— — — — — —
Hellfire Trial?
Shinomiya Oko stood frozen, head bowed, eyes wide in horror. Beads of cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
All around him, he could still hear the anguished cries of his Family members echoing in his ears.
Gulp!
He swallowed hard, sweat dripping onto the wooden floor below.
He knew himself well enough to understand the truth—leaping into that hellfire would annihilate him so completely, not even ashes would remain.
It was that simple: him plus hellfire🔥 equaled zero. Not death—total obliteration.
With a trembling voice, Oko lifted his head and looked at the man before him. "Father, I… I'm your son!"
Shinomiya Gan'an stared down at him, his expression calm but resolute. "Oko, this is a necessary sacrifice… for the Shinomiyas."
Oko clenched his fists, his face twisting in rage. He turned toward Kaguya with hatred in his eyes. "Why should I die because of that idiot's mistake?!"
Kaguya flinched.
Gan'an's voice turned cold. "Don't make this harder than it needs to be, Oko."
"Harder?"
Oko suddenly burst out laughing—bitter and crazed. "Then how about this—we all go down together!"
"If I die, I'm dragging the entire Shinomiya Family to hell with me!"
His expression twisted with madness, Oko let out a cold snort and turned to leave.
But then—
Several hands grabbed him from behind, locking his limbs in place.
Before he could even react, a familiar voice rang out behind him.
"Big Brother, I'd rather not lose my life because of your tantrum…"
It was Shinomiya Un'yo.
Before Oko could respond, he felt his feet leave the ground.
Eyes wide, he shouted, "Wait, what are you doing?! Stop them! Father—!"
"Don't—!"
In the next moment, Oko was thrown into the raging Hellfire.
"AAAAAAHHHHHH—!"
"DAMN YOU!!"
"Kaguya, you're the disgrace of the Shinomiya Family!!"
"I hate you—I curse you—!!"
His screams of hatred echoed through the flames…
…until eventually, they faded into silence.
Gan'an slowly closed his eyes.
Even for him, watching his own son be executed wasn't easy.
But…
This was necessary—for the Shinomiya Family.
Kaguya trembled uncontrollably.
'Kaguya, you're the disgrace of the Shinomiya Family!!'
She was the disgrace…
This was all… because of her.
"Your turn, Kaguya," Gan'an said, his voice heavy with emotion.
Hearing that, Kaguya numbly lifted her head. Her crimson eyes were completely empty.
She rose to her feet like a puppet—but hadn't taken more than two steps before collapsing with a thud.
Her body… had no strength left.
But she didn't stop. Without complaint or expression, she pushed herself up again.
And again, and again.
Crawling—hands, knees, and all—until she finally reached the blazing Hellfire.
Gan'an and Un'yo both watched her, expressions conflicted.
When had they ever seen Kaguya in such a pitiful state?
Blankly, Kaguya stared into the flames before stepping into them without hesitation.
She was a sinner.
Let the flames burn her away completely. Let them be her redemption.
But…
Whoosh—
The fire roared around her.
And yet…It didn't hurt.
Kaguya looked utterly lost.
Did this mean…
…even the Hellfire didn't think her sins were enough?
Gan'an, however, didn't seem surprised.
She had brought misfortune to the Family, yes. But Kaguya's heart was pure— he had no doubt of that.
The others in the Family looked on, their expressions mixed.
They now knew Kaguya was partly responsible for the disaster that befell the Family.
And yet, she… was spared.
That left a bitter taste in their mouths.
Kaguya bit her lip, her pale fingers curling into tight fists.
She stood there, silently waiting to accept her punishment.
But—
Whoosh!
The Hellfire lashed out and threw her out.
"Ha?"
Kaguya landed hard on the ground, dazed and shaken.
She looked up, eyes wide, catching glimpses of her family members' expressions.
Anger. Coldness. Disdain. Disgust. Hatred.
Those gazes felt like an invisible hand, squeezing her heart tightly.
She needed to atone.
---
Meanwhile
Hayasaka Ai had returned to the Shinomiya estate, meeting with her mother, Hayasaka Nao.
"Mom, what's going on now?"
Nao answered with a grim expression, "Looks like the Shinomiya Family is about to fall…"
Despite the serious tone, Hayasaka Ai could sense the slight schadenfreude in her mother's voice.
After all…
This situation mirrored what the Hayasaka family had gone through not long ago.
But Hayasaka Ai was focused on something else entirely.
"Mom… does that mean we're getting a new master?"
Nao's face froze for a second. Then she sighed and slumped her shoulders. "Yeah…"
As retainers to the Shinomiya Family, their fate was now tied to whoever took over.
"Let's hope the new master isn't too harsh…"
Nao's voice was laced with worry.
"…Hmm."
Hayasaka Ai recalled Lynn's face in her mind, then muttered, "He… seems decent enough?"
— — —
The next day
Yukinoshita Haruno returned once again to the Shinomiya estate.
Gan'an had already prepared everything.
