Chapter 55: Fumito Naoi Begins to Act

After parting ways with Yuri and the others, Yecheng set out for the student council—a place he had never been before—accompanied by Kanade Tachibana and Shirohime. Since he considered himself friends with Yuri's group, he wouldn't shirk the responsibility of helping them out. With Kanade, the former student council president, leading the way, it was easy for Yecheng to find the council's location.

After knocking a few times, Yecheng entered with Kanade in tow. Inside, he encountered the vice president, Fuminori Naoe, who wore a cap and silently observed Yecheng. From his eyes, Yecheng could tell this man harbored a strong dislike for him. He couldn't fathom when he had offended him, but decided it was best to state his purpose.

Just as Yecheng was about to speak, Fuminori Naoe cut in, his anger palpable as he pointed at Yecheng and shouted, "It's you! How dare you show your face here! You lot, take them to the detention room! The student council president has neglected his duties for too long and only now comes to the council. Three days of detention!"

Naoe's words stunned Yecheng. Wasn't he always the righteous one in this world, no matter what he did? He had long realized Naoe wasn't an NPC, but his actions were full of hostility. Seeing several clearly hypnotized NPCs approaching him, Yecheng's good temper didn't mean he couldn't get angry.

In the blink of an eye, Yecheng had knocked them all to the ground. The sheer strength of his combat abilities caught Naoe completely off guard; the dozen student council members under his control were defeated in less than a second. Just as Yecheng was about to teach the instigator a lesson, he suddenly found himself restrained.

There were only two others beside him. Shirohime, bored, looked down upon Naoe, not taking him seriously. That left only the gentle Kanade. Kanade, eyes tightly shut, hugged Yecheng firmly, refusing to let him continue. With great reluctance, she pleaded, "No! Don't bully the weak! That's wrong!"

"Bully the weak?" Yecheng protested, confused. "They started it!"

"Even if they were in the wrong, Yecheng, you're so strong—you can't just bully others," Kanade insisted, still clinging to him.

Under Kanade's innocence and kindness, Yecheng finally relented and allowed himself to be taken to a hidden place. The three of them were locked together in a room. Under dim lighting, it was clear that the detention room was dilapidated, yet the solid metal door seemed excessive for imprisoning serious criminals, let alone Yecheng and his companions, who had done little wrong.

Kanade showed no reaction when confined, simply sitting on the lone bed with Shirohime. Shirohime, anticipating such situations in the future, began to educate Kanade: "Kanade, I know you're kind-hearted, but think about it—if others come to bully us and we don't fight back, are we just supposed to let them do as they please?..."

Perhaps she was innately gifted in matters of persuasion, for after a few words from Shirohime, Kanade's outlook changed entirely. Yecheng witnessed firsthand how Shirohime brainwashed such a pure girl into believing she should follow her family's arrangements; rules could be upheld, but breaking them was acceptable if it was for family. These new ideas replaced her old ones, and Kanade recognized only Shirohime and Yecheng as her true family. The implication was clear.

Soon, under Shirohime's proud gaze—as if she had completed a masterpiece—Kanade apologized to Yecheng, "I'm sorry, Yecheng. I was too stubborn. I'll be obedient from now on!"

If Yecheng hadn't seen with his own eyes that Shirohime had used only words, he might have suspected her of employing some kind of mind control. Otherwise, how could someone as naive as Kanade change her views so quickly? Smiling gently at Kanade's pitiable gaze, Yecheng reassured her, "Kanade, just be your true self."

With the only two people he feared—the former and current student council presidents—locked away in a cell designed by his own mind, Fuminori Naoe could finally act without restraint. Aspiring to become the god of this afterlife world, Naoe was a man of action. Had Kanade not displayed such overwhelming power before, he would have moved against the Afterlife Battlefront long ago.

"How are those people now?" Naoe asked an NPC nearby. He was, of course, referring to the Afterlife Battlefront. Previously at odds with Kanade, they had now become his primary target for elimination.

"They're making a racket in the classroom—some are snacking, some are sleeping, and four have set up a mahjong table and are playing mahjong."

"They really never learn. Even after being detained, they still act like this. Rebels against God deserve nothing but extinction! Let me grant them disappearance from this world! Hahaha!" Hearing how the Battlefront members behaved, Naoe knew it was time to strike. If they wouldn't abide by the school rules, he couldn't be blamed. Covering his face, he laughed dramatically.

"You all, come with me! Go and bring back those rule-breakers!" Naoe ordered the group of waiting NPCs. The Battlefront's inability to attack ordinary students was his greatest advantage.

Inside Classroom A of the academic building, thanks to Yuri's orders, the Battlefront members were all violating school regulations. Daisan nervously picked up a potato chip and anxiously eyed the teacher writing on the blackboard, worried he'd be caught. Yui kept making excuses to use the restroom, barely returning before dashing out again. Noda commandeered several desks at the front and lay across them, sleeping openly. At the back, Takamatsu, TK, and others were noisily playing mahjong, while Otonashi and Hinata chatted idly.

The teacher, unable to tolerate the disruption, finally said, "You over there, quiet down a little."

"Sorry, teacher!" Fujimaki scratched his head sheepishly, then continued playing mahjong, his voice undiminished.

"Teacher, I need to use the restroom!" Yui, just returned from her latest trip, barely sat down before announcing her intention again. At the door, she opened it to find a face she dreaded: Fuminori Naoe, who had repeatedly led ordinary students in dragging her into the reflection room. She immediately pushed through the crowd and ran out, protesting, "I'm just going to the restroom!"

Seeing him arrive, Takamatsu and Fujimaki, as if they had practiced it to perfection, quickly packed up the mahjong set and jumped out the classroom window, escaping outside. The others stopped their disruptive behavior, except for Noda, who continued to lie across the desks as if asleep.

"This is the end for you lot!"