her head on Makoto's shoulder, her hand resting possessively on his thigh.
"Good view from up here," Ayane called back, twisting in her seat to grin at them. "Can't wait to see the view from the private onsen."
Yuna's grip on Makoto's thigh tightened. "Don't look at my big bro," she muttered. "You're the navigator, do your job, milk cow!"
"I'm navigating my way into Makoto's pants later!"
"Girls," Mika's calm voice cut through the bickering. "We have not yet checked in. Let's not get kicked out before we even see the rooms."
The taxi ride continued with comfortable, overlapping banter. Makoto watched the scenery change from city sprawl to lush green mountains. He felt the warm weight of Yuna against him, heard Ayane's excited chatter from the front, and sensed the calm presence of Mika and Mafuyu in the row ahead.
Makoto decided to test the waters. His hand teasingly slid between Yuna's thighs, his fingers resting dangerously close to her hem. "It seems so crowded," His thumb brushed Yuna's inner thigh.
Yuna let out a sharp, choked gasp as his hand made contact. Her first instinct was to clamp her legs shut, trapping his hand. She did, but it was a half-hearted effort at best. "Idiot! Stop it!" she whispered furiously, her face flushing red. She tried to push his hand away, but her fingers just curled weakly around his wrist.
She made no real effort to remove it. Her reaction, of course, did not go unnoticed.
"Ooh, getting handsy in the backseat, boss?" Ayane's voice sang from the front. She was twisted around in her seat, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "Save some of that energy for the onsen! Or better yet, save it for me in the onsen!"
Mika, sitting in front of him, glanced at the reflection in the side mirror. She caught Yuna's flustered face and the location of Makoto's hand. A knowing smirk touched her lips before she turned to face forward, pretending to be interested in the scenery.
Mafuyu noticed too, and she blushed a deep pink, quickly turning to look out her own window and pretending not to see. She pulled her blanket up to her chin, her shoulders hunched with embarrassment and silent excitement.
Makoto asked casually, as if he wasn't fingering his stepsister in the backseat. "It looks crowded here. Is there a festival or something, mister driver?"
The taxi driver, completely oblivious to the chaos behind him, grunted in response to Makoto's question. "Festival? Nah," he said, his eyes fixed on the winding road. "Obon week, big travel time. Everyone's headin' home to their family graves. Plus, the weather's good. Means the whole damn country decided to visit Hakone at once."
He paused to honk at a slow-moving car. "It's always like this in August. We love it for the business, hate it for the traffic. Don't tell people this, I even got a famous judge and his mistress booked my driving for a full day yesterday. They paid good money."
The driver chuckled dryly. "Don't you worry about the crowd, son. Your place is a bit off the main strip. Once we get there, it'll be nice and real quiet."
"Oh, I see, too bad," Makoto said, nodding as if he were just making polite conversation. "I was planning to take you to enjoy the festival for our date, Mafuyu-nee."
Mafuyu turned to him from the middle row, her eyes wide with joy and gentle disappointment at the same time. "Oh! A festival would have been lovely," she murmured with a wistful smile on her face. "Wearing yukatas, eating candied apples just like when we were little. But being here with you, in a quiet place, isn't bad either, Makoto-kun."
She was so sweet, so genuine, it almost made Makoto feel bad for the debauchery happening right behind her.
Almost.
Makoto leaned in close to Yuna's ear, his breath hot against her skin. "Wanna play a game, Yuna?" he whispered, his fingers twitching against her thigh. "If I make you cum before we arrive, you have to yell 'I love my husband and brother so much' at the receptionist."
Yuna's eyes widened to the size of saucers, and she shot him a look that was half fury, half arousal, with a sliver of panic thrown in. "You crazy pervert!" she hissed, her voice barely audible over the hum of the engine. "We're in a taxi! The driver is right there! My friends are right there!"
But despite her protests, she didn't move his hand. In fact, her legs relaxed just a fraction, giving him better access. Her breathing hitched. "And yell WHAT?!" she squeaked, her face burning. "Are you trying to kill me with embarrassment?! That's practically a public execution!"
Finally, Yuna bit her lip, her violet eyes challenging him and daring him at the same time. "Fine," she whispered back with a tremor in her voice. "But if you lose, if we get there and I haven't… You have to give me a foot massage for an hour tonight. Deal?"
From the front seat, Ayane was watching them both in the rearview mirror, her grin widening. She knew something was up.
Mika caught the driver's comment about the "famous judge," her eyes narrowing. Her gaze then shifted to Yuna's furious face and Makoto's smug expression. A concerning smile formed on her lips, and she leaned back in her seat, folding her arms.
Yuna thought she was safe. The ryokan was only about 15 minutes away, according to the GPS on the dashboard. But she underestimated him. "There's no way I'm gonna lose!" The poor girl thought.