Love Hotel V3

After the day they’d had, Komaeda really didn’t want to have dinner with Ikusaba. Hinata, however, kicked him out of bed.

‘I need to have a shower,’ he said, which was true – Komaeda also needed to have a shower. But Hinata did not need to physically manhandle Komaeda out the room. Not that Komaeda would have minded the manhandling in other contexts.

Akamatsu was only half-dressed when Komaeda returned to their room; she gave a little yelp, and Komaeda quickly turned the other way.

‘Sorry, Akamatsu-san. I should have knocked.’

‘No, no, it’s my fault,’ Akamatsu said. ‘I wasn’t expecting you back.’ He could hear her zipping herself up. ‘Alright. It’s safe now.’

It was a floral-print dress Komaeda had seen her wearing before. They only had so many changes of clothes, he supposed.

‘Did you hear what happens if you try and do laundry after midnight?’ Komaeda asked.

‘Ibuki-chan told me that one,’ Akamatsu said.

‘Oh, you already heard. Is it alright if I take a shower?’

‘Sure, I’m done.’

Komaeda made sure to take his change of clothes into the bathroom with him.

When he came out, Akamatsu hadn’t gone down yet. She was fretting at her hair in the mirror.

‘You look fine,’ Komaeda said.

‘I need to do my hair again soon,’ Akamatsu said. ‘I don’t suppose Usami has any bleach …’

‘Do you bleach your own hair?’ Komaeda asked.

‘Not since I was a teenager. Tsumugi would probably help me.’

‘You’re all on first-name terms now, are you?’ Komaeda said.

‘Well, sure.’ She didn’t offer for Komaeda to use her first name. ‘It’s kind of a lot to go through together. And Tsumugi’s been …’ Akamatsu fiddled with her necklace. ‘She’s really great.’

‘I’m happy to hear it.’

Shirogane was meant to have dinner with Saihara that evening. Komaeda wondered how Akamatsu felt about that. Which would win out – the hope of a budding love, or that of a newfound friendship?

Akamatsu turned away from the mirror, and she forced a smile. ‘Let’s go down, shall we? I don’t think my heart could take being late.’

They all gathered in the foyer, before they were to pair off.

‘I’m so glad to see you all,’ Usami said. ‘Especially after the awful tragic mishap that happened this morning. But, in the name of love, we must go on! It’s what Kuwata-kun would have wanted.’

Komaeda thought that Kuwata might rather have had proper medical attention, but what did he know? He hardly knew the guy.

‘And so,’ Usami went on, ‘I’m happy to announce that the flower of love has bloomed once again! Naegi-kun, Maizono-san, Usami is so happy for you!’

The foyer went silent. Maizono stood with her hands folded and her fingers tight, eyes downcast. Naegi was pale; his eyes were very wide and despairing. It moved Komaeda that he could look so horrified even with the supposed love that he’d found.

‘No,’ Naegi said, ‘that’s not what happened.’

‘Silly Naegi-kun,’ Usami said, prancing before them. ‘Do you love Maizono-san or not? Remember, Usami will know if you’re lying!’

Naegi looked away, pained. He didn’t deny it.

‘Amazing, isn’t it?’ Komaeda murmured, so that only Akamatsu would hear him. ‘That he could fall in love even with such despair awaiting him …’

Akamatsu made a shushing gesture.

‘What about Mioda-san?’ Naegi said, the words spilling out all at once. ‘Gonta-kun?’

‘No now, Naegi-kun. That’s not for you to know. You and Maizono-san are meant to walk out the door and off to your happy ending –’

‘That’s not what I wanted,’ Naegi said. It was interesting, how Naegi protested and Maizono kept quiet.

‘You didn’t want a happy ending?’ Usami tilted her head.

‘It’s not happy unless we all walk out together.’

‘Naegi-kun,’ Usami chided, ‘even a heart as big as yours can’t possibly love everyone here. And it wouldn’t make Maizono-san feel very special if you did, would it? No … the best love is between two hearts alone! Anything else just isn’t as lovey-dovey.’

‘I think you’re wrong,’ Mioda said unexpectedly. ‘There’s more kinds of love than that. Romantic love isn’t the only thing that can get your heart racing – I know that for sure.’

