Amagi Brilliant Park - Volume 8 - Chapter 4

4: Hotel California 

The darkness ended up falling faster than they expected. The path was pitch black in front of them. Not a single light was working in the old place, and the sky was too cloudy for the moonlight to be any help. They no longer knew which way to go to reach the entrance. They could barely even see each other in the dark. 
“What should we do?” Isuzu wondered. 
“H-Hold on,” Seiya told her. “I think there was a sign around here...” He used his smartphone’s flashlight app, which produced a powerful beam of light. He swept it around, illuminating a sign, and checking their position. “Over there,” he said. “This is the way.” 
“All right,” Isuzu agreed. “Let’s go.” But, because of the state of their surroundings, the path was unsteady. The tall grass growing through the cracked asphalt and fallen structures made it hard to simply follow the signs. They’d hit dead end after dead end. Potholes and dips and pieces of rubble in the path made just walking around treacherous. The smartphone’s light was indispensable. 
“This isn’t good...” Seiya mumbled. 
“What’s wrong?” 
“The battery...” He’d just realized that his smartphone’s battery was down to 10%. Actually, it was now 9%. “Sento,” he said. “How are things on your end?” 
“My smartphone?” she checked. “It’s down to 6%.” 
“What?!” Seiya was flabbergasted. You idiot! And you call yourself my secretary? “My expectations are low, but I might as well ask... do you have a spare battery?” 
“No,” she told him shortly. 
“Awesome,” Seiya snarked. “It’s so great to have you here!” 
Isuzu glared at him. “...I tried repeatedly to contact you after you went missing,” she told him coldly. “That’s how I used up my spare battery.” 
“You still could have done something!” 
“What, exactly?” she asked. “Anyway, I think you should contact Handa-san.” 
He looked and saw that they just barely had phone service here. It would be wise to try to get in touch with her while they still had battery remaining. Seiya tried calling Handa-san’s cell phone, but it wouldn’t go through. Maybe she was away, or she hadn’t heard it ringing. His repeated calls caused his remaining battery to tick down from 8% to 7%. “Come on, pick up...” But she wouldn’t pick up. 
“What should we do?” 
“I guess we’ll just keep calling until the battery runs out... no, that would be reckless,” Seiya decided. “Let’s try to find the way out first.” 
“True...” Isuzu agreed. “If we can get out of these ruins, we might be able to find a local convenience store...” 
As they turned the smartphone light back on and started walking, Isuzu grabbed his sleeve. 
“What?” he asked. 
“Nothing... I just don’t want to get separated,” she mumbled back. 
“...Right.” 
“It’s pitch black. That’s all it is.” 
“Well... okay. Just don’t let go.” He felt a little restless for some reason. Hanging together, Seiya and Isuzu wandered around the ruins, side by side, using the smartphone to illuminate the ground ahead. At last, Seiya’s battery ran out. “Sento,” he said. “Let me see your smartphone.” 
“All right...” In the darkness, Isuzu hesitantly handed over her smartphone. For some reason, the wallpaper was a photo of an open-air bath. A rock-lined hot bath with no one in it, and steam billowing from the top. A scene of rustic beauty. Had she downloaded it from some hot springs hotel’s promotional site? 
“Why an open-air bath?” he questioned. 
“What’s wrong with it?” Isuzu replied defensively. “Don’t criticize my preferences.” 
“I’m not criticizing. But is this what you’re into? These old man-style hot springs?” 
“See? You are criticizing.” 
“I just thought it was weird. You don’t have to get testy. I just—” 
“Would you please hurry? The battery will run out soon.” 
“Ah, that’s right...” he agreed. She was right. This was no time for bickering. The two of them hurried on ahead. 
They found the exit around the time Isuzu’s smartphone battery had ticked down to 2%. The lights lining the highway had come into view. 
“At least we won’t be stranded there...” He was genuinely relieved. 
Isuzu also let out a sigh of relief. “Goodness...” 
“Anyway, I’d better call Handa-san...” He looked at the smartphone, but this time it said ‘No Service.’ “Ah, dammit!” Maybe they’d get through closer to the road. Holding the smartphone, he ran for the exit. Isuzu hurried after him, but her high-heels slowed her down. 
“Come on, signal! Come on, signal!” The signal came. Two bars and 3G! “Yes!” He was about to call Handa-san, but he was stymied again. It was Isuzu’s smartphone, and a Blackberry instead of the iPhone Seiya was used to using. 
Why a Blackberry?! You damned contrarian! But cursing about it wouldn’t get him anywhere. All right, where’s the address? She called while I was gone, so she must have Handa-san’s contact information... Call history, call history... 
“Give it to me!” Isuzu finally caught up and he handed her the phone. She used it swiftly and called Handa-san’s number, then put the smartphone to her ear and waited ten seconds. 
While he watched with bated breath, she pulled the smartphone away from her ear, glared silently at the screen and whispered, “It’s out of battery.” 
There was no chance of getting a ride now, so they decided to walk to the station. It had been twenty minutes by car, so if they walked quickly, they could get there in an hour and a half. It was probably around eight o’clock now, which meant they might make it in time for the last train. 
With luck, Seiya thought, they’d run into a taxi on the way—but not only were there no taxis, there were almost no cars passing at all. Once, a kei-truck driven by an apparent local passed by, and Seiya raised his hand to try to hitchhike, but the old driver just held up a hand with a smile and drove past; he must have thought Seiya was just waving to him. 
