"Someone's coming."
Faint footsteps stopped outside the door.
Hoshino narrowed his eyes slightly, crept toward the entrance on tiptoe, and tensed every muscle in his body. His right hand readied the Authority of Aging while his left gripped the doorknob.
Just as he was about to pull—
[Don't open the door, whatever you do!]
He froze mid-motion.
Hoshino silently opened his Debtor's Status and scanned through it.
Nothing unusual.
Sixth sense? Is it dangerous?
Around the corner of the bathroom, Kobeni poked out half her face, her expression tense.
Hoshino hesitated for a moment, then turned to give her a look that said, "Come here, let's do this together."
Kobeni jumped in alarm, shaking her head like a rattle drum. She returned a look that said, "I-I-I'll back you up at the critical moment... probably."
Hoshino rolled his eyes, shifted into his best attack stance, and suddenly yanked the door open.
"Ahhh!!!"
He hadn't even yelled yet—the person outside screamed first.
"Mai Asakura?!"
"Hoshino-san... you know who I am?"
"What were you doing skulking around out here?" Hoshino demanded.
Mai's expression quickly returned to normal as she picked up a tray that had been placed by the door.
"I forgot to mention when you checked in—the dining hall only operates until 8:30 PM. When I came to lay out the futon at seven, your girlfriend said you hadn't returned and apparently hadn't eaten dinner either. So I prepared some food for you and just heated it up. I came by once at nine o'clock, but you weren't here."
Traditional Japanese inns typically use a "daytime parlor + nighttime bedroom" design. After dinner, the owner or staff enter the room to convert the tatami space into a bedroom, laying out futons and tidying the environment.
"Is that so?"
Hoshino regarded the meal tray with neither approval nor disapproval.
The appetizers included salted salmon skin and an assortment of pickles. The main dishes were Okura Village pork miso hot pot and salt-grilled trout, with mountain vegetable miso soup. The main course was beef soba noodles, plus two strawberry daifuku.
"The original main course was Hida beef rice bowl, but it had already gone cold. Since the late-night meal was freshly made soba, I took the liberty of switching it out for you."
Growl~
Hoshino was hungry.
Thanks to Go Fujiwara, he really hadn't eaten dinner.
Attention to detail was indeed something the island nation emphasized across all industries, and Mai's reasoning held up logically.
But Hoshino wouldn't believe a single word from Mai!
Setting aside her earlier malicious stare, just now alone, she had been crouching outside the door for at least two minutes.
If she claimed she had no ulterior motive, Hoshino would never believe it.
With her, he had to be cautious—extremely cautious.
"Tell the truth," he said coldly.
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"I said tell me the truth."
Mai's heart sank with a thud.
How does he know?!
Ever since meeting Hoshino, her creative ideas had been flowing. She'd returned to her room and written furiously, her pen racing across the page.
The story outline had begun to take shape.
The general concept was this:
A scumbag male lead who, relying on powers begged from multiple devils, manipulates the women around him.
After taking a brief break, even more detailed inspiration kept pouring in, as if she'd conceived it all before.
If only I could conduct a close-up interview!
With that thought in mind, she'd come under the pretense of delivering food, hoping to use it as an opening for an interview.
The result...
"Hoshino-san, I really..."
"Last chance."
"..."
Mai lowered her head.
"Yes! Actually, I just wanted to..."
"Wanted what?"
"Interview you."
"Visit me?"
"I've been working on the concept for a harem novel recently but haven't had any inspiration. Then I saw you, and the ideas just flowed. I was hoping to write a novel using you as the prototype."
The moment she finished speaking, Mai regretted it.
Close to ten o'clock at night, using work as an excuse, covering for personal desires, disturbing a guest's rest—it was extremely rude behavior.
If word got out, it would be enough to completely ruin the reputation that Yukimi-sou had carefully built over four hundred years.
Mom's going to kill me!
Mai finally realized the severity of the situation and was about to apologize loudly and beg for forgiveness.
"Oh my! Well, that can't be helped then!"
Hoshino broke into an incredibly bright smile, scratching the back of his head incoherently.
"You should've said so earlier! Something so natural is obviously believable!"
He took a step back, gesturing enthusiastically toward the interior of the room with both hands.
