Chapter 18: Operation Tornado (Part Two)

“Accepted!” Kanade Tachibana was his friend, and Yuri and the others were his friends as well. Naturally, Yechen couldn’t just stand by and watch them fight. The spot Yechen and Otonashi were assigned to guard was the Second Connecting Bridge, a relatively easy post—Tachibana rarely came this way, which was precisely why they were put here. But Yechen grew anxious; his real goal was to prevent Kanade and the SSS members from clashing. How could he stop them if he just stayed put?

“How am I supposed to stop them?” Yechen groaned, patting his head in frustration. Maybe he should just leave Otonashi to guard alone and go find Kanade himself.

“Yechen, feeling troubled? We know where Kanade Tachibana is. She’s heading this way right now, so you don’t have to worry about missing her!” Just as Yechen was at his wit’s end, Ruoxing and Ruocheng transmitted a clear image directly into his mind. In his thoughts, Yechen saw a silver-haired girl with a blank expression making her way forward in small, measured steps.

Judging by the surroundings, it was obvious she was heading for the Second Connecting Bridge. It was like having a three-dimensional surveillance system. Yechen silently thanked Ruoxing and Ruocheng, and began waiting patiently for Kanade.

Inside the academy’s grand cafeteria, a crowd of students had already gathered. Some were NPCs, others were regular students who hadn’t joined the SSS. Yet their purpose was the same: to watch GDM’s concert. It was easy to imagine just how much influence Masami Iwasawa’s band had in this place.

Within the crowd, a girl with golden twin-tails tied with red ribbons and amber-red eyes surveyed the surroundings. Wearing a headset on her ears, her cute face expressionless, she reported to Yuri, “This is Yusa. The lighting and sound teams are ready.”

Some fans tried to get close to Iwasawa’s band but were blocked by SSS members. Among them was a lively girl with pink hair, black chains on both wrists, a black devil’s tail swaying behind her, who snapped photos of Iwasawa and the others with her camera.

“It’s about time. The fans have all gathered,” Yuri reminded Iwasawa and the band through her earpiece.

“Alright, let’s get started!” Iwasawa snapped out of her daze, flashed a confident smile, picked up her guitar, and took her place on stage.

Suddenly, the lights went out. The entire cafeteria plunged into brief darkness before the spotlights snapped on, illuminating the stage. Masami Iwasawa strummed her guitar, her music pulsing with youth and passion. The excited NPCs and students cheered like fervent fans.

From the Second Connecting Bridge, Yechen and Otonashi could hear Iwasawa’s singing drifting from the cafeteria. Yechen nodded in satisfaction and said to Otonashi, “Iwasawa’s music is really something. Whether it’s her guitar or her voice, she sings from the heart.”

“Yechen! She’s here—Angel’s here!” Otonashi suddenly caught sight of Kanade Tachibana on the opposite side of the bridge. Her face, expressionless as always, was illuminated by the cold moonlight. In a panic, Otonashi aimed his pistol at her, shouting nervously to Yechen.

‘Why is she here? Is it because this is the weakest point in our defenses? No, with Yechen here, stopping her should be easy enough. Should I shoot? Can I really fire at such a fragile body? If I don’t take her out, she’ll get me instead!’ Ever since he’d been stabbed by Kanade before, Otonashi’s heart was filled with turmoil. Her delicate frame made it seem as if a single shot would bring her down.

“Hey, Kanade, good evening!” Yechen, however, greeted her as if meeting an old friend.

“Yechen, she’s our enemy! Is this really the time to be so friendly?” Otonashi snapped, unable to stop himself from complaining at Yechen’s casual greeting. His finger tightened on the trigger, and a bullet shot out, heading straight for Kanade’s abdomen.

Yechen reacted instantly. His twin swords appeared in his hands, and with superhuman agility, he closed in on the bullet. The blades flashed—one sheathed, one drawn in a blur, trailing only an afterimage through the air. With a metallic clang, the bullet split in two.

“Otonashi, can you please be more careful with that gun? You almost hit someone just now!” Yechen rolled his eyes and grumbled.

“Good evening,” Kanade replied to Yechen’s earlier greeting as if nothing had happened, completely unfazed by having nearly been shot.

“Uh…” Otonashi, who’d been about to say more to Yechen, couldn’t help but lower his gun after seeing Kanade’s polite response. He began to wonder if he’d misjudged her all along.

Kanade then walked past the two of them, continuing toward the cafeteria. Yechen hurried after her and asked, “Kanade, do you have business in the cafeteria?”

“They’re breaking the academy rules. I have to stop them,” Kanade answered succinctly.

“So, there’s no problem as long as they aren’t breaking any rules, right?” Yechen stepped in front of her, smiling as he asked.

Kanade paused, unsure what Yechen meant, but nodded.

“This is the event application for the concert, stamped with the school’s official seal. We’re just holding a club performance that follows all the regulations. In that case, there’s no need to stop us, right?” During his time at the school, Yechen had spent a few dozen minutes studying the rules and found that most academies allowed club performances like this. After hearing about the planned operation tonight, he’d filled out an application himself. The teacher in charge had initially refused, but with a little help from the Geass that C.C. had granted him, the process went smoothly, and the application was approved. Thus, what would have been a violation instead became a legitimate cultural event.

Kanade glanced at the form, handed it back to Yechen, and resumed her walk toward the cafeteria. Otonashi started to panic, thinking Kanade was still going to try to stop them.

A massive double-headed axe suddenly flew from behind Otonashi. Yechen caught it easily and tossed it aside, exasperated. “Can you guys stop making trouble? There’s really no need to fight!”

“Missed! Rookie, what are you doing? That’s Angel!” Noda roared at Yechen.

“Just wait your turn!” The rest of the SSS members arrived, drawn by the sound of gunfire.

“Did she target our weakest point? Wait, there’s nothing weak about this spot! Rookie, are you letting her go on purpose?”

Guns—something that would get you arrested outside—were all leveled at Kanade, who stood by Yechen’s side. The air crackled with impending conflict, and it seemed impossible to stop what was coming.