Chapter 33

It was a nightmare of a time.

Gehenna’s leading Lady, Sorasaki Hina, assessed the past month this way.

Days she never wanted to experience again—every single day feeling like she might lose her mind. She evaluated it as such: a dreadful time that felt like pure hell.

Sentum Tower had shut down, and the President of the Student Council had gone missing.

With the loss of control, the law and order went haywire, the economy collapsed, and there were incidents she couldn’t possibly handle all by herself.

Gehenna had become nothing short of a true hell.

With the Central Autonomous Zone and Student Council losing functionality, Kiburatos crumbled altogether. Among all these, Gehenna, already infamous as a lawless zone, turned into the most terrible place in the academy city.

The streets were filled solely with explosions and gunshots,

Infighting among student clubs raged on and showed no signs of stopping,

And there were even incidents of Gehenna students causing chaos in other districts.

And to handle, manage, and suppress all these calamities, Hina thought,

‘I want to run away. I just want to lock myself inside.’

This was a crazy world. Why did all these things happen while she was in duty?

While lamenting in her heart, Hina still didn’t flee from her responsibilities. Being both the Leading Lady and the Chair of Gehenna, she stepped forward and didn’t flinch from suppressing the chaos.

Because she believed she had to. She thought that if she didn’t do it, no one else would.

That’s how she persevered through all these trials. Through arduous and grueling days, she endured. Even now, looking back after a month, she couldn’t comprehend how she’d managed, but it had been exactly like a nightmare.

During this process, encountering Silk was probably something that could be called an inevitability.

Hina first took notice of Silk sometime after she had already become well known.

At that time, Hina, who was focused solely on Gehenna’s issues, hadn’t even considered finding out what was happening at D.U.

However, paradoxically, it was probably because of this that Silk left a stronger impression on Hina.

[“The person you wish to be, that’s something you yourself decide.”]

[“So, if your mind gets complex, just ignore it.”]

[“That kind of worry—your future self, or someone else, will handle it for you.”]

Hina remembers the moment she first saw Silk.

Wearing a pure white mask, taking down enemies.

Reaching up high to the sky with her hands to bring hope to all the citizens.

Even encouraging Wakamo and comfortingly consoling everyone beyond the screen.

There, in a place she couldn’t reach, in a place she couldn’t touch,

Someone striving to uphold order was working just as Hina was, maybe even harder. This fact gave Hina an inexplicable sense of solace and a feeling of kinship. She became curious about Silk.

After that day, Silk became Hina’s main interest.

Out of curiosity, she followed Silk’s actions, reviewed the words Silk had uttered, and kept track of her news.

Therefore, when she heard that Silk had come to Gehenna, Hina felt a faint hope rising within, though she was careful not to show it outwardly.

She simply believed that if she continued to do what she had to,

One day, she would eventually meet Silk.

She harbored no more than that single thought.

However, what Hina hadn’t foreseen,

“Hello, Leading Lady.”

Was that Silk had intended to meet her ever since arriving at Gehenna.

Hina, unaware of this, felt an odd flutter as she looked at Silk standing right in front of her.

The emotion Hina felt was akin to what she would later direct toward some universally acknowledged adult.

Admiration (憧憬) — that’s what it was called.

2.

“Why are you here…?”

The Leading Lady’s Office of Gehenna.

Alternatively known as the Chair of Conduct’s Office.

The place where Silk had greeted her was one of the most secure locations in Gehenna, one that even the Speaker of the Supreme Senate couldn’t enter easily.

But Silk had casually evaded these securities like a ghost, just as the rumors said.

While leisurely sipping on the tea provided inside the room,

“I wanted to meet the Leading Lady. Ah, this is quite tasty. What kind of tea is this?”

“It’s oolong tea. But why did you say you wanted to meet me?”

“It’s hard to meet you outside, isn’t it? That’s why I came. We couldn’t have a private conversation if I didn’t come directly.”

“Conversation… couldn’t I immediately call the Leading Council members waiting outside?”

Despite Hina’s probing question, Silk calmly shrugged her shoulders, unperturbed.

“I think the Leading Lady wouldn’t do that.”

“…And what do you know about me?”

“It’s just trust, that’s all. I have good instincts.”

“…Ha. I didn’t expect to hear the word ‘trust’ from you.”

“It’s true. I trust Senior Hina.”

“…Senior, what a funny joke.”

No matter how much Hina tried to seem guarded, Silk remained unfazed, which made Hina involuntarily smirk. Trying to maintain boundaries felt futile.

Finally, Hina plopped down into the seat in front of Silk and asked in a more relaxed tone than before,

“So, what is it you want to talk about?”

“Ah, just a moment. Before we begin.”

“Hm?”

