NOVEL WEB Chapter 98
After having a blast at Aqua Marina, we lounged around in our room for a bit.
Maybe it was because we had lunch quite late. The sun had set, but I wasn’t really hungry.
After leisurely taking a break, we got dressed properly.
Alice had already made a reservation at a French restaurant for dinner.
“It was absolutely delicious! It really lives up to the title of a gourmet nation.”
“Yeah, it was definitely different. Though, the portion was a bit small, so we might need a late-night snack later,” I replied.
“Thinking about late-night snacks right after dinner? Wow… I get how you feel, though.”
Maybe it was because it was a famous restaurant run by a celebrity chef on TV.
The presentation and taste of the food were among the best I’d ever experienced.
I never expected a dish that looked like rolled-up paper to have such a myriad of flavors.
Honestly, I was stunned the moment I popped it into my mouth. The world of gourmet food is deep!
But then again, there was a glutton in our group who ate several times more than an average adult male.
Those two seemed to have not really felt full. I, on the other hand, was just right.
“So, now that we’re out, should we explore some more? There are still mountains of places in this hotel we haven’t seen!”
Alice said with a beaming smile, turning around quickly as she walked ahead.
She radiated a fervent enthusiasm, as if she wanted to rid herself of all the pent-up regrets.
Thinking back to her childhood, she probably hadn’t traveled much with close friends.
So, it wouldn’t be strange at all for her to be extra excited.
But then Raven, betraying her expectations, said with a serious expression,
“Ah, sorry. I have someone to meet right now… I need to go alone for a bit.”
“Uh… oh, okay?”
“Yeah. See you later. If anything urgent comes up, definitely contact me.”
“Ah, wait a second!”
Alice hurriedly reached out and grabbed Raven’s shoulder, not wanting him to leave.
But when he looked at her as if to ask why, she froze for a moment, seemingly at a loss for words.
Maybe it was a reflex to grab his arm, but now that she had, she didn’t know what to say.
Eventually, Alice stammered out a quiet farewell, looking like a rain-soaked puppy.
“Well, um… have a good trip…”
“Sure. Take care of the kids.”
Raven chuckled softly and turned away, walking down the hallway.
Alice seemed caught off guard, not having expected Raven would have something to attend to.
Still, there were now only five of us left instead of six.
She managed to hide her disappointment with an awkward smile.
“Haha, he left. I wanted to play together.”
Alice muttered to herself in the now emptier hallway, looking lost.
If she had ears on her head, they would have drooped with disappointment; she couldn’t hide her feelings at all.
She must’ve really wanted to make memories with everyone since this was a rare trip.
After all, without anyone missing, there wouldn’t be any meaning, right? The others had let her go without a second thought.
But seeing a downcast Alice wasn’t really like her.
I exchanged a glance with Sabrina, then hurried over to her side and grabbed her hand.
“…!”
“Hey, do you know any fun places? I’m not really sure.”
“Ah, yes! There are plenty! I’ll guide you!” Sabrina said cheerfully, holding my right hand while addressing Alice.
Our presence seemed to have given Alice a boost, as her previously drooping eyebrows perked up again as if nothing had happened.
We were going to stay at this hotel for around three days, so today wasn’t the only day we had.
I matched my steps with Sabrina, holding Alice’s hand tightly to encourage her.
Fortunately, it seemed that this hotel had more than I initially expected.
As we wandered around, Alice quickly returned to her usual lively self.
“I can’t believe there’s an aquarium this big inside the building. How sturdy must it be to hold all this weight?”
“Do you think we could catch some fish here and eat them as sushi?”
“…”
There’s no way we could eat the aquarium fish.
I stared at Alice, half-amused and half-serious, bemused by her ridiculous thought.
She quickly shot back, admitting it was a joke and looked away towards the tank.
She probably was just hungry since we had eaten a bit less at dinner.
It did strike me as odd that she’d even consider eating them, though. They looked really unappetizing.
After we visited the indoor aquarium, we stood by the entrance.
Alice took out her terminal, as if to check where we could play next.
