On the train heading to Gehenna. Kenji leaned back against the seat and let out a deep sigh.
“…….”
Unlike the train heading to Abydos, the Gehenna-bound train was packed with passengers. Most of them had horns on their heads or smooth tails reminiscent of demons. It was the opposite characteristic of Trinity, where most students had angel wings.
It was hard to say which was more pleasing to the eye. But both seemed equally inconvenient. Horns, wings, or tails. He was very curious how they slept with those.
Nagisa often reduced the size of her wings, but could horns and tails be reduced too? Kenji stared with curious eyes at the silver-haired girl sitting next to him, but soon lost interest and let out a sigh.
‘Why do I have to go to Gehenna?’
Why, indeed. Because the teacher ran off to Millennium.
Kenji asked and answered himself while sweeping up his bangs. The bangs that used to cover down to his nose now only reached his eyebrows. As Ha-yul said, it was because he had cut his hair for the first time in a while.
‘It feels refreshing.’
He looked at his reflection in the window and forced a bitter smile.
His hair, which used to reach down to his hips when not tied up, had now changed to a normal length, and the unfamiliar glasses somewhat neutralized his fierce appearance. The clothes he was wearing were nothing special, just a suit, but perhaps because his outward appearance had changed, he looked oddly intellectual.
Objectively speaking, he looked much better now than yesterday. The biggest influence was his hair, and if he had known this, he should have cut it sooner. He stubbornly insisted on keeping it long, only making maintenance difficult.
Long hair might be a man's romance, but after cutting it, he had no intention of growing it back twice. This isn't the martial arts world of central plains. There was no reason to be obsessed with long hair. Honestly, part of growing it out was to capture that wuxia novel feel.
Anyway.
Kenji turned his eyes from the window and took out his smartphone. With nothing to do on the way to Gehenna, he thought he'd listen to some music. Just as he was about to put on his earphones, a train attendant came and asked what he wanted for the in-flight meal.
Since it was already around lunchtime and he was a bit hungry, Kenji ordered a simple lunch box. The girl sitting next to him ordered a handmade hamburger. Her small, single wing fluttered with anticipation. Regardless, Kenji showed no particular interest in her and closed his eyes as he put on his earphones.
The sweet voice coming through his ears calmed his mind and body. Kenji sat quietly with a peaceful expression, then spent time eating the lunch box brought by the attendant. The girl sitting next to him also took a bite of her handmade burger with an expectant expression.
“…….”
Her expression instantly soured. She jumped up from her seat and chased after the attendant who had brought the in-flight meal. It was towards the train's kitchen. Three students with distinctive hair colors followed her.
After a few minutes, the four who had gone to the kitchen returned. The silver-haired student sat in the seat next to Kenji, and the other students sat in the seats in front of her. They seemed to be talking about something, but he couldn't hear because he had his earphones on. There was no need to listen anyway. It was curious why they arranged the seats like this if they knew each other, but he wasn't very interested. He just assumed it was a mistake.
‘When will we arrive?’
Kenji looked at the passing scenery outside and sighed inwardly.
Just then. The red-haired girl pointed at Kenji with her finger and moved her lips. Kenji frowned at the sudden pointing, but she still looked at him and moved her lips.
Unable to bear it, Kenji was about to say something when the student sitting next to him poked his shoulder with her finger. Kenji took off his earphones and turned to look at her sharply.
“What is it all of a sudden?”
“Oh, I apologize for the disturbance. It's just that I wanted to ask you something.”
Her tone was very polite. Her voice reminded one of a noble young lady. Combined with her beautiful appearance, it gave off a very sophisticated atmosphere.
A look that seemed more suited to Trinity than Gehenna. Kenji slightly furrowed his brow and spoke.
“……Something you want to ask?”
“Yes. Ah, before that. I am Kurodate Haruna. I belong to Gehenna Academy and am also the head of a club called the Gourmet Research Club.”
Following her introduction, the red-haired girl and blonde-haired girl sitting across from them suddenly leaned over the seats and stuck their faces out.
“I'm Akashi Junko!”
“I'm Waniouchi Akari~ We're also members of the Gourmet Research Club.”
“……Ah, yes. I'm Kenji from Schale.”
“Kenji? That's an interesting name. I like it~”
Akari said with a giggling smile. Kenji nodded with an awkward expression. At the same time, a shout from someone a bit farther away could be heard.
“Don't leave me out! Izumi! Shishido Izumi!”
The train passengers frowned slightly at her shout, but Izumi ignored them and yelled while looking at the seats where Kenji and Haruna were sitting. When Kenji threw a look as if asking who she was, Haruna smiled gently and spoke.
“Izumi is also one of the members of our Gourmet Research Club. The train seats ended up like this because she made a mistake misreading the alphabet.”
“……Is that so. But why did you suddenly approach me…….”
“We just had something simple to ask.”
Junko picked up where Haruna left off.
“That's right! You! You ate a lunch box earlier, right? Was it tasty?”
“……? You approached me just to ask that?”
“It's an important issue for us!”
Junko frowned and shouted. Kenji gave her a momentarily dumbfounded look, then let out a deep sigh and answered.
“Since my body can't taste, it's hard to give a proper answer.”
