Hell Inn: Rebirth - I Became a Chef in Hell

Chapter 17 One-Click Inquiry into the Mental State of the Broadcast Demon

Suddenly, you find yourself walking down the streets of hell with Alastor.

"Honey, cheer up. What's making you unhappy this time?"

"Perhaps it's because your face is so sour," the broadcasting demon said in a cheerful voice beside you, "I'm just going to a tailor shop but for some reason I have to go the same way as you."

You looked at him, your face showing a mixture of wanting to say something but holding back.

After all, you can't say that the thing that makes you unhappy is him, right?

As for why we don't talk about what happened to Sir Pantheon in the end... well, it's mainly because the matter ended in the blink of an eye.

The opponent didn't even last a single round against Alastor before falling off the airship.

The seemingly dim-witted serpentine sinner tore a small piece of cloth from the infamous Broadcast Demon's clothes, and the next second he was blasted into a resurrection match by the Wendigo (Angry Version) emitting sharp noises.

You had no idea what Alastor, who was always wearing a slightly battle-damaged red suit, was going to do at the tailor shop.

All you know is that after buying your dinner ingredients and leaving the Hellmart you've been longing for, you see a broadcast demon that shouldn't be there—what a ghost!

……

But in some ways, Alastor really is a male ghost, isn't he?

You choked up at the thought in your heart.

At that time, the broadcast demon, surrounded by a vacuum, maintained his terrifying smile, but he just stood there in an extremely eerie way, leaving everyone wondering what he was going to do.

By the time you come out, you've already heard rumors from the sinners passing by that he's going to start a new massacre from here.

Later, when you asked Alastor, you learned that he hadn't gone to the tailor shop yet. He had been standing there, like a murderous statue, waiting for you to come out of Hellmart.

“...Angel has been saying that I have facial muscle necrosis ever since he met me. Can you guess why?”

You remained silent for a while before speaking, carrying the groceries.

When you're traveling with Alastor, you basically just listen to him try to find topics to talk about.

One second he might be talking about the dire state of the US economy after its collapse, and the next he might be cheerfully condemning how modern aesthetics have killed music and how contemporary pop music is unbearable to listen to.

"...Why don't you tell me why you, as a lone wolf, are waiting for me at the supermarket entrance? Is something wrong?"

You asked the broadcast demon, whose emotions were so intense they made you wonder if he was a demon himself, in a flat, emotionless voice.

Knowing that the other party would only come to your door for a reason, you simply couldn't stand Wendigo, who looked like a news anchor.

Why couldn't this just be a simple, pleasant meeting?

Upon hearing your statement, Alastor, who was walking beside you, feigned surprise and drew a semi-circle in the air with both hands. "Or, you can take this as my way of thanking you for repairing the hotel walls for me."

He widened his eyes and pretended to be sincere.

If you ignore his eerie and frightening smile, the broadcast demon's wide-eyed expression actually looks quite genuine, like a puppy (limited edition focusing only on the eyes).

"Come on, I'd rather believe the sun rises from hell than believe this. Just say what you want to say. When did you foreigners start using all this roundabout stuff?"

You, who completely disbelieved that the broadcasting demon was deliberately looking for you for this reason, finally couldn't help but frown.

But the other person completely ignored you; he just focused intently on the road ahead, walking beside you with an elegant and upright posture.

Just then, you and Alastor, who were walking and talking, happened to pass by the eavesdropping radio station. You noticed that there was a tailor shop right across from the station.

"Ah! We've arrived just in time."

The Crimson Wendigo, who was deliberately avoiding your questioning, should have been angry or verbally attacking you. After all, he's a madman who wouldn't back down even knowing your strength...

But this time he didn't do anything at all.

You never imagined that one day you would describe Alastor as having a good temper.

Because after you asked him in an unfriendly tone, he wasn't angry at all. Instead, he slightly bent over and made an inviting gesture towards you from the tailor shop.

"please?"

The tone was one that left no room for argument.

Actually, you could simply ignore Alastor's thoughts and leave now, since your core interest is only the hotel.

But he seemed to be taking advantage of your reluctance to strain the relationships within the hotel, which is why he kept testing the limits of your anger. In the end, you had no choice but to follow this seemingly polite gentleman into the tailor shop.

After inviting you into the tailor shop, Alastor, whose true intentions are unknown, remained silent.

The redness everywhere in hell is extremely damaging to your eyes and makes you feel very agitated.

So, with nowhere else to look, you can only turn your gaze to Alastor, who is having his body measured by the shop assistant.

You saw the tailor shop owner personally step forward and wrap a measuring tape around Alastor's incredibly thin waist.

The well-mannered gentleman stood gracefully in place, without even lifting his eyelids.

At least when he's not angry or looking for fun, Alastor is almost like a gentleman... or even more likable.

He's not exactly a particularly good-tempered demon, but his unwavering patience and politeness towards women is enough to earn him a lot of points.

You stand still, giving Alastor a cursory once-over.

Perhaps because the other person's movements were so light and graceful, the idioms "graceful and charming" and "alluring and charming" inexplicably flashed through your mind.

……

Startled by your own thoughts, you silently deliver a powerful punch to the little devil in your heart.

Perhaps noticing your gaze, the broadcasting demon, who had maintained a calm and collected demeanor from the beginning, finally turned his head slowly towards you and spoke.

"I heard you have connections with that third-rate head of modern technology. Is that true?"

"..."

"What you're saying now sounds more like a problem."

You were somewhat surprised by Alastor's abrupt change in his remarks.

You don't know why the other person suddenly brought up this topic... and you're curious how they even know about it.