There were no convenience stores, either. But then, they were on a remote mountain road—of course there weren’t any convenience stores. He was hungry and thirsty. He was concerned about the way Isuzu was lagging behind him, too. She said little, and her face was contorted in pain. He was surprised by her apparent lack of stamina—wasn’t she a member of the Maple Land royal guard? 
“Wait.” Isuzu stopped. 
“What’s wrong?” asked Seiya. 
“My shoes...” Isuzu stopped and took off her pumps. It was hard to see in the scattered light from the streetlamps, but her feet seemed to be aching. “If I’d known we were coming to a place like this, I would have worn sneakers...” Isuzu had dressed for a day in the city—probably because Seiya hadn’t told her where they were going in advance. 
“Oh, really?” he asked. “Are you saying this is my fault?” 
Isuzu glared at him. “That wasn’t my intent, but you’ve just changed my mind. Yes, I am saying it’s your fault, Seiya-kun.” 
“Hmph. Can you still walk?” 
“Yes,” she replied shortly. Isuzu took off her shoes and began tottering along in just her stocking feet; it looked like there were serious blisters on her pinkie toes, which were causing her sharp pain with every step she took. 
“Okay, enough... here.” He tried to lend her a shoulder to lean on, but she swatted his hand away. 
“Stop it.” 
“Don’t give me the tough-girl act. You’re in pain, right?” 
“If you consider me a burden, you can go on ahead,” she told him stonily. “You might yet make the last train.” 
“You know I can’t do that,” he said. 
“Why not? It’s not as if my life is in danger. Besides, you have work tomorrow; you should go home and get some sleep, shouldn’t you?” Isuzu’s voice was emphatic to a degree that made it obvious she was forcing it a bit. 
“You are just...” Seiya was uncertain, exhausted, and annoyed—yet at the same time, he felt some kind of indescribable urge. Not an urge to yell at her or rebuke her—just the opposite, in fact. He wanted to fight her a little, to get her to let him carry her. He wasn’t sure himself why he felt that way. “Fine, keep walking; get it out of your system,” he sighed. “I’ll stay with you until then.” 
“No. You should go ahead.” 
“I can’t.” 
“Why not?” 
“Er... well, because you’re right,” he admitted. “It’s my fault for not telling you where we were going. And I do feel... a little bad about that.” 
Isuzu looked slightly surprised by that response, then simply said “Ah...” before falling silent and continuing her slow, limping walk. Gritting his teeth, Seiya slowed to walk by her side. They kept that up for about ten minutes, but Isuzu’s pace just continued to slow. She was clearly holding back considerable pain to maintain an outwardly placid demeanor, and it had Seiya flustered. They kept at it until, at last, the faint lights of the city came into view. 
They passed a Shinkin bank building with a clock on display; it was currently 10:28. 

If they wanted to get back to Tokyo, they didn’t have much time before the last train left the station. He wished Isuzu would let him support her so they could hurry up and catch it... but she wouldn’t. And then, even if they hurried, there was no way to know if they’d catch it at this point. On top of that, Isuzu was slowing down more and more. 
Rain began to fall. It started as a drizzle, but before long, it turned to hard drops. The weather was still warm, but it was enough to make Seiya’s muscles clench up, and for his skin to raise goosebumps. 
Dammit... he thought, and resisted the urge to cluck his tongue at her; it was obvious, even to him, that such an act would hurt Isuzu’s feelings, since she was the one who was slowing them down. That would be bad right now—really, really bad. 
The rain was chilling Seiya to the bone, and if he was feeling that way, Isuzu was probably feeling even worse. 
Around the time they arrived at the large suspension bridge built over the shores of Sanami Lake, Seiya reached a conclusion: it was too late to make the last train. He’d caught a glimpse of the Sanami Lake Station timetable when they’d first arrived, and though his memory was fuzzy, he recalled seeing one train to Tokyo at 11:00. That would have to be the last one. That train would be leaving in ten minutes. No matter how fast they went now, it would take at least thirty minutes to get to the station. There was no sign of taxis coming, either. 
“Sento,” he said. 
“...Yes?” 
“We’re not going to make it. We should give up on the station.” 
Isuzu stopped, staring. “Give up on the station?” 
“Yeah,” he told her. “We’re not going to make the last train.” 
“...Then what do you propose?” she asked. 
“Stay the night.” 
“Stay the night? Where?” 
“Hmm... good question.” Rationally speaking, there weren’t many lodging houses that would take them in at a time like this, and since Sanami Lake’s tourist facilities were mainly designed for day trips, there weren’t many of those to choose from to begin with. Seiya thought he remembered seeing a family restaurant near the station, but it was probably the kind that closed up at two in the morning. 
On top of that, the rain was growing worse. It was only September, yet he was freezing. He could probably deal with camping out somewhere, but that would be hard on Isuzu. He remembered her strange constitution; how she’d start to feel ill if she didn’t get a hot bath three times a day. It had probably been over ten hours since they’d met up that morning; there might be more to her discomfort now than just exhaustion. 
Seiya stood in the rain, thinking over various options, and finally fixed his eyes on a resplendent building about 100 meters down the road. It looked a bit like a castle, with white and blue walls and extravagant lighting. The next thing he saw were neon signs reading “Stop-ins” and “Overnights.” The Hotel Alamo. It was the exact same name and logo as the love hotel next to AmaBri. 
