Chapter 145: Raphiel's Fangirl
"Why are you dragging me along just to buy a game? Don't tell me you're scared of getting lost?" Kouya asked, slouching lazily in his chair as his eyes drifted toward Gabriel.
"Damn it! You think I'm as dumb as Satania?!" Gabriel snapped, puffing her cheeks and waving a small note in front of him like a battle flag. "Anyway, come with me tomorrow afternoon to buy the game, and I'll consider reducing your punishment!"
"Reason denied," Kouya replied flatly, not even bothering to look up from his desk. "Why, exactly?"
"Jerk!"
Gabriel stomped her foot softly, puffing her cheeks until her face resembled an angry little pufferfish. She glared at him with watery, frustrated eyes that screamed, why don't you just listen to me for once?
'I'd like to know that too!' Kouya thought bitterly.
Why the hell does that spoiled angel want me to go buy an eroge with her of all things?
And even if she's buying an eroge, why the hell does she need to drag me along!? Does she think I'm her personal pack mule or something?
But… for the sake of gacha rolls, for the SSRs and ship girls waiting in the digital void—what choice do I have? I've already fallen too deep into this hellish rabbit hole.
'I'm desperate too,' he sighed inwardly.
"A-anyway, it's a really amazing game, and I'm too embarrassed to buy it alone, so I want you to help me…" Gabriel mumbled, fidgeting with her fingers, eyes flickering between guilt and pride.
Kouya stayed silent, arching a brow. His skeptical side glance said everything.
'Embarrassing game,' huh…? So it's probably one of those games. Fifteen-plus? Nah. More like eighteen-plus.
"Jerk!" Gabriel nearly exploded, stamping her foot again. "What's with that look on your face?!"
Her golden hair seemed to puff up with static. The useless angel's eyes darted around nervously as her face turned red from the neck up. She puffed up her cheeks and leaned forward to poke Kouya's arm—but he caught her wrist in one smooth motion.
"I'm telling you, if you poke me again, the consequences will be serious."
"Let go… you brute!" she hissed back, pulling but failing to break free.
Their small tug-of-war drew a low voice from the front of the classroom. "Hey, you two by the window—you're going too far. You think the teacher doesn't exist?"
The entire room froze. Shizuka sighed, rubbing her temples. "Passing notes I can forgive—I was a student once too—but this? This is too much. At least have some pity for your poor teacher."
Whoosh!
Dozens of curious heads turned in unison, every student staring at the scene like a live drama.
"Eh? It's Gabriel and Kouya! Are they dating?" one girl whispered.
"No way! Look how red Gabriel's face is—she's totally being forced!" another whispered back.
"Wait, wait! Look at how Kouya's holding her wrist!" a third gasped, her eyes widening as she covered her mouth. "D-don't tell me it's like those indecent manga scenes where the guy forces the girl to do that with her hand!"
"N-no way… right?" another girl stuttered, blushing so hard she nearly swooned. "Nobody would do something like that in class…"
"Tch, maybe Kouya thinks doing it in class makes it more thrilling."
"Pfft—!"
Kouya almost coughed up blood. 'Are you serious right now!?'
'Will you idiots shut up!? That useless angel isn't even a rubber doll—how would that even work over a desk!? And how do you know so much about that kind of scene!?'
His expression darkened with silent fury, sweeping the classroom like a thundercloud. The giggling girls immediately quieted, pretending to study their notes.
Meanwhile, Gabriel's face had turned crimson. With a soft thud, she collapsed forward onto her desk, hiding her head like an ostrich.
Vigne, seated nearby, hesitated. She bit her lip, glancing between the two of them with concern, but the model student in her forced her to stay quiet.
Shizuka coughed lightly, her teacherly aura radiating power. "Alright, that's enough. Quiet down! Let's continue the lesson."
…
When the lunch bell finally rang, the classroom emptied in a rush of chatter and scraping chairs. Sunlight streamed through the windows, spilling over the desks as Kouya stretched lazily.
Vigne approached, her brow furrowed. "Kouya… what exactly were you doing to Gabi-chan during class?"
Kouya opened his mouth to answer, but Gabriel shot him a deadly glare. "Say one wrong word, and you're dead."
