Chapter 54: The Ryokan

After driving for a while, the ocean disappeared from view and was replaced by a peaceful townscape.

As we continued, mountains replaced the sea, and eventually we spotted a hot-spring town nestled along a river.

“Is that it?”

I asked Linda.

“Yes. That’s the hot-spring town where we’ll be staying today.”

“Oh…”

“It’s a little different from Beppu.”

I looked at Elvis.

“Yeah… The mountains look ordinary, and there’s no steam rising anywhere.”

Beppu had been surrounded by barren mountains, with steam rising here and there.

The smell had bothered me a little, but it had also given the place a certain atmosphere.

“Linda, where are we staying?”

Ayaka asked Linda.

“Let me see… There’s a ryokan where an acquaintance of mine works…”

Another succubus, huh?

“Social media?”

“Yes. It’s convenient, isn’t it? Ah, there it is.”

Linda turned into the ryokan’s driveway.

Then she stopped the car in front of the entrance.

“This place?”

It looked like a long-established traditional inn.

“All right, Team Dropout, you can get out here. If you ask at the front desk, they can prepare lunch for you, and the baths should already be open. We’ll be back by evening, so take your time and relax. Oh, and please reserve a room for me as well.”

“Me too.”

The previous ryokan had worked pretty much the same way.

This time, all we had to do was give them Linda’s name.

“Linda, what about the room arrangements?”

“I’d like a private room, please.”

“Same here. You guys decide the rest.”

I had assumed we would divide the rooms by gender, but apparently not.

“What should we do?”

Ayaka looked at the other two behind her.

“It’s probably not a good idea to leave anyone alone. How about Ayaka and Yuu in one room, and Mayumi and me in the other?”

“Yeah, yeah. We’re free today anyway, so let’s all meet up to use the hot springs or play cards.”

We were completely off duty this time, after all.

“Okay. Let’s do that, then. Elvis, Linda, contact us if anything happens.”

Ayaka nodded and spoke to the two in front.

“Sure.”

“Of course. Let’s have dinner together.”

“Yeah.”

We got out of the car, parted ways with Elvis and Linda, and went inside.

There was a beautiful lobby, with a reception desk toward the back.

“Ah… I kind of miss the Medusa innkeeper.”

“A succubus innkeeper. Definitely.”

A smiling young woman stood behind the reception desk, wearing an outfit resembling an oiran costume with a rather revealing neckline.

“Maybe Linda is actually the sensible one.”

“She does dress pretty conservatively compared to her.”

No chance. Linda wore a tight-fitting knit top and pants that clearly showed off her figure, and her clothes seemed deliberately small enough for her midriff to peek out occasionally.

That had to be intentional.

“I can already tell she’s trying to use Charm on us from all the way over here.”

I was blocking it with a barrier, though.

“Takanashi, succubi really seem to like you.”

“Not exactly something I’m happy about.”

With Ayaka leading the way, we approached the reception desk.

“Welcome! Welcome to our ryokan!”

Her voice was unbearably sweet.

“We’d like to stay here. Do you have any rooms available? We need two twin rooms and two private rooms.”

As expected of Ayaka.

So cool and straightforward.

“Hmmm… Are you friends with Linda?”

“Yes. She said an acquaintance of hers works at this ryokan. Linda and a goblin are traveling with us as well, but they won’t arrive until this evening.”

“I see, I see. Understood. Then I’ll reserve the rooms for you. Here are the keys to the twin rooms: Rooms 401 and 402.”

The succubus innkeeper placed the keys on the counter. Ayaka picked them up and handed one to Takamiya.

“And can we get something to eat? We haven’t had lunch yet.”

“And the baths.”

“The hot springs.”

Takamiya and Kitaura looked like they could barely contain their excitement.

“Certainly. Then allow me to explain the facilities available at our ryokan. First, there’s a large communal bath at the back of the first floor. Unfortunately, the men’s and women’s baths are separate.”

The succubus innkeeper pressed a hand to her cheek, gave me an exaggeratedly disappointed look, and sighed.

“Well, of course they are.”

“Oh, come now. Anyway, continuing on: there’s a restaurant on the second floor. It’s available at any time, so please take your meals there.”

“Any time?”

“Twenty-four hours?”

“Yes. Even if we’re asleep, just wake us.”

I definitely wasn’t going to do that.

“Can we eat in our rooms?”

“If you call from the phone in your room, we’ll bring the food to you. We also have various items available to borrow, so feel free to call whenever you need anything… And if you ask for ‘the usual,’ we’ll bring it right over.”

The succubus innkeeper looked at me and winked.

Unfortunately, I had a fairly good idea what she meant by “the usual.”

“Thanks. Well, we’ll take it easy and enjoy ourselves.”

“Please enjoy your stay!”

We moved away from the reception desk and headed toward the elevator.

“What does she mean by ‘the usual’?”

Ayaka asked.

“I don’t know.”

I answered immediately.

“It’s probably nothing good anyway.”

“…………Probably not.”

Kitaura seemed to have an idea what it meant.

“Hmm… More importantly, should we eat on the second floor first?”

“No, let’s go to our rooms first. We can get what we need to change, then go eat. After that, it’s time for the hot springs.”

“That’s it. Mayumi, you’re a genius.”

Takamiya and Kitaura were both really excited.

“Okay, let’s do that.”

We got into the elevator and went up to the fourth floor.

Then we stood in front of Rooms 401 and 402.

“Okay, come out when you’re ready.”

“Let’s meet up in our yukata. I’ll show Yuu what a beautiful woman looks like in one. What a privilege.”

They were incredibly excited.

But I had already seen them in yukata in Beppu.