Chapter 3: The plywood at the resort hotel
The next morning, Houzuki set out from Tsukinashi Town, driven by Otoya’s car. They wasted five minutes dragging Yuiru down from trying to climb onto the car roof while still half-asleep.
After navigating the highways and leaving Tsukinashi Town, Houzuki and the others arrived at the resort hotel in question.
The exterior was impressive, with several palm trees planted in front of the towering hotel building. The climate was hot and humid, perfectly fitting the scene.
“Wow.”
Houzuki exclaimed in awe at the sight of the blue ocean stretching out behind the hotel.
It was a stunningly blue sea, vast and reaching the horizon.
White cumulonimbus clouds floated in the blue sky, and the sun’s rays mercilessly scorched Houzuki’s skin. Summer had truly arrived.
After parking the car, Otoya…
“This way, Kasugadani.”
“Yes, I know.”
Houzuki carries her stuff and follows after Otoya.
Suddenly, Otoya stopped dead just before entering the hotel.
Nothing in particular had happened, and strangely enough, no ghosts were in sight. Yuiru was also yawning repeatedly and asking, “What’s the matter, Otoya?”
“Hm.”
“Huh?”
“Your luggage.”
Otoya holds out his hand.
“It must be heavy.”
“I’m fine.”
“It’s that, you don’t know what will be said from here on.”
“?”
Although Houzuki didn’t understand what Otoya was saying, she decided to let him carry her luggage. He had insisted, after all. Holding Houzuki’s belongings, Otoya muttered under his breath, “Surprisingly light…?” She had only packed clothes and essential items, so it wasn’t very heavy.
Carrying luggage for both of them, Otoya entered the hotel. Houzuki followed closely behind, stepping into the resort hotel.
“Wow.”
The lobby, filled with the distinctive smell of hotels, was dazzling and bustling with many guests. Some were meeting others, while others were in the middle of checking in.
Hotel staff hurried about the lobby, often smiling as they attended to guests’ requests. They guided lost guests to their destinations and helped parents find their lost children, all while looking very busy.
Houzuki and her companions, there to resolve the hotel’s ghost problem, felt completely out of place.
“Excuse me, is Kuroomi here?”
Otoya asked, stopping a nearby hotel employee.
The hotel employee whom Otoya had called ran into the staff room with a serious look on his face. The hotel had probably heard about the matter.
After a while, a woman appeared from the staff room. When she saw Otoya, she came running over to him.
“You’re here, stupid brother.”
“You’re the only one who uses your older brother as an errand boy, Riko.”
The woman says, “It’s your thing when talking about ghosts, stupid brother.” Then she looks at Houzuki.
“Is it this girl?”
“I explained to you, there’s a possibility that this hotel’s problems could be solved.”
“Are you sane, leaving it to a young girl like this, stupid brother?”
“You’ve been calling me stupid brother, stupid brother all this time, you stupid sister.”
The argument between Otoya and the woman becomes more heated.
Houzuki casually focuses her attention on the name tag shining on the woman’s chest.
The name engraved on the golden name tag read “Kuroomi Riko”. She has been calling him stupid brother since earlier so she’s most likely his little sister.
Yuiru, eager to get involved, tried to squeeze between them, so Houzuki asked Towako to chase him away. “Don’t cause any trouble.”
“Um, is she your sister?”
“Yeah.”
Otoya replied brusquely,
“She’s my stupid little sister, Riko. She works in this hotel.”
“Nice to meet you, my stupid brother has been under your care.”
The hotel employee―― Kuroomi Riko, greeted her with a bright smile.
“May I show you to your room now?”
“Yes, that’s fine. Thank you.”
Riko maintained her cheerful smile as she guided them, saying, “This way.”
Houzuki began to understand why Otoya had insisted on carrying her luggage. Since his sister worked at this hotel, he likely wanted to avoid his sister seeing him not helping a young girl with heavy luggage, which might make her angry. Well, that made sense.
“Otoya, you don’t look much like your sister.”
“Shut up.”
Yuiru continued to actively engage with Otoya, causing Houzuki to feel a headache coming on.
☆
The room that Kuroomi Otoya’s younger sister, Riko, showed her to was supposed to face the sea.
The guest room was spacious, and with the lights turned off it was dim.
The cause of the dimness was not just that, it was the window.
“Plywood…?”
Houzuki tilted her head.
The plywood that covered the entire window asserted its presence.
It was clearly a plywood that gave off an air of something out of the ordinary. Why would they go to the trouble of covering it with plywood when they could see the sea on the other side?
Riko turned on the light in the guest room,
“Oh, that’s right, I forgot to tell you,”
She said with a cheerful smile as she left the guest room.
“Please be sure not to look at the sea at night.”
