Chapter 3: Uneasy Alliance

After Ms. Kibishii discussed to the both of them the requirements of establishing a club, the two of them left the faculty room and walked together towards their classroom. There was an awkward silence and an even bigger distance in between the two while walking. Akuma walked a few steps ahead of Angelie. She couldn't take it any longer and spoke up.

"What are you planning, Demon Lord?"

"I could ask you the same thing. Why did you want to start the same club that I thought of? Heh, who am I kidding? Of course, it's to get in my way. Again!"

Akuma continued to walk without looking at Angelie.

"Huh? As we painfully realized yesterday, we can't use magic in this world. You were no longer a threat to me. After I failed in protecting everyone in my past life, I just wanted to help people as much as I can. But especially now that I know someone like YOU is in this school."

Angelie stopped walking.

"Hmm."

"You still haven't answered my question. What are you planning?"

Akuma also stopped on his tracks, closed his eyes and hung his head. After a while, he started laughing then faced back toward Angelie.

"Ever since I remembered who I was, I've thought hard why I failed. I knew all my plans were perfect, as I was on the brink of victory. But in the end, I was defeated by you. Now, I realize that using force instilled hate and fear in others, and those two intense feelings cause people to do everything in their power to oppose me. Even as far as sacrificing themselves, just to prevent ME from succeeding."

Angelie heard something again that didn't add up. She raised her hand to signal him to stop for a moment and listen.

"Wait, I think you are misunderstanding some—"

"BUT! Now, I know there is another way to get to rule over others."

When she heard this, she had her guard up instinctively. Vivid memories of her past life started to pass through her head, and a familiar feeling of dread drowned her thoughts.

"And… that is?"

Angelie prepared herself to what he was going to say. Depending on what he said, she might do some drastic measures to prevent him from accomplishing his plans.

"Diplomacy."

"Huh?"

She was dumbfounded and all the tension she was bottling up suddenly dissipated.

"Diplomacy. D – I – P – L"

"I know how to spell that! But ruling through diplomacy? You? An evil creature hellbent on conquering all?"

Akuma chuckled to himself. He looked at Angelie in a condescending way, as if to portray how beneath she was compared to him.

"While you are stuck to your old ways, I adapt. In this world, who are the leaders? Politicians! And they rule through diplomacy. They act like they are good people, but underneath, they have agendas for their own benefit. And I plan to do the same."

"B-but, how does starting the Help Club aid your plans?"

He shook his head in disappointment.

"Now I can see how I was able to crush your forces so easily. You aren't able to think ahead. The Help Club is just a stepping stone. Once I have made a name for myself in this school by being a 'helpful and benevolent' person, the next logical step for me is the Student Council! Then being a leader in a college club and its student body. After that, local and prefectural positions. And then next, the whole country!"

He was laughing maniacally at this point. Some students were already coming in to school and looking at him, confused.

"And y-you think I will let you get away with that?"

"Oh, you will, my dear Saint."

"What makes you think that?!"

She was starting to feel flustered.

"Because I won't go against anything you want to do. In fact, we have the same goal of 'helping' people, right?"

Akuma flashed a victorious smile.

"Curse you, Demon Lord…"

She hung her head in defeat. After a while, she stood straight and started to walk again toward their classroom, as if nothing happened. She passed by Akuma without looking at him.

"Well, at least I'll be able to watch you closely and make sure you do help people. But we need to find more members or all your plans will be moot."

"What's with the attitude change. You were defeated just a while ago…"

Akuma slowly followed her to their classroom, confused as to what happened to his victory.

"I wonder who really is the winner in this one."

"What do you mean? Hey! Answer me!"

He tried to grab Angelie's shoulder but she walked faster and left him behind.

"We'll be late to class. I don't want to clean the classroom with you again."

---

There was a two-week period for students to recruit the minimum number of members in order to be officially recognized as a club. For some, they used this period to test a club as trial members. It has been a few days since the two of them applied to form the Help Club. So far, they have recruited a total of zero members.

It was already after classes and both of them stayed inside the classroom. Akuma was seated on his own desk while Angelie was leaning on the desk in front of Akuma.

"So, what are you going to do about this?"

She had her arms crossed while looking down on Akuma.

"Hey! I already posted the fliers I made on the bulletin boards! What have you done, huh?"

He pointed his finger toward Angelie, assigning blame to her for their inability to recruit members.

"I handed out the fliers you made in the morning and afternoon. It must be that the fliers suck. No one wants to look at it or touch it."

"My sense of art cannot be comprehended by mere mortals such as yourself."

"If by sense of art, you mean trash, then this really qualifies!"

Angelie held a flier in Akuma's face. The drawing on the flier shows two stick figures standing, with a speech bubble saying 'Let's help each other. Join the Help Club!'.

"Ah, such beauty never ceases to amaze me."

"Shut your trap, you idiot Demon Lord! Even a grade schooler can do better than this."

Akuma slumped his shoulders when he heard her degrade his work of art.

"For a Saint, you sure say harsh words."

He muttered to himself, averting her gaze and trying to indirectly complain to Angelie, but she still heard it clearly.

Angelie leaned down to make sure Akuma heard it loud and clear.

"Don't patronize me! You're the President of the Help Club! Do something about this!"

He then approached in kind, in order to protest as well.

"I already did something! You're the Vice President, so do something if what I'm doing is not working!"

"Stop putting all the work on me—"

A sudden laughter erupted around the classroom, then seemed like it was being controlled so as not to be heard. Both of them stopped bickering and looked around. They thought they were alone inside the classroom. They searched around and finally went to look under the teacher's desk.

There was a girl student hiding under the table, who had long pinkish hair and was wearing a cute ribbon clip on it. Angelie smiled at the girl.

"Oh, hi there. What are you doing under the desk?"