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159. Next Step

  Light’s house, 21:00. . .

  Everyone has finished dinner. Light and Lily are ‘washing’ the dishes, but in actuality, Lily just brings the dishes to Light, and he swiftly uses his transformed hand to absorb any filthy and leftover food to clean the plate. This way, he cuts down their monthly water usage and the need to buy cleaning liquids.

  “Ah! Light-kun! As always, your Faith power is so useful even outside of combat! I love you so much!”

  “Thank you, my love! And your swift movement to hand me the plates matched my pace so perfectly that together, we made what was supposed to take 10 minutes or more down to just 2 minutes!”

  And then they smiled at each other with their faces turned red.

  “I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TWO THAT I CAN SEE YOU FROM HEREEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!” shouts Rena.

  *!*

  “TCH!”

  Once again, their romantic moment got interrupted by the usual suspect.

  “I told you to drop it, my stupid sister.” said Runelt.

  “Hmm, I’m starting to understand what makes you so tired handling her, Runelt-san.” said Veint.

  “Thank you! You finally realized what I’ve been dealing with.”

  “EEEHHH?? I think she’s pretty cute and unique!! She is the only one among any of us who is so consistent in being petty!” said Leonna.

  “WHAT DID YOU SAY, LEONNA-NEE-CHAN?!”

  “R-Rena-chan! Calm down! You’re just being slightly annoying, so we’re just telling you to pipe it down a bit!” said Eissen.

  “E-Ei-chan? That was surprisingly rude coming from you. . .” said Mari.

  The rest of the Judges and Supports are sitting down on the floor around the table next to each other.

  “WHAT DID YOU SAY, EISSEN-NII-SAN?”

  *PUK*

  “Aw!”

  “Stay put already, you idiot.”

  Light came from behind and gently chopped Rena’s head from above.

  “Alright, everyone’s here! Let’s start, Light-kun!” said Lily.

  “Right!”

  Light and Lily have finished cleaning everything and are now sitting down as well, joining everyone in a circle around the table.

  “Start what, Lily-san?” asks Runelt.

  “We need to gather all the Judges and Supports as soon as possible! The situation is a lot more urgent and dire than I initially thought.” said Light.

  *?!*

  “What is this about?” asks Eissen.

  “Sorry, I’m not gonna say anything until all of us are fully present! I am afraid that some of us will try to handle everything by ourselves, and that would possibly lead to something regretful! We’re dealing with something that we have very little information about. It’s too dangerous!” explains Light.

  “So then, what are you going to talk about?” asks Veint.

  “Let’s all work together to pinpoint the rest of the Judge’s locations! Of course, as a side activity along with our main Judge duty as well!” said Lily.

  “What’s the current situation?” asks Mari.

  “As you two heard back at the stadium, we’ve found the Seventh and the Fourth Judge pair! Although the Seven Judge didn’t have any Support back then.” said Light.

  *!*

  “Eh? I’ve met with the Seventh Judge as well!” said Mari.

  *!!!*

  “EEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHH????”

  Everyone was surprised, excluding Eissen.

  “Oh, right! At that giant mansion, right?” said Eissen.

  Mari nods.

  “Light-san is right! He was all alone back then! He didn’t have any Support!”

  “Eh? But, I’ve seen him with a woman and a girl back then!?” said Lily.

  *!!!*

  This time, everyone was surprised.

  “Lily, when did you see him?” asks Light.

  “Right after I saved you! He said that those two women were with him.”

  “Huh? But, he did say that he didn’t have any Support when we fought!” said Light.

  “Hmm, that must’ve meant you met him earlier, Mari-chan.” said Eissen.

  Mari nods.

  “And regarding the Fourth Judge pair, I apologize, everyone! I failed to convince them to come to the gathering.” said Runelt with a clear hint of a sad tone in his voice.

  “I see. . .” said Veint.

  “Do you know their reasons?” asks Leonna.

  “It was. . . a matter of principle, she said. . .” said Runelt.

  . . . . . .

  Everyone was silent, hearing Runelt’s answer. They have no idea how to convince the Fourth Judge pair now that they know it was something personal to her.

  “But, she did say that she strongly rejects what Light-san is doing in the past. . .” adds Runelt.

  *!*

  “I see. Then, if any of us, by chance, met with the Fourth Judge pair, please contact me immediately! I will try to talk to her directly.” said Light.

  “On that note, let’s add each other on our social media accounts!” adds Lily.

  “Good idea, Lily-san!” said Leonna.

  They proceed to exchange their social media accounts with one another and befriend everyone. They also made a group chat with everyone currently present.

  “I actually have the 4th Judge’s social media accounts as well! Let’s add her just in case!” said Runelt.

