Chapter 43: Puberty at 26

After enjoying the ocean view for a while, we soon exited the expressway.

As we continued along the local roads, the sea came into view again, and above it, a large bridge was visible.

“So that’s the bridge we crossed earlier.”

“It’s huge.”

I couldn’t help but marvel at how they could build something like that.

Now that was magic.

As I kept looking, the car pulled into the parking lot of a nearby hotel.

“Well, here we are. It’s a hotel with an ocean view.”

Ooh…

“Nice.”

“Right? Now then, as discussed, we’ll be splitting up from here.”

Linda-neesan parked the car in a suitable spot and turned around.

“So we should do our investigating around here?”

“Yes. There are souvenir shops and markets. Please ask around while doing some sightseeing. Once you’re done, wait at the hotel. Basically, you’re free to do as you please.”

I suppose that’s how it is.

“Got it. Elvis and Linda-neesan are each meeting up with your companions, right?”

“Yeah. I’ll get a ride from someone, and after that, Linda and I’ll split up too.”

“We’ll check into the hotel by evening. Please contact us if anything happens. We’ll do the same.”

Basically, we’d have to rely on those two for information gathering.

It was a demon town, after all. Couldn’t be helped.

“Understood. Let’s get out.”

“Yeah.”

“You two be careful too~”

“Take care.”

The four of us got out of the car.

“There are many well-behaved demons in this town. However, there are bad sorts everywhere, so please avoid going too far. See you later.”

Linda-neesan said this, then drove the car out of the parking lot.

“So what should we do?”

I looked at the other three.

“I kind of feel like we’ve been abandoned.”

“We don’t know anything about this area at all~”

“For now, why don’t we check into the hotel and investigate around here? It’s not too late after that.”

That sounded like a good plan.

“Can we even check in? It’s barely past 9, you know?”

“It should be fine, right? Demons are pretty lax about that sort of thing.”

Somehow I understood what she meant.

“Ayaka, we were able to check into the inn in the morning too.”

“Ah—morning couples.”

That’s what the medusa maid had said.

I wonder what happened to that person?

Did she end up making a lot of sculptures?

“Well, let’s give it a try. We lose nothing if they say no.”

Since Takamiya-san said that and headed for the hotel, we followed.

When we entered, there was a spacious lobby, and at the reception desk in the back, a young man was standing.

“…He’s not human, is he?”

I whispered to Ayaka.

“…He’s a bit pale. Maybe a zombie?”

There sure are a lot of zombie employees.

“I’ll go ask.”

“I’m coming too. You two wait here.”

Since Kitaura-san and Ayaka went to the reception desk, Takamiya-san and I sat down on a nearby sofa.

“How’s it going, Takanashi-kun?”

Takamiya-san, sitting across from me, asked.

Of course, she was talking about Ayaka.

“No real progress, I guess…”

“Hmm… I think you’ve got a shot, though.”

I wasn’t that pessimistic either.

I felt like there might be something there, at least.

Ayaka didn’t exactly push me away, either.

“It’s complicated. At first I thought there was nothing there. But by the time I started thinking ‘maybe there’s,’ the dynamic among us six had already solidified, so I couldn’t make a move.”

The six of us had been getting along peacefully.

Because of that, I didn’t want to do anything that might cause a rift.

Five years together was a long time.

“Yeah, I get it, I get it. But I think you can do it.”

Hmm…

“Have you ever asked how Ayaka feels?”

“I haven’t. We might tease her about stuff, but neither Hina nor I bring up that topic with Ayaka, and Ayaka never says anything about it either.”

I see…

“I was thinking of proposing when we got to Tokyo, but I couldn’t go through with it.”

“Out of nowhere… No, I guess that’s how it’s in the other world. Plus we’re 26… no, we’ll be 27 in a few months.”

Right, right.

It wasn’t strange at all.

Even though we’d spent five years in that town, plenty of people we knew had confessed their feelings and gotten married.

“To be honest, I think Ayaka is aware of my feelings.”

“100%, definitely.”

100 percent, huh.

“But I can’t read Ayaka.”

“Ayaka’s always been like that. She’s pretty hard to read emotionally.”

I couldn’t read her either.

“Hmm…”

“Quite the troubled 26-year-old, aren’t you…”

As Takamiya-san and I were talking, Ayaka and Kitaura-san came back.

Ayaka sat down next to me, and Kitaura-san sat next to Takamiya-san.

“…That guy isn’t a zombie, he’s a vampire.”

Ayaka leaned in close and whispered.

“…Seriously? That’s another boss-tier character.”

I hadn’t seen a vampire in the other world, but aren’t they immortal?

“…Seriously, seriously. They said the fee was either mana or blood.”

Ehh…

“…It’s mana, right?”

“…Of course.”

Yeah, figured.

“Were you able to book the rooms?”

Kitaura-san asked the two of them.

“Yep, all set. But they said the rooms are being cleaned right now, so we can’t check in until this afternoon.”

“Instead, they said we can use the lobby as much as we want.”

I see.

“Is it a room with an ocean view?”

I looked at Ayaka.

“I requested that, so it should be fine. We’re in room 705, and Mayumi and Hina are next door in 706.”

Huh…

‘Huh? Same room?’ ‘See? I told you he’s got a shot.’

The Taka-Taka Alliance’s silent conversation.

I was guessing at the content, but I was probably right.

“So I asked around a bit, and they said if you’re going to Hagi, the hot springs in Nagato are recommended.”

Where’s Nagato?

Not knowing, I took out my smartphone and checked on a map app.

“West of Hagi, huh…”

“It’s not that far.”

“Sounds good. I wanted to visit some hot springs after hearing what Linda-neesan and Elvis find out.”

“Right?”

The three girls also took out their smartphones to check, then nodded in agreement.

“Should we consult with Linda-neesan and Elvis too?”

“Let’s do that. So? Where should we do our investigating…”

“Good question…”

We decided to look up the area around here on our smartphones.