As a hot spring hotel that could catch the eye of people like Chika and Kaguya, this hotel naturally had its own distinctive merits.
The environment was quiet and secluded. Each room came with a small private hot spring, and there were also large communal hot spring facilities. In addition, there were high-end Japanese and Western restaurants, an e-sports room equipped with high-end computers, as well as a bar, music rooms, a cinema, and various other entertainment areas. Coupled with the nearby commercial street, one could say that everything imaginable was available—there was absolutely no need to worry about running out of things to do.
Takumi opened his room with the key card, unpacked his suitcase, put away his toiletries and spare clothes, and then took a look around the room.
The room he was staying in was classified as a third-tier room within the hotel, priced at 270,000 yen per night. It was the kind of luxurious room that ordinary people could never realistically afford to enjoy.
Not only was the room itself very spacious, but it also provided fresh fruit every day along with various high-end beverages. On top of that, there were all kinds of facilities—some of which Takumi could not even name—making it far beyond anything he had imagined.
And yet, a hotel room at this level was something Chika could book for him with just a casual remark, and she could reserve it for as many days as she liked without any problem.
This is bad. Why does it feel more and more like I'm being kept by a rich woman?
Takumi inwardly marveled at these things that were utterly unbelievable to him, yet completely ordinary in the eyes of people like Kaguya and Chika. After that, he directly flopped down onto the bed in one motion, stretching lazily across the large, soft bed in the hotel room.
"This way, it doesn't seem so bad after all."
Staring up at the chandelier hanging down from the ceiling, Takumi couldn't help but murmur softly.
At the same time, in a room on the first floor, Maki finished putting away her luggage. Then, hesitating again and again, taking several deep breaths, she finally opened her shoulder bag and took out a small pink plastic pouch.
This was something Chika had handed to her before she returned to her room, something the other party had referred to as a "weapon necessary for the decisive moment."
In terms of size, it was fairly small.
When pinched between her fingers, it felt thin.
So… what exactly is this thing?
Maki's eyes were filled with confusion.
It was worth mentioning that the Shinomiya family, as well as the Shijō family that had branched off from it, were both financial conglomerates with extremely conservative values, groups that were not very willing to accept fashionable or novel things. Although comparatively speaking the Shijō family was much more open, as two major families sharing the same origin, many similarities were still unavoidable.
One of those similarities lay in their approach to the education of female descendants.
The Shinomiya family practiced absolute feudal male-line succession, so female offspring were regarded only as bargaining chips. As a result, the entirety of the "adult education" Kaguya received within the family amounted to nothing more than "on the wedding night, no matter what happens, you're supposed to do whatever the groom says".
The Shijō family, although already somewhat different from the Shinomiya family, was still shockingly deficient in this regard, so all Maki knew was that "when the man had to undress, everything was meant to go according to the other person's wishes".
Because of this, she had absolutely no idea what the thing Chika had given her actually was.
That said, she did at least remember the situation Chika had emphasized for when this item was to be used.
'That is to say, if Takumi wants to do… that kind of thing with me, then I'm supposed to give him this item. Once he sees it, he'll understand.'
'No—wait, understand what, exactly? And anyway, there's no way I want to satisfy that guy's lewd desires!'
'This kind of thing… this kind of thing… ugh, forget it. In any case, I'd better bring it with me.'
Although she really didn't want to admit it, after seeing that unfathomable smile of Chika's, Maki inexplicably felt a surge of competitiveness, a refusal to lose. And so, even when it came to something this unbearably embarrassing, the girl would grit her teeth, endure it, and try to go through with it.
After all… she had already let that idiot take advantage of her more than enough times.
In the end, Maki even thought about it in such a self-abandoning way.
At the same time that the girl on this side was tangled up in shy inner turmoil, Chika—already changed into casual clothes—cheerfully knocked on Kaguya's door. After waiting for a moment, she finally saw Kaguya open it, her expression carrying a hint of fluster.
