Chapter 30

1.

Gehenna is a conglomeration of madness and impulse.

Unrelenting accidents, gunfire echoing like greetings, explosions and flames, and all manner of crimes. In other academies, these events might occur every few hours or so, spaced out over a day, but here, they happen at intervals of mere minutes or tens of minutes, endlessly.

The lack of proper regulation in the school rules and the fact that most Gehenna Academy students are demons exacerbates this situation. Moreover, uncontrolled madness spreads to the surrounding environment, leading the situation into an uncontrollable realm.

In such a scenario, those who maintain reason and kindness are treated as anomalies in Gehenna.

More precisely, they become targets for the demons.

Just as a person with two eyes is considered wrong in a one-eyed village, someone with normal thinking in Gehenna is bound to have a difficult life.

Notably, the examples of this are none other than Hinata from the Guidance Department and Fuuka from the Cafeteria Department.

And the one primarily causing Fuuka’s hardships is this particular girl—Kurodate Haruna.

The female leader of the Gourmet Research Club.

“Fuuka-san, would you care to join me on an exploration of the world of gourmet cuisine?”

Fuuka’s life is made miserable by this devilish girl. The suggestion that escaped her lips was nothing short of a demon’s whisper. Haruna, the possessor of madness, who uses the pursuit of ultimate gourmet dining as a guise to paint the process with crime, truly embodied ‘Gehenna’.

She was genuinely ‘Gehennan’ in her actions.

“No! After all this, how can I possibly trust you?”

“My, what a pity.”

Madness in Gehenna doesn’t discriminate. Haruna’s pursuit of gourmet food similarly doesn’t discriminate in its impact. This was common sense in Gehenna and one of the reasons Haruna became the biggest headache for the Guidance Department.

So, I thought, gazing into Haruna’s clear crimson eyes.

Witnessing her unwavering passion for gourmet cuisine.

“…Can this truly be resolved by force?”

I could sense the madness swirling in her irises, unyielding.

Does the Joker, Batman’s nemesis, succumb to brute force?

The Joker, who is a bundle of madness, simply smiles and laughs in response to any physical attack.

Would Haruna be any different? She’s a character in the game, unyielding in her beliefs and madness, no matter what her teacher does.

“….”

I don’t know. Honestly, I can’t confidently say that I can persuade Haruna. My job, simply put, is—

“Fuuka, please step back.”

“Silk-san?”

“Ah. An unexpected guest, are you?”

My job is to protect Fuuka, the one who once cooked a delicious meal for me.

For now, that’s enough.

2.

To be honest, defeating Haruna is not exactly difficult.

A few light shots of webs should easily subdue her and she’d be carried off by the Guidance Department. But what I worry about is what happens ‘after I leave.’ I could stop her from troubling Fuuka right now, but what about the future?

She’d keep kidnapping Fuuka, and Fuuka would keep suffering under Haruna’s madness. It’s impossible for me to always be there to save her.

So how do I resolve this situation?

‘Damn, I don’t know.’

I boldly approached, but faced with Gehenna’s true madness, my head aches at how to deal with it. Her crimson eyes casually scanned me before she broke into an alluring smile.

“Hmm. Aren’t you… Silk?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

“I don’t know why Silk-san is here, but Fuuka-san and I are currently having a conversation.”

“If I’m interrupting, I apologize. However, it seems Fuuka-san is uncomfortable with this conversation.”

“My, not at all. I was just making a simple suggestion—”

“You should stop if that suggestion results in Fuuka’s kidnapping.”

“Fuuka-san made me a meal.”

“Fuuka is mine. I won’t let her go.”

Breaking Haruna’s words, I let out a simple retort, which instantly triggered a chilling gleam in Haruna’s crimson eyes.

The air tensed as though about to explode. We glared at each other, our red and blue eyes blazing.

“Do you intend to monopolize Fuuka-san alone?”

“Compared to you, I believe I can make Fuuka-san happier, Haruna-san.”

“What are you two talking about—?!”

Even with Fuuka’s interruption, we didn’t stop glaring at each other.

Ha, who am I? The resilient Korean. Not budging.

Fuuka, don’t worry. I’ll win this.

After taking a light deep breath, I started my attack.

“Haruna-san, your current pursuit of gourmet cuisine is wrong.”

“Excuse me, what basis do you have to make such statements?”

“Because, in the name of gourmet cuisine, you make others suffer. In the pursuit of your beliefs, must it necessarily involve others’ suffering?”

“It’s natural. Anyone who contradicts the aesthetics of gourmet cuisine must naturally be dealt with.”

“Is causing so much disruption worth it, even to the extent of interfering with others’ meals? I believe beliefs that hurt others while being propagated need to be abandoned.”

