"Can this teammate even do anything?"
Inside Gabriel's room, she lay sprawled on her futon as usual, engrossed in an online game. Just because Shin had logged off didn't mean she had to—she could always catch up on sleep at school tomorrow. Tonight, she was determined to grind through the new dungeon all night.
However, the new teammate who replaced Shin was noticeably worse, making the battles far more frustrating. Moments like these made Gabriel miss Shin even more. Unfortunately, Shin kept a strict sleep schedule and would never pull all-nighters with her.
Though the new teammate wasn't as skilled as Shin, Gabriel had no choice but to make do—at least they were better than most randoms.
Just as she was gearing up for a long night of gaming, she heard the sound of her apartment door opening.
"Huh?"
Gabriel blinked in surprise and turned her head, only to see Vignette stepping inside—the one person who had a spare key to her place.
Recognizing her friend, Gabriel relaxed. For a moment, she had worried some clueless burglar had broken in.
Despite Gabriel's seemingly frail appearance, she was still an angel, possessing supernatural abilities far beyond ordinary humans. She wasn't defenseless—far from it. The "Horn of Apocalypse" wasn't her only means of combat.
"Oh, it's just you, Vignette. Why're you here so late?"
Normally, Vignette should've been getting ready for bed by now, not wandering around outside.
As for how Gabriel knew this so well… well, it was because Vignette used to text her around this time, urging her to rest. But after realizing her messages had no effect, Vignette had long since stopped bothering.
"Gabriel, you're planning to pull another all-nighter gaming, aren't you?"
Vignette's expression was unreadable as she stared at Gabriel, who remained sprawled on the bed, glued to her screen. Her voice was eerily calm as she posed the question.
Gabriel didn't even glance back, her eyes still fixed on the game. She didn't seem to notice that Vignette was acting differently tonight.
"Yeah, but I'll just catch up on sleep in class tomorrow. No big deal."
Hearing this, a vein visibly throbbed on Vignette's forehead. She was furious at Gabriel's continued laziness. As her friend, she couldn't stand by and watch anymore.
This time, she had come to deliver an ultimatum.
"Gabriel! You can't keep living like this! Go to bed right now! Attend class properly tomorrow and start acting like the model angel student you're supposed to be!"
"Ugh… no. Too much effort."
True to form, Gabriel's response was as lazy as ever. She didn't take Vignette's warning seriously, treating it like just another one of her periodic scoldings. If she acted indifferent, Vignette would eventually give up.
But seeing Gabriel's reaction, Vignette recalled what Shin had told her earlier.
Maybe I've been too lenient with her…
But things were different now. She had a new power at her disposal!
Her gaze lowered to Gabriel, still sprawled on the futon, and she summoned her Stand.
A golden scale materialized in her hand—unlike most humanoid or wearable Stands, hers took the form of an object, much like "Beach Boy" from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind, which was a fishing rod.
Vignette's Stand was a golden balance scale.
And its ability…
"Gabriel, if you don't go to bed right now… something you'll deeply regret might happen."
As she spoke, a phantom image of Gabriel slowly appeared on one side of the scale, weighing it down.
The moment those words left her mouth, Gabriel immediately sensed something was wrong.
"Huh?! Where did my shoes go?!"
The "shoes" she referred to weren't real ones—they were her in-game equipment, which had suddenly vanished.
In online games, a character's equipment set consists of multiple pieces, from head to toe. Losing even one piece was a huge setback.
But when Gabriel checked her inventory, she realized her character's shoes had disappeared. No matter where she looked, they were nowhere to be found.
A dreadful realization struck her.
She whipped her head around to stare at Vignette.
Standing behind her, Vignette wore a gentle smile, her right hand slightly raised as if holding something invisible.
But Gabriel was an angel. Though ordinary humans might not see it, she could faintly make out a shimmering golden silhouette in Vignette's grasp.
"Vignette… don't tell me—"
"That's right. Shin helped me awaken my Stand."
Vignette's smile remained sweet, but to Gabriel, it felt like the grin of a devil as her expression shifted from shock to horror.
"My Stand's ability is 'Balance.' Right now, Gabriel, your sleep schedule and your in-game equipment are bound together on opposite sides of the scale."
"Wh-what does that mean?!"
Gabriel's voice trembled as she clung to a sliver of hope.
"It means the more irregular your sleep schedule is, the more of your game equipment will disappear."
Vignette's tone was pleasant, but to Gabriel, it sounded like the whisper of a demon.
"If you don't want all your gear to vanish, you'd better start keeping a normal sleep schedule."
"Y-YOU DEMON!!!"
For the first time in her life, Gabriel truly felt that Vignette was terrifying—like an actual devil.
If this achievement—"Making Heaven's Honor Student Tremble in Fear"—were reported to Hell, Vignette would probably earn a hefty promotion.
---
"Vignette should've dealt with Gabriel by now."
Shin lay in bed, arms wrapped around the girls resting on him, lost in thought.
After helping Vignette awaken her Stand, she had rushed off to confront Gabriel, likely intending to forcibly correct her sleep habits.
Shin could already imagine the complaints Gabriel would throw at him when she visited tomorrow.
"I'll deal with Gabriel tomorrow."
He closed his eyes. Though he could enter a mission world anytime now, he still needed to make use of the night's rest.
As for which world he'd visit next… he had already made up his mind.
To be continued…
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