Alice poked her head out cautiously, scanning her surroundings before whispering to Sui, "No one saw us, let's go."
Sui could only look at her speechlessly.
By the time they reached the lobby, everyone else was already there.
However, Eishi and the others appeared a bit downcast. Although they understood that this exam was meant to test their management skills as hotel operators rather than chefs, their lack of experience made it difficult for them to showcase their hotel's unique features.
Unlike their usual competitive spirit, there was now a shared sense of sympathy among them.
"Let's go," Sui said.
Everyone nodded, and they made their way to the hot spring hotel street together.
The most popular hotel yesterday had undoubtedly been Kawashima Rei's, which used young girls' singing performances as its main attraction, drawing in many guests.
On the second day, many students followed suit, showcasing various talents such as magic shows, dance performances, and more. Even members of the Chanko Nabe Research Society staged sumo exhibitions.
"The most authentic sumo show—you can watch it every day by staying at our hotel!"
A few hefty members of the Chanko Nabe club advertised their performance along the street.
However, tourists gave them a wide berth, uninterested in watching a sumo performance when they could enjoy the sight of beautiful girls singing. After a while, those burly students were left shivering in the biting cold wind, their large bodies resembling lumps of frozen meat.
"How pitiful," Megumi remarked, looking sympathetically at the chubby, frostbitten sumo wrestlers.
"Eh? Isn't that Megumi?" Two familiar voices suddenly rang out.
Ryoko and Yoshino had spotted Sui and the others, looking surprised.
They, too, had been assigned to the snowy area.
"Hey, Ryoko, Yoshino, you guys..." Megumi looked at their attire in astonishment.
"Yep, we're doing a singing performance," Ryoko winked playfully.
"Really? You both look beautiful in your kimonos!" Megumi exclaimed.
Both Ryoko and Yoshino were wearing beautiful kimonos—Ryoko's a vibrant red, and Yoshino's a bright orange. They looked absolutely gorgeous.
"Do you think so?" Ryoko blushed slightly.
"How are things going for you?" Yoshino asked curiously.
"Everyone's struggling. And Miss Erina refuses to sing," Sōma grumbled.
"Wait, Erina-chi can 'sing'?" Yoshino and Ryoko both exclaimed, shocked at the idea of the proud and elegant "Totsuki Ice Queen" singing.
"No, that's not true! I can't sing!" Erina blurted, her face turning crimson.
"In that case, how about having Isshiki-senpai do a nude apron show?" Yoshino suggested mischievously.
"But... wouldn't that be a bit cold for this weather?" Megumi chuckled awkwardly, thinking of the frozen sumo wrestlers earlier. Isshiki would surely end up as a skeleton.
"And it would definitely lead to scandalous headlines," Ryoko added with a nod.
"Never mind that—let's go sing. Megumi, Sui, you guys should do your best too," Ryoko smiled warmly before heading off with Yoshino.
Surprisingly, their singing turned out to be beautiful. Ryoko's voice was soft and gentle, while Yoshino's was lively and full of energy. Watching these two charming girls sing in their kimonos quickly attracted a crowd of tourists.
Sui and the others paused to admire their performance for a while before heading back to their hotel.
"Alright, let's organize our roles first. I'll be the boss for now. No objections, right?" Erina asked.
"Uh..." Sōma raised his hand.
"Yukihira, do you have a question?" Erina asked.
"Miss Erina, can you sing?" Soma asked, grinning. "I've heard you sing beautifully, and I'm sure everyone would love to hear it."
Erina's face flushed red immediately. "Who told you that? I can't sing. I've never sung before!" she stammered.
"But Sui said you hum little tunes while bathing, right?" Soma pressed on.
"That's just humming! It's completely different from singing!" Erina shot back, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.
"But if you can hum, singing can't be too far off, right?" Everyone looked at her expectantly, clearly eager to hear her sing.
Flustered, Erina blushed even deeper. "Then... Sui and Hayama will handle the cooking. Megumi, you..."
"Miss Erina, are you trying to change the subject?" Soma teased.
"No!" Erina's face turned an even brighter shade of red, and she lowered her head, mumbling softly, "I really can't sing. It's too embarrassing."
Seeing her like this, no one had the heart to press further.
With no guests arriving, everyone spent the day soaking in the hot springs, playing cards, and killing time.
"11 to 0!" Megumi called out triumphantly, completely overwhelming her opponent in table tennis.
"That's amazing, Megumi! I didn't know you were so good at table tennis!" Alice exclaimed.
After their hot spring bath, the group had gathered to play table tennis in their yukatas.
"Darn it," Soma muttered, having just been effortlessly beaten by such a delicate-looking girl.
"Haha, it's nothing," Megumi said modestly, her cheeks tinged pink with embarrassment.
"Actually, Megumi's known as the 'Leaping Rabbit of the Northeast' back in her hometown. If she had pursued it, she could have become a national table tennis star," Soma added with a grin.
"No, I still prefer cooking," Megumi said shyly, lowering her head.
"By the way, Megumi, why don't we use your table tennis skills as our feature?" Sui suddenly suggested, his eyes lighting up with an idea.
"Eh? What do you mean?" Megumi asked, puzzled.