Chapter 2

Believing that they would never meet again, she was there for some reason.

Appearing before him, no longer a child, but grown up.

There was no trace of the sorrow she once carried. Instead, an overwhelming aura of success radiated from within her.

"Why?"

So, why?

Nothing had happened. That much was obvious at a glance.

She stood before him, radiating success to the point where it was immediately apparent, and yet he couldn’t understand why she was there.

"You know, people often say that traveling abroad changes your perspective on life, especially in Southeast Asia. People who travel there always seem to have a changed outlook, don’t you think? It’s like, how shallow can their lives be?"

"Umm, well, I guess..."

"You can mock them, but as the saying goes, seeing is believing. Sometimes it’s fun to follow the example of those shallow people and try it out for yourself."

The stutter that once marred her speech was gone, and her words flowed smoothly.

"But what do you think would happen if a girl like me, who looks like a typical young lady, went on such a journey alone? It would be instant death."

"Y-Yeah, that’s probably true."

"That’s why I relied on our past connection and planned a safe and secure trip. They even arranged a local guide for me, and lent me their services for a whole month. It’s a generous offer, don’t you think?"

"A-Ah, yeah..."

His mouth, which had been like a ghost without a host, finally began to move.

He understood the meaning of the month-long break.

Still, he couldn’t accept it.

After going to such lengths to avoid a chance encounter, why had she come all the way to a foreign land? Why did she act as if she was chasing after him, when nothing had happened?

He thought she had accepted that his wounds had no place in her life.

"But my sister said it was a good idea."

As if reading his thoughts, she dropped a bombshell.

"Instead of living a life judged by others, she said I should see more and aim for a perfect score in my own life. She sent me off on this journey to change my perspective."

Lena stood tall, her chest puffed out, as if she had nothing to be ashamed of and no regrets.

Ah, I never thought... I never thought...

It wasn’t just her whims or a wild idea; she had convinced everyone and come this far.

A life judged by others.

She had succeeded in it, but it wasn’t her perfect score.

So she had come here to find her own perfect score.

He wasn’t so insensitive that he couldn’t understand the meaning.

Even though she didn’t need to, she still sought it... because it had become real.

If she had come this far, there was nothing more he could say. If she had come here on her own initiative,

"Then I can’t refuse if it’s a business order from the CEO."

He decided to be honest with his feelings and go with the flow.

"Hehe, a business order, like a corporate slave."

"I’m not just like a corporate slave; I am one."

"Ah, right. A corporate slave who can’t refuse the CEO. It’s clear that humans are meant to work."

"That’s right. You, a carefree student, are different. By the way, is it okay to go on a trip like this when you’re not on a long break?"

"It’s fine. A little delay is nothing to me."

Lena said this with a confident air,

"After all, I’m a prodigy. Most things are a piece of cake for me."

She praised herself without a hint of embarrassment. It wasn’t just boasting; it was as if she was stating a universal truth.

Seeing her radiant smile, he felt genuinely happy,

"What are you saying?"

And he responded as he usually would.

"You’re not a prodigy anymore."

He pointed out the reality that she was no longer a prodigy.

After all, Lena had already turned twenty. Society no longer considered her a child.

"That’s true..."

Lena blinked as if she had forgotten this reality.

She had taken pride in being a prodigy, but that title had faded after turning twenty.

Lena sighed and lowered her head, reflecting on the past title.

But it didn’t last long.

She quickly showed a clear and decisive face, as if she had cut ties with the past.

"I’m just a god now."

Her bold statement made him burst out laughing.

She seemed to know nothing about restraint or modesty. She believed that her talent could only be expressed in this way.

"Hey, Senpai, what did you think of the big fire the other day?"

"Big fire?"

Lena asked with a bright expression, as if she had just remembered something important.

Big fire.

...Ah, right, something like that happened in Japan, he recalled. It was just another tragic event. He had decided not to seek out the misfortune that didn’t have a silver lining.

So he hadn’t even glanced at the news.

Any tragedy in Japan was now a distant story to him.

"Ah, you didn’t know? Then you’ll be surprised."

"Surprised?"

"The fire started in a haunted house!"

"Wh-What!?"

She announced it as if it were good news, with the enthusiasm of someone about to pop a cracker.

"Really...?"

"Yes, I was there when it happened. It’s no joke. It was the worst residential fire since the war. The final act of the haunted house has been etched into history and Wikipedia."

Lena laughed like a child, as if she was genuinely happy for a friend who had brought glory to their hometown.

But the content was filled with nothing but misfortune.

He wasn’t a normal person who would lecture her on such matters. So there was only one question to ask.

"How many victims were there in the end?"

"Twenty."

"Twenty...?"

He frowned at the number.

It wasn’t that he sympathized with the tragedy or felt his mood dampened.

"Man, the number of victims didn’t increase much at the end."

