Volume 5 Chapter 6 Tsukise Highland Resort
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Airplane left on time, arrived ten minutes early.
”Arri☆val☆”
”District 5, first landing…!”
Yuu and Yui struck their signature poses as they got off.
”You’re blocking people. Keep moving,” Manaka said, sharp.
They had Chifumi snap a photo, then scurried off.
”Ugh… plane… so sick… so scary…” Sawa groaned, clutching her stomach.
I held Sawa up as we walked. She never gets carsick. But planes were her kryptonite (weakness).
I don’t like flying either. But Sawa was worse, so I took care of her.
”I need solid ground or I’m done…” Sawa muttered, pale.
”We have to fly back too,” I said.
”Can we take a boat?” she begged.
”You know how long that takes? Forget it,” I sighed.
A full day across stormy winter seas — everyone would be seasick.
”You okay?” Mitsuki asked, calm.
”I’m fine,” I said.
”Good,” she nodded.
As she turned, Sawa yelled after her.
”Hey! Don’t just ignore me! Mitsuki, heal me!” she begged.
”Yes, yes,” Mitsuki sighed, already casting.
With solid ground and Mitsuki’s Recovery sorcery, Sawa got better fast. By baggage claim, she was normal.
We stepped out of the arrival gate, looking for our pickup.
”Risa — over here — “
”Sister,” Risa murmured.
Risa’s older sister waved — Anri-san. She held a small whiteboard: ‘Tatemiya Party.’ We headed toward her.
’Nice to meet you,’ we said in unison.
The volume drew stares — then they drifted away. Anri-san seemed surprised by our group size.
”Sorcerer party of 12, I’ve been waiting. I’m Risa’s sister, Anri. Welcome to the 5th District!” She smiled, warm.
Only I, Risa, and Yurina had met her. The other nine hadn’t. She skipped introductions for now and led us to the lot.
”I rented a hotel bus. This way,” she said.
Outside the airport, snow piled high. The cold was nothing like the 13th District. Anri-san stopped at a mid-sized bus with the hotel name on it.
”This takes you to the cottage. Everyone on,” she said.
The driver stepped down — a woman in her mid-forties, sharp in a hotel uniform.
We boarded. The bus slid away like on ice. Anri-san picked up a mic from the front seat.
”Ahem… welcome again to the 5th District. I’m Naruse Anri, Risa’s sister — that one over there. I’m a second-year in high school. I’ll be your guide today. Your driver is Sakamoto. The ride is short, so please bear with me,” she said, polished.
Everyone clapped.
”This bus is leaving the airport for Tsukise Hotel cottages, about one hour. …Look over there — the central city of the 5th District. All the public buildings are there. You see the high-rises? Your destination is opposite the city, at the base of the mountains you see faintly. It’s too far to see clearly, but we’ll get closer.”
Anri-san spoke smoothly, glancing at a paper in her hand. I’d met her before — I thought she was quiet and reserved. She wasn’t what I’d pictured.
Mitsuki, in front of me, pointed out the window.
”Minoru, look! A rabbit!” she said, excited.
”Oh, right. A wild rabbit on the roadside. Really the Land of Trials,” I said.
”Is this normal? Maybe there are foxes too,” she wondered.
”Small, cute animals are fine. But bears or deer? No,” I laughed.
Anri-san noticed too.
”Wild animals on the main road during the day is rare. You’re lucky. Deer rarely go into the city. But around the hotel, if you go into the mountains, deer are common. I heard wolves used to live here, but none lately.”
Everyone kept their eyes on the view. Even Sawa, who usually starts gaming immediately, stared earnestly.
As Anri-san continued guiding, we marveled at the snowy landscape. Our destination came closer. Mitsuki and Asari were the first to notice.
”Whoa, something huge,” Mitsuki gasped.
”Amazing…” Asari said.
First came the ski resort. People swarmed the white mountainside like ants. Nearby, three hotel buildings stood, packed with other buildings.
Anri-san explained.
”That’s Tsukise Highland Resort. The main attractions are two ski resorts and three hotels. With good access to the city and airport, it’s gotten very popular. Tourist numbers are rising over 10 percent every year. They widened this road recently — traffic jams are gone, but now people overflow into the highland. They keep adding buildings and shops.”
