Takahashi Kana had just finished switching shifts with the landlady at the front desk.
She stood behind the counter, bored, scrolling through her phone.
She hadn’t brought her younger sister to work today.
After all, if she brought that brat again and she said something offensive to a guest, her job would be at risk.
At twenty-two, she needed this summer part-time job to supplement her living expenses.
If she lost it, she’d be in trouble.
The inn’s landlady was a nice person.
Her daily routine was just checking in guests, handling checkouts, and answering reservation calls.
No other chores, and the pay was decent.
She absolutely couldn’t let Ayano ruin her work.
She yawned and muttered under her breath.
“But speaking of which, what did the landlady mean earlier? ‘Don’t casually disclose guest information’? Who would even do something like that?”
She rested her hands on the counter, her chin on the back of her hands.
“And what was that about ‘Don’t let your guard down around young girls’… That’s really strange.”
She straightened up and stretched.
“Wait—”
She suddenly thought of something.
‘That expression on the landlady’s face… Could it be that yesterday, when she was on duty, some young girl sweet-talked her into revealing guest information?’
She shook her head, thinking she was overthinking.
“Haha, how could that be? There’s no way the landlady would do something like that.”
Just as she was lost in thought, she caught sight of guests coming out from behind in her peripheral vision.
She quickly shoved her phone into her pocket, stood up straight, and put on her standard professional smile.
“Guests, have a safe journey, enjoy your—”
Her expression froze, and her voice cracked.
‘Wait.’
‘What the hell is this?’
‘Aren’t these the people who booked the most expensive suite yesterday?’
‘I haven’t reached the age of senility yet, right? Yesterday morning when they checked in, wasn’t it one guy and two girls?’
‘So why today…’
‘Why are there three girls now?’
Her eyes widened as she scanned the four people back and forth.
‘That scumbag is walking in the middle, two girls on his left and one on his right. All three are young and pretty, each with a different vibe. The one on the left is cool and dignified, the one on the right looks super cute, and she’s even holding that scumbag’s arm?’
Her mind went into chaos at that moment.
‘What kind of love guru is this guy?’
Her thoughts raced like a barrage of comments, but she maintained her business smile.
However, that smile was clearly distorted, and the corner of her mouth twitched.
***
You passed by the front desk and noticed the staff member’s voice suddenly falter.
He turned around, puzzled.
“You seem surprised. Is something the matter?”
The store clerk behind the counter snapped back to reality.
“Ah, no, nothing!”
She quickly fixed her smile back, but it looked strained.
“Maybe it’s because I stayed up a bit late yesterday, my throat’s a bit off. Please don’t mind me, sir—”
She bowed.
“Have a great time, and be careful on the road.”
You let out an “Oh” and left with the three girls.
Kana watched the four of them walk out the door.
She saw the man surrounded by three girls disappear around the street corner.
She slowly withdrew her gaze and glanced down at her phone screen—the idols in short skirts were still dancing.
She was silent for two seconds.
Then she muttered softly under her breath.
“The world really is uneven.”
***
The sunlight outside was just as good as yesterday.
You squinted slightly and walked slowly along the road with the three girls.
The morning in Hakone was quiet.
The shops on both sides of the street weren’t fully open yet.
Occasionally, one or two men in work clothes were moving goods.
They glanced at the group, then went back to work.
In the distance were layers of mountains wrapped in a thin mist.
At the foot of the mountain was a small stream, the sound of water gurgling, mixed in the wind, not quite distinct.
The air had the dampness of grass and a faint smell of sulfur, so much fresher than Tokyo.
He couldn’t help but think of yesterday.
That series of events made this trip feel nothing like a vacation.
Even this morning, there were some twists.
He just hoped today’s itinerary wouldn’t be as eventful as yesterday’s.
They walked a distance along the road.
A very peaceful morning, nothing happening.
The tree shade on both sides of the road was dense.
Sunlight leaked through the gaps in the leaves, scattering patches of light on the ground.
Occasionally a bird chirped, occasionally the wind blew, occasionally white smoke drifted from a distant hot spring inn.
‘This is what a vacation should be like,’ he thought.
***
Meanwhile.
Chihaya and Mai walked on either side of You.
Without any prior discussion, their movements were oddly synchronized—they both moved inward almost simultaneously, occupying the spaces to You’s left and right firmly.
The tips of their ears were slightly red.
But neither explained why they suddenly moved so close.
—Naturally to prevent Futaba from getting near.
Neither of them spoke, just walked silently.
Both had slightly red earlobes.
Chihaya’s ears were almost translucent in the sunlight, a thin layer of pink.
Mai’s earlobes were slightly fleshier, and the blush was more noticeable.
Futaba walked on the outermost side, next to Chihaya.
She was still holding that fan she’d somehow produced at breakfast.
The crescent moon on the fan glimmered in the sunlight, drawing semicircular arcs as she rotated her wrist.
Her face was all smiles.
But her eyes were carefully observing the three beside her.
‘Hmm… From the expressions on Chihaya and Mai’s faces, something definitely happened last night. But they didn’t go all the way, otherwise they wouldn’t be this quiet. So, they must have made the first move. After all, it’s Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto’s mission.’
She slowed down her fanning, and her smile deepened.
‘This really surprises me, Divine Child. Chihaya and Mai are beauties. Even beauties of this level making the first move, and you can resist? To be so composed. How interesting.’
‘It seems that the Divine Child is completely different from those ordinary male college students of the Reiwa era with repressed sexual urges. They’re just a bunch of horny monkeys who pounce and confess at the drop of a hat.’
Futaba’s mind ran through these disrespectful thoughts about her peers.
It was clear that Tsukuyomi Futaba held herself in high regard and had a bad nature.
She looked down on the vast majority of her peers equally.
And this bad nature had gone undetected entirely due to her perfect outward disguise.
After these thoughts passed through her head, she began to enjoy the surrounding scenery.
After all, it was just the beginning.
She still had a lot of time to play.
***
They arrived at the station.
Hakone-Yumoto Station wasn’t big.
It was a wooden structure, with sightseeing maps and bus timetables posted on the notice board at the entrance.
The air had a faint smell of wood, mixed with the sulfur from the distant hot springs.
The bus was already parked in front of the station.
Green body, windows wiped clean, reflecting the clouds in the sky.
They got on the bus and found seats.
You by the window, Chihaya next to him, Mai next to Chihaya, and Futaba in the back seat by the aisle.
The bus started.
The scenery outside began to move slowly.
Streets, shops, houses, then denser forests.
The cedar trees were tall, blocking most of the sky.
Sunlight leaked through the gaps, casting fast-moving patches of light on the ground.
The bus was very quiet.
The engine hummed low, and the air conditioning vents hissed softly.
Occasionally a word or two was spoken, but quickly faded.
None of them talked much, as if they were all enjoying the scenery outside the window.
The mountain road wound around.
The bus wasn’t fast, and when it turned, the body tilted slightly.
Sunlight came in from the other side, cutting neat strips of light on the seats and floor.
You leaned against the window, watching the trees recede layer by layer.
Chihaya sat upright, her gaze fixed on some point ahead, lost in thought.
Mai rested her head against the seatback, her eyes half-closed.
Futaba sat in the back, her fan put away on her lap, a faint smile hanging at the corner of her mouth.
The bus drove along the mountain road.
Lake Ashi was near.