It’s a damned chain?! Surprised at first by the realization, Seiya considered the facts once again, and then said, “Let’s spend the night over there.” 
“What?” Isuzu had probably noticed the love hotel as well, but regardless, she froze up at the proposal, her eyes going wide. 
“Let’s stay the night and get some rest,” Seiya said patiently. “We don’t have a choice, right?” 
“B-But...” she stammered. 
“Ah... d-don’t worry. It’s a stopgap thing. We just need somewhere with a roof, that’s all. Nothing else to it.” Wait, what else would there be? He wasn’t even sure what he was talking about. “O-Of course, we don’t have to if you don’t want to! If we walk a little while longer, we might find a roofed porch, or...” 
“Well...” Isuzu began, then averted her eyes and mumbled something. He couldn’t quite make out what it was. “......ay.” 
“What was that?” he asked. 
“All right,” Isuzu managed to choke out. “Let’s stay.” 

Naturally, it was Seiya’s first time in a love hotel. His first challenge was finding the entrance: the fence seemed to go all the way around it, but there were a few breaks in it here and there. Each time he approached one, thinking he’d found the way in, it turned out to be an employee entrance or parking gate. He paced back and forth in front of the fence several times, with Isuzu following behind. He hated feeling this incompetent at something. 
Then, when he finally found the automatic door and went inside, he found something new to confound him: The automatic check-in system. The wall was lined with pictures of rooms—though more precisely, they were pictures of beds. The word “Vacant” glowed above the lit-up photo panels, while the darkened panels... were probably in use. 
It was easy to imagine the mechanism at play: If you pressed the button for a “Vacant” room, it would spit out the appropriate key card. About 20% of the rooms were vacant, and all the cheap rooms were already taken, leaving only expensive ones—those 15,000 yen per night and over. They had enough money on hand to pay it, but it was still a chunk of change; despite his position as acting manager, Seiya’s personal finances remained those of a high school student working part-time. 
Speaking of high school students... were they even allowed to stay at love hotels? It seemed the system setup would keep them from having to interact with anyone, so it was probably all right, of course... even so, the rooms were pricey. He hadn’t been expecting to pay this much just to get a room for the night. He felt a little exploited. 
“It’s pretty expensive...” he muttered. 
“Yes, it is,” Isuzu agreed. 
“Hey, you think we can charge this to—” 
“Absolutely not,” she said with certainty. 
“Ah... yeah. I guess not, huh?” There was no way he could show the receipt for this escapade to Ashe, their head of finances. She wasn’t a gossip, exactly, but she’d probably ask him to explain the charge, while glaring at him with a mix of curiosity and revulsion. 
“We can’t charge it to the park,” Isuzu said. “We’ll need to pay it out-of-pocket. I’ll cover half.” 
“No,” Seiya protested, “I can’t let you do that.” 
“Why not?” 
“Well, at times like these... th-the man should pay,” he muttered. 
“I thought we were just getting out of the rain,” Isuzu pointed out. “It’s not as if... we’re on a date.” 
“That’s true. Yeah... you’re right.” Still, it felt a little humiliating. That’s right, he remembered. The first time he’d gone to AmaBri with Sento Isuzu, it had been under the guise of a date. He recalled love hotels coming up during the bus ride there, too... this situation was actually a hundred times more embarrassing than that. 
“......” He cast a glance at Isuzu. She looked rather pitiful, drenched and exhausted. He was hesitant about making her split the fee in her current state, but her logic was sound. “We’ll go Dutch, then,” he decided. “How’s that?” 
“Fine,” she agreed. “B-But... do we even have to pay in advance?” 
“...? Now that you mention it... there’s no place to put money in...” There was nowhere to insert bills or coins, just a slot to spit out the key card. “We must pay after, right?” 
“...Surely it’s a mistake to have people pay after, when you haven’t even met them,” Isuzu protested. “Couldn’t one simply stay as long as they wanted, then run off?” 
“You expect me to know?” Seiya demanded. It was a bizarre thing to fixate on at a time like this. “Anyway... w-we need to pick our room. Japanese- or Western-style?” 
“You... You pick,” she told him. 
“Okay. In that case... hmm...” 
“Hurry.” 
“I’m trying...” 
Just then, the hall echoed with the sound of the automatic door opening. Someone had come in from the parking lot entrance. It was an unfamiliar man and woman—more customers. 
Seiya and Isuzu were so shocked that they nearly jumped out of their skin, then reflexively began looking for a place to hide. But there was no place large enough to hold both of them, and before they could work something out, the couple arrived at the vending machine. 
“Ah... you can... go on ahead,” Seiya said in a tiny voice. Isuzu hid behind him, trembling. 
He was a “man of means” type over 40; she was flashily-dressed woman of about 30. “You’re sure? All right,” the older man said, picked his room, took his key card, then walked swiftly with the woman to the elevator. As the door began closing, the woman whispered to him, “isn’t that cute?” and the man guffawed. 
Why do I feel patronized?! Seiya wondered. That laughter—it was the laughter of a man who’d just seen a naive teenage couple taking their first try at a love hotel, and panicking because they didn’t know what to do. Because that’s exactly what this was! 
“Sento?” he said. 
“......” Isuzu remained hidden behind Seiya. He glanced back at her, and she quickly came to her senses and jumped away. She’d looked like someone in a daze, after escaping the closest call of her life. 
