"Hello everyone, this is our hotel's special attraction—a talented table tennis girl! If any guest can beat her, they get a free night's stay!" Alice announced energetically, handing out flyers on the street.
A ping-pong table had been set up in front of the hotel where Sui and the others were staying, and Megumi stood nervously in table tennis sportswear.
"Sui, are you sure this is going to work?" Megumi asked, still feeling uncertain.
"I'm not sure either, but it's worth a shot," Sui replied.
Table tennis is quite popular in Japan, and many people enjoy playing a match after a hot spring bath. This attraction had the potential to draw a good crowd.
"Oh? A table tennis prodigy?" a middle-aged man said with interest. "Is this real or just a gimmick?"
"It's true! And she's really cute, too," someone else chimed in.
Sure enough, many tourists were intrigued and gathered around. Dressed in her sportswear, Megumi looked full of youthful energy, and her endearing appearance made her all the more likable.
"In that case, let me give it a try," the middle-aged man said with a laugh as he stepped up to face Megumi.
Despite her shy demeanor, Megumi became intensely focused as soon as she stepped up to the table. Her playing style was aggressive, utilizing fast attacks with remarkable precision. Alice kept score on the side.
"11 to 0!" Alice declared after a short match, as Megumi swept her opponent with ease.
"That's incredible!"
The tourists were astonished. No one had expected that the adorable girl standing before them was such a skilled table tennis player.
"Such an unexpected talent," Akira remarked in surprise. He had heard that Megumi was once at the bottom of the junior high department, but he hadn't realized she possessed this hidden skill.
"Just as expected from the 'Leaping Rabbit of the Northeast'," Sui chuckled.
"Haha, this is so much fun! Can I try next?"
"I'd love to play against such a cute girl!" More and more tourists lined up, eager to challenge Megumi.
Megumi's face flushed with a mix of excitement and nervousness.
"Please form a line, one at a time," Erina stepped forward to organize the crowd. "If you stay at our hotel, you'll have the opportunity to compete with our talented table tennis player as much as you like."
Before long, a number of guests had already decided to book a stay.
"Great job!" Alice beamed.
Erina let out a sigh of relief—this way, she wouldn't have to sing in front of everyone. Singing in public was something she found incredibly difficult.
"Damn, we can't let the first-year student steal the spotlight like this," Eizan grumbled to the others, clearly frustrated.
"But Megumi has a special talent. There's not much we can do about that," Isshiki replied with a shrug. "Speaking of which, Nene, don't you know how to dance and play the piano? Maybe you could give it a try."
Nene blushed at the suggestion. "I refuse to do something so embarrassing. It'd be better to have Kuga dance around like a monkey for the guests."
"What are you saying, you old hag! No one's going to come just to see you!" Kuga shot back, visibly annoyed.
The two of them immediately started bickering.
"I could just sing instead!" Eizan said confidently. "I'll sing a song about brotherhood—no problem!"
However, everyone chose to ignore Eizan's offer.
Meanwhile, seeing the success Sui and his group were having, Eishi looked troubled. "They've found a great angle. How should we respond?"
"Maybe Tōsuke can do a chest-breaking rock show, or perhaps breathe fire through a hoop," Rindō joked.
Tōsuke gave her a flat look. "I'm just here to sell ramen, not perform street tricks."
Taking inspiration from Sui's success, Isshiki and his friends launched their own campaign, featuring Isshiki himself.
"Come on over! If you stay at our hotel, you can play table tennis with our sexy genius boy for free!" Kuga announced loudly through a megaphone, attracting attention from passersby.
Isshiki stood at the hotel entrance, wearing only a nude apron and holding a ping-pong paddle, showcasing his athletic build to the crowd.
Sui and the others, upon witnessing the scene, were rendered speechless.
"Isshiki-senpai really went all out," Megumi muttered, her face turning red in embarrassment. She already knew Isshiki was great at table tennis, but this was a whole new level of spectacle.
"Yeah, but isn't he cold?" Sōma said, equally amazed.
"Is this even allowed?" Erina muttered, her face flushed as she watched.
"But it seems to be attracting quite a few middle-aged women," Alice commented, her eyes on the crowd.
Sure enough, as Alice had pointed out, many middle-aged women seemed very interested, eagerly lining up to play against Isshiki. They snapped photos of him and couldn't take their eyes off his youthful, well-built physique.
Erina, Megumi, and the others could only hold their heads in their hands in embarrassment.
While both the first- and second-year groups found creative ways to boost their hotel's popularity, the third-year students were still struggling. Saito Somei even attempted a samurai sword demonstration, but there were barely any spectators. Not even a dog stopped to watch.
With everyone flocking to watch cute girls sing or handsome boys play table tennis, who would care about swordsmanship?
"Tōsuke, are you sure you can't do acrobatics? Breaking rocks with your chest should be a breeze for you, right?" Rindō teased again.
Tōsuke sighed in exasperation.
That evening, Sui's hotel had achieved a 50% occupancy rate.
"Alright, you guys can head back. Yukihira and I will take care of things here tonight," Sui said to the others.
Since guests might need assistance at night and breakfast preparation for the following morning would be necessary, Sui and the other boys decided to take turns staying overnight. The girls were asked to return and rest for the night.
"Okay, but be careful," Alice said reluctantly as she left with the others.