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Birds' singing resonated inside Hyori's nearly empty bedroom. She climbed out of her bed to shut off the electronic tune coming from her phone. The numeric clock on the screen was reading one minute past eight in the morning when she put it back on her desk. The girl retrieved her toiletries purse from the drawers before heading into the bathroom. She was already wide awake from having been woken up by the apartment's bell at seven, for breakfast delivery. She had forgotten about the laundry until the worker beelined for the bathroom to retrieve the baskets under the sinks. She had consumed the morning milk with a cup of fruity pudding, leaving the yoghurt and pancakes for when her bowels would get over the creamy beverage later in the morning.
So far, the lactase pills didn't magically prevent her from experiencing any kind of discomfort induced by milk consumption. It only helped with her stomach's rumblings and not feeling sick. The progress had been gradual, meaning it might be a matter of time before she wouldn't be upset at all anymore. After her shower, she dressed in a lightweight Yukata dress and walked into the living room to have the remainder of her breakfast platter. Bliss exited her bedroom while she was seated at the dining table. The oldest seemed to have already used the bathroom as she was dressed in a jumpsuit dress.
"Hello, Haze." She greeted the girl upon entering the living room.
"Good morning, Bliss." Replied the youngest.
The latter wasn't sure she could address her elder in the same informal manner the other used when addressing her. The two roommates silently had their breakfast until Muse entered the living room through the main door. Sporting gym clothes, she was carrying a duffle bag and her headphones on what should be human ears, below the cat ears protruding from the top of her head. Looking at her Hyori wondered how the mutants with actual ears on the top of their heads did use headphones. There had to be specific items designed for them. The sweating young woman beelined for the bathroom after greeting her roommates and retrieving her toiletry purse from her bedroom.
The pension manager arrived in a good mood on Monday morning. It was the day her recruit would officially debut and the apparel she had ordered had been delivered last Saturday. It was time to take pictures of the girl to feed prospects' interest. A profile picture was good but candid pictures bettered the odds guests would book her services. With Haze being a musician, the snake lady had a few ideas for the photoshoot. It was eleven in the morning when she texted the girl to bring her wig and instruments inside room 301, the establishment's best suite and the one that companies booked for their ceremonies. Orochimi added a text to request the girl to put on the same makeup she did when hosting last Thursday.
The manager barely read the girl's text asking for textbooks and exited her office. Haru had already packed the camera set and followed her inside the suite. They arrived a few minutes before Haze. The suite was spacious with a huge sunken living room and a bar in the main area. Further, there were two large bedrooms and a spacious bathroom with an in-door one metre-deep pool, a jacuzzi and a sauna that could fit nine people. The receptionist was setting the camera in the bedroom while the manager requested the girl who barely arrived to put her wig on.
The woman opened the bag that contained the purchased clothes and chose a v-neck ruby dress. Underneath the solid material, a corset similarly redefined the host's silhouette to the dress she wore on her trial day. Unlike the previous time's dress, this one was layered starting right above the waistline, on the girl's smallest horizontal line. Once dressed, the girl put on one of the red flat shoes that were inside the bag. The manager urged her to unpack her Kokyu violin and walk into the bedroom to sit in the small salon.
"You need to smile by default. Our guests won't be entertained by a closed face."
Hyori did as instructed but hadn't been able to hide her stupor at finding the administrative receptionist inside. She hadn't seen him when she entered the suite and hoped he hadn't seen her change in the living room. The camera set hinted that she had been summoned to take pictures for her profile. She sat in the bedroom's small salon and started to play some slow music. She had been surprised by the flashlights and wondered if it was necessary. Maybe because they were shooting indoors and not outside like Muse had the day before. The manager had walked inside the bedroom and was now standing beside the occasional photographer.
"Set your instrument on the side and remove your shoes." Commanded the snake lady.
Again, another picture was taken. Hyori was glad the lenses helped her not be blinded by the flashlight. The woman handed Hyori her flute and walked back with the violin set.
"Cross your feet and play the flute." She commanded before more pictures were taken.
More instructions were given afterwards. Orochimi had wanted her to sit on the bed, then arrange her hair on one side. Then, she wanted her to lay on her back with her legs closed and folded as her feet rested flat on the mattress, letting gravity pull her dress down to her hips and put her thighs on display.
"Look at the camera and hug yourself. Don't forget to smile... Good. We can't have you undress now with your current shape. You can leave with the clothes bag."
With that last statement, the shooting session ended and Hyori hurried to retrieve her instruments and head into the living room. There, she packed her belongings and hurried into the basement with the clothes bag. The session had been disturbing at the end with Haru there and she didn't want to risk changing where he could easily see her. In the basement, she beelined into her bedroom and undressed to put her in-door Yukata back on. Then, she went into the bathroom to remove the makeup and the lenses. Finally, she put the wig away inside her drawer with her instruments.
She had barely finished changing when the apartment's bell rang. It was probably lunch and the girl reluctantly left her bedroom. She hoped her nerves would calm down while having her meal. It seemed that the manager had a new trick to unsettle her every day. It was one thing to know the receptionist was aware of her hosting activities but it was another to be witnessed by him in such positions. The manager talked about how she couldn't undress with her current shape. Did it mean she would have to once the milk had done its job? Still unsettled, she asked her oldest roommate who was closing the door behind the hotel worker.
"Did you undress during your photoshoot in the hotel room?"
"I did, yes. We update the pictures every year to keep the guest's expectations on par with reality."
"I see."
"But stay assured. We don't pose naked. We just show enough skin to tease but should leave some room for their imagination."
The statement didn't comfort Hyori but she didn't press further. She suspected Bliss wasn't the one she could argue with on the matter. She didn't have much choice if the establishment enforced yearly shooting sessions.
