Chapter 15: The Angel Is Not an Angel

“That person who just went flying seems to be the same newcomer who arrived in this world with me last time,” Ye Chen said thoughtfully, pointing to the mangled heap of flesh and blood smashed on the ground.

“Well, you can’t really die in this world anyway,” Yuri replied indifferently, pulling Ye Chen’s hand and leading him inside. She opened the door, and because the hammer trap had already been triggered and was hanging off to the side, neither Ye Chen nor Yuri encountered any sudden attacks.

“So, the ones who ‘die’ here are your own battlefront members.”

“It sounds as if we’re all about to be killed!”

As soon as they entered, they heard the sound of a heated argument inside, apparently about the name of the battlefront. Upon seeing Ye Chen and Yuri Nakamura walk in, the discussion ceased, and someone greeted Yuri, “Hey, Yuri, you managed to trick that incredibly strong newcomer here!”

The atmosphere seemed lively—something Ye Chen rather liked. Just as he began to feel a bit of goodwill toward this group, a swift gust of force swept toward his side. The speed was the fastest Ye Chen had encountered in this world, even surpassing Kanade Tachibana.

His exceptional combat instincts kicked in immediately; he dodged to the side and swung his right hand out forcefully. The attacking shadow performed a backward somersault to evade, landing nimbly on the ground. Ye Chen was surprised—there was actually someone in this world capable of avoiding his casual attacks.

“How shallow…” The girl landed lightly, uttering those words coldly. Her dark red eyes flashed with astonishment; for someone to react and counter at her speed—this newcomer was no ordinary person.

“Hello, I’m Ye Chen. What’s your name?” The girl before him, with a black scarf, black-purple hair, and dark red eyes, possessed extraordinary talent. If trained, she could become a formidable force worthy of Ye Chen’s attention. He extended his hand in friendly greeting.

“Shiina,” the girl responded coolly. Her small, springy hand met Ye Chen’s. If she learned assassination techniques, she’d be twice as effective, Ye Chen mused silently.

“The newcomer is here! Shiina actually had to dodge!” Their brief encounter astonished the idiots in the principal’s office.

“All right, let me introduce everyone,” Yuri said, “I’m Yuri—the leader of the battlefront. The one who became a wall decoration outside was Hinata. That’s Matsushita—he’s a fifth dan in judo, so everyone calls him Matsushita Five-Dan. The one dancing over there is TK—he’s in charge of BGM. That’s Iwasawa—the commander of the induction squad. And the one who attacked you earlier was Shiina…” Yuri introduced each member of the battlefront inside the principal’s office, and Ye Chen greeted them all individually.

“Wait, don’t be stupid, Yuri!” A boy wielding a long-handled double-bladed axe pushed open the door with a shout. A giant hammer fell from the ceiling, and Noda followed in the footsteps of the previous newcomer. Yuri took the opportunity to introduce, “That guy who just got knocked out is Noda.”

Later, the newcomer and Noda were dragged back up. After being subjected to Yuri and the battlefront idiots’ brainwashing, the newcomer accepted the “fact” that Kanade Tachibana was an angel and agreed to join the battlefront. He introduced himself as Otonashi—though he couldn’t recall his full name.

“Here, these are your uniforms!” Yuri handed Otonashi and Ye Chen two sets of battlefront uniforms. The design was quite impressive.

“Hmm, looks pretty good,” Ye Chen commented after inspecting the uniform.

“I’ve been wanting to ask—what’s the deal with that fox on your shoulder?” Takamatsu adjusted his glasses, which reflected a scholarly gleam. Never before in the afterlife world had anyone seen a fox, let alone a fox as a pet.

“She’s Xiao Bai, my friend,” Ye Chen said, holding Xiao Bai. Xiao Bai’s reaction was indifferent; she simply glanced at everyone before closing her eyes and continuing to sleep.

“Cute Xiao Bai!” Suddenly, another gust of force swept by. Ye Chen lifted Xiao Bai above his head, and Shiina’s figure darted past him. Ye Chen realized Shiina’s initial attack was probably motivated by Xiao Bai. He raised his hand—left, right, up, down—and Shiina’s gaze and face followed wherever Xiao Bai went.

Yuri sighed, holding her forehead. “Shiina has absolutely no resistance to cute things.”

“Wait, look! That fox has nine tails! Is it a demon fox? Tamamo-no-Mae?” Someone noticed something unusual about Xiao Bai. The group crowded around, confirming it—nine-tailed fox! That meant that mythical beasts and gods existed, so angels must certainly be their enemies.

“Who says Xiao Bai is a demon fox!” Ye Chen glared fiercely at the speaker, clearly displeased. He enunciated each word: “Xiao Bai is a nine-tailed celestial fox—one of the highest divine beasts!”

But this did nothing to dampen the battlefront’s enthusiasm. They quoted scriptures, discussed religious beliefs, historical legends—finally, they reaffirmed: “As long as we defeat the angel, God will appear!”

“Angel? Kanade Tachibana is not an angel!” Ye Chen watched the group chattering, unable to fathom how their imagination could twist things so far.

“Ye Chen, you must be joking! Didn’t you fight her yourself? How could she not be an angel?” Yuri’s smile was strained; she clearly didn’t believe Ye Chen.

“Precisely because I fought her, I can confirm she’s not an angel. I’ve encountered real angels—my own death was caused by the master of two angels. I can assure you, she has nothing to do with angels!” Ye Chen said with absolute certainty.

“I’ve been curious for a while now—is the battlefront’s main activity to gang up on cute girls?” Based on everything he’d learned, Ye Chen had come to that conclusion.

“How could that be? She’s not an angel?”

“But didn’t she stab me in the heart with her sword?” Otonashi, the newcomer, had just managed to accept a new worldview, only to have it shattered again. He couldn’t adjust.

“You have some nerve bringing that up. If you hadn’t insisted she prove you couldn’t die, would she have attacked you? You almost dragged me into it too!” Ye Chen said, displeased.

“Uh…” Otonashi fell silent. Thinking carefully, it really did happen that way.

Seeing everyone’s reactions, Ye Chen knew persuading them wouldn’t be easy. “I understand it’s difficult to accept right away, and I won’t force you. But I’ll make sure you eventually realize how wrong your understanding is!”