‘Mioda-san, that’s a beautiful thought. Usami wants you to cherish all the bonds you make.’ She nodded to herself. ‘That’s right. All kinds of love are beautiful – but true fairy-tale love is the most beautiful love of all!

‘Now, I’m gonna need you all to step back now. Except Naegi-kun and Maizono-san – you can approach the door.’

‘Hey,’ Kuzuryu said, ‘you don’t seriously expect us just to stand aside and watch, do you?’

‘Hmm … Usami could put you to sleep if you prefer? But I think we’ve already learned about the dangers of head injuries …’

‘Naegi-kun, it’s alright,’ Kirigiri said. ‘You and Maizono-san should get out of here.’

‘No,’ Naegi said, but it was more a ‘no’ of desperation than a ‘no’ of resolution. Maizono approached him, and she took his hand. Naegi turned to face her. ‘It’s not right.’

‘It will be fine,’ Kirigiri – not Maizono – said. ‘Go.’

Something about Kirigiri’s voice must have convinced him. Because Naegi gave a little nod, and he turned toward the door.

The others let Usami chivvy them away from the door.

‘This is Naegi-kun and Maizono-san’s special moment, remember! Oh –’ Usami held a handkerchief to her eye – ‘I’m so proud. Everyone else, make sure to stand well back.’

There were grumbles, but with Hanamura’s death in their mind, no-one wanted to anger Usami.

Naegi and Maizono looked at each other.

Komaeda wondered how it was possible for any love to survive in such a situation – one where you had to betray people even to claim it. What sort of a hope existed in the hearts of those two? It made Komaeda’s own heart ache to think of it.

Maizono held her hand out, and Naegi took it.

The door opened before them. The light on the other side was somehow brighter and more magical than the light inside; Komaeda longed to step into that light. But that was for Naegi and Maizono alone.

They stepped through the doorway. From the other side, Naegi turned to look at them all –

A few things happened very quickly, then.

The first was Kirigiri saying, ‘Iruma-san, now!’

The second was that Usami’s body went very rigid.

‘Take that, you over-stuffed piece of crap!’ Iruma declared, and pumped her first in the air.

‘It won’t last long,’ Kirigiri said. ‘Fujisaki-kun –’

But what she had to say to Fujisaki was drowned out in the sudden clamour.

‘Fuck it, I’m outta here!’ That was Souda.

‘Ibuki-chan, come on!’ That was Chabashira, grabbing Mioda’s hand.

But the first one to make it to the door, while Naegi and Maizono watched on, was Owari. Before Usami had even hit the floor, she was off – hurtling in one great leap toward the door.

But as she reached it, there was a sudden flash of light – and Owari fell.

In pieces.

Naegi and Maizono stared with horror-struck faces; then Maizono turned to bury her head against Naegi’s shoulder. Naegi looked like a man at the edge of a precipice.

‘What the fuck! Seriously, what the fuck!’

Komaeda couldn’t tell whose voice it was started the clamour. Souda had stopped running just short of the door, limbs frozen in a caricature of fright; Nidai roared. He pushed past the others to fall to his knees by Owari’s corpse – with what the lasers had done to her, he couldn’t even lift her into his arms.

‘USAMI.’ He turned and rose to his feet in one smooth movement. ‘I’ll destroy you for this!’

‘Please,’ Fujisaki said from the floor, ‘I just need a minute.’ He was doing something to Usami, but his fingers were trembling.

‘USAMI!’ Nidai roared again, looking wildly about the room for whichever copy of Usami might show up next. ‘Stop your hiding and face me!’

‘I just need a minute,’ Fujisaki said again. He was pale and sweating.

They were probably all like that. Even Kirigiri, who was always composed, looked distraught. And why not? She was the one who had kicked this off.

Or maybe not. Maybe someone would always have tried for the door.

‘Okay,’ Fujisaki said. ‘Iruma-san, you can switch it off.’

‘R-Right.’ Iruma fumbled with the device she held.

‘Kirigiri-san,’ Naegi said, from beyond the doorway, ‘what do we do?’

Kirigiri’s resolve seemed to harden. ‘Go. Tell the police what you can. We’ll try from our side too.’