One ground above the basement, Orochimi was reviewing the pictures to upload them on Haze's profile. In her eyes, the best shot was the one in which the girl played the flute with her bare feet crossed. It hinted at her musical ability and conveyed a sense of intimacy without portraying carnal imagery. She put that picture first and added the others in chronological order. The black wig reminded the manager of the girl's Mother. The woman had dark hair. She supposed Hyori looked like a younger version of her Mother. Like a younger version with wide-set eyes, heavy lids and a round big head. She supposed it came with the girl's tall frame.
It was such a pity the charm of the garments broke when she removed her clothes. The drugged milk better start working sooner rather than later. She had asked for a specific blend for the girl who was tall enough for her liking. Already one hundred and eighty centimetres while being barely seventeen, the girl was above the national men's average height and nearing the foreigners' average. She didn't need a growth spike for hosting on the companion niche. What she needed was less mass around her midsection and more flesh below her waistline, especially on the rear.
The more the manager looked, the more she was convinced there was an opportunity to tap into her resemblance with her Mother. When she saw the woman a few months ago, she had a hard time believing the slim form belonged to the voluptuous maiden she remembered. After discovering the girl's age, she realised Hina had been pregnant back then and used modest clothes to hide it. Her delivery must have been the reason she disappeared after merely six months of searching arrangements.
As if she was afraid the idea would escape her mind, the snake lady hurriedly opened her archive files and looked for the list of all the people she tried to set Shinsou Hina with, back when she was running an escort agency. She had switched to hosting after falling out of touch with most of the girls she had worked with. The pension had been a way to secure years of services before her girls eventually left. By then, she would have grossed enough to match her hosts with the hotel's guests. In a sense, she was still doing the same thing but with extra lucrative steps.
Finally, she found the list she had been looking for. Names, pictures, phone numbers and positions. She would have to update their data before contacting them. Making sure they were still alive and bankable, updating their professional positions and finally getting in touch with them through a professional channel. She couldn't simply mail them hosting services since she assumed they had gotten engaged in the meantime. Using her professional access to the national database of company executives, it took her an hour to verify the professional contacts of a handful of prospects. She intended to lure them with a look-alike of the girl who put a love spell on them well over a decade ago, hoping some effects still lingered in their minds.
Later in the week, on Friday, Hyori hastily dressed for hosting at a quarter before eight in the evening. The service's application had notified her of her upcoming session. She hadn't checked her phone and just discovered she had to host. The uneventful past days led her to lower her guard and she had even been surprised when she received the notification. Mister Doe, her guest for the night, had requested her to dress in a 'traditional attire'. She didn't understand all of his words but a few were similar to the ones she read in French textbooks.
Looking inside her drawers, she found the single scarlet Yukata dress among the outfits she had been given by the pension's manager. The material was velvety on the touch and the zipping Obi belt felt more restricting than the usual ones. The girl decided to put on her own sandals following her guest's request. Once her makeup was done and her wig styled in a neat bun held by twin pins, the girl retrieved her Kokyu violin case and left her bedroom.
Walking down the hall, she supposed her roommates had already left since the lights were switched off. She took the elevator towards the second floor and walked inside Room 216. Instead of a dining table, a bathroom door was facing the suite's living room. A redhead man sporting a buzz cut and a furnished beard greeted her from the couch of the suite. Even if his face didn't give him away, the heavily accented greeting he addressed her in Japanese showed he was a foreigner.
The middle-aged man's dark eyes lingered on her belt lines before he addressed her in a foreign language she didn't understand. It didn't sound like French at all. The guest seemed surprised she didn't understand him. He tried again to no avail and Hyori sensed his discontentment as the man retrieved his touchscreen phone. She supposed his language was fairly common as he typed and the device spoke in broken Japanese. He wanted her to serve him tea using the service put on the low table. The girl left her case on a pouffe by the couch and sat beside him to prepare tea.
The guest's eyes were trained on her fingers until she offered him a cup. Before taking the beverage, he typed again and his phone voiced his command for her to play some soft music. He waited for her to start playing before drinking his cup of tea while enjoying some biscuits. Hyori was glad for the time she gained but didn't hope for too much since the booking wouldn't end before four in the morning on the following day. Still, she focused on the man's breathing and heartbeats against Muse's advice. Her attempts at making her visitor sleep might come to fruition one way or another. Even if they wanted to use her, they might be too subdued to display vigour.
After the song ended, the guest prevented her from starting another one by halting her hand that held the violin bow. Again with his hand, he directed her to put the instrument away and she did. Then, he removed her hairpins and caressed her cheek that was facing him. He directed her into the bedroom and Hyori noticed this one didn't have a small salon inside. The guest shut the lights except for the bedside ones. He rummaged through the small drawer before exhausting himself. His eyes were fixated on the dress he hadn't undone. The middle-aged man's movements were measured as he avidly drank in each detail of her dress and occasionally of her makeup.
Hyori sensed his satisfaction even if he whispered into that language she didn't understand. He was equally stimulated by his sight and his touch. The Yukata dress she wore seemed to monopolise the guest's attention. The man was doing his best not to fall over the cliff, slowing to a barely noticeable pace. He finally succumbed after a while and fell asleep. Hyori returned to her senses after a while. Her eyes remained strained on the bedside clock until four in the morning. Against Bliss's advice, she climbed out of bed while the guest was still asleep and exited the suite.
Back inside the basement's apartment, Hyori promptly had a shower and noticed how she wasn't sore between her legs, unlike last time. Using her lulling abilities must have helped tone down her guest's vigour. Unless it was only a difference in character. She would be sure of her hypothesis the following week when hosting 'Supreme Leader' again. If her hypothesis proved wrong, she would try to come up with another plan to prevent her guests from making her sore.
After her shower, she headed into her bedroom and dressed in a cream-coloured sleeping Yukata dress. While climbing into her bed, she caught her reflection in the mirror. The idea that someone could feel attraction to such a mondaine piece was new to her. She wanted to read more on the topic and felt tempted to ask her manager. Alas, the snake lady still had to answer her request and she suspected the woman was even less likely to grant her books that weren't mandatory.
