The wooden doors slid open with a quiet hiss as Chitose led the trio through a softly lit corridor. Tatami mats lined the floors, and the incandescent lights glowed like fireflies, casting warm light on the walls. The scent of cedar, steamed rice, and faint herbal incense filled the air.
Before opening the room, Chitose paused and turned back to them with a pleasant smile. "Ah, by the way—would you three prefer a shared room, or separate accommodations? We have a few options available."
The three answered at the exact same time.
"Individual," Hajime said firmly.
"Two rooms," Alice replied smoothly, glancing toward Hajime with a subtle intent.
"One room!" Anisphia declared proudly, eyes gleaming as she looked at Alice with a competitive grin. 'I'm not letting you take all Hajime's attention!
There was a long silence.
Chitose blinked, her smile faltering for just a split second. "...I see. Well, I'll prepare a suite with some flexibility."
Hajime groaned under his breath while Alice simply crossed her arms with a subtle smirk. Anisphia, meanwhile, practically sparkled with victorious energy.
Chitose slid the door open to reveal a surprisingly spacious traditional-style room—wooden floors, neatly arranged futons, a small tea table, and a window that opened to a courtyard garden.
Anisphia immediately rushed inside with a gasp. "There's actual space! And those are real futons! This isn't some cramped capsule hole!"
Alice stepped in behind her, quietly inspecting the room with a practiced eye. "Clean, calm, structurally sound. Acceptable."
Hajime lingered at the threshold, glancing around with a mix of relief and suspicion. "...Why does this feel too good to be true?"
Chitose, noticing his look, added cheerfully, "Oh, and these rooms are interconnected! They're designed to serve as either a single large room or be divided into separate ones, depending on your preference. Very convenient for groups like yours."
Hajime twitched. He turned slowly to look at both girls. "Why...?"
Alice raised an eyebrow, her voice calm and composed. "Efficiency. Proximity makes it easier to coordinate plans. And you're less likely to sneak off alone."
Anisphia folded her arms triumphantly. "Because I'm not letting you two hog each other without me. Shared chaos or nothing!"
Hajime looked skyward in defeat. "I walked into this."
Once the trio settled down and confirmed the basics—comfort, safety, privacy—they joined Chitose at the front desk to complete their temporary registration.
"We can arrange payment daily or weekly," she explained, sliding over a wooden form and a neat calligraphy pen. "For weekly stays, you receive a small discount. Meals are included in the evening, and guests are expected to be respectful of both shared spaces and other residents."
Hajime took the form and nodded. "We'll take the weekly plan."
Chitose smiled brightly. "Excellent! I'll make the arrangements and prepare your guest tags. The room you've seen is all yours. You can adjust the partitions as needed—either together or separated, as you requested." very spirited.
Chitose offered a patient smile. "Well, each of our residents has a bit of a unique... lifestyle. Some are very quiet, others are energetic. And a few may seem eccentric or peculiar at first glance—but they're kind people. Please don't be startled if things feel a bit out of the ordinary."
Anisphia tilted her head. "Unusual? In what...way…????"
As if on cue, a girl in a flowy yukata floated past in the hallway. She waved politely, her feet never quite touching the ground.
Hajime blinked, expression solidified. Alice beside him, was too stunned and couldn't even react.
Anisphia wide eyes as she softly whispered, "…Was that…. a ghost?"
Chitose clasped her hands behind her back, still smiling. "Oh!! That's Yuuna-san. She's a sweetheart. Been here for a while. Just don't leave any snacks out at night unless you want to share."
There was a beat of silence as the three of them processed that.
'What kind of place did we just walk into?!'
"Dinner will be served at seven," Chitose continued cheerfully, completely unbothered. "We rotate kitchen duties among residents, but tonight's is prepared by Sagiri-san. She's a bit... intense, but her food is excellent."
Anisphia nodded slowly. "So… ghost girls, mystery housemates, and dinner schedules. Got it."
Alice offered her own conclusion with a soft sigh. "This is our life for now, apparently."
Hajime didn't even try to argue. He just stared out the window at the setting sun, wondering how they went from elite trailblazers to tenants in a supernatural sitcom.