Before she’d finished speaking, the doors had closed again. Usami was sitting back up.

‘Oh dear,’ she said. ‘Oh deary deary dear. What is it you’ve done?’

Owari was dead. Gokuhara and Mioda still awaited the verdict on their lives.

‘Usami, this is YOUR FAULT!’ Nidai declared. ‘How will you atone for what you have done?’

‘Usami didn’t do anything. It was the rules. I told you all – you can’t leave here unless you are in a state of true lovey-doveyness. Poor Owari-san … if only she’d waiting a little longer! I know love would have arrived for her too.’

Nidai took a thunderous step forward – but Owada clapped him on the shoulder. ‘Bro,’ he said, ‘you can’t argue with that thing. We’ll all be toast.’

‘Owari’s death cannot go unavenged!’

‘We cannot avenge her,’ Sonia said, ‘while that thing is in control.’

‘“That thing”,’ Usami said. ‘I’m right here, you know!’

Komaeda wondered what it was Fujisaki was meant to have done to her. He couldn’t very well ask while Usami was standing there.

‘But Usami understands your feelings. Losing Kuwata-kun and Owari-san in one day … how could fate be so cruel? And we still have to address Gokuhara-kun and Mioda-san …’

‘Gonta doesn’t want to be cut up into pieces, please!’ the big man cried.

‘Usami-san,’ Shirogane said, ‘after everything that’s happened, don’t you think you should give them an extension?’

Usami tilted her head. ‘An extension?’

‘To get their immunity. I mean, if they haven’t already. It’s not like I even know what that is …’

‘Shirogane’s right,’ Enoshima said. ‘If things go on like this, there won’t be any of us left to fall in love. You know?’

‘Hmm. You two raise a good point … and it has been quite a day.’ She nodded to herself. ‘Yes, yes, you’re right! Gokuhara-kun, Mioda-san, you can have an extra night. Usami will determine your status in the morning.’

‘Woo-hoo!’ Mioda said. ‘But how do we get this immunity thing?’

‘Gonta doesn’t know what it is either …’

‘Just focus on the person you like,’ Usami said, ‘and then it should come naturally.’

‘That’s clear,’ Mioda said, ‘as mud! Why dontcha give us a proper explanation?’

‘That’s not allowed,’ Usami said. ‘It’s confidential, don’t you know? You wouldn’t want everyone else knowing your business.’

It was sex, Komaeda thought. Usami was so coy because it was sex. Either that or Komaeda had a dirty mind – but given the aphrodisiac and the secret kissing room and everything about this whole ridiculous set up, Komaeda was pretty sure it was sex.

Would Mioda realise that? The thing that differentiated her from Hinata. The thing that was achievable overnight. Focus on the person you like.

Who did Mioda like?

‘Anyway, that’s enough drama for now! You guys need to get on with your dates.’ Somehow, it wasn’t a surprise that they were still expected to proceed. ‘And Usami needs to clean up here …’

‘What are you going to do with the body?’ Ishimaru asked.

‘Hmm … send it to the crematorium, I guess?’

‘Is that what you did with Hanamura and Kuwata?’

Usami nodded. There was something unconvincing about it.

‘Say,’ Komaeda said, ‘this isn’t one of those scenarios where we’re secretly being fed the bodies of our dead friends, is it?’

Usami jerked back, full-body shudder. ‘Definitely not!’

‘How could you even suggest such a thing, you fiend?’ Tanaka said.

‘That is a pretty fucked-up thing to say,’ Hoshi said.

Komaeda didn’t think it was any more fucked up than anything that had happened so far. But maybe cannibalism was a hard line for some people.

‘It just occurred to me to wonder,’ Komaeda said. ‘Usami looked pretty shifty just now.’

‘Th-there’s no cannibalism in this hotel,’ Usami said. ‘All our food is sourced ethically.’

‘Forget about that,’ Iruma said. ‘Who expects us to keep going on dates at a time like this?’

‘It doesn’t seem very respectful to the dead,’ Sonia added.

Usami screwed up her face. ‘You guys! It’s exactly at a time like this that you need the power of love to help you through. Don’t give up so easily.’

