So, apparently, it is against the law for an innkeeper to wear anything other than blue in the True World. So, Carol, being a law-abiding citizen who did not wish to get into trouble, refused to make any major changes to my outfit. Wearing blue made it easier for people to identify who the innkeeper was and to hold them responsible for any dips in service quality.

“Can you do something about those tight sleeves, though?” I asked, leaning over the sewing machine in her room.

It wasn’t a particularly large space. In fact, it might have been the smallest bedroom in the entire building. Yet, she had managed to squeeze in way too much into it. Her closet, this machine, the gramophone, and even a table for her to practice writing on. Did I mention that Carol writes?

Yeah. Something of a superhuman, this one.

“I could make them non-existent. Pull the sleeves down to leave the top open, but then it would require elastic to be fastened.” She explained. “We don’t have elastic.”

“Because…?”

“I don’t know.” Carol shrugged. “We’ve never had any elastic, given how new it is. Ever since you brought me here, you’re the one who has stocked all the shelves. We wanted to ask you to bring some new things, but this is the first time the innkeeper has appeared herself. So, you know, this is a request to get some elastic?”

I had brought her here? Me? When?

“Well, let’s just say I can’t get it right now. What then?”

“In that case, I just use some black cloth to make straps for you to wear. Fixes the sleeve issue and does not require any elastic to remain on you.”

“Let’s do that, then. How long do you think it will take?”

“Eh…” She closed her eyes and calculated, straining her forehead. “Maybe thirty minutes?”

“Per dress? Or for all of them?”

“There are multiple dresses?”

“Duh.”

“What?”

“I mean, yes. Yeah, there’s multiple dresses.”

She groaned and looked at the one in her hand. I had taken it from the main innkeeper’s closet, which only contained these dresses. Five of them, to be exact. Five, and the one I was currently wearing after the bath.

“Can I take breaks in between?”

“Why? To make out with Earnest?”

“Wha!?!” She yelped, sitting straight up. A few random mumbles followed, and then incomprehensible gibberish as she tried to deny the allegations against her. Since it was the first day, she didn’t know that I knew.

“It’s alright, Carol. Take your time. Just make sure to give the scraps to me when you’re done, alright?”

More nonsense poured out of her mouth, confirming that my order had gone through. It was going to be alright. I left the room and made my way downstairs.

You might be wondering about the scraps, so let me fill you in. The scraps were necessary. It had taken a while, but I had ultimately figured out the reason why the mold stayed the way it did. Bella’s accidental help last loop, and the behavior I had noticed in the Cold Storage, had helped me narrow it down.

As the elf had reminded me, energy could not be created or destroyed. Something that didn’t exist could not be used to make something else. The mold walls or blobs never came back because the particles that made them up no longer existed. They floated up and became part of the main mold source in the Luxury Suite.

Since the Cube was meant to repair, and not destroy, it was not going to rip apart that bit of mold from the original to make the walls again. As far as it was concerned, those individual bits of mold had vanished. They were broken code it could not access.

Then, what happens when you apply that to clothes? Once cut, they could be repaired as long as they were in the inn. That was why once I got my hands on those scraps, I would throw them out of the inn and into space. As for the new straps Carol was making? They would officially become part of the dress, like the mold source, so the Cube would not dare destroy them.

If you ever want to wonder why things work the way they do, look no further than that rule. Poltrick’s leg, the book which unlocked the Secret Room, the map book I made. There was a reason one of them stayed while the others didn’t. Anything I did from now on needed to adhere to those rules.

And sure, yeah, the garbage in space thing was a bit unethical, but I had a plan for that as well. You’ll see. I promise.

For now, it was time to head to the Kitchen.

I had asked Earnest to make a special breakfast sausage for Old Man Dom, even though it was not part of the menu. He would not eat anything else, and I really needed to get my hands on Andrea’s diary as soon as possible. That needed to be secured before the end of the loop.

When I got there, however, something else struck me while looking at who Earnest was talking to. Since Carol was not there this time around, he had struck up a conversation with the dwarf.

“Innkeeper!” The chef called out. “The sausage breakfast meal is kept right there. Hope you like it!”

“Sausage breakfast meal!?” Poltrick exclaimed. “Are we not allowed to get anything like that?”

“Do you want some, Gregson?” I asked, smiling. “Earnest can make you some. However, I had something to ask you. Would it be possible for you to help out the inn a little bit, even though you are a customer here?”

“Well, you’ve said it yourself.” He snapped. “I am a guest, so why should I be doing any work?”

“We’ll pay handsomely.”

“What’s the job, innkeeper?”

I put my hand around the dwarf’s shoulder and led him out to the Lobby. Even though it looked as grand and enchanting as ever, the torches were starting to tick me off. There was a certain limit to how much my brain could accept the same thing over and over again.

“Do you see all of those ugly slabs on the windows?”

“Why, of course I do!” He snorted. “In fact, I was going to make it a point to ask you what was up with those. They are horrendous and block out the most magnificent views!”

“Well, I was thinking the same thing, actually.” I sighed to match his energy. “You’re so right about that, Gregson. But it wasn’t me. Some person who wanted to make fun of us and ruin the business put them up, and they’re starting to hurt my eyes. Since you’re a professional craftsman with some of the best tools in the business, I would love it if you could help us take them down.”

“Yes!” The dwarf laughed, puffing his chest out. “I am an incredible craftsman, indeed. It will take no time to get those down. Just you watch. What is the payment looking like? How much will be good?”

