Oliver sipped his water.
'So… let me sum it up again, just in case.'
'We were dragged here because this world is about to get steamrolled. The humans are losing. Badly.'
'So the Goddess went: "Yeah, let's yank some kids from Earth. That'll fix it."'
Really cliché, yeah.
Selene stood before them, still playing the part of a pleading saint — hands clasped, eyes shimmering, her voice full of practiced sorrow.
"If we work together, we might have a chance to defeat the Demon King and… perhaps, one day, discover a spell capable of sending you back to your world," she said, lowering her gaze. "I humbly implore you. Please… help us."
'She's really milking the damsel act.'
Her voice trembled just enough to sound desperate, but her posture stayed perfect — not a single flinch out of place.
Then, a voice rang out across the hall.
It was Miss Evelyn.
"Please don't joke around!" she snapped, stepping forward. Her heels echoed sharply on the polished marble. "In the end, all you want is for these children to participate in a war! That kind of thing is absolutely out of the question! As their teacher, I will not allow it!"
She was visibly angry now, small hands clenched into fists.
"Let us go back immediately! Surely, their families must be worried sick! What you're doing is no different from kidnapping!"
Her voice cracked as she said the last word.
Evelyn was only twenty-three, barely older than the students themselves. With her petite frame — barely five feet tall — and her soft, doll-like features, she looked more like a first-year than a teacher. But in this moment, fire burned in her eyes.
Some of the students blinked at her, startled by her sudden defiance.
"Ahh… Miss Eve is trying her best again…" one muttered softly, half-impressed, half-nervous.
For a moment, she gave everyone something to rally around. A thread of hope.
But Selene just looked at her with a perfectly composed expression — too composed.
"I understand how you feel," she said gently. "However… it is impossible for you to return now."
The hall went silent.
Completely silent.
A cold pressure seemed to settle over the room like a blanket of snow.
Selene's words had been soft — but final.
"I-impossible…? W-what did you just say?!" Miss Evelyn stammered. "If you can summon us, then surely you can send us back!"
"As I stated before," Selene said, voice ever calm, "you were not summoned by me. You were summoned by Goddess Synthia herself. We humans do not possess the magic necessary to interfere with another world."
"In other words… whether you return or not is up to the Goddess. Not us."
"T-that's…"
Evelyn staggered back, dropping into her chair. Her eyes were wide. Her shoulders trembled. Her voice was gone.
'She really thought she could argue with a world-class manipulator. Cute.'
The room, now unanchored, finally cracked.
"No way! We really can't go back?!"
"This has to be a joke! I didn't sign up for this!"
"I don't wanna die here! I haven't even been on a damn date yet!"
Chaos erupted. Screams, footsteps, panic. Some students backed up into walls. Others shouted over one another. Even Evelyn clutched her skirt, knuckles white, eyes unfocused.
'This is it. Total meltdown.'
Well — not for everyone.
In the far corner, a group of self-proclaimed otakus were buzzing with a different kind of energy. If anything, they looked like they were holding back grins.
One whispered, "It's happening..."
Another nodded solemnly, hand on his imaginary sword hilt. "Don't worry, Lady Selene. We shall protect you."
A third, nearly bouncing in his seat, whispered, "I knew it. I always knew this day would come!"
'Lunatics.'
Oliver stayed quiet. Calm. Not because he was brave — but because he'd read this shit before.
'This isn't even the worst-case scenario. Could've been a slave seal or a collar. So… this is fine.'
He crossed his arms and leaned back.
'Still sucks, though.'
Then, through the shouting, a voice cut clean across the room like a blade through fog.
"Please — everyone. Calm down."
Of course.
Daniel Blake.
Golden boy. Poster child. Hero-in-the-making.
He stood tall, blazer spotless, not a single hair out of place. Even his voice was perfectly balanced — not too loud, not too soft. Just enough command to make people listen.
He raised a hand, palm forward. "Panicking won't help us understand anything. Let's hear her out."
Then he turned toward Selene with a calm, almost charming smile.
"I am Daniel Blake. It's an honor to meet you, Lady Selene. We'll help."
A few girls near the front actually sighed.
Selene smiled, her expression softening. "Thank you, Sir Daniel."
Sir Daniel. Great. He gets knighted before the rest of us even get a clue.
"Wait—Daniel, stop!" Miss Evelyn called out, stepping forward, her voice laced with urgency. "Don't promise anything before you understand what's actually going on. What can a bunch of students even do that your trained soldiers and mages couldn't?"
"I understand your concern. Truly," Selene replied, her voice calm and graceful, almost motherly — but too polished to be sincere. "What we did was selfish. But we had no choice. Our world stands on the edge of destruction."
She turned to Evelyn, her expression carefully composed — too serene for someone begging.
"We will not abandon the search for a way to return you home. Our greatest scholars, mages, and alchemists will begin working on it immediately. We will spare no effort. But in the meantime... we ask you for your strength."
Then Evelyn snapped.
"This is blackmail!" she shouted, fists clenched at her sides. "You're asking children to fight your war! You summon them against their will, then dress it up like it's noble?! This isn't a plea, it's emotional manipulation!"
"Actually…"
A voice rose from the back of the hall.
All eyes turned.
It was one of the otaku kids — a skinny guy with fogged-up glasses, oversized sleeves, and an expression like someone had just handed him the script of his favorite anime.
"If we're already here," he said, pushing his glasses up with exaggerated flair, "we might as well do something cool, right? I mean, this is literally an isekai. Demon lords, magic, a hot goddess... Come on — this is the dream."