‘You’re telling us not to give up,’ Akamatsu said, ‘but we never asked to do this.’

‘Geez … you guys really have to make things difficult tonight. Think of it like this: you don’t want what happened to Owari-san to happen to you now, do you?’

‘You’re threatening us?’ Sonia said.

‘Understand, Usami doesn’t want anything like that to happen. Cleaning up is a lot of work. But if you don’t cooperate, then this whole project will get axed, and then we’re all on the clean-up list.’

‘You don’t mean that,’ Akamatsu said. ‘There’s no way …’

But after that statement, no-one wanted to resist too hard.

‘Moving on,’ Usami said, ‘it looks like we’ll have to do some juggling. Souda-kun and Akamatsu-san, as your dates for this evening have graduated, how about we pair you two up?’

‘That’s fine with me!’ Souda said – too quickly, Komaeda thought. Akamatsu nodded absently.

‘Momota-kun, that leaves you as the odd one out!’

‘I’m prepared to sit out,’ Momota said.

‘Oh, no –’

‘Owari was a really great person, you know? I didn’t know her well, but I could tell from the way she spoke about her family. And I was looking forward to getting to know her better. But that can’t happen now. Because of your rules.’

‘Um, that’s beside the point …’

‘Why should I get to go on a date when Owari doesn’t get to? It’s only fair for me to sit this one out!’

‘Usami doesn’t want to exclude anybody –’

‘Momota-kun, why don’t you join in with us?’ Saihara said suddenly. He was a bit bashful, speaking in front of the group. ‘It’s better to have three together than one on their own, right, Usami?’

‘That’s right,’ Usami said. ‘Saihara-kun, what a good idea! You, Shirogane-san, and Momota-kun on a group date … how nice!’

Shirogane didn’t look so pleased about it, although she kept her mouth shut.

‘Aren’t group dates usually four people?’ Akamatsu said – but her voice was low enough for Usami not to hear.

‘Did you want to join in?’ Komaeda asked.

‘I don’t know,’ Akamatsu said. ‘Out of Souda-kun and Momota-kun …’ She left her conclusion unspoken.

‘Alright! I’ll give you a few minutes to collect yourselves,’ Usami said, ‘and then I’ll see you all in the dining room. Everyone, please do your best!’

Akamatsu took a long look at what was left of Owari, and then she grabbed Komaeda’s arm. ‘Come on,’ she said. ‘I can’t stand to be here any more.’

‘Akamatsu-san –’ he let himself be dragged – ‘where are we going?’

‘Nowhere,’ Akamatsu said. Once they were in the elevator lobby, out of sight of the doors, she let go of him. ‘This is so messed up. Why is everything so messed up?’

‘People form stronger connections the more stress they’re under,’ Komaeda said. Akamatsu glared at him. ‘At least Naegi-kun and Maizono-san got away?’

‘I’d rather they were still here and everyone was alive.’

‘But there’s no way that would work,’ Komaeda said. Akamatsu kept glaring, and he thought he better change tack. ‘I’m sure they’ll bring help. And, you know, we got a message out –’

‘What?’ Akamatsu said. ‘When?’

‘After lunch.’ Komaeda began to explain, but shut up when Shirogane came into the lobby.

‘Here you are,’ she said – to Akamatsu.

‘Oh, Tsumugi, it’s so awful!’ Akamatsu said, and threw herself at Shirogane, who patted her reassuringly.

‘What were you saying, Komaeda-kun?’ Shirogane asked.

‘Only that I thought, since four of us have been released now, we should expect help to be delivered soon.’

‘That’s right,’ Shirogane said. ‘We can’t give up now, Kaede. I know it all seems horrible.’

‘It is horrible.’

‘But we’ll get through it, okay?’

Akamatsu nodded, still sniffling into Shirogane’s shoulder. Komaeda wondered if he should just slip away – Shirogane would do a better job of comforting Akamatsu than he would. Maybe he could find out what Fujisaki had been doing …

‘I’m alright,’ Akamatsu said, and pulled back from Shirogane. ‘We just have to keep going, don’t we?’

