Chapter 42: The Grand Hotel

The ride to the Supernatural Space was awkward, to say the least.

Although it only took a few minutes to reach their destination, everyone in Response Unit F-5 remained completely silent after seeing their new "Supernatural companion."

Even Marcus, who had been so excited to try out the fortune-telling doll earlier, had obediently placed me back inside the suitcase without daring to say another word.

Of course, I couldn’t blame them. After all, I was the very same entity they’d encountered inside the [Neverending Staircase] a few weeks ago.

Finding a doll version of me sitting inside an ordinary suitcase, apparently having been assigned to them as a companion, was undoubtedly a rather strange experience.

’Don’t blame me! I didn’t want to be here either, okay?’

I secretly complained to myself as unfortunately, fate didn’t seem particularly interested in accommodating my plans.

Luckily, I was only being assigned as a temporary companion.

As long as I didn’t do anything suspicious, there was still a chance that A.E.G.I.S. would eventually classify me as an ordinary paranormal object and transfer me to the containment area.

For now, the best thing I could do was keep my mouth shut.

The less I interacted with them, the less likely they would be to realize that I was capable of thinking and reasoning just like a human...

Of course, there was still one troublesome issue.

The members of F-5 would most likely report that my appearance resembled the entity they’d encountered inside the [Neverending Staircase].

Considering that Nica also encountered me during the incident at the convenience store, the researchers would undoubtedly become even more interested in investigating my identity.

That was a headache I couldn’t avoid.

However, as long as I eventually ended up in the storage area with the other supernatural objects, my plan could still succeed.

I just needed to get there first, of course...

"Is this the place?"

After arriving at what was supposedly the parking lot where the Supernatural Space had appeared, Elias and the rest of F-5 got out of the vehicle and began inspecting their surroundings.

"No, I heard it should be in that hotel right in front of us."

Jonathan answered, pointing toward the building across the street.

The hotel looked like it had been abandoned for years.

A sign hung crookedly above the entrance, with several of its letters missing and the walls were stained with dirt and moisture, and the paint had peeled away in large patches, exposing the old concrete underneath.

Even the entrance looked rather uninviting...

There was not a single person around, nor was there any indication that the hotel was still operating.

Elias led the way, and the others followed him into the hotel.

The moment they stepped inside, they were greeted by the sight of a dusty lobby with old furniture and a reception counter standing against the far wall.

Behind the counter sat an old-fashioned brass bell, its surface tarnished from years of disuse.

There did not seem to be a receptionist, and the room was completely silent.

Jonathan glanced at the instructions on the document before speaking.

"According to the report, the entrance is activated by ringing the bell on the reception counter. After that, we just need to take the keys that appear and proceed to the assigned rooms."

With that said, Clara approached the counter and reached for the brass bell.

Ding!

The clear ringing sounded out through the entire empty lobby as everyone silently observed for any changes within the building.

Click

A faint clicking sound suddenly came from the reception counter.

A narrow drawer beneath the counter slid open by itself, and inside lay five keys.

They were arranged neatly in a row, each attached to a small, rectangular wooden tag. The metal keys looked old, with slightly tarnished surfaces, while the tags bore markings that were difficult to read from a distance.

Marcus leaned over her shoulder.

"One for each of us...? Ah, there are five keys. Is the last one for our Supernatural companion?"

Everyone turned toward the open suitcase.

’...Hold on.’

A bad feeling suddenly crept into my mind.

If the fifth key was meant for me, wouldn’t that imply that the Supernatural Space itself recognized me as an individual participant?

In other words, wouldn’t that mean it considered me an entity rather than an ordinary paranormal object?

If the researchers received a report that I had been given a key alongside the members of F-5, wouldn’t that just give them even more reason to assign me as a companion?!

Honestly, this whole situation was starting to get on my nerves...

I didn’t have much time to think, however, as Marcus picked me up from the suitcase while Jonathan carried it.

"We’ll each have to enter the room we’ve been assigned to. From there, we’ll find a way to finish and end this Supernatural Space. If that’s not possible, we’ll put a temporary seal on it, provided there’s anything useful the organization can make use of."

Elias gave his instructions, and everyone obeyed as they began walking toward their assigned hotel rooms, each with a key of their own.

I wondered why they weren’t that frightened at the thought of exploring alone... But then a realization hit me.

These guys wanted to work for A.E.G.I.S., which meant they either had a pretty high fear tolerance or were borderline insane...

However, they were still just an F-rank team, so they were definitely still more humane.

"I’ll put you in here for now, buddy."

Marcus stopped in front of the hotel room assigned to me and unlocked the door with my key. After opening it, he placed me near the doorway, leaving the key beside my doll body.

"I’ll come find you once we’ve entered the Supernatural Space, alright?"

He said it as though he were trying to reassure me that I wouldn’t get lost.

Seriously, why was he even talking to me? Didn’t he know I was just a doll...? Ah, well, that was technically a lie, but from their perspective, I was supposed to be a doll...

As Marcus closed the door to my assigned room, I let out a tired sigh.

Oh well... At least they were finally leaving me alone.

I didn’t really care that they’d left me here by myself.

After all, I already knew what Supernatural Space this was.

[Opening of the Grand Hotel to Euphoria]