Track 3

(All I can see is white outside the window… The fog looks worse than it did yesterday.)

Are you up, Kaede-chan?

Kafka? Yeah, I’m awake. Come on in.

Sorry for doing this so early in the morning, but I want you to stay calm and listen to me…

――

Huh…?

Huff, Hamasaki-san…!

Yachiyo-kun! Looks like everyone’s gathered in the lobby.

Yeaaah…

……

......

(Well, specifically everyone except that person…)

…...

(Oh, it’s the person I met at the entrance. That must mean he’s the manager here—)

You’re finally here, Doudou!

Huh? By Doudou, do you mean me?

Yep. That’s what I’m calling you now.

Huh, at the entrance yesterday—

Hmm~, I think I shall call you Piihyoro!

Piihyoro!?

Hope we get along, Doudou and Piihyoro!

By the way, I’m this hotel’s big boss, Netaro Yowa♪

Um… Nice to meet you.

Manager. Are you done with the greetings?

Yep! Now that the nicknames are all set, everything’s perfect. I shall let you take it from here!

Now that we’re all here… I’ll speak on behalf of our manager.

As our staff informed you all earlier today…

Our hotel’s doorman, Nagi Hachinoya… has been missing since this morning.

So, I would like to ask that if you have seen or noticed anything, to please let us know immediately.

……

I-Is he really missing? He could just have gone out….

Unfortunately, the likelihood of that happening is low.

This time of year is always foggy, but it’s been especially bad this year. As you can all see from your rooms, walking outside when the weather is like this would be suicidal.

There's legit nothing but forest around the hotel, and there’s places further in where it’s easy to slip. You’d be in bad shape if you fell in some of the more dangerous areas.

No way Hachinoya-san wouldn’t know that. He’s been working here for years, after all~.

And to top it off… There were large claw marks and a creepy message left on the wall of our doorman’s room.

Huh!? Does that mean… the M-Monster—

Wait, Kafka. The fog hasn’t cleared up at all since yesterday.

No one’s left the hotel, and no one’s come in from the outside… Chii thinks.

Does that mean the culprit who snatched up Nagipeko—”The Monster,” might be in the hotel right now…?

Exaaactly!

“Devour all.” That’s what was written in the room.

Devour all…

All. That means everything. In other words~?

There’s a chance ‘someone’ will disappear again tonight if we stand here and do nothing!

Guess that makes sense…?

I’m the manager of this hotel. I won’t forgive the monster that took Gii away. So, this is where this comes in!

Tadaaa!

‘Just for a moment? Deep-Snooze Coma Gun!’

Is that perhaps!? The gun Hachinoya-san mentioned yesterday….!?

So the monster only moves at night. Right, Chii?

Yeppers. At least that's what the peeps online say.

So then, we’ll decide who among us looks most like a monster before night falls.

The momentous “Monster Candidate” chosen by everyone will get a full dose of this gun’s Deep-Snooze Coma!

If someone disappears by the morning―

That means the one we blasted is innocent.

So how are we choosing who we think is the monster?

I’d say the only way to keep it fair is through a majority vote.

If someone is taken next, we shall pick another person from the survivors to put out cold. Do that over and over, and sooner or later, we’ll nab the monster, ya?

So you’re saying we’ll keep doing it until there’s no more victims…?

T-That’s really awful…!

I don’t think it’s a bad idea, personally.

Kafka…

If we sit down with crossed fingers and let the culprit walk around free, the victims will only increase. I’d rather we take measures to avoid that.

I’m sorry but, for your safety… as well as our staff’s safety, I want you all to cooperate with us on this.

Exactly! Manager’s orders. The human guests here don’t have the right to refuse.

…Well, I guess in this situation there’s no other way.

B-But that’s so…

Awawawawaaa….

So. As for who here is most suspicious…

…? Wh-Why are you looking at me—

Fuefuki-sama. I believe you are suspicious.

HUH!? M-M-M-M-ME!?

You were wandering around the courtyard’s entrance last night, weren’t you? Not to mention, you kept looking around as though you were worried people would see you… And you seemed pretty surprised when I called out to you.

The courtyard’s entrance is right next to Nagi’s room. What exactly were you doing there at that time of night?

Y-Yachiyo-kun…?

Fuefuki-sama…

Well, I was… I just wanted to look at the flowers…

And you went out of your way to do that at night while it was pitch black out?

Gulp, W-Well…

You can’t give us an explanation…?

Uwweeeeeeh!!

I get it, I get it! I understand! If you all are going to suspect me, then just shoot me!

I’m not the Monster, and I’ll do anything to prove it! Even if it means I end up in a suspended state!

Weeell then, the first ‘Monster Candidate’ will be Piihyoro. Any objections?

None at all.

Same here.

S-Sorries, Fuefuki-sama…

Wait, hold on…!

Alrighty, the majority rules. Fire~!

Guh!

Yachiyo-kun!

…….

H-He’s really in a state of suspended animation.

Wait, what was that? That was such a lame sound.

A cutesy pew-pew’s fine, right~?

Anyway. Let’s carry Fuefuki-sama to his room. Can I leave that to you, Chihiro, Ten?

Ah…Y-Yeah!

Gotcha.

Yachiyo-kun……

Are you okay, Kaede-chan?

Kafka… Yachiyo-kun will be okay, right…?

…Yeah, he will. Don’t worry.

I’ll protect you no matter what happens.

Yes. No matter what.