The Villain’s POV in the Academy

Chapter 351: Side Story Chapter 2: The Legendary Restaurant 2

“The Legendary Restaurant?”

“Yes. That’s what it said.”

Stingray Dormitory Cafeteria.

Miyu, who wasn’t particularly fond of legends or superstitions, answered with a somewhat dubious expression.

Even though it was the middle of mealtime, the cafeteria was fairly quiet. This was because the number of scholarship students affiliated with Stingray had dropped sharply due to the previous Sky Dragon Incident.

However, thanks to Chairman Aaron’s efforts, the foundation’s funding had been maintained, so the support provided to each individual student had actually improved with the surplus budget.

The dormitory cafeteria, in particular, was one of the areas that benefited the most. Ironically, the food, which had already boasted exceptional quality to begin with, became even more luxurious after Stingray’s downfall.

As a result, Airi, who in the past would have had her eyes sparkling at the mere mention of the word ‘restaurant,’ reacted rather indifferently.

When meals comparable to those of most first-class restaurants were already being provided for free, there was no particular reason to be tempted by something like a Legendary Restaurant.

In short, Airi could currently be described as ‘well-fed.’

“I guess it must be an incredibly delicious place? If it’s impressive enough to have the title ‘Legendary.’”

Still, it seemed her natural gluttony hadn’t gone anywhere, as Airi showed some interest nonetheless.

The sight of food piled up like a mountain on her plate was astonishing every time I saw it. Just where did that much food disappear to?

“No. I don’t know about the taste. Apparently, it’s called ‘Legendary’ because of something else.”

“Something else?”

“They say it grants wishes.”

“??”

Airi tilted her head while cutting her food with a fork.

“Grants wishes? It’s not some magic lamp. If I were going to rely on magic, I’d rather go to Evangeline.”

“You think so too, Airi? But when I looked it up, apparently it’s a more famous urban legend than I expected. Take a look at this.”

Miyu sent Airi a website link.

When she opened the link, a collection of anonymous posts appeared.

The contents went like this.

-Somewhere in this city, there exists a nameless restaurant.

-It has no sign, and the chef’s face cannot be seen. There is no menu either.

-When a customer takes a seat, an Android waiter serves the food. And from that moment onward, the magic of this establishment truly begins.

“……Magic?”

-The moment the customer takes a bite of the appetizer, they fall into ecstasy. An incredible experience, so extraordinary that it is impossible to believe it belongs to this world, completely captivates the customer’s mind.

-From the main course through dessert, the customer devours everything like someone possessed by a starving ghost. It doesn’t matter how full they are or even if they have an upset stomach. The customer cannot stop eating.

-After the satisfying meal, the customer comes to their senses and finds themselves standing outside the restaurant. Even if they try to find the establishment again, there is nothing there.

-And the next day. The customer realizes that the wish they had desperately longed for has come true.

“That’s ridiculous.”

Airi said as she quickly scrolled through the posts.

The rest of the contents were all accounts written by people describing their experiences when they had supposedly visited the ‘Legendary Restaurant.’

One post claimed that the writer had discovered the establishment while passing through Sector A, while another said they had accidentally wandered into it while passing through Sector E.

Every one of them also claimed that their wish had come true afterward. One person wrote that they had been hired by the company they wanted, while another wrote that an incurable illness afflicting a family member had been cured.

“If a place like this existed, it would’ve become famous ages ago. If it grants wishes, why hasn’t anyone successfully wished, ‘Please make me the chairman of a Megacorp’?”

“Uh…… there actually is someone.”

“Th-There is?”

“Look underneath that.”

When she scrolled down, there was an article.

【Chairman of Neuronetics, “The Secret to My Business Success Was ‘This.’”】

Chairwoman Violet of Neuronetics, which had begun rapidly growing through its emerging Neural Link services, revealed the secret behind her astonishing success. It was none other than visiting the ‘Legendary Restaurant,’ known as an urban legend, and making a wish……

“……Why is this actually real?”

“Like I said earlier, it’s a really famous urban legend. This person probably made the story even more famous.”

“……I see.”

Airi awkwardly scratched her head.

“Even so, I can’t believe this kind of thing.”

“I don’t believe it either. But I told you, this is from the note Linda gave me.”

“Ah, right. That’s true.”

The story had been so absurd that she had briefly forgotten, but the reason this topic had come up wasn’t simply because it was an interesting piece of gossip.

It was because of the note Linda had given Miyu as a ‘token of gratitude.’

A note given by none other than the woman who had become the daughter-in-law of Militech.

“Then does it have the restaurant’s address written on it?”

“No. More precisely, it explains how to find the restaurant.”

“If it had come from someone else, I wouldn’t know, but since that nice woman gave it to you, suddenly it feels strangely trustworthy…….”

At this point, perhaps that urban legend really was true.

“Then are you going to start looking for it now, following Linda’s instructions?”

“No. I’m busy, and I don’t really have any wish I want granted. I am a little curious about how the food tastes, but I’m just as worried about it.”

“Why are you worried?”

“I’m wondering if they put something strange in the food.”

“Ah.”

Come to think of it, food that sent you into ecstasy just by eating it.

It was only natural to suspect that some strange drug had been mixed into it.

