308 was a twin bedroom?
"I'll go check it out."
Without another word, Hayato walked straight toward room 308 next door.
Was he worried? Sure. But compared to worrying, observing, and collecting possible clues was far more important right now.
There were still fifteen minutes until 10 PM. Enough time.
Hayato stepped into room 308. Sawanaga Taisuke, Tanaka Ichiro, and the other two exchanged nervous glances but didn't dare follow him inside. They waited in the hallway, bodies pressed close to the wall like they were trying to disappear into it.
The room layout wasn't much different from room 306, but the space felt larger. Two huge beds dominated the room, standing out most prominently.
Each bed was big enough to fit three or four people sleeping comfortably.
Hayato turned to look at the wall and saw the clock hanging there. The displayed time read 10:45 PM. He checked against the mechanical watch on his wrist, the times matched perfectly.
Wait.
The number is below the time. Was that humidity?
But the air didn't feel humid at all. His skin felt dry, normal.
One hundred percent humidity?
That doesn't make sense.
Hayato began checking the rest of the room, moving methodically. The things he could find were pretty much the same as in room 306. Everything 306 had, 308 had too. The only real difference was the extra-large bed.
Two minutes later, Hayato walked back out into the hallway.
"Hayato-san, find anything?"
Sawanaga Taisuke immediately asked, his voice tight with tension.
"Nothing particularly special. 308 just has an extra-large bed compared to ours. There are twelve minutes until 10 PM. What do you plan to do?"
According to Rule 10, Sawanaga Taisuke and the other three should return to the first-floor lobby to re-process their check-in procedures. But after that eerie attack scene in the lobby earlier, none of them dared go down alone.
The middle-aged man caught blonde's eye and signaled with a look, then glanced at Kuroda Hikari and Kamimura Miho. He knew full well he had no right to speak up for himself. If he asked directly, it would only backfire.
"Um, Hayato-san, could you possibly..."
"No."
Hoshino Ai appeared at the doorway suddenly, her expression serious as she cut him off. She refused on Hayato's behalf before he could even respond.
"This is your problem. Nobody knows how dangerous the first-floor lobby is right now. I won't let my friend go down there and risk it."
Hoshino Ai knew full well there wasn't much she could contribute in terms of actual ability, so let her handle rejecting these kinds of requests for Hayato instead.
At least Hoshino Ai is quite clever in psychology as a woman who always deceives the public on the idol stages, she responded at this moment to draw others' hatred if Hayato refused, while at the same time giving Hayato the freedom to choose if he wanted to save.
Sawanaga Taisuke suddenly felt like he, as a fan, had zero standing here.
I liked the wrong person...
"Five hundred thousand. Five hundred thousand yen. Come with us to the lobby to process check-in, and I'll give you five hundred thousand yen as payment."
Tanaka Ichiro gritted his teeth and made an offer, his voice strained.
That was no small amount of money.
"Compared to life, what's five hundred thousand yen worth? Even five million would be too little."
Hoshino Ai showed no mercy, her voice sharp.
"Then, then let Miho spend the night with you."
Right then, Tanaka Ichiro gave the shoulder-length-haired Kamimura Miho a shove forward. A flash of anger crossed her face, but she didn't explode in opposition. Her jaw clenched, but she stayed silent.
Clearly, she'd accepted this transaction.
Kuroda Hikari gasped, shocked. Hoshino Ai's brain short-circuited for a moment too, unable to process what just happened.
"Hayato-kun has me. What's she worth?"
Immediately, Hoshino Ai pointed and retorted, her face flushing.
Compared to a woman like Kamimura Miho, she, a popular beloved idol, was way better!
But those words provoked Kamimura Miho. She crossed her arms and snorted coldly.
"Compared to certain idols who look glamorous on the surface but who know how deplorable they are behind the scenes, I'm much better."
What did she just say?!
Hoshino Ai felt her blood boil. Just as she raised her hand, ready to—
Hayato grabbed her wrist firmly and pressed it down.
"I can go down with you. But how many rooms are you planning to get?"
The four understood his meaning immediately. If they got another twin-bed room, they'd be right back where they started.
"Two rooms."
Sawanaga Taisuke made his decision quickly.
"We need one more person to go down then."
"Can't you two just get two rooms yourselves?"
The middle-aged man's words immediately drew Hayato's cold gaze.
"You. Come down with us."
"I..."
"I don't mind breaking your legs and dragging you down."
For people like this, the kind who bullied the weak and feared the strong, who were greedy for life and feared death, violent threats were always the best choice.
The middle-aged man's face went pale.
"I'll go down with you."
Hoshino Ai volunteered suddenly, stepping forward.
Compared to staying on the third floor without Hayato, she felt safer by his side. Even if it meant going back to that creepy lobby.
Hayato thought about it for a moment, then nodded.
"I definitely won't cause you any trouble."
Hoshino Ai immediately promised, her expression determined.
Right now, she was trying to figure out Hayato's real purpose for accompanying them to the first-floor lobby.
Was it because of Kamimura Miho's offer to sleep with him?
No, impossible.
If Hayato really just wanted to satisfy physiological desires, there was no need to go through all this trouble. He could've used his time stop ability back in the lobby. So there had to be a deeper meaning to his actions.
He must be looking for more clues.
While thinking, Hoshino Ai followed Hayato to the elevator entrance.
As the button was pressed, the silver elevator doors slid open slowly with that familiar mechanical hum.
All four stepped inside. The space felt cramped again with six bodies pressed together.
A sense of dread rose in Sawanaga Taisuke and the middle-aged man's chests, heavy and cold.
The elevator descended.
Ding!
First floor.
The silver doors opened slowly, revealing the lobby beyond.
The scene hadn't changed at all.
The four of them stepped out one after another, their footsteps careful and quiet on the tile floor.
The unchanged scenery put blonde Taisuke somewhat at ease. His shoulders relaxed slightly.
No abnormal changes had occurred in the first-floor lobby while they were gone.
"Hoshino-san, stay here and make sure the elevator stays open for going back upstairs."
"Okay."
Hoshino Ai immediately agreed, positioning herself by the door panel.
Tap tap...
The three of them walked out toward the lobby proper, their footsteps echoing softly.
Soon, after passing the area where the elevator was located, Hayato noticed something.
An extra figure stood in the hotel lobby.
In that instant, a chill crawled up his spine.