“Are you okay?” he tried again. 
“S-Sorry, I...” She was probably embarrassed about hiding behind him at such a crucial moment. There were even tears in her eyes. “Just... just pick a room. Anywhere is acceptable.” 
“Ah... right.” Seiya wanted to rest as soon as possible. Spurred on by that thought, he pressed the button for a random 18,000 yen room from among the vacancies. 

They stood in silence for the entire trip up the elevator, then all the way through the corridor, until they reached their room and turned the knob. It was only after they entered the room that the mystery of the payment system was solved. The moment they used their key card and entered, the door automatically locked. The entryway space had a touchscreen and an automatic payment mechanism. In other words, you would make your final payment just before you left. 
I guess you couldn’t just run away... but what if you made a mistake and couldn’t pay? he wondered. Would you be stuck in the room forever? There’s a terrifying thought... Just as he was thinking that, he noticed a telephone handset next to the payment screen. 
Ah-ha. Yeah, that would do it... There was probably an on-call employee you could talk to... though, personally, he would never ever ever want to have to talk to that person. 
Seiya flipped the light switch. Now that they were inside, he could see that the room was quite large; a little over 20 square meters. It was a Western-style room with atmospheric lighting and a king-sized bed. But what surprised him even more was how pristine the room was; he had imagined something older and seedier, with yellowed sheets and dripping faucets, but that couldn’t be further from the case. The wallpaper was neat and trim; the sheets were flattened and tucked with military precision. The bathroom was similarly spotless, and offered soap, shampoo, and the full array of amenities. 
“...It’s beautiful,” Isuzu said, sounding stunned. 
“Yeah. It’s kind of...” Like a typical luxury hotel. Seiya had stayed in a number of luxury hotels in his child actor days. While doing location shoots, he typically stayed in rooms that ran for 50,000 yen a night. That’s how he could tell that this was a very nice room, even though it was only (sorry) an old love hotel from a mediocre chain. In terms of overall cleanliness, it was the equal to any luxury hotel he’d ever been in. 
“It’s wonderful. I really can’t believe it.” Isuzu reached for the bed and touched the pristine sheets. 
The bed was large; very large. It could hold the both of them with room to spare. Actually, it could probably hold three people if needed... that’s how big the bed was. 
“Seiya-kun...” Isuzu trailed off. 
“...?” He waited for her to go on. 
“I... I think I...” Her voice was cracked. Her eyes were wet. Her cheeks were flushed. 
“What?” 
“I... I can’t take it anymore.” 
“Huh?” 
“I need a bath...” she breathed. 
“R-Right...” Seiya slumped, both in relief and disappointment. “Go on, then. Take as long as you want.” 
“Thank you.” Isuzu immediately made a beeline for the bathroom. 
For better or worse (no, definitely for better) the bathroom was completely partitioned off from the bedroom; despite what he’d heard about love hotels, there was no one-way glass or window giving him a view of what happened within. He could hear the sounds of the shower, but he had no idea what was going on there. This helped Seiya to forget the hotel’s nature, and to make himself at home. He opened a cabinet that looked like it might contain drinks, but instead of a refrigerator, he found a vending machine. A vending machine... 
The first thing he saw was changes of underwear; boxers and T-shirts for men. Useful. For women... there were a few startling options. Pleather bondage stuff, stuff with convenient openings... and some normal offerings as well, of course. 
There were “toys” there, too, in what looked like a versatile selection. Seiya didn’t know what they were all for, but they seemed cheaper than he would have imagined. The cheapest among them was about 500 yen. 
“...Hmm.” The fridge was on another shelf. The drinks sat in slots like a vending machine, so removing one of the bottles would log it as a purchase and count towards your room fee. Seiya was thirsty, so he took a bottle of mineral water and gulped it down. 
There was a place to charge smartphones, too, with adapters for iPhones, Androids, and old-fashioned feature phones. Amazing! Even a luxury hotel in the city wouldn’t have that many adapters... and if they did, they’d probably charge 2,000 yen a day for the privilege of using them. 
Love hotels were truly incredible. The market forces involved seemed to have pushed them to provide services even greater than those of most luxury hotels, in fact. 

Seiya immediately plugged in his smartphone. While it charged, he checked his incoming calls and his inbox. 
First, he wrote an email to Handa-san from the real estate company, apologizing and telling her he’d call her the next day. He also had emails from Tricen, Ashe, Moffle, and Macaron— These were all about work. 
Moffle seemed to have noticed something amiss about the business trip (good intuition, the rat had), and had emailed him to say, “I don’t know what you’re thinking, but if it’s important, you’d better tell me soon, fumo.” Seiya punched out a response that skirted the issue and sent it. 
He had emails from people outside the company, too. Ebisu Real Estate. Saganuma-san. 
“......?” That was another real estate agent who’d been helping him find possible sites for AmaBri, and they were offering him a number of candidates. 
<<Maple Industries, Kanie-sama>> the letter began. 
<<Greetings. This is Saganuma of Ebisu Real Estate. Regarding the matter we discussed the other day, I’m sorry to say that I haven’t found a property that meets your exact specifications. I’m afraid such a property may be difficult to find within the metropolitan area. With the above in mind, let me offer three properties that may come close to what you’re looking for: 
(1) 203 Nishitani, Tokishima City, Hiki District, Saitama Prefecture. 
