The taxi pulled to a stop in front of the entrance. As the door opened, a doorman-san? greeted us with a bow.
"Welcome to Hotel Saiun. Might you be the Kokonoe-sama who made the reservation?"
"Ah... yes. I’m Kokonoe."
"A warm welcome to you, Kokonoe-sama. Please, this way."
As I answered with a touch of hesitation, the doorman-san? offered a gentle, almost wry smile and gestured toward the hotel entrance.
We settled the fare and stepped out of the taxi, retrieving the bags we had stored in the trunk.
"Shall I have someone carry your luggage up to your rooms for you?"
"Ah, no, it’s fine," I declined, keeping the details vague. "They’re a bit... specialized, so I’ll carry them myself."
The doorman-san looked at me with an expression of understanding. "My apologies. They are your important tools of the trade, after all."
"Ah, er... yes."
"An employee will guide you to the storage area for your equipment once you have finished checking in at the front desk."
He seemed well aware of our reservation details, offering his understanding without being too explicit. Once the taxi had pulled away, we followed the doorman-san’s lead and stepped into the hotel lobby.
"Whoa..."
"..."
The moment we entered, the luxurious interior overwhelmed us. A massive chandelier hung from the atrium ceiling, and the marble? floors gleamed under the light. High-end sofas were arranged in a waiting area centered around beautifully arranged, large potted plants. I suddenly felt a profound sense of being out of place.
As I let my gaze wander restlessly to observe the lobby, a staff-san from the front desk called out to us.
"Welcome. Please proceed here for check-in."
"Y-Yes."
My voice went a bit high from nerves, but we headed toward the desk as prompted.
"Pardon me, but may I have your name?"
"Ah, yes. I’m Kokonoe. I have a reservation for tonight."
"Kokonoe-sama, correct? One moment while I confirm that."
The receptionist quickly checked the computer. Within ten seconds, they looked back up.
"Yes, I have confirmed your reservation. Kokonoe-sama, two rooms for two males and three females—is that correct?"
"Yes."
"Welcome to Hotel Saiun."
The receptionist gave a light bow and presented a document.
"Would one of you please fill out this form as the representative?"
"Understood."
I looked over the form and prepared to fill in the details. However, before I could start...
"Also, I apologize, but since you are all minors, please submit the parental consent forms we requested in advance."
"Ah, right. Just a moment..."
We set down our bags and pulled out the consent forms we had stored. I gathered them all and handed the stack to the receptionist.
"Here you go."
"Thank you... Yes, everything is in order. Since you have obtained consent from all your guardians, there will be no problem with your stay."
"Phew..."
I let out a small sigh of relief. It would have been a massive headache if they had turned us away now. I quickly filled out the required fields and handed the paperwork back.
"Is this okay?"
"Yes, the paperwork is fine. I will prepare your keys now, so please wait a moment."
The receptionist took the documents and disappeared into the staff room in the back.
"Phew... looks like we’re actually staying here."
"Yeah," Yuji replied.
"I’d checked the photos on the website, but seeing it in person... this place is incredible."
"No kidding. I figured it would be decent based on the price, but they really went all out."
"I wonder how much a suite would cost," Yuji said, shaking his head as he scanned the lobby's decor.
A suite, huh? Our rooms were around 18,000 yen each, so one night in a suite would probably easily exceed 50,000.
While we were chatting about the hotel, the receptionist returned with a male employee, carrying the keys on a tray.
"Thank you for waiting. These are the keys for your rooms."
The receptionist held out two card keys. They were red with the hotel name and room number embossed in gold—the design practically screamed luxury.
"And also, these..."
"What are these?"
They held out business-card-sized cards with barcodes and security stickers.
"These are the passcodes for the trunk room, which we will show you to shortly. When you peel off the security sticker, an eight-digit number will be revealed. Please enter it when you use the facility."
"...Understood."
I took the keys and the passcode cards, handing one set to Hiiragi-san.
"That concludes the check-in process. Thank you for your patience."
The receptionist gave us a polite bow.
"Our staff will now guide you to your rooms and the trunk room. Hiraki-san, if you would."
"Certainly. Everyone, I will guide you to the trunk room first, so please follow me."
Led by the employee named Hiraki-san, we picked up our bags and left the lobby.
The trunk room was located just past the lobby area. When a curtain embroidered with a screen was pulled aside, a sturdy, intimidating door—completely at odds with the rest of the hotel's aesthetic—appeared before us.
What are we walking into, a bank vault?
"This is the door to the trunk room where we store valuables. I will open it now, one moment."
Hiraki-san took a key attached to a security chain from his pocket, inserted it into the door, and unlocked it. He turned the heavy handle and swung the thick door open.
"Please, step inside."
