Chapter 299: Machiko's Little Dilemma
Monday morning dawned bright and fresh.
At exactly seven o'clock, Kouya woke up right on schedule, as punctual as ever. The faint chill of morning air slipped through the half-open window, lifting one side of the curtain. The light outside was pure gold—soft but warm, drenching his room in a sleepy glow.
After washing up, Kouya prepared a quick breakfast. The soft crunch of toasted bread broke the silence of his apartment. He ate calmly, without hurry, then pushed back his chair and got up, ready to start the day.
On his way out, he paused in front of Gabriel's door. Silence. Not even a shuffle or snore from the room beyond. Of course—she was still asleep. That lazy angel probably hadn't even stirred since last night.
Kouya raised a hand, considering knocking to wake her up... but quickly dropped it. The risk wasn't worth it. Waking a sleeping Gabriel was like stepping into a minefield—she'd explode into rage and swing her "heavenly fists" before she even opened her eyes. Better to let her sleep forever.
Downstairs, morning sunlight spilled across the street, gilding everything with warmth. Takanashi Rikka was already waiting at the corner, standing straight like a little soldier with her bag over her shoulder.
"Hero, Hero! Good morning!" she called brightly, waving both hands.
Kouya smiled faintly. "Yeah. Morning."
They fell into step together, chatting casually as they walked toward school. Birds chirped overhead, and the sound of water beneath the small bridge echoed softly like a gentle song.
When they crossed the bridge near the alley, a loud, dramatic wail broke the morning calm.
"Uuuhhh You evil mutt! Give me back my limited-edition melon bread!"
Rikka blinked. From the alley trotted a smug-looking stray dog with the stolen bread clamped proudly in its jaws, its tail wagging like it owned the world.
Rikka gasped, leaping back in theatrical horror. "It's the Hellhound that escaped from the underworld! Hero, stay back—!"
Before she could finish, Kouya gave her a light knock on the head.
"Owww!" she whimpered, clutching her head. "Hero's bullying me again!"
'Yeah, sure. If that so-called "Hellhound" is surviving on stolen pastries, then hell's really gone downhill.'
"Kouya-kun, Rikka-chan, good morning!" came a familiar cheerful voice.
Raphiel approached with her usual angelic smile, Vigne and Satania trailing behind her. The trio looked oddly balanced—one radiant, one calm, and one... loud.
Satania was stomping her foot, her cheeks puffed up like a child denied candy. "I swear I'll train even harder and defeat that cursed dog next time!"
Vigne exhaled in exasperation. "Self-harm is illegal, Satania."
"Who said that?!" Satania raised her fist dramatically. "That painter guy—Van Gogh—he cut off his ear and became a great artist!"
'Oh, for the love of—Van Gogh wasn't even popular when he was alive! And he didn't cut off his whole ear, just the earlobe! People twisted the story afterward!'
Satania continued proudly, oblivious. "I even copied one of his chrysanthemum paintings for art class!"
'That's a sunflower, you idiot! A SUNFLOWER!'
'And your "copy" looked like something that crawled out of a horror movie! You drew monstrous sunflower seeds with teeth! The art teacher almost fainted when she saw it, and rumor has it she's been having nightmares about carnivorous flowers ever since.'
Within minutes, Satania had already forgotten about her bread tragedy and jumped topics again.
"Everyone says Van Gogh's little chrysanthemum is beautiful, but I still don't get it! What's so good about a sunflower that doesn't even grow seeds?"
Vigne's expression darkened. "Satania, please stop talking about chrysanthemums..." A drop of sweat slid down her forehead. The longer this conversation went on, the more dangerous it got. She quickly changed the topic. "Anyway—did you finish your homework?"
Satania froze mid-step. "Uh... well, not exactly. But homework's not that important!"
Vigne gave her a deadpan stare. "Right. Just don't start crying when the teacher calls you to the office later."
"I'm not slacking!" Satania puffed up her chest proudly. "I was busy with a serious scientific experiment!"
Vigne blinked. "A... scientific experiment? What kind of experiment?"
