The hotel environment was quite nice; the lobby was clean and bright, and the receptionist had a sweet smile.
Roy walked to the front desk and took out his contestant ID.
"Hello, I'm a contestant here to check in."
The receptionist took the ID and tapped away on her computer.
"Alright, Mr. Roy. As a contestant, your stay is free. As for family members..."
She glanced behind Roy.
Misty, Delia, and Aimi were standing in a row.
The receptionist's eyes flickered slightly.
Three of them?
And they were all quite beautiful.
The one with orange hair was lively and cute, her eyes sparkling.
The one with long dark hair was gentle and mature, looking like she had a very good temperament.
The one with the ponytail was elegant and quiet, looking a bit shy.
They were all stunning.
The receptionist muttered to herself, thinking this contestant certainly had incredible luck with women.
However, she maintained her professional smile.
"Family members can also stay for free, but according to the rules, we can only provide a maximum of two rooms."
Hearing this, Aimi instinctively reached for her wallet.
"Then I'll..."
Before she could finish, Misty stepped forward and grabbed her arm.
"No problem, no problem! We're all with Roy, two rooms are enough!"
Aimi was stunned.
The receptionist was also stunned.
She looked at Misty, then at Delia, and finally at Roy.
Her eyes were filled with shock.
Three? All of them?
Is this man really that powerful?
Just how incredible must he be to land all three of these top-tier women?
Certain images involuntarily popped into her head, and her face turned slightly red.
But she quickly adjusted her expression and nodded.
"Alright, two rooms."
Aimi finally snapped out of it.
Her face turned bright red instantly.
"No, no, no, I'm not..."
Before she could finish, Delia also walked over and gently took her other arm.
"Go ahead and open them; we are all the companions of contestant Roy."
Delia was smiling, her tone gentle, but her words made Aimi's heart skip a beat.
Misty added from the side, "What? You don't believe us?"
The receptionist quickly shook her head.
"I believe you, I believe you."
As she operated the computer, she sighed inwardly.
The strong truly aren't people ordinary folks can understand.
What's a few more women by his side?
Perhaps these three are just the tip of the iceberg.
After finishing the procedures, she handed over two room cards.
"Two rooms with king-sized beds, both on the seventh floor. I wish you a pleasant stay."
Roy took the room cards and nodded.
The four of them walked toward the elevator.
Only after they were far away did Misty let go of Aimi's arm.
"Sister Aimi, don't blame me for talking nonsense just now."
She looked at Aimi seriously.
"You know what the situation is with your dad. If finances aren't great, we should save where we can. Anyway, the organizers said we could bring family, so we might as well take advantage of it."
Delia also gently patted Aimi's hand.
"That's right, don't overthink it. It'll be more lively if we stay together these next few days."
Looking at the two of them, a warm feeling welled up in Aimi's heart.
These two women she had only known for a short time cared about her more than her own father did.
Her father, Anthony, wouldn't even look her in the eye.
She took a deep breath and smiled at Misty and Delia.
"Thank you."
Misty waved her hand, "Oh, don't be so polite! We're all sisters!"
Delia also nodded with a smile.
The elevator arrived.
The four of them went upstairs.
On the seventh floor, the two rooms were next to each other.
702 and 703.
Roy handed the card for 702 to Aimi.
"You stay in this one."
Aimi took the room card and nodded.
"Then... goodnight."
The door to 702 closed, and Aimi stood alone in the room.
The room wasn't small; a two-meter king bed was covered in snow-white sheets, the air conditioning was at the perfect temperature, and the floor-to-ceiling window offered a view of the city night.
But she just felt empty.
She usually lived alone, so why did the room feel frighteningly large today?
Aimi walked to the edge of the bed and sat down, pressing on the mattress.
It was quite soft.
Much more comfortable than the bed at home.
She lay down and stared at the ceiling.
Quiet.
It was too quiet.
There wasn't a sound from 703 next door; the soundproofing seemed quite good.
But she couldn't help wondering—what were they doing over there right now?
...
Over in 703, it was anything but quiet.
As soon as Misty entered, she kicked off her shoes and hopped twice on the carpet with bare feet.
"Wow! This room is great!"
She turned and flopped onto the bed, splaying out like a starfish. She buried her face in the quilt and muffled a shout, "So soft—so comfortable!"
Delia smiled as she closed the door, set her bag down, and looked back at Roy.
"Do you want to shower first, or should we?"
Roy took off his jacket and hung it on the back of a chair. "You guys go first; I'll go last."
"Then I'm going first!" Misty sprang up from the bed with a carp leap, grabbed her small bag, and rushed toward the bathroom.
