"Iris, what's wrong? Did you get too tired from going out today?", Gabriel looked at the elf, Iris, whose pointed ears were flushed red, and asked with some confusion.
As the elf princess, her physical fitness shouldn't be that poor, to the point where she couldn't even hold a soup spoon steadily.
Just now, Iris didn't seem particularly tired either.
"N-no… It's just that I was a little distracted by something I suddenly thought of…", Iris hurriedly shook her head, her face slightly red, indicating that there was no need to worry.
After Gabriel refocused on cooking, Iris turned her head and glanced at the living room, where Aegis was nestled in Hachiman's embrace, allowing her pointed elf ears to be kneaded and played with without the slightest resistance. Then, she lowered her gaze to the silver bracelet on her wrist and sighed inwardly with helplessness.
'This time… it seems I tricked myself…'
.
.
.
"Um, we're heading back now!"
"Komachi, Shion, see you later!"
After dinner, Gabriel and Vignette left in a hurry without even touching the dessert, exchanging somewhat unnatural farewells.
Komachi and Shion were both puzzled, not understanding why. Only Iris and Aegis knew the reason.
However, they couldn't say much about it either. They could only exchange an awkward glance before silently shifting their gaze to Hachiman, watching him with a deep and lingering look, as if nothing had happened.
"Rather than that, I think we should take a bath now, and I'll also tell you two about this bracelet," Hachiman pulled Iris and Aegis into his arms, whispered this softly in their ears, then turned to look at Komachi and Shion.
"Komachi, Shion, are you helping me scrub my back again today?"
"Shion, you go! I have to wash the dishes," As soon as Komachi heard this, she immediately sprang up, her face completely red, and rushed into the kitchen.
Yesterday, it was just her and Shion helping to scrub his back, and even recalling it was unbearable, let alone experiencing it again today.
And today, with Iris and Aegis joining in, wouldn't the bathroom be too crowded?
———
Actually, at first, Gabriel and Vignette hadn't noticed anything strange about Iris.
After all, Hachiman was in the living room while Iris was by their side, so Vignette and the others had no reason to pay extra attention.
But as Iris's mistakes grew more frequent, Gabriel and the others gradually noticed something off about her.
Once they paid attention, even if they didn't quite understand how Hachiman's absence could still affect Iris like this, they could roughly guess what was happening.
Because they had heard similar sounds from Iris before. Just that this time, she had controlled herself better, making it less exaggerated.
"What's going on with Iris and the others? They know we're here, yet they're acting just like before…"
Back at Gabriel's rented apartment, Vignette, her ears completely red, looked at Gabriel, whose face was still tinged with blush.
She knew that Hachiman and Aegis hadn't actually done anything in the living room, but she felt it was mostly because they were there.
If she and Gabriel hadn't been present, Aegis and Iris would probably have gone all the way.
Seriously ridiculous… Even with Komachi and Shion right there, Iris couldn't possibly just do as she pleased just because she had magic, right?
"Iris doesn't have any traces of being mentally influenced by charm-related abilities, and she has plenty of legitimate reasons to be close to Hachiman. But as for why Hachiman is falling into corruption…", Although Gabriel also felt deeply embarrassed by the whole thing, once they returned to her apartment, she quickly calmed down and analyzed why Iris and Hachiman had ended up like this.
Iris was easy to understand. As the elf princess, in order to combat the dwindling population of elves, her attachment to Hachiman was completely natural. Even to the point where she dragged her own sister, Aegis, into it.
But Hachiman's case was more peculiar. Why was he so obsessed with Iris?
Iris was indeed beautiful, but there were plenty of pretty girls at school. Iris merely had a more refined aura and a purer, flawless elf physique, yet she didn't possess any charm-related abilities.
"Little Gab, are you suspecting that there's some unknown reason behind Hachiman turning out like this?", Vignette hesitated before asking Gabriel in a hushed voice.
She had actually found it a bit strange as well. Hachiman, who was always so kind to them, was acting completely different when it came to Iris. There had to be something they didn't know.
Previously, she hadn't thought much about it since Hachiman and Iris genuinely seemed to like each other. But now that Gabriel had brought it up, she started paying more attention.
Indeed, for someone like Hachiman. Who was overly enthusiastic about helping even his newly moved-in neighbors, and who constantly looked after her without expecting anything in return. It made no sense for him to suddenly act like a completely different person around Iris.
