I Became the Cute One in the Troubleshooter Squad-Chapter 98: The Best Way to Spend a Holiday is Relaxing at a Hotel (6)

After spending hours playing at Aqua Marina, we finally returned to our rooms to lounge around for a bit.

Maybe it was because we’d eaten lunch pretty late, but even though the sun had set, none of us were particularly hungry.

After resting in our separate rooms, we got dressed properly and headed to a French restaurant that Alice had reserved ahead of time for dinner.

“That was absolutely delicious. Truly worthy of being called the cuisine of the finest culinary country.”

“Yeah, it was good. Although the portions were a bit small. Guess I’ll need to have some late-night snacks later.”

“Thinking about a late-night snack right after dinner? Honestly... I can relate, though.”

The restaurant, run by a chef famous enough to appear on TV, truly lived up to its reputation.

The appearance and taste of the food were some of the best I’d ever experienced.

I never imagined something that looked like a rolled-up piece of paper could have such a complex flavor. Honestly, I was ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) surprised the moment I put it in my mouth. The world of fine dining really runs deep.

But perhaps because we had two people in our group who could eat several times more than the average adult male, their hunger wasn’t entirely satisfied. Personally, I thought it was just right.

“So, shall we explore a bit more now that we’re out? There’s still a ton of places in this hotel we haven’t seen yet!”

Alice, who was leading the way, turned around with a beaming smile. The enthusiasm radiating from her was almost palpable, like she was determined to make up for lost time.

Thinking about her childhood, where she likely never got to go on trips like this with close friends, her excitement wasn’t surprising.

But Raven, in a tone that betrayed her expectations, spoke with an unusually serious expression.

“Ah, sorry. I need to meet someone for a bit... You’ll have to go on without me.”

“Oh... I see.”

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“Yeah. I’ll catch up with you later. Call me if anything urgent comes up.”

“W-Wait a second!”

Alice, clearly not ready to let him leave so abruptly, grabbed his shoulder in a hurry.

When Raven turned to look at her with a puzzled expression, she froze for a moment, seemingly at a loss for words.

She’d stopped him instinctively, but now that she had, she didn’t know what to say.

In the end, she hesitated like a puppy caught in the rain, mumbling awkwardly.

“Uh... well... have a safe trip....”

“Sure. Take care of the others for me.”

With a faint smile, Raven turned and walked down the corridor in the opposite direction.

Alice hadn’t expected him to suddenly have plans, and her expression betrayed her surprise and slight disappointment.

But even with one less person, we still had five. Trying to hide her letdown, Alice forced an awkward smile onto her face.

“Haha, well, he’s gone now. Anyone else...?”

“Oh, um, do you mind if we split off too? There’s somewhere we’d like to go... just the two of us.”

“Ahem, sorry about this.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine! Don’t worry about it! Sabrina and I will stick together, so enjoy yourselves!”

Reyne, with David already linked arm-in-arm, asked for permission to leave and then promptly departed from the group.

They’d been eyeing an opportunity to be alone for a while now... Guess there’s no stopping an official couple.

That left only Alice, Sabrina, and me.

Just three socially-considered minors wandering around without supervision. Was this really okay?

Well, Alice might be ridiculously tall for a woman and give off a mature vibe despite her youthful face, so she could probably pass as an adult.

“Everyone’s gone.... I really wanted us to hang out together,” Alice murmured to herself, glancing down the now much quieter corridor.

If she’d had ears on top of her head, they’d be drooping right now. Her disappointment was plain as day.

She probably wanted to make memories with everyone, especially since it’s rare for all of us to travel together. And since one missing person made it feel incomplete, she hadn’t hesitated to let the others go.

But seeing Alice like this didn’t suit her at all.

Exchanging a glance with Sabrina, I quietly approached Alice’s side and took her hand.

“...!”

“Unnie, do you know any fun spots? We’re not really familiar with the place.”

“Oh, um, yeah! Tons! I’ll guide you!”

With me gently holding her right hand and Sabrina taking her left while speaking casually, Alice seemed to regain some of her spirit.

Her previously drooping brows lifted with energy, as if they’d never been down at all.

After all, we still had three days to spend at this hotel. Today wasn’t the only day to enjoy.

Holding Alice’s hand to reassure her, I matched her lively steps as she led us forward.

Thankfully, this hotel was packed with more attractions than we’d expected.

As we wandered around exploring different places, Alice quickly returned to her usual self.

“A giant aquarium inside a building this size? How sturdy does this place have to be to hold all this weight?”

“Hmm, do you think we could catch one of these fish and make sashimi out of it?”

“....”

