I said you are all war criminals

Page 72

During lunch break, Nana and her roommates ate their bento boxes and talked about recent performances and gossip.

"I heard Mahiru has become obsessed with a band and has been practicing their songs every day."

"Really? Mahiru's taste is truly unique."

"But the lead singer of that band seems quite handsome. I'd go see their performance next time I get a chance."

Nana listened to their conversation, occasionally interjecting a few words with a faint smile on her face.

However, the topic soon turned to Nana.

"Nana, you're in a band too, right? I think you're the lead singer."

"Is this really true? Nana's lead singer must be amazing!"

A girl with twin ponytails and full of energy came over, her eyes sparkling. It was Aijo Karen. "Nana, what style of band are you in? Rock? Or pop?"

Nana was a little embarrassed by Hua Lian's enthusiasm. She scratched her cheek and whispered, "Uh... Actually, it's nothing special. It's just ordinary light music. We are still in the exploratory stage and don't have much performance experience..."

...Actually, I've already debuted, but my bass level isn't that high, and Wildfire's record sales are quite... well, there's room for growth.

"Huh? Then I have to go and listen!"

Ishido Sono interjected enthusiastically, "Maybe we can witness the birth of a legendary band! It's so exciting just thinking about it!"

"Hey, the band... I really want to listen to it!"

Aicheng Hualian held her chin with a look of longing, "I wonder what it feels like..."

"It's just very ordinary..."

Nana tried to continue explaining, but Futano interrupted her excitedly.

"You'll know whether it's ordinary or not only by listening to it! Nana, next time your band rehearses, you must invite us!"

Nana smiled helplessly and nodded in agreement. Inwardly, she secretly groaned. Wildfire's rehearsal... it was truly full of "surprises." If these guys who loved to join in the fun saw it, who knew what would happen.

At this moment, Nana's cell phone suddenly rang. She took out her phone and saw that the caller ID was "Toyokawa Shoko".

Nana turned on the phone and put it to her ear.

"are you free tonight?"

Xiangzi asked on the other end of the phone.

"Is it about the band?"

Nana avoided the noise a little and covered the phone with her hand, "It's a bit noisy over here, please forgive me."

"No, it's night work."

Xiangzi said simply, "Let's meet and talk tonight."

Nana hung up the phone, a wry smile playing on her lips, as if salt had been accidentally added to her coffee. The surrounding noise seemed to be blocked out by a thin membrane, and she mechanically chewed her lunch, which tasted like chewing wax.

"Let's meet and talk in the evening"... No need to guess, you know it's probably related to "that".

to be frank.

Nana Ohba knew that even if she didn't go that night, nothing would happen. After all, Xiangzi always just "told her what happened" and never once ordered Nana to do anything... Nana could have done nothing.

The hustle and bustle of lunch break gradually faded away. Nana said goodbye to her classmates who were still excitedly discussing band matters and walked out of the school gate alone. She was preoccupied with things, and even her favorite street-side banana milkshake couldn't stop her.

The café was tucked away in a quiet alley, its sign dimly lit. If Xiangzi hadn't warned Nana about it, she would have almost missed it. Pushing open the heavy wooden door, she was greeted by a rich aroma of coffee, mingled with a faint hint of tobacco, causing her to frown uncomfortably. Xiangzi sat in a corner booth with a steaming cup of coffee before her. Nana nodded slightly as she entered.

"Here you come, Nana."

Xiangzi's voice was calm, and it was actually no different from how he was in the band.

Nana sat down opposite her, took the menu handed to her by the waiter, and hastily ordered an iced American coffee.

"Xiangzi, why are you looking for me so urgently? Is there something wrong?"

Xiangzi did not answer immediately, but picked up the coffee and took a sip, his eyes fixed on the swirling liquid in the cup.

The hot steam from the coffee rose up, casting a shadow on Xiangzi's calm face, making her look even more elusive.

"Another half-demon has been victimized."

She finally spoke, her tone so calm as if she was saying that the weather was nice today.

Nana's heart tightened. The iced Americano hadn't arrived yet. She subconsciously clenched the menu in her hand, her fingertips turning white. Her stomach felt like it was filled with lead, sinking heavily. She knew what Xiangzi meant by "victimization"—the mutilated limbs, the cold corpse, and the lingering smell of blood.

"Who is it this time?"

Nana's voice was a little hoarse, and she tried hard to stay calm and not let fear consume her.

Xiangzi gently put down the coffee cup, making a crisp clinking sound that was particularly clear in the quiet cafe.

"I don't know. This time they found a stronghold... I don't know how many people died in that stronghold."

Xiangzi pulled a tablet from his black satchel, slid open the screen, and handed it to Nana. Nana hesitated, then took it. A photo appeared on the screen.

On-site photos.

To be more precise.

Photos of the crime scene.

In the photo, the wall was mottled, as if slashed furiously by some sharp weapon. Scratches of varying depths crisscrossed the surface, stained with dark red blood. Some had dried and turned black, while others were still damp, reflecting a chilling light in the dim light. The ground was equally desolate, a tangle of broken furniture, scattered clothing, and other debris, trampled beyond recognition. A thick layer of dust, interwoven with the bloodstains, created a horrifying scene.

The most shocking sight was the strewn remains of severed limbs scattered across the room. A pale arm drooped limply to the ground, fingers twisted at unnatural angles, as if vainly trying to grasp something. A severed leg leaned against the wall, its bones visible and its flesh bloody mess unbearable to look at. In the corner, a pool of dark red blood was shocking, the coagulated blood clots like a black mandala blooming in hell, exuding the scent of death. The air was filled with a strong stench of blood, mixed with dust and mildew, making Nana feel suffocated. She felt her stomach churning and almost vomited.

"Fortunately, I had lunch early..."

