As the five sisters were still wrapped up in an awestruck debate about angels, a loud, provocatively challenging girl's voice suddenly cut through the hallway noise and reached their ears.
"Gabriel! I'm beating you today! Prepare yourself!"
The name "Gabriel" was like a trigger—instantly pricking the Nakano quintuplets' attention. The five of them blinked in unison and turned toward the source of the voice.
Not far down the corridor stood a petite girl with vivid red hair and a black devil-horn headband, hands on her hips, bristling like a puffed-up kitten as she pointed at a blonde girl opposite her.
The blonde being pointed at looked utterly out of place in the lively campus scene—soft, fluffy short hair, half-lidded blue eyes that seemed forever drowsy, and a wrinkled uniform as she let out an enormous yawn. She clearly couldn't care less about the redhead's challenge.
"Haaah~ Satania, huh…" the blonde—Gabriel—rubbed her eyes and replied perfunctorily, "You again…? I'm not in the mood today. Besides, I'm tired of the sweet red-bean buns you keep losing to me. Change the stakes and maybe we'll talk."
"Hmph! How dare you look down on me, you mere Gabriel!" the redhead, Satania, hopped in outrage. Then, as if remembering something, she puffed out her chest smugly. "This time is different. I've brought a witness—so you'll have to admit defeat!"
As her voice fell, a figure stepped unhurriedly out of the crowd: a black-haired boy with a distinctive, almost all-seeing calm smile—Rei Ao.
"Master, you finally came!" Satania exclaimed, latching onto Rei Ao's arm.
At his appearance, the listless Gabriel twitched at the corner of her mouth. Her half-lidded eyes sharpened a little, showing a flash of unmistakable… headache and resignation.
"Why is it you…" she muttered under her breath, the tone screaming "trouble's here." Rei Ao was one of the few people she really couldn't handle—especially since she half-feared he might just smack her without warning. Terrifying.
Satania, oblivious to Gabriel's subtle change of expression, preened on. "Well? With my Master as witness, you can't wiggle out of it this time!"
Before this random challenge could even start, the ever-observant Nakano quintuplets—who had been studying Gabriel closely—moved. Nino suddenly frowned. Staring at Gabriel's refined yet slacker, world-weary face, she felt a tug of déjà vu.
"Hey, don't you think…" Nino tugged her sisters' sleeves and lowered her voice, "this 'Gabriel' looks a lot like Zelel-san who stayed at our place last night?"
Prompted by her, the others scrutinized the blonde.
"She really does!" Yotsuba reacted first. "The hairstyle and vibe are totally different, but the face shape—and the eye color—are super similar!"
"And the names…" Miku added quietly. "Zelel… Gabriel…"
Ichika and Itsuki traded looks, seeing the same suspicion and shock in each other's eyes. Could this languid, unmotivated blonde be the very sister Zelel-san—the dignified, saintly angel—was searching for… Gabriel?
Their hearts pounded. What were the odds?
They didn't hesitate. The five sisters exchanged a glance and headed together toward Rei Ao, Gabriel, and Satania.
Their approach naturally drew the trio's attention. Satania eyed the five nearly identical, very pretty girls in puzzlement. Gabriel lifted her eyelids lazily and offered no reaction. Rei Ao, however, let the faintest hint of surprise flicker across his eyes at the quintuplets' joint appearance, as if he hadn't expected them to step in at this exact moment.
"Um… hello," Ichika, the eldest, spoke first, politely greeting Rei Ao, Gabriel, and Satania. "I'm Ichika Nakano. These are my sisters—Nino, Miku, Yotsuba, and Itsuki. We all transferred here recently."
Rei Ao dipped his head in acknowledgment, his gaze sweeping over the quintuplets with a barely perceptible curiosity. Gabriel and Satania seemed uninterested.
After a beat of hesitation, Ichika turned to Gabriel and ventured, "Gabriel, do you… happen to have an older sister?"
The abrupt question made Gabriel blink. Her half-lidded blue eyes opened a little wider as she looked at Ichika in mild puzzlement. She nodded. "Yeah, I do. Why?"
How do these transfer students know she has a sister? And why ask her out of nowhere?
With that confirmation, the sisters were almost certain. But Ichika faltered—how was she supposed to continue? They'd promised Zelel to keep things quiet. They couldn't just blurt out, "Your sister's an angel and staying at our house," right? And what if Gabriel wasn't an angel—wouldn't that be awkward?
As the air grew delicately awkward, Rei Ao's lips curved into a meaningful smile. His gaze passed over the quintuplets and finally settled on Gabriel. In a tone that sounded offhand yet subtly leading, he said slowly:
"Gabriel, don't you think the aura around these Nakano girls feels… familiar?"
~~~
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