Faced with Vera's unwavering resolve and the certainty in her eyes, Eve finally decided to bring her along to Everslumber Town to complete the hotel's commission.
Vera stayed behind to change clothes, while Eve followed Udon back to the manager's office to gather the supplies they'd need for the trip.
"I can't go with you," Udon said.
Eve stopped in her tracks.
"Why not?"
"Once the manager leaves, at least one of the staff has to stay behind to watch over the hotel. I can't leave Long Night Hotel."
Udon stopped outside the manager's room.
Eve had assumed Udon would be coming with them. Even if he couldn't fight directly, he still knew far more about Longnight than either of them did.
Now, two people who knew next to nothing about this world—and had little ability to defend themselves—would have to venture into the unfamiliar Everslumber Town alone.
"You're the manager now, but the hotel doesn't guarantee you'll always make it back alive from outside."
"If you die out there, this hotel will lose its manager all over again."
Udon's tone remained flat.
Watching Eve fall silent, Udon thought back to a little while ago — Eve and Vera sharing their biscuits with him.
He let out a small sigh, his tone softening, just slightly.
"I'll tell you everything I know. I hope you make it back safely."
The tension in Eve's expression eased, just a little.
She knew she couldn't lean on Udon for everything. But the more she knew going in, the better her chances of coming out alive.
She still hadn't found a way home.
So she wasn't ready to die yet.
There were only a few usable supplies left in the manager's room.
A metal flashlight. A retractable baton. Some bandages and basic wound-care items.
Eve packed the supplies into an old backpack and clipped the baton to her belt.
"What do we need to watch out for in Everslumber Town?"
"Don't fall asleep."
Udon answered immediately.
"Everslumber Town is covered year-round in a strange mist that makes people fall asleep. That's how the place got its name."
From somewhere, he produced two face masks. Hooking his teeth through the straps, he carried them over and dropped them in front of Eve.
"The sleep mist has a faint sweetness to it. Breathing it in won't knock you unconscious right away. First, your body will gradually relax. Your reactions will slow. Eventually, you'll become so sleepy that you won't be able to resist it."
Udon looked up at her.
"The longer you breathe it in, the stronger the effect becomes. Anyone who's already mentally exhausted is especially vulnerable."
"These ordinary masks can slow the effects a little, but they won't protect you completely."
Eve picked one up.
No matter how she looked at it, it was nothing more than the kind of ordinary face mask she could have found anywhere back in her own world.
"What happens if we actually fall asleep?"
"I don't know."
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Udon's tail swept lightly across the floor.
"There have been reports of strange things happening there recently. 'Don't fall asleep' is one of the few clues I have. As for why, I'm not entirely sure."
He paused.
"I've been stuck in the hotel. I don't get much information from outside, and I don't know what caused Everslumber Town to become the way it is now."
Something occurred to Udon, and he lifted his head.
One night, Vesper had returned to the hotel unusually late.
He'd looked unusually exhausted that night, as though he'd just returned from Everslumber Town.
He and Udon had crossed paths at the front desk, trading their usual round of barbs as always. But before heading upstairs to rest, Vesper had — uncharacteristically — given him a serious warning.
"Tell the others not to touch the sleepers in Everslumber Town unless they have to."
Eve's brow creased slightly.
"Sleepers?"
"People who collapse under the mist's effects during the Greyday and never wake up. The locals call them 'Sleepers.'"
Udon said. "All I know is that touching them carelessly usually doesn't end well."
The information Udon could provide was limited, but at least Eve now had two important warnings.
Don't fall asleep.
And don't touch the Sleepers.
With nothing more to go on, Eve simply tucked the two masks into her backpack.
"How do we get to Everslumber Town?"
"The hotel's front door will take you to the commission location," Udon said. "Once you cross through, the passage will close and the hotel entrance will disappear."
"So we can't come back the same way?"
"No."
Udon looked at the watch on Eve's wrist.
"To come back, you'll need to find a door on the other side that can establish a connection to the hotel. That becomes your return door."
"Can it be any door?"
"No. Only a door capable of responding to the hotel's authorization."
He continued explaining.
"Once you find a suitable door, your manager's watch can open a passage back to the hotel. Vera's room key will confirm her status as a registered guest."
"How do we know which door will work?"
"When you get close enough, either the watch or the key will react on its own."
Udon offered no further explanation. He only gave her one final warning.
"Remember. Finding the mission items doesn't mean the commission is complete."
"You have to bring them back to the hotel alive."
Eve slung the old backpack over her shoulder and returned to the lobby with Udon.
Vera was already there, waiting, changed into new clothes.
She'd traded last night's impractical dress for a simple dark top, black trousers, and a pair of boots suited for walking. Her long hair, once loose over her shoulders, was now tied up high.
The clothes looked a little dated, but clean and well-fitted.
Changed like this, Vera no longer looked like the victim who'd been rescued into the hotel last night, someone who could only wait for others to protect her.
"Ready?" Eve asked.
"Ready."
Eve handed Vera one of the masks.
"Everslumber Town is covered year-round in a special mist that makes people drowsy. We can't fall asleep there — it could be dangerous if we do."
She added another warning.
"Even with the mask on, don't let your guard down. The moment you start feeling tired, tell me right away."
Vera took the mask and nodded.
Eve raised her wrist to check the time.
〖9:17 a.m.〗
Ever since completing the authorization process at the hotel core, her watch had been connected to the hotel. She could now use it to check hotel commissions, mission objectives, remaining time, and progress whenever she wanted.
The moment her gaze settled on the watch face, the ordinary glass surface glowed with a faint dark gold light.
[Entry-Level Management Commission]
[Location: Everslumber Town]
[Time remaining: Two nights]
[Companion: Vera]
The words quickly faded, and the watch returned to normal.
Eve and Vera arrived at the hotel's front doors. A thin sliver of pale grey light seeped through the crack between them.
Eve took hold of the handle, fixing the commission's destination firmly in her mind.
Everslumber Town.
The watch on her wrist gave a soft vibration.
[Destination confirmed.]
[Establishing passage...]
Click.
The lock released on its own.
Eve and Vera put on their masks together.
"Ready?" Eve asked.
Vera's hand, tucked in her pocket, tightened around the brass key to Room 101.
She pushed down the fear and unease coiled in her chest and said, steady:
"Let's go."
Eve pushed the front doors open.
The two of them stepped out, one after the other.
The doors swung slowly shut behind them.
When Eve turned to look back, the hotel was gone. Only a cracked, grey wall remained.
"It really is gone," Vera murmured. "We can't go back."
"At least not from here."
Eve touched the watch on her wrist.
"Once we finish the commission, we'll find our way back."
They walked forward along the stone-paved road.
They hadn't gone far before an old stone entrance slowly emerged from the fog.
Two weathered stone pillars stood on either side of the road, a heavy stone plaque resting across the top. Dark green moss crept along its edges, and at its center, three large characters, worn nearly smooth, were carved into the stone.
[Everslumber Town]
Beyond the plaque stretched a narrow, dilapidated street.
Wooden houses stood pressed close together on either side, their eaves hanging low, faded banners drooping motionless above shopfronts. The whole street carried an old, unfamiliar air, as though it had been forgotten for years.
No wind stirred.
No footsteps sounded.
No voices spoke.
Only a pale white mist drifted slowly beyond the stone plaque.
Eve and Vera exchanged a glance.
Then, together, they stepped through the stone entrance marked Everslumber Town.
The moment they crossed the threshold, the pale mist closed around them.
A faint sweetness lingered in the air.
Almost imperceptibly, their bodies began to relax.
And with it came a slow, creeping drowsiness.