Gabriel aimed the remote control at the air conditioner and pressed the power button. The fan blades slowly opened, but instead of cool air coming from the vents, the air conditioner emitted a weak, muffled 'buzzing' sound like that of an elderly person.
Gabriel irritably pressed the power button repeatedly with her thumb, hoping this would somehow revive the air conditioner that had been repaired not long ago.
Obviously, her method didn't work. Under the constant on-off commands, the air conditioner let out a 'sizzle' and released the smell of burning plastic, officially declaring itself broken.
"The quality of this air conditioner is seriously questionable!?" Gabriel angrily tossed the remote onto the bed. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got, convinced it was because the repairman last time hadn't done a proper job.
No wonder Jhin asked that day, 'Master, what do you do for work?' He was reminding me that the guy wasn't repairing it seriously. And here I was mocking him for being a fool.
The clown turned out to be me!
Gabriel wished she could time travel back and slap her ignorant self, then have Vignette curse the guy—making sure he never got seasoning packets with his instant noodles or toilet paper when he needed it.
No air conditioner? Fine. The weather wasn't that hot anyway. Time to keep gaming.
Gabriel sprawled on the cool floor, her legs kicking happily. She was testing the powerful pay-to-win item she'd bought with a month's living expenses in her online game, admiring the flashy effects, the half-health heal in one go, the special skill with its holy shield—and most importantly, the surprise and praise from her teammates in the chat.
"Whoa, is that the latest item?"
"Big shot, your heals are insane! We can definitely snag this BOSS first kill!"
"Wow, these effects are so flashy I can barely see the healer's model anymore."
Gabriel felt as refreshed as if she'd downed a glass of ice-cold soda, the stuffy air in the room suddenly feeling cooler.
But this joy didn't last long. A sound that drove humans worldwide mad—a faint, shrill buzzing of wings—began circling her. If it were nighttime, it would send anyone into a rage, turning on the lights and grabbing slippers to hunt it down.
"Smack!" Gabriel slapped her itchy shoulder casually. Due to the high temperature today, she was only wearing a loose light blue T-shirt at home, allowing the mosquito to slip through the gap and bite.
She opened her palm but saw no mosquito corpse. The shrill 'buzzing' resumed circling her immediately, as if mocking her for missing.
The first kill in the game was important, so Gabriel decided to ignore the annoying mosquito for now and deal with it after. But her leniency only emboldened it; it bit her hand multiple times. Sated, even its wingbeats sounded heavier.
Damn it, my hand itches so much. You cursed mosquito, once I get the first kill, you'll feel an angel's wrath!
The full mosquito left, but before she could relax, it returned with what seemed like its family or friends.
Look, here's a fool who won't fight back no matter how much we bite.
For real?!
Of course, look how bloated my belly is.
Everyone, charge!
Gabriel couldn't understand mosquito talk, but it felt about right. The newcomers bit her back—out of reach—forming bumps that snapped her patience. She abandoned the furiously clicking laptop, grabbed the mosquito swatter, and launched an extermination campaign.
"Smack! Smack! Smack!"
The plastic swatter whistled through the air as Gabriel swung it wildly. She couldn't tell if she'd killed any; her room was so dirty and cluttered that mosquito corpses blended with debris like a hair in grass—impossible to find without a magnifying glass.
Only when the buzzing stopped did Gabriel pause. The frenzy left her drenched in sweat, her T-shirt clinging to her skin. The temperature seemed to spite her, growing stuffier. Soon, her light blue T-shirt was soaked dark blue.
The mosquitoes regrouped, circling relentlessly for another feast.
"Oh right, if I cast a protection spell on myself, won't that keep the mosquitoes away?!" Gabriel nearly forgot she was an angel. She quickly buffed herself with a defensive divine spell, tossing the swatter disdainfully. "Heh heh, not afraid of you now."
The mosquito's proboscis pierced the thin holy light, stabbing into Gabriel's tender arm—and shattering her mental defenses. Enraged, she grabbed electric mosquito repellent, insecticide, and more, vowing total war: either she or the mosquitoes would die today.
As Gabriel battled the mosquitoes fiercely, consecutive doorbell rings hammered her skull like an iron mallet, slowing her and earning more bites.
At the same time, Satania's innocent yet mocking voice came from outside: "Gabriel, you there? Your future great demon lord is here to play! Open up! Hahaha!"
Gabriel lost all reason. She rushed to the entryway barefoot, leaped, and kicked the door with all her might. With a 'boom,' the door flew off its hinges from her seemingly delicate foot, spinning Satania 720° in the air before pinning her unconscious like a coffin lid.
Gabriel glared murderously at the white-eyed Satania: "If this isn't fixed when I get back, you're dead!"
Ignoring if Satania heard, she stormed out with Jhin's house key, slamming the door behind her.
Jhin sat at his computer wearing headphones, listening to music and surfing, oblivious to the outside chaos. Nymph was out with the canary as usual, leaving him alone.
Gabriel sneaked behind Jhin, removed his headphones, covered his eyes with her pale hands, and asked in a disguised voice: "Guess who I am?"
"Gabriel."
"Tch, can't you play along? How'd you guess right away?"
"Only two people have spare keys to my place: you and Kazuki. Nymph doesn't use the door much—she flies in from the balcony. What else is there to guess?"
"What if it's your sister?"
"She hasn't come over proactively since taking the key; she just calls me next door."
"Fine..."
___
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