Chapter Twenty-Two: The Unbearable Front of Death

“Bro, forget about her. Let’s go look elsewhere for that ‘Afterlife Battlefront’ thing.” The man with the beer belly patted the shoulder of the balding gentleman.

“What about this old woman?” The balding man’s words didn’t match the concern in his voice.

“She can take care of herself. Let’s walk around and see if we can find a way to complete the mission.” The beer-bellied man’s face was full of insincerity, his smile so transparent anyone could see through it.

Watching the duo gradually walk away, Hao Ren wore a look of mockery. These guys had never watched anime; the target of their mission was right in front of them, yet they left.

“Adults in this world are all unreliable,” the girl with pastel purple hair said warily, eyeing the retreating men.

“Forget them. Why don’t you two join us?” The persuasion continued. “Since you’re here, it means you’re already dead.”

“Um, I still don’t quite understand…” Otonashi was confused.

“This is the world after death. If you do nothing, you’ll be obliterated.” The girl turned, peering through the scope of her M200 at the distance.

“Obliterated? By whom?”

“Probably by ‘God’.”

“So, what are you asking us to join?”

“The ‘Battlefront That Can’t Tolerate Death’. Well, the unit’s name changes often. At first, it was ‘Afterlife Battlefront’, but calling it that is like admitting you’re dead. So, we cut that out and kept changing it. Now it’s called the ‘Battlefront That Can’t Tolerate Death’. Before, it was ‘Battlefront of Feeling Nothing While Alive’, but since everyone kept saying it, we changed it after a day.” Hao Ren and Otonashi, both with dead-fish eyes, looked helplessly at the girl as she rambled on.

Seriously, didn’t you just say “Welcome to the world after death?” Why fuss about whether you’re dead?

“Um,” Otonashi couldn’t take it anymore and interrupted, “Is that a real gun you’re holding?”

“Ha~” The girl sighed. “Everyone who comes here reacts the same way. Boost your adaptability and get used to it.”

“That’s a Cheytac M200 sniper rifle, made by the American Cheytac company. It’s a manual bolt-action sniper rifle, mainly for intercepting distant soft targets. ‘Cheytac’ means ‘intervention’, so it’s mainly used for interference rather than killing. Judging by how your arm bears its weight, it’s the real thing. I think the camo paint looks best.” Hao Ren, who had once studied the firearms in AB, was visibly excited.

“Oh! You actually know this weapon. You must not be an ordinary student.” The girl was a little surprised.

“Heh, I just happen to know a bit about this gun.” Keep pretending.

“Accept reality… What should I do, then?” Otonashi glanced at Hao Ren and continued questioning.

“Fight.” The girl answered firmly.

“With what?”

“That.” The girl pointed ahead with her gun barrel.

Otonashi and Hao Ren followed her gesture.

“That’s the enemy of the ‘Battlefront That Can’t Tolerate Death’: the ‘Angel’.”

Hao Ren, whose eyesight was excellent, saw the ‘Angel’—Kanade Tachibana. Just as he had imagined, she stood about 1.6 meters tall, with long white hair draped over her shoulders, her petite frame wrapped in a school uniform, and a face that inspired pity.

For the record, I’m not obsessed with little girls. It’s just that my preferences happen to align with them. (Enough already!)

Her weight couldn’t exceed ninety pounds, measurements 80/50/81 (Seriously, enough!)

“We should change the name ‘Battlefront That Can’t Tolerate Death’ soon. Help me think of something.” The girl aimed her rifle at Angel.

“Hey, she just look