83 Chapter 81 ~ The Happiness She Deserves

"H-Hey, Lelouch! How are you so unbothered by this?! There's a super hot guy who just transferred into our class!"

Rivalz whisper-yelled in panic and shock. The moment class ended, he pounced onto his best friend, who was sitting right beside him, and clutched onto his uniform while keeping his jealousy-filled eyes at the new, stupidly handsome, transfer student named Alexander.

Just a few weeks ago, a guy named Kururugi Suzaku came as a transfer student! A lot of girls thought of him as cute, but very few showed their interest in him because he's an honorary Britannian.

But Alexander… He's 100x more handsome than Suzaku and was rumored to come from a super rich family to boot! A lot of girls fell in love with him at first sight!

Even Kallen Stadtfeld, one of the most beautiful girls in Ashford Academy, kept staring at him.

She seemed to be the one waiting on the two transfer students and leading them to this class, but she's already fallen for him even though they've only interacted for a few minutes!

That guy's definitely a casanova!!! And with that kind of face and money, there won't be anyone who can stop him from getting all the girls!!!

"...So what? Do you want to get his number too?"

"Not that! He's going to steal all the girls! Look, they all immediately crowded around him the moment the bell rang!"

"Hah… I don't care. Now stop clutching onto my collars…"

"H-Hey, where are you going? Are you not worried about Shirley?!"

"Mind your own business, Rivalz."

Lelouch pushed him away, stood up from his seat, and headed to the door.

But before he completely exited the classroom, he glanced at Yuuij and Tatsuya and tugged on his collar, then left.

He headed to the balcony on the top floor of the academy, and waited.

A gentle breeze blew past his face as he leaned onto the railings of the balcony in silence. He looked down, and near the wall, he saw a girl marking a cross onto the brick wall.

She's still doing it, huh?

Lelouch mused. He was the one who commanded her to do so to check the duration of his geass's effects. Of course, now that he had seen the anime, he knew that it would continue forever unless they were physically unable to complete the order. But he did it before he became a member of the Group Chat and knew about… his "future".

Lelouch thought back to all the events he had experienced and compared it to the anime he had watched.

It was… completely the same. Everything he had done up to this point was the same. And if he didn't become a member of the group chat, the tragic future in which he'd ended up sacrificing himself for the peace of the world he so sought for his little sister would also be the same.

But no more… I will prevent all those tragedies from happening…

And the first would be to prevent Shirley's father from dying in the battle for Narita.

This was one of the largest causes of tragedy in Shirley's life. It was the one that made her… dependent on him, and caused her to be involved with his problems.

He didn't want "those" kinds of things to happen to her… To the girl that loved him even until the very end.

This time… I'll give her the happiness she deserves.

He vowed, closing his eyes when a breeze blew past him once again.

Then, the sound of a door opening resounded from behind him.

"Took you quite a while. Were the girls that tough to shake off?"

Lelouch turned with a slight smirk and watched as Yuuji walked towards him with a tired sigh and Tatsuya smiling helplessly.

"...You don't even know half of it. It was only thanks to Shirley that I could get here before lunch ended."

"I was waiting for Yuuji. That is why I was late."

"...Alright, Tatsuya. You don't have to rub it in."

Yuuji shook his head tiredly before extending his hand out towards Lelouch.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Lelouch. I've always been a big fan of yours ever since I watched your anime."

Lelouch smiled and took his hand for a handshake.

"I would've loved to say the same. Unfortunately, the anime you are in is illegal for students. But, other than that, it's also nice to finally meet you, Yuuji."

"Ugh… why is everyone coming after me today…?"

Tatsuya then also extended his hand towards Lelouch.

"It's also nice to finally meet you. Let's do our best to change the tragedies that happened in this world for the better."

"Likewise, Tatsuya. I will be counting on your help to realize it."

Lelouch shook his hand and smiled before turning towards Yuuji.

"I'd love to meet Satoru-san as well… Would it be alright for me to go to your residence after school?"

"Sure. But we can also do it in your dorm if you want. I can make myself and Tatsuya invisible and sneak in without anyone seeing us. After all, our home in this world is quite a distance away. Wouldn't want to take your time away from your little sister that much."

Lelouch looked at Yuuji with a smile, appreciative for his consideration.

"That would be nice. But will Satoru-san be able to join us?"

Yuuji nodded.

