At that moment, Isshiki, Kuga, and Eizan stepped out of the hotel, dressed in traditional yukatas.
"Welcome, everyone! Our hotel has taken on a bold new direction. Let us celebrate youth together!" Isshiki announced with a charming smile to the group of middle-aged and young female tourists gathered around. "Today, we officially introduce three themed baths: the Sakura Bath, the Chrysanthemum Bath, and the Camellia Bath. If you stay at our hotel, you'll get the chance to bathe with the boys representing these three baths."
"How shameless! This is basically a male host club!" Ryoko exclaimed, her face flushed with embarrassment as she watched the scene unfold. Yoshino, standing beside her, was equally disturbed.
"I've heard about host clubs before... but do they serve beef there?" Erina asked innocently.
"Yeah, I've always wondered about that too," Alice chimed in, equally confused.
As the daughters of prestigious families, both Erina and Alice had lived sheltered lives—Erina in her closed-off social circles, and Alice growing up overseas—so neither had any real idea of what a host club truly was.
"Eh? You don't know, Erina?" Ryoko said, surprised, before leaning in to whisper an explanation into her ear.
"That's... outrageous! How could they offer such shameless services in a respectable hot spring hotel?" Erina's face turned crimson as she scolded, clearly scandalized.
Although mixed bathing is quite common in Japan and some hotels even use it as a selling point, the idea of young men and women young and old bathing together under the guise of themed baths made Erina feel extremely uncomfortable.
"That sounds fun!" Alice's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Still, Isshiki-senpai really understands customer needs. His instincts are spot on," Megumi remarked, though her smile was a bit strained.
Isshiki's new bathhouse service caused quite a stir among female tourists, sparking intense interest.
"Who exactly are the boys representing these baths?" a middle-aged woman with a heavy-set face asked eagerly.
"The Chrysanthemum Bath symbolizes nobility and purity, and its representative is the straightforward, cute, and childlike Kuga-kun," Isshiki explained with flair. "The Camellia Bath, which stands for elegance and resilience, is represented by the cold and stern 'Lord Eizan.' And finally, the Sakura Bath represents youthful brilliance—represented by none other than 'Isshiki-sama' himself!"
"You even came up with stage names?" Yoshino and Ryoko were stunned.
"I thought it was just a gimmick, but this is straight-up a host club," Ryoko muttered, clearly taken aback.
"Ah, Isshiki-sama, please bathe with me!" a single woman called out.
"Kuga-kun, let me kiss you!" another shouted.
"Lord Eizan, please punish me!" a third woman added, her voice filled with enthusiasm.
The nearby female tourists, especially the older ones, grew more excited by the minute. One woman, wearing heavy makeup and sporting a round belly, even pulled out a business card and handed it to Isshiki. "You're still students, right? Why not join my club after graduation? You boys have real potential. I could make you stars!"
At this point, even Sui couldn't bear to watch any longer, and the rest of the group looked on in stunned silence.
"Our senpais have really gone all out to pass the exam," Megumi commented with a reluctant smile.
"Gone all out? They look like they're enjoying themselves," Yoshino quipped.
"Haha, women sure are troublesome," Eizan remarked, giving a helpless smile as the women fawned over him.
"Isn't that the truth? Being this handsome just makes me a magnet for attention," Kuga joked, shaking his head.
The group could only look on, speechless.
"It would be a waste if Isshiki didn't turn this into a career and become the number one host," Rindō said with a sigh, having rushed over after hearing the news.
"Isshiki really is a natural talent in this area," Eishi said, sounding almost envious.
"Oh, why don't we try this too?" Rindō suddenly perked up.
"I don't mind," Tōsuke said indifferently.
"If it helps me pass the test, I'm in," Saito Soumei added calmly.
"But, honestly, aren't you two a bit... unsuitable for this kind of work?" Yoshino said with an awkward smile.
Rindō looked at the faces of the two men and nodded solemnly. "Yeah, that makes sense."
The most suitable candidate was Tsukasa, but when Rindō imagined his frail, slender frame being swarmed by middle-aged women with heavy makeup and potbellies, she shuddered.
On their way back, Sōma seemed lost in thought.
"Sōma-kun, what's wrong?" Megumi asked.
"Isshiki-senpai's hotel is doing so well. If we don't come up with something soon, we'll be left behind," Soma replied. "Maybe we should try something similar?"
"No way!" Erina and Alice objected in unison.
"Huh? Why not?" Soma asked, confused.
Both girls blushed furiously. Erina shot a glance at Alice, surprised by her unusually strong reaction.
"Just... no. It's not happening," Alice said firmly.
"Exactly," Erina added, nodding. "Alice, I'm proud of you for finally thinking about Totsuki's reputation. We would never stoop to something so disgraceful."
"Not if it's you three," Alice teased, sticking her tongue out at Soma, Akira and Ryō.
"That's still not okay!" Erina cut in sharply. "It's way too indecent."
And so, Soma's idea for a host-style bathhouse was swiftly shot down.
On the fourth day, Sui and the others finally saw their hotel's occupancy rate climb to over 70%, but it still fell short of the coveted 90%.
Meanwhile, Isshiki's 'Cowherd Bathhouse' continued to draw crowds, packed with excited female tourists every day.
On the fifth day, the third-year group launched their own unique attraction—a competitive eating challenge.