Kenji tried to hide the fact that his sense of taste was ruined as much as possible, but the targets were limited. Only to those close to him, or those he had a good impression of, or those he thought he'd be with for a long time did he keep the secret; if they weren't such targets, he didn't feel the need to hide the issue related to taste.
Frankly, they were people he'd only see today, so what harm could there be in revealing the secret? Kenji thought so as he looked at Junko.
Her face was full of shock. Not being able to taste seemed to hit her hard. Well, the club name was Gourmet Research Club, so it made sense. He thought nothing much of it and adjusted the position of his crooked tie.
“You can't…… taste?”
Haruna suddenly opened her mouth.
Her expression was similarly distorted to Junko's. Her ruby-like eyes widened, her pink lips quivered, and her milk-white cheeks trembled with shock. At such a reaction, Kenji's face became even more awkward. They weren't even acquaintances, just meeting and talking for the first time today, so wasn't the reaction too serious?
“Do you happen to know what gourmet is?”
“……Delicious food? Well, isn't that it? More than that, why are you suddenly talking to me about thisㅡ”
“But Kenji, you don't know what delicious food is, do you.”
Haruna suddenly leaned her face towards Kenji. Having a beautiful woman's face come close should be a welcome event, but he frowned deeply and pulled his head back. Regardless, Haruna ignored it and moved her lips.
“It seems like we were fated to meet here today.”
“……What did you say?”
“Huhu, the train's in-flight meal wasn't satisfactory, but it's enough that we found a fellow researcher to study gourmet with. Kenji, we will teach you what gourmet is.”
“I don't need thatㅡ”
“No. You do. I can't even begin to imagine how painful it is to not be able to taste, but I certainly understand that it's a pitiful thing. So I, we the Gourmet Research Club, will return 'taste' to you.”
“No, I said I don't need itㅡ”
“Since you said you're from Schale, we'll contact you at Schale later. It won't take too long. Maybe a week. Or let's meet again in two weeks. We'll come to the Schale building.”
“Listen to what people sayㅡ”
[Attention. We have arrived at Gehenna, so please check if you have left any belongings before disembarking from the train.]
Kenji's voice was drowned out by the train announcement. Thanks to that, Haruna, who didn't hear his words, looked at Akari and nodded.
“Akari, I think we can start soon.”
“Uhuhu~☆ I was waiting. After all, it would be troublesome for us if the train derails.”
Akari smiled broadly and rummaged through her pocket. What she took out was a small rectangular device with a red button on it. As soon as Kenji saw the device, he recognized what it was.
“……A detonator?”
“Kenji.”
Haruna called Kenji's name. Kenji's distorted face was reflected in her ruby-like sparkling red eyes.
“Kenji, what do you think when you see water overflowing from a sink?”
“……That I should turn it off.”
“That's it. Huhu, I don't want to leave a faucet that only pours out low-quality water.”
Akari handed the detonator to Haruna. Haruna swept her hair behind her ear and smiled beautifully.
“Restaurants that can't provide proper food should disappear.”
“……This isn't a restaurant.”
“But food existed here. That's qualification enough.”
Haruna's eyes curved into crescents. Kenji looked into her clear eyes and felt a chilling cold. The alarm in his head rang madly, telling him to run away right now. Kenji immediately jumped up from his seat and dashed towards the train exit. The four people followed him. Junko stumbled out and fell, and Izumi, seeing the Gehenna discipline committee members standing a bit away, shouted.
“There's the discipline committee over there!”
“Oh dear, we must hurry. Huhu.”
Haruna smiled charmingly and glanced back.
Then she moved her lips and firmly pressed the button.
“EAT OR DIE.”
-Kwaaaaaaang!!!!
A huge explosion occurred in the train's kitchen. It wasn't enough to shoot up flames, but the windows shattered from the impact, and the connectors holding the train together broke off. The directly hit train car even tilted to the side.
Kenji stared at the scene with blank eyes. Haruna approached him by his side and said with a grin.
“Then, as promised, we'll visit in about a week or two. Please look forward to it.”
“Chief! They're coming! The discipline committee is coming!!!!”
“Hmm, no choice. See you later, Kenji.”
Haruna left those words and ran with the Gourmet Research Club in the opposite direction of where the discipline committee was charging. The discipline committee gritted their teeth and chased after them.
“Catch them! They're wanted criminals! We have to catch them before Hina comes!”
“Hunyang!”
Izumi, who was running, tripped over her own feet and fell. But the Gourmet Research Club didn't help her up and ran with all their might. When a fork in the road appeared, they dashed towards different alleys.
“Ah, no! Take me with you! Don't leave me behind!!!!”
Izumi desperately shouted towards them, but only Akari heard that voice. She winked at Izumi and slipped into a narrow alley. Izumi opened her mouth with a dumbfounded expression and screamed.
“You, you bad girls! I'll get revenge! I'll get revenge even if I die!!!!”
“Stay still!!”
“Hunyyaang!!!!”
Izumi wriggled trying to escape the discipline committee's restraint, but in the end, she was taken away by the discipline committee with handcuffs on. Kenji stared blankly at the scene, then let out a hollow laugh and thought.
“Crazy bitches.”
The entrance ceremony to Gehenna was spectacular.
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