Prompted by Hiraki-san, we entered the room to find a row of locked iron doors lining the walls. The inorganic interior felt strangely oppressive.
"Each unit provides about one tatami mat's worth of storage space. If that is insufficient, you may utilize additional spaces for an extra fee, provided they are available. Will you require more?"
"If there's a tatami mat's worth of space, I think we'll be fine."
"I see. Then, I will explain how to use the trunk room."
Hiraki-san took out a card identical to the ones we had received and began his explanation. The security sticker on his card had already been peeled off, and the word "Opened" was repeated all over the area around the passcode, which was written as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.
"As for these cards, peeling off the sticker will reveal an eight-digit passcode like this. Entering this number into the device will release the lock. Please be aware that failing to enter the passcode correctly three times in a row will result in a 24-hour lockout."
A lockout after three failures... it's just like an ATM, I thought.
"Now, I will turn my back, so please enter your numbers and release the locks."
"Understood."
I peeled off the sticker on my card and checked the code. 9, 5, 4, 6, 2, 9, 1, 7...
Once I entered the code into the machine for the designated door, the sound of the lock releasing echoed with a light electronic beep.
"Did it work?"
"Ah, er... Hiiragi-san?"
"Mine opened as well," she said.
"I see. You can turn back around now, Hiraki-san."
He turned back and resumed the explanation.
"Now, please open the doors."
Hiiragi-san and I opened the units. Inside was an empty space about the size of a tatami mat, exactly as he’d described.
"As you can see, there is nothing inside except for the hooks and a hanger pole. Please use it as you wish."
"Is it okay to put our things in now?"
"Yes, of course."
We began efficiently storing our exploration gear inside the unit. I lightly tapped the wall to check its strength; it was made of thick concrete and felt much sturdier than I’d expected. That said, if a high-level explorer really wanted to, they could probably break through it in no time with a pickaxe.
"Are you finished? Then, please close the doors."
We shut them as instructed.
"To re-lock it, just press this button after the door is closed."
As I pressed it, the sound of the door locking echoed.
"Ah, one more thing. These doors are designed to lock automatically if no action is taken for a certain period after they are closed, so please be careful not to lock yourself in."
"Understood."
"Well then, that concludes the explanation for the trunk room. Do you have any questions?"
I decided to ask about one thing that had been bothering me.
"Do we need an employee to accompany us every time we want to enter this room to have the main door unlocked?"
"Yes, that is correct. Since this room stores our guests' valuables, our policy requires an employee to always accompany you whenever you are putting items in or taking them out."
It seemed like a tedious procedure, but I suppose it was a necessary security measure.
"Are there any other questions?"
"No, nothing else."
"I see. Then, let us head out."
We followed Hiraki-san out of the trunk room. Once he confirmed we were out, he closed the thick vault door and returned the curtain to its original position.
"Now, I will guide you to your rooms."
We followed him to the elevator. After walking a short distance down the hall, we finally reached our floor.
"First, this will be the room for the ladies. Could you please unlock the door?"
"Certainly," Hiiragi-san replied.
"Ah, also, please insert the card key into the slot next to the door. The card key acts as the circuit breaker for the room's power."
Hiiragi-san opened the door, inserted the card, and the lights flickered on. Mika and Saori-chan followed her inside.
"Pardon me, I will go in to explain the room's features. Please wait a moment."
"Ah, right. Understood."
Hiraki-san gave a light bow and followed them inside. Yuji and I were left waiting in the hallway... which was pretty boring. After a couple of minutes, Hiraki-san emerged.
"Thank you for waiting. Now, let me show you to your room."
"Please."
We started walking, but he stopped almost immediately.
"This will be the room for you two."
The room was diagonally across from where the girls were staying. Wait, if it was this close, we could have just gone into our room from the start.
Thinking that to myself, I used the card key to open the door and stepped inside.
"Heh—it's pretty spacious."
"Yeah."
The room was a western-style twin with two beds. We set our bags on the chairs in the back and listened to Hiraki-san's final rundown.
"The public bath is available until midnight. It also opens at six in the morning, so please feel free to use it whenever you like. As for breakfast tomorrow, it will be served buffet-style in the grand hall on the first floor. Please take these meal tickets and visit between 6:00 and 8:30 AM."
"Got it."
I nodded as I accepted the meal tickets.
"Now, are there any other questions?"
"None from me... How about you, Yuji?"
"I'm good too."
"Then, I shall take my leave. Please, enjoy your stay."
Hiraki-san bowed and left the room.
"Phew... finally finished."
"Yeah. It’s been a long day."
"Sure has... Well, let’s hit the bath and get some sleep."
"Sounds like a plan."
Yuji and I spread our things out on our beds to grab a change of clothes, then headed out to the public bath with our bath sets in hand.