"Hey, Miss Alice, why didn't you open the door when I knocked this morning?" Megumi asked curiously, seeing Sui and Alice arrive together.
"Oh, I left a bit early today," Alice responded, her cheeks turning a faint shade of pink.
"Oh, I see. I was hoping we could go out for breakfast together," Megumi replied with a gentle smile.
"After a good night's sleep, I'm feeling full of energy!" Sōma said enthusiastically, clearly in high spirits.
"Yukihira, from now on, don't bother Sui so much, okay?" Erina scolded him with a stern look.
"Why?" Yukihira was confused, completely unaware of what Erina was referring to. He had slept soundly the previous night.
"But, Miss Erina, it seems like you care a lot about Sui," he teased.
"Of course she does," Rindō chimed in with a playful grin. "After all, she's his girlfriend."
"Rindō-senpai! What are you saying? I'm just concerned about my team member!" Erina immediately blushed, her voice rising in protest.
"All right, let's begin the second round of the exam," Gin Dojima announced as he approached, smiling as always.
"The second round of the exam is to manage a 'Snow House'!" he revealed.
"Snow House? What's that?" The students exchanged confused glances.
"The Snow House refers to a hot spring hotel," Dojima explained. "Each group will be assigned a hot spring hotel, and during the seven-day exam period, you must manage the hotel successfully and achieve an occupancy rate of 90% or higher."
"Let's head out then," he continued.
Following Dojima, the group arrived at the location—an entire street of hot spring hotels nestled next to a ski resort. Totsuki Academy had developed this hot spring area with dozens of inns, each with its own unique spring. However, all the staff had been dismissed to allow the students to manage these hotels as part of their exam.
Students who had drawn the "snow" theme for their second exam had to operate a Snow House. While their target was lower than that of the elite Ten, requiring only a 60% occupancy rate, the challenge was still daunting.
"I have a bad feeling about this…" Megumi said nervously, her face turning pale.
"Yeah, I doubt it'll be as simple as just maintaining an occupancy rate," someone else added.
After leading the group around in circles, Dojima finally stopped in front of three hot spring hotels. "This is where your exam will take place."
The hotels before them looked run-down, their door signs tattered and faded. It was clear these inns had seen better days, and judging by their condition, they hadn't had any guests in quite some time.
"Because these hotels are located at the far end of the street, they don't get any foot traffic. In fact, no one has stayed here for three years," Dojima explained.
"Three years?" Megumi looked faint, her vision going dark.
"How are we supposed to achieve a 90% occupancy rate in a place like this?" Eizan muttered, his tone filled with frustration.
"That's your responsibility," Dojima replied with a knowing smile. "Oh, and just to let you know, the occupancy rate here has never been above 10% in previous years."
As soon as he said that, Megumi, who had just regained her composure, collapsed again.
"There's no choice. Let's just pick one and get started," said Satoshi with a resigned smile.
"Hmph, we're not going to lose to you first-years this time," Eizan scoffed.
Each team chose one of the hotels, knowing that the conditions weren't going to be any better in the others. The group led by Erina immediately set to work.
"Let's check if everything in the hotel is functional first," Erina suggested.
Everyone agreed and began inspecting the premises.
Half an hour later, they reported their findings.
"The hot springs are fine, but there are a lot of fallen leaves floating in the water, and the surrounding area is overgrown with weeds. We'll need to clean it up," Megumi observed.
"The wiring and appliances are all functional. The bedding is a bit old, but surprisingly fresh, meaning someone must have been coming by to wash them periodically," Alice noted.
"The kitchen utensils are usable, and a delivery of fresh ingredients just arrived. We'll continue receiving supplies daily," added Ryo Kurokiba.
"The only real issue is that the rooms are covered in dust. We'll take care of cleaning the rooms, and the girls can handle tidying up the garden and the hot spring area," Sui said, assigning tasks to the group.
Everyone agreed and began cleaning.
After three hours of hard work, the hotel looked much cleaner and was ready for business.
However, as the evening progressed, not a single guest had checked in by 9 PM.
"This isn't going to work," Yukihira said, sitting cross-legged on the floor, deep in thought. The others shared his concern.
The location was far too remote, and with so many other hotels on the main street, no one was likely to walk all the way to their end.
"If the guests are like fish, then we're the net. Unfortunately, all the fish are getting caught by the other hotels before they even reach us," Sui commented.
"Is everyone here?" A voice interrupted their discussion. It was Isshiki, entering the hotel with a smile.
Behind him were the other members of the Elite Ten, including Rindō and Momo.
"How is business for you senpais?" Sui asked.
"Not a single guest so far," Isshiki sighed. "That's why we came to discuss strategies with everyone. Since the three hotels are so close together, we should cooperate to find ways to attract more customers."
"Well then, come on in," Sui said, welcoming them inside.
"Thank you for having us," Rindo said with a grin as she stepped in, followed by the others.
Eizan, however, didn't look too happy about the sudden shift from competition to cooperation, but he grudgingly followed along.
"Sui, what do you think we should do?" Isshiki asked.
"Let's start by analyzing the situation. What exactly is this exam testing?" Sui replied with a thoughtful smile.