Under the quintuplets' bright, childlike stares, Zelel looked a little out of her element. She was used to the ordered, role-bound atmosphere of the heavens, not to being watched with such open warmth and curiosity.
She smoothed an imaginary crease in her skirt and kept a dignified posture, then answered solemnly:
"Yes. My name is Zelel White. I'm from the Heaven Realm—a heaven-sent angel."
Her self-introduction was brief and formal.
"Zelel… what a lovely name!" Itsuki breathed in admiration.
"So… Angel-nee, did you come to the human world on some important mission?" Ichika, the calmest of the five, pushed down her own shock to ask the crucial question.
At the mention of business, Zelel's expression returned to its earlier seriousness—with the faintest trace of worry. "I descended to find and check on my younger sister, Gabriel White."
"Eh?! Angel-nee, you have a little sister?!" Yotsuba blurted. "And she's in the human world too?"
"Yes." Zelel nodded. "A while ago, as one of our academy's top graduates, she was dispatched here to train and learn—to help humans and spread goodwill. According to plan, she should have been filing regular reports to the heavens, but lately her contact has become extremely rare—and the contents have been… unusual. I grew concerned, so I came to see for myself."
The five sisters traded looks. So an angel had already been living among humans—without them ever knowing. That was a lot to take in.
"But," Zelel went on, brows knitting again with a clear note of frustration, "the human world now seems to be shrouded by a remarkably powerful and special barrier. It not only restricts casual entry from outside realms—including the heavens—but it also severely interferes with the tracking aspect of my angelic powers. I can't accurately sense Gabriel's location or condition."
She tried once more to extend her perception, but the ever-present barrier was like a thick fog, blinding her—a rare dilemma for someone famed for capability and efficiency.
Seeing the undisguised worry on the golden-haired angel's face, the quintuplets exchanged quick glances. They weren't great at studying, but they were kindhearted. This angel didn't seem like a bad person—and she was in trouble searching for her sister. If she couldn't leave because of the barrier (so they guessed), then Zelel had nowhere to go right now…
Clearing her throat, Ichika smiled gently and took the initiative. "Um… Zelel-san, if you can't find your sister right away and have nowhere else to stay, would you like to live with us for the time being?"
"Yeah, yeah!" Yotsuba brightened instantly. "Our place is a little messy, but we've got a spare room. You can take your time looking for your sister!"
Arms folded, Nino kept a hint of tsundere bite in her tone, but relented. "Whatever… one more person won't kill us."
Miku gave a small nod. Itsuki patted her chest and promised, "We'll keep your secret. And more eyes are better—maybe we can help watch for news about your sister, too!"
The five of them chimed in one after another—noisy, yes, but their simple goodwill and enthusiasm came through clearly. Zelel looked at the five human girls—so different in temperament, yet equally kind. There was no calculation or fear in their eyes, only a pure desire to help, and a warm, eager light when they looked at her. A ray of sun slipped into a heart accustomed to rule and order; a faint warmth stirred.
With no allies here and her search powers hampered, staying for now might be her only option—and these girls seemed trustworthy enough. She dipped into a graceful angelic bow, her cool voice softened a shade. "Thank you for your kind hospitality. Until I find my sister Gabriel… I'll be in your care."
"You're welcome, you're welcome!" The sisters lit up at her agreement, momentarily forgetting their academic woes, swept up in the thrill of "a real angel is staying at our house."
Watching their excitement, the corners of Zelel's cool lips tugged up by the tiniest fraction. Perhaps this unexpected descent and delay wasn't entirely a bad thing. Still—Gabriel, what have you gone through down here? And who erected the powerful barrier blanketing the human world? The questions lingered. She did have a guess.
The next day, at the Academy—
The break bell had barely finished ringing when the building filled with the chatter of students. The Nakano quintuplets, unusually, clustered together in a corner of the hallway instead of scattering as usual, whispering about the revelation that had upended their worldview overnight.
"So you're telling me there's actually an angel living in our house now?" Nino repeated, still incredulous, idly twirling a lock of hair. "This isn't a dream, right? I pinched myself a bunch of times last night…"
"It's real!" Yotsuba's eyes sparkled as she whispered, "Zelel-san is so pretty—and so elegant! And her wings looked like they'd be really soft…"
She'd mustered the courage to sneak a tiny touch to the edge of Zelel's folded wing the night before, and the sensation was burned into memory.
Miku had her headphones on, but clearly wasn't listening to anything. "So angels really exist… then what about other myths?" (Privately, she wondered whether great figures from history might have something like heroic spirits.)
Ichika stayed the most composed, though curiosity gleamed in her eyes too. "She said she's looking for her sister, an angel named Gabriel. Sounds like she came here a long time ago, but recently they lost contact."
Hands pressed together, Itsuki's face shone with hope. "I really hope we can help Zelel-san find her sister soon. Their reunion would be so moving!"