This five-star hotel in Kyoto typically issued platinum-colored room key cards, each adorned with a rose design.
But the key card Eiren Kanagawa handed to Mashiro was black and gold, with a foil-stamped golden rose design. Compared to the standard cards, it exuded elegance and luxury.
The next moment, Kanagawa revealed the significance behind the card.
"Mashiro, your cousin asked me to give this to you. She switched your reservation to the presidential suite. To reach it, you need to use a private elevator that only works when you scan this black-gold key card. It will take you directly to the floor where the suite is located."
No wonder Mashiro hadn't received a key earlier—Chihiro had upgraded her room to the presidential suite. Truly extravagant.
Kotomi had never even seen the inside of a presidential suite before.
"Um... Professor Kanagawa, I didn't receive a key either," Kotomi said, a bit helpless.
There's no way Chihiro had also upgraded her room to the presidential suite, right?
That seemed impossible. Despite being a five-star hotel, it only had one presidential suite. From the moment you stepped out of the private elevator, you were already inside the suite. The entire floor belonged to it. With such a grand layout, the price for even one night must be astronomical.
To Kotomi's surprise, Kanagawa gave her a strange look—as if she were watching a cute little fool.
"Kotomi, are you joking with me right now? Didn't Chihiro tell you? She had both your rooms upgraded to the presidential suite. In other words, you'll be staying with Mashiro in the same suite for the next three days."
Kotomi had been about to cheer about hugging Mashiro's leg and scoring a free stay in the presidential suite, but then she remembered Chihiro constantly mumbling before about how she didn't feel comfortable letting Mashiro stay alone in a hotel room for three days.
Recalling those earlier complaints, Kotomi suddenly understood: Chihiro was probably trying to assign a "caretaker" to Mashiro, and she had chosen Kotomi.
Still, the thought of sharing the presidential suite with Mashiro made her genuinely happy, and she readily accepted.
As for Mashiro—
The moment she heard that Kotomi would be staying with her, she clenched the black-gold card in her hand so tightly it seemed she wouldn't let go even if someone pointed a gun at her head.
Her dream had finally come true! She was finally going to live with Kotomi—and for three whole days!
If possible, Mashiro wished those three days could last a lifetime.
Kanagawa glanced at the radiant smile on Mashiro's face as she held onto the key card. Though Chihiro had never told her directly that Mashiro liked Kotomi, just looking at the two girls now, Kanagawa felt like she'd stumbled onto something big.
To think that Mashiro—the cherished daughter pampered like a princess by her parents—had come to Japan and... fallen for someone.
And that someone... was a girl?
Kanagawa glanced between the two again. Though she personally viewed same-gender love as something completely normal, she didn't exactly feel optimistic about Kotomi and Mashiro.
She couldn't bring herself to believe their story would end with "happily ever after."
No wonder Chihiro had been sighing about having something on her mind during their recent phone calls.
Whenever Eiren Kanagawa asked what it was, she refused to say.
Now it made sense—this troubling issue was likely about Kotomi and Mashiro's relationship.
Kanagawa sighed quietly to herself but also gained a little more respect for Chihiro. Despite her worries, Chihiro didn't miss the chance to ask her for help, leveraging her influence at Kyoto University to have Kotomi and Mashiro placed in the same presidential suite.
It was clear she simply wanted them to make some wonderful memories before they had to part ways.
Chihiro was really good to her little cousin...
Kanagawa smiled subtly to herself, but she was also curious. Kotomi clearly had talent in art, but would she truly end up becoming lovers with the cherished daughter of the Shiina family?
In Kanagawa's view, the possibility was slim—but that didn't stop her from hoping.
She led the three girls toward the private elevator that went directly to the presidential suite.
Hibiki Naegi wanted to check out the suite, but she felt a bit shy about it. Kotomi quickly caught on and acted like she was too hungry to drag her suitcase, asking Hibiki to help carry it for her.
Hibiki immediately understood Kotomi's intention, and after taking the suitcase, she quietly whispered a thank-you.
As they stepped into the elevator, it became clear that this was no ordinary lift. The interior was lavish, far different from the regular hotel elevators.
If described in one word—it was resplendent.
Kotomi wasn't some refined upper-class socialite capable of writing elegant descriptions with English loanwords. She'd rather open Word and write 10,000 words of novel draft than rack her brain to come up with fancy phrasing.
Even the elevator featured a framed painting—a still life of sunflowers. The color tone and decor matched the elevator perfectly.
At first glance, Kotomi found it strangely familiar but couldn't recall the name.
"This painting looks really familiar..." she murmured.
Hibiki smiled and explained, "It's Sunflowers, painted by Vincent van Gogh in 1888. This particular one is Twelve Sunflowers in a Vase, one of the seven sunflower series he created."
Kotomi suddenly remembered. She had seen a similar piece at her grandparents' house.
Except that one had fifteen sunflowers.
Now that she thought about it, her grandparents really did collect quite a few pieces of fine art.
In her childhood memories, whenever she and Aimi visited, her grandparents would often take out what looked like a golden egg embedded with jewels and hand it to them as a toy.
Little Kotomi used to roll that jeweled egg across the floor like a ball, treating it like a toy without knowing its true value.
Since it was a Van Gogh painting, it must be incredibly valuable. Kotomi looked at "Twelve Sunflowers in a Vase" mounted on the elevator wall and couldn't help but ask:
"Is this painting real?"
Both Hibiki Naegi and Eiren Kanakawa were momentarily stunned by Kotomi's question.
