Chapter 028: Hoping Others Are Safe
They were so close just one step away.
But no matter how hard Hoshino Ai racked her brain, she just couldn't grasp that fleeting inspiration. She still couldn't figure out what the numbers represented.
"Eh!"
Suddenly, Hoshino Ai tilted her head, stuck out her tongue playfully, and lightly tapped her head with her fist. She wore an adorable yet awkward smile.
"Sorry, Lin Ye-kun, I… I can't figure it out. Can you… just tell us?"
It was a charming gesture, typically endearing for a young girl. However, given Hoshino Ai's current appearance with gray-black patches covering parts of her cheeks the act, instead of being cute, took on an unsettling quality in Lin Ye's eyes.
"Hoshino, be mindful of your actions."
"Is it bad?"
She widened her big eyes, slightly tilting her head up about 15 degrees, while placing her delicate index finger against her cheek.
Another classic move to emphasize cuteness.
"You might want to look in the mirror and check your current state."
Immediately, Hoshino Ai understood. She visualized herself, with her blotchy, patch-covered face, doing something cute. The thought alone was horrifying.
She couldn't even accept it herself, feeling a sudden wave of nausea at the mental image.
"I'm sorry for leaving a bad impression on you, Lin Ye-kun."
She promptly and earnestly apologized without hesitation.
"You don't have to be so serious. I was just joking," Lin Ye replied in a casual tone.
Hoshino Ai let out a small "mm," then raised her eyes again to look at Lin Ye.
"Lin Ye-kun, just tell us directly! My brain… doesn't work that well, honestly."
Lin Ye's gaze shifted to Kuroda Hikaru, the brown-haired girl with twin ponytails. She shook her head vigorously, signaling that she couldn't figure it out either.
"I'll give you a few more hints," Lin Ye said, gathering his thoughts.
"When Hoshino and I entered Room 306, the number below the clock was 0. By around 11 p.m., it had changed to 20, and after midnight, it became 40."
As time passed, the number steadily increased.
"Pollution," Hoshino Ai and Kuroda Hikaru said simultaneously.
The two girls exchanged glances and smiled knowingly at each other.
"Exactly. The number represents pollution not our pollution levels, but the room's pollution level."
"Based on my judgment, the pollution value started rising at 10 p.m."
"Wait, something's wrong," Hoshino Ai suddenly interrupted, a thought coming to her. She stared at the number below the clock. Currently, it was 0, but if she remembered correctly, Lin Ye had just said that when they left Room 306, the number was 70.
"From 0 to 20, 40 shouldn't the next number be 60, not 70?"
Lin Ye's gaze landed on Kuroda Hikaru, pointing at her.
"Me?"
Kuroda Hikaru was puzzled.
But soon, the two girls realized it again.
"Because there are three people in one room now, the pollution level increases by 30 per hour."
Following this pattern, the more people in a room, the faster the pollution value rises each hour.
Kuroda Hikaru suddenly remembered when Taisuke suggested "six people in one room" back in the lobby on the first floor.
If they had actually followed that suggestion, then… within two hours, the pollution level in the room would have reached 100.
All of them would have been completely consumed by the pollution, turning into full-fledged anomalies.
Kuroda Hikaru felt a chill run through her heart, her back drenched in cold sweat. Especially considering that initially, they had planned for four people to share one room. Had they gone through with that plan, she would already have become an anomaly, with no chance of ever escaping this eerie love hotel alive.
In an instant, Kuroda Hikaru directed a grateful look toward Lin Ye.
Hoshino Ai also realized this point.
"Lin Ye-kun, did you figure this out from the start?"
Her eyes sparkled like stars, full of admiration for Lin Ye's wisdom. Trusting and supporting Lin Ye-kun from the beginning was undoubtedly the right choice!
"Experience," Lin Ye replied.
It was experience he had gained from his past life, from reading countless eerie tales, horror stories, and paranormal novels.
The more people gathered together, the greater the danger.
The rules didn't set an upper limit on the number of people, only a lower limit, but that itself was often a subtle hint. So choosing two people per room was the safest option.
However, his response led the two girls to speculate.
They subconsciously felt that Lin Ye must have participated in similar eerie games before, gaining extensive experience in handling such situations. Otherwise, how could he remain so calm and unafraid from start to finish?
Hoshino Ai became even more convinced of her theory, believing that only by participating in "eerie games" could one gain extraordinary powers. Lin Ye's "time-stopping ability" had to be a reward he obtained from such a game.
If she could survive this "eerie game," would she also be granted an extraordinary power?
Suddenly, Hoshino Ai felt a trace of anticipation for the moment of triumph.
"Lin Ye-senpai, if the pollution value is tied to the number of people and time, then if only one person stayed in a room, the pollution would only increase by 80 from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. It would be entirely possible to survive until the checkout moment."
"This is a love hotel. Guests staying here are implicitly expected not to be alone."
With just one sentence, Lin Ye made Kuroda Hikaru realize what she had overlooked. Even without Rule 1 explicitly stating it, staying alone in a room was never a viable option.
"I boldly speculate… If a participant stayed alone in a room, the hotel would likely arrange for a 'companion' to share the room."
Both girls immediately felt their scalps tingle.
What kind of scenario would that lead to?
Neither of them dared to imagine.
"What about Taisuke-san…?"
What was the situation in Room 307 now?
Kuroda Hikaru couldn't help but think about it.
"Let's hope he's okay," Lin Ye said.
That single sentence made it clear to Kuroda Hikaru that Lin Ye didn't hold much hope for Taisuke.
But she couldn't blame Lin Ye. She had no right to.
She knew Lin Ye had already done his utmost for Taisuke. The suggestion to "clean Room 307" was Lin Ye's initiative, made to the housekeeping staff in an effort to ensure Taisuke wouldn't succumb to pollution so easily.
Otherwise, Lin Ye, who had already figured out the hotel's rules, could have chosen to do nothing if he truly wanted Taisuke to die.
In the end, Taisuke had rejected this kindness.
Kuroda Hikaru sighed inwardly.
Two zero-pollution rooms could allow four people to stay safely, as each person would only contribute 10 pollution per hour. With over four hours until 6 a.m., or five hours if rounded up, it would work perfectly.
However…
"Leave me alone…"
She remembered Taisuke is final, harsh rejection, where he angrily pushed them away, fearing they might jeopardize his survival.
His earlier cryptic warning when they first checked into Room 307 "Sacrifices might be necessary to survive" cut her deeply, like a blade repeatedly stabbing her heart.
Kuroda Hikaru slowly pulled herself out of her thoughts.
Her gaze settled on Lin Ye's face.
A certain idea emerged in her mind.
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