Daily Life in Gehenna - 9

The sound of birds chirping could be heard from outside the window. Soft sunlight streamed into the room through the window, illuminating the space, and a warm and soft blanket wrapped around me.

 

 

'Hmm...... this is nice......'

 

 

I was already awake, but I wanted to enjoy this moment a little longer, so I kept my eyes closed and lay on the bed. After a few minutes, I felt like I was about to fall asleep again, so I moved my body and opened my eyes to chase away the sleep.

 

 

Then, what I saw was the familiar yet unfamiliar scenery of my room. It was a desolate sight, with a large room with light grayish-blue wallpaper and only a few essential pieces of furniture.

 

 

"Haaam...... Maybe I should add some furniture...... But what furniture?"

 

 

I sat up and voiced my thoughts about the room's scenery. I needed to add some furniture to make it less desolate, but I already had all the necessary furniture.

 

 

'I don't want to add furniture that I don't really need.'

 

 

I went into the bathroom, washed my face, brushed my teeth, and brushed my hair. Then, I tried tying my hair with the hair tie Nonomi had given me yesterday, just as she had taught me.

 

 

"Hmm...... It's a bit difficult, as expected. Ah, is this it?"

 

 

I turned my head to the side and looked in the mirror. It was hard to see properly, but I could see the nicely tied ribbon at the back of my head.

 

 

"I think I did well."

 

 

A smile of satisfaction spread across my face. Then, I went back to my room, changed my clothes, and thought about what I would do today.

 

 

'Abydos...... Let's not go until I get a call. Then......'

 

 

When I removed Abydos as an option, I was left with only one choice.

 

 

'The only place I can go is Gehenna Academy...... That's a bit sad......'

 

 

I felt sad that the extremely limited life I had lived so far had left me with only two options. However, adding another option was impossible because I didn't know anything due to my limited life.

 

 

"......Let's go to Gehenna first and think about it."

 

 

I came to the painful realization that I had been studying the wrong things all my life. I needed to study something else.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

I arrived at Gehenna Academy, passing through the same streets of Gehenna that I always passed through. But I still didn't want to go into that secluded school building, so I sat on a bench like last time and basked in the sunlight.

 

 

"It's warm...... But what should I really do?"

 

 

It was good that I came to the academy because nothing would change if I just stayed at home, but even at the academy, I still had nothing to do.

 

 

'First of all, what's in Gehenna...... For clubs, there's the Gourmet Research Society, the School Lunch Club, the Prefect Team, and the Pandemonium Society, right?'

 

 

There were a few other clubs in Gehenna, but these were the only ones that came to mind at the moment.

 

 

'None of them are places I want to be involved with......'

 

 

As far as I could remember, the Gourmet Research Society was a gathering of lunatics often referred to as "lunchtime crazies" on the internet, and the School Lunch Club was always being dragged around by them. Pandemonium Society was Gehenna Academy's student council, an incompetent and lazy group of bureaucrats, and the Prefect Team was a competent and diligent but violent military group.

 

 

I sighed at this parade of mentally ill groups, none of which were normal.

 

 

'I think I became a student at the wrong academy......'

 

 

I thought of the other academies in Kivotos. Trinity, Millennium, and many other academies, the students there, and the things that happened there.

 

 

'......They're all crazy in some way.'

 

 

Before I could consider the wrong academy, I felt like I had become a student in a very wrong world.

 

 

'The original world was...... No, never mind.'

 

 

I sighed again at the unfortunate reality that each had various problems, and I stopped thinking, only reaffirming the proposition that people are not perfect.

 

 

"......"

 

 

I closed my eyes and continued to bask in the sunlight with my head tilted up. It was warm, but that was it. Now, I was starting to get bored of just basking in the sunlight.

 

 

"Let's walk around."

 

 

I got up from the bench and started walking around, hoping to find something enjoyable.

 

 

As I walked around Gehenna Academy, I saw many things.

 

 

Small flowers blooming on the roadside, shiny and faded bullet casings lying next to them, bullet holes adorning the walls of old buildings, a poem with beautiful content but roughly scratched on the wall with a knife, students arguing about philosophy and then shooting each other before being caught by the Prefect Team, a bomb that rolled around for a while with a stylish greeting written on it before exploding.

 

 

Some of them surprised me, but they were still none of my business, and none of them had any effect on me.

 

 

'It's boring......'

 

 

Just as I was getting tired of walking around the academy, I bumped into a student while I was looking away.

 

 

"Ah, I'm sorry."

 

 

"Ow! That hurts!"

 

 

"Hey, where the hell are you looking!"

 

 

"I think her arm might be broken. We should get compensation for the medical bills, right?"

 

 

"Ow, it hurts, it hurts!"

 

 

Then, two other students next to her threatened me, and the student I bumped into screamed loudly and exaggerated.

 

 

'Ah......'

 

 

I sensed that I had gotten involved in a troublesome situation, and I thought while looking at the three students who were threatening me with their guns.

 

 

'Three people, it might not be easy...... And they're too close.'

 

 

"Hey! What are you going to do about this!"

 

 

"Her arm is broken, so pay up for the medical bills!"

 

 

I stared into the eyes of the two students who were closing in on me. I stood tall, neither backing away nor bowing down.

 

 

"Unfortunately, I don't have any cash on me right now. If you give me your account information along with a doctor's note later, I'll pay for the treatment."

 

 

Of course, there was no later. I was being firm, saying I had no money to give them.

