Zelel looked at the two of them locked together (though one of them was struggling in vain), and felt once more the vast, unfathomable power rolling off Rei Ao—power so great it made even her feel helpless.
For a moment she didn't know how to proceed. Heaven's regulations, an elder sister's duty—before absolute strength and this completely unforeseen relationship, they suddenly felt pale and powerless.
The Nakano living room sank into another eerie silence, broken only by Gabriel's faint sounds of struggling and Zelel's heavy breathing. For this earnest angel, today's shocks were simply too much.
Rei Ao's earth-shattering "girlfriend" declaration had been like dropping a depth charge into a calm lake; the shockwave left the living room in dead silence for tens of seconds. Zelel stood there, stupefied. Her sky-blue eyes were wider than ever; her perfect features were etched with shock, absurdity, disbelief—and a dazedness born of a worldview violently shaken.
She looked at her sister in Rei Ao's arms—squirming, but not truly fighting to break free—then at the black-haired boy whose mild smile masked a tyrannical certainty. The valedictorian of Heaven's finest angel academy… was drawing a blank.
Her sister and this inscrutable strongest being of the human world… lovers? How was that possible? Gabriel hadn't even been here that long. How could she have formed a relationship like this? And with Rei Ao's strength and standing, why would he take a liking to a sister so lazy her halo "collects dust"?
Questions churned through her mind, and finally condensed into sheer powerlessness. She wanted to rebuke them sternly, to take Gabriel back by force as both sister and superior—but in the face of Rei Ao's unveiled dominance and unfathomable might, she knew she had no chance. Forcing a clash would only make things worse.
"…Gabriel." Zelel's voice was rough, layered with complicated emotion as she fixed her gaze on her sister. "I will report everything truthfully. You… had better conduct yourself well."
She looked hard at Rei Ao again—wariness, scrutiny, and a trace of resignation in her eyes. "Rei Ao-sama, regarding today, and your relationship with my sister, I will report it to Heaven as it is. In time, beings of a higher rank may come to speak with you."
Rei Ao shrugged, unconcerned. "They're welcome anytime."
Zelel said no more. She gave Gabriel—face buried in Rei Ao's chest, ears flaming red—one last look. Holy light flickered over her, and her figure faded into the air, vanishing from the room.
She needed to return to Heaven immediately—to report the emergence of a human-world paramount being and a grand barrier, as well as her sister's unbelievable romance. All of this was far beyond her rank and capacity to handle alone.
With Zelel gone, the invisible pressure in the room lifted at once. The Nakano quintuplets finally dared to breathe deeply. They looked at one another and saw the same confusion and shock reflected back.
The day had been surreal: an angel moving into their home; discovering an angel and a demon as classmates; then Rei Ao's staggering power, mysterious identity, and his relationship with Gabriel. It was stranger than any anime they'd ever watched.
Rei Ao loosened his hold. Gabriel jumped back like a startled rabbit, cheeks flushed, puffing her cheeks at him in anger—but not daring to really blow up. As if nothing had happened, Rei Ao turned to the still-stunned quintuplets. He rubbed his chin, a thoughtful yet teasing smile on his face.
"Come to think of it… you learned quite a few weighty secrets today. To be safe, should I…" He drew out the words, a "dangerous" glint flashing in his eyes. "Do what Zelel was considering earlier—and erase your memories?"
"No!!!"
The quintuplets shrieked in unison, springing up from the sofa. They crowded around him, faces full of fear and pleading.
"Please, Rei Ao-senpai—don't erase our memories!" Itsuki clutched his sleeve, eyes brimming. "We promise we won't tell anyone—absolutely top secret!" Ichika blurted, and Yotsuba nodded hard. Nino and Miku stayed silent, but their eyes were firm in opposition.
Seeing how intense their reaction was, Rei Ao's stern look collapsed into an irrepressible smile. He waved a hand, amused. "I'm teasing you. Look how scared you got."
"Huh? J-just a joke?" They stared in disbelief; they hadn't expected the cool, mysterious Rei Ao to mess with them like that. Their looks turned rueful—but they also exhaled in relief, patting their chests, still shaken.
Rei Ao reined in the smile and spoke a bit more seriously. "But you must keep this secret. About me—and about Gabriel and Satania's identities—don't tell others lightly. In this world, knowing too much beyond common sense isn't necessarily good for ordinary people."
"We understand!" The sisters bobbed their heads like pecking chicks. After all they'd seen, they grasped the gravity of it.
"Good." Rei Ao nodded, satisfied. Then he glanced at the still-pouting Gabriel and at the spectating Satania. "We should go."
Before anyone could react, he merely stirred a thought—and the three of them vanished from the Nakanos' living room like pencil marks erased by rubber, leaving no trace behind.
~~~
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