Chapter 95
Chapter 95
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: A Holiday at the Hotel is the Best (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Y-You...! What are you doing here?"
Alice strode up to the woman, her eyes wide.
She reacted as if she’d seen someone who had no business being here.
But whether she noticed Alice’s surprise or not,
Tamamo swished her thick, lavender-colored tail alluringly and answered with a relaxed air.
"It’s a bit of a long story... We’re scheduled to stay at the St. Maria Hotel for our school trip next semester, so the student council came for a preliminary visit. Believe it or not, I’m the next student council president."
"H-Heh... Tamamo, it's only been a year and you're already the student council president. That's amazing..."
"Nyahaha! I just got lucky. What about you, Alice?"
"I came here with some people I know. It's a long holiday in Nighthaven right now."
"Wow, that's great! A holiday at the end of the year. It's the perfect time for a trip! I'm so jealous!"
Hearing about Night Week from Alice, Tamamo clapped her hands and smiled brightly, as if genuinely delighted.
Her sincere joy, devoid of any pretense, seemed utterly harmless.
Perhaps thanks to Tamamo’s cheerful demeanor, Alice’s own shock began to subside.
She continued the conversation, much calmer than before.
"I'm surprised. I never imagined I'd run into you here, Tamamo."
"Honestly, that’s my line. Do you know how shocked I was when I went back home during summer break and heard you’d suddenly moved to America? Your old number was disconnected, and there was no news... To meet you in a place like this, it's a real surprise."
"Ugh, that's... There were circumstances..."
"Hmph. You're a serious person, Alice. I'm sure you had a good reason for leaving in such a hurry. But still, considering our friendship... I was a little hurt."
"Uhm... I'm really sorry."
As if she had no excuse to offer, Alice averted her gaze and awkwardly scratched her cheek.
Sure, it was wrong of her to leave for another country so suddenly without a word to her friend.
But even so, Alice seemed quite intimidated by Tamamo, who was a head shorter than her.
Perhaps sensing something off about her demeanor,
Raven, who had been quietly watching from behind, furrowed his brow slightly.
Was their friendship not as good as it seemed? That appeared to be his thought.
But Tamamo simply pulled a device from her pocket and spoke to Alice.
"Alice, this must be fate. Let's exchange contact info!"
"Ah, okay! Y-Yeah, let's!"
"Hehe, there we go. I'll definitely message you, so you have to reply, okay?"
"Of course, I will!"
Alice hurriedly took out her device from her coat and exchanged contact information with Tamamo.
After successfully exchanging numbers, Tamamo smiled, clutching her device as if it were a precious treasure.
She looked as though she had just obtained a treasure she could never bear to lose.
"Ah, excuse me. Are you perhaps..."
It seemed she had finally noticed Raven and me, Alice's companions.
She looked directly at us, her eyes full of curiosity, and began to speak.
Or rather, she tried to.
If not for a very tall, blond-haired boy who suddenly stepped between us.
"President. So this is where you were. What are we to do if you wander off and get lost without a word?"
"Ah, Vice President. Of all the times..."
"My apologies for the interruption... but I must ask you to come quickly."
"What? No way!"
Her introduction interrupted, Tamamo puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.
She seemed determined to get acquainted with us, Alice's companions.
However, the boy called Vice President simply bowed his head apologetically and replied.
"The head of the disciplinary committee has gotten himself into some unnecessary trouble..."
"Ah! That's a problem...! Ah, uh, Alice! I have to go!"
"Oh, okay. B-Bye."
"Nyahaha, we're in the same hotel, so I'll see you again! And you two, I'll come by to introduce myself later!"
Vice President, lead the way! Quickly!
Tamamo poked the Vice President in the back, hurrying him along as they left.
She seemed quite worried that the head of the disciplinary committee would cause some serious trouble.
She really was like a storm.
As I thought this, pulling my still-warm coat tighter around myself,
Raven approached Alice, who still looked somewhat dazed.
"Judging by her uniform, she must be from that famous academy. What's your relationship?"
"Uhm... We've been childhood friends since elementary school. Though this is the first time I've seen her in almost a year."
"Hmm, I see. From the way you two acted, I wouldn't have guessed you were that close."
"...Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Well, you have that rebellious, flashy girl look, while she seemed like a prim and proper model student. Aren't those two types usually like oil and water?"
"Who are you calling a flashy girl!"
Grrr!
Alice glared fiercely and roared at Raven.
But I had a good idea of what Raven was getting at.
If Alice was like a sexy and mysterious free-spirited girl who wasn't afraid to show some skin,
then Tamamo was like a model student in a pristine white uniform, whose every step was perfectly composed.
If you had to assign them attributes, they were definitely opposites.
Of course, sometimes opposites attract and get along even better because of their differences.
But seeing how stressed Alice was, breaking out in a cold sweat, that didn't seem to be the case here.
"So, what's the story?"
"Sigh, it's just... We were supposed to go to the same school, but I was the only one who didn't get in, which created a bit of distance between us. Then something came up that made me have to run away, so I came to Nighthaven in a hurry and couldn't leave any message."
