This is troubling. There are too many chicken places on the streets.
They say chicken restaurants are absolutely necessary for human civilization to continue, but is it really all right for there to be this many?
I can see people entering chicken restaurants with their arms linked, in a sweet, lovey-dovey mood.
I can see people coming out of chicken restaurants with satisfied faces.
Seeing people who were clearly enjoying chicken filled me with complicated emotions.
"!"
Interfering with chicken is an act of interfering with the progress of civilization.
If I keep scattering mana around for detection, wouldn't that be too much of a nuisance?
I withdrew the mana I had been scattering. Then I also calmed the aura that had been enhancing my senses.
In order to protect people's privacy, I suppressed my five senses and avoided the chicken restaurants.
'May you have happy chicken.'
The fact that there are many chicken restaurants also means this world is filled with love.
Although I still don't know what love is, a world filled with love is truly romantic.
Ahh. The world is full of love.
Even if only to protect this lovely world, I have to work harder.
First, I'll eat some bungeoppang.
Red bean bungeoppang. Choux cream bungeoppang. Pizza bungeoppang.
I'll buy one of each kind, put them in my subspace, and keep eating them in the Tower.
It might also be nice to buy a bungeoppang mold and make them myself.
For that, I need money.
As I secretly flew while thinking about ways to earn money, I discovered a familiar terrain.
The buildings had changed, and the shape of the roads had changed too, but from the overall view, there was no way I wouldn't recognize it.
「Our Yuyeon came again!」
He always gave me four when I ordered three bungeoppang, and cheered me on to get through the day...
It was the place where Uncle Seongcheol's bungeoppang stall had been, before he was dragged into Hell difficulty before me.
"......"
Now it's changed into an ice cream shop.
My desire to eat bungeoppang disappeared, and I felt like returning to the Tower.
If I clear Hell, will no one ever be dragged into Hell again?
I don't know.
I don't even know why Gates and the Tower suddenly appeared, and there is even less information about Hell than there is about that.
All humanity can do is overcome the Tower's trials, obtain strength, and resist the Gates.
Even so, compared to Earth in my previous life, the situation is hopeful.
Let's be grateful that this is the sort of problem that can be solved through force.
And there's no point thinking about the end of Hell difficulty right now, so I'll think about it later.
I flew to the place where the childcare facility, where children in the same situation as me had gathered, used to be.
The childcare facility had also disappeared and been replaced by another building.
Could something bad have happened?
As I stood there blankly, I heard a voice beside me.
"Lady Yuyeon. Greetings. I am Elena, Lord Yohan's secretary."
"! Hello. I'm Han Yuyeon."
Because I had been suppressing my five senses and not using mana detection, I hadn't noticed her flying up beside me.
When I looked to the side, I saw Lady Elena, whose complexion was so exhausted that it wouldn't have been strange to call her practically a corpse.
I felt like I knew the cause of the dark circles under her eyes.
Just as Lord Yohan always overworked himself while protecting humanity, Lady Elena must have been incredibly tired from staying by his side.
Lady Elena looked down at the building and explained.
"They say the facility was moved because the rate of Gate appearances nearby became too high."
"Eeng."
"It was resolved before there were any casualties, so you need not concern yourself with it, Lady Yuyeon."
"That's a relief."
Hearing that no tragedy had occurred put my mind a little at ease.
"? But how did you know what I was thinking?"
"Ah, it's a habit I developed after becoming a mage. You were looking down at the location of the facility where you lived before being dragged into Hell, so I inferred it."
"Aha."
Lord Yohan had seen right through my fondness for summaries too, and now Lady Elena had guessed my thoughts. It was fascinating.
"First of all, I would like to pay my respects to you, Lady Yuyeon, for protecting humanity and clearing the 20th floor."
"VV."
"While you rest on Earth, we would like to escort you so that you may enjoy complete rest without being caught up in anything."
"???"
"You stand out wherever you go, Lady Yuyeon. If you simply walked around the streets normally, I thought you might not be able to rest, so we prepared something modest."
