Healing Angel: "Why'd you log in so late today? Weren't you already home ages ago?"
After spending some time in the bathroom subduing Tohru—and letting her thoroughly overwrite his scent—Shin finally logged into the online game.
And the moment he did, sure enough, Gabriel's private message popped up, filled with complaints.
After all, Gabriel's gaming time nowadays was a race against the clock. She had to grind dungeons and dailies with ruthless efficiency.
Every minute Shin delayed logging in was a minute stolen from her precious playtime—naturally, she was furious.
She had literally watched him arrive home, yet he'd made her wait over an hour before coming online.
Zuke: "Ahem, Tohru needed help with something, so I got held up."
Of course, Shin couldn't outright say he'd spent the last hour exercising with Tohru in the bathroom. He vaguely brushed it off as "helping with something."
But Gabriel wasn't stupid. After working as a maid in Shin's household for a while and interacting with the other girls there, she'd picked up on his relationships with them.
As an angel, Gabriel didn't judge Shin's private life—after all, the Bible alone had plenty of figures with far messier affairs.
That didn't stop her from looking down on his behavior, though.
Healing Angel: "You jumped straight into that the moment you got home? Are you insane? How is that more important than gaming?!"
In Gabriel's eyes, how could that possibly be more fun than an online game? Gaming was obviously the superior choice!
Shin understood her perspective—after all, Gabriel had never done that kind of thing. The most scandalous thing she'd experienced was probably kissing him.
Not that Shin denied gaming was fun, but it wasn't so amazing that he'd ignore real-life girls for it.
Then again, maybe it was because the girls around him never made him work too hard to earn their affection. If he had to go through extreme lengths just to please them, he'd probably choose gaming too.
Zuke: "You've never done it, so of course you wouldn't know how it feels."
Shin's simple reply instantly shut Gabriel up.
She hadn't done it. In fact, aside from Shin, she'd barely even spoken to boys. Asking her to compare the pleasures of that to gaming was downright unfair.
Yet, after reading his message, a sudden thought flashed through Gabriel's mind—
Maybe I should let Shin teach me just how good it feels?
Of course, the moment this idea surfaced, she violently shook her head, slapped her burning cheeks, and growled:
"Ugh! It's all this guy's fault for doing weird stuff all the time! Now even I'm starting to think strange things!"
Though it was just a fleeting thought, it planted a peculiar seed in Gabriel's mind.
For now, though, she suppressed it and poured all her focus into the game. She needed to vent the frustration that had suddenly welled up inside her.
———
Around midnight, Shin noticed Gabriel logging off.
This was the first time he'd ever seen her go offline before him. Ever since they'd become gaming buddies, Gabriel had never quit before Shin.
It seemed Vignette's "normal sleep schedule" rule was strict—probably something like "lights out by 12 AM, no exceptions."
For the sake of her precious gaming gear, Gabriel had no choice but to obey her "demon" overlord.
She was probably saving up to buy back the Horn of Apocalypse before asking Vignette to undo her Stand's restrictions.
But Shin wasn't the only one surprised by Gabriel's early logout—even their teammates were baffled.
Girl A: "Hey Zuke, what's up with Healing Angel? She logged off early yesterday too."
One of their more skilled teammates, "Girl A," privately messaged Shin, curious about Gabriel's sudden change.
This "Girl A" had once claimed to be a high school girl, but since she could effortlessly discuss otaku topics—even adult games—nobody took her seriously.
Shin didn't assume "Girl A" was another rare, beautiful girl with a gaming addiction like Gabriel. He just casually replied:
Zuke: "Maybe she's just tired? Also, why ask me? Shouldn't you ask her directly?"
Girl A: "Oh come on~ You're obviously closest to Healing Angel. I'm starting to think you two might've even met in real life."
Surprisingly, "Girl A's" intuition was sharp. Just from observing Shin and Gabriel's in-game dynamic, she'd picked up on their real-world connection.
But since Shin had no idea if "Girl A" was actually a girl, reading that message gave him goosebumps.
Zuke: "Getting scrutinized this closely by someone who might be a dude feels... weird."
Girl A: "I told you I'm a real-life high school girl! Why does nobody believe me?!"
Clearly annoyed, "Girl A" fired back.
Girl A: "If you ever come to Saitama, hit me up. We'll meet, and then you'll see I'm not lying."
Zuke: "If you are a high school girl, casually revealing your location is dangerous. Where's your self-preservation?"
Girl A: "Relax, I trust you. Besides, Saitama's huge—it's not like I gave you my exact address, right?"
After chatting a bit longer, Shin logged off and got ready for bed.
Though he got along with "Girl A" in-game, he didn't take her claims seriously.
Meeting one beautiful girl like Gabriel in an online game was already rare. What were the odds of stumbling upon another?
There's no way online games are just packed with cute girls waiting for me to find them.
To be continued…
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