The girl's slumber didn't last long before the main door ringbell woke her up. Thinking it was probably the seven in the morning breakfast delivery, she climbed out of her bed and opened the door to a hotel worker. The latter greeted her before pushing the plate trolley inside the living room and put the three platters on the dining table. She wished her to 'Have a nice day and enjoy the meal' before leaving.
The scene reminded Hyori of Bliss's advice to smile and be likeable for her guests. She greeted them upon arriving but wasn't sure she smiled. And she hadn't wished for a nice day before leaving the two guests she hosted so far. The second one had been asleep and she doubted she was supposed to wake them up. At least she hoped. Yet, she could have waited for the first one to exit the bathroom before leaving the suite.
Still in her thoughts, the youngest host opened a platter and drank the glass of milk with the yoghurt topped with some coulis. She planned to leave the stuffed omelette for later in the morning when she remembered the previous day's dinner that was waiting for her inside the fridge. The girl begrudgingly retrieved said platter before the oldest would tell her to. The cold slices of jerk chicken with roasted vegetables could have been better warm but it was still edible. She felt too full afterwards but forced herself through the watermelon pie. Cooled in the fridge, the treat felt close enough to an ice-cream cake.
After her copious meal, Hyori walked back inside her bedroom and waited to feel less nauseous before lying down to rest again. Staying awake for the whole night had been more draining than she first thought. It was only now when she was about to lay down that she felt the fatigue of the night. She hadn't really felt it last time. To be more precise, she had felt more distraught than tired. Now that she had felt less strongly about what happened, she felt tired from the sleepless night and the prolonged use of her quirk.
Later during the day, Hyori woke up at noon when the apartment's ringbell notified the lunch delivery. She was well rested and decided to stop by the bathroom to wash her face before walking into the living room. There, she found Bliss had opened the door to the hotel worker and was already sitting at the table. She greeted her when she saw her entering the common area.
"Hello, Haze. Thanks for opening this morning."
"Good morning, Bliss. You're welcome."
Hyori wasn't very hungry but she remembered the omelette she hadn't touched yet and the lunch she had to eat before dinner. It would be better to finish it as soon as possible. She hosted the full night and preferred to eat dinner before walking into Room 302, especially if tonight's dinner would be as tasty as the previous one. That would save her the trouble of forcing herself to eat in the morning.
"You didn't eat dinner last night before hosting. I guess you did it in the morning since I handed your empty plate to the hotel worker." Started the oldest.
"Yes, I didn't see the booking last night." Replied the youngest.
"Ah, I see. It was a last minute request. The hotel suites' guests can request available hosts. You are new here and your agenda is still free in the evening. That will happen less often once you have regulars and are fully booked days ahead."
"What do the guests see if no host is available?" Enquired the girl.
She was curious to know if the hotel had its own hosts apart from the pension.
"I think some workers occasionally host and receive tips for it. They aren't recruited based on any specific skill and only offer ordinary services. Hence why we are booked."
The girl mused over her answer. The idea that workers were being offered tips to host made the whole establishment look like a very shady place. The building was beautiful and nicely decorated but unbecoming things happened behind its solid wooden closed doors. She wondered if all the guests came to the establishment for that specific purpose or if it was a common practice inside hotels.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Muse's arrival into the living room. Hyori then realised she hadn't moved past the morning omelette and yoghurt. Trying to distract herself from the ongoing meal, she put her now empty morning platter by the sink and retrieved the remaining lunch one. She had a spinach quiche portion with two pieces of egg muffins, french toasts covered with lemon mousse with a blueberry smoothie.
It was definitely too much and the thought of eating all of that made her nauseous. She decided to start with the eggs before slowly munching on the quiche. The shapeshifter noticed how difficult it seemed for her and voiced her concern.
"Are you feeling unwell?"
"I'm not, thank you. I'm not used to eating this much."
"Really? You look like you do."
"I'm not that big. I'm just top heavy."
The girl was upset at the other's words. The concentration of her fat tissues on the upper half of her body made her appear bigger than she actually was.
"I'm not saying that in a bad way." Assured Muse. "I'm sure your guests enjoyed the view. I simply thought you were used to eating that much."
"I'm not." Said Hyori before eating lunch, as slowly as possible.
Her roommates had long ago ended their meal and left the dining table when Hyori finished her lunch. The oldest was lounging on the U-shaped couch in front of the television, despite simultaneously being on her phone. The middle one had retreated inside her bedroom. The youngest put the smoothie inside the fridge and left the living room. Walking inside her bedroom, she was feeling restless but didn't feel like doing anything. A new routine was needed to keep her from growing numb.
The girl retrieved her phone she left on the empty desk and texted the pension's manager. The snake lady had yet to answer her request for new textbooks. After all, the school year had already started and she wanted to make sure to be on par with her peers. She would enter the school after three months and wasn't sure she had studied at the same pace her future classmates had. Defeated, Hyori retrieved a textbook from her desk's lower drawer and started practising where she left the previous day.
After what could have been an hour or two, she beelined for the fridge in the living room to drink the blueberry drink from lunch. The thick beverage was heavenly down her throat as she revelled at the cool and sweet sensation. The most experienced host's eyes were locked on the television screen and Hyori wondered how she managed not to feel saturated by the passive activity.
After enjoying the drink, Hyori walked back inside her bedroom to study another topic. She remained closeted until the apartment's doorbell notified the dinner delivery at seven in the evening. The still warm cedar plank salmon had a nice taste especially with the baked olive and brown rice dish. She debated whether or not she should eat the red velvet trifle cup or leave it for tomorrow morning. She was already full but she didn't want to get into the habit of eating in the wee hours of the morning.
