Hoshino Ai clearly remembered that after Sawanaga Taisuke had communicated with the female receptionist earlier, she'd transformed instantly and become an ugly supernatural entity.
Now, Hayato wanted to go to the lobby and communicate with that same receptionist. Why?!
Faced with the two girls' confused stares, Hayato didn't bother answering. Instead, he continued walking downstairs with steady steps and pushed open the first floor's emergency entrance door.
The emergency entrance door that couldn't be opened from outside no matter how hard they'd tried earlier, now opened easily with just a bit of force.
The bright lights from the first-floor lobby shone through the gap, dispelling the oppressive darkness inside the stairwell.
The three stepped into the hotel's first-floor lobby once again.
At the front desk, a woman in a black suit sat quietly, as if waiting.
After Hayato's group of three appeared in the lobby, she once again walked over step by deliberate step. Her graceful, curvaceous figure was displayed once more, moving with that same unsettling elegance.
"Guest, what service do you require?"
Not much change in her inquiry method or tone.
Hoshino Ai kept her mouth tightly shut. No matter what sounds she heard now, she absolutely wouldn't make any response.
"We encountered a sudden emergency situation."
Hayato spoke calmly.
"After the cleaning staff finished cleaning the rooms, its directly closed the doors, preventing us from entering. Now, both room 304 and room 306's keycards are invalid."
Hayato took out both rooms' keycards and presented them before the female receptionist, laying them on the counter.
"Please reset our keycards."
"I understand. Our hotel staff's negligence has caused you trouble. Please forgive us."
After receiving the two keycards with delicate fingers, the female receptionist returned to her workstation and began a series of operations, typing on a keyboard they couldn't see.
Hoshino Ai and Kuroda Hikari were completely dumbfounded.
So that's it.
So that's how it is.
Emergency situations can seek help at the front desk. Does this refer to this situation?
But normally, when staying at a hotel and encountering invalid keycards, indeed, someone can seek help from the front desk.
We can return to our rooms.
But, what about the contamination problem?
Hoshino Ai looked at Hayato, then at Kuroda Hikari. The contamination spreading across both of them hadn't decreased at all. The distance from becoming like the earlier transformed cleaning staff member was just two or three levels away.
Two minutes later, the female receptionist came before Hayato and handed him the two keycards.
"Guest, it's all taken care of."
"Thank you."
"This is what we should do."
She smiled, that same perfect with empty emotion.
"I really do thank you. Thank you for the help you've provided us."
"This is the duty of a hotel staff member. I hope you can spend a wonderful evening at our hotel tonight."
The three took the elevator back to the third floor.
The cleaning staff member was gone, vanished completely.
Beep...
Room 304's door unlocked and opened smoothly.
All three walked inside cautiously.
Right now, the room is clean and tidy. No dust particles or bloodstains at all. Everything looked brand new, like no one had ever stayed here.
"Cleaned spotless. Nothing left behind."
Hayato noticed the change in a certain item and smiled slightly.
His analysis had no problems. Getting to 6 AM would be no problem now.
"Alright, sleep peacefully! We have three hours of rest time."
Hoshino Ai blinked, completely not understanding the reason behind his confidence.
"Um... could it be Hayato-kun already found the reason our infection was deepening and has successfully solved it?"
"Pretty much!"
Hoshino Ai and Kuroda Hikari exchanged quick glances, then immediately came to Hayato's side, shaking his arm and asking urgently.
"Tell us about it! What's really going on with this hotel? Why did our contamination deepen, and how did it suddenly become fine?"
Having personally survived in the hotel for several hours, Hoshino Ai was extremely curious and really wanted to know all these mysteries and rules. Kuroda Hikari felt the same curiosity.
Both girls opened their big eyes wide with expectant expressions, leaning in close.
"I'm tired."
"Hayato-kun."
"Hayato-senpai."
Both girls flanked Hayato left and right, even actively raising their small fists to massage and pound his back and shoulders.
"Satisfy our curiosity! Hayato-kun, I, I... after we leave the hotel and return to reality, I can wear stockings for you to see... and can even dance just for you."
This... isn't bad.
"I, I..."
The pressure came to Kuroda Hikari's side as Hayato's gaze shifted.
"I'll wear a school swimsuit for Hayato-senpai to see."
Kuroda Hikari forced out the words while suppressing her burning embarrassment, face going red.
"Alright then! It's really not that complicated, but once you overlook it, you really can't think of it."
Hayato organized his thoughts.
"Did you notice that?"
Hayato pointed at the electronic clock hanging on the wall.
"The clock."
"There's another number below the time digits."
"It's zero. What does that mean? Isn't that humidity?"
"When we left room 306 at 1:15 AM, what was the number? Did either of you notice?"
Both girls shook their heads.
"It was 70 i think...."
"Hah..."
"But right now it should be zero."
"Why?"
"Cleaning service..."
"After the cleaning service, everything in the room returns to zero."
Returns to zero?
Isn't it just that the room was cleaned and tidied?
Faintly, Hoshino Ai grasped something hovering at the edge of her mind, but it was like there was still a thin layer of paper she hadn't completely pierced through.
What does this number represent?
She felt this was the key to everything.