  “No, wait! If she realized that Light-kun is in this group! She might have left immediately and blocked all of our numbers!” adds Lily quickly.

  *!!*

  “OH! Good call, Lily-onee-chan!” said Rena.

  Suddenly, Mari raised her hand.

  “Do we have any specific plan to locate the other Judges?”

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  “Hm, good question. Let’s look at this from a different angle! So far, we have Lust, Pride, Gluttony, and Greed gathered here!” said Light.

  “Oh! I know your intention! So, it’s Wrath, Envy, and Sloth, the ones that are missing!” said Eissen.

  “Correct! The Seventh Judge is the Judge of Wrath!” said Lily.

  “And the Fourth Judge is the Judge of Envy!” adds Runelt.

  “So far, the First Judge is Lust, Second is Pride, Fourth is Envy, Fifth is Gluttony, Sixth is Greed, and Seventh is Wrath!” said Veint.

  “That makes the last Judge, the Third Judge, the Judge of Sloth! And he or she is the only Judge we have no information about. We don’t know their Faith power at all.” said Leonna.

  “Dang it! How are we supposed to find the Third Judge?” said Rena.

  “We can! Let’s look at this from a different angle!” said Light.

  *??*

  “In my case, the Lust sin happens most of the time in secluded areas where people don’t normally come or walk by. Of course, there are exceptions for everything, but the general idea is, where would the Sloth sin usually happen?” asks Light.

  “Uuuhhh, I can think of three! Workplaces, school, or at home!” said Mari.

  “EEEEHHHHH?? ISN’T THAT BASICALLY EVERYWHERE IN THE WORLD??” shouts Veint.

  “. . .wait, you’re right. Oh no! Searching for the Third Judge might be impossible after all. I’m sorry, everyone! I thought I was being smart.” said Light with a defeated tone.

  *pats pats*

  “C-Cheer up, Light-kun!” said Lily, patting Light’s back a few times.

  “CAN WE NOT FLIRT DURING AN IMPORTANT CONVERSATION PLEASE?” shouts Rena.

  “HOW ON EARTH DID THAT EVEN COUNT AS FLIRTING?” shouts Lily.

  “S-Stop it, you two!” said Runelt.

  “No!”

  *!*

  Leonna suddenly stands up.

  “Why are we stressing about this, everyone? We are all chosen by God! If we’re all gonna meet each other and be united one day, then it is going to be according to His plan! There’s no need to stress about this!”

  *!!!*

  “Y-You’re right! Lord Jesus definitely will bring us together one day!” said Eissen.

  “Oh, right! We just need to do our part as we keep an eye out for the Third Judge pair during our Judge duty.” said Light in relief.

  *SIGH*

  Everyone except Leonna let out a collective sigh of relief.

  *THUD*

  *!!!*

  All of a sudden, Leonna slams the table with her hand.

  “Change of mood!”

  She lifts her hand up and reveals a set of playing cards on the table underneath her hand.

  “LET’S PLAY GAMEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSS!!!”

  “WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!”

  Everyone screams at the same time, raising their hands.

  They all proceed to play different card games for an entire hour. They all keep throwing banter at one another for the entire duration. Light and Lily kept helping each other, no matter what games they played that either of them ended up having the most wins. Rena kept screaming at Light and Lily every time they helped each other that everyone else quickly got tired of her annoying screams. Runelt, Eissen, and Veint were working together the entire time to defeat Light and Lily, but they all ended up having the most losses. Mari is a genius at games, and she is the one true winner of the entire set of games if Light and Lily aren’t cheating and scheming together. Leonna, on the other hand, tried to make as many jokes as possible, no matter if she won or lost.

  .

  .

  .

  Light’s house 22:00. . .

  “Alright, guys! I think we should call it quits for today!” said Light.

  *YAAAAAWWWWNNNN*

  Leonna, Veint, and Eissen all yawned at the same time.

  “Good call! Let’s sleep for now!” said Runelt.

  “Wait, can everybody even fit?” asks Mari.

  “UUhhh. . .”

  “Light-san, how are you four sleeping since Runelt-san and Rena-chan live here?” asks Mari.

  “Good question! I wanna know!” said Leonna.

  “Hmm, me and Lily sleep in her room while Runelt and Rena sleep in my room.”

  . . . . . . . .

  “HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHH??”

  Leonna and Mari scream in harmony.

  “Y-Y-Y-YOU AND LIGHT-SAN SLEPT TOGETHER? LILY-SAN!! I NEVER SEE YOU AS A SHAMELESS PERSON!!!” said Mari.

