Chapter 60: Room 506.

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Room 506.

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Translated and Edited by: luccayn.

Common Honorifics:
-san: A polite suffix, but not excessively formal.
-kun: A common suffix among friends and younger people.
-chan: A common suffix among people you're close with, mostly used for feminine nicknames and girls, since it's cutesy and childlike.
-senpai: A common suffix and noun used to address or refer to one's older or more senior colleagues in a school, workplace, dojo, or sports club.

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After finishing the first day of sightseeing, the bus arrived at an impressive hotel.

The single room that Shinkai had arranged for me was two floors above the one where the students from Saijo High School were staying. It seemed like I had been completely isolated.

“Don’t cause any trouble.”

The teacher’s words sounded to me like, “I won't bother patrolling, but don't start any weird commotions.”

Honestly, that was probably the case. I had been reminded three times to carefully check the schedule and not mix up dinner or bath times.

“Still, this is a nice room,” I remarked.

The room was just slightly smaller than my own place. It had a single bed, a mini-fridge, a microwave, a kettle, and an array of amenities. As expected, a yukata was hanging in the locker, and the room even had a private shower.

“…Hmm.”

Tightening the sash and slipping my arms into the robe, I admired my strangely well-fitting traditional outfit in the full-length mirror. As I stroked my chin and struck a cool pose for fun, my phone suddenly buzzed without warning.

“So, you were staying at the same hotel after all.”

It was from Saori. For some reason, I instinctively felt like she was teasing me.

So, to test her, I replied, “No need to play dumb.”

Her next message read: “Ugh, so annoying lol. I was trying to surprise you lol.”

It seemed like Saori had known from the start that Saijo High was staying at the same hotel.

She was probably on the student committee for the trip. Given her natural charisma, leading groups and helping others seemed right up her alley—it wouldn't be surprising if she was chosen for that role.

“I’ve already started the plan to get them together. It’s tough, but worth it.”

“Good to hear.”

“To you, this probably just looks like a silly game, but one day, I’ll make sure we stand side by side.”

“That won't take long. Even Michiru managed to start out-talking me in no time.”

I boiled some water, poured the complimentary green tea into a cup, and continued reading the paperback I had brought with me.

After a while, my phone vibrated again—not another message, but an incoming call.

“What's up?”

“Shinji, are you in a single room?”

“Nah, of course not.”

“What do you see outside your window?”

Beyond the station, Kyoto Tower loomed. The base of the buildings was lit by the glow of lanterns from souvenir shops and izakayas¹, casting a warm hue over the evening. It was a bit too modern for what one might typically picture when thinking of Kyoto, but this was still Japan in the present day. Any room would likely have the same view.

“Heh, I knew it—you're in a single room.”

What?

“I mean, it's weird that someone as dirt-poor as you could even come on this trip. I figured there had to be some special arrangement.”

Damn. How did she figure that out? I'd really like to know.

“Well, my room has shutters down for safety since we're all minors. The same goes for the room next door. It seems like they installed them in large shared rooms to prevent accidents. But I checked from outside, and the single rooms above the fifth floor don't have shutters.”

I see. I muttered to myself as I poured the hot water into my cup and took a small sip of green tea.

“But why lie about it?”

“No real reason.”

“Is it because if I came over, you'd be betraying Michiru?”

“Who knows? But for some reason, even now, I can't say I'm in love with her.”

I slid open the vertical casement window. A cool breeze rushed in, feeling incredibly pleasant.

“You’re a mess as a man. I know I’m a woman, so maybe it's not my place to say, but having a girl adore you so sincerely and still not falling for her? That's just unbelievable.”

“Maybe I've seen too much of other people's love lives—the ugly parts. It's made me not want to be involved myself.”

“…So you're saying it's fear, built up over time?”

“I'll leave the rhetoric to you.”

But she didn't respond. I was well aware that I was caught in a paradox, tormented by a kind of paranoia of my own making.

“Then, what about me?”

What followed was a question I hadn't even considered—a new premise entirely.

“That's a funny joke. Where'd you buy it?”

“I don't know. I just realized I had it, just now.”

The uncharacteristically subdued tone in Saori's voice caught me off guard. I found myself at a loss for words.

Down on the main street, an ambulance wailed as it sped by. I watched it go, searching for something to say, but in the end, I couldn’t break the silence.

“Room 506, right?”

“…You're terrifying.”

“It wasn't a guess. I just did some simple calculus since I happened to be outside. The view you described—it's only visible from even-numbered rooms on the fifth floor. Any rooms above the sixth floor would have their view blocked by the rooftops of the shopping district, making the lanterns harder to see. And the odd-numbered rooms are on the opposite side of the hallway.”

I sucked in a breath. But Saori wasn't finished.

“I pinpointed it exactly by calculating the time delay between when the siren disappeared from your end of the call and when it passed in front of me. The only room that fits within the margin of error is 504. But that hotel doesn't have any rooms ending in four.”

Unbelievable.

Faced with that display of skill, I couldn’t help but say the words I'd heard a thousand times—the ones I was sick of hearing. And I knew exactly how she'd respond, but I couldn't stop myself.

“You're amazing.”

“You're overestimating me.”

Maybe it really wasn't that impressive if you knew the method. But for someone like me, who had no knack for applying mathematics, it felt like magic.

And in that moment, I finally understood how Michiru must have felt.

When someone dismisses something you can't do—it stings.

“Either way, the answer is still no. Even without that class trial, Yukihara Saori is out of my league. Even if we'd never met, you would have grown into who you are now, all the same.”

“It's not because you dislike me?”

“A little. But I respect you more.”

“Heh, so you do dislike me, even if just a bit.”

“Of course, there are things I dislike about you. It's natural. Loving or hating someone completely—being that extreme isn't easy.”

Silence, for the third time.

Holding the phone to my ear without speaking felt like a waste of time, like I was squandering something valuable.

“I just came up with a great way to make my client and their target fall for each other. Can I come over now?”

“Later. I'll call Michiru over too.”

Besides, thanks to you, I've got a good idea myself.

“…Oh?”

She sounded intrigued, as if she hadn't expected me to agree. Then, she hung up.

I sent a final message—”After eight o'clock.”

It was read almost instantly.

Hearing her hesitant voice, I suddenly remembered Michiru's words: “The right to fall in love.”

Did I really have that right?

The sheer absurdity of agonizing over such a vague, meaningless question made me laugh at myself.

Without another thought, I stepped into the shower and let the cold water wash over me.

And just so you know—no, nothing is going to happen. If you're expecting some kind of event, don't bother. That's not the kind of story this is.

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1 — An izakaya is a type of informal Japanese bar that serves alcoholic drinks and snacks. Izakaya are casual places for after-work drinking, similar to a pub, a Spanish tapas bar, or an American saloon or tavern (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izakaya)

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