---

They had to keep going. But these fake dates were annoying. Komaeda was seated across from Ikusaba, and the thought of having to pretend to be interested in her was exhausting. There were people he actually wanted to spend time with, and Usami’s amateur matchmaking was preventing that.

‘Sorry,’ Ikusaba said. ‘We got matched even though we didn’t want to.’

‘That’s life, isn’t it?’ Perhaps it should have offended him, that Ikusaba admitted it so bluntly, but instead it made him feel more generous toward her. ‘Is there someone you wanted to match with, Ikusaba-san?’

‘It doesn’t matter,’ Ikusaba said. ‘I’ll do what I’m told.’

‘Are you scared of dying?’

‘I don’t mind dying if there’s a reason for it. But dying like Owari did … that’s a waste.’

‘I don’t know,’ Komaeda said. ‘Owari-san died because she had hope – isn’t that the best kind of death? She saw a chance for escape and she took it. If you hang back, you won’t die, but you won’t get free either. So I can’t think that her death was a waste.’

‘You’re a funny guy,’ Ikusaba said.

‘… thank you?’

Ikusaba sighed. ‘To be honest, I didn’t want to even come here in the first place. But I was ordered to take a holiday … what a rookie mistake.’

‘You’d rather work every day until you die, huh? I guess if it’s something you’re passionate about, that’s okay.’

Ikusaba looked at him for a disconcertingly long moment. ‘Do I seem like I’m passionate about it?’

‘Well, that’s just my assumption. It’s not like I know what it’s like either way.’ He took a long swallow of his drink; he was talking too much. Something about Ikusaba made him want to fill the silence. But if he kept doing that, Ikusaba would learn everything about him and he’d know nothing of her. He didn’t like that sort of imbalance.

‘Do you like people-watching, Ikusaba-san?’ he tried.

‘People-watching? Like a stake-out?’

‘No. Like you sit in the window of a café and watch people go by.’

‘Why would I do that?’

‘Well, you look at them and imagine what they’re doing … if they’re meeting someone, what they’ve bought that day … things like that.’

‘I get it.’

‘Who in this room do you think is the most scared right now?’

‘The most scared …’ Ikusaba considered it. Not just as a mental exercise, but looking around.

‘Gokuhara is scared,’ she said, watching his table. ‘But I think his date is more scared than he is.’

‘Koizumi-san is? Is she worried about him?’ Komaeda turned in his chair to see. Koizumi looked the same as usual to him, although he could see the fear on Gokuhara like a weight. But maybe it stood out on a big guy like Gokuhara in a way it didn’t on someone like Koizumi. Not that she was fearful. But he thought Koizumi liked her fears to be things she could confront.

‘What about Mioda-san, then?’

‘She’s not scared.’ The dismissive way Ikusaba said it didn’t make it a good thing.

‘She has got a certain joie de vivre.’

Mioda was currently stealing food off Hinata’s plate; Hinata was letting her. He looked tense – even if Mioda went on as normal, Hinata would find it hard to set aside the thought of her dying.

‘Say, Ikusaba-san, what do you think immunity is?’

‘Knowing Usami,’ Ikusaba said, ‘probably something stupid like “get your first kiss with someone”.’

‘Oh,’ Komaeda said. ‘Of course. A kiss.’ He laughed, and it made Ikusaba look at him strangely. ‘You’re more innocent than you seem, aren’t you?’

‘What’s that meant to mean?’

‘Nothing. It should be easy for them both, then, shouldn’t it? I’m sure Hinata-kun wouldn’t begrudge Mioda-san one kiss.’ Komaeda might, but he was in no position to complain.

‘Well, it’s not like I really know anything,’ Ikusaba said. ‘It just seems like her sort of thing …’

‘You may be right.’ It wasn’t as if Komaeda could say it wasn’t that in Hinata’s case. They’d kissed, after all. It was only that the kissing didn’t stand out in retrospect.

---

They got through the dinner, somehow. That was not the end of things, however – Usami had declared that the theme for that night was ‘dinner and a movie’, so they were all forced up to the conference room, where a large projector screen had been set up. For some reason, Usami had decided to make them watch a film about a guy who was trapped down a manhole. Was she trying to make their own predicament seem better? You might be trapped with a murderous toy rabbit, but at least you’re not stuck in a manhole. If he got free, Komaeda was going to have to be extra careful about them.

