"Hell Correspondence?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Lynn's eyes.
"That's right!"
Iwanaga Kotoko nodded, her tone serious. "That hell website only appears at midnight. Once someone filled with hatred writes down a name, Hell Girl appears and drags the target to hell."
Listening to her explanation, Lynn felt the setup sounded increasingly familiar.
Hell Girl?
Come to think of it… there really is a Hell in this world…
"So, then…"
Lynn tapped the table. "What do you want to request?"
Iwanaga Kotoko smiled faintly. "Could I trouble the devil to fix this website?"
"Oh?"
"It's solvable…"
Lynn gave her a playful look. "But this is already outside school jurisdiction, isn't it?"
Kotoko blinked, slightly stunned.
Lynn continued casually, "The Supernatural Investigation Club doesn't handle off-campus commissions for free~"
Kotoko pursed her lips, sighed, then asked, "Then... what does the devil require?"
Lynn pulled out a price list he'd prepared long ago.
Kotoko's gaze was immediately drawn to it, and she began reading aloud.
"Low-Class Devil: 5 million yen."
"Mid-Class Devil: 50 million…"
"High-Class Devil: 500 million…"
As she read, Kotoko's eyelid twitched.
"Ultimate-Class: 500 billion…"
"Satan-Class… price determined on a case-by-case basis?"
She froze in disbelief. "You… you can actually request the Maou to take action?!"
Lynn shrugged. "So? Have you decided what level of devil to hire?"
Kotoko fell silent.
Truthfully, she had no clear concept of the power scaling.
She wasn't even sure how strong Hell Girl was.
So…
"I'll leave the recommendation to you, President Lynn."
She handed the matter over to the professional.
Lynn rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
While Hell Girl sounded dangerous, it was hard to gauge her actual power.
A High-Class devil should suffice.
Still…
Lynn was quite interested in her.
If he brought her into his Peerage, what kind of devil would she become?
With that thought, he smiled at Kotoko and said, "I recommend hiring a Maou."
"?"
Kotoko's expression stiffened. "Heh… heh…"
"President Lynn, are you sure I can afford the Maou?"
Her eyes shifted back to the price list.
'Price depends on the situation'...
She had a very real suspicion that this "Maou-level" request might cost her everything.
"Don't worry. This is a special case."
Lynn gave her a reassuring look. "The Maou is very interested in Hell Girl and won't charge much."
"?"
Kotoko looked around in confusion. "I just came to submit a request… and the Maou already knows?"
"Don't tell me…"
"The Maou is in the Supernatural Investigation Club?"
Her gaze swept the room. Aside from Lynn and the white-haired dog lounging nearby, she didn't see anyone.
She squinted at the dog, and Inukimi returned her stare with a look that clearly said, Are you dumb?
…Guess not.
Kotoko silently looked away.
Then her eyes landed on Lynn again.
Her brow twitched. "Wait. Could it be…"
Lynn smiled and nodded. "Yeah. That's me."
Clatter—
Kotoko leapt up from her seat in shock.
She suddenly went pale, wobbling as her cane slipped from her grasp and hit the ground with a clack.
Her legs gave out. She nearly collapsed.
Then—
A large hand reached out and caught her, pulling her upright again.
Kotoko snapped out of her daze, lifted her skirt, and said stiffly, "Forgive me. I was just a bit shocked to learn you're a Maou…"
She looked composed on the outside, but inside, her heart was in chaos.
A Maou, in Shuchiin?
And still a student?!
Is this some twisted devil humor?
"Well, have you decided whether to ask for my help?"
Kotoko forced a smile. "Of course…"
Now that he said he was interested, how could she say no?
She was reminded of Yomi's fate and felt tears prick her eyes.
She could already see herself getting dragged in…
"Alright then, let's go."
Lynn stood up.
"Huh?"
Kotoko blinked. "But Master Maou… Hell Correspondence doesn't appear until midnight."
Lynn nodded. "I know."
"But…"
He gave her a strange look. "Do you think we have hatred?"
"Uh…"
Kotoko's expression froze.
Right… people without resentment can't see Hell Correspondence.
"Then…"
She tilted her head in confusion.
"We just find a couple bad guys," Lynn said casually.
Of course!
Kotoko didn't even question it.
That really was the most efficient method.
—
Late at night.
Two Yakuza men trembled before them.
They were the most resentful people Lynn could find nearby.