The rest of the week unravelled as uneventfully as it started. Her only booking had been on Wednesday. She would be in for another full night with 'Supreme Leader'. She had remained inside her bedroom when she wasn't eating in the living room. She had hoped there would be another outing on Sunday but that didn't happen. She hadn't asked, though. She wasn't sure if she should. As much as her roommates had unilaterally requested her presence for some activities, she wasn't sure she could ask them the same. There would have been an outing if they felt the need for one.
On Wednesday, Mister Yotsubashi arrived at a quarter before eight in the evening. He had just enough time to order a sushi platter for two before his phone rang. When he picked up, the voice of an old friend greeted him.
"I hope I'm not disturbing anything?"
The executive hardly left his office before eight in the evening on Wednesday. The late Wednesdays were generally the time he would receive the figures for the monthly catch up meetings that were held on Thursday at half past nine in the morning. This time, he had modified his agenda, and therefore the whole executive team agenda, to have the figures ready before lunch break. He knew rectifications would be done during the afternoon but those would be marginal and added into the final version before the budget and operations review next morning.
"Trumpet, nice to hear from you. You don't disturb anything. I left early for a back and forth trip to Kamakura."
"I see. Quick question, can you squeeze a lunch in the coming days?"
"It should be possible, let me see my agenda." The executive opened his phone's menu and tapped on his agenda. There was barely any empty spot outside of lunch due to the Aichi factory opening's frenzy.
"We can have lunch tomorrow. I'll be leaving for Aichi afterwards."
"Deal. I won't hold you any longer."
"Have a good evening, Trumpet." Wished the executive before hanging up.
As per habit, the man on the other side had kept things straight to the point and curt. His old friend, due to him being older than Mister Yotsubashi himself and not because they were actually close, was pretty good at keeping his private life separate from his professional life. As much as they were linked by mutual respect and their shared beliefs, he had never seen a member of the politician's family and neither had the politician seen a member of his nonexistent family. Truthfully, next to no one had seen members of the politician family and the executive was inclined to believe the politician hadn't made one outside of the people who brought him into existence.
Not having a family himself, they could relate to each other's agenda full of professional meetings and their phones only ringing for matters outside of their private lives. If what they had could be labelled a private life. The only difference being that his old friend had once been in love but had to let go at some point. Telling himself yet again that he would rather never experience love than losing it, the executive walked inside the bathroom for a shower. He hadn't taken one last time and fell asleep under the host's spell. He would rather take a shower beforehand this time.
Five levels lower, Hyori had decided to wait for the last minute before dressing for the evening. Her booking alarm would go off at a quarter before eight. Not having been active the whole day and since she had remained inside the basement, she decided that cleaning her teeth and face would be enough for hosting. She put on the dark-coloured lenses before brushing her eyebrows and putting on her wig. Letting her hair loose to cover her big face, she massaged her signature scented oil and put on the scarlet corset short dress she had previously picked for the night. She added some rosy balm on her lips and put on flat black ballerina shoes before retrieving her Kokyu violin case.
Her roommates had already left when she made her way into the suite. At five minutes before eight in the evening, she had enough time to arrive in front of the suite's door and badged her card to enter the already occupied place. There weren't any shoes by the entrance but the jacket on the dining table chair showed her guest was already inside. She had noticed the guests didn't remove their shoes inside the hotel. She had only two visitors so far, and one of them had been a foreigner, but she supposed it was a common practice not to leave shoes at the entrance. Especially when there wasn't a genkan to do so.
She remained still by the entrance since her guest hadn't yet emerged from the bedroom. At least, she supposed he was there. What could be several minutes passed before a hotel worker delivered flavoured water with a circular sushi platter and two plates of seafood salad. The worker dressed the table for two people and excused himself before leaving. Hyori remembered when Bliss said local dishes weren't often served in the basement. It was indeed the first time she saw sushi ever since she moved in. The plate was inviting and nicely presented, making her regret having already eaten dinner. She then noticed the pill bottle on the table and wondered if her guest had an actual medical condition, outside of mood swings.
Not wanting to awkwardly stand any longer, she put her case on a pouffe and served two glasses of water. Unlike the straight glasses they had in the basement, these ones were ballon glasses. Right then, her guest emerged from the bathroom and she went still with the carafe in her hands. She managed to greet him and put the carafe on the table. The middle-aged man had seemingly just exited the shower, bare feet and wearing a white bathrobe with his hair still damp.
"I took the freedom to order dinner." Said the guest.
She watched him put an effervescent pill inside one of the glasses she served before sitting at the table. She mimicked him and took the remaining glass before sitting at the table herself.
"Is there anything up with your abilities?" Enquired the guest.
Remembering she was on clock, Hyori hazed his stressed mind into a tranquil state as she answered by the negative.
"There isn't."
The man responded to her gesture with a smirk before enquiring.
"You are still a novice, right?"
"Yes, I am."
He eyed her for a moment before adding in a less jovial tone. "Focus on your task."
"Yes, Supreme Leader."
Hyori knew she was supposed to smile but couldn't at the moment. Her plump lips barely curved upwards and her feline eyes were cast low in front of her. The guest broke the silence while he served himself.
"I haven't had dinner yet. Did you?"
"I haven't."
She had already dined but sensed the man wanted her to eat with him. Her answer satisfied him and he invited her to enjoy the platter with him. She didn't eat much and they remained silent until he urged her to follow him inside the bedroom with a hand gesture. There, he pulled her on the bed and pushed her in the mattress until he tired himself and fell asleep. All along, Hyori's eyes had been trained on the bedside dim light as she focused on keeping the man under her daze.
After regaining her senses, she slightly moved her legs and felt the soreness between her legs. She now knew it wasn't her haze that toned down her previous host's pace. Rolling her eyes to look around, she read half past nine in the evening and noticed her discarded dress on the floor. The bathrobe was lying not far from it and she remained still until four in the morning.
