EIGHTEEN(Kenato Palace Ryokan)

"...Are we here already, I'm so tried...." Mia yawned and stretched.

"Have we landed, what time is it? What day is it?" She continued,

"It's Monday, 12:36pm, and yes we just landed—"

"Ohh, why is it so bright." She complained as she looked outside the window, "It was night a few hours ago....Ahh! I'm so confused....Why aren't we going outside?!"

"You have a very bad jet lag, they're performing some inspection protocol right now, so we have to stay put, also Mr. Kenato is sending over some escort to take us to the lodge."

"Oh!" She chuckled softly, "Noel is still asleep."

"You should rest more, it'll help your jet lag."

"Yeah right." She murmured then slowly dozed off.

About thirty minutes later, a convoy of three black Jeeps arrived with a total of nine bodyguards, the drivers included.

The head of the team came into the jet and introduced himself as Chief Jim.

"....Mr. Regal, you will occupy the first car with three of my men, I will be in the second car with the driver, your wife and son and the third car will be occupied by the rest of my men."

"Thank you sir." Ethan nodded.

The drive to Miura lasted for about an hour and thirty minutes, finally they arrived the property but instead of heading east to the resort, the cars went in a different direction.

"What's going on?" Ethan questioned the driver who was luckily fluent in English,

"Chief's instructions. But aren't you aware, Mr. Kenato is receiving all his foreign guests at the Kenato Palace Ryokan." He smiled.

"Foreign guests." Ethan mumbled,

"Yes, there are other prospective buyers too. They arrived with their families earlier on.

Ethan's heart sank and seemed confused,

" What's a ryokan?" Ethan questioned with a puzzled look,

"....It's a traditional Japanese inn, Mr. Kenato holds his guests in high esteem. It's a beautiful place to be, trust me, you won't regret it." He added.

They drove through the snowy steep uphill, in the distance, a huge aesthetic structure appeared in between the tall leafless trees and snowcapped hills, it spread over beautiful snowy gardens and gave a very magical view.

"Wow! It's like driving through a snowy wonderland!" Noel exclaimed, he couldn't contain his excitement.

The structure spread out like a long mansion, mostly because it was just a storey tall.

The other traditional wood houses lying on either side of the road were souvenir stores and small restaurants, it made the environment seem like a small Christmas village.

Driving by, Mia and Noel noted the short-arched fences that created a partition from the road and trees. They also noted a small bridge and the glassy water beneath it.

They could see people; mostly tourists, some dressed in kimonos, walking back and forth, admiring the natural view.

They finally reached the structure and the car came to a halt in front of it.

The trio got down and the bodyguards helped with their luggage.

At the entrance, a group of three; a man on suit and two ladies on matching kimonos slightly bowed and greeted,

"Irashaimase!"

"Yes, yes thank you." Mia enthusiastically bowed back, Ethan simply nodded and walked past through the lattice entrance.

Inside the entrance, a group of beautiful women all dressed in flower patterned kimonos waited patiently. Their leader was an older woman dressed in a different kimono.

This time they bowed deeply as they echoed the word "Irashaimase." This time was more sincere and welcoming than the first one.

The trio paused as the older woman got on her feet and marched towards them.

"The Regals, we've been awaiting your arrival." She began with a strong accent.

"Welcome to Kenato Ryokan, I am Jenna Kenato, the Okami of this ryokan."

Ethan immediately bowed and Mia followed suit.

"Mrs Kenato, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." He greeted.

"The pleasure's all mine." She smiled.

There, she asked them to take off their shoes which were replaced by with slippers after which she led them to the lobby.

Ethan signed them in while they patiently waited. There an attendant came and took Noel to another room on the east wing of the ryokan. At first, his "parents" complained, but Mrs Kenato assured that the boy would be safe and would feel more comfortable among his peers.

After signing in, they patiently waited in the lobby. They were both handed a manual to read.

To Mrs Kenato, check-in began at 3:00pm but they were an hour late.

"Other guests have already been checked in, please wait patiently while your room is being set up." She smiled.

They both sat in silence, Ethan seemed a little irritated while Mia observed the decor of the lobby. It was a combination of both luxury and tradition.

To her right was another lattice entrance that gave a beautiful view and led to the snowcapped gardens.

Her observations were interrupted by an attendant asking them to follow her to their room. Another attendant helped with their luggage.

As they walked through the stone-paved corridor, the attendant didn't fail to give a brief tour of the place.

Finally they reached the room. The attendants opened the opaque sliding door and ushered them in, they instructed them to remove their slippers before they left.

The room's interior had a traditional Japanese style with a Tatami mat floor. In the center of the room was a low table surrounded by four legless chairs. Adjacent to this, was a smaller sitting room separated by sliding doors, it was designed in a western style with regular tables and chairs.

There was a paper like slide door that gave the view of the natural environment.

"This is nice." Mia murmured as she studied the room,

"....Wow, the attendants here are called "Nakai-san." she added as she skimmed through the instruction manual.

Ethan on the other hand let out an exasperated sigh and slumped into the sofa.

"....You seem upset, because things aren't going your way?" She chuckled,

"This isn't how it supposed to be, mind your own business Mia—"

"Because you can't have a hundred bodyguards protecting your son right now?"

Ethan sighed and rubbed his temple,

"You don't know anything—"

"Mrs Kenato assured that the boy would be fine, and if it makes you feel better, I'll check up on him afterwards."

"Look, like I said before, this isn't a vacation it's a business trip. Mr. Kenato has other intentions, he invited all other four prospective buyers down here—"

"What?! How are we going to pull this off??" Mia exclaimed,

"Do you get my point now?? This isn't time to bicker, just do as I say and you'll be fine." He told her.