“Now that you put it that way, I’ve completely lost interest too. Did Linda really say she’s been there?”

“Apparently.”

Miyu nodded.

“From what I heard, she went there before she received permission to marry. Apparently, while her father-in-law and husband were fighting over whether to approve their marriage, she happened to find it while they were out on a date to relieve some stress. Then, after eating there, they eventually received permission to marry?”

“…….”

“Airi?”

“……Marriage.”

“What’s wrong? Your face suddenly turned red…….”

“Huh? Ah, it’s nothing. Hahaha.”

Airi hurriedly shook her head and pretended to be calm.

But only a single word was echoing madly through her mind.

Marriage.

Marriage.

Marriage……!

Why hadn’t she thought of that?

If this restaurant truly granted wishes, didn’t that mean it could grant ‘that kind’ of wish as well?

Last time, she had confessed to Aaron and asked him to date her, managing to secure the result of ‘dating after graduation,’ but honestly, that alone wasn’t reassuring enough.

As was usually the case with romance, relationships could easily be hurt and shattered midway due to all sorts of circumstances.

In other words, it didn’t guarantee the next step.

But what if she found that restaurant?

‘……It feels like cheating, so I don’t really like it, but I have nothing to lose.’

This was all that man’s fault.

How could he remain so unmoved when a woman had cast aside all her pride and confessed that she liked him that much?

Even after that confession, he treated her exactly the same as usual as though nothing had happened, and honestly, it had almost hurt her feelings a little.

In the end, if she wanted to change that blockhead of a man, she had no choice but to try anything she could, even if it meant clutching at straws.

“Um…… Miyu?”

“What is it?”

“That note, could you give it to me?”

“You want to look for it?”

“Y-Yeah.…… I-It sounds like it could be fun.”

Airi gave a vague excuse.

The fact that she liked Aaron was practically public knowledge by now.

However, if she admitted that she intended to search for an urban legend for ‘that kind’ of purpose, she wasn’t confident she could endure the looks she would receive.

Fortunately, Miyu apparently hadn’t thought that far and casually handed her the note.

“Then this actually works out well.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“I received it as a gift, so it would feel a little wrong to just throw it away like trash, wouldn’t it? So if Airi, who was there with me, takes it, that works out well for me.”

“I-I see.”

“I was originally going to give it to Serena, but I guess it can’t be helped. I’ll give the original to Airi, and send Serena a copy of the contents by email…….”

Huh? Wait.

“Wh-Why is Serena coming into this?”

“I don’t know how she got my contact information, but she contacted me directly this morning. She asked about the note just like Airi did, so I sent her a scanned copy. Then she asked whether I could give her the entire note instead of just the contents…….”

“D-Did you tell her everything?”

“Yes.”

“You already sent her the contents!?”

“Yes. It’s not exactly something that needs to be kept secret. And if a restaurant like that exists, I thought it might be nice for everyone who was there to go together.”

You idiooooot!

You know I like the Chairman too! So why would you tell her about it!? Weren’t you on my side!?

……Airi suppressed the urge to scream those words.

To Miyu, who didn’t believe in superstition whatsoever, the contents written on Linda’s note were nothing more than a kind of junk data.

She clearly hadn’t even conceived of the idea of using a wish to succeed in romance.

“…….”

But it would have been even stranger to criticize her for giving it to Serena.

After declaring that she was only ‘going to look for it for fun,’ how would Miyu react if Airi suddenly became so sensitive about it?

-Airi, wouldn’t it be better to improve yourself rather than rely on an urban legend like that? Or would you like to install the Lv.3 Mystic Module [Silky Smooth Skin] I made?

……If she heard such an indisputably reasonable argument, she felt like she wouldn’t be able to lift her head from the shame.

Ah, but if a skincare module like that really existed, she might actually want one.

“Airi? Aren’t you taking this?”

“Ah, yeah…… Th-Thanks.”

Airi accepted Miyu’s note.

First, she captured the contents of the note and saved them to the database, then carefully tucked the original away inside her clothes.

And then she fell deep into thought.

‘If I had to guess, Serena will definitely do everything she can to find that restaurant too. Of course, I don’t believe in superstition at all…… but if, just as Linda said, there really is a mysterious restaurant that grants wishes…….’

Absolutely……!

She absolutely could not let Serena find it first……!

At the same time.

Serena, who was in the middle of a university lecture, was intently examining the scanned copy of the note Miyu had given her and studying its contents.

Her eyes weren’t merely passionate—they practically burned with fire.

‘There’s a high chance Airi will try to find this restaurant too. She’s after our Husband as well…….’

If so, there wasn’t much time.

Without caring that class was still in session, Serena stood from her seat to leave the lecture hall.

Seeing this, the friend sitting beside her hurriedly called out.

“Hey, Serena? We’re in the middle of class! Where are you going!? Your grades are already hanging by a thread……!”

Serena answered her friend with an extremely calm voice and expression.

“To claim my love.”

“Whaaat!?”

While her friend stared in bewilderment, Serena strode out of the lecture hall.

Just like Airi, only one thought filled her mind.

‘I absolutely won’t let Airi find it first!’

And.

It was said that the professor in charge was deeply hurt after watching a student blatantly walk out of class.