Delia shook her head, sat on the edge of the bed, and began organizing the things they would need for tomorrow.
The sound of splashing water came from the bathroom, along with the sound of Misty humming a song.
She was terribly off-key, but she sounded very happy.
Ten minutes later, Misty came out wrapped in a bath towel.
Her hair was dripping wet, water droplets trickling down her neck. The towel barely covered her from her chest to the top of her thighs, leaving large patches of her fair, tender skin exposed.
She dried her hair with a towel while hopping onto the bed.
"Sister Delia, it's your turn!"
Delia nodded, took her pajamas, and entered the bathroom.
The door closed, and the sound of water began again.
Misty, drying her hair, let her eyes wander and glanced at Roy, who was sitting by the bed looking at some documents.
She quietly scooted over.
"Roy~"
Roy looked up at her.
Misty leaned in close, her damp hair brushing against his shoulder.
"What are you looking at? Information on your tournament opponents?"
"Yeah, for tomorrow."
"Oh, isn't it just Aimi's old man? What's there to see?" Misty reached out to snatch the documents from Roy.
Roy raised his hand, preventing her from grabbing them.
Misty wouldn't give up; she lunged forward, wrapping one arm around his neck while reaching for the phone with the other hand.
"Give it to me, give it to me, give it to me~"
As she lunged, her towel loosened slightly.
Roy caught a glimpse of fair skin in his peripheral vision, and his movements faltered.
Misty took the opportunity to snatch the phone, tossed it onto the nightstand, and laughed triumphantly, "Hehe, got it!"
She sat on Roy's lap with her hands on her hips in a victor's pose.
Then she realized just how suggestive her posture was.
She wasn't wearing anything under the towel.
Misty's face turned slightly red.
But she didn't get down.
Instead, she playfully scooted forward and continued to mess around with Roy.
...
A short while later, the bathroom door opened, and Delia walked out wearing her pajamas.
She immediately saw the situation on the bed—Misty's towel was drooping...
Delia was stunned for a moment, then she smiled.
"You two... did you do something bad while I was in the shower?"
"No!" Misty replied giggling. "I'm just Helping Hand Roy with his combat training."
Delia walked over and gently tapped Misty.
"Alright, stop fooling around. Get ready to rest; Roy has a match tomorrow."
Misty gave a mischievous laugh and pulled Delia hard; Delia lost her balance and fell onto the bed.
Misty immediately wrapped around her like an octopus, dragging Delia under the covers as well.
"Sister Delia, come quickly, let's deal with Roy together."
After the three of them messed around for a bit longer, they finally lay down properly to rest.
...
In contrast to the merriment in 703, over in 702, Aimi lay on the bed alone.
Quiet.
She rolled over to face the wall.
Behind this wall was 703.
Roy and the others were there.
Misty and Delia should both be in that room.
The three of them...
Images uncontrollably surfaced in Aimi's mind.
What were Roy and the others doing?
Chatting? Or...
Aimi suddenly rolled over and buried her face in the pillow.
Stop thinking, stop thinking, stop thinking!
She gripped the corner of the pillow, her heart pounding wildly.
But the more she tried not to think about it, the clearer the images in her head became.
Roy's physique was so good, his abs were so firm, so...
"Aaaah..."
At that thought, Aimi let out a muffled, low-pitched scream into her pillow.
"What on earth am I thinking!!!"
Aimi pulled the quilt over her head and curled into a ball.
Isn't it normal to sleep alone usually?
Why today did she... did she...
Just because Misty and Delia held her arm?
Just because they said, "We're all with Roy"?
That sentence was fake!
They just said it casually to save money!
But why... why did she feel a sense of happiness in her heart when they were holding her?
It was as if... as if she really was Roy's woman.
Aimi poked her head out from under the quilt, staring at the dim ceiling.
If... if only it were true.
The moment that thought appeared, Aimi startled herself.
"I must be crazy..." she muttered softly.
But she couldn't help but think about it.
If she really were Roy's woman, she wouldn't be lying here alone right now.
Someone would be talking to her, someone would be touching her, someone would...
That special sensation in her body grew stronger and stronger.
Tossing and turning, Aimi struggled until midnight before finally falling asleep.
...
The next morning.
703.
When Roy opened his eyes, Misty was sprawled on his chest, sleeping soundly.
He moved slightly, and Misty let out a "mm" sound and nuzzled him, but didn't wake up.
Delia, however, was awake. She smiled when she saw Roy.
"Morning."
"Morning."
Delia's face turned slightly red as she looked away.
"I'm going to wash up," she said softly, carefully getting out of bed and heading into the bathroom with her clothes.