Hibiki, recalling that Kotomi had great talent in painting but limited understanding of art knowledge, chuckled a bit and explained:
"Of course not. Even if it's the elevator for a presidential suite in a five-star hotel, it's still not qualified to hang an original. The original of 'Twelve Sunflowers in a Vase' is currently housed in the Neue Pinakothek in Munich, Germany."
Kotomi laughed awkwardly, finally realizing how silly her question was.
Thinking back, the "Fifteen Sunflowers in a Vase" hanging at her grandparents' house was probably a replica too.
Eiren Kanakawa looked at Kotomi with a complex expression. When she had seen the painting "Twilight Sky: Sunset" created by Kotomi, she had been thoroughly amazed by the beauty and emotion captured within it.
Its impact was on par with the shock and awe evoked by Mashiro's artwork.
It was hard to believe that the same Kotomi, who could create such a stunning piece, would ask such a naïve question about whether an elevator painting was real.
Eiren Kanakawa didn't fully believe that Kotomi lacked knowledge of art history to such an extent—not even knowing where Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" originals were kept? It was like a student who could ace Olympiad math saying they didn't know what 1+1 equals. Who would believe that?
Soon, a guess emerged in Kanagawa's mind.
Maybe Kotomi was pretending not to know!
With that idea in place, everything made sense. Kotomi wasn't clueless about "Sunflowers"; she probably felt that she had been too prominent lately and wanted to keep a low profile. That would explain why she asked such an odd question.
The more she thought about it, the more convinced Kanagawa became. She began to see Kotomi in an even more favorable light. Here was a girl blessed with exceptional talent, yet she didn't act arrogant or look down on others. Instead, she kept reminding herself to stay humble and reserved.
At the same time, Kotomi's overdone attempt to appear low-key gave Kanagawa a sense of relief. If Kotomi was always so flawlessly composed and mature, Kanagawa might have begun to suspect that this high school girl was actually a reincarnator in disguise.
She had been reading a lot of novels lately where protagonists reincarnated into other worlds—becoming spiders, slimes, goblins, caterpillars, or even plants.
Eiren found herself admiring Kotomi even more. If Kotomi ever applied to Kyoto University, she was determined to make her one of her own students.
The elevator smoothly arrived at the top floor. As they stepped out, they were greeted by a wide corridor. The glass wall to the left offered a panoramic view of the sky above and the miniature hustle and bustle of Kyoto far below. In the distance, one could see a sliver of the cityscape.
A display of Karesansui (dry landscape garden) added a uniquely elegant touch.
"The night view from here must be amazing," Hibiki said in awe, her mouth slightly agape.
"This is nothing yet. If you want to truly appreciate the night scenery, you'll have to enter the presidential suite," Kanagawa said as she pointed toward the golden door up ahead, motioning for Mashiro to use her black-gold room card to open it.
With the tap of the black-gold room card, a series of beeping unlock sounds followed.
The door slowly opened, like a castle waiting patiently in pristine condition for its noble master to arrive.
The floor was laid with solid wood, and the entire space was designed with high ceilings. A grand, luxurious crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, radiating a bright, glass-like glow.
Rather than calling it a hotel, it felt more like a beautifully decorated, high-end flat.
Kotomi had always dreamed of one day owning such a high-rise flat of her own.
Eiren Kanagawa led Kotomi and the others to the floor-to-ceiling windows. The glass panes were wide and tall. Drawing the curtains one by one would definitely be a hassle, but the designer of the presidential suite had already considered that. All the curtains had been modified to be remote-controlled.
With just a press of the remote placed on the bedside table, all the curtains would draw automatically.
The perks of a hefty price tag were evident in every detail.
There was a door between the floor-to-ceiling windows that opened to an outdoor balcony.
Most of the balcony space was designed as a swimming pool. If one were willing to tidy up a bit, they could even set up a BBQ grill beside it and host a poolside barbecue party.
Of course, if you were a guest of the presidential suite, you could host any kind of party you liked—barbecue, hot pot, you name it. Afterward, you could just call the hotel, and a dedicated 24-hour butler team would come clean everything up.
Whether standing on the balcony or at the window inside, looking out felt as if the entirety of Kyoto could be taken in at a glance.
"This is truly the best spot to enjoy the night view," Eiren Kanagawa said with a smile.
"It really is," Kotomi nodded, glancing around.
The evening breeze gently swept through Kotomi's hair. The hazy neon lights paled in comparison to her figure dressed in a black bikini and a sheer black skirt. Her slender fingers, gentle yet commanding, pulled Megumi Kato into her arms and lifted her chin:
"Megumi, be mine. I'll let the whole world know that from this moment on, all the beauty in the world belongs to you alone."
"Kotomi..."
Smack!
Kotomi gave Megumi Kato a firm smack on the butt and ordered coldly like a queen:
"Call me master."
Megumi's cheeks turned rosy as she leaned close to Kotomi's ear and shyly whispered:
"Master~"
From there, things got wild—
Every time Kotomi was pinned down by Megumi and pleasured to the point of tears, she would let out a laugh like Crayon Shin-chan while staring at the lounge chair beside the pool.
God knows what she was imagining at that moment?
Eiren Kanagawa pointed at Kotomi and asked, "Is she always like this?"
"Almost every day. Is Kotomi pretty? Cute? She traded her IQ for it," Hibiki Naegi nodded.
Eiren Kanagawa fully agreed with that explanation.
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