“You, you…! What brings you here?”
Alice’s eyes widened as she quickly closed the distance to the woman.
It was as if she had spotted someone who shouldn’t be there.
But whether or not Tamamo noticed her surprise…
Tamamo leisurely replied while seductively swaying her thick lavender tail.
“It’s a bit complicated to explain… but we’re staying at Saint Maria Hotel for our school trip next semester, so the student council came early to check it out. I’m the next student council president, you know.”
“Huh, hoo… Tamamo, you’ve already become the student council president after just one year? That’s impressive…”
“Nyahahaha! Just lucky, I guess. What about you, Alice?”
“I came here with some friends. Night Haven is on holiday right now.”
“Wow, that’s great! A holiday at the end of the year. Perfect time for a trip! I’m jealous!”
Hearing about the Night Week from Alice, Tamamo clapped her hands in delight, smiling innocently.
Her genuine happiness felt utterly harmless.
Perhaps thanks to Tamamo’s innocent demeanor, Alice seemed to calm down a bit.
With a much more composed tone, she continued their conversation.
“I was surprised. I never imagined running into you here.”
“Oh, come on, that’s my line. When I went home during summer break, I suddenly heard you’d gone to America and was so shocked! The number I had for you was disconnected, and I hadn’t heard anything from you… And now meeting you here? Truly a surprise.”
“Uh, well… there were reasons…”
“Hmm. You’re diligent, Alice. I’m sure you had an urgent reason to leave. But still, we’re friends. I felt a little hurt.”
“Gee… I really am sorry.”
Alice awkwardly scratched her cheek while averting her gaze, as if she had no excuse to offer.
Sure, it’s understandable to feel bad for leaving overseas without telling your friend.
Even considering that, Alice looked quite intimidated by Tamamo, who was a head shorter.
Perhaps noticing something off about Alice’s behavior,
Raven, who had been quietly observing the situation from behind, subtly furrowed her eyebrows.
Could it be that their friendship wasn’t as rosy as it seemed? It felt like she was thinking just that.
However, Tamamo simply pulled out her terminal and abruptly spoke to Alice.
“Alice, this must be fate. Let’s exchange contacts!”
“Ah, yeah! S-sure!”
“Hehe, done. I’ll definitely message you, so make sure to reply, okay?”
“Of course!”
Alice hurriedly fumbled through her coat to pull out her terminal and exchanged contacts with Tamamo.
After successfully exchanging contacts, Tamamo held her terminal as if it were a precious treasure and smiled.
It was as if she’d just obtained something she could never afford to lose.
“Oh, um… Who might you be…?”
She seemed to have finally noticed me and Raven standing with Alice.
Looking directly at us with curiosity brimming in her eyes, she tried to speak.
Well, she was about to.
That is, until a tall blond boy suddenly interrupted.
“President. There you are. What would we do if you got lost without saying anything?”
“Ah, Vice President. Of all times…”
“I apologize for interrupting… but we need to hurry.”
“What? No way!”
Interrupted from greeting us, Tamamo puffed her cheeks, clearly annoyed.
She seemed eager to get acquainted with Alice’s companions.
The man referred to as the vice president simply bowed apologetically and responded.
“The disciplinary committee head got caught up in some unnecessary commotion…”
“Oh no, that’s bad…! Ah, um, Alice! I gotta go first!”
“Uh, okay. G-go safely.”
“Nyahaha, since we’re in the same hotel, let’s meet again! I’ll come say hi to you guys later too!”
Vice President, hurry up and guide the way!
Tamamo nudged the vice president’s back and hastily left.
It seemed like she was quite worried that the disciplinary committee head might cause trouble.
What a whirlwind of a person.
As I pondered that thought, I tightened my still-warm coat around me.
Raven approached Alice, who looked somewhat dazed.
“Judging by your uniform, you’re probably from that famous academy. What’s your relationship with her?”
“Hmm… We’ve been close since elementary school. It’s been almost a year since I last saw her.”
“Hmm, I see. Judging by the vibe, you two didn’t seem particularly close.”
“…Huh? What do you mean by that?”
“You gave off this delinquent gyaru vibe, and she seemed like such a diligent model student. Gyarus and model students are usually opposites, right?”
“Who are you calling a gyaru?!”
Gyaao!
Alice glared daggers at Raven, roaring fiercely.
But I kind of understood what Raven was getting at.
If Alice looked like a sexy, mysterious free-styled gyaru with exposed skin,
then Tamamo was the perfect picture of a diligent honor student in a pristine, wrinkle-free uniform.
Their vibes were indeed polar opposites.
Of course, sometimes opposites attract and click surprisingly well.
But judging by how flustered Alice looked, expecting synergy between them seemed unlikely.
“So, what’s the deal?”
“Sigh, it’s just… We were supposed to go to the same school, but I ended up transferring away, and we grew apart. Then I had to run away due to certain issues, so I rushed to Night Haven without being able to contact anyone.”