  “IT’S NOT WHAT YOU THINK, MARI-SAN!! CALM DOWN!!” answers Lily, panicly,

  “SO, YOU BOTH ARE DEFINITELY NOT VIRGINS ANYMORE? YOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! WHEN ARE WE EXPECTING LIGHT JUNIOR OR LILY JUNIOR??” shouts Leonna.

  “STOP SAYING STUFF LIKE THAT SO LOUDLY!! I’LL PUNCH YOU!!” shouts Light, panicly.

  “Darling! Why are you imagining their child as a chibi version of themselves, like a plushie?” said Veint as he put his hand on Leonna’s shoulder.

  “L-Lily-san, does it hurt for the first time?” asks Mari.

  “I AM A VIRGIN MARI-SAN!! I HAVE ZERO IDEA ABOUT THAT!!” answers Lily.

  “WE ARE NOT DOING FORNICATION!!” said Light.

  “Errhem!”

  Rena clears her throat and gains everyone’s attention.

  “Everybody, calm down! They only sleep in the same room, but not on the same bed. My brother bought them two extra bed sheets after all! One for Light-nii-san, the other for my brother! They don’t really sleep in the same bed, see? I have planned for these for a long time, after all!! HMPH!!” said Rena as she pointed at herself with her thumb.

  *!!*

  *CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP*

  All of a sudden, everyone except Light and Lily claps their hands for Rena’s genius idea.

  “(TCH! I JUST WANNA SLEEP IN HER HUG LIKE THAT TIME AFTER SHE SAVED ME!!!)”

  “(GRR!! I JUST WANNA BE PAMPERED BY HIM ON THE BED BEFORE WE GO TO SLEEP LIKE IN THOSE ANIME WHERE THE MC IS SICK AND THEIR LOVE INTEREST CAME AND TAKES CARE OF THEM!!)”

  Light and Lily bite their own thumbs behind everyone’s back.

  *CLAP CLAP*

  “Alright! Let’s actually go to sleep, guys! We can’t do our duty properly if we lack sleep!” said Light as he clapped and instructed everyone.

  “Wait, we never discussed where we would all sleep?” said Veint.

  “Oh, right! I’ll bring my beds down and let’s all sleep on the floor next to each other, divided by gender!” said Light.

  “OKAAAAAAAAAYYYY!!!” Everyone responds in harmony.

  “Ah, Light-kun! Let me help!” said Lily.

  “Nah, it’s okay! Lifting stuff with my Faith power is a breeze!”

  “Oh, right!”

  *??*

  As soon as Light left, Leonna, Mari, and Rena surrounded Lily and trapped her in the center.

  “Uuuhhh, guys?”

  “So, how did it actually go with him, Lily-onee-chan?” asks Rena.

  “W-What?”

  “Do I have to spell it out for you?” said Mari.

  “W-What are you guys trying to say?”

  “S! E! X!” said Leonna.

  “GGRRRRRRRR!!! I AM A VIRGIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!”

  Lily screams so loud that it feels like every neighbor around will come out and storm this house to file a noise complaint against us.

  “AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I CAN TELL THAT THAT’S A LIE!!!” said Leonna.

  Veint grabs Leonna from the back.

  “D-Darling, stop teasing Lily-san, okay?”

  “But, Honey! Aren’t you also curious? They said Runelt-san and Rena-chan only started living a few days ago. So, they have PLENTY of time to conceive a child prior!!”

  “T-That’s. . .”

  “Hehehe! Aren’t you curious as well?”

  Eissen grabs Mari from the back as well.

  “Mari-chan! Don’t peek into someone else’s privacy too much, okay?”

  “Eeeehhhh? But, Ei-chan! I am really curious here!”

  “It’s not our place! They’re dating! They have their own pace!”

  “So, when are we gonna start dating too, Ei-chan?” asks Mari, puckering her mouth.

  “I-I honestly would love to start as soon as possible, but I don’t think you understand relationships at all, currently!”

  “Buuuuu!! Stingy!!”

  “D-Don’t act like a child all of a sudden, now!”

  Runelt approaches Rena from behind, but he doesn’t grab her. He sees that his sister is shaking.

  “Huh? What’s wrong, Rena?”

  “O. . .Onii-chan. . .”

  “W-What’s wrong?”

  *sobs sobs sobs*

  “E-Every single one of them is flirting with each other right before my eyes! *sobs sobs*”

  “YOU’RE CRYING BECAUSE OF THAT? HOW DEEP DOES YOUR PETTY JEALOUSY GO, MY STUPID SISTER?”

  “I WANT A BOYFRIEND AS WELL ONII-CHAAAANNN!!! HUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!”

  “DON’T START CRYING TO ME!!! IT SERVES NO PURPOSE!! GO USE DATING APPS OR SOMETHING!!”