“….”

At my question, Haruna fell silent for a moment.

Madness always accompanies Haruna’s actions.

She explodes when she encounters a restaurant that doesn’t meet her aesthetic standards, when the cafeteria menu changes, or when service doesn’t meet her expectations.

Is such behavior truly justified?

Is it reasonable to hurt others just to impose one’s own beliefs? No, I can’t agree with that.

“Indeed, chaos often follows the pursuit of ultimate gourmet dining.”

“….”

“My aesthetic for gourmet cuisine doesn’t change. If I remove those who contradict this aesthetic, won’t only those who fit my culinary path remain?”

What is the ultimate gourmet anyway?

With no hesitation, Haruna pulls out a vague and incomprehensible concept of ultimate pursuit, yet her eyes are sharp, indicating she genuinely understands this lofty concept.

Typical actions of someone who has lost their soul to belief.

In other words, madness taints her behavior.

But because I have Earth-related knowledge, I faintly grasp what she’s trying to say.

Didn’t a famous poet say something like this before?

“The road to heaven begins in hell. Is that what you are saying?”

“My, what a profound statement. Silk-san is indeed cultured. I find you interesting now.”

Impressed by my words, Haruna widened her eyes and started walking towards me.

Hey, don’t approach smiling like that!

The captivating red brilliance of her eyes. I awkwardly avoided her gaze and barely managed another rebuttal against her theory.

“Thank you for the compliment, but I can’t agree with your argument, Haruna-san.”

“Why not?”

“Because your aesthetics aren’t the only ones in this world. The gourmet cuisine you pursue differs from what others seek. It’s possible that the ultimate gourmet you aspire to might not satisfy everyone.”

“….”

“If Haruna-san were enjoying a meal, and someone around you complained it didn’t suit their taste, thereby destroying the shop—how would you react?”

“I guess I would be angry. Not many restaurants have gotten my approval, deeming them delicious. If someone destroyed such a place, I wouldn’t be able to tolerate it.”

“Exactly.”

Everyone is different.

So too are aesthetics, beliefs, and the sentiments we harbor.

Thus, disputes and conflicts arise among people.

This is inevitable.

But, it’s not necessarily an unresolved issue.

Disputes among people can be reduced through consideration and empathy,

And further, erased by understanding each other.

“…I see, those are insightful points. This has been a novel conversation for me. You’re intriguing.”

“I’m glad you found it insightful.”

“But still, I can’t give up on Fuuka-san.”

“…Pardon?”

What’s with that? Haruna Haruna.

Persuasion… failed?

“I need someone to cook the special A-grade Golden Lobster I got from the black market this time. I was just about to ask Fuuka-san to cook it for me. Would that be alright?”

“Can’t you just bring the ingredients here?”

“Ah, then I won’t be able to kidnap Fuuka-san, would I?”

“…”

I tied up Haruna immediately and handed her over to the Guidance Department. As she was carried off, she waved her hand at me and said,

“Teehee, I’d like to have another discussion about gourmet dining sometime. I’ll see you again, Silk-san.”

“…Crazy.”

I never wanted to see her again.

3.

They say that winning someone’s heart is the hardest thing in the world. I failed to win Haruna’s heart.

In fact, I couldn’t even read her heart.

“Still, it’s the first time I’ve seen Haruna back down so easily. Thank you, Silk-san.”

“If I was of help, I’m glad.”

But, it seems I succeeded in changing Haruna’s mind, at least a little bit, by Fuuka’s words.

“Feels like the effort to explain was worth it. Thanks to you, I could protect Fuuka.”

“Aha…”

Fuuka giggled shyly, then cleared her throat.

“Hmm. So, Silk-san.”

“Yes?”

“How long will you be staying in Gehenna?”

“Um, probably around a week.”

With that, the situation in Gehenna would be sorted. That’s what my plan called for.

After saying that, I noticed Fuuka’s face brighten momentarily before turning slightly red, and she softly spoke.

“Then, I’ll cook for you every day for the remaining week. Since you said you’d watch over me.”

“Great. I couldn’t be happier.”

Fuuka’s cooking? How could I resist that?

I agreed immediately with a vigorous nod.

“Ah, it’s already late. Fuuka-san, I’ll be stepping out briefly. I’ll probably come back late at night or early in the morning, so don’t wait up for me.”

“Ah, yes! Please return safely!”

After exchanging brief farewells, I headed towards the heart of Gehenna. A lot of time had passed while persuading Haruna.

Now was the time for serious action.

“It’s already so bright, even at night. Look at those explosions!”

Night fell in Gehenna.

Now, it was time for their nightmare.

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