As Silk was about to begin their serious conversation, she stopped Hina. Extending her hand, she signaled for Hina to wait a moment, then suddenly,

Click

“…?!”

“To show the Leading Lady my true intentions.”

“What… why are you removing your mask?”

Hina was genuinely flustered.

Because Silk had removed her mask all of a sudden!

While the revealed face was striking, more so than she’d expected, and had a fiercer impression, what shocked her the most was just one thing.

“True intentions…?”

Are you showing me your true intentions?

And more than that, shouldn’t you be worried?

“What were you planning if there were surveillance cameras here? Why did you suddenly do this?”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. I’ve already hacked them.”

“……”

Silk casually touched the mask she rested at her side and answered Hina’s question.

Hina was speechless.

Are you saying it doesn’t matter if I see you? Why exactly?

“Isn’t that too easy?”

“For anyone else, maybe. But since it’s you, the Leading Lady…”

“……”

As if fully trusting her. What exactly makes you talk about trust like this?

Hina could only let out a bitter smile, feeling her insides itch with Silk’s casual words.

Even if she earned the trust and respect of the members of the Leading Council every time, for some reason, the ‘trust’ coming from Silk felt different from the ones she had received thus far.

It might just be her imagination. Perhaps the residual excitement from the unexpected meeting hadn’t faded yet.

Still, somehow, Hina didn’t dislike the trust Silk was extending to her. It made her heart flutter even more—

“Hem! So, what do you want to talk about?”

“Just various things—I wanted to express my gratitude, deliver some well-wishes, and share some information.”

“…Sounds like you just came to hang out.”

“Um, actually, you’re right. I just want to get closer to the Leading Lady because I really like you.”

“……”

Upon hearing this, Hina closed her eyes tightly and thought.

This girl is truly a troublesome presence, no doubt about it.

Because of her curiosity and admiration for Silk, Hina felt like she was misinterpreting and overanalyzing everything the girl said.

Only,

“…A little conversation wouldn’t be a problem.”

Because their encounter felt like something she should embrace,

Hina decided not to reject Silk’s extended hand.

3.

At first, neither of them knew what to say, but fortunately, Silk, who truly seemed to want to get closer to Hina, brought up a wide variety of topics.

“When I first came to Gehenna, I was really surprised. You know, like your citizens and students mixing together…”

“…Gehenna has that sort of vibe.”

Starting from the first time she came to Gehenna,

“I met this person called Haruna from the Food Research Club…”

“I agree. Haruna is always considered a headache even by our Leading Council.”

“Really? I had no idea. The words I tried to pitch her—didn’t work, no matter how hard I negotiated…”

“Nice effort. Now I understand why Haruna would take an interest in you.”

“…Take an interest?! Please don’t scare me like that.”

“Haha, just a joke.”

Meeting Haruna from the Food Research Club,

“And last time, at that antique shop, there were some bad guys…”

“I’ve heard about that. The security situation in Gehenna improved thanks to you…”

Not just her activities in Gehenna, but also the numerous experiences she had before coming here.

And then,

“Why do you engage in hero activities?”

Even stories about herself.

“I have a dream.”

“…A dream?”

“To simplify, I dream of a better world.”

The dream she envisioned—a dream that bordered on fantasy and idealism.

It was the kind of ambitious and seemingly impossible goal that would make others chuckle if they heard it. The stories Silk told were things that might be impossible to realize. But,

“I also think it might be impossible.”

Silk smiled, fearlessly.

“So why…?”

“Isn’t there a saying? To get the impossible, you must first attempt the impossible. I don’t want to give up just because it seems impossible.”

“……”

“This is the first time I’ve told this to you, Hina. Hehe, it’s a bit embarrassing. But I don’t regret it.”

Silk’s bright blue eyes connected with hers.

A resonant sight of blue and purple irises swaying as if in response.

But inside them was a clear strength. An unshakable determination, immune to any storms.

It might be called belief, or conviction.

When that wavering filled Hina’s irises, Hina realized that the girl dreaming of an impossible dream seemed to shine.

Enough to make her feel the depth of why she was feeling so drawn to admiration.

“You’re… incredible. Something I would never dare to set my sights on, but still…”

“Cool, right?”

“Yeah… you really are cool.”

Silk smiled brightly.

There was untainted purity and righteousness there.

Looking at that righteous girl, Hina also smiled.

Hina thought it might indeed be hard to draw close to the object of her admiration, but she believed she could understand that pure intent.

“I’ll help too. Somehow, I feel like I’m starting to like you.”

“So, we like each other?”

“Does it feel like it? Hmm.”

As the girl she admired smiled, so did the girl herself.

The smile that graced the lips of the girl harboring admiration in her heart was undoubtedly pure.

And in that, the two found happiness.

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