Chapter 40: The Despair of Naming

“Still angry? Xiao Bai, I’m sorry, it’s all my fault. Let me buy you an ice cream from the cafeteria in a bit!” From Ye Chen’s understanding, Xiao Bai wasn’t truly angry anymore; she just wanted Ye Chen to take the initiative. So Ye Chen spoke in a coaxing tone.

“Hmph~” She turned and glared at Ye Chen, then looked away again, letting out a soft snort, her tone already much gentler than before.

“Five!” Ye Chen held up five fingers, raising the stakes. Xiao Bai’s delicate frame suddenly trembled; both Ye Chen and Shiina could see she was tempted. After a long hesitation, Xiao Bai let out a soft, barely audible hum: “Hmph...”

“Strawberry flavor!” Now, all that remained was a tiny bit of discontent. As soon as Ye Chen spoke, Xiao Bai spun around, wrapped her arms around Ye Chen’s neck, and her ethereal voice burst forth with innocent delight as she laughed, “Deal! Hehe~~”

“Shiina, you haven’t eaten yet, have you? Come, let’s go to the cafeteria—my treat!” Having won Xiao Bai’s forgiveness, Ye Chen waved his hand in a grand gesture, pulling Shiina along toward the cafeteria. On the way, they happened to run into Kanade, who was also heading to the cafeteria. Naturally, Ye Chen invited her as well. However, as they walked, Shiina clung tightly to her short swords, her wary gaze lingering on Kanade.

“Five strawberry ice creams!” Upon arrival, Ye Chen produced his exclusive VIP meal card, immediately ordering Xiao Bai’s favorite ice cream and handing it to her. Xiao Bai, happy, accepted the ice cream and declared her forgiveness, then began eating with cheerful abandon. There was no need to worry about an upset stomach—after all, the body of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox was not so easily troubled.

After breakfast, Xiao Bai reverted to her petite fox form and perched on Ye Chen’s shoulder, continuing to lick her ice cream. She waved a tiny paw in farewell to Kanade. Once separated from Kanade, Ye Chen and Shiina made their way to the principal’s office, where Yuri and the others were gathered.

“Ye Chen! The angel’s abilities were developed by herself—the method is the same as how we make weapons! Isn’t it supposed to be granted by God? What is going on here?” Yuri’s purpose had always been to find and rebel against God. The revelation that Kanade obtained her powers in the same way as the others suggested the worst possibility: that God did not exist. This was something Yuri could not accept.

So, as soon as Ye Chen and Shiina entered, Yuri rushed forward with urgent questions. Among everyone present, aside from their so-called angel, Ye Chen was the one closest to God. Coupled with Ye Chen’s past assertion that Kanade was not an angel, all these factors unsettled her.

“What’s going on? Surely you’ve guessed by now. There’s no need for me to spell it out—just think it over carefully yourself.” Ye Chen understood what Yuri feared. From her determined gaze, he saw that even with the evidence before her, Yuri refused to abandon her previous beliefs, so he decided to leave the answer for her to discover.

“Then another question—where did Iwasawa go when she disappeared?” Takamatsu asked gravely. Most of the SSS members believed that only those who obeyed the angel would vanish, yet Iwasawa, who held a concert and never lived a normal school life, had clearly not obeyed Kanade. The group began to argue.

“No one erased her. She simply accepted and willingly disappeared from this world, nothing more.” Propping her chin, Yuri gazed out the window with a hint of melancholy as she replied. She knew a little about letting go in this way, but her mind was still busy considering the possibility that Ye Chen and Kanade had conspired to deceive everyone, pretending that Kanade had developed her abilities herself.

Even though the likelihood was low, it was the best excuse she could use to fool herself, stubbornly insisting Kanade was the angel sent by God to toy with them.

“No, the urgent problem now is food. With Iwasawa gone, our meal ticket source is completely cut off! Lack of food is a deadly enemy!” Matsushita, the foodie, was most concerned about their supply. Their meal tickets had relied on Iwasawa’s Tornado Operation, but now her disappearance put their food in jeopardy. They couldn’t possibly become model students again.

“This is indeed a problem. I’ll look for someone to replace Iwasawa!” Yuri frowned, recognizing the seriousness of the issue, and pondered potential candidates.

“I actually have someone to recommend. I think she’d be good at singing!” Xiao Bai, lounging lazily on Ye Chen’s shoulder, spoke up, apparently recalling someone suitable.

“She speaks! Foxes always turn out to be demon foxes!” Noda, having previously seen Bai Ji’s human form but quickly forgotten, raised his double-bladed axe and swung it at Bai Ji. Ye Chen’s gentle smile froze, his eyes flashing cold. He would not allow anyone to harm his family.

Compared to the meager killing intent before, Ye Chen’s aura now felt terrifying to ordinary people like Noda. His hands holding the axe trembled, suspended above Bai Ji, unable to strike. Bai Ji, displeased at being attacked, wrapped her tail around Noda and flung him out the window.

“To use a weapon against us—do you really not understand the difference in power? Idiot!” After tossing him out, Xiao Bai scoffed.

“Noda’s always been an idiot. Don’t worry about him. Tell us about the person you mentioned,” Yuri said, ignoring Noda’s ejection and propping her chin.

“I’ve only met her once, and never heard her sing. But judging by her voice, I think she should be quite good.” Xiao Bai nodded her little head. Yuri nearly fell out of her seat—she hadn’t even heard her sing, yet she was recommending her!

If not for the vast difference in power, Yuri would have wanted to let her experience the same treatment Hinata and the others endured. But after reconsidering, she decided that the judgment of a Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox should be reliable. Determined, she asked, “Who is she?”

“She seems to be called Yui, a cute girl.”

“Understood! This operation’s name will be the Survival Operation! To avoid the crisis of food shortage, everyone must immediately find that girl named Yui. Whether we can continue eating in the cafeteria depends on her! Go, find her at once!” Yuri slammed the table, issuing orders.

“Couldn’t you come up with a more reasonable name? Why must it be so exaggerated? SSS names, Tornado Operation, Parachute Operation—your talent for naming things has crushed my spirit!” Otonashi, devoid of enthusiasm, walked out the door, muttering his complaints, utterly despairing at the group’s naming abilities.