Looking at the ornamental fish swimming peacefully in the aquarium, the thought of eating them was absurd.

I silently stared at Alice, who seemed half-serious about her suggestion.

Realizing my reaction, she quickly turned her head toward the tank, claiming it was just a joke. But judging by how she clutched her stomach, she was probably already feeling a bit hungry after our light dinner earlier.

Still, the idea of eating those fish was amusing. They didn’t even look edible.

After finishing our tour of the indoor aquarium, we stood by the exit. Alice pulled out her device, likely looking for our next destination.

“If we go upstairs, there’s a movie theater and a performance hall. Looks like they’re open now... Oh, how about we watch a movie?”

“What movies are showing?”

“Let me check... Whoa! T-this is....”

Alice’s eyes widened in shock as she scrolled through the list of movies.

Curious about what could have startled her, I leaned over to see the title she was staring at.

Sure enough, one of the movies showing at this hour was an adult romance film with an extremely suggestive poster.

Yikes. While I might not mind, showing something like this to Sabrina would definitely be questionable. I nodded to myself, acknowledging the issue.

At that moment, my eyes met Sabrina’s, who was also nodding, seemingly on the same page. She then turned to Alice and asked, “Movies don’t sound that fun. Isn’t there anything else?”

“Oh, uh, yeah! There’s still plenty! There’s a spa, a game center, an indoor golf course, a casino—oh, but you two can’t go in there.”

Wow, they really have everything. This place really is ridiculously huge.

I shook my head in disbelief at the sheer variety of options Alice listed.

Even if we spent our entire trip exploring this hotel, we wouldn’t be able to experience everything.

As I thought that, something interesting caught my eye. I tugged on Alice’s sleeve, pointing at a poster on the wall.

“...!”

“Huh? What is it? Do you want to check something out?”

I nodded, pointing directly at the poster for the hotel’s rare items auction, Enigma Auction, set to start later that evening.

“Is that...?”

“An auction?”

The bottom of the poster indicated that the auction would begin in just over ten minutes.

If we left now, we’d probably arrive just in time for it to start.

Considering someone like Victor had been hired to guard it, the items being auctioned must be extraordinary. Naturally, I couldn’t help but feel curious.

The venue for the Enigma Auction was located in the highest part of the entertainment zone.

Perhaps because of its location, the view from the windows was breathtakingly vertigo-inducing.

It seemed we weren’t the only ones drawn in by the words rare items auction.

The area was already bustling with people coming and going, a testament to the auction’s popularity.

What caught my attention, however, was that some of the people exiting the auction hall were wearing masks.

Was it some kind of Halloween costume event? Why were so many people walking around in masks inside the building?

The reason became clear as soon as we entered.

“Excuse me, this auction is exclusive to guests of the hotel. Could you please show your wristbands to verify your stay?”

“Oh, here you go.”

“And for the other two... Alright, verified. Now, please choose one of these before entering.”

The staff member confirmed our wristbands, which we’d received during check-in, and nodded. Then, they opened a box on the table, revealing its contents to us.

Inside the box were masks—not animal-themed ones like the fox mask I was wearing, but plain masks in black, white, or gray.

“Um... Do we have to wear masks?”

“Yes. For the privacy of our guests, wearing a mask is mandatory during the auction. If you are found without a mask inside, you may be asked to leave.”

“Got it. Oh, by the way, is it okay if I use my own mask?”

“Yes, as long as your face is fully covered, any mask is acceptable.”

“...!”

Thank goodness. For a moment, I thought I wouldn’t be allowed to enter.

To show my gratitude for asking, I lightly squeezed Alice’s fingers with both hands.

Alice giggled softly, saying it tickled, before picking up a white mask and putting it on.

Of course, with her pink hair standing out so much, it didn’t seem like the mask would do much to conceal her identity.

Once masked, we entered the auction hall.

The atmosphere inside was dim and almost ominous, with a tension that seemed to linger in the air.

It was hard to believe all these people were just hotel guests.

To avoid getting lost in the dark, I held onto Alice’s hand and quietly scanned the surroundings.

Thankfully, Alice soon found three empty seats and gently guided us toward them.

“Great. This spot has a good view.”

“Oh, there’s something at each seat. I guess this is how you place bids.”

“Haha... Not that we’ll be using it.”

Surprisingly, each chair facing the stage had a small electronic device attached to it.

The device had a pen, a screen, and a button to submit bids.

If I had money, it might’ve been fun to participate, but as someone here just to watch, it felt a little disappointing.

We sat there for a while, waiting as time ticked by.

Eventually, the faint lighting in the hall grew even dimmer.

A man wearing a mask stepped onto the now-brightened stage. He was the auctioneer.