Mister Yotsubashi fell out of his slumber a little after four in the morning. Years of habit had affected his biological clock and he usually started his days a couple of minutes around the same time, even during weekends. Had he been home, or in his Tokyo apartment, he would have gone for an early morning run after washing his face. Roughly an hour later, he would be taking his morning shower before breakfast. Being up in the early morning was much more enjoyable than late in the evening. It gave him the time to mentally get ready for the day and allowed him to gain time on his busiest days.
But he wasn't at his place. The warm body on his side reminded him he was in a foreign bedroom inside a hotel. He wasn't unused to these kinds of practices. The novelty was the serenity and contentment he felt at the moment. Through and through, he felt good. The previous night had been nice even if the host still had a margin of progression before perfecting her skills. Unlike the previous host he had been introduced to, she wasn't spontaneous enough and needed prompting to operate. She hadn't improved much from last week and he thought about letting the manager know the host's limitations. He would eventually book her services again and would prefer a seamless performance next time.
As he climbed out of bed, he heard the host move behind him. He saw her covering herself with the bedsheets and climbing out of bed. Before he could forget, he picked the phone on the bedside to order two servings of breakfast before walking inside the bathroom. Unlike the host with magic hands, the maiden he spent the night with hadn't ordered last time and he doubted she would do so. He took a thorough shower and heard the suite's room open and some greetings. He was surprised the host was still inside since she's the only person the hotel worker could have greeted. The door closed after a couple of minutes and he decided to check for himself.
The host was indeed standing in the living room, wearing the dress from the previous night. The scant attire felt out of place in the morning. She bowed and wished him to "have a nice day" before turning around and walking to the door. The fact that she waited all this time just for that mechanic farewell was off putting, to say the least. And she didn't even use her abilities to make her gesture worth it. Deciding to discard what just happened, the middle-aged man walked back inside the bathroom to put on some body lotion before dressing for the day.
While having breakfast, his mind drifted towards the host he spent the night with. As off putting as her attitude was, the skills she displayed gave him mixed feelings. Her scent had imprinted on his memory and he had reacted to it as soon as she had been close enough. The way her meta abilities fit him was fascinating. He couldn't remember his thoughts having ever been this enraptured by anyone before. Each time he held her close, she had been all he could think about. Feeling her soft body underneath his fingers had been satisfying. Yet, having her around was awkward out of bed.
He thought he was too old for these uncomfortable moments but she obviously wasn't. She looked young enough to be a college student and probably lacked the confidence of a woman, unlike the previous host who wasn't fit for him but had an inviting attitude. He guessed he should stop beating around the bush and take the novice straight to bed next time. After all, it was where she actually was nice to have and it's not like there was a need to keep appearances up.
Like last Thursday, the executive went through his professional mail inbox during his drive towards Tokyo, reviewing what he left last evening and getting ahead of his day. Nearly forty unread mails had piled overnight and roughly sixty would arrive by ten in the morning. He was on carbon copy for most of them and there should be around twenty mails addressed to him, along with a dozen spamming messages that could have been handled by another member of the company's directorate without him being notified of the "issue", if that could be called that. Having some free time at the end of his ride, he left a voice message for the hosts' manager to let her know his observations.
Unlike last Thursday, Hyori hadn't been submerged by her emotions when she crawled in her bed after a shower. Aside from being sore, she was feeling... Not unwell. She couldn't say she was feeling fine because that wasn't true. But she wasn't feeling bad either and neutral didn't quite fit her state of mind. Rather, she felt detached and soundlessly fell asleep.
She wasn't fully rested when her phone woke her up. The device's numeric clock read half past nine in the morning and the snake lady's name was displayed on the screen. As indicated on the screen, she swiped up to reply and the manager's voice greeted her.
"Hello, Haze. There are some issues we need to correct."
She guessed she was in trouble since the snake lady mentioned issues to correct. Hyori had never had a phone call in her entire life. Talking over the phone was different from talking in real life. The sound waves didn't tickle her on the back of her head, between her ears. Also, she couldn't sense her correspondent's mood. She deduced that her quirk probably didn't work over the phone the same way it didn't on recordings.
"Good morning, Orochimi. What are those issues?"
"Your attitude and uneven service. I was under the impression you were used to entertaining people with your quirk?"
The girl waited for a second to be sure the woman was done talking before answering.
"I am."
"Then you should know better than not activating your quirk as soon as possible. The guest can't be the one asking."
"I understand."
"You better. Treat them like you did the old lady in your previous home and try harder to look happy."
"I will."
"I trust you to do it. I know you've got what it takes to successfully host." Wishfully said the woman before hanging up.
Following the snake lady's request, she searched how to fake a smile on the homepage searching tab. That would open an application she had a tricky time finding in the list. She didn't always know what she was looking for and trusted the application to show her the most relevant pages first. This time, her eyes were captivated by a video titled 'Faking a Smile'. She tapped on it and got redirected towards a video player application. The woman on her screen used a makeup pencil, or 'liner', to lift the corners of her mouth.
Hyori thought it could be useful but remembered she didn't have any makeup besides her lip balm. Looking at her phone's numeric clock again, she realised that she had missed the breakfast delivery and promptly left her bedroom. She stopped by the bathroom to rinse her face before walking inside the living room. Her tallest roommate was watching the television screen from the sofa, like every day at this hour.
The girl greeted the woman and walked to the fridge to retrieve her morning platter. She started with the milk she dreaded drinking, taking the lactase pill at the same time. She followed with the honey pudding to get rid of the nasty taste and lastly ate the two ham and cheese toasts. Finishing her breakfast with tiny bites, she put her platter away by the sink and decided to ask the most experienced host for help.
She made her way to the couch and sat beside Bliss. The latter sent her a quick side glance to acknowledge her presence in her space. Hyori sensed the other was aware she wanted something and felt more at ease to ask.
"I had a phone call with Orochimi and she told me I should look happier. But I can't smile when hosting." As Hyori talked, Bliss turned her head to face her and she added. "I saw a makeup trick that could help me. I need a makeup pencil but I don't have one."