"Although the direct reason is that my overwhelming excellence has shattered Hachiman's fighting spirit, making him want to give up and become a househusband, I still think something is off. Normally, Hachiman doesn't act that depraved. He's just closer to Iris and the others," Gabriel nodded as she laid out her doubts, then turned to stare at Vignette, "How many demons are still in this area?"
"As far as I know, you trainee demons in this human world receive your living expenses based on the bad deeds you commit. And yet, you suddenly got a huge sum of money. Could it be that the Underworld made a mistake and gave you another demon's living expenses?"
Even though the Underworld, like the Celestial Realm, had restrictions against disrupting human society too much, the level of influence they were talking about, just leading one person astray, was something the Underworld would approve of.
Especially with a human like Hachiman. If any demon could successfully corrupt him and bring him into the Underworld, they would surely receive generous rewards.
"You think another demon is secretly luring Hachiman? Uh…", Vignette froze for a moment, and a particular red-haired figure, one who often stood with hands on hips, laughing loudly while claiming she would become a great demon, flashed through her mind.
"In this area, the only other trainee demon besides me is my old classmate from the Underworld, Satanichia. She's also in some class at Sobu High. But a demon capable of corrupting Hachiman… it definitely wouldn't be Satanichia," Although Satanichia was indeed determined to commit evil and become a great demon, she had never actually succeeded in doing anything truly wicked. At most, she would ignore class, place trash next to the bin instead of in it, or wear her school uniform without buttoning the top button.
She had even heard that a disciplinary teacher had called Satanichia in for a talk, and just two days ago, Satanichia had been complaining that a dog stole her pineapple bread, leaving her without breakfast.
Hmm… In short, even if Vignette were to suspect herself of accidentally leading Hachiman astray, she couldn't possibly suspect Satanichia of doing anything genuinely bad.
"If the only one in school is her… then either there's another reason, or a demon is lurking in the shadows…", Seeing Vignette's certainty, Gabriel stopped considering the other trainee demon at Sobu High.
She had met that demon before, and she did seem rather straightforward. But since she and Vignette had little interaction at school, she wasn't familiar with her.
However, if it wasn't a trainee demon at Sobu High, could it be that a mature great demon had secretly slipped in…?
Although this world already had quite a few intern angels and demons undergoing training, the big shots wouldn't easily come here. However, as for the ordinary high-ranking demons below them, it was hard to say. Maybe they thought that since the big shots wouldn't pay attention to this place, they could sneak in and stir up trouble.
Ding-dong~
As Gabriel was lost in thought, the doorbell of her rental apartment suddenly rang.
"Who would come at this time? Is it Hachiman or someone else? Uh, wait, this should be your guest, Little Gab, right?", Hearing the doorbell, Vignette was about to get up and open the door. But just as she stood up, she suddenly realized, this was Gabriel's room.
The room layouts here were quite similar, so she had instinctively thought it was her own.
"Looking for me? Hmm... It should be Raphiel. I told her I was moving, and she said she wanted to come take a look. But since I was out working today, I told her to come at night instead," Gabriel was also a bit surprised, but then she quickly recalled that Raphiel had been wanting to visit, so she hurried to open the door.
Before moving, since she didn't have enough living expenses, she had even considered borrowing some money from Raphiel. But later, because the landlord didn't ask for a security deposit or a gift fee, plus Hachiman had also been providing her with meals, she hadn't needed to borrow money from Raphiel after all.
However, as a fellow intern angel with a good relationship, Raphiel still knew about her move.
"Good evening~", As the door to the apartment opened, a silver-haired, big-breasted, smiling beauty stood at the entrance, greeting Gabriel cheerfully.
But when her gaze swept into the room and landed on Vignette, whom she had seen before, she couldn't help but show some surprise.
"Huh? Gabriel, did you move here because of her?"
"No, it's because of my desk neighbor in class, Hikigaya Hachiman, who now lives next door in this apartment. Come in first, Raphiel," Gabriel glanced behind Raphiel and, seeing that no other angels were with her, pulled her inside and closed the door.
She actually had quite a few angel friends who visited frequently, but most of them were interning elsewhere. In this region, it was just her and Raphiel.
"For your desk neighbor?", Raphiel changed into indoor slippers, her slender feet wrapped in black stockings stepping onto the floor. She looked at Gabriel with curiosity, blinking a few times.
