Chapter 025: Room 307 Needs Cleaning
Normally, room service is carried out during the day, never at night.
However, Lin Ye couldn't help but recall the word "cleaning" whispered as he brushed past the female receptionist.
Was she warning him?
But was her warning well-intentioned or malicious?
"Lin... Lin Ye-kun,"
Hoshino Ai, sitting beside Lin Ye, gently nudged him and spoke cautiously,
"I think... I think I heard the sound of room service."
"I... I heard it too,"
Kuroda Hikaru immediately added.
This confirmed that all three of them heard it it wasn't an individual hallucination.
"Squeak, squeak..."
The sound of a cleaning cart gliding along the corridor echoed.
"Knock, knock, knock..."
The knocking resumed.
"Room service,"
"May I ask if the guest requires cleaning services?"
The voice of a middle-aged woman, likely in her thirties or forties, rang out repeatedly.
When she received no response from the room, she moved along, pushing her cleaning cart to the next door.
The rhythmic knocking and inquiry continued.
Closer,
and closer.
The cleaning lady proceeded from room to room.
Every sound she made struck fear into the hearts of Hoshino Ai and Kuroda Hikaru.
The two suppressed their growing anxiety, waiting for Lin Ye to make a decision.
"Click..."
Suddenly,
the sound of a door unlocking broke the silence.
After her usual inquiry, the cleaning lady didn't leave. Instead, she opened the electronic lock to the room.
"Room 304,"
The room next door.
The cleaning lady entered Room 304 to clean.
"No... it shouldn't be possible! Wasn't the hallway distorted before we returned to the room? Weren't the room numbers all scrambled?"
Faced with Hoshino Ai's doubts, Lin Ye explained,
"The hallway distortion happened because we triggered Rule 6, which drew the attention of the female receptionist in the lobby. But now that she's gone and we've returned to our room, the hallway and room sequence should have returned to normal."
After explaining, Lin Ye stood up and gave the two a meaningful look.
"Let's go out and check."
Immediately,
Kuroda Hikaru's heart tensed. Out there was the cleaning lady, a staff member of this mysterious inn. If they stepped out, they might run right into her. What if she was pretending to clean the neighboring room but was actually waiting outside their door?
She voiced her concerns.
"I... I think Kuroda-san might have a point. Maybe we shouldn't..."
Hoshino Ai hesitated, then quickly changed her stance,
"But I'll always support Lin Ye-kun's decisions."
Kuroda Hikaru widened her eyes in shock.
She had thought Hoshino Ai was on her side, trying to dissuade Lin Ye from going out!
Now it looked like she was the sole dissenter the only one against the plan.
Could idols really be this cunning?
"Lin Ye-senpai, you... you decide!"
"Put on your shoes and follow my instructions,"
Lin Ye ordered firmly.
He had a hypothesis about the contamination rules of this eerie inn. Now, all that remained was to test it along with a bit of luck.
He glanced at the room's clock.
It was currently 1:15 AM.
Lin Ye withdrew his gaze as the sound of cleaning came from the neighboring room.
"Swish, swish..."
"Whoosh, whoosh..."
The sound of a broom.
"Thud, thud, thud..."
Suddenly, the sharp sound of heavy chopping rang out, as if someone were cutting through chunks of meat and bone.
Each blow struck fear into the fragile hearts of the two girls.
They knew there was something inside Room 304, but their instincts led them to deny the possibility of their darkest suspicions. They told themselves it was just their imagination.
"Let's go!"
Lin Ye stepped to the door and opened it.
The moment the door swung open,
the hallway came into view.
Just as Lin Ye had said, the hallway had returned to normal.
The three of them stepped out of their room and looked toward the neighboring one Room 304. Its door was open, and the sounds of cleaning were now even clearer.
There truly was a cleaner inside, tidying up the room.
Hoshino Ai's gaze shifted to Lin Ye's face. She thought Lin Ye-kun would surely use his supernatural abilities to investigate the situation inside the room.
However, even as the cleaner pushed a cart laden with cleaning supplies out of the doorway, Lin Ye showed no intention of using time-stopping powers to enter the room and gather clues.
Had she been mistaken?
Hoshino Ai couldn't help but wonder.
The cart moved slowly forward.
"Gasp..."
In an instant,
Hoshino Ai's eyes widened. Her hand, which had been clutching Lin Ye's sleeve, quickly retracted to cover her mouth. She stared in horror at the contents of the trash bin on the cart.
"Gulp..."
The sound of swallowing.
Inside the trash bin lay dismembered body parts, limbs severed and piled haphazardly. The grotesque, bloodied remains were smeared with gore, occasionally revealing soft, pale skin that hinted at what they once were. At the top of the heap sat a round, black-haired object a human head.
As the cart moved, blood-matted strands of hair shifted, revealing a pair of lifeless, gray eyes.
The moment the twin-tailed brunette caught sight of this, she nearly screamed. But sheer willpower forced her to clamp her mouth shut. Clinging tightly to Lin Ye's sleeve, her body trembled uncontrollably.
Only by holding on could she keep her fear at bay.
At that moment, both girls understood.
The chopping sound they had heard earlier
It was the cleaner dismembering the corpse of Miho!
A wave of nausea surged within them, growing stronger as the pungent stench of blood filled the air.
Both girls felt like vomiting.
Just then,
The cleaner pushed the cart out of Room 304. As she was closing the door, Lin Ye paused time.
He entered Room 304 and returned shortly after, standing back in his original spot.
Hoshino Ai felt relieved. She trusted that Lin Ye had found the key to clearing this ordeal. Against such a grotesque, body-dismembering cleaner, he surely wouldn't face any problems.
Time resumed.
The cleaner, with blackish-red liquid staining their clothes, closed the door to Room 304 and then lifted their head to look at the trio.
"Guests, are you checking out? Which room requires cleaning?"
"Room 306 needs cleaning service. Thank you," Lin Ye replied, as if it was the most natural thing, showing no sign of concern while speaking with the hotel staff.
Hoshino Ai and Kuroda Hikaru, however, were on edge, their nerves stretched to the limit.
Hadn't they agreed to ignore the existence of the hotel's strange staff?
"I understand,"
the cleaner replied, their demeanor entirely free of hostility.
They almost seemed... safe.
"Oh, and Room 307 also needs cleaning," Lin Ye added.
Room 307 was where Taisuke Zenaga and Kuroda Hikaru were staying, and Taisuke was still holed up in the room alone.
"Guest… you're not the occupant of Room 307,"
the cleaner's tone suddenly turned stiff.
Lin Ye gently tapped Kuroda Hikaru on the waist, signaling her with his gaze.
"R-Room 307 needs cleaning…"
Mustering every ounce of her courage, she managed to get the words out.
"I understand."
The cleaner pushed their cart and first entered Room 306 to begin cleaning.
Five minutes later,
The cleaner pushed the cart to the tightly closed door of Room 307.
The sound of knocking echoed.
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