Ikusaba, sitting next to him, seemed bored with the whole thing. She didn’t bat an eyelash at the graphic injuries suffered by the protagonist, nor at the grossness of the hole starting to fill up with foam. The film was particularly distressing from Komaeda’s point of view, because he could imagine it happening to him. He hoped he wouldn’t have nightmares.

Shirogane was sitting on the other side of him, and she laughed when the foam exploded.

‘Sorry,’ she said, when she realised she’d distracted him. ‘It’s just so silly.’

That was the trouble with people. Make someone too unfortunate and they just thought it was silly. They stopped taking the situation seriously.

As the film drew to its end, even Komaeda had to stop taking it seriously – unlucky accidents were one thing; revenge plots predicated on ridiculous twists were another. It was a relief. Komaeda might unwittingly fall down a manhole, but he was pretty sure he couldn’t drive anyone to construct such a malicious plot against him. Even in the current malicious plot he was caught up in, he was only incidental.

‘That was a very silly film,’ Shirogane declared at the end; she sounded pleased.

‘What did you think, Ikusaba-san?’ Komaeda asked.

‘I’m impressed at the effort the heroine put in to achieve her mission. Even if she did almost mess it up at the end.’

‘I see.’

‘I don’t watch films very often. It was more interesting than I thought.’

‘And here I thought you were bored.’

‘Did it look that way?’ Ikusaba seemed momentarily perturbed.

‘I guess I misunderstood.’ He stood up. ‘Well, I’m going to go have nightmares for the whole night. Thanks for the company, Ikusaba-san.’

‘It wasn’t really my choice.’

‘No, of course not. Even so.’

Ikusaba seemed uncomfortable with being thanked; she waved it off.

Komaeda looked around the conference room, now that the lights had come up. Some people had enjoyed the film more than others – Mioda appeared enthusiastic, but Hinata beside her looked glum. (To be fair, that could have been unrelated to the film.)

Would Komaeda get to talk to him again tonight? He wasn’t sure what the status of their relationship was. If it was even safe to use the word ‘relationship’.

He watched Hinata brushing off some comment of Mioda’s, and he knew it wasn’t safe.

Before their eyes could meet across the room, Komaeda made his exit.

---

‘You’re here,’ Akamatsu said, when she arrived back at their room– not that long after Komaeda himself. He’d started a new book but he set it aside.

‘I’m here. How were things with Souda-kun?’

‘Fine,’ Akamatsu said. ‘I don’t think I’ll replace “Sonia-san” in his heart.’ She collapsed back on the bed beside Komaeda. ‘At least there’s one romance determined never to be culminated.’ She rubbed her face and groaned. ‘I still can’t believe it. How could they let it happen?’

‘They?’

‘Naegi-kun and Maizono-san!’ Akamatsu said. ‘I’m sure she’s not even meant to date, and she must have loads of experience letting guys down nicely …’

‘Do you think Naegi-kun was the one who went after her? I thought it must be the other way around.’

‘Huh?’ Akamatsu turned onto her side, leaning her weight on her elbow. ‘You think Maizono-san went after him?’

‘It would be hard for him to refuse her anything, don’t you think?’

‘It would be hard for any man to refuse her anything.’ Akamatsu looked away, thoughtful. ‘Even so …’ She bit her lip.

‘Are you annoyed that you gave up on Saihara-kun, but she didn’t give up on Naegi-kun?’

Akamatsu made an outraged face. ‘No! I’m annoyed that they could be so thoughtless!’

‘Hmm.’ Komaeda wasn’t sure that was the right word for it. ‘Well, if it’s true love, I’m sure they won’t regret it.’

‘Even if Ibuki-chan and Gonta-kun die?’

‘It would be horrible if they did regret it.’ Komaeda remembered how Naegi had looked when Owari had died, and he thought that must already be the case.

‘I guess it’s better to believe that things will work out. Somehow.’

‘That’s the spirit.’

Akamatsu groaned, and flopped back down on the bed face first.

Komaeda thought about picking up his book again. Instead he asked, ‘Want to go pay Kirigiri-san a visit?’