Nana's face turned pale.

She suppressed her discomfort and looked at the photos again. The blurry, bloody images were deeply imprinted in her mind.

Xiangzi put the tablet away expressionlessly. "The police have absolutely no clue. This place is too hidden. If someone hadn't discovered it by accident, no one would have ever known what happened here."

Nana took a deep breath, trying to calm her surging emotions.

"Those...victims, were all half-demons?"

Nana's voice trembled.

"Yes."

Xiangzi said succinctly, "At least I think so."

Nana took a deep breath, her stomach still churning. She set the tablet down, the hellish scene on the screen seared into her retinas.

"This...this is too..."

She wanted to say "cruel," but the word seemed too light an understatement to describe how she felt.

Xiangzi chuckled. "Cruel? That's just the beginning. How much humanity do you think those guys hiding in the dark have?"

She paused, then continued, "Nana, you should understand what this means."

Of course Nana understood. She understood all too well. The existence of half-demon had always been a secret, a carefully guarded secret. Ordinary humans knew nothing of them, and those who did were either filled with fear and hostility or sought to exploit them. And now, someone was hunting them.

"There won't be any results from the police."

Xiangzi seemed to see through Nana's thoughts and spoke in a firm tone.

"They have no idea of the existence of half-demons and will just treat this as a common homicide. Even if they wanted to investigate, they wouldn't find anything."

"Then...what should we do?"

Nana's voice was a little weak.

"us?"

Xiangzi raised an eyebrow, "No, Nana, I'm talking about you. What should you do?"

"...I'm just an ordinary person. Even if you awaken my bloodline, I have no obligation to do these things."

Nana Ohba said so.

Xiangzi ignored Nana's excuses and simply stood up and left the café. She left without even saying goodbye. The sound of her round-toed leather shoes tapping on the ground gradually faded away, eventually disappearing into the noisy background of the café.

Nana sat alone in the booth, the coffee in front of her had gone cold, but she didn't drink a sip. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

She didn't want to get involved in this at all. Damn Xiangzi, damn the half-demon, damn all of this! Those little thugs who had fought before were just a piece of cake for her. With her newly awakened power, she could take care of them with just a few punches and two kicks. But this time was different. The opponent this time was an organization, an organization hidden in the darkness and possessing great power. Even if she had the power of a half-demon, what could she do? Two fists can't beat four hands, and a hero can't stand up to a large number of people. She might not even know how she died.

During the "selection," she'd thought herself quite formidable, ravaging the spiritual realm known as the "stage," invincible and performing over and over again. Now that she thought about it, it was all childish play! If she died in the spiritual realm, she could wake up again, but if she died in reality, she was truly dead!

She didn't want to die young and become one of those broken limbs in the photo.

The waiter came over and asked politely, "Miss, do you need anything else?"

Nana smiled subconsciously, "Excuse me, do you have any banana flavored drinks?"

"Banana flavored drinks? Yes, ma'am. We have a banana latte, banana smoothie, and banana milk."

The waiter handed over the menu with a professional smile on his face and a gentle and patient tone.

Nana stared at the colorful images on the menu, feeling a bit dazzled. Banana latte? Sounded too sweet. Banana smoothie? Wouldn't it be too cold for a smoothie in this weather? Banana milk? Wouldn't that be a bit childish? She hesitated for a long time before finally choosing the banana latte.

"Then...banana latte."

The waiter wrote down Nana's order and turned to leave. Nana looked at her back and suddenly found it a little funny. She was actually in the mood to worry about what to drink in such a situation. How heartless.

There was soothing music playing in the cafe, but Nana couldn't hear it at all.

"...No, forget about that. Isn't it enough for you to go on patrol every morning?"

After knowing that she was a half-demon, Nana Ohba did not do nothing.

Nana stirred the nearly melted cream in her cup, but the rich, sweet aroma of her banana latte didn't relax her. She recalled Xiangzi's disdainful look before he left, and a wave of irritation welled up in her heart. She had indeed begun her "patrols" in earnest after the "selection." Every morning, before daybreak, she would rise and scurry around the city.

Catching thieves, stopping drunks from causing trouble, helping old ladies cross the street... these trivial matters are easy for her. The power of half-demon gives her superhuman speed and strength, and those hooligans are as vulnerable as paper in front of her.

Once, she even broke up a bank robbery. Three masked thugs, armed with submachine guns, were yelling at bank employees and customers. Nana, who was standing across from the bank eating Mahiru's baked potato cake, simply covered her face and rushed over. She kicked the bank's glass door, startling the three thugs. Before they could react, Nana was already in front of them, punching each one hard.

...Is this good enough?

Is it considered that... I have done my best to live up to my awakened half-demon bloodline?

Nana Ohba tilted her head back and put her hands in front of her eyes.

"Ohba Nana... This isn't a 'selection'. If you lose, it's all over. No chance to perform again, no chance to start over..."

She closed her eyes, but the world was not completely dark.

Because that photo is still burned in Nana's eyes.

"I'm just a half-demon, not a superhero. Why should I die?"

Nana muttered to herself.

She opened her eyes and found that the coffee had spilled on the table.

Opposite her sat an unexpected guest.

...If I were to describe him as a "stranger," it would be too heartless. But if I were to describe him as an "acquaintance," it would be a bit too exaggerated.

Nana looked at this person who was neither an acquaintance nor a stranger... but someone she knew, and called out his name.

"Why are you here, Goto Ichiri?"

120

Chapter 120: Agreement.

"Because you look like you're going to die."

Opposite Nana Ohba, Ichiri Goto said this.

This is a completely irrelevant answer to the question.

This doesn't even answer Nana's question.

but……

“…No!”

Nana shuddered as if she had an allergic reaction.

"no!"