Satania grinned, eyes sparkling with confidence. "Figuring out how to properly swallow a lightbulb!"
Vigne nearly dropped her bag. "Y-you what?!"
Even Rikka froze, staring like she'd just heard the words of a true maniac.
Raphiel chuckled softly, her expression one of amused pity. "She's not joking. She actually tried it yesterday while we were out shopping."
Vigne slapped a hand to her face. "You... you what?! Why would you even try that?!"
Satania tilted her head innocently. "I saw a video online of someone doing it! I figured if they could, so could I! They only failed because they were weak! I'll succeed next time for sure!"
"Please don't 'succeed'!" Vigne groaned. "Just—leave the lightbulbs alone!"
Their lively chatter carried down the street until the school gates came into view.
By then, the area was alive with the morning rush of students. Laughter, greetings, and the rustle of bags filled the air. The white summer uniforms gleamed under the sun—short-sleeved shirts paired with neatly pressed skirts. The girls' stockings shimmered faintly in the light, leaving a tempting line of bare skin at the thighs—the so-called 'absolute territory.'
A voice suddenly rang out from the crowd. "Shiraha-sama! Good morning!"
Alice, the twin-tailed girl, sprinted toward Raphiel, her face glowing with delight. She latched onto Raphiel's arm like a clingy koala. "Mmm, it's Shiraha-sama's scent! I haven't smelled it in fifty-two hours and thirty-four minutes! I almost died!"
Raphiel laughed softly, patting her head. "Good morning, Alice."
Her tone turned unconsciously tender. No matter how mischievous she could be, she could never bring herself to tease this devoted girl.
The pair stood close together—a tall, serene angel and a smaller, affectionate beauty. Their sight alone drew gasps from nearby students. Whispers spread instantly.
"It's Shiraha-san!"
"She's so kind and elegant!"
"She's everyone's angel! No guy should be allowed near her!"
"Yeah! Protect Shiraha-sama's purity! Down with the pervert!"
Kouya's expression darkened. 'Pervert? Really? Are they talking about me again?!'
'It's bad enough they idolize that scheming angel, but why the hell am I always the villain in their story?!'
His cold glare sliced through the crowd like a blade. The gossiping girls squealed and scattered like frightened birds.
Just then, Machiko appeared nearby. She slowed her pace, her eyes darting toward Raphiel before quickly averting them. Her heartbeat quickened for reasons she didn't want to admit.
Then her gaze found Kouya.
'I still haven't paid Kouya back for the lingerie from Friday...'
The thought alone made her blush furiously. It wasn't even expensive—just a few thousand yen—but the situation itself... how could she face him?
The memory of that day replayed vividly. Under Gabriel's relentless pressure, she'd ended up buying matching underwear with Kouya. Matching. And worse—he was the one who paid for it.
That meant he knew. Her size. Her measurements. Everything.
No normal guy should know that kind of thing unless they were lovers!
And she and Kouya had barely exchanged more than a few casual greetings. How had things spiraled into this?
Her thoughts tangled into knots. Their past encounters replayed—her trip-and-fall when she was tailing him, flashing her panties in broad daylight... the time she nervously clung to his arm in the park, pretending it was by accident...
Her face burned hot. 'Stop thinking about it, Machiko!' she scolded herself under her breath. 'Kouya's surrounded by girls already. Sooner or later, one of them's going to sink his ship! I need to stay away before I get pulled in too!'
She sighed softly, glancing toward the school. 'Last Monday, I put cat treat money in his locker and made everyone misunderstand. I can't do that again.'
After a moment of hesitation, she pulled out her phone, her fingers trembling slightly as she typed.
"Kouya-kun, could you come to the storage room on the second floor for a bit?"
Her reasoning was simple. The locker was too public, and returning the money in class was out of the question—too many eyes, too much gossip. The storage room, though... quiet, tucked away beside the teachers' office, and rarely visited. The perfect spot.
She hit send. The little message bubble disappeared.
Seconds later, her phone buzzed.
Kouya's reply was as short and calm as ever: "Okay."
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