Welcome to the Ghost Story Hotel
To put it simply, even though I'm no expert in monster psychology, their expressions clearly said, "Ah, shit. We're fucked."
"Monsters have emotions too, huh."
"Um, is that so?"
Asha tilted her head, looking unsure, but that's how it looked to me.
"Just... it looks that way at a glance."
"If Ain says so, then it must be."
The things that had been howling like they were about to burst through the door were now all flinching, not daring to charge. That alone made it obvious. I was too busy staring at the bizarre scene in fascination, while Asha rolled her wrists and took a step forward.
Mana dripped from her fingertips instead of blood. The monster struck by her hand vanished without a single drop of blood, leaving no remains whatsoever. So I just watched her back in silence before speaking up.
"Need a hand?"
I knew full well she didn't need any help from me, but I asked anyway. Probably because memories of her as that powerless little girl kept flashing in my mind. Even now, with her stepping up to handle it like it was no big deal, the image of that tiny figure still lingered in my head.
After three whole years apart, seeing her all grown into a proper woman, and here I was still treating her like a kid. But Asha just turned, flashed a bright smile, and turned me down.
"I'm good. You helped me a lot when I was little."
"..."
She seemed to be recalling the same memories as she casually removed her necklace and bracelets.
"Now it's my turn to help you, Ain."
"...Yeah."
She shrugged off her robe, revealing a light dress, and strode out with clicking heels. The sapphire necklace that emitted a blue glow. The moment she took it off her neck, her familiar yet unfamiliar gray form emerged.
I hung back at a distance, watching the scene unfold. She twitched her fingers like she was about to do something, and mana crackled as it gathered. With a flick, a sharp crack echoed, denting the walls on both sides of the corridor.
"Hmm... As expected, without the Versio Ruins' influence, I can't quite use space-time magic properly."
She puffed out her cheeks in disappointment, mumbling to herself. She spent a good while pouting and testing spells. Then came a low grrr... keruk... sneaking up from the shadows.
The monsters, which had seemed cowed, stretched lazily, drooling as they eyed me and Asha. But she didn't seem to care, busy waving her hands to adjust the misfiring magic.
It missed. Crack—pitting the walls and twisting shapes here and there, but not touching the monsters, shredding random spots instead. Miss after miss. The monsters glanced around slyly before charging.
More grotesque and repulsive than that eerie woman from the right-side room. Hotel specters that would've devoured me and the others in seconds if we'd been trapped alone. They rushed in like now or never, mad with frenzy.
But... tough luck for them.
"Ah, got it now."
With Asha's short words, cracks split between their heads and torsos. The tiny fissures widened rapidly, then rrrip—space tore open.
"Guess this is my limit outside the ruins. Too bad..."
Unlike her genuinely disappointed grumble, every monster lunging at us lost its entire neck. Even the headless bodies crumbled to ash and scattered without collapsing.
She spun around gracefully, smiling at me.
"Ain, looks like we're done."
"Ah... yeah."
She slipped her bracelets and necklace back on to conceal her mana and colors, draped her robe over herself, and took my hand.
"Let's head back quick, Ain. Gotta take my potion, and I wanna be alone with you in the room before anyone else shows up."
Asha tugged me along as she said that. And so the next day arrived.
When I woke up in the morning, just as I'd expected, another notice had been slipped under the door.
We apologize for distributing another notice less than a day after the emergency advisory. Though we at the hotel wish to ensure a happy and peaceful stay for all guests, the individual responsible for the unfortunate incident the day before has caused another disturbance.
As a result, bizarre phenomena beyond the Veritas usage rules from yesterday are occurring once more. Internal inspections will take additional time, so please take note of the newly added rules below.
1. Usage rules have regrettably been added or amended. Guests are requested to review them.
2. First, the 4th floor is fully sealed and will no longer appear during ascents or descents. However, the 14th, 24th, 34th, and 44th floors are beginning to show signs of transforming into the same space as the 4th floor. Guests assigned to rooms on these floors must check this notice and immediately visit the front desk for reassignment.
3. The elevator is under inspection due to an unknown malfunction and is unusable until further notice. Please use the stairs at either end of the corridors. Do not board even if it appears operational.
4. As of today, time restrictions apply to the 3rd floor recreational facilities. Billiards and bowling are available only from 1 PM to 3 PM; the game room from 10 PM to 11:50 PM.
5. Due to repeated bizarre incidents, no new guests are being accepted. If a new occupant appears in a room on your floor, they are not a guest.
6. These additions and changes take effect from breakfast this morning and remain valid until further notice from hotel staff. We appreciate your caution to avoid mistakes.
We gathered on the sofas like yesterday morning, reading the new notice together. Everyone sighed in disbelief before muttering their thoughts.
"No way, for real...? Only two hours for billiards? That's bullshit."
"No elevator means walking up and down to the 32nd floor...? What about the restaurant...? Can't even grab a single bowl now, right...?"
""Ughhh... The 4th floor didn't disappear—it multiplied...""
Horn, Eileen, and the twins groaned like that before flopping onto the bed.
"Haha... Then from today, just bring meals to my ro—room, Ain. Better to hole up researching than climb 32 floors..."
Aberly gave an awkward laugh and headed to his room.
"What mischief should we get into today, Ain? Shall we break rule 6 like we talked about yesterday?"
Asha's eyes sparkled with excitement as she looked at me. And I had a golden idea.
"Since it's come to this, why not break a bunch at once? Might not be a bad idea..."
Instead of one per day like planned, smashing several in one go didn't sound half bad.
"Hmm, you sure that's okay? Could backfire into something we can't handle. And there are other tourists here too, not just us."
"That's why I'm still thinking it over."
Still, since it affected other guests too, we pondered how to proceed. We needed to solve this mess first to break rules carefree.
"Well, at least we know how it works now. Let's chill till a plan hits."
I said that and lounged on the sofa. Of course...
"So what are you kids up to...?"
"""Getting ready for food!"""
The three were fired up to dash out, ignoring my worries entirely.
"...Asha, mind watching them? Feels like they'll breeze past the 14th and 24th floors like that."
"Sure, no worries. I'll go with them."
I sent her off because the kids' energy made me uneasy. And then...
"Waaah... Only one bowl... boo hoo..."
""Waaah...""
The three came back teary-eyed.