Her belongings are stolen

Mackenzie entered the changing room and picked a basket from the many on the shelves. She placed her purse inside and noticed another woman walking out of the onsen in nothing but a wet towel. It helped her realize that she was really here, but also reassured her that she had, in fact, entered the women's changing room. Mackenzie shook her head as she imagined how embarrassing it would've been to wind up in the men's room.

The redhead undressed and placed her clothing into the basket, making sure it was folded neatly, and wrapped the towel around her body. With a deep breath and a small grin, Mackenzie stepped out of the room, eager to enjoy the experience she'd dreamed of for so long.

Mackenzie made her way into the nearly deserted hot springs, discarded her towel, and slid into the hot water. She spent the next twenty minutes leisurely enjoying the relaxing experience, unaware of the trouble that now lay ahead of her.

Unfortunately for Mackenzie, there was still something of an anti-foreigner sentiment for some of those in Japan. The woman she had passed, in particular, didn't want to see her favorite onsen turn into a tourist spot. And she figured the best way to nip that scenario in the bud was to discourage this particular foreigner from ever recommending this place to anyone else.

She strolled over to where she'd seen Mackenzie place her belongings and pulled the basket off the shelf. Without so much as a second thought, she dumped all of Mackenzie's clothes and purse into her own bag, proceeded to get dressed, and exited the onsen. The problem was solved, as far as she was concerned.

Eventually, Mackenzie emerged from the onsen, immensely satisfied by her relaxing dip. She resecured her towel and returned to the changing room to retrieve her basket. But all the nearby baskets were empty.

"Huh..." she mused aloud, "I could've sworn I left it on this shelf..."

Mackenzie continued her search, now growing slightly nervous. That nervousness grew to panic as the towel-clad woman became increasingly sure that her clothes were gone! And not just those, but her wallet, phone, and purse too!

"Oh, no no no!" Mackenzie whimpered as she realized how far she was from her hotel, with nothing but a wet towel for cover. "What do I do?!"