Chapter 57: Lord of the River

As the legendary Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, Bai Ji was far more adept than any psychologist in the world. After Ye Chen followed her advice and acknowledged Bunji Naoi’s existence, he seemed to become a completely different person—transforming into Ye Chen’s most loyal right-hand man, diligently managing the student council.

Having lost all sense of purpose and now mired in boredom, Yuri decided to convene another strategy meeting to pass the time, calling Tachibana Kanade, Ye Chen, and Bai Ji to join. On one side of the principal’s office sat Kanade, while the Afterlife Battlefront occupied the other, the two sides resembling opposing factions.

Strictly speaking, only the Battlefront members bristled with hostility, gripping their weapons as they stared at Kanade. Kanade and Bai Ji, however, simply sat quietly on the sofa, ignoring the hostile gazes directed at them.

"Everyone, calm down. It's been confirmed—the so-called Angel is just an ordinary girl, not a messenger sent by God. So there's nothing to worry about anymore." Seeing the contrast between her own group and the calmness of Kanade’s, Yuri sighed and shook her head. The difference in composure explained their repeated failures against Angel in the past.

"Then what’s the point of today’s strategy meeting? Wasn’t Angel always the greatest enemy at these meetings?" Fujimaki protested, still unable to relinquish his long-held belief that Kanade was Angel.

"We’ve been running short on meal tickets lately," Yuri began.

Ye Chen immediately chimed in, "If you need meal tickets, the student council has plenty to spare. We can give you as many as you want."

"That’s why today’s mission is 'Monster Stream'! Let’s all go fishing together!" Ignoring Ye Chen’s offer, Yuri suddenly produced a fishing rod from who knows where and announced loudly.

"Yay!" Hinata and the others, bored out of their minds, erupted in cheers on the spot.

"No, going off campus to fish is against the school rules. It’s too dangerous." As the group celebrated, Kanade immediately voiced her objection.

"But Kanade, you’re no longer the student council president. You don’t have to enforce these duties anymore. As the current student council president, I declare that today’s activity does NOT violate school rules!" Ye Chen declared grandly, pulling Kanade back.

"Now you remember you’re the student council president?" someone quipped at Ye Chen’s blatant abuse of authority.

...

"Is this the river? Looks like there’s something huge in there!" Arriving at the riverbank beneath the second connecting bridge, Ye Chen and the others finally reached their destination. Ye Chen and Bai Ji immediately noticed a fish at the riverbed, hundreds of times larger than the others.

"You’re right. There is a colossal lord of the river dwelling here. Catching it has been my greatest wish! The fishing gear is over there—help yourself," said a man in a straw hat, pointing toward a massive pile of fishing equipment.

The group launched into a lively fishing session, though a few of their techniques were a bit peculiar. Casting his hook, Ye Chen noticed Kanade quietly watching the water. He handed her his rod, saying, "Kanade, since you’re here, don’t just sit and daydream. Enjoy the fun of fishing!"

"Okay. What do I do?" Kanade asked, taking the rod.

"If you feel something tugging on the line, just pull it up with all your strength!"

"Well, I think something’s tugging right now," Kanade replied, pointing at her rod, which was violently bent at a sharp angle. Suddenly, the sky darkened and a massive whirlpool formed on the river’s surface. The man in the straw hat’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

"That’s the sign of the river lord’s wrath! Usually, when that appears, everyone should evacuate. But with you all here, I’m sure you can reel it in!" Yuri, noticing the anomaly, rushed over to explain.

Perhaps the creature was simply too massive. With Kanade unwittingly activating her overdrive ability, the beast was slowly being dragged toward the riverbank, twin furrows gouged into the earth. Realizing Kanade was about to be pulled into the water, Yuri shouted for help. "Everyone, hurry and lend a hand!"

"What, you’re actually trying to reel in the river lord? Are you all insane?" Hinata grinned with interest, tossing aside his bucket and rushing in to help. The others, responding to Yuri’s call, quickly joined as well.

Just as Kanade was about to lose her grip, a graceful hand caught the fishing rod, instantly steadying it. Bai Ji covered her mouth with a soft laugh. "It’s only a little fish—no need for so many people. Come up now!"

With Kanade, Bai Ji gave a powerful tug. A gigantic fish burst from the water, flying toward the shore with its massive jaws wide open, threatening to swallow Hinata and the others whole. Ye Chen scoffed, "Even if I’m not as powerful as Bai Ji, dealing with a mere fish is hardly a problem!"

In a split second, several sword shadows flashed across the river lord’s body. The blades drew the beast away, and with a twist in the air, its body landed harmlessly on an open patch of ground, not a soul harmed. As the river lord’s scales fell like rain, its massive body split neatly in two.

"Ye Chen, I never imagined your swordsmanship—no, your blade skills—would be this impressive!" Otonashi exclaimed, marveling at the neatly sliced fish flesh.

"Of course. I always had to cook for myself. C.C. is lazy and Bai Ji can’t cook, so most of the time it’s up to me," Ye Chen replied, standing with his sword.

"Wow, with this much fish, we won’t need a Tornado Operation for quite a while—though we can’t really launch one right now anyway," Hinata joked, standing beside the mountain of fish meat.

"Storing it all would be a hassle. Why not cook it and share it with the whole school?" Ye Chen suggested, thinking it a waste to throw so much away.

"That makes sense. Let’s do that," the others agreed, nodding.

That afternoon, after distributing nearly all the fish to the students, Ye Chen and the group enjoyed a hearty meal themselves. "By the way, I’m planning to hold a graduation ceremony for the whole school soon. Here’s a flyer—make sure you come! We can’t just stay in this world forever. Sooner or later, we all have to face our pasts."

Life at this school had indeed been wonderful, but Ye Chen hadn’t forgotten his ultimate mission. He handed Yuri a flyer the student council had carefully prepared.

"Even if there’s no God in this world, I still can’t accept such a fate..." Yuri lowered her head, reluctant to leave, though she had no real reason to stay. There was no God here.

"Isn’t this a kind of liberation too? Forget the past and enjoy life ahead. In any case, you have to come that day! There’s never been a school where students never graduate and stay forever!"