Chapter 4: The Sea During Daytime
The room guided by Kuroomi Riko, Kuroomi Otoya’s sister, was a fairly nice twin room with two beds.
However, the window was completely covered with plywood, blocking any view of the outside. This meant that guests couldn’t enjoy the stunning views that were a major selling point of the resort hotel, likely leading to a decline in customer numbers.
What could be the reason for this? What was the meaning behind the hotel’s request, “Please do not look at the sea at night”?
As Houzuki stepped into the room, she touched the plywood nailed to the window frame.
“…It’s nailed in pretty securely.”
It seemed the plywood was likely nailed from the outside as well, as it didn’t budge even when Houzuki pushed against it lightly. She tried tapping the plywood, but the window only rattled, showing no sign of the plywood coming loose. This confirmed its sturdiness.
While touching the plywood, Houzuki said,
“Kuroomi-sensei, this plywood in the room is really secure…”
When Houzuki turned to Otoya, who remained silent, she saw him glaring intensely at the entire room with a severe expression.
Was there something in the room?
Houzuki looked around but saw nothing. There didn’t seem to be any ghosts, as even she, who could attract spirits, couldn’t see anything.
Perhaps a ghost or something was attached to the plywood? That didn’t seem to be the case either. The plywood didn’t move, whether pushed or pulled, and there was no sign of a ghost on the other side holding it in place.
There should have been no reason for Otoya to look so stern, yet he appeared angry.
While Houzuki tilted her head in confusion, Otoya grabbed his sister Riko by the collar.
“Hey, I told you to reserve two single rooms, didn’t I?”
“Isn’t it fine? A twin room will be cheaper.”
“The other person’s a student, you know!? Are you telling us to stay in the same room together!!”
Houzuki finally understood the reason for Otoya’s displeasure. He had an issue with the room itself. His objection wasn’t based on something unreasonable like the room being too small, but rather on the proper adult understanding and ethics of a teacher and student sharing a room.
“Uhm,” Houzuki calls out to Otoya who was pressing Riko for giving him an irresponsible answer.
“I don’t really mind.”
“Even if it’s fort the sake of exorcising ghosts, it will be an issue for a student and a teacher to stay in a single room together. If the school board finds out, I’ll be dismissed.”
Otoya dismissed Houzuki’s words with a perfectly valid reason, glaring at his sister Riko, who had arranged the room.
“Prepare 2 single rooms right this instant. If you can’t get it ready then we’re leaving.”
“I, I got it. I was just playing a little prank……”
Riko pursed her lips in dissatisfaction and said, “Wait a moment,” before returning to the front desk.
“Houzuki, hey Houzuki.”
“What is it, Yuiru? Where have you been till now?”
As Riko went back to the front desk, the silver-haired, red-eyed student, Yuiru Enen, suddenly appeared in the room.
It didn’t seem like he was considerate of Riko, who couldn’t perceive his presence; rather, he seemed to have just been wandering around the hotel on a whim. Just because no one could see him didn’t mean he should act so freely.
Yuiru grabbed Houzuki’s shoulder and grinned.
“Let’s go to the sea.”
“To the sea?”
“We can see something interesting in there.”
“And that is?”
When Houzuki asked a simple question, he replied briefly, still wearing his evil smile.
“A woman.”
☆
Houzuki had thought that since Yuiru was a high school boy, he might be interested in a woman’s body, but she realized that Yuiru was simply Yuiru, unchanged by such interests.
Leaving Otoya to handle the room situation, Houzuki took Yuiru and Towa to the beach.
The view was stunning, with the ocean stretching endlessly, the horizon dotted with cumulus and stratus clouds. The warm, salty breeze brushed against their cheeks.
The brightly shining sandy beach was crowded with beachgoers. Couples, families, groups of women, and groups of men were all present, wearing colorful swimsuits and having a great time by the sea.
“Where’s the interesting thing you were talking about?”
“What the, Houzuki. You can’t see it?”
Yuiru looks out at the sea and said,
“It’s right over there.”
He pointed toward the beachgoers playing on the white sand.
Houzuki followed his gaze and saw a group of women playing beach volleyball. Could this be the “interesting thing” he was referring to?
Just as Houzuki was about to dismiss it as Yuiru being interested in women even as a ghost, she realized that he wasn’t pointing at the women playing volleyball.
Ahahaha, hahahaha.
Ahahahahaha, ufufufufu.
Ahaha, ahahaha, ahahahahaha.
The women were laughing merrily.
They were playing beach volleyball with great enthusiasm. No matter how you look at them, they looked like they were enjoying the ocean.
And yet…
Ahahahaha, ahahahahaha.
Ahahahahaha, hahahahaha.
Fufufufu, ahahahaha.
Their eyes were looking up in the wrong direction, and their laughter was flat and seemed forced.
“Being trapped by the sea is scary, Houzuki.”
Yuiru said with a genuinely cheerful smile as Houzuki froze.
“All the beachgoers playing on that beach were pulled into this sea and died.”
At the edge of Houzuki’s vision, she saw a sign that read “No swimming” and something that looked like a yellow rope swaying in the sea breeze.
