Hayato glanced at Hoshino Ai beside him.
The girl was beautiful, there was no denying that. Her long purple-black hair swayed gently in the night breeze, and even now, she had that ethereal quality that made her stand out.
But her face had gone completely pale.
Something was wrong...
Right then, Hoshino Ai suddenly caught up from behind and grabbed his wrist. Her hand was small and cold, trembling slightly as her fingers tightened around him.
"What's wrong?"
The fear in her expression was unmistakable.
"We... we should go to a different hotel."
Without waiting for an answer, she pulled him around and started walking fast in the opposite direction, practically dragging him along.
At some point, thin fog had crept in and obscured the path behind them. Hoshino Ai kept pulling him forward by the wrist, her pace urgent. That's when Hayato realized something was seriously off.
He'd watched enough horror movies in his past life to recognize the signs.
The massive street stretched empty in both directions, just the two of them. No pedestrians, no cars, and complete silence pressed down from all sides, broken only by their footsteps. The streetlights were dimming one by one, as if the world itself was fading away around them.
This isn't normal. This is really not normal.
A few minutes later, a light appeared in the distance, cutting through the fog.
Hoshino Ai walked even faster, her grip on his wrist almost painful now.
Then she stopped. Her hand trembled harder. Her whole body had gone cold, like all the warmth had been sucked out of her.
"Koi no Kokoro Love Hotel."
Hayato read the sign again.
"We... we clearly walked in the opposite direction. This... this is impossible."
Her voice came out shaky, barely above a whisper. The fear that had been simmering in Hoshino Ai's chest was starting to overflow now.
She moved closer to him instinctively, seeking any sense of safety she could find. Right now, he was the only thing that felt real.
"Hayato-kun, let's go."
This time, Hayato caught her wrist instead and shook his head.
"Based on what just happened, I don't think we can leave this fog. Walking again would just waste time." Hayato glanced at the hotel entrance, then back at her. "Plus, I'm guessing there's a time limit for checking in. If we miss it, something worse might happen."
Hayato tried to keep his voice steady, even though his own heart was racing.
Think. What did those horror stories always say about situations like this?
"But I need you to tell me what you know. Anything about this place?"
"One more time, just one more time. Let's try once more, and I'll tell you everything on the way."
Hoshino Ai looked up at him with pleading eyes, the kind that were hard to say no to. She really, really didn't want to go into that hotel.
Hayato hesitated, then nodded.
"Alright. Once more."
They turned around and walked briskly away from the Koi no Kokoro Hotel.
This time, Hoshino Ai stayed right next to him, close enough that their shoulders almost touched. Zero distance between them.
"We've... probably been dragged into... a death game."
"The government said ordinary people would never encounter anything supernatural. So why... why did this happen to me?!"
As she spoke, she trembled, fear radiating from every word.
"Hoshino-san, just tell me what you know about this place."
"Geez. Hayato-kun doesn't care about a girl's feelings at all. You're never gonna get a girlfriend like that."
"You already rejected my confession earlier, so that ship has sailed."
"Well, how could I accept a public confession from a fan? I'm an... idol. If an idol starts dating, all the fans turn into antis."
But talking seemed to calm her down a bit. Her breathing steadied.
"Actually, I've heard rumors about the Koi no Kokoro Hotel. About half a year ago, a couple died there. It was a whole incident. The government said it was just a rumor, but the hotel got shut down for inspection anyway." She paused, swallowing hard. "And here's the thing, the hotel's supposed to be in Shinjuku Ward. Not here in Chiyoda Ward."
Chiyoda to Shinjuku was at least five kilometers. Even by car, that would take twenty minutes.
You couldn't walk that distance in a few minutes.
"This death game must be using the Koi no Kokoro Love Hotel as its setting. Uuugh..."
She looked up.
The "Koi no Kokoro Love Hotel" sign glowed ahead of them through the fog.
They were back at the hotel.
Hoshino Ai's eyes started watering.
Death game. Supernatural. Hotel with dead people.
From everything she'd just told him, Hayato was starting to understand this world better.
This wasn't some peaceful slice-of-life anime setting. This was a world with actual supernatural threats, horror elements, death games, and players.
Dangerous didn't even begin to cover it.
But I have a time stop. That has to count for something, right?
...Right?
Seeing that Hoshino Ai couldn't bring herself to move forward, Hayato took a breath and gently pulled her toward the entrance.
They couldn't run from this. Confronting it directly was the only real option.
She followed hesitantly, her eyes half-closed like she was terrified of what she might see.
"Welcome."
The moment they stepped inside, a mechanical voice echoed through the lobby.
Hayato looked around carefully.
A spacious lobby stretched before them. Bright fluorescent lights hummed overhead. A wall clock ticked steadily. Vending machines and other equipment gave off faint mechanical sounds. The check-in counter sat empty, no staff anywhere.
"No monsters. You can open your eyes."
Hayato patted Hoshino Ai's shoulder lightly.
Hoshino Ai opened her eyes slowly, and the brightness made her relax just a little.
Light always felt safer than darkness.
"Let's look for clues."
Hayato scanned the area and spotted white paper sitting on the registration counter. He walked over and picked it up.
Large text read: "Koi no Kokoro Love Hotel Check-in Rules."
Hoshino Ai came up beside him and read over his shoulder.
"Koi no Kokoro Love Hotel Check-in Rules. To ensure our guests have a wonderful and pleasant nighttime, please be sure to follow these rules."
"It's a rule-based death game."
She actually sighed in relief, her shoulders dropping.
"I've never been in one myself, but I've heard about them. Information gets passed around privately, even though there's nothing online about them."
"With this type, as long as we follow the rules exactly, we can clear it and get out alive."
Rule-based death games weren't ideal, but for someone like her with no combat ability, it was better than fighting monsters directly.
Hoshino Ai glanced at Hayato from the corner of her eye.
This man has time-stop superpowers. He saved me earlier too. He wouldn't just abandon me here... right?
"Let's read the rules carefully."
Rule 1: This hotel is a love hotel. Single room occupancy is for 2 or more people.
Rule 2: You can obtain your room keycard through the self-service check-in device. All rooms are freely available for selection. After 10 PM, check-in procedures will no longer be processed.
Rule 3: This hotel is an unmanned establishment. There are no staff members. If anyone claims to be staff, please ignore them, especially at night.
Rule 4: If you encounter an emergency situation, you may use the stairwell passage to reach the first-floor lobby and seek help at the front desk.
Rule 5: Your keycard is very important. Please keep it safe. You may process checkout procedures after 6 AM the next day by returning your keycard to the keycard machine.
Five rules total.
Hayato read them over twice, committing each one to memory.
Rule 1 means we're stuck together. Rule 2 means we need to check in before 10 PM. Rule 3... no staff means anyone claiming to be staff is dangerous. Rule 4 gives us an escape route. Rule 5 means we must survive until 6 AM tomorrow.
"Tomorrow at 6 AM."
Hoshino Ai seemed to realize it, too. As long as they made it until 6 AM tomorrow morning, they could check out and leave.
The goal was clear now. Hope flickered in her eyes.
Right then, the mechanical "Welcome" voice sounded again.
Footsteps echoed from the entrance.
Someone else had just arrived.
Hoshino Ai tensed immediately, her hand instinctively reaching for his sleeve.
What if whoever just walked in isn't human?