This is a golf course that closed in 2009. It is 20 minutes from Meikoku Station. It has good access from the city center, and the area is about 250,000 square meters, which is about one half of what you requested. 
See the link below for details. 
http://www.xxxxxxx.xxx 

(2) 4341 Ogino, Midori Ward, Sanami Lake City, Kanagawa Prefecture 
This is the former Sanami Amusement Park, which closed in 1996. The land area is about right, but unfortunately, access is bad. Prefectural Highway 524 is very narrow and unaccommodating to large buses. Other than that, it’s a promising site. 
See the link below for details. 
http://www.xxxxxxx.xxx 

(3) 2-1-3 Kamikita, Shibuya Ward, Tokyo. 
This is just for reference. The land area is 1/100th of what you hoped for, and the price is 100 times your asking price. In other words, it’s not what you wanted at all, but it’s in a great location in the heart of the city. You can’t beat it for access. It’s just a five minute walk from Shibuya Station. The land was used to house a theater owned by a troupe that broke up last year. After the earthquake, it was pointed out how bad the foundations were, and more importantly there’s pending litigation over an accident in the theater in the past, so it’s a major steal at the moment. It’s just for reference, though. 
http://www.xxxxxxx.xxx 

I hope you’ll consider these offers,>> the letter concluded. 

A depressed mood fell over Seiya. Of the three sites that Saganuma-san had proposed, the most promising was (2); it was the same one that Handa-san had offered them through Kagaya Estates, the ruins he had wandered around just that day. 
Regarding (1), the land in Saitama, he’d checked it before. Unfortunately, it was too small, and the access wasn’t as good as Saganuma-san suggested. Even the Sanami Lake property might be better. 
Then as far as (3), the land in Shibuya, went... I almost feel insulted, Seiya thought angrily. Did the agent even listen to me? I’d said it had to be within the metropolitan area, a ways away from the city center, with plenty of land—those were my conditions. Who the hell is going to pay to put it in that expensive-ass place in the middle of the city? And 100 times the price?! For 1/100th of the area?! I’m not trying to rent out offices and shops. I want an amusement park out in the country where I can sit back and relax. I mean... in the heart of the city? What a joke! 
Biting back his annoyance, he wrote a reply: <<Thank you very much. I’ll have a look at these offerings, but I hope you’ll continue looking for other properties.>> ...Or something like that. 
Seiya was finishing up a few other things when he heard the sound of a hair dryer in the bathroom. His focus on work emails had caused him to forget about Isuzu’s current state. Now, he was feeling a little anxious again. He finished sorting through his work folder and found two emails in his private one. 
One was from his step-sister, Saki; a boy in her class had asked her out, and she wasn’t sure whether to accept or not. <<What do you think, Seiya-kun?>> she was asking. 
<<How should I know? You’re always getting asked out. Isn’t this the fourth time? You’ll just turn him down anyway, so stop bothering me about it.>> He typed out that clipped reply, then sent it. 
The other one was from Mikasa, a girl in his class and his aide on the culture festival cafe. She wanted to discuss when to hold the first meeting to bring all the department heads together. He was annoyed; couldn’t they discuss that the next time they saw each other at school? The email’s content regarding the culture festival was just a few lines, but was followed by a baffling run-on sentence. This seemed to be the long and short of it: <<I never thought you’d offer to be manager>> and <<I’m really impressed>> and <<I hope this helps you fit in with the rest of the class>> and finally, <<I’ll do my best, so ask me anything.>> 
“Hmm...” This girl, Mikasa, seemed to have the wrong idea about something. Seiya wasn’t really interested in fitting in with his classmates, and he didn’t especially care about holding a great culture festival. His acceptance of the job had been a mere whim on his part—a retreat from the realities of the park, perhaps. It annoyed him to have it interpreted this way, and he didn’t want her getting her hopes up. 
But then, how to reply? These were the most annoying times to have to write an email or LINE. It was hard to convey nuance in text. A short, offhand response would give a bad impression, but writing an essay would be exhausting. Maybe I’ll just perform... he thought, typing in quickly: <<Thanks! I’m definitely doing my best! I’m sure it’s hard on you, too, but let’s make the cafe a success together!>> Would it be so chipper it was suspicious? Would she think he was making fun of her? He was holding his finger over the send button, hesitating, when Isuzu came out of the bathroom unannounced. 
Seiya froze up in surprise and, in doing so, accidentally hit the send button. “Ah!” he cried. 
“What’s wrong?” Isuzu asked anxiously. 
“Nothing...” he mumbled. 
Isuzu was dressed in a bathrobe, her hair drawn up under a towel. Steam rose up around her, and the color had returned to her face. Her robe was tied securely the front, so all he could see was her head and her ankles, but that was enough to cause his heart to race. 
“I... I was just answering some emails,” he told her. 
“I see... We can charge our phones here?” 
“Yeah, though I don’t see one for Blackberry,” he apologized. 
“I brought my charger.” Isuzu returned to the bathroom and fetched her bag. He was hit by the smell of shampoo, and when she pulled the charger from her bag, he caught a glimpse of her underwear balled up inside. 
“......” He kept his silence. 
Isuzu plugged her phone in and checked her own call history. Seiya moved to the sofa and looked through the menu on the table. He was bored, and didn’t know what else to do. “I... I sent an email to Handa-san,” he said. 