"What? What do you want to do with that?"
"It should help me fake a smile. Let me show you."
The girl unlocked her phone and turned it around to let the taller one see her screen displaying the video she watched inside her bedroom.
"I see." Said Bliss. "The change is minimal but I guess it's better than nothing. You have plump lips so it shouldn't be weird. I can give you a liner but I'll need to sharpen it first."
The curvy one rose from the couch and walked towards her bedroom with Hyori on her tail. Once inside the white-themed bedroom, Hyori's eyes looked at the carpeted floor, then at the egg chair in front of the shiny desk, then at the pillows lined before the pillow case and finally at her roommate who was closing an actual closet. The moment had been brief but Hyori had the impression that Bliss's bedroom was bigger than hers or Muse's. She thanked her for the item and left the bedroom before its tenant.
The girl hurried inside her bedroom to try the trick on her lips while the maiden walked back towards the living room. After carefully following the girl in the video, Hyori applied her coloured lip balm on her lips and looked at the result in her drawer's mirror. She was satisfied with what she saw and decided to show it to Bliss. Therefore, she beelined for the common room and approached her roommate who was back on the u-shaped coach. The latter positively appreciated the results.
"It's shy but looks natural."
Satisfied with the outcome, Hyori walked back inside her bedroom to focus on the other task the pension manager gave her. She should treat her guests like she treated the Empress Dowager. Thinking writing a process would help her replicate it, she retrieved her draft notebook to list what she did for the elderly woman.
She had picked the habit to always use her quirk intent everytime she addressed the woman. The feat never failed to satisfy her and the hooked woman often went out of her way to have a chat with her when her Mother complained about missing her daughter's company before bedtime. The Empress Dowager would wait for a couple of days before requesting the girl again but would use the hot springs at the same time Hyori did. She would usually haze her when she played music and would gradually make the cover of her quirk heavier on the elderly woman's mind. That way, she could mimic the natural way someone would fall asleep before leaving the Empress Dowager's quarters.
Hyori also engaged the elderly woman in friendly talks about what she read or commented on the paper she was asked to read. The back and forth helped deepen the connection and brought joy to Empress Dowager, especially when Hyori was articulating feelings borrowed from her subject's mind. It wasn't a wonder the Emperor's Mother loved to have her around. Her children barely engaged with her and the other inhabitants of the Inner Palace entertained her even less often. Outside of Miss Nobu, the girl was the only person to have friendly chats with the Empress Dowager. She might as well be the only one being privy to the elderly woman's sweet cabinets.
From her memory, the girl had established a guideline as to how she would try to approach her guests. First, she needed to haze them as soon as their attention was on her. Secondly, she needed to put the intent of her quirk behind every word she spoke. Thirdly, she needed to act upon their wants and not wait for them to voice them out loud. She would have to be vigilant when interpreting their nervous signals to deliver the most pleasant experience. That would take a lot but it might distract her from the sensation of her skin crawling under their touch.
Hundreds of kilometres away, Mister Yotsubashi left his office to meet 'Trumpet' in a place the other man was a regular of. Planning on heading back home afterwards, he drove towards an unassuming black door in a narrow street of the capital. Behind the door, stairs lead him underground and then upwards again inside a cosy discreet restaurant. The place was at least a century-old family business serving local food and coveted by the foreign elite. It fitted the conservative penchant of his old friend who held progressive beliefs. The politician was in favour of the free use of quirks yet disliked the brazen displays of heroes and villains alike. Unless he simply abhorred physically enhancing abilities.
The politician was sitting on a stool by the counter facing the open kitchen when the executive arrived. The regular of the restaurant saluted the chef before greeting his partner and taking him to the booth he had reserved. They covered the recruiting practices of the organisation they operated in the dark. They weren't the only 'executives' of the organisation but the politician enjoyed having headstarts. Plus, he was actually quick to identify inconsistencies and counselling adjustments.
After talking about the serious matters, they ended lunch on lighter topics and 'Trumpet' commented on his brighter than usual look.
"I expected you to be fed up after the morning you had."
"I still absorbed a quantity of stress during the monthly catch-up and the rest of the morning. I just found a way to drastically even it beforehand."
The politician hummed.
"Isn't it risky? You do need stress."
"I do need stress but not its accumulation. And I won't resort to that trick every day."
"Is that why you went on a trip?"
"Yes, it was. It was good but there's still a margin for improvement. And it better happen sooner than later."
"So that you can become a boiled noodle?" Joked the politician.
"So that I can stop losing hair." Countered the executive in the same friendly tone. "Jokes aside, the trick is handy since I get rid of the lingering stress to refill again. The flow is actually nice."
"I see. What's the name of the establishment, again?"
"It's a room service at the Blue Marina Hotel."
"Hooking services?" Rephrased the politician with a raised eyebrow. "What makes them better than the others for you to clock off early on a busy day?"
"There's one host with mind-soothing abilities. A real gem! She's a gauche novice but I expect improvements on her part."
The politician let a few seconds pass before concluding.
"I guess you wouldn't be doing that if it wasn't meaningful."
"I wouldn't, no." Assured the executive.
They parted soon after and Mister Yotsubashi drove towards his home in the outskirts of the capital.
July ended on a Wednesday and Hyori had been looking forward to her first pay to finally purchase the textbooks the pension's manager hadn't given her. The woman hadn't even answered her text message to acknowledge the request. Bliss told her they would get paid for hosting and even if she had been far less booked than her roommate, she had assumed she would still get paid and hoped it would be enough for the textbooks and stationeries the snake lady would probably not offer.
Not having received any news about the pay for July, she asked the most experienced host when she thought they would be paid. It was after lunch and she had finished her first set of exercises for the day. She used the trip to the living room to drink a glass of water. As she drank, she distantly thought about the apple custard trifle from lunch. She wasn't very hungry but could have another one if offered. The daily consumption of spiked milk had increased her appetite over two weeks. She was often hungry when their meals were delivered and had less issues finishing the servings.
