It would have been fine, but since this story isn’t about the protagonist or the people around them, I decided to make it a side story.
The party “Blue Sky” was currently in a predicament on a certain floor of Amamiya Tower.
They had come to this floor to obtain the materials for a request, but one of their companions had sustained a moderately serious injury during combat.
The battle itself and the subsequent collection of materials were finished, but tending to their wounded companion had unexpectedly taken up a lot of time.
Even if they wanted to set up camp, the place where the battle had occurred was still stained with blood, making it impossible to stay there for long.
Furthermore, they couldn’t travel long distances since one of their companions would have to be carried.
There was no Safe Area on their current floor either.
Given the time, they needed to set up camp somewhere, but finding a suitable location was proving difficult.
However, just as the leader, who was facing a crucial decision, was about to speak, a voice unsuited for the situation was heard.
“Huh? Hey, old guys, what’s wrong?”
With the sound of rustling grass, a small girl appeared.
“Wh-what!?”
The place they were currently in was a rather dangerous area.
There was no way a little girl like her should be here.
Her companions naturally became vigilant, but either the girl didn’t notice or simply ignored them, and turned her gaze towards their injured companion.
“Oh. You got hurt.”
After nodding a couple of times, the girl continued.
“Hey. Wanna come to my house?”
“…Huh?”
The leader was so taken aback by the sudden invitation that he was speechless.
Whether seizing on that moment or by sheer coincidence, the girl approached the leader and started tugging on his arm.
Despite their vigilance, her companions were quickly approached.
Moreover, her sheer innocence had completely disarmed them.
Pulled along by the girl’s insistent “Let’s go,” the leader began to move.
Drawn by his movement, the rest of the party followed.
Of course, the injured companion was being carried on someone’s back.
They soon stopped at a place not too far from where the party had been.
“…Here?”
“Yeah! That’s right!”
The girl nodded in affirmation, but all around them were only trees and grass with no discernible buildings.
The leader inwardly thought they had been tricked.
While there were legends of monsters shapeshifting, there were no reported sightings in modern times.
Therefore, the leader suspected not monsters, but brigands or bandits.
He hadn’t heard of bandits appearing on the floors of Amamiya Tower, but it was a world where one couldn’t definitively say they didn’t exist.
The other party members wore similar expressions of suspicion.
Completely unconcerned by their surroundings, the girl continued to pull the leader’s arm.
Then, at a certain point, she disappeared with the leader.
“Wh-what!?”
Startled by the sudden event, one of the members moved to the spot.
“Wait!”
Another member hastily stopped him.
Approaching rashly could lead to unknown dangers.
While they wanted to know what had happened to their leader immediately, they judged it better not to act rashly.
However, as if anticipating their dilemma, the same girl reappeared from the same spot.
“Aren’t you coming~? Your companions are waiting over there~?”
With that, she disappeared again.
The leader did not reappear during that time.
“Damn it.”
“W-hey!?”
One of the companions who cursed approached the spot where the girl had vanished, while another tried to stop him.
“We can’t help it, right? We’re worried about the leader.”
Besides, if the girl could do anything to the leader, she would have attacked them from the start.
Believing this, one of them approached the spot where they had vanished.
And, just like the leader, he too disappeared.
The remaining members were then forced to make a decision.
The two who had gone ahead had not returned.
They had no idea if there was a reason for their non-return.
However, they couldn’t stay in this place forever.
“…Let’s go.”
When one of them spoke, the others wore expressions of resignation.
Perhaps making decisions like this was characteristic of adventurers.
In the end, all of them proceeded towards the spot where their companions had disappeared.
***
They were sent (?), and found the leader and the companions who had gone ahead waiting.
The path they had taken earlier was a one-way street for those not permitted to pass, and they could not return.
The reason the girl was able to return once was because she had obtained permission.
And at the place where they were sent, just as the girl had said, stood a large building.
Seeing them all together, the girl said “This way~” and ran towards the entrance of the building.
One of the companions, following the girl, spoke to the leader.
“Hey. Have you ever heard of a Safe Area like this?”
“…No. Never.”
The leader shook his head, but there was undeniably a building before them.
And at what appeared to be the entrance, a cloth-like object was hanging.
Anyone knowledgeable would have recognized it as a “noren,” but unfortunately, no one in this party possessed that knowledge.
A person with deep faith might have recognized the building’s similarity to a “shrine,” a form of temple.
Confused, the members of “Blue Sky” were led by the girl into the building through the entrance.
And there, they met a beautiful woman.
The beautiful woman bowed once to the members and said,
“Welcome to our nameless inn.”
At her words, everyone wore expressions of surprise.
The leader, representing the party, asked,
“Is this… an inn?”
“Yes. It is. It’s only recently opened, so it’s understandable that you wouldn’t know. Besides, only those who are liked by these children can stay here.”
They could guess that “these children” referred to the girl, but looking around, they could only see one.
However, the moment the leader thought this, about ten children emerged from various parts of the building.
There were boys among them as well.
The companions were astonished, having felt no presence whatsoever, and the leader shared the same sentiment.
Hiding his inner shock, the leader asked the question that was on his mind.
“But if only children who are liked can stay, you probably don’t make much profit, do you?”
To his question, the woman replied with a tinkling laugh.
“That’s true. It’s purely a hobby.”
Seeing the woman’s face, the leader stopped being overly cautious.
Whether it was the woman’s aura or the children who were still clinging to them, he felt his guard inexplicably lowering.
Seeing the leader’s demeanor, his companions also lowered their guard.
Of course, they didn’t completely let their guard down.
The woman, whether she noticed or not, smiled and continued.
“So, would you like to stay? Your companion seems injured, so I believe it would be best?”
“…Ah, we will.”
The leader decided to stay at the inn for the night.
They knew they had to stay somewhere for the night.
Therefore, he thought it would be better to stay in a place with a roof over their heads.
Afterward, “Blue Sky” returned to town after a normal two-night stay without any further incidents.
The stay was extended from one night to two because their injured companion’s condition was not very good.
Additionally, the meals served at the inn were superb.
On their return journey, they took a different route, and when “Blue Sky” tried to revisit the spot where they had entered on their way in, the girl never appeared again.
The experience of “Blue Sky” became the root of rumors, and subsequently, several other parties had similar experiences.
The location where they could find the inn changed with each spreading rumor, making it impossible to pinpoint.
Eventually, it became known among adventurers as an inn that could be stayed at at the whim of its proprietor.
It was a bit later that it came to be called the “Illusionary Inn,” due to the inexplicable nature of finding it and the fox statues and decorations within.
This was about what the foxes, who hadn’t been seen lately, were doing.
This is accommodation management Part 2.
I wonder who the woman who appeared is. (For real.)
It’s up to your imagination.