"Hmm, is that so. Quite the complicated story."
"Ugh, enough! Let's drop it! So, when on earth are David and the others getting here?! We've been waiting forever!"
"We just arrived."
"Hkyaaaak!"
The sudden low voice made Alice jump as high as her own head.
To think she could jump that high with pure strength, without any windup or preparation.
Just how strong are her leg muscles? Is she secretly a rabbit beastkin?
But unlike my calm reaction, Alice seemed so startled her heart was hurting.
She clutched her chest, turning around with a baffled expression.
"D-D-David? And Reine, and even Sabrina...?"
Standing right in front of Alice was the very group she had been so desperately waiting for.
Actually, I’d spotted them near the entrance around the time she was exchanging numbers with Tamamo.
But Alice, lost in her thoughts, must not have noticed them approaching.
Still, I suppose he didn't expect her to be quite so shocked.
David rubbed the back of his neck, as if apologizing for startling her, and spoke.
"My apologies. There was a disturbance on the tracks, which caused a delay. Fortunately, there were police officers on the same train, so the issue was resolved one way or another..."
"I'm sorry, everyone. We didn't mean to make you wait in this weather."
"Hey, it's not like you were late on purpose. Let's just get inside. I'm ready to drop my bags."
If the delay was due to something unavoidable, then it can't be helped.
How could they have prevented a disturbance on the tracks? It's not like they can see the future.
I let Sabrina cling to me, my round ears twitching, and gave David a look to let him know it was fine.
I don't know if he got the message, but we hadn't been waiting all that long anyway.
I just hoped David's group wouldn't feel too bad about it.
With the situation more or less sorted, we entered the bustling St. Maria Hotel and were finally able to get to our reserved room.
"This is the Premier Suite I booked at the St. Maria!"
Thankfully, the elevator ride up, with its scenic view, seemed to have recharged her energy.
Back to her usual cheerful self, Alice tapped the key card against the door and swung it wide open.
And indeed, the interior was so magnificent it was jaw-dropping.
"It's huge!"
"Ooh, this is amazing. A high-end hotel is certainly worth the price."
First off, the room was ridiculously spacious.
How could a single suite be comparable in size to our entire agency office?
From the marble floors to the ornate patterns on the ceiling, it was clear no expense had been spared.
But it seemed Alice wanted to say that what we saw was only the beginning.
She dashed inside first and, with an excited air, beckoned with her finger.
"Hahaha, and that's not all! There are two bedrooms and two bathrooms! Not only that, but look here—a wine cellar, a kitchen where you can make simple meals, and even a balcony for relaxing and watching the ocean! What do you think? Amazing, right?"
"Oh my, it's wonderful."
"...Alice, you really wanted to come here, didn't you."
"Ugh, y-yes, I did! Is that so wrong?!"
Alice shouted, her face flushing red under the gazes of Reine and Raven, who looked at her as if she were adorable.
Then again, Alice always acted mature, except when I was around.
But in terms of age, she was still a minor, not even an adult yet.
It was completely understandable that she was this excited, especially since she’d managed to book it herself.
However, being treated like a child by two actual adults must have been incredibly embarrassing.
Having taken a direct hit, Alice shot a glare at Raven.
'Well, an expensive hotel is certainly nice. The view of the ocean is great, too.'
Leaving Raven and Alice to their third war, Sabrina and I stepped quietly inside.
What came into view was a spacious living room and, beyond the window, a vast ocean vista.
The open sea, stretching unobstructed to the distant horizon, filled my chest with a sense of freedom.
Yes, yes. This is why you come to the seaside.
I crossed my arms, savoring the ocean view, and nodded in utter satisfaction.
Meanwhile, it seemed the third war had fizzled out.
After checking the bedrooms, Alice turned to Raven with a genuinely apologetic look.
"I feel bad asking this of you, Jin, since you paid so much, but it looks like the four of us will have to use the larger bedroom. There's just too much of a difference in our numbers..."
"It's fine. I'm not so heartless as to cram four people into the smaller room. Besides, this one is plenty spacious for two people."
"The smaller bedroom alone is several times the size of my room. This truly is a luxury hotel."
Unfortunately, due to the numbers, the female group—me, Alice, Sabrina, and Reine—took the large bedroom.
Raven and David, the male group, would use the smaller one.
To be honest, I didn't really mind which room I was in.
But it didn't seem like Alice would let me go, so I didn't bother voicing an opinion.
And so, with the room assignments settled,
Alice clapped her hands lightly and addressed the group, as if to wrap things up.
"Haha... Thank you for being so understanding. Well then, shall we go eat? It's a bit late for lunch, but we can just have a late dinner."
"Sounds good. *Sslurp*, let's go now. I'm ready to eat something rich."
"...!"
It seemed Alice wanted to start with lunch, despite the late hour.
Well, you can't have fun on an empty stomach.
I raised my hand enthusiastically to show my wholehearted approval.
The food at a high-end hotel like this has to be delicious, right?
My mouth was already watering at the thought of slicing into a juicy steak.