READ NOVEL FREE Chapter 93
As I emerged from the long tunnel, the sunlight stabbed at my eyes.
How long has it been since I last saw such clear weather?
The sky was so clear, without a single cloud, that it felt a bit strange.
“Wow, it’s the ocean!”
Alice, sitting next to me, shouted that at me.
No, her gaze was actually directed towards the window on my side.
As I blinked a few times to adjust to the light, I slowly turned my head to the side.
What greeted my eyes was the shining blue ocean, sparkling like jewels.
Sure, I must have seen it dozens of times in my life, but it was a sight that made my heart flutter without my even noticing.
But Raven, who was sitting in the passenger seat, seemed to think differently.
He lazily commented to the overly excited Alice, “What’s with the reaction like you’ve seen something amazing? There’s an ocean in Night Haven too.”
“Ugh, that’s different! There’s no real beach over there!”
“But still, an ocean is an ocean. And with the weather like this, you can’t even go in anyway. It’s not that different.”
“Ugh, seriously, I’ve been saying this before. Jin has no romance at all! What a pessimistic realist!”
“Hah, really? Well, I’d take a realist over a fool with flowers in their head any day.”
“What did you just call me?! Who’s the fool with flowers in their head?”
Raven in the passenger seat and Alice in the back seat were bickering as usual.
It’s hilarious how they can squabble over such trivial things. They really are a perfect match.
If they were going to fight like this, I might as well have sat in the passenger seat.
Poor Olive, the muscular tanning bald guy in the driver’s seat, glancing nervously at this and that.
“And it’s not just the romance, it’s just that he’s downright bleak. Last time we watched a movie together, he kept ruining the vibe by saying it didn’t make any sense!”
“No, but it really doesn’t make sense. How is the heroine falling for the protagonist while he’s stealing stuff? It’s not like he has a robber fetish or anything. Is being good-looking all that matters?”
“That’s all it takes! What’s so wrong with wanting logic in romance?”
“Oh… what do I do here…”
“…”
I silently apologized. Sorry, Olive. Our group can be a bit childish.
But hopefully, it’ll settle down after a bit.
After all, they’re just bored right now. By the time we arrive, they’ll stop fighting on their own.
I lightly took in the familiar situation, resting my chin in my hand and staring blankly at the bright white waves crashing against the sea.
How long had it been since I had the sounds of Raven and Alice’s bickering as background music?
Before I knew it, we had arrived at our destination, with the two of them having already reconciled their little spat.
“Wow… there are so many people, it looks like a sprout of mung beans.”
Raven mumbled, looking around with a very unimpressed expression, as if he couldn’t believe the crowd even before reaching the entrance.
Maybe he preferred fewer people around, like me.
He scratched the back of his head as if to say he shouldn’t have come if it was going to be like this.
“Well, the Saint Maria Hotel is a hugely popular resort, after all. There are tons of people like us looking to enjoy during Night Week. Honestly, it was super hard to even book a room!” Alice remarked, crossing her arms as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“Yeah, yeah. I’ve heard you mention how you were trying to book two rooms a month in advance like a hundred times. Thanks a lot, really.”
“Hmph, well, just know how hard I worked to pull this off!”
Alice seemed proud of herself for conquering the booking wars against all odds.
She put her hands on her hips as if challenging the world, her chest puffed out.
Suddenly, the weight in front drew attention as Olive and Raven hurriedly looked away.
Seems Alice is well-endowed indeed.
But oblivious to this, Alice tilted her head as if confused by their reactions.
Raven, clearing his throat, changed the subject and turned to Olive in the driver’s seat.
“By the way, Olive, thank you so much for driving us all this way.”
“Ah, no problem. Our boss figured it’d be better to drop you off at your destination than to just rent out the car…”
“…Jin, is this because you wrecked a car last time?”
“Ah. I may have made a bit of a scene.”
“You’ve completely lost trust, you know.”
“Hahaha! That’s not it! Hahaha!”
Olive awkwardly laughed, his face stiff. It seemed he wasn’t good at lying.
Well, not long ago, Aisha had made a request, and I had smashed the car we had borrowed.
When it came to borrowing another car, it was likely more relaxing for him to just take us instead of risking it again.
People really should live decently on a regular basis.
But, well, Raven being a fixer, it was only natural for him to get caught up in incidents.
Not long after, we crossed a bridge and arrived at the hotel.
Olive hurriedly thanked us as if his job was finally done and quickly left our side.
Thanks for bringing us here, and good work.
I waved goodbye to Olive’s disappearing figure, wishing my gratitude would reach him.
**
Saint Maria Hotel.
