Chapter 63: Graduation from the Afterlife Frontline

"There's more family now~ I wish we could stay together forever." Yuri witnessed the true disappearance of the twelve-winged angel with her own eyes. The members of the Front, all genuinely concerned, walked onto the playground. At this moment, the only one still alive and conscious, Yechen, closed his eyes and quietly awaited his own death. The hollow in his chest proved that 'delay' hadn't let him fully escape Tianyu's final fatal attack.

"Yechen told me you could recover, right? This little injury can't possibly defeat you, can it?" As Yechen's loyal follower, when Yechen was in danger earlier, he wanted to rush forward but was held back by the others. Now, he looked at him anxiously.

"Impossible. I need to rest properly. I'll leave the graduation ceremony to you. I'm taking my leave ahead of schedule. We'll meet again in the next world." Yechen didn't even seem to want to waste the strength to open his eyes; he spoke directly, his body gradually becoming ethereal. Yechen, Kanade Tachibana, Shiina, and the little white creature on Yechen's leg were all turning into sparkling starlight, drifting away with the wind, soon to disappear.

At that moment, a girl much like Kanade, though with golden twin tails, stood among them. As the Front's operator, Yechen knew her, though they'd only met a few times. Then something astonishing happened—according to Yuri, Yuzuo, who once harbored deep resentment toward men, confessed to Yechen right in front of everyone!

...

"That's how it is, Yuri. I won't attend the graduation ceremony. I decided to leave early, and I hope you'll all join me soon!" After bidding farewell to Yuri and the Front members, Yuzuo vanished ahead of time. The Front was enveloped in a sorrowful atmosphere. The consecutive disappearances of Yechen, Shiina, Bai Ji, and Kanade left them unable to feel any joy.

"Even so, the graduation ceremony Yechen prepared should proceed as planned. I can't let Yechen's efforts go to waste." As Yechen's closest companion, Wenren Naoji remained resolute in carrying out Yechen's arrangements.

On the stage in the school's gymnasium, colorful balloons hung alongside a banner for the graduation ceremony of the Afterlife Battlefront. Originally, Yechen was to host, but in his absence, Wenren Naoji took his place. Knowing everyone hated lengthy speeches, Yechen had prepared a brief address that resonated with their hearts, lifting them from their earlier sorrow and transforming it into a bittersweet farewell.

"Next, all members will sing the Front's song together. It was written by former student council president Kanade Tachibana, so please sing with solemnity!" As Wenren Naoji spoke, many NPCs appeared and handed each member a sheet of paper.

"Ready..." Once everyone had their lyrics, Wenren Naoji began to conduct, but Yuri immediately protested, "Wait, there's only lyrics—how are we supposed to sing without a melody?"

"Hmph, don't act like you can read musical notation anyway. Just sing however you feel!" Wenren Naoji replied irritably, annoyed at the interruption. He was in a hurry to reincarnate! If he hadn't promised Yechen, he would've vanished to find him already—he wouldn't waste time here.

"Alright, no more questions. Even if you have them, keep them to yourself! Ready!"

"From the sunny skies of the afterlife, we highly recommend—just dial a few numbers, and before you die, you must try mapo tofu. Ah! Mapo tofu! Mapo tofu! Mapo tofu!" Without any prior rehearsal, everyone began to sing, using mismatched melodies and reciting the bizarre lyrics.

"Hey! What is this? These lyrics!" After finishing, everyone realized what they'd sung. Hinata threw his lyric sheet to the floor, exclaiming, "Did no one check this beforehand? We just sang it outright! What's written here anyway? Is there nothing besides mapo tofu? Just how much does she love mapo tofu? Are you sure this isn't an advertisement?"

"Do you have any idea? Yechen allowed it, and Kanade wrote it herself! It's an honor you get to sing this! Don't waste my time with complaints!" Wenren Naoji nearly rolled up his sleeves to fight after Hinata's outburst, but Yuri intervened, saying, "Ah, let it go. Kanade put a lot of thought into this. Don't be like that. The lyrics sound cheerful enough."

"Cheerful? You mean ridiculous!" Hinata retorted, and was promptly hypnotized by Wenren Naoji, causing him to weep uncontrollably until the ceremony ended, claiming his worth was less than a clothes rack. Only after the event did Wenren Naoji reluctantly undo the spell.

This commotion, and Hinata's tears, finally made Yuri and the others laugh. It felt like a real graduation, saying goodbye to familiar friends, leaving behind tears of longing. As night fell, only a group of NPCs remained in the world.

In a space somewhat unfamiliar, Ye Xing slowly awakened. He recognized this place—it was the system's domain that Ruo Xing and Ruo Chen had asked Ye Xingchen to accept. He called out for Yechen several times in his heart, but received no answer, and immediately grew anxious. Sensing his worry, Ruo Xing and Ruo Chen said, "Don't worry. Yechen's soul suffered a severe injury and his consciousness has fallen into a deep sleep, so for some time you'll have to take control of the body and communicate with others."

...

Because Yechen and he had saved each other, Ye Xing's attitude toward Ruo Xing and Ruo Chen was reasonable. But upon hearing he'd have to interact with others, Ye Xing's gaze shifted, revealing undisguised disdain—he clearly didn't like strangers.

"What a solitary personality. Compared to Yechen, who can get along just by talking, you're polar opposites." Ruo Xing commented on Ye Xing's demeanor, then suddenly changed tone, saying, "But I admire that! If you don't like someone, punch them. If you dislike them even more, just kill them!"

"Big sister! You'll corrupt him! What if he really becomes a murderer?" Seeing Ruo Xing's supportive attitude toward Ye Xing's isolation, Ruo Chen tried to intervene.

"What does it matter? Besides, Ye Xing might have a difficult personality, but he's not bad—he wouldn't kill anyone without reason. Right?" Ruo Xing waved her hand dismissively, patting Ye Xing's head under his impatient glare.

"Hmph!" He wanted to slap away the hand teasing him, but recalling Ruo Xing's kindness, he couldn't get angry and merely turned away with a cold snort.

"See? Ye Xing is actually a good kid!" Ruo Xing praised Ye Xing's attitude even more, thinking Yechen was too easy-going and not fitting her ideal of a cool fighter.