“If we go up from here, there’s a movie theater and a performance hall. I think something’s playing right now… oh, should we catch a movie?”
“What movies are on?”
“Let me check… ugh! This is…!”
Alice’s eyes went wide in shock as she checked what was playing at the theater.
I raised an eyebrow, wondering what she found that startled her. I peeked at the movie title and saw it was an adult-oriented romance film that looked quite saucy.
Yikes, I’d be okay with it, but not showing that to Sabrina.
I shook my head as if to say it couldn’t be helped.
Then suddenly, I locked eyes with Sabrina, who seemed to nod along just like me.
She didn’t seem like the type who would be into romance films, and she asked Alice,
“That movie looks a bit boring… Is there anything else?”
“Uh, uh, yeah! There’s still a lot! Therapy, massages, Game Center, indoor golfing, casino… oh, but you guys can’t go in there.”
Seriously, there was so much variety. I mean, this hotel is way bigger than your average one.
I couldn’t help but shake my head at the endless list of activities coming out of Alice’s mouth.
Even if we wandered around the hotel the whole trip, it’d be impossible to do everything.
While I was pondering this, something interesting caught my eye and I pulled on Alice’s sleeve.
“…!”
“Oh, what? Want to do something?”
I nodded at Alice’s question and pointed at something on the wall.
There was a poster about a rare item auction starting tonight called the Enigma Auction.
“That looks…?”
“An auction?”
Checking the poster, we saw there were only a few minutes left until it started.
If we left now, we might get there just in time for the beginning.
I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of amazing items would be up for bid if they had a fixer like Victor accompanying them.
It was only natural that I felt curiosity brewing inside me.
*
The Enigma Auction took place in the highest part of the entertainment district.
Maybe that’s why the view outside was simply breathtaking.
Perhaps many people were drawn in by the keyword “rare item auction,” an indication of its popularity as we noticed a swarm of guests already crowding the entrance.
Then suddenly, I noticed some folks inside the auction house wearing masks.
What is this, Halloween? Why are they all wearing masks inside the building?
As I entered, my questions were soon answered.
“Excuse me. This auction is for hotel guests, so… may I see a bracelet that proves you’re a customer?”
“Oh, here.”
“You two as well… yes, I’ve confirmed. Please choose one item from the selection here.”
When we showed the bracelets we received during check-in, the staff nodded in acknowledgment.
Then he opened a box on the table and revealed its contents to us.
And lo and behold, it was a mask.
It wasn’t an animal-themed one like the fox mask I was wearing.
They were plain monochromatic masks, either black, white, or gray.
“Do we really have to wear masks?”
“Yes. To protect our guests’ privacy, it’s required to wear a mask upon entry. If you’re found inside without one, you may be asked to leave.”
“Got it. But, can personal masks like these be used instead?”
“Yes. As long as your face is covered, any form is acceptable.”
“…!”
What a relief! I was just about to be turned away for not having a mask.
I thanked Alice with a gentle squeeze of her fingers as if to say I appreciated her asking.
She giggled, saying it tickled, as she picked out a simple white mask to cover her face.
Of course, her pink hair was so striking that it didn’t seem like her identity would be hidden much.
With our masks on, we stepped into the auction house.
The gloomily dark atmosphere was filled with a sense of tension.
This was really all hotel guests? I quietly held onto Alice’s hand, ensuring I wouldn’t get lost in the dark as I looked around.
Luckily, it seemed Alice found us a spot with three empty seats. She gently guided us over to sit down.
“Thank goodness! This seat has a good view.”
“Whoa, there’s something on each seat. I guess we’ll use this to place bids?”
“Haha… not like we’ll be using it.”
Surprisingly, each chair had some electronic device installed, facing the stage.
With a pen, a screen, and a button to send signals, it seemed to be a bidding device.
If only I had money to actually participate.
It was a bit disappointing to only be here to enjoy the show.
As we sat for a while, the dim lights around us grew even fainter.
And then a man wearing a mask walked onto the brightly lit stage. He was the auctioneer.