Chapter 1

Kisa decided that everyone around him needed to stop getting married. It wasn't like he was bitter or anything; even if he could get married, he didn't want to. But one of his friends from college was getting married, and had invited him out to the ceremony in Hokkaido simply because they were still in contact and that made the man feel like he had to invite him. Kisa could, of course, reject the invitation, and he had fully intended to. Except it had been Yukina who got his mail. That was one of the downsides of him being there constantly: no filter for things like this.

"Do you plan to go, Kisa-san?" Yukina asked. He was doing the morning chores as Kisa nursed a cup of coffee. Soon they'd both be off, Kisa to his job and Yukina to his morning class, but the cycle had just ended and they rarely had time together like that even with Yukina staying the night. Initially, Kisa had felt uncomfortable leaving his boyfriend alone in his apartment, but he couldn't remember the last time it had looked so clean. Also Yukina kept the fridge stocked and had refused Kisa's offer to pay him back at least half of the grocery bill, which was nice.

At the question, though, Kisa narrowed his eyes over his coffee cup. "No," he said, and he tossed the invitation onto the coffee table and stood up. He was probably going to be late to work, and he wasn't sure whether Takano would be lenient on him since it was the start of the new cycle. Better to just get in and hope he wasn't noticed.

By the time he did get to the office, he sat down in his chair and immediately jumped at a harsh buzzing in his pocket. He'd forgotten he had stowed his cell phone in the back pocket of his jeans, and the vibration against his bottom wasn't exactly the best thing to be happening to him in a public setting. He ripped his phone out and opened it to see he'd gotten a text from Yukina.

The invitation says you can bring a guest. I can go with you.

Kisa scowled down at his phone.

That's not the issue. I just don't like things like that. Too many people.

He thought that was that, and he went about his day like usual. Well, maybe not usual, because he didn't have nearly as much work as he did later in the month. He actually found the time to go down to the lounge and get something out of the vending machine, because in his haste to get out of his apartment before Yukina could push the wedding point further, he hadn't picked up his lunch.

And, as he was at his vending machine, that's when he got the call. At first he expected it to be Yukina, but then he remembered that his boyfriend would be in class at that point. It was, however, his soon-to-be-married friend.

"Hey, Shouta!" the friend, Kenichi, said by way of greeting. "You got the invitation, right?"

"Yeah, and I can't go," Kisa said, leaning down to get his drink out of the vending machine. "You know how much work I have. I could never take that much time off."

"Aw, Shouta, it's just the weekend," Kenichi said. "Besides, the ceremony is in a town right near Noboribetsu Onsen. You could relax there and go back to that magazine of yours a new man."

Kisa thought about that, at least for a split second. It was tempting, being February, to take up his offer. "I can talk to Minako and get you a bath pass for Dai-Ichi Takimotokan. It's a small price to pay to get my old friend here."

And there it was: the offer of free stuff. Kisa would, of course, be reaching into his wallet for a wedding present if he went, not to mention the money it'd take to get there. But Dai-Ichi Takimotokan had the largest amount of hot spring baths in Japan. And Noboribetsu Onsen, he'd been told, had some locally-made beer that everyone should try at least once. Kisa had never tried it, and who was he to go through life without that experience?

"Fine," Kisa said. "I can't guarantee it, but I'll see if I can come."

"Don't forget a guest!" came Minako's voice in the background, and Kisa made a face before just hanging up.

He stared at his phone for a long time before sighing and bringing up a blank text message.

Get the last Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the month off. We're going.