I looked at the pamphlet. Which one was our place?
”The hotel on the far right has capital from the Naruse family estate. It’s the most traditional among the three,” Anri-san said.
Risa spoke up.
”Calling it ‘traditional’ sounds nice, but you’re just dressing up ‘old’ in fancy words,” Risa said.
Anri-san smiled bitterly. She didn’t seem to mind — Risa was family, and everyone here was a friend.
”That’s true. As Risa says… but we’ve renovated as needed. I don’t think it looks worse than the newer ones,” Anri-san replied, calm.
Her expression was relaxed.
The bus stopped at the hotel rotary.
”We’ll check in now. Everyone off for a moment. Leave your large luggage. Bring valuables,” Anri-san said.
Everyone filed off. The lobby was huge — bigger than I’d expected. There was a shop and a place to eat. If we needed anything, we could come here.
At desks in the lobby, everyone filled in their addresses and names. Manaka and I collected the papers. We handled check-in.
After formalities, we went to the cottage. The hotel map showed it was walkable, but carrying heavy bags through snow was hard. We took the bus.
A few minutes later, we arrived.
”Oh… grand…” Mitsuki whispered.
She seemed moved. Compared to Onigashima Villa — a Showa-era resort — this was newer, log-cabin style. First impressions won by miles.
Often, places look great in photos but disappoint in person. This one didn’t.
We unloaded luggage, unlocked the entrance, carried things inside. The living-dining room was so spacious I couldn’t guess the size.
”How is it? Good?” Anri-san asked me.
”It’s so amazing I’m speechless,” I said.
”Glad to hear it… Everyone, what now? If you need the hotel, I can take you by bus,” she offered.
”Let’s see…” I said.
It was 3:00 PM. I figured we’d explore the cottage, assign rooms, then rest. I called Chifumi.
”Attention everyone. Anyone want to go to the hotel for shopping or errands?” Chifumi asked.
No one raised a hand. Everyone wanted a break after traveling since morning.
”I’ll pick you up in two hours. Dinner is at the hotel, so relax until then,” Anri-san said.
She got back on the bus and returned.
”Right, then, rooms first~” Chifumi declared.
She assigned rooms. First floor had a living-dining room, a small bedroom, and plumbing. Second floor had six bedrooms.
I took one room on the first floor. The two newcomers shared another.
The room was spotless. Sheets and curtains were neat, amenities ready for our number. Staying here regularly must be expensive.
I dropped my luggage and wanted to dive into the fluffy bed… but I’d fall deep asleep. I sat on the living room sofa instead.
As I drank the tea provided, Risa and Yurina came down from the second floor. I poured them tea.
”Risa, you’ve been here before, right?” I asked.
”To this hotel, yes. To this cottage, no. First time. I’ve had meals at the hotel restaurant with my family,” she said.
”I see. And Yurina?” I asked.
”First time in the 5th District,” she said.
They’d been friends since elementary school. I’d assumed they’d come here at least once.
”No way I’d bring Yurina just to meet ‘That person’,” Risa muttered.
”I don’t like winter sports much, so…” Yurina said.
Risa’s tone was sharp. Coming here meant meeting the Naruse mother. For Risa, it was a place to avoid. Yurina wouldn’t come if she wasn’t interested.
”Anri-san lives around here?” I asked.
”Yes. She lives with ‘That person’ in the Naruse family estate’s annex. She’s a second-year at the sorcerer’s private high school. She plans to get a job at the hotel after graduation, so she helps out on her days off as training. She handled the bus well, didn’t she?” Risa explained.
”That explains it. She seemed practiced,” I said.
Something caught my attention.
”Wait. A job at the hotel? Anri-san is a sorcerer, right?” I asked.
”Yeah,” Risa said.
”As in, she’s getting a job as a ‘plain-person’? Or…” I probed.
”Just as you think… yes. Let me explain,” Risa said.
She sat next to me, pulled close, and began. A little too close. Yurina sat on my other side and pressed against me.
If Manaka and the others saw, I’d be teased. I moved away.
”Ugh… anyway. On the hotel grounds, there’s a dungeon,” Risa started.
”Oh,” I said.
”It existed before the hotel was built — over 100 years for sure,” she continued.