After emptying the glass, she walked to the couch from the back and bent to enter the lounging maiden's vision field.
"Do you know when we receive our pay?"
The oldest had a knowing smile when she answered.
"On the first Friday of the month. That should be tomorrow." Then, she added in a teasing tone. "Are you eager to purchase something?"
"Yes, I am. I want to purchase the school year's textbooks and maybe other books."
"Your school's library can lend you some. You can wait for the second trimester."
"I would prefer to have them before going to classes."
"What is going to change if you have them now?"
"I'll have time to make sure I'm on par with the curricula before starting classes."
"I see. You are serious about your studies."
Hyori looked down before replying. "Yes, I am."
She sensed the other one didn't approve of her reasoning. Her eyes scrutinised the younger one for a few seconds before she talked again.
"Don't strain yourself at school. Hosting should be your priority if you are so much looking forward to being paid. You haven't met the requirements yet."
With that, Bliss turned back to look at the television screen and Hyori walked back inside her bedroom. There, she thought about her roommate's statement. She had only hosted twice in her first two weeks and three times last week. So far, she had a booking on Monday and Saturday. She had also been summoned at the last minute on Wednesday. She needed another session to meet the requirements and assumed it would eventually happen. Yet, her roommate seemed less optimistic than her. And maybe, the girl was being too optimistic.
Bliss was right to say she hadn't steadily met them and was probably hinting at her lack of regulars. The tallest had five regulars during the week and hosted bachelor parties during the weekend. The shapeshifter didn't have regulars but her week would be already booked before it even started. She wondered how long her manager would wait for her to meet the requirements before thinking about handing her to someone else. The three weeks she spent inside the pension made clear that she wouldn't receive any preferred treatment. Her Mother's old friend didn't reply to her requests and had scolded her on every occasion she had.
The following day, her roommates planned for an outing to a commercial venue on Saturday. They had received their pay early in the morning, as stated by their bank application's notification. Hyori remembered she didn't have a bank account, at least to her knowledge. She had assumed the manager would give her the money in an envelope. It was hard to believe the pension had an explanation for the origins of the funds it received from the visitors. As far as she had read, what they did inside the hotel rooms was illegal. Even if they wouldn't be arrested, the pension couldn't admit to receiving money for having them spend the night with the guests.
"How can I be paid if I don't have a bank account?" Asked Hyori to her roommates during lunch.
"Orochimi will open one for you. She did it for me." Replied Muse.
"I see. Thank you." Said Hyori before finishing her avocado and bacon salad.
"You should come with us." Addressed Bliss. "We can make a quick detour by the library before going. Is ten in the morning a good time for you?"
"It is. Thank you." Replied Hyori.
This time, Hyori left the crepes they had for dessert in the fridge. She would keep it for later in the afternoon when she will take a break from studying. She was focused on her last exercise when her phone made a notification sound. She ignored it until a second one came after a dozen minutes. Unlocking the device, she read half past four in the afternoon. She had received a booking for the night and then a message from her manager to meet in the parking lot at seven.
Thinking that should secure her place in the pension, the girl rejoiced that she had met the requirement for the first time. She finished the exercise and changed into a formal Yukata dress to meet the snake lady. She arrived seven minutes before the meet-up time and waited beside the manager's car for an extra couple of minutes before the woman arrived.
"Hello, Haze." Greeted the snake lady. "I saw you just met the requirements. I hope for you to keep doing that from now on."
Hyori's joy was diminished by the manager's statement. She wasn't sure she would meet the requirements again the following week, only having one booking for next Friday at the moment. She hoped other dates would be saved before it would be too late for hosting four times next week. She silently boarded the car when the woman unlocked it. A big smile adorned the manager's lips when she announced.
"We are going to open your bank account and transfer your first pay."
Hyori was excited to finally be paid and asked.
"How much did I get?"
"You'll see. Just now it's nearly four times the average monthly salary."
"Really?!"
Hyori was shocked and didn't know how to respond. On one hand, she was happy to receive this much. On another hand, she felt like a fraudster to be paid more than three times what the average worker received, probably after years of professional formation. Then, she remembered her Mother trusted the pension to help her become independent. That probably meant saving enough for the rest of her life.
A lifetime was a long time and Hyori had no idea how much she needed to be independent for the rest of her life. She had absolutely no idea of the cost of living in general. The countryside would probably be less costly than the city. Then again, she could actually find a job if she kept studying. Then, she would be really independent with a career and a retirement plan. She could save money from hosting for huge expenses and live with her salary.
The drive had been short and ended just while Hyori was making all sorts of plans inside her head. She knew her ideas were imprecise and she would have to search for real data before having a clear goal and knowing when she could leave the pension. She was still in her thoughts when she walked behind Orochimi inside a small building that looked like the picturesque offices of the previous century in architecture encyclopaedia books.
They walked past a receptionist down a narrow hall. The place could have been a home at a certain time. With the small reception that could be as large as the basement's living room, it looked like people could live there when the establishment was closed. They stopped in front of a door whose plaque read 'Head of Agency' and the manager knocked before being invited inside by a mature woman's voice.
"Nice to have you, Orochimi." Greeted the lady.
She was a pear-shaped short woman who could be in her forties, with brown shoulder-long hair and hazel eyes. Her coral blouse looked silky and Hyori saw the hem of denim pants underneath the desk. An emerald blazer hanging on the chair and a golden slim watch adorned the short woman's wrist.
"Here is Shinsou Hyori. My pension had been her legal guardian for a month already. She's here to register her fingerprints and have access to her account."
The woman nodded before replying. "Let me see."