While it was natural for angels to do good deeds during their human world training, moving houses specifically for a boy...
'Could it be that Gabriel has fallen for him?'
Hmm... Though there was no explicit rule in Heaven forbidding relationships between angels and humans, angels had such long lifespans, and their worldview differed significantly from humans. Almost no angels developed special feelings for humans. They only lent a helping hand when they saw humans in distress.
So, Heaven tacitly discouraged relationships with humans. Angels either found like-minded angel partners or spent their long lives alone until they eventually perished in battle.
"Yeah, actually, I have something I need to discuss with you," Gabriel nodded. Raphiel was an excellent angel, and Gabriel believed she could offer valuable insights into preventing Hachiman's fall into depravity.
Once Raphiel sat down and exchanged some brief pleasantries, Gabriel and Vignette gathered around her and explained the current situation.
"Because you're too outstanding, Hikigaya Hachiman felt he could never catch up no matter how hard he tried, so he chose to fall?"
"Iris fits Hachiman's ideal type perfectly, so you concluded that Iris isn't the problem?"
"Now that Vignette's suspicions are cleared, you suspect there's a hidden mastermind behind Hachiman's sudden change?", Raphiel blinked at Gabriel and Vignette, who were earnestly explaining their reasoning, her tone turning odd.
"Uh... Wait a moment, let me sort this out. Gabriel, you specifically moved here to protect him from falling?", The more she listened, the stranger it all sounded. Were Gabriel and Vignette misunderstanding something? What 'hidden mastermind'?
Although this world was a bit chaotic, and it sometimes frustrated her seeing certain scumbags running rampant, it was still just a training ground for intern angels and demons. Where would a high-ranking demon even come from?
"Yes, my biggest question now is: why would someone like Hachiman, who is kind, warm, cheerful, and generous, be so devastated just because I'm slightly more outstanding than him, to the point of wanting to fall into depravity?", Gabriel nodded. Normally, an intern demon shouldn't be strong enough to manipulate Hachiman to such an extent without her noticing anything. But she had checked thoroughly, there were no signs of hypnosis or enchantment on either Hachiman or Iris.
"Devastated by your excellence to the point of falling...", Raphiel stared at the seriously pondering Gabriel, her expression growing increasingly peculiar.
"Raphiel, did you think of something?", Sensing that Raphiel might have found a clue, Vignette couldn't help but ask.
On one hand, she wanted to confirm whether Hachiman and Iris were truly fine and not being manipulated.
On the other hand, she also wanted to clear herself and Satanichia of suspicion. She believed Satanichia wasn't capable of such a thing, but others might not be as convinced.
"Hmm... If it were just an ordinary case of someone being outstanding, then your desk neighbor suddenly falling would indeed be strange. It's hard to understand why he would change so drastically," Raphiel glanced at Vignette, then shifted her gaze to Gabriel, her eyes lingering on Gabriel's fair, flawless, and delicately glowing face. Slowly, she spoke: "But what if, in Hachiman's eyes, you're not ordinary at all?"
"Huh? What do you mean?", Gabriel blinked in confusion at Raphiel.
"Didn't you just say that the elf princess Iris fits Hachiman's ideal type perfectly, and since Iris also likes him, you ruled out the possibility that she seduced him into falling?", Raphiel squinted slightly, smiling at Gabriel, "But have you ever considered yourself?"
"Shiny, silky golden hair, a petite and delicate figure, an innocent and adorable face, a kind and gentle personality..."
"All these traits that make Iris an ideal type... also fit you perfectly, Gabriel."
"Raphiel, are you saying that Hachiman actually likes Little Gab?", Hearing Raphiel's analysis, Vignette widened her eyes and instinctively turned to look at Gabriel beside her.
'This speculation is way too terrifying?'
"Exactly. If my guess is correct, the reason Hachiman wants to fall is none other than the supposedly sacred and untouchable angel—Gabriel, you," Watching Gabriel freeze in place, speechless for a long time, Raphiel's lips curled into a playful smile, her amusement growing.
Though her hypothesis wasn't entirely reliable. After all, if Hachiman liked Gabriel, why would he be entangled with Iris? The details weren't impossible to explain.
The real issue was: how would Gabriel, the top student of their angel academy, deal with this situation?
And what if Gabriel herself actually liked Hachiman too?
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