I Asked A Beautiful Girl, Who Was About To Jump Off The School Rooftop, 'If You're Going To Die Anyway, Could You At Least Take My Virginity Before You Go?' To My Surprise, She Agreed. - Chapter 53: High School’s Number One Beauty’s Family Is More Impressive Than I Thought.

High School’s Number One Beauty’s Family Is More Impressive Than I Thought.

“Hmm, Smells like a hot spring…”

After nearly two hours on the train, as the view from the window started to show more green hills, Hatsune-san and I arrived at the nearest station to our destination, the hot spring town.

As soon as we stepped out of the station gate, Hatsune-san closed her eyes, spread her arms wide, and took a deep breath.

“Yeah, it’s definitely a hot spring-like smell… The air feels different from usual.”

But it wasn’t just the air that was different.

The town’s scenery, visible from the station, had a distinctly unique charm.

Traditional wooden buildings lined the streets, evoking a sense of old-time nostalgia.

In the heart of this mountain hot spring town, a river flowed, adding to the town’s serene beauty.

“This place seems like it’d be fun just to wander around,” Hatsune-san said.

“It does feel that way… But, with all the luggage, it might be a bit of a hassle. How about we drop off our bags at the inn first?”

I casually took the carry-on suitcase from Hatsune-san and suggested it.

“Thanks. Yeah, let’s do that. The inn we’re staying at should be about a ten-minute walk from the station…”

Hatsune-san nodded and pulled out her phone.

She started searching for the inn’s location on a map app.

(A ten-minute walk should be easy enough with both of our bags, I think.)

I thought this while standing beside her.

In a different world, I had traveled for days with much heavier loads and equipment, so this seemed like a breeze.

Hatsune-san and I walked a little through the hot spring town before arriving at the inn where we would be staying.

The inn’s architecture was similar to the other inns around here, with a traditional wooden design that evoked a sense of history, yet it didn’t feel dilapidated at all.

Upon entering, it was surprisingly neat, considering its exterior. The inn had been renovated while maintaining its Japanese-style charm, and it was designed so that guests could walk around without taking off their shoes.

Thanks to that, the common area near the reception was populated by a calm mix of elderly couples and regular family groups.

“Wow, it hasn’t changed at all…”

As soon as we entered, Hatsune-san let out a voice of admiration.

“It hasn’t changed? Have you been here before, Hatsune-san?”

“Ah, yeah. I’ve stayed here with my family a few times when I was younger.”

Hatsune-san smiled softly, as if reminiscing about those memories.

“It’s an honor to be here with you, in a place like this…”

“An honor? You’re exaggerating, Yakumo-kun.”

Hatsune-san lightly tapped my arm, as if playfully scolding me.

“I didn’t mean to exaggerate…”

“Even so, I came here to make memories with you, Yakumo-kun, so don’t forget that, okay?”

This time, Hatsune-san poked my chest with her finger.

The way she was so affectionate meant that her mood was pretty good, as usual. She probably genuinely wanted to make memories with me.

“Got it. I’ll remember.”

“Good! Now, let’s go ahead and drop off our bags with the receptionist.”

With that, Hatsune-san led the way to the reception.

“Excuse me. We have a reservation under Ichigaya for tonight.”

Hatsune-san addressed a woman in traditional clothing, presumably the innkeeper, who was an elderly lady with white hair.

Since Hatsune-san had made the reservation through the inn’s website, the booking was under the name “Ichigaya.”

“…! Welcome, Ichigaya-sama. We’ve been expecting you.”

The innkeeper gave a respectful bow in response.

I noticed a subtle shift in the atmosphere as soon as Hatsune-san mentioned her name.

It wasn’t just the innkeeper; even the other staff members at the reception paused their work and bowed to Hatsune-san.

(It just seems like normal service, but something feels off…)

While it was certainly expected for the inn staff to be polite and professional, there was something about their demeanor that felt a little more formal, almost stiff.

“Umm… I think it’s still a little earlier than check-in time, but would it be possible to leave our bags here? We’d like to explore the hot spring town without our luggage.”

However, Hatsune-san didn’t seem to feel any of the discomfort I did and casually conveyed her request to the innkeeper.

“I see. In that case, would you like to check in now and we can show you to your room?”

“Oh, is that alright?”

Hatsune-san seemed a little surprised by the innkeeper’s proposal.

Originally, check-in wasn’t supposed to be until 3 PM, but it was still well before noon—around 12 PM.

“Yes, Ichigaya-sama, you are a very special guest to us.”

The innkeeper nodded with a warm smile.

“Special guest”—that phrase made me ponder.

“What do you think, Yakumo-kun?”

Hatsune-san turned to me, having been standing a step behind, listening to the conversation.

“Well, since they’re offering, we might as well take advantage of it.”

What was originally just a plan to drop off our luggage turned into an unexpected invitation to our room.

***

Hatsune-san voiced a slight concern as soon as we entered the room.

“Um, isn’t this the wrong room…?”

It wasn’t a strange thought to have.

The room we had booked was supposed to be the cheapest and lowest-ranked one in the inn. Being high school students, our budget was limited, after all. But the room we were shown to was far more spacious and luxurious than the one we had reserved. Tatami mats covered the floor, and I even noticed an outdoor bath beyond the window at the back of the room.

“No, this is the correct room.”

The innkeeper, who had personally escorted us to the room, replied with certainty.

“But this room seems much more luxurious than the one we reserved…”

“Ichigaya-sama, this is the room we’ve prepared for you. Of course, we will not charge you any more than what you paid at the time of your reservation, so please rest assured.”

Her words sounded unusually generous. I had heard that sometimes, during less busy periods, guests could be upgraded to a better room than they originally booked, but today was a holiday weekend during the summer, with a fireworks festival. It should have been a busy period, not a quiet one.

“Please relax and make yourselves at home.”

With a respectful bow, the innkeeper left the room.

After dropping our luggage in a corner of the room, I looked over at Hatsune-san.

“Hatsune-san, does this inn have any special connection to you?”

The way the innkeeper had reacted to Hatsune-san’s “Ichigaya” surname made me wonder. It seemed like she had been given preferential treatment because of it.

“Well, uh… I guess you could say I have a bit of a connection here? I didn’t expect to be treated this way just from making a normal reservation.”

Hatsune-san twirled a strand of her long black hair around her finger as she answered, sounding a bit surprised.

Now that I thought about it, she had mentioned before that she was the daughter of a company president. Could it be that the company was much larger than I had imagined?