“Thanks. Do you want one, too?” 
“What?” 
“A bath.” 
“Oh, r-right... actually, I’m pretty hungry,” he admitted. “Should I order something, first?” 
“Do they have room service here?” Isuzu wanted to know. 
“It looks like. There’s a menu right here...” There were a few snacks you could order: curry, spaghetti, french fries, and all kinds of drinks. 
“W-Would a staff member... bring it to the room? Would they come inside?” Isuzu looked like a survivor of a zombie siege being told, ‘we’re taking down the barricades.’ 
“I think... probably?” he guessed. 
“I’d rather not.” 
“Do we have a choice?” Seiya demanded irritably. Is she that desperate not to be seen? he wondered. Not that I don’t feel the same way... “I’ll answer the door,” he finally said, “so you can hole up in the bathroom.” 
“Are you certain?” 
“What choice do we have? Come on.” 
“...Well, if you insist.” 
“Here’s the menu,” He said, handing it to Isuzu. It was an awkward thing, as they kept as far away from each other as they could, with arms outstretched to make the hand-off. 
“I don’t see any cucumbers,” she grumbled. 
“Why would there be cucumbers?” What is with her and cucumbers? “I was thinking I’d get the curry,” he told her. 
“Then... I’ll have the curry, too.” 
“Okay.” He picked up the phone to make the call. 
“Wait!” 
“...?” He waited for her to go on. 
“I... I’ll have the french fries instead.” 
“Why?” he wanted to know. 
“What does it matter?” 
“Just eating french fries isn’t good for you.” 
“It’s not about that...” Isuzu said, seeming hesitant to explain. 
“...? Then why?” 
At that, she looked away and said, “Well, curry... it might smell, so...” 
Seiya was baffled, unsure of what she meant. Smell? Curry? Of course it might, but it wasn’t a bad smell at all... And they were just going to go to bed after, so what was the big— Wait. They were just going to go to bed. But what if they weren’t? What if things turned out... another way? Maybe they should avoid curry after all... 
“I... I see,” he finally managed. 
“I don’t mean anything by it, of course...” 
“Well... maybe I’ll avoid the curry, too.” 
“What?” 
“I... I just changed my mind,” he said defensively. “Don’t read too much into it.” 
Seiya picked up the receiver and pressed the intercom button. A man’s voice answered. Seiya ordered fries and edamame, as if they were looking for beer snacks. When asked what drinks he wanted, he ordered two oolong teas. 
They weren’t sure when room service would come, so Seiya decided to hold off on his own shower. Isuzu sat down by the charger, playing around with her smartphone. She was probably replying to emails. Neither said anything; silence reigned. Seiya had assumed they might hear voices from the neighboring rooms, but they didn’t; there must be more soundproofing here than in normal hotels. 
Not long after, the doorbell rang. Isuzu quickly went into the bathroom, and Seiya answered the door. A trim, ordinary-looking young man answered; he was polite and considerate. He didn’t enter the room; he simply handed the tray to Seiya through the door, told him to enjoy himself, and then closed it. Because Seiya was in his street clothes, the man didn’t seem to realize that he was in high school. 
Seiya tried to act as casually as possible, but he wasn’t sure he’d been convincing. Then again... the man probably did this all the time. Maybe he’d grown tired of trying to psychoanalyze the customers. 
As Seiya brought the tray to the table, Isuzu peeked out of the bathroom. “Is he gone?” 
“Yeah. Let’s eat.” 
They sat down on the sofa as far away from each other as they could, and picked at their fries and edamame. They weren’t especially good; maybe they should have gotten the curry. The silence was awkward. 
“Let’s... watch some TV,” Isuzu suggested. 
“That’s a good idea...” he agreed. Seiya picked up the remote and started flipping through channels. Abruptly, he hit some hardcore porn... and for some reason, it was in English. 
Oh, yes! Oh, yes! Mmmm! Yes! So good! Harder! Harder! There was no sense of shame in the voice. 90% of the screen was blurred out, so he couldn’t tell what was going on. 
He quickly shut it off, and the room fell back into its hypnotic silence. Just the crunch of the fries was loud enough to echo throughout the room. “...Sorry,” he said. 
“...It’s all right.” 
“I heard s-something once... they have really hard restrictions on that kind of thing over there,” Seiya babbled. “Anything even slightly violent is strictly taboo. They have to make sure everything looks consensual and pleasurable, so they have to smile all the time, which makes the acting really over-the-top. That’s why Japanese stuff, with more naturalistic acting, is very popular overseas.” Why am I talking about this? he wondered. He was sure he had heard that tidbit in the company cafeteria at some point, when Tricen was talking to Tiramii and the others. 
“You know a lot about it,” Isuzu observed. 
“Well! I heard from Tricen...” 
“You... discuss such things?” 
“No!” Seiya flailed awkwardly. “We just happened to run into each other!” 
“Well... I wasn’t being accusatory,” she said. “It just didn’t sound like you...” 
“Not like me... huh?” he mumbled. “I guess it wouldn’t...” 
They ate the edamame. They ate the fries. For some reason, Isuzu’s words had snapped him to his senses; sure, maybe they were in a love hotel. But all they were doing was sitting on a sofa, eating snacks. The room was well lit, and it wasn’t as if they’d never been alone in a room together before. How was this any different from them sitting on the sofa in the office together, eating their lunches side-by-side? It was true that Isuzu had just gotten out of the bath, that she was probably naked under her robe, and that she smelled vaguely of shampoo... 
