@libbies True, true. But h doesn't need to right? If his plans works, the bomb won't be going off, and the hotel's safe. If the bomb does go off, that means he failed to stop her, the mission failed, and he'll be reloading anyways. So in the end, it doesn't matter whether he's actually using the kids as hostages or not; they're never in any actual danger. I was just laughing at the twistedness of the logic first, but when you consider it seriously, it only makes more sense. Why waste time being clever when being stupid will work just as well? Get those kids in here!
I didn't think of it your way all though though, and I can explain that too. I'd find it weird that he thinks 'it's a petty plan to use...' and not 'it's a petty plan to trick her like this...'. The second would give me a pleasant surprise right in the moment(author fooled me twice!) while the first way would suggest that the author, instead of revealing that at he most suspenseful -- and probably best -- moment they could ever reveal it, the moment the kids are actually in danger, had instead decided to save that reveal for a time where it's more of afterthought no one cares about, later.
So idk, what you're saying makes perfect sense, but considering how intimate the character perspective has been, I don't want to believe the MC wouldn't be sharing that information with us through narration. Because that would incline me to believe the author just made a mistake by leaving it out. Wheeras right now, I see it more as "that logic's twisted but hilarious because it makes perfect sense in context."
So yeah, I think they both work, but "they were never in the hotel!" is a little harder for me to swallow. Either way, the whole situation is very entertaining for me. Love this manga.