"Come in, come in! Tell me everything!"
"...Okay." Mai snapped out of her daze and carried the meal tray into the Hoshiori Room.
Passing by the bathroom, she made eye contact with the timid girl hiding there.
"N-n-n-n-n-not..." timid girl suddenly spoke up.
"Huh?"
"Not a g-g-g-g-girlfriend!"
"...Oh, okay."
Mai withdrew her gaze, pushed up her glasses with her middle finger, and walked inside with an unchanged expression.
Showing off?
Is she showing off?
Showing off that she can come to a hot spring inn with a younger man even though they're not dating?
Showing off that being cute means you can do whatever you want?
Ha.
This country will be ruined by people like you eventually!
Mai knelt on the cushion in front of the low table.
Across from her, Hoshino wolfed down his food, occasionally glancing over with a smile and an expression that screamed, "Ask me! Ask me!"
"Ahem." Mai pulled a small notebook and pen from her pocket and said formally, "Is now a good time? I'd like to conduct an interview with you."
"Perfect timing! As the protagonist, it's totally normal to eat while being interviewed!"
"Alright." Mai nodded. "First question: What do you think is the most basic characteristic of a male lead in a harem novel?"
Ha, it'll definitely be some superficial, self-satisfied answer like "being nice," she thought.
Hoshino set down his chopsticks, swept his hair back, and said profoundly, "Handsome, young, and with an income comparable to a civil servant in an economically developed region."
Mai paused briefly, then nodded.
I didn't expect an even more superficial answer. Impressive.
She quickly jotted down: First, use a handsome appearance and a full wallet to gain the favor of most women.
"If you were to add devil abilities, which one would the protagonist most likely have?"
"The Muscle Devil, probably. Say goodbye to looking feminine—men with masculine energy are the coolest."
Then use the Muscle Devil's power to physically dominate the small portion of women who aren't impressed by him.
"What if he had two devil powers?"
"Control, I guess. The kind where you can make enemies obediently obey with just a wave of your finger—convenient and cool. Anyone with that power is probably the protagonist!"
Finally, use the hypnosis devil's power to force those remaining women—the ones who know his true nature and are utterly disgusted by him—to submit.
By this point, Mai's face had turned deathly pale.
Women are doomed.
If there really were a man like this, he'd absolutely be every woman's natural enemy!
The more she thought about it, the more terrifying it became. She steadied herself.
"Hoshino-san, next question..."
"Oh, my kindred spirit, future great author! Just call me Hoshino-kun!"
"Hoshino... kun, when the protagonist faces an enemy he can't defeat and can't avoid, what would he do?"
"Hmm, that's a deep question."
Hoshino forcefully stuffed both strawberry daifuku into Kobeni's hands.
"Under normal circumstances, survival comes first. It's fine to show weakness, then bide your time and look for opportunities to turn the situation around. Never give up!"
He flatters the strong but constantly schemes to replace them.
"What about the weak?"
"If they're enemies, don't hold back at all."
He directly suppresses the weak with force, leaving them no way out.
Mai closed her notebook, thanked the still-eager Hoshino, and took her leave.
The entire story structure was now crystal clear.
The main plot would feature various women bravely struggling with their own survival strategies, only to ultimately kneel before the despicable yet powerful male lead.
The story perfectly aligned with current trends.
It was an allegory for how, in a male-dominated environment with a broken economy, women facing powerful men was like facing devils.
Mai could already envision her novel resonating with all her fellow women.
Whoosh.
She slid the room door shut.
"I'll submit it to the literature club for the mid-April school competition first."
Mai suddenly remembered something.
"What should the male lead be called? Hoshino? Not quite right, since he's a guest here."
"But it can't be too different either. Every time I write this name, I need to think of him so I can use more fitting and delicate language to describe him..."
...
"Alright, time for the real work." Hoshino's expression turned serious.
Based on the first loop, the surviving Devil Hunters would have their final confrontation with the Blizzard Devil around midnight tomorrow.
Before that happened, he needed to kill the contractors one by one.
Outside Go Fujiwara's room, Hoshino pressed his ear to the door to listen, his deformed finger gently sliding into the keyhole.