Early the next morning, Natsuki woke before his alarm when a commotion erupted through the wall next door.
“Raphiel! I told you not to pull off my blanket!” Gabriel’s anguished voice was loud enough to carry clearly through the wall.
“It’s only six! Six in the morning!”
“Waking up early is a healthy habit, Gabriel,” Raphiel replied in her usual gentle tone. “Besides, you promised to go to bed early last night, yet you stayed up gaming again, didn’t you?”
“I-I was trying to finish something important…”
Gabriel had no confidence in her excuse, but that did not stop her from saying it defiantly.
“Good girls shouldn’t lie.”
A muffled struggle followed, accompanied by the rustling of sheets and Gabriel’s unwilling groans.
Natsuki lay in bed listening to the farce next door, unable to keep the corners of his mouth from rising.
Was Raphiel planning to guide the fallen angel back onto the righteous path?
Of course not.
The sadistic angel merely found Gabriel’s reactions entertaining.
Once Gabriel grew accustomed to her harassment and stopped responding so dramatically, Raphiel would probably lose interest within a few days.
After washing up and getting dressed, Natsuki stepped outside just in time to see Raphiel dragging Gabriel into the hallway by the back of her collar.
Gabriel’s golden hair was a tangled mess, one of the buttons on her uniform had been fastened incorrectly, and the dark circles beneath her eyes looked like heavy smoky makeup.
“Morning…” She greeted him weakly while hanging limply from Raphiel’s arm. “Natsuki-kun… save me…”
“Morning.” Natsuki looked at Raphiel. “What exactly are you doing?”
“Taking Gabriel to school, of course.” Raphiel smiled radiantly. “She stayed up all night again and nearly failed to wake up.”
“I didn’t…”
“You clearly did. When I got up to use the bathroom at three, you were still wearing your headset and shouting, ‘Heal me! Heal me!'”
Gabriel’s face turned bright red.
Natsuki could not stop himself from laughing.
“What are you laughing at…?” Gabriel shot him a resentful look. “You stayed up late too, didn’t you? You didn’t come home until really late.”
“I went to a signing event.”
“A signing?” Raphiel blinked curiously. “You’re an author too, Natsuki-kun?”
“It’s only a hobby.”
“How impressive~”
Her eyes narrowed into their usual cheerful crescents, making her look even more suspiciously angelic.
The three headed downstairs together, with Raphiel supporting Gabriel the entire way while she shuffled along like a half-asleep cat.
Just as they reached the apartment entrance, Natsuki stopped.
Across the street stood Yotsuya Miko.
“Miko.”
Natsuki crossed the road and approached her.
“Senpai…”
Her eyes brightened when she saw him, though she immediately glanced nervously in another direction.
Natsuki followed her gaze.
A Cursed Spirit was crouched outside the convenience store. It resembled an enormous toad covered in swollen pustules and appeared to be around Grade 3.
Natsuki projected a short blade and casually threw it.
Shhk—!
The Cursed Spirit did not even have time to react before the weapon pinned it to the ground.
A moment later, it dissolved into black smoke.
Natsuki turned back to Miko.
“Are you all right?”
“I-I’m fine…”
She released a relieved breath, then noticed the two girls behind him.
“Are they your friends, Senpai?”
“Yeah. They’re my neighbors.”
Gabriel straightened herself and raised one hand.
“I’m Gabriel White Tenma. It’s nice to meet you.”
“My name is Raphiel Ainsworth Shiraha.”
Raphiel gave her a graceful bow.
“Are you Natsuki-kun’s underclassman?”
“Y-Yes!”
Miko hurriedly bowed.
“I’m Yotsuya Miko from Class 1-A. It’s nice to meet you!”
“There’s no need to be so nervous,” Raphiel said with a warm smile. “We’re all friends of Natsuki-kun.”
Miko’s cheeks turned slightly pink as she stole a glance at Natsuki.
He checked the time.
“We should get to school. Want to come with us?”
“Yes!”
Miko nodded eagerly.
Gabriel raised a weak hand.
“Can I choose not to go…?”
“No,” Raphiel answered sweetly.
As they walked, Raphiel struck up a conversation with Miko.
“You seem able to see unusual things, Yotsuya-san.”
Miko’s body stiffened.
“W-Why would you think that…?”
“Because you were looking in that direction earlier.”
Raphiel pointed toward the convenience store.
“Ordinary people couldn’t see what was there, but your reaction made it obvious.”
“…”
Miko lowered her head and nervously twisted her fingers into the hem of her skirt.
“Don’t worry.” Natsuki placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Raphiel isn’t an ordinary person either.”
“Eh?”
“I’m an angel.”
With a soft rush of air, a pair of pure white wings spread from Raphiel’s back.
“An angel?!”
Miko’s eyes widened.
“That’s right.” Raphiel smiled. “So there’s no reason to be frightened. You have all of us with you.”
Gabriel yawned beside her.
“Raphiel, stop showing off and put those away.”
“You’re an angel too, Gabriel, yet you hardly look the part anymore.”
“Mind your own business…”
The two immediately began bickering again.
‘Gabriel is really adorable.’
…
They soon arrived at Toyogasaki Academy. Natsuki escorted Miko to Class 1-A before separating from Gabriel and Raphiel.
When he entered Class 2-G, Eriri was already seated at her desk. Her eyes lit up the moment she saw him, but she quickly turned away with a haughty little huff.
“G-Good morning…”
Her greeting was almost inaudibly soft.
“Morning.”
Natsuki sat down behind her.
“How did you sleep last night?”
“P-Pretty well…”
Eriri turned around with a proud expression.
“I went to bed at midnight!”
“Didn’t I tell you to sleep by eleven-thirty?”
“Th-That was the day before yesterday!”
Natsuki chuckled.
At that moment, a commotion rose near the classroom entrance.
Kasumigaoka Utaha stood in the doorway and waved toward him.
“Kouhai-kun, could you come out for a moment?”
Eriri instantly bristled.
“What does that top-heavy woman in black stockings want now?!”
Natsuki stood and walked over to the door.
“Did you need something, Senpai?”
“Mm.”
Utaha handed him a folder containing a printed document.
“It’s the outline for my new book. I’d like Kouhai-kun to take a look.”
Natsuki opened it and skimmed through the pages.
It was an outline for the continuation of The Metronome in Love.
Her prose remained delicate, while the emotional development had become noticeably more mature.
“It’s excellent.”
He closed the folder.
“You’ve improved a lot, Senpai.”
“Really?”
Utaha’s eyes curved into happy crescents.
“Then could we discuss the details after school? At our usual place?”
“I can’t today. I already have plans.”
“Another underclassman?”
“From your perspective, everyone below third year is an underclassman.”
Utaha narrowed her eyes.
“Kouhai-kun is certainly popular~”
“We’re only friends.”
“That’s what everyone says.”
She laughed softly without pressing the issue.
“Tomorrow, then?”
“Sure.”
“It’s a promise~”
Utaha waved and walked away.
The moment Natsuki returned to his seat, Eriri leaned toward him.
“What did that woman want?”
“She wanted to discuss her novel.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Eriri stared at him suspiciously for several seconds before huffing and returning to her seat.
“Anyway… Natsuki-kun already promised to help me with English again today…”
“Yeah. After school.”
“You promised!”
“I promised.”
Their first class was world history with Kirisu Mafuyu.
Natsuki paid serious attention for the first half of the lesson, then allowed his mind to wander for the rest.
When the bell finally rang, he stepped into the hallway for some fresh air—and found Fushiguro Megumi waiting there.