He sighed. 'Figures.'
"A-actually, it's because a mosquito landed on his back! I was just trying to help by slapping it away, but he totally misunderstood! Hmph!" Gabriel huffed, crossing her arms.
"Is that so?" Vigne asked, clearly unconvinced.
Gabriel immediately latched onto her arm and changed the subject. "Anyway, Vigne, let's go eat! I'm starving!"
"You skipped breakfast again, didn't you?" Vigne said, exasperated.
"Hehe!" Gabriel tapped her head with a small fist and stuck out her tongue. "I woke up late, so I didn't have time!"
"Always the same with you." Vigne sighed again, though a faint smile tugged at her lips. "Good thing I made two lunches—here, one for you."
Then, after a brief pause, she turned and handed another bento to Kouya, her voice soft. "And this one's the thank-you lunch I promised yesterday…"
Kouya blinked, taken aback by the unexpected kindness. "…Thanks."
As the trio left the classroom together, they ran into Raphiel, who joined them with her usual elegant smile. The four walked side by side down the hallway, sunlight reflecting off Raphiel's hair like silver silk.
Just as they reached the bottom of the stairs, a high-pitched voice echoed behind them.
"Shiraha-sama! I finally found you!"
A blur of green rushed toward them. A twin-tailed girl with bright green hair dashed forward, practically throwing herself onto Raphiel's arm.
"Sniff, sniff! Ahhh, Shiraha-sama's scent—it's so divine (╯▽╰ )~~!" the girl moaned happily, nuzzling against her like a spoiled puppy. "Just smelling your scent makes me feel alive again!"
Raphiel's smile twitched, the corners of her mouth stiffening. "Alice, let go."
"Nooo! Without your scent, I'm like a fish tossed on the shore—I can't live even a minute without you!" Alice whimpered dramatically.
Kouya's brows rose. That green-haired, twin-tailed girl—wasn't she the same one who confessed to Raphiel in front of the school gate this morning? Her number-one fangirl.
Alice gave them a polite bow. "You must be Shiraha-sama's friends. I'm Alice, sixteen years old! My dream is to become Shiraha-sama's wife. Please take care of me… wait! Why is there a man here!?"
Raphiel elegantly placed a finger to her lips. "He's the man I told you about this morning."
"D-damn it!" Alice jumped back several steps, adopting a fighting stance. "You're the one Shiraha-sama mentioned—the one who… who stalked her!"
Kouya's eye twitched. 'What the hell did you tell her, Raphiel!?'
Alice's eyes burned with jealousy. "You pervert! How dare you stalk Shiraha-sama and try to steal her purity!"
Before anyone could react, she whipped out two enormous leeks from who-knows-where.
'Where the hell was she hiding those!? In another dimension!?' Kouya thought incredulously.
"You disgusting pervert! How dare you NTR my Shiraha-sama!"
'Ah, so now I'm the bad guy in your romantic delusion. Great.'
Alice charged forward, leeks raised high. "Prepare to die, villain!"
Kouya's patience finally snapped; his shadow darkened the floor. He was about to teach the girl a lesson she'd never forget—
—but Raphiel intervened, laughing softly as she grabbed Alice's shoulders. "Now, now, Alice. Be good."
"But Shiraha-sama—he's—"
"Not listening to me?" Raphiel tilted her head, her eyes narrowing with angelic menace. "Then perhaps you should leave."
Alice instantly wilted. "Uuu~ Fine! I'll forgive him… for now."
Vigne blinked, still processing everything. "Raphiel, what exactly is going on here?"
Raphiel sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Last Wednesday, I saw her trip and fall, so I helped her up. And then… well, this happened."
"See?! It's destiny!" Alice cried reverently. "It was God's divine guidance that led me to Shiraha-sama that day!"
Kouya groaned inwardly. 'You're overthinking it, kid. God doesn't have time for this nonsense.'
'Even if you went to heaven someday, the one greeting you would be a low-tier angel at best. Want to meet God? Come back after a few centuries of grinding holy points.'
Alice's twin tails bounced as she held up a bento box with both hands, eyes sparkling. "Shiraha-sama, would you like to eat your lunch first… or eat me first?"