  “WHY ARE YOU EVEN SUGGESTING ME TO USE THAT? YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW TO FIND A GIRLFRIEND FOR YOURSELF. WHY DID I EVEN ASK YOU? HUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!”

  “TCH!! SHUT UP YOU STUPID BRAT!!!”

  “HONEY, LET’S FIND OUT!!”

  “DARLING, NO!”

  “EI-CHAN!! WHEN ARE WE GOING OUT??”

  “MARI-CHAN!! YOU’RE ACTING STRANGELY BOLD TONIGHT!! WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU?”

  “ONIII-CHAAAANN!! PLEASE FIND A BOYFRIEND FOR MEEEEEEEEE!!! HUEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!”

  “WHAT ARE YOU EVEN SAYING ANYMORE? WAKE UP!!”

  “E-EVERYONE!! PLEASE LOWER YOUR VOICE!! AT THIS POINT, HE WILL AWAKEN!!”

  *?*

  Everyone stops talking and looks toward Lily.

  “W-What is going to awaken?” asks Runelt.

  “Light-kun!”

  “Huh? Light-san?” said Mari.

  “What do you mean awaken? Like he’s going to use Second State or something?” said Veint.

  “N-NO! That’s not what I meant!”

  “Then whaa-----!!!” said Eisen.

  *!!!*

  *GRAAAHHHKKK*

  *THUMP THUMP*

  *THUD*

  All of a sudden, behind all of them, Light came down through the ceiling from the second floor. He carries all of the bed sheets and pillows down with him, but something feels off.

  *THUD THUD*

  Light drops all of the bed sheets and pillows next to him.

  “HEY! WHAT’S WITH ALL THE RUCKUS?”

  *!!!*

  Everyone looks at Light, and they feel fear.

  “I call this mode of Light-kun, STOPLIGHT! He’s going berserk when someone is disrupting peace in his house!!” said Lily.

  “PFFTTT!!! BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! STOPLIGHT?? LILY-SAN ARE YOU SERIOUS?? WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!” Leonna laughs so loudly and openly.

  *!*

  And Light suddenly appears in front of her.

  *BAM*

  *GRAAAHHKKK*

  *SSRRRRRRRR*

  Light uppercuts Leonna, and her head got stuck in the ceiling above, and her body just hung from above.

  *!!!*

  Everyone notices Leonna hanging from the ceiling.

  “H-He hit her without using his Faith power?” said Runelt in fear.

  “H-How strong is he physically?” said Eissen.

  “R-RUUUUNNNN!!! HE’S GOING TO KNOCK YOU ALL OUT!!” Lily screams.

  *!*

  Before everyone could move, Light appeared in front of Mari and Rena.

  “L-LIGHT-SAN!! I APOLOGIZE IF I AM PRYING TOO MUCH INTO YOUR RELATIONSHIP!! PLEASE LET ME GO!!!”

  “LIGHT-NII-CHAN!! PLEASE, FORGIVE ME!! I AM GOING TOO FAR!!”

  *BAAAAM*

  Both of them got smacked by two pillows on the head, and they immediately fell and went to sleep.

  “HIIIIIEEEEEEEEE!!!” screams Veint.

  “T-THIS IS OUR LEADER!” screams Eissen.

  “VEINT-SAN, EISSEN-SAN!!! RUUUUUNNN!!!!” shouts Runelt.

  *BAAAAMMM*

  Runelt was hit by a flying pillow on the head, and he immediately fell and went to sleep.

  *!!!*

  “VEINT-SAN!! THERE’S NO WAY TO RUN!! LET’S FIGHT HIM RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!!”

  “Y-YOU’RE RIGHT!!! IT’S SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST!! THERE IS NO RULE OUT HERE!! LET’S DO THIS, EISSEN-SAN!!”

  Both of them take their fighting stance while their whole body is shaking.

  *!*

  Light appeared instantly behind them, grabbed their heads from behind, and pushed them down towards the bed sheet, shoving their heads until they fell asleep.

  Light slowly stands up and turns around towards Lily.

  “G-GOOD JOB, LIGHT-KUN!! YOU ELIMINATED ALL THE THREATS SUCCESSFULLY!! YOUR DUTY IS FINISHED, SOLDIER!! YOU CAN GO BACK TO YOUR HOMETOWN NOW!!” shouts Lily as she gives a salute.

  Light slowly walks towards Lily, but Lily stays still and shakes in fear.

  *!*

  *ZZZZZZZ*

  But all of a sudden, Light collapses and falls onto the bed sheet below and goes to sleep as well.

  *Sigh*

  “I’m saved!”

  Lily slowly collapses onto the same bed sheet as the exhaustion tires her out. She falls on top of Light’s back and goes to sleep as well.

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