 

 

"What?! You need a beating to come to your senses!"

 

 

When I said that, the three of them raised their guns, and I quickly loaded a single bullet and continued.

 

 

"It's pointless even if you knock me down. I really don't have any cash on me."

 

 

We were in a standoff at close range, with our guns pointed at each other, and no one had fired yet. For the best chance of winning, I should have shot first and taken down one of them, but that wouldn't give me any justification.

 

 

"Shut up! If you don't have cash, we'll just take whatever you're carrying to cover the medical bills!"

 

 

"If I have anything valuable on me, that is."

 

 

Even if they sold my bag or clothes, they wouldn't get much money, and the items I was carrying weren't very valuable. And this was when they were in perfect condition; if they were damaged during the fight, their value would plummet.

 

 

'How many bullets can I hold out for......'

 

 

The atmosphere of wanting to shoot at any moment disappeared, and a strange atmosphere began to flow. But we were still in a standoff, and it wouldn't be strange if we started shooting each other at any moment. I kept thinking of a way to get through this situation without fighting, and I carefully opened my mouth to observe their reactions.

 

 

"If you give me your account information, I'll send you the money later. That would be more beneficial for you too."

 

 

"How do we know when or how much you'll send? If you're going to send it, send it now."

 

 

My attempt to get through the situation with a promise without a deadline failed.

 

 

"Then how much do I have to send to satisfy you?"

 

 

When I said this, the three of them quietly whispered to each other. After several numbers were exchanged, one of them spoke up and said to me.

 

 

"300,000 yen. We need to get at least this much because you wasted our precious time."

 

 

It was an outrageous amount. Of course, compared to the money I had in my account, it was a much smaller amount, but it was an excessive amount to pay for such extortion, threats, oppression, and injustice.

 

 

"That's too much for me to pay. How about 100,000 yen, with 60,000 for the injured person and 20,000 for the other two?"

 

 

"Oh, that sounds good."

 

 

"What? What do you mean, good! Don't be ridiculous!"

 

 

"Are you trying to have all the fun for yourself?!"

 

 

When I lowered the price and offered a higher price to only one person, the reactions of the three were mixed. The student who pretended to be injured had a bright look on his face and liked it, while the other two turned their threats towards that student.

 

 

It seems that the relationship between the three of them has no clear hierarchy and is not very close.

 

 

"150,000 yen. All three of you will get 50,000 yen each."

 

 

"Then how about 100,000 yen for the injured person and 15,000 yen for the other two, for a total of 130,000 yen to the injured person's account?"

 

 

"What?! Why is our share even less than before!"

 

 

"Hey~ The total amount has increased compared to before. Now, here's my account number......"

 

 

"Where do you think you're going! Trying to take it all for yourself!"

 

 

"Don't hold me back! Let's just get the money first, and I'll divide it fairly!"

 

 

"You're just going to take it all for yourself! How are you going to divide 130,000 yen equally!"

 

 

"What are you doing over there?"

 

 

As the infighting among the three intensified, another voice was heard from the side. When I turned my head, I saw a girl with long, flowing white hair and bright, sparkling amethyst eyes looking in this direction.

 

 

A girl with an unusual atmosphere, wearing a coat with a disciplinary armband and a uniform with a large, shiny medal, Sorasaki Hina, the head of the Gehenna Academy's Prefect Team.

 

 

"Damn it, it's the Prefect Team!"

 

 

"We were so close...... It's all your fault!"

 

 

"What?! Tch, let's run!"

 

 

When Hina appeared, the three of them ran away, and Hina didn't chase after them. As if there was no need to chase them, Hina watched them run away indifferently, and then she took out her large machine gun and fired at them.

 

 

After a few seconds of the machine gun spitting fire, the three of them were left lying on the ground.

 

 

"I came after receiving a report during my patrol... I might not have needed to."

 

 

Perhaps it was because the first thing she saw when she arrived was the three of them fighting among themselves, leaving me aside, but Hina said this to me.

 

 

"No, you came at just the right time. I was reaching my limit in stalling for a time like this."

 

 

I was trying to divide the opponents and find an opportunity, but there was a clear limit. The three of them would have soon reached a compromise and dividing them by giving one of them an opportunity would no longer work.

 

 

But with Hina's intervention, the situation completely changed. They ended up prioritizing their own interests over their companions' interests and lost a great opportunity forever. They lost the existence of a great opportunity that would unite them, and they gained the existence of the loss of a great opportunity that would divide them.

 

 

Their temporary division became a permanent division due to Hina's intervention. Hina really did come at the right time.

 

 

"If that's the case. ......What's your name?"

 

 

"It's Namari Line. I'm a first-year student."

 

 

"......Line?"

 

 

When Hina heard my name, her eyes widened for a moment and she asked my name again, showing a slightly surprised look. She immediately returned to normal, so it didn't seem like a big deal, but I felt a sense of incongruity and asked Hina.

 

 

"Yes... Is there a problem?"

 

 

"No, it's nothing."

 

 

Then, as if it were obvious, Hina dismissed the situation by saying it was nothing. But I still couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling.

 

 

"Then I'll go back to my patrol. You should go back too."

 

 

With that, Hina told me to go back, and turned around and started walking away.

 

 

At that moment, the sense of incongruity instantly turned into regret and impatience, and I didn't want to let Hina go like this.

 

 

"Excuse me... Would you like to have a cup of coffee? I'd like to thank you."

 

 

And I grabbed Hina.