Chapter 72: No... Seito-ge, Have Mercy!!!
...
You're...
Defecting already?
Kaguya Shinomiya stared at Secretary Fujiwara in utter disbelief. Was this a joke? They had barely been threatened for ten seconds, and the girl had already flipped sides?
Kaguya looked at Seito, certain that a high-tier player like him wouldn't accept someone who betrayed their allies so easily.
To her horror...
"Excellent! From today on, you're an elite officer of the Harbingers!"
Kaguya: "..."
Watching Seito accept Chika Fujiwara without a moment's hesitation made Kaguya's head spin. Are you serious? Is it really that easy to join your 'legendary' guild?
However, Kaguya didn't understand Seito's logic.
Who was Chika Fujiwara? She was the "Chaos Element" of the planet! Her "Secretary Dance" had dominated an entire era of internet culture. As a self-proclaimed "Lecherous Space Prince" (LSP), Seito had zero intention of turning away such a cute, ditzy wildcard.
"I understand, Boss!" Chika's eyes sparkled. With a few frantic taps on her menu, she officially resigned from Full Moon.
[Ding! Player 'Secretary Fujiwara' has joined The Harbingers.]
A few seconds later, the bold "Harbinger" prefix materialized above her head. Seito nodded in satisfaction. As expected of you—you even used your title as your handle.
The members of Full Moon watched this display with wide eyes. But before they could voice their protest, Seito turned his attention back to Ryuuen, the "brave" rebel from Class B.
"You've got guts, kid. Very brave."
"You bet I am! I'm the bravest guy here!"
Ryuuen spat back instinctively.
"Ho?" Seito's eyebrow twitched. "Then let's see just how deep that bravery goes."
Seito gave a slight wave of his hand.
Instantly, Iori Kitahara and Hidetoshi Tabata stepped out from the ranks, leading a group of particularly unhinged-looking male players. They surrounded Ryuuen, their expressions twisting into masks of pure mischief.
"How do we handle this? Straight to the kicking?" Iori asked, raising his right foot as if to stomp on Ryuuen's face.
"Wait~!" Hidetoshi blocked Iori's leg with his arm, his face deadly serious.
"What? You want to let him go?" Iori was confused. So were the others. They were ready to brawl.
"Let's take him into the cabin," Hidetoshi said, pushing up his glasses as a chilling smirk touched his lips. "I've got some 'special' methods to play with him. Just kicking? How... inelegant."
The group exchanged a look of wicked realization. Following Hidetoshi's lead, they dragged a struggling Ryuuen into a nearby log cabin.
A moment later...
"AAAAAAAAAGH!!!"
A blood-curdling scream, like a pig being slaughtered, echoed through the clearing. The Full Moon members shuddered. There was no mistaking it—that was Ryuuen's voice. What on earth were they doing to him?
Suddenly, another voice drifted out of the cabin, sounding like a demented inquisitor:
"HEHEHE! I'm asking you again! What is 1000 minus 7?!"
"AAAAAAAGH!"
Amou, Kanade, Shiro, and Yukino all looked at each other. Those words sounded suspiciously familiar... where had they heard that "1000-7" line before?
They all looked at Seito. He was nodding with an air of immense pride.
"As expected of my top generals. To have mastered the '1000-7 Law' so quickly and apply it in the field... truly impressive."
Seito turned back to Kaguya, cutting straight to the point. "Alright, let's stop wasting time. Hand over your guild's materials, equipment, and gold. All of it."
!!!
The crowd gasped. They had wondered why Seito would surround his own classmates. Now they knew. He wasn't there to talk; he was there for a full-scale shakedown!
The Class D students glared at Seito with pure resentment. Robbing your own classmates? You really have no shame!
Suzune Horikita looked lost, turning to Kaguya. "Wait, aren't you guys in the same class?"
"What kind of question is that?!" Seito interrupted sharply. "I suggest you don't overstep. This is God's Domain! Don't try to pull the 'classmate' card on me now!"
In reality, if Seito didn't have his newly acquired Spatial powers, he might have hesitated. After all, he still had to see these people at school. But now?
He was following Dio Brando's example: He was rejecting his humanity!
"That reminds me... Eriri, step out."
Seito called Eriri forward. She had helped him with the coat designs earlier today; robbing her would be a bit too "ungrateful," even for him. Eriri glanced around nervously before scurrying out of the Full Moon line.
"Stand over there for now." Eriri did as told, watching the scene in silent shock.
"Shoko... you too. Go stand with her," Shiro added, pointing her small finger at a soft-featured girl with pinkish hair.
Shoko Nishimiya, the gentle protagonist of A Silent Voice, was also in Class D. Seito and the "Blank" siblings had been classmates with her since elementary school, and thanks to Seito's protection back then, her childhood had been much more peaceful.
Nishimiya looked at Seito, who nodded slightly, and she moved to stand beside Eriri.
Seeing the girls being spared, a blonde, eccentric-looking boy raised his hand frantically.
"Me! Me too! Don't forget me!" Kohei Imamura shouted. "Seito! I've been wanting to join your guild forever! We were like brothers in middle school!"
Kohei was a Class B student at Sobu High and a close friend of Iori's. He had avoided joining the Harbingers initially because he didn't want to be associated with Seito's band of idiots. But now...
A wise man adapts to his surroundings! To save his private stash of gold, he was willing to say anything.
Seito looked at him and then turned toward the log cabin.
"Iori! Come out and drag Kohei in! Beat him up and take everything he's got!"
Kohei: "!!!"
What?! Kohei stared at Seito in pure betrayal, while Seito shot him a look of utter disdain. Did this guy really think Seito would let a fellow "idiot-brother" off the hook?
Bam! The cabin door flew open. Iori and Hidetoshi emerged, looking like demons as they charged toward Kohei.
"NO... SEITO-GE, HAVE MERCY!!!"
.....
Thank you for reading.