Touching the necklace at her throat, Akizuki Marina felt a gentle warmth bloom inside.
She couldn't help sneaking a glance at Airi—there was a bracelet on Airi's wrist too, also a gift from Hayashi Maki, said to protect them.
After being doted on morning and night, the Akizuki sisters were both in very good spirits.
Back on Hayashi Maki's side:
It was Friday—only a half day of classes, with a campus clean-up in the afternoon. He was also looking forward to tomorrow's meeting with his novel's illustrator, Kashiwagi Eri, and to his game guild's offline meetup. He wondered if his in-game "wife" Ako was actually that Tamaki Ako.
When he entered the classroom, he found Gabriel rolling her eyes, cheek squished against her desk. Beside her, a silver-haired beauty with a sweet face was pressing Gabriel's cheek into her own chest with narrowed, smiling eyes.
"Hehe, even slothy little Gab is extra cute today."
"Don't do the face-wash," Gabriel protested weakly.
She'd stayed up gaming again and had zero energy. And now Raphiel had come over to "cleanse" her face—was she just showing off her chest? How hateful!
Seeing Gabriel's limp resistance, the silver-haired beauty let go with a sunny smile—then hugged her from behind, letting two generous curves rest on Gabriel's head.
"Hehe, then I'll just set them right on your head. Heave-ho~"
"I'll kill you! You awful cow!"
Gabriel was even more done. Why was her own figure so flat? What on earth did Raphiel eat to grow that much there?
Watching Raphiel's smile, Vignette's impression of her shot up. "She seems nice. I kind of want to meet her."
"What's 'nice' about her? Doesn't Heaven manage its angels?" Satania bristled. That morning she'd been valiantly defending her pineapple bun from a white dog when Raphiel "intervened" to "communicate with the dog"—and in the end the dog got her bun anyway. Satania was fuming.
Hayashi Maki eyed the softness squashing Gabriel and felt a pang of envy. Perks like that really ought to be reserved for this great demon!
Raphiel, after teasing Gabriel, straightened and smiled at Satania. "Satania-san, I bought a pineapple bun for you."
At that, Satania perked right up. "Eh? Really? Hmph—very wise for a mere angel. This great demon will accept your tribute… grudgingly!"
But Raphiel perched on Hayashi Maki's desk, slipped a jade-like foot—still clad in black knee-highs—out of her indoor shoe, and said with relish, "Then kneel like a puppy and lick my foot, and I'll give it to you."
"Huh? Who would do that?!"
Satania's smile froze; she ground her teeth. Raphiel kept up her pleasant act. "Why not? I hear you're very good at acting like a little dog."
"I am not good at that! Ugh—what sort of angel are you? Gabriel, doesn't Heaven keep an eye on this?!"
Satania was furious—and suddenly much warier of Raphiel.
Gabriel just shrugged and glanced at Vignette, whose smile had turned stiff. "Well? Still want to introduce yourself to Raphiel?"
Vignette shivered and shook her head. "N-no, I'll… give it some thought."
Inside she was screaming: Where was the supposed gentleness? This girl was super black-bellied—terrifying, really. By comparison, Gabriel was just a little slothful—practically an angel. (Well… she was an angel.)
While Satania and Raphiel argued about who was better at "puppy imitation," Hayashi Maki greeted them naturally. "Yo—morning, everyone."
He sat down and looked at the silver-haired beauty on his desk, a smile tugging at his lips. "Hi, Raphiel. I'm Hayashi Maki, a friend of Gabriel's. Nice to meet you."
"Oh? You're Gab's friend? A pleasure."
Surprised by his easy approach, Raphiel offered her hand, and Hayashi Maki shook it.
Satania immediately lodged a complaint. "Senpai, she's a bad angel. Don't just talk to her!"
"Is she? She looks gentle to me—doesn't seem like a bad person," Hayashi Maki said with a wave. "Satania, if you want to be an SSS-class great demon, you'll have to face angels sooner or later. Try to get along—it's part of your training."
Satania snapped to attention. "A trial? Senpai, I accept this challenge!"
Raphiel hopped off his desk and raised her hand. "Why does Satania-san call Hayashi Maki 'senpai'?"
Hayashi Maki's mouth quirked. "Because I'm beyond S-class—a legendary SSS-class Archdemon."
Raphiel's eye twitched. She instinctively took two steps back and gave Satania a pitying look. "How tragic… Satania…"
Imagine—an actual demon befriending a human with extreme chuunibyou and calling him "senpai." And yet… she found herself more interested in this silly demon.
"Hey, what do you mean 'tragic'?! You evil angel!"
It said something that an angel could be described as "evil" by a demon. Raphiel simply smiled. "Class is about to start. See you later, Gab, Hayashi Maki-san, Satania-san. And Satania—work hard on that puppy impression. Here's a reward."
"Who wants that?! And I told you I can't imitate a dog! You rotten, wicked angel!"
Satania stared at the pineapple bun in her hand, boiling with frustration. She wasn't happy at all—but not eating it would be a waste. And it was because of Raphiel that her original bun got snatched by a dog…
Raphiel left in high spirits. As for Hayashi Maki, she filed him away as a severe chuunibyou case—not worth worrying about. In a way, he was the most deeply hidden "demon" of all—he'd admitted it to her face, and the angel still didn't believe him.
Face down on his desk, Hayashi Maki sniffed. A faint, alluring scent lingered—oh right, Raphiel had been sitting there. That must be her perfume. But why was he so sensitive to women's scents lately? A little pervy, honestly. Maybe as his power grew, a demon's appetites grew with it?
He pondered it for a moment but decided not to approach Raphiel yet. She might look gentle and lovely, but that silver-haired angel was black-bellied to the core—the kind who'd trap you without blinking. Gabriel was, for now, much easier to handle.
~~~
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