She looked sexy. Really sexy. But Seiya’s good sense was much too tenacious, so that wasn’t enough to make him lose his reason. He had the same desires any man did, but his amazing self-discipline let him keep them on strict lockdown. Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t even imagine how things were supposed to “happen” between them. In this brightly-lit room? he thought scornfully. Am I supposed to put my arm around her shoulders? I couldn’t do that. And I’m not even feeling the slightest hint of desire. My fear of the unknown greatly outstrips it. 
Would she make a move, then? Teasingly, like when Tiramii was wearing the gulley suit? That also seemed implausible... which meant that nothing was going to happen. Nothing at all. Seiya felt a strange mix of embarrassment and relief. 
“This is awful,” said Isuzu, interrupting his train of thought. 
“What?” 
“The fries,” she specified. 
“Ah... yes,” Seiya agreed, “they’re quite bad.” Then, he stood up and pointed to the king-sized bed. “Okay, I’m going to wash up,” he said. “You can lie down if you want.” 
Isuzu still seemed a little bit unsettled when she saw how confident he’d become all of a sudden. “What about you?” she asked, growing suspicious. 
“I’ll sleep on the sofa.” 
“But—” 
“I’m not budging on this,” he said flippantly, heading for the vending machine. “Screw gender equality; I’ll sleep on the sofa. Oh, and...” 
“Yes?” 
“That weird vending machine... it apparently sells changes of clothes,” Seiya said evasively, cautiously avoiding the use of the word ‘underwear.’ 
Isuzu said she wanted to brush her teeth, so Seiya bought some men’s underwear from the vending machine while he waited. 
When she came out, he went in. 
He found her suit in there, placed on a hanger to dry; she probably thought it would de-wrinkle more easily here, in the bathroom. He hung up his own soaked t-shirt to dry next to it. 
Taking a hot shower made him feel like a dead man returning to life. There were lots of towels available, and tons of amenities— He felt impressed all over again. It was a shame that the shampoo and conditioner were no-name brands, but he was in no position to complain. 
He was intrigued by the large jacuzzi bathtub, but it would take over thirty minutes to fill, so he let it go. Instead, Seiya wiped himself down, dried his hair, brushed his teeth, and looked in the mirror. The slim, perfectly balanced body. The slight wildness of his tousled hair. Even naked, I’m irresistible, he told himself. This was one of his usual rituals, and the fact that he could engage in it was proof of how much he had relaxed. 
Seiya put a bathrobe on over his newly-purchased underwear, and then left the bathroom. The room’s main lights were off; the only illumination came from the foot-level lights and the standing lamp. 
Ah, she’s already asleep... he realized, stumbling a little through the unfamiliar dark room. 
Isuzu was on the sofa, fast asleep, bundled up in a sheet she had pulled from the bed. 
Come on, dammit... He’d said he would sleep on the sofa. Why did she have to be so stubborn? 
“Hey, Sento,” he said. “Go to the bed.” Isuzu said nothing. Maybe she was just that tired—she showed no response to his verbal prodding. 
“Sento. Wake up.” He nudged her shoulder this time. She finally sat up. 
“Mm...” she mumbled. 
“Go to the bed.” 
“But...” 
“It’s fine. Go on.” He knelt down next to the sofa to try to sit her up. He shouldn’t have done it. 
Until that moment, Seiya had been genuinely relaxed. The strange awkwardness had lifted, and he’d been planning to go right to bed. There shouldn’t have been any more room to slip. It was dark inside the room; the bright lighting that had helped them keep their wits about them before was gone. And in that moment, their faces were closer than they’d been since they first entered the hotel. 
She was looking up at him, glassy-eyed. Her lips, pursed and full, opened slightly, as if in thirst. 
His body acted instinctively. Their lips met—as if it was inevitable, as if they had been drawn together. Soft, yet firm, with a slight taste of toothpaste... She didn’t move away. 
As the tips of their tongues met, his finely honed reason vanished. Something hot was forming deep in his body. He shifted his weight over her. Hard to breathe, he thought, Gotta stop for just a second... 
Their eyes met. 
Is she afraid? he wondered. But she’s not running away... 
Isuzu wrapped her arms around him. She wasn’t refusing him; she wasn’t stopping. Their lips met again, this time, harder and greedier. 
“W... Wait...” Isuzu said then, her voice pained. 
Telling me to wait? Seiya thought plaintively, Now? 
“It’s too... cramped here...” she panted. 
It was indeed hard to move on the sofa. Seiya nodded silently, and pulled her with him; she didn’t resist. She stood up, then lay down on the bed as instructed. On that big, soft bed... His vision had finally adjusted to the dark, and he could see her eyes now, wet with tears. 
“Mm...” They kissed a third time, and Isuzu let out a girlish murmur. He’d never heard her make a noise like that before. He wanted to hear more. 
Isuzu’s bathrobe fell open; she was all but naked, now. Her voluptuous form, her soft, white, fragrant skin... She was trembling, just a bit. “I’m afraid...” she admitted. 
“So am I,” he told her. 
“What’s going to happen?” 
“I don’t know.” Seiya undid the tie of her bathrobe and reached for her waist. 
Just then, the Blackberry she had left to charge vibrated loudly. It was sitting on a glass table, which made the sound especially noisy. 