”That is something…” I murmured.
”The family that managed the dungeon was my mother’s family,” she said.
Guardians of an ancient dungeon. A sorcerer bloodline with pedigree.
”The hotel belonged to that family too. But it couldn’t turn a profit and went under. Then the Naruse merchant guild provided capital. They maintained the surrounding facilities and renovated the hotel. The hotel got back on its feet, and the guild got a connection to sorcerers,” Risa explained.
”And the result is Anri-san, Risa, and your mother?” I clarified.
”That’s it,” she nodded.
”So, Anri-san will manage the dungeon in the future?” I asked.
”That’s the plan,” she said.
Risa sank into the sofa, moving away.
”Right now, sorcerers related to my mother’s birth family manage it. But after graduation, my sister will take over as manager. It’s the Naruse family’s heavy-handed move. It’s going to be a struggle for her,” Risa said.
I don’t know what kind of sorcerers manage it now. Probably a title-only position. If it’s 100 years old, the management methods are set. Even strong women who aren’t witches could do it. So it’s a workplace Mr. Naruse-papa made for his daughter.
A job through connections. Outwardly, no one says anything. But inside? Complicated for the person getting it.
”What did your mother say?” I asked.
”That person is indifferent. She gives some input, but no help or advice,” Risa sighed.
”…That’s harsh,” I said.
No support for her own daughter? Too much even for a toxic parent.
”If it were just her attitude toward me, I could understand. I didn’t have any inherent sorcery. But Anri-neesan is her daughter, born with the same inherent sorcery. Couldn’t she do something?” she said.
Risa sighed. She drank some tea, then voiced her thoughts.
”That’s exactly why I don’t understand why she wants to meet me now. From my position, asking ‘what do you want after all this time?’ is natural, right?” she asked.
”Maybe so,” I said.
”Ah… my heart feels heavy…” Risa muttered.
She looked up at the ceiling. Neither Yurina nor I had words for her.
—
Summary:
The group arrives at the Tsukise Highland Resort in the 5th District after a flight that leaves Sawa feeling sick. They are greeted by Anri-san, who serves as their guide and takes them to their assigned cottage. After getting settled, the group rests while Minoru talks with Risa and Yurina about Anri-san’s future and the complex history of the Naruse family.
—
Trivia:
Sawa is unusually vulnerable to air travel compared to her typical resistance to motion sickness.
The 5th District is a rugged, cold environment compared to the 13th District.
The hotel being visited is built upon an ancient dungeon that has existed for over 100 years.
Naruse family estate management is deeply entangled with sorcerer lineages and dungeon oversight.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• A – A student from South Middle School described as an idol who has been recruited into R’s high school squad.
• Yui – One of the Futami twins and Yuu’s sister, this private school student has short hair with a white lock and pink/black attire. A traveler who poses with her companion, this blunt, low-tension Onibara disciple in the Shisei group uses knives and curse arts to manifest Clams. Highly objective, Minoru’s childhood friend helps diffuse tension in Manaka’s circle/bus but was eaten by the Phantom.
• Yuu – Energetic and bubbly, this Futami twin is Mai’s older sister, Yui’s younger sister, a Mid-guard, and member of Manaka’s group. Marked by her expressive gestures, striped high-leg swimsuit, and striking a pose upon landing, she diffuses resort tension with a card game. She loves meat, playfully pushes a mic to Minoru, and follows her sister in combat before being eaten by the Phantom.
• Manaka – An elegant, aristocratic Shisei High beauty and Kuga family sorcerer, she wields spatial and sound magic. Composed, strategic, and authoritative, she leads her own faction—integrating two new members—and reprimands public inconveniences. Formerly in Mitsuki’s group, she now advises her childhood friend Minoru, initiating sensitive requests and managing his group’s dynamics.
• K – A student from East Middle who followed N to National High School out of care, successfully remaining pure through N’s protection until a misunderstanding involving Anonymous Student 0008 led to her capitulation.
• M – A first-year student at District 13 High School and the childhood friend of Anonymous Student 0006, described as an atavistic strong-female who looks plain but possesses significant power.