"So, now we're finally fulfilling our previous agreement, right?"

Suddenly remembering something, you asked him in a calm tone.

"Of course! Why do you feel that the previous statements were asking you questions?"

Alastor, seemingly taking it all for granted, gripped his cane, his eyes wide, staring innocently at your expressionless face.

"……I knew it."

You frowned, your whole body radiating a sense of "I knew it" disdain.

"Oh... dear lady, you don't need to make that face."

"Before things get any worse, I can tentatively consider your earlier open disclosure of your abilities as a threat, so we should be even, don't you think?"

From the very beginning, I understood the real purpose of your previous words, and I knew that you were just playing along. Alastor leaned on his cane, bent down exaggeratedly, and said jokingly in the tone of a news broadcaster.

Although he was still smiling, you could guess that the pragmatic Alastor was still seething inside.

How could a sinner lord who always makes others suffer have a liking for being threatened by other demons?

But that's how things are done in hell. You have to be prepared for anything, deal with whatever comes your way, and occasionally get kicked by a clever person in front of you – that's part of the entertainment.

You look at Alastor in front of you, your expression unchanged.

Just as the two of you were locked in a tense standoff, the tailor shop owner, who had been busy at work, had already repaired the sinner lord's suit at the fastest speed he had ever done.

But it doesn't look any different from before, the hem is still tattered...

You glanced at Alastor's striped suit, which had been repaired.

When Alastor, who was only wearing a shirt, put his coat back on, your eyes, which hadn't changed position the whole time, involuntarily first swept over his excessively thin waist before landing on his eternally unchanging smiling face.

Every time you face Alastor, you feel like you could beat him up, but he always manages to shut you up with his words.

The key is that you really can't lay a hand on him, otherwise you won't be able to explain it to Shirley.

Although it's infuriating that the other party washes their hands of the matter after asking the questions, you still have to continue the "deal" with them.

"……All right."

"If the 'second-rate head of modern technology' you're referring to is the president of Vox Technology..."

It didn't really matter. Under his gaze, the broadcast demon, who was trying to trip you up, made a quotation mark gesture with both hands in the air. "I can only say that I did have some grudges with him before."

Upon hearing what you said, Alastor, whose eyes were slightly curved, remained silent.

He tilted his head toward you, and a strange, static-like sound rose in his throat.

"I've said before that I don't like Hell's advanced technology. The main reason is that they installed surveillance and listening devices on my electronic devices... or maybe it's their own abilities or something."

Seeing that Alastor was interested, you actually frowned, which made you angry just thinking about it, and your tail behind you impatiently swung twice in the air.

Because mentioning Vox can trigger a sudden onslaught of dead memories.

"To be honest, I think the president of Vox Technologies has a voyeuristic tendency and is also a control freak."

"I went to hell late, you know that? Shirley should have told you."

"...Uh, aside from that bastard installing things he shouldn't have on my electronic devices, I'd call Vox Technologies hellish Netflix. I'd need to see a psychologist if I watched even one more of their outrageous soap operas."

"And that digital watch that's been all the rage lately, isn't that... what's that, the human version of the Aole-watch?"

"The price of that watch is simply outrageous, and what's the difference between that electronic watch and a mobile surveillance camera? What's he thinking, daring to sell it for $9000? Is he going to use that $9000 to buy his life? It's all so absurd."

The moment you mention a certain Vox with whom you had a troublesome past, your mind immediately fills with nothing but complaints as you unleash a barrage of rants.

But you were genuinely surprised that Alastor responded to every single thing you said.

Although the old-fashioned Alastor probably wouldn't understand most of what you said, he seemed genuinely pleased when you called Vox a dog.

When you complain about his recently popular digital watches, he even nodded in agreement.

"I'm surprised you'll ever talk so much."

After you stopped complaining, Alastor gave an objective assessment of your reaction.

"But I'm still more curious... have you already met him?"

"Who? You mean that easily-swayed CEO guy?"

Your eyebrows twitched slightly, surprised that Alastor would ask such a question.

When Alastor heard you say that about Vox, he was visibly taken aback.

Then?

Then you see the broadcasting demon in front of you suddenly stand still and burst into unrestrained laughter.

Alastor's laughter was exactly the same as when he had previously tormented Sir Pantheon... no, it might even look a little more insane.

He looked at the other person with an expression that seemed to have heard something incredibly funny.

The tailor shop owner, a sinner, was terrified by the broadcast demon's mental state.

The shop owner, who already looked terrified, crawled under the table before Alastor's laughter had even finished.

“If you are indeed talking about him, then I do have some past grievances with him.”

Knowing that Alastor was in poor mental condition, but not this bad, you twitched your lips and continued to add.

"This guy discovered my ability to travel to the human world a while ago, and then he seemed to threaten me for something, but I don't remember exactly."

"Later, because I was so angry, I rushed into that arrogant ring... uh, afraid that Wumo wouldn't know it was 3v territory, and beat him up in that conspicuous neon lighthouse."

You thought about the whole scene for a bit and then embellished it before you spoke and gave the result.

"The one with the TV head, right? I heard its head keeps up with the times, I wonder if it'll become an air projection screen in the future..."

After hearing your addition, Alastor laughed even louder.

You could even hear canned laughter coming from his microphone, which means he was very kind to your "joke".

Listening to his perfectly enunciated "hahaha" and the shrill sound of the radio, you're afraid he might laugh himself to death.

You don't want to go back to Hell Inn and tell Shirley that the infamous, all-powerful Broadcast Demon died laughing because you mentioned you once beat up the president of Vox Technologies.