With a gasp, Seiya and Isuzu snapped back to their senses. They didn’t even realize the sound was her smartphone buzzing, at first. 
“Let it go,” Seiya urged. 
“I... I can’t,” Isuzu said with a sigh. 
“Why not?” 
“It’s probably... Her Highness.” Latifah, she meant. The word was like an ice cube down the back of Seiya’s neck. 
“She always calls me before she goes to bed,” Isuzu told him. “Can I... answer it?” 
“Y-Yeah...” 
Isuzu hesitantly sat up, closing her bathrobe, and hurried to the charging station. But it seemed she didn’t make it in time, because the call vibrations stopped. “She hung up.” 
“......” Seiya didn’t reply. 
“Can I... call her back?” Isuzu suggested tentatively. 
“Sure.” 
“I’m sorry.” Isuzu dialed back on her smartphone, and the other side picked up immediately. It was Latifah’s voice; the soundproofing in the room meant Seiya could identify that much, even if he couldn’t make out her words. 
“Your Highness... forgive me,” said Isuzu, apologizing for not having picked up the first time. He could vaguely hear the princess’s girlish, cheerful voice on the other end. She said something. 
“Yes. We found a nice... bed and breakfast,” Isuzu responded. 
Latifah said something. 
“Yes, we’ll be back tomorrow... There’s no need to worry.” 
Latifah’s voice, unintelligible. 
“Of course,” said Isuzu. “Take care of yourself.” 
Latifah’s voice. 
“Yes. I’ll tell him.” 
Latifah’s voice. 
“Goodbye.” 
Latifah’s voice. 
Isuzu hung up, and the smartphone went silent. 
“......” Seiya still didn’t know what to say. 
It was over. Isuzu stepped back uneasily, and sat down on the edge of the bed. Suddenly, there was distance between them—moments ago, there had been none; now, she was a million kilometers away. It was almost impossible to believe what they had been doing just seconds ago. 
“I lied to the princess,” Isuzu realized. 
“About where we’re staying?” Seiya asked. 
“Yes.” 
“But it’s not like you could have told her the truth...” he told her. Besides, whatever she called it, they were still spending the night together. Latifah wouldn’t find anything suspicious about it. 
“Yes, but...” Isuzu turned her eyes down, and then let out a lengthy sigh. “I’m a terrible royal guard...” 
“That has nothing to do with this,” Seiya argued back. 
“...and I’m a terrible secretary,” she finished. 
“Neither does that.” But hearing her talk about her positions like this, a part of Seiya knew for certain... Yeah. It’s over for the night. 
That was that. He was well aware of Isuzu’s earnestness in duty—her duty to Latifah; her duty to Seiya. When seen from that standpoint, this situation was inappropriate. 
He felt the same way. The minute I heard Latifah’s name, I knew I couldn’t go any further. She’s such a nice girl, and she loves me. She wouldn’t even be mad if she found out what we were doing; she’d mask her sorrow and congratulate us. But just imagining that brought a huge wave of guilt rushing over him. 
“I’m sorry,” she sighed. “Let’s write off what happened as an accident.” 
“An accident?” Seiya repeated. 
“Yes. An accident.” 
Of course, he thought, an accident. That was basically how it started, anyway... Maybe it was best to think of it in those terms. “Yeah... I know what you mean,” he agreed. “After all... fidelity is the most important thing to both of us, right?” Seiya said. 
“Seiya-kun...” 
“I lost my head, too. Sorry.” But despite his words, Seiya’s mind swirled with complaints. Specifically: Come on, I’m not even dating Latifah! It’s not like this would be cheating on her! And is that all it meant to you?! Is this as far as you were willing to go when you let me kiss you?! Don’t give me that ‘just a spur-of-the-moment thing’ crap! Do you like me or not? Just tell me! It’s so damned hard to understand your reactions!! But to shout that at her now would be too pathetic; it would ruin his cool-headed(?) image. So, of course, he didn’t. 
Though to be perfectly honest, I want to keep going! he thought in frustration. I want to lose my mind with pleasure! I’m still a healthy young man, you know! You can’t make those girlish squeals, set my balls on fire, then leave me like this! What am I supposed to do now?! Just take a cold shower and wait until morning?! After seeing all that... dammit, everything?! Sento Isuzu! Are you trying to kill me?! But if Seiya said those things, he’d lose any chance of a relationship with her, so he endured it. He swallowed it down. 
“No, I’m sorry,” Isuzu said. 
“Mm...” 
“Let’s just go to sleep,” she mumbled, returning to the sofa and curling up in her sheet. She looked like she was determined to stay there, after all; the only difference from before was that now, she was facing away. The gesture felt simultaneously like rejection, and like pouting. Seiya couldn’t know for sure which one it really was. 
Left with no other choice, he’d gone to sleep in the bed, when he heard Isuzu whisper, “Seiya-kun...” 
“What?” he asked shortly. 
“I love the princess.” 
“I know.” 
“But you love her more,” she said wistfully. 
“......” Seiya didn’t know what to say. 
“You don’t have to respond,” Isuzu told him. Her tone was indifferent, quiet, and relaxed, just like it had been the first time they met. “I just wanted to say it. Good night.” 
But Seiya knew that Isuzu was a soldier. That kind of calm always came to her only during the most dangerous, anxiety-ridden times.