Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual - Chapter 75

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 75.

[Memory of the Thaw: Spring Snow’s Feast]

Amuse Bouche
Cucumber and Dill Oil

Finely minced cucumber paired with fragrant dill oil. Its crystalline crispness awakens the palate with refreshing clarity, heralding the beginning of the course.

Appetizer
Turnip Carpaccio with Raspberry Vinaigrette

Thinly sliced turnip dressed with an emulsified vinaigrette of raspberry vinegar and olive oil. The turnip’s inherent sweetness and earthy notes harmonize beautifully with the acidity.

Warm Appetizer
Hot Spring Egg with Spring Herb Cream

A gently poached egg, cooked at low temperature, crowned with warm herb cream. The silken yolk mingles with the cream, delivering a rich and velvety flavor.

Grain Course
White Wine Spring Risotto

A risotto slowly stirred with white wine and tender young peas. The rice maintains its texture, adding bite, while a subtle acidity provides a clean finish.

Main Course
Trout and Asparagus

Low-temperature poached trout with seasonal asparagus in a white wine butter sauce. The trout’s delicate and supple texture is preserved, while the light sauce accentuates the aromatic essence of spring vegetables.

Pre-Dessert
Lemon Sorbet

A refreshing lemon sorbet to cleanse the palate. The acidity melts upon the tongue, lightening the weight of the meal and leaving the mouth crystalline and clear.

Dessert
Ricotta and Lemon Zest

Gently warmed ricotta cheese topped with sweet honey and freshly grated lemon zest. The soft, delicate flavor of the cheese harmonizes beautifully with the bright, citrusy notes of lemon—a refined conclusion to the meal.

* * *

“Mmph.”

Coco hummed in protest.

“Mmph….”
“Your technique for expressing dissatisfaction passively is quite refined.”
“Mmmph.”
“I never taught you that.”

Where on earth did she pick that up?

‘Is she somehow accessing the internet without my knowledge?’

Despite having no recent study sessions, Coco’s ever-improving social acumen left me puzzled. For about three seconds, anyway. In any case, her developing communication skills were probably a good thing.

“Are you concerned about me?”
“Hello?”
“I’m fine.”
“No.”
“So it was you who wasn’t fine, wasn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“Haven’t learned humility yet, I see.”

She has a long way to go.

“Do you think I’m offering undeserved kindness?”
“Yes.”
“You know my true nature completely, yet you say such cruel things.”
“Mmmph.”
“Heh.”

The possibility that it was intentional cuteness sends a chill down my spine.

“Well, it’s hardly standard protocol. I’m aware of that.”

My approach to this senile old man, who carried himself like he was about to devour me whole, was anything but conventional.

“But we must think long-term.”
“How long?”
“If things go well, even beyond reconciliation.”
“Not hello to you either.”
“Then I must also consider what happens after I lose.”
“Vampire. Bohemia. Seventeenth century.”
“Right, and that’s only if I win the blood feud, at minimum.”

Lee Yeon-woo compulsively smoothed out the wrinkles in his sleeve. Perhaps because of his naturally sensitive disposition, ever since ‘positive emotion’ had been torn away, even these small disarrangements became unbearable.

“In the end, the Tasteless Guest is still a guest of our Hotel. Respecting that choice is part of my responsibility as well.”
“Your responsibility?”
“Yes.”

When a natural disaster comes, you don’t curse at the sky—you simply open an umbrella. With an expressionless face, he pressed the button for the 14th Floor Elevator.

“Hello?”
“Fine then. Let me be honest for once.”
“Fine!”
“Actually, it’s not fine at all.”

Truly, a vampire centuries old was not in his right mind. I couldn’t help but feel stressed by this troublesome guest who arbitrarily changed the Game’s rules. Even the Wet Person, who had at least followed one rule, seemed preferable by comparison.

“But that doesn’t mean I intend to change my approach.”
“Hm.”
“You can accept this situation with ease. Just because the other party doesn’t respect me doesn’t mean I should do the same. That would be far too… inadequate.”
“Inadequate. Tasteless.”
“They say you must watch every word in front of children.”

I must be losing my mind. When did I even learn to hold my tongue?

“Hehe.”
“….”

Hearing laughter that resembled a child’s, Lee Yeon-woo exhaled softly.

“…These menus were created for the Tasteless Guest in the first place. If we must discard them for emotional reasons, it would be a waste for both of us.”
“Friends? Friends?”
“There’s nothing impossible about it.”

A soured mood didn’t change the identity of the goose that laid golden eggs. Lee Yeon-woo remained a valuable supplier to him, and the Tasteless Guest was a potential consumer.

“Of course, he won’t see it that way.”

It was all a matter of lacking influence. For his age, the Tasteless Guest had immature aspects.

“Whether his gamble fails or succeeds, he believes he’ll never taste anything like the meal being offered now. By the standards of the world he knows, that’s simply how things are.”

If the hunt failed, Lee Yeon-woo—stripped of all “positive emotions” and with his life threatened—would never provide him with a meal directly. This was a special menu for a “friend,” after all.

If it succeeded, it would be after Lee Yeon-woo had already been absorbed. He too would fail to receive the special menu. What use would Lee Yeon-woo be once he’d seeped into the body and become a single drop of blood?

“That’s why he can’t refuse. Whether what’s inside is medicine or poison, he’s confident a few meals won’t kill him, and there’s the regret that he won’t taste it if not now.”
“Hehehehe!”
“You’re the type who particularly enjoys it when I do something wicked.”

He was a good person. He loved delicious food, wanted to maintain courtesy, wanted to be a good human. Even with one “positive emotion” stolen away, Lee Yeon-woo’s “humanity” hadn’t changed.

“Rather, it’s precisely because of that I can more easily grasp the other’s psychology….”

Coco, who had been on the floor, looked up at him. Lee Yeon-woo brushed his shoulder lightly and placed Coco there. Coco settled into position with practiced ease, as always.

A faint chill ran down his neck, but he boarded the Elevator without hesitation.

“There is one puzzling point. The Tasteless Guest didn’t finish consuming my emotions.”
“That’s correct.”
“Whether it’s malice meant to prolong this troublesome time, or simply because those emotions don’t suit his taste—whatever the reason, it’s an excellent variable and good news for me.”

A whip only works if one can feel the pain.

“The strategy from just before was quite effective.”

I felt like I was going mad. My head spun relentlessly. I amplified my self-reproaching voice and buried trivial sorrow, finally gathering the ID card and records. Now only one record remained.

‘Everything is proceeding smoothly.’

So it was better to have no variables. Unlike my previous playthroughs, if anything had changed, I would need time to adapt to my altered state.

“….”

I murmured while watching the ascending numbers on the elevator display.

“…It would have been nice if I could collect Memory Cards too.”

I was already susceptible to negative emotions as it was. Reflecting on when I’d examined the previous Memory Cards, I’d determined that obtaining the 14th Floor’s Memory Card would be emotionally detrimental.

So even as I diligently explored the 14th Floor, I excluded Memory Cards from my collection. My emotional system was already a mess. I didn’t want to stain this blank slate with the psychology of criminals.

“It’s unfortunate, but I acknowledge it. My condition isn’t good.”

Ding—
That grating mechanical sound again.

“But soon, everything will be over.”
“Yes.”
“Just one more thing….”

Just one more record to find.

Then I could gain access to the Central Control Room.

“….”
“….”

Beyond the open elevator doors, I took in the sight that had become familiar by now.

“…Sigh….”

Someday I’ll clean this place up and dry it out.

* * *

As an aside.

Recently, the Tasteless Guest’s questions had decreased.

‘―May I eat this?’

…That was the question.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————