This place could easily be described as top-notch luxury.
First off, the quality of the rooms, which is basically a given, was extraordinary.
From the ocean view interiors to the exorbitantly expensive luxury bedding, splendid amenities, everything screamed attention to detail.
The luxurious atmosphere and service were absolutely worth the price paid.
And the diverse restaurants and bars transcended mere dining, entering the realm of experiences.
With high-end spas, pools, saunas, casinos, fitness centers—everything you could want was conveniently within the hotel.
Especially the unique entertainment that changes with the seasons and events featuring famous artists ensured that the hotel was not just a one-time experience, but a place you’d want to visit repeatedly.
“Of course, since it’s by the ocean… If we had come in summer, we could’ve enjoyed water sports to our hearts’ content at a private beach. A bit of a letdown on that front.”
“Are you a hotel staff or something? How do you know all that?” Raven looked at Alice, sparkly-eyed, with disbelief.
She seemed to spill out information like a waterfall, never pausing for breath.
But undeterred by his baffled reaction, Alice puffed up her cheeks in annoyance.
“Of course I know! It’s been my dream to visit this hotel since I was in my hometown! Ugh! Do you know how complicated it is for a beastman in Japan to travel abroad?”
“That must be tough, for sure. Isn’t even getting in a hassle?”
“Not just tough, it’s practically impossible. Honestly, it’s probably faster to give up citizenship like I did.”
Alice shook her head vigorously, making it clear how miserable it was for her.
Just how difficult was that?
Standing behind her, getting slapped with her pink hair, I seemed to understand it somewhat.
‘A luxury hotel? I’ve never even been to one in my past life.’
I never expected to enjoy such indulgence.
The gentle dread and anticipation I felt while on the way surged in my chest.
Does this fancy hotel really have one of those beds that feel like floating?
I just wanted to take a nice, warm bath and then plop myself down on that bed feeling all cozy.
Just then, while I was lost in thought, a cold breeze suddenly blew past the back of my neck.
No matter how carefully dressed I was, a little carelessness always lets the wind sneak in.
I got a chill down my spine and jumped up from where I was.
“Hey, seems like Yuria’s cold. Can’t we just go in first? We can have David and the others find us later.”
“No way. We can’t contact them right now. It’d be impossible to find them inside with that many people. Yuria, are you cold? Do you want to borrow my jacket?”
“…”
“If you say that, does that mean she’s cold? Here, wear this.”
With a swift motion, Raven tossed his coat at me without even asking if I wanted it.
I hadn’t even agreed to wear it yet. What the heck is he doing?
Having turned down Alice’s coat, I awkwardly held Raven’s coat.
He chuckled lightly and suddenly started ruffling my hair.
“…!”
“You don’t want to catch a cold. I’m not even that cold anyway.”
“Right? Jin doesn’t get colds because he’s just some clueless dude. No need to refuse. Oh, is it that Raven’s coat smells like a shabby old man that you don’t want to wear it?”
“That is seriously hurtful. Just bear with it…”
“Ah, I’m sorry!”
“…”
Raven seemed genuinely hurt when I brought up the shabby old man smell.
Seems like being called ‘old man’ impacts him way more than I thought.
…Honestly, I think I get what that feels like.
I hurriedly draped the coat over my shoulders, shaking my head like it wasn’t true.
Seeing that, Raven nodded like he felt a bit better.
Anyway, maybe that was why my cold weather measure was just right.
Alice, looking around, squinted her eyes a bit and said with a puzzled expression, “But, we’re a bit late. Is there an issue with David’s train? We haven’t heard anything.”
“Yeah, if that’s the case, maybe we should have just come together?”
“How would we come together when we couldn’t rent a car? It’s just how it is.”
The two of them seemed really concerned about David’s situation, given there was no news from him at all.
But really, what could we do? All we could do was wait.
We gathered at some chairs near the entrance, keeping ourselves busy by looking at the distant scenery or our terminals.
Let’s just wait half an hour more, and if he still doesn’t show, we’ll go in first.
After we agreed on that, while sipping warm coffee, someone approached us.
Could it be David’s group?
Our eyes instinctively shifted toward this newcomer.
“Oh my, is that Alice-chan over there?”
However, to our surprise, the person standing there was a beastman with perked-up ears.
With long cat whiskers etched on her cheeks and a thick tail swaying behind her… she must be a fox beastman.
Alice stared at the neatly uniformed, smiling fox beastman in a daze before suddenly leaping up from her seat, shouting, “Oh! Tamamo!”
“Huh?”
“…!”
It was an unexpected reunion between Alice and her hometown friend, something none of us had anticipated.