Travel was pretty much the same wherever you went

After entering the resort grounds, the two buses briefly parted ways at a fork beside Moon Court Lake.

The Student Council group led by Kiriyama Ikuyo continued toward the Moon Court Main Hotel.

The bus carrying Kitagawa Kai turned onto a wooded road and traveled just over two hundred meters before stopping at the Moon Court Villa's private drop-off area.

Both hotels belonged to the same resort group and shared restaurants, a medical office, and a vehicle dispatch center.

They normally hosted guests separately, while internal roads and shuttle buses allowed easy travel between them at any time.

As the doors opened, the hotel manager, who had been waiting outside with the staff, stepped forward to greet them warmly.

"Mr. Kitagawa, welcome, everyone, to the Moon Court Villa. The entire villa has been reserved for your party, and we won't be receiving any other guests over the next few days."

"Your rooms and lunch are ready. Please follow me."

The staff quickly moved to the rear of the bus, sorting the luggage by the names and room numbers on the tags.

Ibuki Mio had always preferred carrying her own things.

Spotting her suitcase near the outside of the luggage compartment, she stopped and turned back toward it.

Before her hand could reach the handle, a young employee had already taken hold of it.

"Miss Ibuki, please leave this to us."

Ibuki Mio paused. "Huh? You know me?"

"Yes. Before your arrival, we received training to ensure we could recognize every guest staying here."

Ibuki Mio couldn't help admiring her professionalism. "All right, thank you."

The young employee grabbed the handle on the side of the suitcase and pulled, but it didn't budge.

She froze for a moment, thinking her footing must have been off, then quickly took a deep breath,