Chapter 539 – Hotel Rooms

“AGHHH, GODDAMN IT!” My father yelled, slamming the table in fury and causing all the other customers in the tavern to look at him warily. “You’re cheating somehow, aren’t you?! How have you beaten us in every round?! We played over 30!”

Guess we know where all that cash beside the hooded man came from now…

“Master X, please calm down…” Nael said awkwardly, but it was clear from the veins on his forehead that he too was angry.

“… She’s cheating, right?” I asked Eve, who was beside me. Nael and my father haven’t noticed us yet.

“Yes, naturally,” Eve replied, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. “But as the saying goes… it’s not cheating if you don’t get caught~”

“Fair enough. But I’m not here for poker, I’m here for information,” I said, and stepped forward, revealing myself. “Father, Nael. What are you two doing, exactly?”

“H-Huh? Kai Kai…? You’re already done on your end? Haha, we’re just about to finish up here, getting information…”

“Oh, is that so?” I glared at him coldly, sneering. “Because to me, it just seems like you’ve been losing money.”

“Ahaha… about that…” My father laughed and scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

“As soon as we entered the tavern, this hooded woman told us she knew about the information we were looking for, before we even said anything,” Nael explained, stepping in. “She then proposed that she would tell us the information if we beat her in a game of poker, but for the past rounds… she has beaten us over and over again. Each time, we lost money.”

Slowly, I turned to the hooded woman, who showed no reaction at this, then back at my father and Nael.

“So basically, what you’re telling me is, you never thought of simply threatening her? You realize even if this one dies, we still have other brokers, right? We don’t need her.”

“Hm, I won’t lie, I did not think about that,” my father murmured, rubbing his chin. “You’re so smart, Kai Kai!”

I sighed. “No, you’re just dumb. Anyway…”

I used Telekinesis to pull a chair closer and prepared to sat down, but-

“—!”

My eyes widened as I slipped and fell straight to the floor. The chair… I clearly moved it, but why was it back in its original position?

I glared at the hooded woman, and saw a thin smile beneath her cloak.

So… it’s her. Well, no point playing nice anymore.

Suddenly, I teleported behind her in a flash, and removed her cloak. Her eyes widened as her bright yellow hair spilled out, matching with her yellow eyes and horns. Then, heat slowly rose to her face, and she began blushing and slowly whimpering.

“Y-You… why would you do that… I’m… sniff… scared of crowds…!”

“H-Huh?” I blinked in surprise, not expecting this response.

“Kai Kai… you… made a girl… cry…”

Slowly, my father rose from his seat, a dark aura surrounding him. His fists were clenched in anger as he stepped towards me, and I slowly backed away, gulping.

“E-Erm…”

Suddenly, however, he broke down and began crying as well, sobbing beneath that mask of his.

“How… could you… be so cruel… your mother would be so disappointed… wuwu…”

“…” I rubbed my forehead, unsure of what to make of this situation. Eve, sensing my troubles, sighed and stepped in like an angel.

“Now, now… Philophia, don’t pretend. You got over your fear of crowds 5 years ago.”

“E-Eve…? What are you talking about… crowds scare me so much… this is harassment! I deserve compensation for this…”

“Yes, yes, you can have as much compensation as you want afterwards,” Eve said, rolling her eyes and pointing at me. “Just ask my husband. But before that… we want you to look for someone.”

“Hey, I never agreed to-” I began, but Eve silenced me with a wink and placed her finger to her lips, then blew a kiss in my direction.

“… Fine. Only because it’s you asking, Eve,” the girl named Philophia murmured. “Who do you want me to look for?”

Glancing around at all the other people in the tavern, Eve smiled. Knowing what this was about, I sighed and put up a sound barrier around them, so that only my father, Nael, myself, Philophia, and Eve could hear the contents of the conversation.

“… The name is Qing Ruo Lan,” Eve said, folding her arms. “Long white hair, blue eyes, and very beautiful. About… a little shorter than my husband in height. Oh, and also, she’s a human.”