Ownership contracts, business transfers—everything matched the intel Haruno had collected.
Looking around at the now half-empty estate, Haruno nodded in satisfaction.
Then turned to Gan'an and said, "Not bad. You acted quickly."
Gan'an forced a stiff smile.
But Haruno immediately shut it down. "Ugh. Don't smile like that—it's disgusting."
Gan'an's face twitched.
From a distance, Hayasaka Ai couldn't help but smirk.
Serves you right, old man.
Haruno went on, "This house belongs to the Lynn Group now too. Pack up and move out."
Gan'an showed no reaction.
After all…
The Shinomiya Family had once done the exact same thing to the Hayasaka family.
Suddenly—
Kaguya shoved her way through the crowd and dropped to her knees before Haruno.
"I'm sorry! This is all my fault!"
Her voice cracked with emotion. "I… I'll do anything to atone to Lord Lynn, so please…"
She trembled as she pleaded, eyes full of desperation.
"…Please let my father and the others stay. Just somewhere they can live."
This disaster was because of her. All of it.
So at the very least—let her father and the others have a roof over their heads.
Haruno raised a brow, something unreadable flickering in her eyes. Then she stroked her chin and said casually—
"Lord Lynn has been saying he needs a personal maid…"
Kaguya's body tensed.
But the next second, she straightened up, eyes blazing with determination. "I'll do my best!"
Gan'an opened his mouth as if to say something—but when he saw the resolve in her eyes, he fell silent.
He just sighed quietly to himself.
Kaguya… had changed a lot.
Haruno's lips curled into a sly smile.
"Alright then. We'll go with that for now."
She hadn't planned on wiping out the Shinomiya Family completely anyway.
They were raised under elite education, after all—perfect little workhorses.
Might as well put them to good use under Lynn's group, right?
Though…
Haruno's eyes narrowed as she looked down at Kaguya. Her voice turned light but chilling:
"But if you fail to please Lord Lynn…"
"I won't be responsible for what happens next~"
Kaguya shuddered, but kept her head low and said nothing.
Seeing that, Haruno nodded in satisfaction.
"Of course, if you do a good job, Lord Lynn might just reward you."
Her gaze swept over the remaining Shinomiya members… and stopped on Gan'an.
"Your father doesn't have much time left, does he?"
Kaguya's lips tightened.
Haruno's voice turned playful: "If Lynn-sama's in a good mood, who knows… he might even assign your father to work in Hell~"
Gan'an really was a talented man, after all.
Even in death, he should still be useful—to Lynn.
"H-Hell?!"
Kaguya's head shot up, surprise flashing in her eyes.
Gan'an's eyes narrowed, his heart skipping a beat.
Hell...
His thoughts immediately jumped to that terrifying three-headed Hellhound from yesterday.
And also...
The blazing inferno that could judge sin itself.
Hiss—
Could it be... The Lynn Group actually has ties to the legendary Hell itself?!
Just thinking about it made his heart pound faster.
If he could work for Hell after death... honestly, that didn't sound too bad?
Maybe...
Maybe the Shinomiya family could even rise again in Hell?
Turns out, 'go to hell' isn't a curse.
With that thought, Gan'an suddenly felt that becoming a subordinate family under the Lynn Group might not be so terrible after all.
While the Shinomiya family had lost their wealth, they'd gained access to the supernatural world.
If that man named Lynn felt generous and gave them a chance...
Ganan looked at Kaguya, a glint of cunning flickering through his cloudy eyes.
The closer you are to the source, the more benefits you get.
Kaguya, as Lord Lynn's personal maid... might be just the opportunity they needed.
Yeah...
Kaguya definitely needed to "atone" properly to Lord Lynn!
After wrapping up the mess with the Shinomiya family...
Kaguya had already changed into a maid outfit and was quietly following behind Yukinoshita Haruno.
Her face showed a bit of anxiety, and her heart was full of uncertainty.
She didn't know what the future held, nor how she was supposed to face Lynn now.
And more importantly—
As someone used to being treated like a proper lady, she had no idea how to be a proper maid!
If she messed something up and made Lynn angry...
Kaguya's heart was in turmoil.
"Kaguya."
"Eek!!"
She jumped at the sudden voice.
Hayasaka Ai: "..."
"It's just me."
Kaguya quickly patted her chest, letting out a relieved breath, "Oh, it's you, Hayasaka…"
Then, noticing Hayasaka was also in a maid outfit, she blinked in confusion ."Wait, Hayasaka, what's with your outfit...?"
"Isn't it obvious? Same as you."
"Same as me?"
Kaguya paused, then her eyes lit up. "You're going to be Lord Lynn's personal maid too?!"
Hayasaka nodded.
"That's great!"
Kaguya grabbed her hands excitedly. "Hayasaka, I don't really know much about being a maid, so please help guide me, okay?"
Looking at Kaguya—so humble—Hayasaka's expression turned a little complicated. Then, with a meaningful smile, she said,
"Don't worry... I'll make sure to 'guide' you real well."
.
.
.