"He said he could use his [Phantom] ability to create a clone of "Momonga" and have it cast [Greater Invisibility] and [Fly] on himself to sneak in."

"I see… Then that would be nice. What is he doing now?"

"He's flying around the town, enjoying the "clean air" and "beautiful nature", while invisible."

Lelouch stared at Yuuji and Tatsuya in shock for a moment. What they just said sounded… so absurd that he couldn't help but process it for a moment.

But when he considered how absurd and ridiculous the Group Chat in of itself was… the absurd sentence Yuuji just said started making sense.

"I see… Well, as long as he's having fun."

"Oh, he is. He's been having a lot of fun ever since arriving here."

The three shared a brief laugh before Lelouch started the conversation he wanted to have with these two and the entire reason why he called them here.

"We can talk about what you get from the app later on. For now, I wanted to tell you about my plan for Shirley's father and your appearance as a member of the black knights."

Yuuji and Tatsuya nodded in unison.

"Sure."

"Alright. Then, here's my plan… It's simple."

--------------------------------X--------------------------------

After school, Yuuji, Tatsuya, Satoru, and Lelouch gathered in an empty room inside Lelouch's dorm building.

Lelouch stood by the window, which curtain he had drawn to prevent anyone from being able to look inside. Yuuji sat on the edge of the bed, while Tatsuya and Satoru sat on chairs which came in a set with a beautifully designed tea table.

Yuuji and Tatsuya had snuck in together unseen using Yuuji's invisibility spell, while Satoru, who had been told about the time and place of their meeting, snuck in using [Greater Invisibility] that "Momonga's Phantom" cast upon him.

"Well then, what do you want to hear first from us, Lelouch?"

"Hm, how about your geass first?"

Yuuji nodded.

"Sure. My geass allows me to negate the activation and use of any and all geass within my field of vision."

Lelouch's eyes widened in shock.

"That is… impressive."

"Yes… Though I don't think it'd be able to erase existing effects."

Yuuji shrugged his shoulders.

"You won't be able to activate your geass around me, but I won't be able to erase your order from someone too."

"I see… No, still. Your geass would be extremely useful against other geass users."

"Mm. I think so too. It'd be useful in our encounter against Mao."

Lelouch nodded in agreement.

If Yuuji's geass could prevent Mao's geass from being activated, then he won't be able to read their minds. He'll just be a normal… no, a deranged, geass-less guy.

If that's the case… he won't be able to endanger Nunnally nor C.C with his sick games.

"This is great. That's one thing I don't have to worry about…"

Lelouch let out a smile and turned towards Satoru and Tatsuya.

"How about the two of you?"

"I have a geass that would let me feel another person's emotions. I don't think it'd be quite useful in combat."

Once again, Lelouch's eyes widened in surprise, but not fot the same reason as when he did with Yuuji's geass.

As Tatsuya said, such geass wouldn't be as useful as Yuuji's in combat. But knowing Tatsuya's story… Such a geass was perfect for him.

"No… But still. It is amazing. Congratulations, Tatsuya."

He nodded. A small smile blooming on his face.

"How about you, Satoru-san?"

"A-Ah, I got a geass that would show me someone's name, age, skills, strengths, weaknesses, a snippet of their backstory, and their current thoughts like a game's status screen. It's like… seeing the status screen of an allied NPC in admin mode in Yggdrasil."

"That's amazing…"

Lelouch held his chin, falling into a thought, before turning towards Satoru with a smirk.

"Would you like to become the head of Black Knight's HR Department, Satoru-san?"

Upon hearing the phrase "HR Department", the veteran salaryman who had been enduring the torturous, monotonous, and depressing hell that is the "workplace", shivered. Simply hearing about the terrifying demons that could cut his pay and give him terrible marks for his performance with a snap of their fingers gave him terrible memory flashbacks of his traumatic encounters with them.

He could feel the cold sweat dripping down his back just at the thought of it.

"Satoru-san?"

"Ah? N-No, it's nothing. Uhm… if you want me to do it, then I'll do it…"

Satoru shook his head, snapping out of his traumatic flashbacks, and scratched the back of his head.

"No, I was just joking. But, it'd be nice if you can tell me who have the potential to betray us."

"Of course. I can do that."

"Thank you. Then… let's hear about you backgrounds."

"Sure."