"Um, Fujiwara-san? Is something the matter? Whether it's going to the hot springs or going shopping, shouldn't we still wait a bit?"
Seeing Chika arrive, Kaguya couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.
"Mm, it kind of feels like Kaguya-san is acting a bit strange. Are you hiding some little secret?"
With her long pink hair, Chika giggled, tilting her head slightly as she looked toward Kaguya's room. All she saw was the open window, its curtains gently billowing in the breeze.
"What secret or not—so, what did you come to see me for?"
With a sigh, Kaguya first glanced back discreetly to confirm the situation, then opened the door wider and casually showed Chika her room.
As for Ai, who had originally been inside discussing tactics with Kaguya, she had already climbed back up to the second floor and returned to her own room, Room 201. Yes—since she had already made up her mind to help Kaguya pursue Takumi, this hot-spring hotel trip was, in Kaguya's eyes, of paramount importance, a prime opportunity that absolutely had to be used well.
However, to be honest, Kaguya really didn't have the courage to carry out the tactics Ai had proposed at the start. Things like going to talk to Takumi late at night while wearing a thin nightgown, or deliberately appearing disheveled in front of him after bathing in the hot springs—how could she possibly do something like that?! Wasn't there a more reliable method, one that wouldn't require her to pay such a high price, yet could still make Takumi fall for her? If she had to do things like that, it would be far too embarrassing, wouldn't it?!
Those excessively shameful plans left Kaguya's heart in a constant state of unrest. Even when Chika arrived, she hadn't managed to properly adjust her mindset or expression, so it seemed that a little something had inevitably been noticed.
"Mm, although it feels like Kaguya-san might be hiding something, that's not important right now. In any case, let's go out for a bit. Everyone's going to play together tonight, so how about we prepare some snacks and things we might need later? We could ask the hotel staff to bring them over in advance, but personally choosing and buying them is a kind of fun too."
With a somewhat excited smile, Chika said this while waving her hands. Seeing that the other party wasn't planning to bring up anything strange, Kaguya quietly let out a sigh of relief. She smiled at Chika, said okay, and the two of them left together, heading toward the shopping street near the hotel.
At the very same time that those two left, Takumi and Maki both received a message from Chika, learning that she had taken Kaguya out shopping.
'In other words… now it's just me and that idiot left.'
The moment Maki saw that message, she immediately understood what Chika was trying to convey.
No matter what kind of relationship she ultimately wanted to develop with Takumi, if she wanted to take things a step further now, she had to act in advance. For example, if she wanted to go out shopping in the evening, it would be best to invite Takumi right now and lock in that slot ahead of time. Or, after soaking in the hot springs at night, if she still wanted to go play some kind of entertainment facility with Takumi, she could also make arrangements in advance, so that she would be able to take the initiative when the time came.
At this level of hinting, how could Maki possibly fail to understand?
"What is this… it's practically like everything's already been arranged. That girl…"
After muttering a slightly dissatisfied complaint under her breath, Maki took a deep breath, then lightly patted her cheeks. Next, she tucked that "secret weapon" into her pocket, and at this very moment, she felt fully prepared.
She had already spent enough time thinking things over. From here on out, she couldn't afford to be so hesitant and indecisive anymore.
So—one last push!
Having steeled her resolve, Maki opened the hotel room door and was just about to head upstairs to invite Takumi.
But while she was still in the corridor, she first saw Takumi walking toward her.
"Yo, Maki. Shinomiya-san and Chika went out shopping together. I think staying cooped up in the hotel is pretty boring too—how about it? Want to come out and take a walk with me?"
Saying this, Takumi stepped forward and, with an extremely natural motion, took hold of Maki's hand.
"Ah… um… okay…"
With her face slightly flushed, the girl lowered her head and replied in a soft, gentle voice, letting him lead her forward just like that.
As for the whole series of plans and actions she had just been brewing in her mind—unfortunately, she had already forgotten them completely.
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