Room 306.
The clock finally reached 6 AM.
And the contamination value number below the time had stopped at 60, not showing the predicted extreme situation they'd feared.
"Finally, 6 AM."
"Thank god."
"We successfully survived until 6 o'clock. Uuugh..."
In that moment, both girls cried tears of joy, streams running freely down their cheeks.
Last night's eight or nine hours of experiences were the most terrifying in their entire lives.
Given a choice, they'd never want to experience something like it again. Not once.
"Hayato-kun, let's go down quickly!"
"Leave here as soon as possible."
Hoshino Ai didn't want to stay in this cursed room one more second. Her hands were already trembling with urgency.
But soon, she froze mid-step, showing a shocked expression. Her finger shot up, pointing at Hayato with a trembling voice.
"It's gone, it's gone... the contamination... It's gone!"
Hoshino Ai watched as the dark gray patches on Hayato's face rapidly receded at a speed visible to the naked eye, skin returning to its normal, healthy color. She immediately looked at Kuroda Hikari. Similarly, the patches across Kuroda Hikari's face and arms had also faded completely.
Thud thud thud...
Hoshino Ai immediately ran to the bathroom and threw herself in front of the mirror.
Delicate features stared back at her. Fair and tender skin, unblemished. Only faint dark circles beneath her eyes hinted at the brutal night she'd endured without proper rest.
"Great, back to normal."
"We succeeded!"
Hoshino Ai beamed with a radiant smile, relief flooding through her entire body. The contamination fading was the best proof they'd actually made it.
Kuroda Hikari glanced at the number below the clock. It had already changed to zero.
All of this was almost over.
"Let's go!"
"Please wait, give us just a little bit of time, okay?"
Reassured at last, Hoshino Ai made a small request. She hoped to simply wash up and fix her current messy, disheveled appearance before leaving. She'd already turned on the water. It came out clean, clear, and perfectly transparent, without a trace of any foreign substance.
Finally.
"Fine. You get ten minutes."
"I, I'd also like..."
Kuroda Hikari also carefully raised her hand, cheeks flushing pink.
"Hurry up."
Both girls immediately disappeared into the bathroom together.
The sound of flowing water filled the room. Occasionally, the girls' playful laughter rang out, echoing off the bathroom tiles.
This made Hayato look over curiously. With that look, his gaze couldn't quite pull itself away.
The frosted glass wall was completely transparent right now.
And the two girls who said they'd just simply wash up were now showering together under the warm spray.
Accidentally touched the switch?
Maybe!
Either way, he didn't turn it on. Since that was the case, Hayato wasn't polite and directly enjoyed the view without any guilt.
Under the warm water mist, both girls' snow-white skin and graceful figures were fully visible through the clear glass, releasing a beautiful aura of youth and vitality that was almost blinding.
Nice. Really nice.
Whoever gave him this benefit, he gave it high praise.
Fifteen minutes later, the two emerged from the bathroom, hair damp and skin flushed from the warm water.
Their faces were slightly red, their gazes toward Hayato tinged with faint shyness as they avoided direct eye contact.
"Pack up. Let's go down!"
"Mm."
"Oh right, I'm very satisfied with your thanks. It wasn't in vain for the help I provided you."
In an instant, both girls' faces turned even redder. Even the tips of their ears burned hot.
Their unspoken gratitude had been seen through and directly pointed out.
The girls' sense of shame exploded in that moment, swallowing them whole.
They really had no face to meet Hayato anymore.
6:25 AM.
The three left room 306 and took the elevator down to the first floor.
Peaceful the whole way down. No sounds, no attacks, no supernatural entities waiting.
Everything... is over.
This thought emerged in both girls' hearts simultaneously, warmth spreading through their chests.
The instant they left the elevator and walked toward the lobby, Hoshino Ai stopped dead in her tracks. Kuroda Hikari's eyes widened in shock.
"Sa... Sawanaga... kun."
That figure standing in the lobby was unmistakably Sawanaga Taisuke. His dyed hair was impossible to miss.
"Yo..."
"Good morning!"
Sawanaga Taisuke raised a bright, cheerful smile and greeted them directly.
"You guys took so long to come down. Made me wait quite a while!"
His gaze landed on Kuroda Hikari first, lingering for a moment, then moved to Hayato. His smile carried a meaningful weight behind it.
"Did Kuroda-san serve Hayato-san well last night? Hayato-san took you in last night, after all. Without Hayato-san, you definitely wouldn't have survived until now..."
"Sawanaga-kun, Hayato-senpai isn't that kind of person."
Kuroda Hikari's face went slightly pale as she explained quickly, her voice tight.
"Oh, then what kind of person is he?"
His smile held even deeper meaning.
Kuroda Hikari bit her lip and said nothing more, gaze dropping to the floor.
"The performance ends here, Sawanaga-kun!"
Hayato spoke, his tone sharp and certain.
When Sawanaga Taisuke didn't immediately leave but instead stayed here waiting for them, Hayato had already determined that the person standing before them wasn't truly "Sawanaga Taisuke" anymore.
"I am Sawanaga Taisuke. Though even if I say this, wise Hayato-san probably won't believe me."
He spread his hands with an easy shrug.
"But I really am Sawanaga Taisuke. At least for now, I still am. Same body, same consciousness. But my identity has changed. No longer a guest, but... a staff member."
Sawanaga Taisuke looked over at the woman sitting quietly at the front desk. Something unreadable passed between their gazes.
"After finally becoming completely supernatural, I accepted the invitation and became a hotel staff member. In future games, I probably won't act in this love hotel with the identity of 'Sawanaga Taisuke' anymore. My name and appearance will both change."
A brief pause. His expression softened.
"But at least I can still live. As long as I'm alive... there's still hope."
Sawanaga Taisuke looked at the three of them with something genuine flickering behind his eyes.
"Like you three. You... are my hope!"
In that moment, his smile was brilliant. That upturned smile at the corner of his mouth could no longer be suppressed, breaking free like sunlight through clouds.