-------
Back in their room, the paper door slid shut behind them with a soft thud. The warm tones of the inn faded into a gentle silence, broken only by the rustle of the evening breeze slipping through the open window.
Anishia flopped onto one of the futons, arms stretched wide. "Okay. We need to talk about this inn. Because I feel like we just stepped into a very specific genre of weird."
Alice moved with quiet grace, setting her bags beside the wall before sitting at the tea table. "I believe we've entered a new operational category: peacekeeping in paranormal inn."
Hajime sat cross-legged near the wall, rubbing his temples. "We came to find shelter. We found a haunted inn. With a ghost girl who waves at strangers."
Then Hajime look at Anisphia in a grimace,"….Just like Anis said.."
"Don't forget the mysterious residents," Alice added with a tired expression.
"Hey!!!," Anisphia calls out her partners as they look at her with a different kind of fond look. "I just casually said it! I didn't expect it to happen!!"
Hajime and Alice just shared a look at Anisphia. It was gentle— too gentle, with care and love visible in their expressions that normally will make her happy, but right now? She felt unnerved.
"How about we talk about Chitose-san!" Anisphia trying hard to change the subject "She's too cheerful and her warning at the beginning. That's always a sign of something that knows the hidden things."
Hajime exhaled slowly. "We'll stay for the week. But if someone tries to offer me a cursed charm or drag me into a midnight exorcism... I'm flipping a futon."
They all paused for a beat, then Anisphia snorted and burst out laughing. Alice's lips curved into a rare, amused smile.
For all its weirdness, there was something comforting about Yuragi-sou. Maybe it was the scent of warm tea, or the softness of the tatami beneath them, or the strange sense that—despite the chaos—they had a place to breathe for a while.
-------
A little later, aboard the Astral Express...
The lounge was calm, the stars beyond the glass windows painting it with silver light. Noah stood near his console terminal, reviewing star charts when it gave a ping which chimed softly.
"Incoming transmission from Hajime's team," VA announced with its usual smooth tone. "Tagged priority: Routine Update – Status & Location."
Noah turned toward the main display, and within seconds, the message unfolded—Alice's succinct mission report, Hajime's clipped field summary, and Anisphia's glitter-bomb selfie beaming alongside the caption: We're alive, the room's comfy, and there's a friendly ghost girl which I feel we can jammed with! Ten out of ten vacation vibes.
Kiana and Elysia, who had been nearby, glanced up as the holo-display hovered in front of them.
"Ghost girl?" Kiana blinked.
Elysia giggled. "That inn must be more colorful than I expected."
Moments later, VA's follow-up pinged in:
VA:"Message received. Also, I've run a comparative pattern check. Fun fact: the room arrangements reflects Chapter 16 – The Inazuma Room Debacle. Configuration match: awkward three-person setup, overlapping emotional tension, comedic panic. Would you like to review logs for nostalgic reflection?"
There was a beat of silence.
Noah froze. "VA, No. And don't break the fourth wall while we're at it."
Too late. The screen changed, and a brief holographic snippet from Chapter 16 played—the infamous moment when Lumine, red-faced, muttered she'd room with Noah, and Kiana and Elysia stood frozen in a mix of shock and veiled jealousy.
Elysia covered her mouth, laughing. "Oh, that night..."
Kiana groaned, slumping onto the couch. "I can't believe it saved that…"
A voice rang out faintly—light and laced with teasing mischief—through Kiana's emblem.
"Oh, that moment," Sirin chimed in, her voice rang from her emblem, amusement can heard from her tone. "VA's got taste. I remember watching that scene from inside. Kiana's first jealousy. Priceless stuff."
Kiana groaned louder. "Sirin, not you too…"
Sirin snickered. "Hey, I didn't say I disapproved. Just… entertained. Carry on, Captain's little chaos crew."
Lumine, who'd entered just in time to see herself projected on screen, blinked rapidly. "W-Wait, why is that in the archive?!"
VA's tone turned almost smug. "Emotional spike index: high. Memory significance: critical. Classification: Harem Hiccup."
Noah quietly buried his face in his hand. "I swear… we're not a crew of cosmic travelers. We're a walking rom-com anthology."
The room burst into laughter—even Lumine, eventually, though her cheeks were still red.
Life at the Express continued on. Stars twinkling as if laughing along with them.