Meanwhile, Yume approached the mysterious girl.

«Hey, are you okay?» she asked with a gentle smile.

The girl stared at her for a few seconds, then her facial features softened.

«Thank you so much!» she cried, throwing herself into Yume’s arms. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

«You’re welcome…» Yume answered, visibly uncomfortable, gently pulling her away by the shoulders.

«If it hadn’t been for you… I don’t know what would’ve happened to me,» the girl sobbed.

«Don’t worry, it’s all over now,» Yume added, still a little embarrassed.

At that moment, Kaito came up to the two of them.

«So… is everything—»

He stopped short.

«Kaito?» Yume called, confused.

Kaito watched her closely, his face suddenly tense.

«Reina…?» he muttered, almost without realizing it.

He froze for several seconds.

—No… it can’t be her. She’s gone now.—

The thought hit him like a distant echo before he snapped back to himself.

«You okay?» Yume asked, noticing his lost look.

«Yeah… sorry. It’s nothing,» he replied, forcing a small smile.

«All right…» Yume murmured, slightly worried.

Kaito turned to the girl, his tone returning to seriousness.

«Can we know your name?»

«My name…?» she stammered, surprised.

«Yes,» he confirmed, keeping his gaze on her.

«M-my name is…» she took a breath. «Kagura!» she exclaimed, as if it had been a huge effort.

«Kagura, huh?» Kaito repeated in a neutral tone. «Mind telling us what you were doing around here?»

«Well, I…» she looked away, fiddling with her fingers. «I work nearby… I always cut through this area.»

She answered awkwardly.

«Be careful, then,» he said, already turning toward the exit, followed by Yume.

«Wait…» she said hesitantly.

The two stopped and looked at her.

«…You don’t expect anything in return?» she added, surprised by their coldness.

«We didn’t help you to get something back,» Kaito replied simply.

Kagura lowered her eyes. She stayed quiet for a moment, clutching her hands to her chest. Then, as if she’d suddenly found courage, she raised her gaze.

«You seem to be from far away… If you don’t already have a place to stay, I could host you at my family’s hotel!»

Her tone was still uncertain, but firmer than before.

«You have a hotel?!» Yume exclaimed, surprised.

«Y-yes, it belongs to my family… but I run it,» Kagura answered in a small voice.

Yume looked at Kaito, then grabbed his arm and pulled him close, whispering in his ear:

«Kaito, let’s take her up on it. That’s exactly what we needed.»

«Are you sure? We shouldn’t trust strangers,» he countered, doubtful.

«You’re right, but look at her… she doesn’t seem like a bad person,» Yume said decisively.

Kaito watched Kagura for a moment, then Yume, then Kagura again. Finally, he sighed. «All right… we don’t really have much choice.»

Yume rewarded him with a radiant smile, then approached Kagura.

The boy blushed slightly…

When suddenly, a vague silhouette — the indistinct reflection of a girl — stopped him for an instant.

His eyes drifted away into nothing, as if something inside him had stopped breathing.

A few minutes later, the three of them left the alley.

«Um… the hotel is just up ahead,» Kagura said, avoiding meeting their eyes.

«Are you sure it won’t be a problem to host us?» Yume asked.

«D-don’t worry… you saved me from those guys. I want to repay you,» Kagura stammered.

While the two girls chatted easily, Kaito kept scanning the area.

—Weird… there isn’t even a symbol or anything to mark the auction entrance?— he thought.

—I’ll have to ask a local directly. All the information I found about the auction was partial, and I can’t trust the sources. And…— he looked at the people passing by. —Is it possible no one’s ever tried to arrest the Fuyumi family?—

Kaito’s mind wandered through a thousand thoughts when Yume’s voice pulled him back.

«What?! This is your family’s hotel?!» she exclaimed.

When Kaito looked up, he was stunned.

The hotel was a huge skyscraper, split into two wings: east and west, connected by what looked like a suspended corridor. The whole structure formed an «H» shape, surrounded by purple neon lights. At the base was a smaller glass building attached to the main body. Inside, the wooden furnishings gave the space a classic, elegant touch.

All around were streets and other skyscrapers.

«L-let’s go to reception,» the girl said, heading toward the central building.

«Kaito, don’t you think this place is strange?» Yume whispered.

«More than strange, it’s the scale… but it’s not as high-tech as everything else around here,» he noted.

The reception area was welcoming. Armchairs and small tables were neatly arranged across the room.

«P-please, this way,» Kagura said, slightly flushed, fiddling with the hem of her skirt.

She stood behind the desk, where a holographic screen appeared.

«It’s like the one we saw at the station,» Kaito observed calmly.

«A-anyway, I have some questions for you,» Kagura began.

«Like what?» Yume asked.

«Well, do you have any particular requests for the room?» she asked.

Yume looked at Kaito, waiting for his answer.

«You decide,» he replied.

Her face lit up. «I’d like a room with a large bathtub. I haven’t been able to take a bath yet after getting soaked in the rain.»

Kagura gave a small smile, then typed something on the screen. A small part of the counter opened, revealing a blue card with a white stripe in the middle.

«P-please take this,» she handed it to Yume. «G-go to the right, follow the corridor to elevator Ai. It will take you to your room.»

«Elevator Ai?» Yume asked, confused.

«W-well…» Kagura began, but she was cut off by a voice.

«Good morning.»

A man and a woman, probably married, entered the hotel.

«We’d like a room,» the woman said.

«C-certainly, I’ll help you right away,» Kagura replied, then leaned toward Yume and whispered: «Sorry, I can’t explain now, but once you’re there you’ll understand.»

Soon she began serving the new guests while others were already coming in.

«So, what did she tell you?» Kaito asked, leaning against the corridor wall to the right.

«She said we’ll understand once we’re there,» Yume answered.

«Well, I guess we’ll have to improvise,» the boy added, starting to walk.

Following the hall, the two found themselves in front of the elevator.

Once inside, though, nothing happened.

«Why isn’t it working?» the girl asked.

«There aren’t even any buttons. There’s only this pedestal,» Kaito added.

«Hello,» a recorded voice said.

«It’s coming from the elevator,» the boy noticed.

«Place the card on the pedestal,» Ai ordered.

«I guess it means the card Kagura gave us,» Yume guessed, placing it where requested.

«Thank you,» the recorded voice replied.

Shortly after, the elevator began to move. It started to climb.

Kaito and Yume found themselves pressed against the glass walls of the hotel; the view was breathtaking.

«What the…?» Kaito began. «It moves along rails on the building,» he said, looking out through the glass.

«Wow!» the girl exclaimed, gazing out of the elevator.

Before long, it stopped.

When the doors opened, the two saw what would be their home for their entire stay in Shinkase.