"Beep... beep..."
As the sound from the receiver stretched on, Yoshinori Ara's previously relaxed expression slowly turned grave after finding the phone number for the "King of Escape."
A moment later, when the dialing time limit was reached, the call switched to voicemail.
Clearly, the chances of contacting the King of Escape by phone were slim.
"Ah, he's probably already on the road." Riya Hamano did not seem particularly bothered. He waved a hand. "If he went out, then of course he won't be home. We can wait a while longer. Until then, let's have some fun ourselves."
"Everyone, you can head to your rooms and get your beds ready. I don't come to this lodge very often myself. The guest rooms have been cleaned, but you'll need to collect your own daily necessities and arrange them yourselves." Yoshinori Ara hung up the receiver, and the faint unease in his heart faded along with the monotonous tone. "Sukama, my helper, and I will prepare dinner."
The trip from Tokyo had indeed not been easy, and the weather today was not great either. Still, it was not a major problem and would have little impact on the event.
"Won't it be hard for two people to make food for so many?" Ran Mouri blinked, considering whether she should go help in the kitchen.
"It's fine. A lot of the ingredients were prepared beforehand, so we only need to cook them a little. It'll be done quickly." Yoshinori Ara waved dismissively. "With the chairman absent, I'm the main organizer. Naturally, I have to fulfill these duties."
Ran Mouri was still hesitating when Sonoko Suzuki grabbed her hand and pulled her upstairs without giving her a chance to refuse. "All right, come on, Ran. We can share a room today..."
There were six