Infinite Cashback System

Chapter 247: 247 | Welcome to Paradise. Please Don’t Let The Women Kill Each Other.

The lobby of Hada no Yu smelled like cedar and money, two things Chloe had trained herself to identify within three seconds of entering any room. The polished wood floors reflected the paper lantern lighting in warm amber pools, and a scroll painting of misty mountains hung behind a reception desk that probably cost more than her mother’s dry cleaning business earned in six months. Every surface, every angle, every carefully placed stone in the entryway communicated a single message: you cannot afford to be here.

Chloe had spent eighteen years learning the language of wealth. She spoke it fluently. She recognized every dialect.

This place was the real thing.

Kumiko had already abandoned all pretense of composure and was crouching beside a bamboo water feature near the entrance, filming it with her phone while whispering rapid Japanese commentary to nobody in particular. Her twin tails bobbed as she moved from the bamboo to a stone lantern and back again, her platform sneakers squeaking against the polished floor.

"Chloe-chan, look at this joinery. Look at it. There are no nails. This is traditional Japanese carpentry, the kind where they cut the wood to fit together like puzzle pieces, and it takes years to learn, and my dad would literally cry if he saw this because he talks about this stuff all the time when we watch those home renovation shows and—"

"Kumi. Breathe."

"I am breathing. I’m breathing and talking and filming simultaneously. Multitasking."

The girl behind the reception desk, the one who had introduced herself as Tomoe Ishikawa, watched Kumiko’s orbit around the lobby with unrestrained delight. Tomoe stood maybe five four in her sandals, with a tanned, athletic build that suggested she spent more time hauling equipment than sitting behind desks. Her dark hair was cropped short and messy, and she leaned forward on the counter with both elbows, grinning like someone watching her favorite show.

"Your friend is really fun! Most guests just walk straight to the changing rooms, but she’s been examining the floor for like two minutes. Nobody ever appreciates the floor."

Chloe offered a polite smile. "She appreciates everything. It’s her defining trait."

A taller woman stood three steps behind Tomoe, and this one Chloe assessed with significantly more care. The woman wore a deep purple kimono with silver embroidery that clung to a figure Chloe’s trained eye cataloged at approximately a J-cup, which was frankly absurd, and her ink-black hair was arranged in an elaborate updo secured with ornate pins. Her face was beautiful in the classical sense. High cheekbones, porcelain skin, full lips set in a smile that managed to be warm and knowing and faintly predatory all at once. She looked like someone’s fantasy of a traditional Japanese hostess brought to life and given too many stat points.

"Welcome to Hada no Yu." The woman’s voice poured out like warm sake. "I am Ayaka Tachibana, General Manager. You must be Chloe-san."

"Just Chloe is fine."

"As you wish." Ayaka’s eyes traveled from Chloe’s face down to her white sneakers and back up in a single smooth sweep that felt less like judgment and more like measurement. "Master Jordan described you as the one who would ask many questions about the business."

Master.

The word landed in the center of Chloe’s chest like a stone dropped into a puddle.

"He said what now?"

"Master Jordan has spoken of you with great warmth." Ayaka’s smile deepened. "He indicated you were the most important person in his life and that your comfort should be our highest priority."

Chloe’s face went hot. The compliment was nice, sure, appreciated even, but her brain had snagged on one particular word and refused to release it.

Master.

A gorgeous woman with a body that violated several laws of physics had just referred to Chloe’s boyfriend as Master, and Chloe’s nervous system was not handling this information gracefully.

"Where is he?"

"Master Jordan is in the west corridor. He received a massage treatment following his gym session. I believe he is dressing now."

Chloe’s teeth pressed together.

A massage. From whom, exactly. The question formed in her throat and she swallowed it before it could escape, because she was Chloe Kim, she maintained composure in all situations, she had managed six thousand subscribers and their deranged requests for eighteen months without losing her mind, and she could absolutely handle one unreasonably attractive spa employee calling her boyfriend Master without spiraling into territorial fury.

Mostly.

"I’ll find him myself."

Chloe walked past the reception desk without waiting for directions, her sneakers quiet against the wood. The corridor extended deeper into the building, passing sliding paper doors and alcoves lit by small electric lanterns designed to look like candles. The air grew warmer and more humid as she moved further from the entrance, carrying the mineral scent of the hot springs below.

Jordan appeared at the far end of the hallway wearing a white cotton robe and wooden sandals, his dirty blonde hair slightly damp and his face carrying an expression of boneless contentment that Chloe recognized from their own post-intimacy moments. His skin had a flush to it, a healthy pink glow that made his hazel eyes look almost golden in the warm lighting.

"Hey." He smiled when he saw her. That real smile, the one that started slow and spread until it crinkled the corners of his eyes. "You made it."

Chloe closed the distance between them in four strides and wrapped both arms around his midsection, pressing her face into the opening of his robe where warm skin met cotton. He smelled like sandalwood oil and cedar and something mineral from the springs, layered over the baseline scent she’d memorized during two weeks of sleeping against his chest. Her arms tightened.

"You smell different."

"Ayaka used some kind of oil during the—"

"During the massage." Chloe kept her voice flat. "The massage that Ayaka gave you."

"Yeah. My shoulders were destroyed from sparring with Maya and she offered to—"

"She. Offered."