Starting with Yuuji, the three began telling Lelouch about their backgrounds, which also included the "lost" Britannia secret weapon, Excalibur, and the legacy of Yuuji's "parents", the mobile headquarters, and their location.

They didn't hesitate to tell him every little detail, even the ones they hadn't mentioned before when they discussed this last night. They knew that Lelouch would want every little detail, no matter how small, so he could use it in his future plans.

"I see… That's quite depressing."

Lelouch smiled helplessly, his shoulders slumping slightly after hearing the depressing "past" of his friends.

"It is… The group chat never hesitates to give us painful memories, even if they're fake, to justify our existence here. I've learned it the hard way from my previous mission in Tatsuya's world."

Yuuji shrugged his shoulders helplessly, still recalling the terrible "past" he had from his background story in his previous mission.

"So? Are we sticking to the plan? Or do you have something new planned now that you've heard these from us?"

Lelouch thought for a moment, and answered Yuuji's question.

"We'll stick with the plan. I'd like to start our plan for Shirley's father as soon as I confirm that he's in his residence. Would that be alright, Yuuji?"

Yuuji nodded.

"Sure. Just tell me when."

"Thank you. Preferably, it will be tonight, but we'll see. Tomorrow, I will gather the Black Knights to brief them on our operation in Narita and introduce you as our new members."

Tatsuya and Satoru readily nodded to Lelouch's words, while Yuuji fell into a moment of thought.

Ideally, it would be better to introduce new members to a group long before or after a big operation, especially if it's during a war and the group was a volatile, resistance group like the Black Knights where trust was difficult to obtain from existing members.

But, Yuuji also understood why Lelouch wanted them to join the Black Knights now and join the operation in Narita.

Lelouch wanted to make sure that this operation ended not only in success, but perfectly.

It wasn't only for their mission, but for the Black Knights to be considered not only as a simple terrorist or rebel group, but a true force to be reckoned with against Britannia.

If they could gain the recognition and respect of the Japanese government, the Japan Liberation Force, and the "elevens" from their victory here, they'll be able to gain massive momentum, influence, and financial support sooner than they would in the anime, making his future plans easier.

"Alright."

Yuuji nodded, and Lelouch nodded in response.

Yuuji, Tatsuya, and Satoru will be his failsafe. In case things go awry, he'll count on their magic to correct them.

Though, if his assumption was correct, then Yuuji alone with Excalibur would cement their complete victory in Narita.

Lelouch then turned towards Tatsuya.

"Tatsuya, based on your memory, how is the mobile headquarters compared to Britannian's mobile bases?"

"...It's far more advanced. In terms of facility, it's equipped with high end machinery for knightmare maintenance and development in addition to high quality surveillance system and security. And in terms of defenses… it's equipped with several "cannons" that could fire Radiant Wave Surging blasts at incoming threats. There are also several devices that could create Radiant Wave Shields all around it. It's… a moving fortress."

Lelouch crossed his arms. His lips curled into a frown.

Having such a powerful and mobile fortress would be amazing for them. But… it's just a little too advanced.

If they reveal it now, they'll raise questions and attract unwanted attention from powers that were still beyond them.

They're still not ready. Not yet.

"...Then, we can't use it for now. Yuuji, Tatsuya, can you conceal its existence using magic?"

"...I can try. But no promises. I don't know if we can store it in our inventory. In the worst case, I will have to carry it with my gravity magic while maintaining invisibility on myself and the entire fortress. I've never tried carrying such a massive thing, so I can't guarantee that it'd work."

Yuuji crossed his arms and continued.

"And even if it did, we'd need to find a place to hide it, or create one. Maybe somewhere near our mansion could work, but… We're going to need a bit of time to make sure of everything."

Lelouch fell silent, contemplating about it for a moment.

"I see… Then first, try to see if you can store it in your inventory for now. If you can't, then we can try your idea, Yuuji, or buy something from the group chat's store that could help."

"Alright."

"I'll search for something that could help with this now."

Tatsuya opened his phone and began browsing through the group chat's store while Lelouch turned towards Yuuji once again.

"Yuuji, at the very least, I want you to try and bring Excalibur with you because you'll be using it in our operations in Narita."

Yuuji nodded.

"Sure. Worst case, I'll bring it using my space manipulation magic and invisibility to bring it. If it's only a knightmare frame, then I'll be able to do it."

"Good. Then, I'll be counting on you."

