Chapter 69: Demon King Akira Nava

"Which club would you like to join?" Akira asked, looking at Mashiro, Asuna, Misumi, Yui, and Megumi.

"I have joined the Disciplinary Committee," Yui replied as she enjoyed her bento.

Morning classes ended, and it was time for lunch. Akira and the others sat on the roof, quietly enjoying their meal without any disturbances.

"I think I'll join the Game Club," Misumi answered uncertainly, not being entirely sure.

"I'm not sure about joining a club," Asuna murmured. She felt relieved that this was her first opportunity to join a club since her mother had previously prohibited her from doing so.

"I have no intention of joining a club right now," Megumi shook her head, indifferent to the fact that she wouldn't be noticed even if she signed up.

"I'll go with Akira," Mashiro casually stated while eating her onigiri.

"What about you then?" Yui asked, looking at Akira curiously.

"I guess I'll join the Service Club," Akira replied hesitantly.

"The Service Club? Isn't that the club run by Yokinoshita-senpai?" Yui inquired, as the Service Club was well-known due to Yokinoshita being its sole member and the famous ice princess of the school.

"That's right," Akira nodded, explaining his reasons upon seeing the girls' frightened expressions. "You see, the school mandates that students join a club, but I don't want to do much. I just want to relax, and the Service Club suits me best."

"..." After hearing Akira's explanation, the girls' expressions returned to normal.

"But isn't it impossible to join the Service Club?" Yue asked in confusion since no students had been accepted since the club's establishment. "Honestly, I think it would be better to join the basketball club since Kuroko-san and Casey-san are there."

"Tetsu and Ryota are here?" Akira asked puzzled, as Kuroko should be at Seirin and Ryota was attending another school whose name he couldn't recall.

"Yes, I saw them earlier in the morning when they came for practice," Yue nodded, recalling her encounter with them while performing her duties for the Disciplinary Committee.

"By the way, what are you doing?" Yui curiously asked as she noticed Akira typing on his computer while eating. "And more importantly, how did you manage to bring a laptop to school?"

"In response to your first question, I'm writing a novel," Akira replied, removing his hand from the computer and taking out some money from his pocket. "As for the second question, let's just say I can use magic."

" 😯 " - both Yui and Megumi were astonished, their mouths wide open, as they stared at the money that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"Please don't tell anyone about this," Akira said seriously. He then took out four necklaces from the Babel Gate and tossed one to each girl, except for Mashiro, who already had one. "I won't go into detail, but I advise you to always wear this necklace and never take it off, no matter what."

These were the same necklaces he gave Yukino yesterday, designed to protect and eliminate any ghosts that might approach them.

It was true that ghosts were quite common in this world, although Akira had never seen them before.

'Those ghosts must be related to Yutsiya Miku,' Akira thought, recalling the name of his classmate who seemed to have the ability to see ghosts. She also reminded him of the anime character Miriko-chan, who served as the source of these ghosts.

Although Akira referred to them as ghostsAlthough Akira referred to them as ghosts, it wasn't an accurate description. These entities consisted of two types. The first type comprised of souls that had passed away with intense negative emotions, transforming into these beings to seek revenge on their killers or lost loved ones, among other reasons. The second type was formed from the accumulation of negative emotions in humans, taking on a tangible form.

While ghosts couldn't directly interact with humans who couldn't see them, they could induce fear, sickness, and fatigue in those who were unaware of their presence. This was their only way of affecting humans who lacked the ability to perceive them. However, ghosts couldn't physically harm anyone, such as through touching or striking them.

The necklaces that Akira had given them had the ability to absorb and convert negative emotions into energy, storing it to protect the wearer in times of danger. Akira had injected a significant amount of energy into these necklaces before handing them out, ensuring their effectiveness.

"What do you think? Surprised by my abilities?" Akira exclaimed dramatically, covering his left eye while a golden halo surrounded him. "I am the Great Demon King Akira Nava!"

"..." Everyone stared at Akira silently, unaware that small shadows emerged from his own shadow and merged with theirs. His left eye had turned golden, with an inorganic Roman clock embedded within.

Akira had intentionally refrained from placing time copies within everyone's shadows, as he understood that they wouldn't feel comfortable knowing someone was observing them from within. He wanted to respect their privacy.

Yue Yue struggled to find the right words to express her thoughts. As Akira's childhood friend, she knew about his past phase of severe chunibyo during middle school, when he used to refer to himself as the Lord of the Dark Flame and His Majesty the Demon King Akira Nava. She wondered if seeing a classmate who reminded him of that time triggered his chunibyo tendencies.

"..." Akira glanced at Yui with annoyance, his mouth trembling in irritation.

Applause filled the air as Megumi sarcastically applauded Akira's performance. "Impressive, Akira-kun," she said in a cold tone.

"..." Akira was speechless, his eyes twitching in response to Megumi's comment.

"..." Asuna and Yui stared silently at the interaction between Akira and Mashiro.

Akira didn't pay much attention to Asuna and Yui's gazes. Instead, he happily patted Mashiro's head, grateful that she didn't join in mocking him. The bond between them had grown stronger since they started living together.

Mashiro, having developed a habit of watching anime through her time with Akira, nodded in agreement. "Indeed, Akira truly resembled a real Demon King," she remarked, giving him a thumbs up.

"..." Asuna and Yui continued to observe the interaction between Akira and Mashiro in silence.

Akira, still unaware of the girls' thoughts, enjoyed patting Mashiro's head, not realizing the impact his actions had on others.