"Gasp."
I don't need rest, but since she said they prepared it while thinking of me, it was hard to refuse.
"Is Lord Yohan there too?"
"Yes. Lady Ravina is also there."
"Oh."
Decision made. Let's follow Lady Elena.
But before that.
"Shall I hug you?"
"Yes...?"
"I hugged you..."
"?!?!"
She looked tired, so I hugged her.
"Shall I spin you?"
"... Yes."
"I spun you..."
Round and round. I showed her my now more refined laundry service.
As a result, the fatigue on Lady Elena's face vanished completely.
"I can feel my mind becoming incredibly clear. Thank you."
"Please use the service again next time."
"I find myself wanting to use it for the rest of my life."
"VV."
"Then, I shall guide you."
Lady Elena, whose condition had improved, flew ahead, and I slowly flew after her.
During the flight, I saw Gates from time to time, but there didn't seem to be anything for me to help with.
The sight of the Hunters hopping into the Gates while holding the S-rank weapons I had delivered to the Hunter Association...
"How dare you set foot on Earth, which Lady Yuyeon protects???"
"I'll show you the taste of a shotgun..."
"Gekkiyahou!!!"
They looked so happy that they reminded me of the mages of Isrein.
***
The place we arrived at was the Korean branch of the Hunter Association.
When I cleared the 10th floor and returned to Earth, I had come here to resolve the Gate incident.
I had felt it then too, but this place had a strong impression of being a futuristic fortress far ahead of Earth's current technological level.
Why was it incomparably more splendid than the branches I had seen while traveling around Earth, and even more brilliant than the headquarters in Switzerland?
When I asked Lady Elena, she gave me the answer.
After I was dragged into Hell difficulty, the world's capital, technology, and authority had all gathered here, and it became like this.
Looking at a building that made me realize I had been loved without even knowing it gave me a strange feeling.
When I landed with Lady Elena on the helicopter landing pad on the roof, I saw Lord Yohan and Lady Ravina.
"Benefactor...! I missed you...!"
"Me too."
Lady Ravina came running over with quick little steps.
With tremendous foresight, I grasped what Lady Ravina wanted and spread both arms.
In other words, Maid Hugged-You standby mode.
"!"
"?"
Suddenly, Lady Ravina stopped right in front of me.
Then she slowly began to back away, so I approached and hugged her.
"I hugged you..."
"B-Benefactor. Spinning is—"
"I spun you..."
"Hiiiiii—"
Lady Ravina's laundry complete.
Still holding the now fluffy-soft Lady Ravina, I greeted Lord Yohan.
"Lord Yohan. We meet again so soon. Has nothing happened?"
Instead of answering, Lord Yohan unleashed a surprise peace sign.
Since I had prepared in advance, I immediately countered with a dignified peace sign.
By a narrow margin, it was my victory by decision.
"Hoho. As expected, you have no openings."
"V."
"Nothing in particular has happened to me. The fact that nothing has happened feels rather strange instead."
He said that, but I could still feel the sharp aura unique to a swordsman coming from Lord Yohan.
It was as if he was honing himself every single moment because he never knew when or where an enemy might appear.
Lord Yohan's health was still a source of worry for me.
If truly nothing had happened, Lady Elena wouldn't have had those dark circles either.
As I examined Lord Yohan as though seeing through him, he spoke.
"From what Lady Ravina told me, I heard that you have been searching for chicken for a very long time, Lady Yuyeon."
"?"
It hasn't been that long since I learned about chicken, though?
And I never searched for chicken?
Or did I? Ugh. Uuugh. I feel like I might remember something.
"So, we have prepared the finest chicken for you to enjoy with Lady Ravina."
"???"
What is the finest chicken supposed to mean?
"We have also prepared bungeoppang and various other feasts... but if what you desire is chicken, then I think it would be best for you to enjoy the chicken first, and store the rest in your subspace to eat whenever you wish in the Tower."
"?????"
I'm grateful that they prepared a feast, but I'm not yet old enough to do chicken.
