Chapter 453: The Path Beyond Desperado
After tapping Luke on the head, Kurono did not immediately speak.
Instead, she turned around, walked to the hospital room door, and locked it before returning.
That suspicious behavior genuinely startled Luke.
'Silencing a witness? A locked-room murder? Killing me to vent her anger???'
None of those possibilities sounded particularly good!
This time, actual cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
Feeling that his body had yet to fully recover from its weakened state, Luke cautiously watched Kurono while calculating possible escape routes.
'Even someone as strong as Director Kurono finally broke under excessive overwork? As expected, exploiting employees really is—'
'No, no… This isn't the time for nonsense.'
'I should explain things first and see if I can stabilize her mood. Space-time abilities are way too troublesome. If we actually fight right now, my chances aren't great…'
"Luke, I want to talk to you."
'Getting through the door means getting past the director. Jumping out the window is probably safer. First, I should test her reaction and—huh?'
Luke stared blankly as Kurono put away her Device and sat beside his bed.
It took him a moment to process what had happened.
"…By 'talk,' you mean a normal conversation?"
"Stop screwing around. Did you seriously think I came here to kill you out of frustration?!"
"You didn't?!"
"???"
"Ah, no. What I mean is… the destruction of the arena this time wasn't my fault."
"…I'm suddenly starting to think killing you might actually be a good idea."
Kurono felt another ache in her liver.
After glaring at Luke, she picked up another cup, poured herself some water, and quietly sighed.
Luke's guess had not actually been far off.
She really had been busy with the reconstruction work.
The only reason she had come here was because there were things she desperately wanted to ask him.
So she had sold Nene out—No.
She had temporarily entrusted the work to her dear friend.
Nene's ability was quite convenient for construction repairs anyway.
Kurono shook her head lightly, then glanced toward the locked door once more.
After confirming that she would have enough time to escape if someone caught her slacking off, she straightened her expression and looked at Luke.
"Why did you choose to become a Desperado?"
Kurono concealed herself extremely well.
When asking the question, she revealed none of the emotions beneath it.
She looked exactly like a teacher concerned about her student.
However, Luke had already learned the entire story from Nene.
He knew Kurono was nowhere near as calm as she appeared.
It was not that her concern for Luke was fake.
It simply was not the whole reason she had come.
Luke felt somewhat helpless.
He never imagined he would one day have to counsel his teacher while still playing the role of a student.
Putting aside the chaotic thoughts he had been using to lighten the atmosphere, Luke wore his usual smile.
"There's a road ahead of me."
"If I want to keep moving forward, why would I stop?"
There was no grand philosophy.
No speech about dreams or the future.
Luke simply explained his thoughts as casually as though he were talking about eating or drinking.
Naturally, a single sentence could never satisfy Kurono.
If the issue were that simple, Nene would not have remained stagnant for so many years.
So Luke asked a question in return.
"Why shouldn't I become a Desperado?"
Being handed the question back made Kurono feel strangely suffocated.
She immediately understood what Luke meant.
She also realized that her student probably already knew everything.
Even so, Kurono had little desire to speak about her past.
Doing so was no different from tearing open an old wound with her own hands.
But the conversation had to continue.
Otherwise, coming here would have been pointless.
Kurono took a deep breath and instinctively reached toward her pocket for a cigarette.
Then she remembered they were inside a hospital.
Instead, she picked up her cup, took a sip of water, and spoke.
"Becoming a Desperado is extremely difficult."
"One mistake can kill you."
"Even among those who reach the gate, there are people who spend their entire lives unable to push it open."
"If your goal is simply to become strong, becoming a Desperado isn't the only path."
"You could even call it the most difficult one…"
But the longer Kurono spoke, the more shaken she became.
Because she knew these superficial reasons could never stop someone who genuinely wanted to become stronger.
And Luke proved exactly that.
His expression never changed.
Nor did he interrupt her even once.
He simply listened in silence, waiting for Kurono to finally say what she truly meant.
"If you become a Desperado…"
"You really do become a monster."
Kurono finally gave up pretending.
The instant she spoke those words, her mask disappeared.
What Luke saw was a face slightly twisted by countless conflicting emotions.
Loss.
Frustration.
Regret.
Guilt.
Hesitation, fear, worry, attachment—And many more emotions tangled together so tightly that even Luke could not separate them all.
Looking at the shaken Kurono, Luke made no attempt to exploit her weakness.
Getting her to speak openly was enough.
If both sides kept hiding things they were unwilling to discuss, this conversation would have been meaningless from the beginning.
But once everything was out in the open—They had entered territory Luke was good at.
Guidance.
Or, to put it less politely, manipulation.
All Luke needed to do was guide someone's thoughts deep enough that they were forced to confront what truly existed within their heart.
What happened afterward was no longer his responsibility.
Whether they changed after understanding their true feelings, or what decision they ultimately made—Luke would not interfere further.
Whether that choice was good or bad could only be decided by the person themselves.
So he brought the subject back to himself and offered Kurono a second question.
"But people already call me a 'monster.'"
"Speaking of which, you and Nene-sensei didn't seriously think I was unaware that you privately call me 'little monster,' did you?"
"Uh…"
Being exposed like that was rather embarrassing.
Even while emotionally shaken, Kurono felt her blood pressure rise slightly.
Fortunately, it was not the important part of the conversation.
After an awkward pause, she decided to pretend she had never heard that remark and continued naturally.
"That's just a nickname."
"If anything, it's basically praise."
"Do you think being called a monster for long enough will literally turn you into one?"
"But Desperados are different…"
"Beyond that gate…"
"Didn't you feel it?"
"Deep beyond the gate, there's a power capable of distorting the very essence of a human being."
"To be honest, Director, your talent genuinely surprises me."
Luke was not flattering her.
With Edelweiss as his guide, Luke naturally knew exactly what Kurono had sensed.
It was not something a person should normally be capable of perceiving while still standing outside the gate.
It belonged to the next stage after a Blazer crossed into the Desperado realm and reached its first level—
"Awakening."
Beyond that lay the next realm.
Transcendent Awakening.
…
…
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