Lynn and Kotoko waited quietly for midnight.
Suddenly—
Buzz—
A phone vibrated.
"It's midnight," Kotoko said solemnly.
Lynn narrowed his eyes.
The Yakuza duo's phones suddenly blacked out, and flames began to burn across the screens.
Once the flames died out, a website appeared.
[Hell Correspondence]
Lynn kicked both men. "Write the name of the person you hate most."
The two Yakuza shuddered and exchanged glances.
If they had to say who they hated most right now… it would definitely be him.
But they didn't dare say that.
Instead, they obediently entered their boss's name and clicked send.
Buzz—
As soon as the message was sent, ripples spread through the space.
A petite girl in a black kimono appeared.
She had long black hair, and her scarlet eyes glowed with emotionless calm.
The moment he saw her, Lynn smiled.
+1 Peerage potential.
"Hell Girl?"
Kotoko's eyes widened. "She really appeared!"
The two Yakuza men were about to scream from fear, but before they could, Lynn knocked them both out with a sleep spell.
"?"
Ai Enma tilted her head.
The clients had fallen unconscious…
How was she supposed to complete the job?
Still, she squatted and placed two red-stringed straw dolls beside them.
Whether or not they could hear, she recited the familiar lines:
"Untie the red thread, and the contract will be sealed. The person you hate will be banished to hell."
Her voice was soft, but haunting.
"Once the contract is fulfilled, your soul will also fall to hell after death. If you cannot reach paradise, you'll wander in agony forever."
But—
Obviously, they couldn't respond.
Ai Enma finished the process, then looked over at Lynn and Kotoko.
Kotoko rubbed her chin. "So this is how it works…"
However…
"Hell Girl, do you know how many innocent people have died because of your actions?"
Her gaze turned cold.
After all, not all people filled with resentment were truly victims.
Some were jealous of others' success, beauty, or talent.
Hell Girl exiled them all indiscriminately.
It crossed Kotoko's bottom line.
Faced with her judgment, Ai Enma remained emotionless.
She only said quietly, "Work is work."
Yes. Work.
Even if she didn't want to do it, she had no choice.
Something flickered in her eyes. She seemed… distant.
Kotoko clicked her tongue in frustration.
Even if she looked like a young girl, she clearly had no free will.
At times like this…
You had to rely on the Maou.
Kotoko looked at Lynn expectantly.
Ai Enma glanced at the two unconscious men again, then turned to open a portal to hell.
"Oh? So if the contract isn't completed, it doesn't count as a breach?"
Seeing her about to leave, Lynn finally spoke.
"If the thread isn't pulled, it's not work," Ai replied flatly.
Leaving those words behind, she stepped into the portal.
Bang!
Suddenly.
Ai Enma paused and looked down.
A large hand had grabbed her wrist.
"Say," Lynn said, a smile tugging at his lips, "Have you considered changing jobs?"
"Huh?"
Kotoko blinked in surprise.
Ai Enma looked stunned for a moment, then shook her head.
She turned and continued walking toward hell.
"Tch."
"Then I guess I'll talk to your boss."
With those words, Lynn stepped into the portal to hell before her.
"!"
A rare ripple appeared in Ai's expressionless face.
"Huh?"
Kotoko, stunned, immediately ran after him. "President Lynn, wait for me!"
Ai Enma opened her mouth, but said nothing.
This wasn't her task.
But…
She had a bad feeling she was dragging trouble into hell.
—
Scene shift.
A world bathed in eternal sunset stretched out before them.
Lynn scanned the surroundings.
Mountains loomed in every direction. Red spider lilies blanketed the ground.
A pond shimmered ahead, with a thatched hut beside it.
Its door stood open, one half cloaked in shadow, the other lit by the setting sun's bloody glow.
"This is…"
"Hell?" Kotoko asked, eyes wide.
Lynn glanced around, silently assigning it a spatial coordinate.
Might be useful later.
"Oh?"
"A guest?"
A small girl in a grape-colored kimono appeared.
Her purple-blue eyes carried an eerie charm, and her ever-present smile was unsettling.
Kotoko quietly shifted closer to Lynn.
"Hey."
"It's against the rules to bring others here uninvited~"
Ai Enma remained expressionless. "I never told them what this job involved."
Kikuri: "…"
"They barged in."
"Oh~?"
Kikuri's eyes narrowed, and her grin deepened.
"Then I guess they're enemies."
(To be continued.)