“A human…?” Philophia arched an eyebrow. “In Demon Territory?”

“She was last spotted here, yes,” Eve replied with a smile.

“But that’s impossible… unless she snuck in…” Philophia murmured. “Security is tight around the city right now due to the nighttime crimes happenin-“

Suddenly, she covered her mouth, and looked at us awkwardly.

“Nighttime crimes…” My father murmured. “How interesting. You are very honorable, girl! Thank you for the free information!”

He flashed her a thumbs-up, and so did Nael. I sighed, wondering if this girl could really be trusted given how clumsy she was—even more so than Erin.

“So?” Eve said, bringing the topic back on course. “Can you find her?”

“… No guarantees, but I will try,” Philophia said hesitantly. “Give me three days. Three days, and I should be able to find info on the person you are looking for.”

“Very well,” Eve replied with a smile. Then, turning to me, she made a v-sign with her hand, and I flashed her a thumbs-up in return.

*****

“Whew… now that both of those info brokers are taken care of, let’s return to the plane,” I said. “We can’t stay here overnight, that’s for sure. The hotels will require IDs and stuff, which we don’t have.”

“Hold on, Kai Kai,” my father said, stopping me by the forearm. “What that golden-haired girl said earlier… it interests me.”

“Regarding the nighttime crimes, or whatever?” I asked, and my father nodded.

“Indeed. It’s just a hunch, but… I have a feeling they may be tied to your mother somehow, one way or another. We should do some investigation, while we’re in the city.”

“I mean… sure, but that still doesn’t solve the problem of not being able to check in at hotels,” I said. “Most require proper IDs, and have security cameras that can instantly tell if we’re not demo-“

I turned to Eve, who smiled wryly. It was then that I remembered what happened at the love hotel earlier.

Love hotels provide privacy, and don’t have any security cameras here.

Not only that, Eve was able to charm the inexperienced receptionist working there with ease…

“… Alright,” I said quietly. “I’ve got a plan.”

*****

“No, no, no, no, NO!” My father yelled in the middle of the street, clutching his helmet tightly. “Are you SERIOUS, Kai Kai?! You want me to book a room with NAEL?! In a LOVE HOTEL, no less?! Your mother would KILL me if she found out!”

“My mother would also kill you if she heard that recording,” I said with a wry grin. “Besides… it’s not like you have any better options, do you? The receptionist earlier just said. There are only rooms for two, and Eve doesn’t want to share a room with either of you. Though of course, if you’d like to sleep on the streets, be my guest.”

“N-Ngh…” My father groaned. Critical hit. “A-Alright, fine. But you haven’t even asked Nael for his opinion! There’s no way Nael would want to room with another man, right? Righ-“

“I… do not mind sharing a room with Master X,” Nael interrupted, averting his gaze shyly.

“WHATTTTT?! And wait, what are you blushing for?! OHHHH MYYYY GODD!”

“… Psst, dad. People are staring,” I said quietly, and he quickly recomposed himself.

“A-Ahem. I understand. For the greater good, for Ruo Lan, I shall endure. Let us go! Onwards to the love hotel! Hahahaha!”

Laughing like somewhat of a maniac, my father re-entered the love hotel building, followed by Nael. The remaining two of us watched them go, and Eve couldn’t help but stifle a laugh.

“… I think your father has gone a bit crazy. Was that too much?”

“Nah,” I replied with a chuckle. “He’s a tough man. He’ll be fine.”

“Fufu… I see. You two are an interesting pair of father and son, if I do say so myself…”

“Well, it’s not everyday a father fakes his own death in the name of protecting his son.”

Eve giggled softly. “Yes… I suppose you’re right.”

With that, Eve and I entered as well, booking a room for ourselves. Just as planned, my father and Nael actually got a room, and it is said that the receptionist there passed out after handling their order. The older woman had to come and slap her awake so she could help Eve and I…

Poor girl. It wasn’t even her fault.. This must be the first time she had encountered something like this, after all.