Misty was woken by the movement and lifted her head groggily.
"Mm... is it light out already..."
She rubbed her eyes and then gave Roy a bright smile.
"Good morning!"
With that, she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, then jumped naked out of bed to find her clothes.
She was full of energy, showing no sign at all of having been kept up until midnight.
The three of them finished washing up, packed their things, and headed out.
In the hallway, they happened to see the door to 702 open.
Aimi walked out.
But she clearly wasn't in high spirits.
There were faint dark circles under her eyes, her complexion was a bit pale, and although her hair was combed, she lacked yesterday's vigor.
"Sister Aimi! Morning!" Misty greeted her energetically.
"Morning..." Aimi's voice was a bit raspy.
Delia looked at her with concern. "Didn't sleep well?"
"Ah... yeah, I'm a bit of a light sleeper in new beds." Aimi smiled, but it was clearly forced.
Misty and Delia glanced at each other but didn't say much.
The four of them went downstairs for breakfast.
The restaurant was buffet-style, with a fairly rich variety.
Misty brought a large plate piled high with fried eggs, bacon, sausage, and bread.
Delia took salad and porridge, a healthy combination.
Roy took high-protein items—eggs, chicken breast, and milk—to store energy for today's match.
Aimi only took a cup of coffee and a small piece of toast.
"Sister Aimi, you're only eating that much?" Misty said with her mouth full of bacon.
"I don't have much of an appetite..."
Delia glanced at her, saying nothing, but there was a look of understanding in her eyes.
While eating, Aimi's gaze kept drifting toward Roy.
Specifically, it drifted toward Roy's lap.
Her mind was still filled with images from last night of Roy being with Delia and Misty.
Oh dear, oh dear...
Aimi suddenly lowered her head and took a large gulp of coffee, burning her tongue so badly she had to stick it out.
"Sister Aimi, are you okay?" Misty was startled.
"I-I'm fine! I'm fine!" Aimi waved her hands repeatedly, her face flushed red, though it was unclear if it was from the coffee or something else.
Misty looked at her suspiciously but didn't press further.
After breakfast, the four of them walked to the arena.
Today was the round of sixteen to decide the top eight.
The venue was twice as large as yesterday's, the stands were packed with people, and the atmosphere was much more intense.
Roy went backstage to prepare, while the three women found seats in the stands.
The matches began.
Roy's opponents today were still just random trainers, and he dealt with them easily.
...
By evening, the list for the top eight was released.
The names and avatars of the eight contestants scrolled across the large screen.
Roy, Primeape.
Anthony, Hitmonchan.
And six other contestants.
The host announced the matchups for the quarter-finals.
Roy versus Anthony.
When Misty saw the bracket, she couldn't help but comment.
"Sister Aimi, your old man actually seems to have some skill to make it into the top eight."
Aimi stared at Anthony's name and photo on the screen, her expression complex.
She then looked at Roy, her eyes filled with worry.
"Roy... are you confident?"
Roy looked at the bracket, then at Aimi's worried expression, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
"It's a small matter."
The previous few matches hadn't been very satisfying, and he hadn't really been able to show off the results of Primeape's training.
This was the perfect chance to test out Primeape's new move, Rage Fist, against Anthony.
...
There was a day of rest before the quarter-finals.
The organizers were quite considerate, leaving time for the contestants to adjust their condition.
Roy decided to take Misty and Delia out for a stroll.
"Sister Aimi, do you want to come along?" Misty asked, leaning against Aimi's door.
"I..." Aimi hesitated. "I don't really feel like going, you guys go ahead."
"Oh, come on! It's so boring being in the room alone!"
"No, I want to... rest a bit. I didn't sleep well last night." Aimi forced a smile.
Misty wanted to say more, but Delia walked up from behind and gently tugged her sleeve.
"Let Aimi rest."
Delia looked at Aimi, her tone gentle: "Get some good rest, and don't think too much."
Aimi was stunned, feeling that Delia's words had a double meaning.
But before she could think further, Delia had already pulled Misty away.
The room fell quiet.
Aimi sat on the bed alone, dazed for a while.
She really hadn't rested well these past two days; besides worrying about whether her father would come to his senses, she was also thinking about Roy.
She didn't know if it was because she was getting older, or if it was because of all the contact while teaching Roy martial arts at home, or perhaps Roy was just too charming.
She always had a strange feeling toward Roy, but since he was helping her save her father, Aimi didn't feel right speaking up and distracting him, fearing it would interfere with his matches.
Aimi let out a long sigh and collapsed onto the large bed...
***********************************
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