Shangri-La at the Fort, Manila.
By the time the van driven by Dizon rolls to a stop, the sky has already begun to shift into dusk, the fading light reflecting softly across the hotel's towering glass façade.
The door slides open, and one by one they step out onto the pavement, their attention immediately drawn upward. No one speaks at first, all of them caught off guard by the building's sheer scale.
The building rises in front of them in commanding lines, its glass exterior catching the last glow of the evening and holding it like a mirror. Subtle interior lights have already begun to come alive behind the panels, giving the entire structure a layered depth; half reflecting the outside world, half revealing the controlled calm within.
Okabe lets out a long breath. "You've got to be kidding me…" he says, his voice slipping into a quiet laugh. "This place is insane. Are we actually staying here?"
