Thanks to the talented table tennis girl, Sui's hotel continued to attract a significant number of tourists on the third day. Many guests were eager to challenge Megumi at ping-pong, drawn in by her surprising skills.
"You're going great, Sui. It'd be nice if Rindō had some special talent like that," Eishi remarked, watching Megumi work up a sweat at the ping-pong table, before turning to Rindō, who was busy snacking on the treats Sui had prepared. He sighed, looking worried.
Their hot spring hotel was completely empty, leaving them with too much free time.
"Really? You haven't found your unique appeal yet, Tsukasa-senpai?" Erina asked in surprise as she brought him a cup of tea.
"Exactly," Tsukasa sighed. "Yesterday, Saito performed a Bushido demonstration, but nobody even watched. He's been devastated since then, holed up in his room, muttering about how Bushido has lost its way."
Sui and Erina exchanged a glance, both at a loss for words.
Tsukasa cast a jealous look across the street at Isshiki's hotel, which was doing booming business.
Their "Sexy Table Tennis Boy" gimmick had captured a lot of attention, particularly from single, middle-aged, and elderly women who had checked in just to watch Isshiki play.
"By the way, Kuga, what was your occupancy rate yesterday?" Tsukasa asked, shifting his focus to Kuga.
"About 50%," Kuga replied, still munching on snacks. "Isshiki is a big hit with the older women. He also has a new idea in the works, apparently."
"A new idea? What is it?" Tsukasa asked, his voice full of hope.
"I don't know much, but I heard it's supposed to be really popular. After all, Isshiki been playing ping-pong outside in a nude apron every day, and it's pretty chilly," Kuga said casually, taking a sip of tea. "By the way, Miss Erina's tea is excellent."
"Indeed!" Rindō nodded in agreement, her mouth full of food.
"But don't you guys have any talent to draw in customers?" Sui asked, curious.
Eishi sighed, looking defeated. "Honestly, I'm too focused on cooking to think about anything else. And Tōsuke refused to do the chest-breaking stone trick."
"Rindō doesn't seem to have any talents that can attract guests either," Tsukasa added, sounding exasperated.
"She sure can eat, though," Sui remarked, glancing at Rindō, who had already polished off an entire plate of snacks.
"Hey! That's uncalled for!" Rindō playfully slapped Sui on the shoulder, annoyed but amused.
Later that afternoon, the third-year group made a new attempt to draw in customers. This time, Momo Akanegakubo decided to perform a song.
When word spread that Momo was going to sing, curiosity peaked. Many rushed over to see how the usually quiet and expressionless Momo would perform.
Momo stood there, holding a teddy bear in one hand and a microphone in the other, her face as emotionless as ever. Her stillness made the crowd wonder whether she could really sing.
"Look, even the quietest Momo-senpai is willing to perform. Why won't you sing, Erina?" Sui teased, taking the opportunity to nudge Erina.
Erina's face immediately turned bright red. "I'm not singing! It's too embarrassing!" she whispered.
Then, Momo started singing 'The Black Cat Tango', a children's song. Her clear, childlike voice surprised everyone.
"I never imagined Momo-senpai would agree to sing," Sōma commented.
"Maybe she's worried about failing the exam and having to drop out. That would be embarrassing," Sui joked.
Momo, petite as ever, holding her teddy bear, looked like an adorable young girl. Her sweet, innocent voice had an instant charm that captured everyone's attention.
"You're my cute little black cat,
The red ribbon suits you so well,
But it breaks my heart when you stretch your claws at me."
"Wow, I didn't know Momo-senpai could sing this well," Megumi said in awe.
The melody, combined with Momo's expressionless face, created an unexpectedly cute performance. However, she abruptly stopped after singing just a few lines.
"Momo, why did you stop? You were doing great!" Eishi said, encouraging her.
"I forgot the lyrics," Momo responded flatly, her expression unchanged.
And with that, Eishi and the others gave up on the idea of having Momo perform again.
——
That evening, Sui and his friends sat down for dinner, their spirits high. Akira and Sōma had been determined to surpass their upperclassmen in the upcoming exams, and they felt confident they were on the right track.
As they were resting after their meal, they suddenly heard some commotion next door.
"Hmm? It seems something is going on next door?" Sui said, intrigued by the noise. "Let's go check it out. Maybe we can learn something from them."
"Yeah, they totally copied our Table Tennis Girl idea. How shameless," Akira added, shaking his head in disbelief.
With their curiosity piqued, the group decided to step outside and investigate. To their surprise, the sign that once read "Sexy Table Tennis Boy" had been replaced by a new one.
"Hot Spring Flower Boys Group? What kind of embarrassing name is that?" Erina blushed as she read it.
Sui couldn't help but feel baffled as well. "Let's go take a look."
When they entered the hotel, they saw Nene promoting the new event.
"As long as you stay at our hotel, you'll get the chance to bathe with handsome men!" she announced, gritting her teeth.
"Handsome men? Mixed bathing?" Erina and the others were shocked.
"What kind of 'handsome men'?" a heavily make-up middle-aged woman asked curiously as she passed by.
"There are three types to choose from: elegant and noble, lively and cute, or cold and stern. You can bathe with whichever type you prefer," Nene explained, pointing to three posters featuring young men at the hotel entrance.
The posters, clearly made in a hurry, depicted Isshiki, Kuga, and Eizan.
"Why does this feel like some kind of host club?" Akira couldn't help but mutter.
"Yeah, this is definitely a host club," Megumi agreed with an awkward smile.