“I was thinking, Gregson…” I leaned into his ear and whispered. “We’ve got this really, really annoying cat on the premises. Just gets us all really angry. It would be such a help if you could take it off our hands.”

“I…” He mumbled back as his face grew red. “I-I will do exactly that, innkeeper. I will take that troublesome thing away. Don’t worry about it. They can be…uh…very aggravating, those little, beautiful…uh, horrible creatures.”

I gave the dwarf a pat on the back. “Thank you so much, Gregson.”

Getting out of there as he drifted off into dreams of feline friends, I went back into the Kitchen and thanked Earnest for the extra meal. Picking it up, I walked up to the First Floor and knocked on Room 102.

Old Man Dom refused to open, screaming about how he needed meat in his meals, and would not come for breakfast until then. Once I confirmed the name of the dish I had brought him, however, the door opened instantaneously.

“Say, sir. Do you mind if I try my hand on that piano of yours?”

“It is your own, young lady. I do not even use it, and I do not know why it is here!”

“Perfect~”

While he enjoyed his breakfast, I walked up to the piano and confirmed that the notes were still the same. Playing them on the correct octave, I waited for the mechanism to activate. Then, I thanked the old man once more before getting out of the room.

Walking through the corridor as the gears inside the walls groaned and creaked, I made it into the Meeting Room. And there, this time around, I was able to watch as the insignia on the room’s ceiling opened up. It was a trapdoor of some sort, and it immediately closed once it dropped Andrea Donatella’s diary out.

Eventually, one day, I would love to find out how that thing worked. But that day could not be today. It couldn’t be this loop, because I had already figured out what I needed to do down to the hour. Picking the book up from the floor, I hopped on down to the Ground Floor and reached Room 001.

When knocking on the door there did not give me my results, I made a jump and got to the point.

“Sir Magician. I have here with me Andrea Donatella’s seventh diary. If you’re willing to work with me, then I would love to strike a deal with you.”

The door opened instantly, with the hand reaching out to grab it. Instead of handing it over, however, I smacked it off.

“Not just yet! Now, listen to me.”

Once more, since he was clearly the man most in tune with cosmic happenings in this building, I explained it all. As quickly as I could, I got through the situation that was unfolding and the circumstances that had brought me here now. Quietly listening while his hand was still behind the open door, he accepted it all without queries.

“So, I need your help to make my Magic better. How do you think I can get around to doing that?”

“Just keep using Magic.” His answer was not as insightful as I had expected. “One day, you’ll just get it. There’s no straight path to winning that understanding. It must come to you naturally, Laura Mason.”

“That was…very helpful. Thank you so much, kind sir.”

“Now. Andrea’s diary.”

He gestured with his hand once more.

“Yeah, yeah. But you’ll give it back as soon as you can, right?”

“As soon as I am done.” He promised. “As soon as I am done, and have gone through it myself. You’re not the only one with a connection to that thing, got it?”

I happily handed him the book and stepped back with a smile. As he prepared to close the door, however, I was reminded of something.

“No, wait!”

“What is it?”

“What’s the name of the cat?”

“What cat?”

“The one you’ve probably got locked in its cage right now, considering that it hasn’t run out into the Lobby till now.”

“You…!” He grimaced. “You really have done this before, haven’t you? His name is Gazpacho.”

What?

The cat’s name was…Gazpacho? Like the dish? Like the soup? Spanish cat Gazpacho in the inn floating in space? Surely, he did not know what that word even meant.

“Right. Can I…get him? I am sure you love him, but it’s not nice for a cat to be locked up in a single room, is it? We’ll take care of Gazpacho for you. Promise.”

“I highly doubt that.”

“No, we really will. There are a lot of cat fans out here.”

He clicked his tongue and then rudely replied. “Alright. He’s sleeping right now, but I’ll let him out after some time.”

“Thanks! You’re a darling.”

The door shut without any more conversation. He probably didn’t even know what a darling was, did he? Well, whatever. I turned, only to hear Carol’s voice calling out to me.

Back in the Lobby, I found her waiting for me with the dress in her hand. She smiled and handed it over to me, promising that it looked incredible. Thanking her, I went back to the Innkeeper’s Room and changed into it. Using some of the extensive makeup on the dressing table, I even touched up on my face to get it looking better.

Then, like a very good and kind boss, I headed back to the Lobby with the other five dresses and handed them to her, too. Promising her that she could take a break whenever she felt like it, I let her retreat to her room.

Dress on, I set my sight on the last target for this round of check-ups. She had already finished her breakfast with the others, so she was probably in her room. It was about time we got to it.

Heading up the stairs, I walked to Room 103 and knocked on the door. Only one or two of them, and the confused elf opened the door.

“Innkeeper? Can I do something for you?”

“Bella Garlove.” I sighed with a slight exhaustion, ready to get the end of this started. “We need to talk.”

“Eh? What did I do?”

“No, like, uh, I have been telling that to everyone because it sounds cool.” I quickly backpedaled as soon as I heard her concerned tone. “I’m holding a joint event late in the night with everyone living in the inn. It would be great if you could attend too.”

“Oh, sure!”

I smiled, glad that this was starting well. Then, as if to break through that happiness, Poltrick’s screams filled the entire building. Bella flinched at the sudden bellowing, but I gave her a pat on the shoulder.

“The ground is missing!” He screamed.

“Wha-what’s happening?”

“Oh, nothing.” I pushed her in and closed the door, reassuring her. “You’ll all find out pretty soon.”