Yukiko Mizuno's boyfriend, Yuta Moriyama, shoved Otomo aside and planted himself in front of Room 206's door.
"I'm warning you, keep banging on my girlfriend's door, and I'll call the police for harassment!"
"But I saw her…" Otomo insisted firmly.
"Downstairs, I also saw a woman at the window," Hayashi Shuichi added. "Don't you find it odd? Otomo-san's been knocking for so long, and no one inside has even checked what's going on?"
"Yukiko's probably scared by this guy," Moriyama said dismissively.
"Either way, let's open the door and check," Hayashi Shuichi urged. "If we confirm it's Mizuno-san, not Mio, Otomo-san will let it go."
"Right, just one look!" Otomo said quickly. "I only want to make sure it's not Mio. I'm not trying to bother anyone."
"…Fine," Moriyama grumbled reluctantly, turning to knock. "Yukiko, it's me. Open the door."
The group waited, but there was no response, and the door didn't budge.
"Yukiko?" Moriyama knocked harder.
"Did something happen?" Akita Keito spoke up.
Hayashi Shuichi glanced at him, then turned to the owner. "Madame Togo, you've got a key, right?"
"Yes, but it's downstairs. I'll grab it now!"
Madame Togo hurried off.
They expected her back quickly, but five or six minutes passed with no sign of her.
Hayashi Shuichi was about to check downstairs when he spotted Madame Togo ascending the stairs.
"Sorry, the keys were a mess. Took me a while to find," she explained.
Back on the second floor, she moved to unlock the door.
Suddenly, Room 201's door across the hall opened. A lean, clean-cut young man stepped out, yawning. "What's with all the noise? What's going on?"
"You…" Akita Keito froze, peering into Room 201.
"What?" The young man casually shut the door.
"N-nothing," Akita said, shaking his head, puzzled. "Must've seen wrong."
"Ryu, how many times have I told you?" Madame Togo scolded. "No sleeping in guest rooms!"
The young man was her son, Togo Ryu, the lodge's sole staff member.
He looked at the crowd, confused. "I was just so tired, I napped in there for a bit. When did the lodge get so many guests? What're you all doing here?"
"Otomo-san insists he saw the missing Mio-san…" Madame Togo briefly explained the situation.
"No way," Ryu shook his head. "If Mio-san were here, I'd have seen her by now."
"Madame, open the door already!" Otomo urged impatiently.
"Hold on, I'm doing it," Madame Togo nodded, unlocking Room 206.
Otomo rushed in first.
"Hey, don't scare Yukiko!" Moriyama followed, close on his heels.
Hayashi Shuichi and the others trailed behind.
The room was empty. Aside from a large bed, a wardrobe, and a desk with chairs, there was no sign of a woman.
"Where is she?" Fei Yingli asked, puzzled.
"Yukiko?" Moriyama called out for his girlfriend.
Otomo, shouting "Mio," began rummaging through the room, only to find a woman's suitcase in the wardrobe.
"How can this be?" Moriyama asked, dazed. "Where's Yukiko? Where'd she go?"
"…This is exactly how Mio disappeared," Otomo said, clutching his head and slumping onto the bed. "I saw her, I swear…"
"Could she be in the suitcase?" Reiko whispered. "Dad worked a case once where a kidnapper knocked someone out and stuffed them in a suitcase to smuggle them out."
At her words, Otomo moved to check the suitcase.
Moriyama beat him to it, lifting it. "It's light. Doesn't feel like anyone's in there."
"It's not locked. Open it and see!"
Otomo snatched the suitcase, ignoring Moriyama's protests, and flung it open. Inside were only a few women's clothes and a razor.
"A razor?" Reiko frowned. "Isn't that for men? Why would Mizuno-san have one?"
"Kid, razors aren't just for men," Madame Togo explained. "They're used for grooming—like shaving underarm hair."
"How is Mio not here? I saw her so clearly," Otomo muttered, clutching his head.
Moriyama began searching the lodge for his girlfriend.
Hayashi Shuichi started to follow but noticed Fujimine Yukiko staring at the open suitcase, surprised. "What's wrong?"
"Mizuno-san's stuff is way too sparse," Yukiko said, confused. "Going on a trip and not bringing toiletries, makeup, skincare, remover, masks…"
She rattled off a long list of essentials.
"Maybe Mizuno-san's like Yingli, not big on dressing up?" Hayashi Shuichi suggested.
"Even I bring certain things!" Fei Yingli huffed. "Like face wash or a comb—those are must-haves for any girl."
"Maybe Mizuno-san's habits are just different," Hayashi Shuichi said offhandedly.
"She's still a woman," Yukiko scoffed. "What kind of woman travels like this…?"
"I didn't see wrong. Mio's definitely in this lodge," Otomo declared, standing up, unwilling to give up. Like Moriyama, he began searching room by room.
Hayashi Shuichi and the three girls joined in, helping with the search.
"I'm gonna go wash off this paint," Akita Keito said, shaking his head and heading for the communal bathroom at the hall's end.
Of the eight second-floor rooms, only two were occupied: Room 206 by Yukiko Mizuno and Room 207 by Yuta Moriyama. The first floor housed Madame Togo and her son.
They searched every room, upstairs and down, even checking the second-floor bathroom. Otomo and Moriyama looked there too, but neither Mio nor Yukiko Mizuno was found.
…
In the first-floor lobby, Otomo sat dejectedly on a sofa, head bowed. Beside him, Moriyama's face was equally grim.
"How could Yukiko just vanish? We were supposed to get engaged next month…"
"Could it be another kami-yakushi?" Madame Togo murmured, clasping her hands in prayer. "Buddha protect us, Buddha…"
(End of Chapter)
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