Father, Mother, and Grandfather said chicken should be done after becoming an adult, with someone you love, but I don't even know what love is.
And chicken is between people of the same gender—Uuugh. Ugh. My head hurts. What on earth is this?
Lady Ravina, who was nestled snugly in my arms, spoke with heated breaths.
"Benefactor... chicken was truly a wonderful thing..."
"!"
"I'll teach you what the chicken you were searching for really is, Benefactor...♥"
"!!!"
Carefully, carefully.
After gently setting Lady Ravina down so she wouldn't be crushed...
"I'm sorry."
I flew away just like that.
"B-Benefactor?!"
What should I do? I'm worried about Lady Ravina.
I did hope she would have a good time on Earth, but I never imagined she would be doing chicken.
And she even recommended it to me.
The moment I tried to flee far away to buy time to think, I heard Lady Ravina crying.
"Waaah, waaah...!"
"!!!"
Ugh. Uuugh. My heart hurts too much.
Left with no choice, I came back and told her.
"Lady Ravina. When you cry, you must cry quietly."
"......♥"
"?"
I was grabbed tightly.
"Benefactor. Please trust me just this once. I'm sure you'll like it...♥"
"!!!"
Lady Ravina's strength was something I could easily break free from, but the atmosphere was frightening.
"Lady Ravina. I'm not an adult yet."
"Age isn't important for chicken...♥"
"And we're both women."
"Gender isn't important either...♥"
"???"
Even I, Yuyeon the flexible, became afraid.
I tried to ask for help, but Lord Yohan and Lady Elena spoke first.
"... Why would chicken require age or gender?"
"Isn't chicken something you enjoy when you want to enjoy it?"
"?????"
What is this? Am I the strange one?
Was there perhaps some incorrect part in what Father taught me?
Come to think of it, Father had explained after adding, "I don't know Earth's culture precisely, but..."
I am Han Yuyeon. An authority on flexible thinking.
I began to think that there might be an error in the chicken education I had received.
Thinking that it was right to ask people who had lived on Earth for a long time about Earth's culture, I asked Lord Yohan.
"Is chicken perhaps not something you do with someone you love?"
"I do not understand the intent behind your question, but there are cases where one enjoys it with someone they love, and cases where one enjoys it with friends. There are also many cases where one enjoys it alone. I occasionally enjoy chicken alone."
"???"
How do you do chicken alone?
I'm certain. Something is strange. My flexible thinking has detected a subtle information error.
"We have prepared a room so that the two of you can enjoy it in a quiet atmosphere."
"Benefactor... let's enjoy warm chicken together...♥"
"Is it common for people of the same gender to enjoy warm chicken together?"
"Chicken is best enjoyed while warm. And when enjoying chicken together, age and gender are not important."
"♥♥♥♥♥"
The strange one is Lady Ravina—
Before thinking that, let's think flexibly one more time—
Why should I? I have power.
I've decided. Let's break through head-on.
I'll confirm whether the chicken Lady Ravina wants us to do together is the same chicken I learned about, and if it is, I'll run away.
"All right. Please guide me to the room."
"Yes. I shall guide you."
"You made the right choice, Benefactor...♥"
After being guided, we entered a room located at the far end of the Association's interior.
The room had a quiet and secretive atmosphere, making it seem as if no one would notice no matter what happened inside.
"Then, I shall have things prepared so that the two of you may enjoy chicken. Please have a pleasant time."
"Thank you...♥"
Lord Yohan and Lady Elena left.
The gaze of Lady Ravina, who sat in front of me and looked at me with eyes full of anticipation, felt burdensome.
"I really wanted to enjoy chicken together with you, Benefactor...♥"
If I broke through the ceiling or wall and ran away, it would trouble many people.
If I have to escape, I'll grab Lady Ravina with telekinesis and then hurry away.
Maintaining my tension while enhancing my senses with the aura and mana I had calmed, I sensed a presence approaching this place.
When I used mana to detect its shape more clearly, the form of the food loaded on the serving cart brought on a headache.
"......!"
I definitely knew that shape.