The four discussed their plan a bit more. Unfortunately, Tatsuya hadn't find anything that could help them yet, but he'll keep searching for it for the rest of the day.

Meanwhile, Lelouch started getting ready to use one of his powers he gained from his SSR, [Archivist of Universal Knowledge], to confirm if Shirley's father was in his residence tonight.

Yuuji, Tatsuya, and Satoru watched as Lelouch walked up to a chair and took a seat. When he first tried using it, he was standing up. And by the end of it, he fell down to the ground and hit his bottom. Ever since then, he'd always sit down when using it.

"Are you sure you're going to use [Mind of the World] for this…?"

"It is a bit of a waste, but it can't be helped… I can't very well ask her directly."

Yuuji looked at him with a slight frown.

"...Have you not made your feelings known to her yet, Lelouch? We all know you have romantic feelings for her."

"W-Wha-?!"

A rare blush appeared on Lelouch's cheeks as he turned towards his friends in embarrassment.

Tatsuya had a small smile on his normally stoic face. A sign that he was teasing him with his question. While Yuuji and Satoru were smiling helplessly at him.

"Tatsuya!"

"I was just asking."

"Ghhh…"

Lelouch averted his gaze away in embarrassment. But soon, his lips curled into a frown and he clenched his hands into fists.

"I… I can't drag her into this… I just… can't. Not after I've seen what it could've done to her. This is my burden to bear. The day I took up the mask of Zero, I vowed to myself to see this through until the end… and I won't let her be involved."

To destroy the world and create it anew. A better world for his sister to live in happiness. That was his vow.

Yuuji, Tatsuya, and Satoru's appearance in this world and the gifts he had received from the group chat might've accelerated his plans and made things easier. But his goal hadn't changed.

He couldn't drag Shirley into this bloody conflict. Especially having seen what it had done to her in the anime.

His heart still ached when he saw her dying figure on the screen, bloodied, all because she tried to protect him. He can't… He simply can't let that happen to her.

Yuuji stood up from the bed, walked up to Lelouch, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Lelouch… I understand that you don't want to put her in danger. But you should also consider your own happiness!

You are Lelouch before you are Zero. You are our close friend. We can help you protect her, even if it was from the truth. We can also take care of the Black Knights in your absence. Now that we're here, you can rely on us… Allow yourself some happiness."

"Yuuji…"

"I agree with Yuuji… Lelouch."

"Satoru-san…?"

Lelouch turned towards Satoru and saw a man with a smile on his face and nostalgia, regret, and pain in his eyes.

"High school might seem like a long time now, but it's actually very short. Live your life to the fullest. If you have a girl you like… tell her. You only know how much you treasure something when you lose it. And I've seen how painful it was for you when you lost her. So please… don't live a life you'll regret."

The sad smile that accompanied his words of experience filled with regret reached the depth of Lelouch's heart.

He looked down to his lap, where he had rested his fist on.

Lelouch knew… He knew very well, deep in his heart, that he'd feel regret and despair the moment he lost Shirley. He could see it in his "self" in the anime as he clutched onto Shirley's cold, bloody, dead body. And he felt fear that sent chills down his spine the moment he even imagined it happening in reality.

He has his duties as Zero. To create a better world for his sister… and everyone, he had vowed to sacrifice himself for that goal. But… was he prepared to sacrifice her… and those he cared for… for that?

Suddenly, a powerful breeze appeared inside the room, stealing his attention from his own thoughts.

Lelouch looked up, and when he did, he saw Zero, the masked messiah standing right beside Satoru.

"When you're away, he can replace you. Just tell him what to do. He'll understand simple things."

"Satoru-san…"

"You have us now, Lelouch. We're here not only to make this world better, but for you as well. We all want to help you reach a better ending."

"Yuuji…"

Silence fell upon the room as Zero's Phantom slowly dissipated into particles of light after Satoru dismissed it.

And a few moments later, Lelouch raised his head back up and smiled softly at the three.

"Thank you… I'll think about it. But for now, let's use [Mind of the World]."

"Alright."

Yuuji moved away as Lelouch closed his eyes and focused. Wind began to pick up once again in this closed room, swirling around Lelouch as its center.

He opened his eyes, and instead of its usual violet color, they were now shining white with brilliant light.

A few moments later, the light dissipated and the winds died down.

He turned towards Yuuji and looked at him with a nod.

"Yuuji, I'll be counting on you tonight."

"Of course."