He was disappointed that the number was much lower than he had expected.

After all, it was the final act. He had hoped for a three-digit number. But things don’t always go as planned.

"At first, I thought, ‘Ah, that’s it,’ but... Senpai, it’s different."

"Different?"

"The number twenty was intentional. It was a tribute to me, who had just turned twenty. It was a fitting day for a prodigy to become a god."

Lena revealed this wonderful truth.

The tragedy was for her.

Twenty lives were sacrificed for her.

"What do you mean, a prodigy becoming a god? Being offered souls and being happy about it... that’s not a god, that’s a demon."

"From Rina Falto, the one who strikes ten realms, to Demon Rina Falto. It’s not a bad evolution, is it?"

"Being happy about that is six years too late."

No matter how many light-hearted remarks he made, Lena hit them all out of the park.

"Thinking about it, it’s only right that Tanaka, who disrespected me, the demon, should be cornered. It’s divine punishment."

"Tanaka? Which Tanaka?"

"The trash who used to laugh at my stutter. He once bowed in front of everyone, saying, ‘I’m sorry. I’ll do anything, please forgive me.’”

"So, did he repent? What did you do?"

"I told him, ‘Then die. I’ll never forgive you.’”

"Hey, hey, hey... Is that okay? In front of everyone?"

"At the end, I pretended to cry and acted like a girl facing her trauma. With my sister’s support, everyone became my ally. Everything went according to plan."

Recalling the moment, her lips twisted in a twisted smile of pleasure.

"Look, I’m a big-breasted high school beauty, right? And I have the talent to become a god. My reputation spread throughout the university, even reaching the ears of trash from other departments. They had been secretly circling me, trying to figure out how to get close."

Lena looked at them as if they were unpleasant insects.

"Such a sweet deal, I couldn’t possibly allow it. Just by saying, ‘That person is scary...’ subtly, people would stay away. They would criticize and blame the trash. One by one, the trash’s allies would leave. And now, it’s reaching its climax."

Lena’s smile was bright and cheerful, showing no hint of cruelty or sadism.

"I pretended to be mentally ill and took a leave of absence. I’ve prepared the others to blame me for everything. The best case is expulsion, the worst case is hell. I’m looking forward to the results."

"That’s from when you were a kid. Isn’t that going too far?"

"I never forget a grudge. I have to earn points, just like you, Senpai."

"What do you think human lives are?"

"Entertainment. At the end, I have to enjoy their lives. It’s the only way to satisfy me."

There was no guilt or regret. Her smile was clear and bright, showing no hint of a guilty conscience.

It’s strange...

I thought I had sent her back to a wonderful society.

I thought she had achieved success without doing anything wrong and was walking a brighter future than anyone else.

"Damn, I sent you back to a life that everyone envies, and yet... you’re still up to no good."

After not seeing her for three years, in just a few minutes, the bad things she had done were spilling out.

I believed she could enjoy a happy life without resorting to bad things. But she was deriving her daily sustenance from bad things.

Why is she so fixated on bad things?

"Can’t you try to live a little more cleanly?"

"The soil is rotten. Even if I change the environment now, a clean flower won’t bloom."

The answer was simple.

Her body could no longer taste the sweetness of clean things.

The misfortune of others was the taste of honey.

Who taught her such a bad taste? ...It was all because I had given her such a nature.

Thus, the prodigy who everyone envied did not become a god.

She fell into a demon who feeds on the misfortune of others.

The responsibility for this weighed heavily on his shoulders.

"Well, let’s go to the accommodation first. Where did you book it?"

"Actually... I didn’t book anything."

The thing I hate the most is responsibility.

I always pushed it onto others, but this time, I couldn’t.

This responsibility, I have to carry for the rest of my life.

"Until I show results, my family’s CEO won’t give me money. I can’t afford a lavish trip, so I can’t stay in a hotel."

"At least you’re staying for a month, right? What are you going to do?"

"I have a place to stay and work, so I’ll rely on that."

"Do you have a friend here?"

"There’s no way I have a friend in such an undeveloped place! Cut it out!"

"You’ll be killed by the locals."

Can a no-good person like me live with someone important?

Would society even allow it now?

Even if it did, could we really make it work?

So far, everything has been fine, but the future is uncertain. Since I’m currently doing no-good things, I might face the consequences someday. And I might drag the person walking beside me into that misfortune.

"Anyway..."

The only thought that arose in his heart about such an unpredictable future was:

"Senpai, how about hiring me as a home security guard?"

It’ll be fine somehow.

It’s his usual optimistic attitude.

"Senpai, how about hiring me as a home security guard?"

That’s it, the end!

Thank you very much for reading to the end.

I’ve written various things about my activities, explanations, and future plans, so please read them if you’re interested.

If you have any bookmarks, evaluations, comments, or reviews, I would be very grateful to receive them.