“Hmm, I see. Quite a complicated story.”
“Aah, enough! Let’s drop it! So, when are David and his group arriving?! We’ve been waiting forever!”
“We just arrived, actually.”
“Hwaaaak!”
Startled by the sudden deep voice, Alice leapt high into the air, nearly matching her own height.
To think she could jump that high purely from raw strength, without any momentum or preparation.
Just how strong are her leg muscles? Is she secretly a rabbit beastman?
Unlike my laid-back reaction, Alice clutched her chest as if her heart hurt.
With an incredulous expression, she turned around.
“D-D-David? And Raine, and Sabrina too…?”
Standing right before Alice were the very people she had been desperately waiting for—David and his group.
Actually, I’d noticed them near the entrance while Alice was exchanging contacts with Tamamo.
Lost in thought, Alice hadn’t realized they were approaching.
Still, I didn’t expect her to be this startled.
David sheepishly rubbed his neck and apologized.
“I’m sorry to have startled you. There was some trouble on the train tracks, so our train got delayed. Luckily, there were police officers on the same train, so things got sorted out somehow…”
“I’m sorry, everyone. For making you wait in this weather.”
“Well, it’s not like we wanted to be late. Let’s just head inside. I want to unpack already.”
If the delay was due to a natural disaster, there’s nothing we could do about it.
How do you stop chaos on train tracks? It’s not like we can predict the future.
Sabrina clung to me, tugging at my round ears, while I gave David a reassuring look.
I don’t know if he got the message, but at least we hadn’t waited that long.
I hoped David’s group wouldn’t feel too guilty.
With the situation roughly settled, we entered the bustling Saint Maria Hotel and finally made our way to the reserved room.
“This is the Premier Suite Room I booked at Saint Maria!”
Thankfully, after riding the elevator and enjoying the view, it seemed Alice had recharged her energy.
Back to her usual bright self, she swiped the card key and swung the door open wide.
And indeed, the interior was jaw-droppingly magnificent.
“It’s huge!”
“Wow, amazing. This truly is a luxury hotel. Worth every penny.”
The suite was absurdly spacious.
How could a single guest room rival the size of our entire office?
From the marble floors to the intricate ceiling patterns, it was clear no expense had been spared.
But Alice seemed eager to show us that this wasn’t all.
Excitedly waving her fingers, she beckoned us further inside.
“Hehehe, that’s not all! There are two bedrooms and two bathrooms! Plus, check this out—a wine cellar, a kitchen where you can whip up light meals, and even a balcony to relax and enjoy the ocean view! What do you think? Incredible, right?”
“Oh my, impressive.”
“…Alice, you really wanted to come here, huh?”
“Urk, s-so what if I did?! Is that bad?!”
Alice shouted, her face red under the amused gazes of Raine and Raven.
True, Alice was usually mature, except when I wasn’t around.
But technically, she was still a minor, not yet an adult.
It was understandable she’d be this excited, especially since she managed to book this place herself.
However, being treated like a kid by the actual adults must have embarrassed her.
Having taken a hit, Alice glared at Raven with fiery eyes.
‘Hmm, this expensive hotel really is nice. The ocean view is breathtaking.’
Leaving the third battle between Raven and Alice behind, Sabrina and I quietly stepped inside.
Before us lay a spacious living room and a stunning view of the vast ocean through the windows.
The unobstructed horizon stretching far into the distance filled us with a sense of liberation.
Yup, this is why we come to the seaside.
Arms crossed, I nodded in deep satisfaction while soaking in the ocean view.
Meanwhile, the third battle seemed to fizzle out.
After checking the bedrooms, Alice turned to Raven with an apologetic expression.
“I feel bad for Mr. Jin, who paid a lot, but it seems we’ll need to share the larger bedroom among the four of us. The numbers just don’t work otherwise…”
“It’s fine. It’s not like we’re cramming four people into a tiny room. Besides, the smaller bedroom is still plenty spacious for two.”
“The smaller bedroom alone is several times bigger than my room. Truly a luxury hotel.”
Unfortunately, due to the group distribution issue, the women’s group—me, Alice, Sabrina, and Raine—got the larger bedroom.
Raven and David, the men’s group, took the smaller one.
Honestly, I didn’t mind which room I ended up in.
Knowing Alice wouldn’t let me go anyway, I didn’t bother voicing an opinion.
Once the bedroom arrangements were settled without issue,
Alice clapped her hands lightly and addressed the group.
“Haha… thank you for understanding. Shall we head to dinner now? It’s a bit late for lunch, but we can always eat dinner later.”
“Sounds good. Let’s go. My stomach needs some oiling after all this time.”
“…!”
It seemed Alice intended to start with lunch, despite the late hour.
Well, a full stomach is essential for having fun.
I enthusiastically raised my hand to show my approval.
The food at a fancy hotel like this has to be amazing, right?
Already imagining slicing into some meat, my mouth watered in anticipation.