She clicked multiple times with her mouse and typed on her computer. The screen was facing away from the entrance and Hyori couldn't see a single letter. She was more impatient than ever and promptly complied when the woman asked her to scan her fingers on her desk device. It looked like a squared piece of glass had been mounted on a tiny projector. Some light shone in waves and the banker told Hyori to put her left hand on it, then her right one.
Afterwards, the woman unlocked a desk and rummaged through it to retrieve a large envelope. She opened it and revealed a card inside. Hyori saw her name printed in relief on the card. She was so close to being paid that she could hear her heart beating inside her ears and her hands were moist.
"Here is your card, young lady!" Exclaimed the banker. "You can activate it at the reception with the code inside the envelope."
The girl took the card in her hands and looked at the blue item with a numeric card and her name on it along with some numbers.
"I advise you to download the banking application to watch over your account. You have to know you should never give your cards numbers to anyone. Especially not through texts even for emergencies. And you shouldn't take pictures of it either. You can learn more with the application."
With that, the pension's manager excused both of them and walked with Hyori towards the reception. The slim and petite lady could be related to the woman they just met judging from her similar faces and mannerism. Outside of her long ponytail, she was dressed similarly to the Head of the Agency. Her shirt looked plain instead of silky, though. And she wore ballerines whereas the woman in the office had worn shiny leather moccasins.
The receptionist instructed Hyori to insert her card inside the 'ATM', a machine that looked like a computer without a keyboard. Once done, she was instructed to type the code that was inside the envelope. A menu appeared afterwards and she could deposit, withdraw or ask for her balance. The girl chose the last option and the machine printed a small note. She retrieved it and read her bank account number with the date, her name, location and nearly two millions Yen. It was one million and eight hundred thousand to be more precise.
"Don't forget to retrieve your card before leaving. By selecting the ejecting card option." Said the receptionist.
Shaken from her thoughts, the girl did as suggested and the snake lady announced they had to hurry for her appointment. Hyori was still clutching her card when she boarded the car to the woman's amusement.
"It's better to keep it inside a purse. You can lose it if you don't."
"I will."
The girl didn't have a purse but assumed she had to purchase it on her own. Thinking she should write a list on a piece of paper before she could forget, she hurried into the basement as soon as they arrived and nearly ran inside her bedroom. First, she put the card inside one pocket of her luggage. Then, she rushed to her desk to write on a blank page of the notebook she used earlier. She would need a purse, a school bag, stationeries, and the ongoing year's textbooks for mathematics, science and literature. She would ask what books were on the program at the library.
She was thinking about what else she could need when her phone notified her upcoming session with 'Supreme Leader'. She then remembered the liner Bliss gifted her and hastily wrote it down before getting ready for the night. She put on a red ruby short halter dress. She was feeling a little less constricted inside the corset dresses than she used to three weeks ago, growing used to wearing them.
As per usual, she had been the last one to leave the apartment. It was a minute before eight in the evening when she arrived in front of room 302. From the waterfall sound coming from the bedroom, she assumed her guest was showering and walked to put her violin case on one of the living room pouffes and sat on the couch. A few minutes later, a hotel worker brought flavoured water and Hyori served two glasses as soon as he left. She assumed her guest wouldn't offer her dinner. Too bad she didn't have it before coming due to her trip to the bank. She drank her glass of water to at least have something in her stomach and the man walked inside the living room.
"Good evening, Supreme Leader."
Hyori made sure to haze him as soon as he noticed her, lacing her voice with the intent of her quirk.
"Good evening, Haze." Greeted back the middle-aged man after a few seconds.
He must have noticed the change in her attitude as she was making efforts to rule her nerves in front of him. She was still intimidated but pushed through her discomfort to address him as if he were the Empress Dowager. She put her glass on the table to give herself a break from eye contact. The guest walked to her level and she handed him a glass. He drank it in one go and she retrieved the glass to put it back on the table. His eyes had followed her hand from when it brushed his to when it left the cup.
Some strands of her wig were falling in the front due to the hair being let loose. The man brushed them away and caressed her now exposed left cheek. She directed her eyes low on the side to look at his hand. Doing that, she gave him a sight of her kitty face that was more prominent when her eyes were closed or almost closed. The upturned-mouth makeup had been a good deceiver so far, putting a constant timid smile on her lips. She could feel blood rushing through her guest's veins.
She inhaled deeply when he rubbed his thumb on the upper part of her cheeks. The deep breath pushed her torso upwards and the guest's eyes fell on the line he saw from above her corset. At that moment, she had his full attention as his left hand held her a little above her waistline. She put her left hand above the one on her cheek and asked in the voice that melted the Empress Dowager's heart.
"Would you like to lay down?"
His eyes shot from her cleavage to her eyes and she had been able to read the eagerness in his eyes before he distractedly nodded. Feeling emboldened, Hyori took his hand which was still on her cheek and guided him inside the dim bedroom. Leading the way was a gesture she used to do for the Empress Dowager when she was tucking the elderly woman after an evening music session. The man was pliant and eager at the same time. She guided him onto the bed and had him sit on it.
He removed his bathing robe and retrieved a protection before gesturing for her to follow him. She walked out of her shoes and climbed beside him. Then, he closed the distance between them and caressed her exposed right cheek. She closed her eyes and he started leaving kisses on her neck, each one hungrier than the previous one. He eventually rolled above her and his roaming hands removed her dress. She focused on tuning out his brain's ability to process sensations that didn't come from his core. The man's pace increased as he chased towards the end of the tunnel.
His breath was short as sweat formed on his skin when he asked to hear her. Hyori gently moved the cover of her daze to free his hearing. The sound of their collisions served as background music as she exhaled through the mouth, making his core pulse and on the verge of exploding. After a minute, he fell over the cliff with one long and loud exhale, crashing on her like some lead. Coming down from the height, he turned on his left to remove the used protection and wipe himself with the tissues kept at the bedside. Then, he swiftly fell asleep and Hyori held him under her daze for the rest of the night.