• Chifumi – Minoru’s long-haired, scrawny childhood friend and romantic partner is a first-year honor student, vanguard, and Lead Majo who wields water/ice magic and a spear. Acting as the group’s observant travel coordinator and photographer, she masks her sharp intellect with a bubbly persona. She loves dressing as a witch and teasing Minoru, hiding their intense mana bond from her mother.
• T – A first-year student at District 13 High School who has recruited K and N from East Middle into his group.
• Sawa – Voluptuous and bespectacled, this private-school student, original Shisei member, and Onibara disciple is a relaxed, IT-savvy gamer carrying a portable console. Part of Manaka and Minoru’s groups, she is Minoru’s pragmatic childhood friend who reads him bluntly. She knows Mitsuki, enjoys dry-land fishing, acts as a peacemaker, and suffers extreme flight motion sickness needing recovery magic.
• S – A first-year student at District 13 High School who has taken B from North Middle into his squad.
• B – A student originally from North Middle School who was added to S’s group.
• Mitsuki – A tall, dark-skinned Oni girl with a large, athletic build and high metabolism, this blunt transfer student is a wealthy Sumo club member, Witch, and top assassin candidate who loves snacks. Shrouded in black, she uses a Kanabo, aerial footholds, and recovery magic. She is Minoru’s clingy childhood friend and rival, leaving Manaka’s group to join his winter trip as a supportive traveler.
• R – A first-year student at District 13 High School who has successfully built a squad and added multiple girls, including M and A, into his group.
• Risa – A tall, well-endowed Naruse merchant student raised as Plain-folk by a guild executive father. Aikawa’s sister and Anri’s older sister, she is a disciplined Onibara practitioner wielding a grenade rifle. As Minoru’s protective, authoritative childhood friend, she manages family tensions, cooks with Chifumi and Manaka, and maintains a sharp, distrustful attitude toward Komoda and newcomers.
• Tatemiya – The prestigious Tatemiya family plays a central role in the group’s social dynamics. Their name references the household where the protagonist Minoru, Kotoha, and his witches return to live, bond, and interact.
• Anri – The fourth Naruse sister and a Strong-Female who lives in the annex with her biological mother. As the older sister of second-year high school resort guide Risa, she acts as a guide and facilitator who manages logistics for Minoru and his companions.
• N – A student from East Middle with an eccentric personality who entered National High School due to complex family circumstances and used herself as leverage to negotiate a protective agreement for K.
• Yurina – A stoic, black-haired Plain-folk student and Kendo vanguard wielding a katana with powerful Severing Sorcery. Wearing an apron, cat ears, collar, and tail, she devotedly plays a cat obeying Lord Minoru, whom she reveres with intense romantic misunderstandings, though she exhibits shyness regarding his preferences. A polite, anxious dungeon explorer, she is Chifumi’s protector and Risa’s companion.
• Yuri – A cheerful and energetic first-year student at Higashi High who is a classmate of Shibuya and an acquaintance of Kibe Yurina from their middle school days. A girl known for being aggressive toward Hayato and displaying overt favoritism.
• Sakamoto – The female driver of the hotel bus in her mid-forties.
• Naruse – The Naruse family, an old-money sorcerer lineage and wealthy merchant guild, maintains a prestigious yet understated presence. Tied to Risa and Anri, they are led by the sisters’ influential mother, a key figure in hotel and dungeon management. They reside in a modest private estate featuring an integrated family dungeon and a dojo smaller than the Onigahara family’s.
• Minoru – A lean, black-haired student sorcerer and dungeon leader with adult memories secretly controls Aberrations via space magic. Pragmatically cynical yet calculated, he treats social interactions as strategic networking between sorcerers and plain-folk. This hidden Demon Lord and logistical caregiver handles the 5th District and a dramatic schoolmate harem (Mai, Risa, Mitsuki) at a resort cottage.
• Asari – A serious, tall, long-haired, and curvy (E-cup) Kasakura first-year honor student and dungeon explorer. Close to Mari and Nagase, she is Minoru’s devoted partner, pampered by him and unrestrained in intimate situations. This Crystal Wall vanguard marvels at the resort but acts fidgety around new group members, willingly joining the breeding ritual and embracing Halloween.
• Naruse-papa – The influential father of Naruse who is used as a cover story for the acquisition of rare items.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply